Locked Up

The room was almost as dark as ink and the surroundings were too quiet. Other than the candle at the corner of the room, there was no other source of light to brighten the room.

At this time, Yu Feng did not know how long she has been locked in the room or what was the intention of others to keep her there. After waiting for a long time, she had fallen asleep in the room and when she woke up again, she noticed that the candle has been changed to a new one, but the people who caught her earlier had not appeared again.

When she was caught, Yu Feng had thought that Officer Zhou would imprison her for a few hours before he would summon her to be interrogated. However, that man had not made his appearance after he had pushed her into this empty room.

After staying alone without nothing to do, Yu Feng grew agitated.

Fortunately for her, her captor had not tied her hands and feet and therefore she can move around freely. Although she had tried to find a way to escape the room, Yu Feng quickly found that it was impossible. She had looked around and found that this place which resembled an old shed had one door and no window.

The only way she could escape this place was through this door, but with her strength, she couldn't knock the door down. Unless if she used that candle to burn this place.

But it was still too dangerous. She did not want to die in a fire.

As Yu Feng paced back and forth in the room, she suddenly heard a movement outside. She pressed her ear to the door and tried to listen carefully. There was some whispering voice, but she could not hear things clearly.

"Hey!" Yu Feng shouted out loud and banged her fist on the door. "How long do you plan to keep me here?"

Her questions were left unanswered and she grew angry. She lifted her feet and kicked at the door to vent her anger.

"If you're planning to keep me in here for a long time, the least you could do was to give me some food!" Yu Feng shouted into the air. "At this rate, I'm going to die starving!"

Her breath labored as soon as she finished venting. Her stomach growled, but at this time, she was more worried about her cats who were still waiting to be fed at home. Her brother, Orange the cat would worry when she did not return. Yu Feng did not know what Orange would do when he realized her absence.

Will he leave and find a new family?

No.

What if he was bullied by those children again?

At the memories of how she had found Orange years ago, Yu Feng grew restless.

Back then, those kids had bullied Orange and when she found the cat, his body was bleeding everywhere. It took her months to nurse him back to health. As time goes by, Orange had brought home a few more of his friends. Although Yu Feng has been living with those cats for a few years, Orange remained the closest to her. He was like her brother and the only family she had. If Orange left, Yu Feng would not know what to do.

Yu Feng gave another kick at the door. The door rattled and she could hear the sound of lock jingling outside. After waiting for a while, her capture still did not appear.

At this time, Yu Feng began to think of the reason why Officer Zhou had kept her in this shed. Although Yu Feng has been living in the street for years, she was still knowledgeable about the law and its procedure.

Officer Zhou was supposed to bring her to the magistrate and let her face her charge, but he did not.

Then the reason Officer Zhou had kept her in this room might not have anything to do with her petty crime. If so, then what was his purpose?

As Yu Feng began to think about her fate, the man in a blue robe appeared in her mind. She recalled the look on his face as he stared at her and the noble air around him.

Earlier, she had seen how Officer Zhou was very obedient and polite towards this man in a blue robe. For someone like Officer Zhou to be respectful towards a young man like him... Yu Feng was sure that the man was not a person to be trifled with.

After a few more hours of being locked in the shed, finally, she was able to hear some movement outside. The keys tinkled and the door made a loud screeching sound as someone swung the door open.

Yu Feng had tried to take this chance to slam into this person to make her escape, however, the person in front of her was no other than Officer Zhou. He had big, sturdy built that it was impossible for someone as frail as Yu Feng to make her escape.

"Little boy," Officer Zhou grabbed at her arm. "Just where do you think you're going?"

Yu Feng tried to struggle free and had noticed the way he had addressed her. Swiftly, she lifted her face and looked at Officer Zhou in horror. "Just who are you calling little boy?"

Officer Zhou raised a brow. "You. Who else. Did you see anyone else in this room?" Officer Zhou shifted his gaze to look around the room. Then, he turned back to the person in front of him.

Yu Feng let out a chortle as she stared at the officer with her wide eyes.

To be mistaken for a boy! Yu Feng thought that it was an insult!

She looked at her clothes and realized that she had a habit to wear a male's cloth as it would be easier to move around. Then, her gaze slowly went to her flat chest and suddenly she had the urge to punch this Officer in his face.

Although her chest was a bit flat, she was still a girl, alright?

Just as she was about to open her mouth and explained her gender, Yu Feng decided to stop herself.

Since Officer Zhou had mistaken her as a boy. Doesn't that mean that all these while, the authorities had thought that she was a boy?

If she let this misunderstanding continue, then perhaps she would provide herself an escape.

Her eyes flashed as an idea crossed her mind.

Anyway, her crime was merely stealing some food. She had never stolen any money or other valuables. Therefore, her punishment shouldn't be that heavy, right?

Yu Feng was sure that after spending a few nights in the lockup, she will be released. If she started to dress more like a girl later, the others will not be able to find her again, right?

Just at the thought that she could trick the authorities by dressing up differently made Yu Feng a bit excited.

Although it was a bit disheartening, Yu Feng began to appreciate her flat chest. At least they will let her continue to live life comfortably a while longer.

Once she had made her decision, Yu Feng began to relax a little bit.

"Officer Zhou, why do you keep me in this place for this long? Shouldn't I be brought to the magistrate and let him rule my case?"

The officer paused as he looked at the frail boy in his hand. "So, you know who I am?"

Yu Feng let out a laugh. "Officer, we have been playing the game of cat and mouse for years. Of course, I have to get to know you."

Officer Zhou continued to stare at the boy for a while longer and suddenly, his lips curled into a smile. He leaned forward and whispered, "Cat and mouse huh? Interesting. Little boy, you have been caught by the authorities for stealing. Are you not afraid?"