Chapter 281: A Mistake, They're on the Same Side!

Fortunately, the Imperial Capital was tolerant enough; although people found him strange, no one had actually taken any action yet.

Elder Liu didn't care about this at all. On the contrary, he was extremely confident in his "disguise," believing that absolutely no one could recognize him, and so his behavior became even more unscrupulous.

Just as he was adjusting the focus of his binoculars to get a better look, his vision suddenly went black—

Two tall young men, wearing ordinary casual clothes that couldn't hide their capable aura, stood like two walls, completely blocking his line of sight.

Elder Liu was right at the critical moment, and being blocked so suddenly made him furious.

He lowered his binoculars and snapped at the two backs, "Hey! You two! Move aside! You're blocking me!"

Upon hearing this, the two men didn't move aside. Instead, they turned around simultaneously, their expressions serious and their gazes sharp as knives, instantly locking onto Elder Liu.

Without a word, one of them reached out and, with lightning speed, snatched the binoculars from Elder Liu's hands.

"What are you doing?! Robbing people in broad daylight?!" Elder Liu was both shocked and angry.

The other man pulled a black ID card stamped with the national emblem from his jacket and flashed it quickly in front of Elder Liu.

His voice was low and serious, "We are from the Ministry of State Security. Your behavior is suspicious, and you are using high-powered binoculars to spy on specific individuals. We now suspect you of endangering national security. Please come with us immediately to assist with the investigation!"

Elder Liu: "???"

He was completely stunned! His mind went blank instantly.

The Ministry of State Security?! Endangering national security?! Me?! Elder Liu?!

Elder Liu almost thought there was something wrong with his ears.

He was old, retired at home enjoying life (though he didn't have grandchildren yet), and the most outrageous thing he had done was probably peeking at his granddaughter's date today. How could this be related to "endangering national security"?!

This was simply a huge joke!

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and tried to explain, "No... comrades, you've got it wrong! I was watching my..."

"Cut the crap!" the man who had taken the binoculars interrupted impatiently, his tone stern.

"Save it for when we get back. For now, please cooperate!"

As he spoke, his other hand reached toward his waist. Judging by the movement, he seemed prepared to pull out handcuffs and use force.

Elder Liu was really startled this time.

If he were really handcuffed and taken away in public, his reputation would be completely ruined.

By tomorrow, he would be the top joke among all the major families in the Imperial Capital.

In his desperation, he couldn't care about anything else.

He quickly lowered his voice and clarified in a rush, "Don't do anything! We're on the same side! I am Elder Liu! I worked at the XX Ministry before I retired! I am watching my granddaughter and her friend! I am not some suspicious person!"

To increase his credibility, he spoke while frantically pulling out his phone, muttering, "I'll call your Minister Liu right now. Liu Feng, I know him well!"

The fact that Elder Liu identified himself and claimed to know Minister Liu made the two young men pause slightly, but the vigilance in their eyes didn't diminish at all.

In such special circumstances, they had seen many cases of people faking their identities to try to get by.

The two men still maintained a pincer formation, subtly surrounding Elder Liu, their eyes fixed on his every move like torches.

As long as he made any abnormal moves, he would immediately be subdued with lightning speed.

Elder Liu looked at their "no matter who you are, we'll subdue you first" stance and felt nothing but helplessness.

He had to bite the bullet and, under their intense scrutiny, dial Minister Liu's private number.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered, and Minister Liu's slightly puzzled voice came through, "Old Liu, why are you calling me at this hour? Is something the matter?"

"Uh... well... Old Liu..." Elder Liu held the phone, his facial expression quite colorful.

He stammered and stuttered, his old face flushing a bit red; it was truly hard to say.

Was he supposed to just say—Old Liu, I was peeking at my granddaughter's date and got caught by your subordinates as a spy, hurry and bail me out?!

This was simply the most socially mortifying moment of his retirement, or even his entire life.

The two men saw Elder Liu's hesitant, shifty-eyed appearance, which clearly looked like he had something to hide, and their suspicion deepened even further.

They exchanged a look and nodded. One of them reached out again, preparing to step forward and forcibly subdue Elder Liu.

Elder Liu was startled and shuddered.

He had come out secretly today, not even bringing a driver, just thinking he would disguise himself well enough not to be discovered.

If he were really dragged away in public and the news got out, how would he be able to show his face in the Imperial Capital's circles again?

He would definitely be laughed to death by those old guys.

In his desperation, he couldn't care about his face anymore and spoke into the phone at lightning speed:

"Old Liu, I... I was just concerned about Ruyan's future happiness, so I was right next to where she was on a date... um... observing the situation."

"And... and I got caught by your two subordinates! They said I was acting suspiciously, spying on key national protected personnel, and they want to take me back for investigation! Hurry and explain for me! Quickly!"

He spoke so fast, and the content was so explosive, that Minister Liu on the other end of the line was clearly stunned, his brain buffering for a few seconds from the sudden influx of information.

Concerned about his granddaughter's future happiness? Observing from the side? Caught by my subordinates as a spy?!

Putting these elements together, Minister Liu couldn't fully process it for a moment.

Immediately afterward, a burst of irrepressible, raucous laughter came through the receiver.

"Hahahaha—!! Oh my god! Elder Liu, oh Elder Liu, hahahaha!"

Minister Liu laughed heartily, full of undisguised mockery.

"You... what am I supposed to say about you?! Ah, what kind of decent person, what kind of grandfather goes around with binoculars to peek at his granddaughter's date?!"

"Hahahaha! You old guy, you've got nothing better to do now that you're retired, huh?! You're simply a disgrace to our cadre team! Hahahaha!"

Elder Liu listened to the ruthless laughter and insults on the other end of the phone, his mouth twitching and the veins on his forehead about to pop.

But he couldn't refute it, so he could only lower his voice and say through gritted teeth, "Stop laughing! Hurry up! Talk about business! If you laugh again, I'm going to get mad at you!"

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh, I won't laugh... pfft..." Minister Liu tried hard to suppress his laughter, but his voice was still full of mockery, "Give the phone to the comrade next to you, I'll talk to them."

The young man who was about to take action took the phone from Elder Liu with a puzzled expression and held it to his ear.