Logically speaking, Tong Qiu should have refuted and said, ‘from a legal standpoint, there’s nothing going on between us so I’m technically not under your jurisdiction anymore’.
However, he kept the thought to himself and couldn’t help but smile at Huo Zhixing.
Huo Zhixing said, “You’re not too rusty, huh? You even managed to tie him up.”
“You’ve taught me well.” Before their divorce, Tong Qiu’s police officer of a husband had gently persuaded him to learn a few self-defense moves in the event of an emergency. At the time, Tong Qiu had said he’d probably never get a chance to use what he learned, but Huo Zhixing had been adamant. Huo Zhixing had even done spot checks from time to time to encourage Tong Qiu to practice.
Who would have thought that Tong Qiu would actually get to demonstrate his abilities today? And despite his aching butt and the fact that he had fallen on his ass, his incredible skills had a chance to shine.
Tong Qiu raised an eyebrow in amusement. “I didn’t let you down, did I?”
“No, you didn’t. You’re quite worthy of the ‘Best Police Family Member’ title.” Huo Zhixing was very fond of Tong Qiu’s delighted expression and the way Tong Qiu tilted his head, as if he were fishing for compliments. If it weren’t for the fact that there were other people around, Huo Zhixing really would have kissed him.
“Shifu, should we take him back to our station?” Zhao Heyu seized a handful of Fang Baicheng’s clothes and cut short his shifu and shimu’s lovey-dovey chitchat.
“Yes, take him back and grill him real good.” Huo Zhixing replied, then tsk’ed and said to Fang Baicheng, “Didn’t I already tell you last time to stay away from him? Looks like you haven’t done enough stalking and need to be locked up for a few days to settle down, huh?”
“What right do you have to lock me up?” Fang Baicheng demanded self-righteously and was completely unaware that he was in the wrong. “This is an abuse of power! I’ll report you!”
“Go ahead, but before you report me you should deal with your stalking issues first. Thankfully, Tong Qiu here knew a few moves. If he hadn’t taken you on, you probably would have forced your way in, right?”
Tong Qiu gave Huo Zhixing a small pat. “What are you saying.”
Huo Zhixing took Tong Qiu by the hand and said to Fang Baicheng, “Seems like you’ve got the guts to go after just about anyone. You sure have a lot of balls for someone so useless.”
He turned and said to Zhao Heyu, “Take him away!”
Zhao Heyu was ecstatic about helping his shimu out of trouble and was in an excellent mood. He dragged Fang Baicheng along and went on his merry way.
“Should I go with you guys?” Tong Qiu was still standing and was leaning against the wall. The way he looked at Huo Zhixing could only be described as ‘warm and gentle’.
Huo Zhixing handed the belt back to him and thoughtfully stood in front of the security camera to block him from view. “Put your belt back on first. You do have to come along but I’ll bring you back home afterwards.”
Tong Qiu buckled his belt and followed Huo Zhixing out. While it was a good thing that the annoying Fang Baicheng had been taken care of, the reason he had left work early wasn’t because of Fang Baicheng, nor was it because of Huo Zhixing – it was so that he could apply his ointment!
He gave the tube of ointment in his pocket a pinch. His ass felt like it was on fire, almost as if a pound of hot peppers had been shoved inside. It really was too much to bear.
—
Tong Qiu went with Huo Zhixing to Sanhu Police Station. The officers there waved as soon as they saw him.
Fang Baicheng’s face turned ashen when he noticed. Zhao Heyu didn’t even give him a chair to sit on, and had him crouch down while questioning him.
“I have nothing to say to you.” Fang Baicheng shot a glance at Tong Qiu, who had been ushered into a seat and was being handed drinks and refreshment. “You might have arrested me but I can still report you.”
Zhao Heyu rolled his eyes. “Bro, Shi-I mean, Tong-laoshi is clearly the victim here but even he hasn’t reported you. You sure are gutsy, ha! You think we don’t have enough evidence to arrest you? Shall we take a look at the security footage in the neighbourhood? Looks to me like you’ve done your fair share of sneaking around.”
Fang Baicheng didn’t respond.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Yc atf batfg rlvf bo atf gbbw, Kbcu Hle lclaljiis tjvc’a kjcafv ab rla vbkc yfmjerf tlr yeaa kjr ralii rbgf. Ktf qfgrbc lc ogbca bo tlw kjr ab yijwf, yea atlr Yoolmfg Leb rffwfv mbwqifafis byilnlber. Rba bcis vlv Leb Itlzlcu ufa tlw ab rla vbkc, yea tf rffwfv lcafca bc tjnlcu j clmf ibcu mtja.
So be it, Tong Qiu thought. He had to give a statement after all.
However, Tong Qiu wished they could hurry up. He wasn’t in the mood for meaningful glances or flirtatious banter with his ex-husband today.
Huo Zhixing followed the proper procedures and took his statement, then thoughtfully asked him if he had been injured.
Tong Qiu wanted to say that Fang Baicheng hadn’t harmed him, but Officer Huo had done a whole lot of damage to him last night.
But Tong Qiu merely bit his lip and was too embarrassed to speak his thoughts aloud.
Most people in the department weren’t aware that he and Huo Zhixing had divorced. When they had seen Tong Qiu, they had thought that he was just here to pay his husband a visit.
The two of them didn’t explain themselves and didn’t bother correcting them.
“How will Fang Baicheng be dealt with?” Tong Qiu asked.
“Depends on what you want to do about him.” Huo Zhixing smiled at him and asked, “Do you want to report him?”
“Ah, there’s no need. It’s enough if he’s learned his lesson. I expect he won’t bother me again after today.”
While they chatted, a woman arrived at the front and called out, “Is Huo-ge around?”
They turned around at the sound of her voice. Zhao Heyu spoke first and said, “Aiyo, you’re back!”
Tong Qiu glanced at Zhao Heyu, then glanced at the woman. She was quite pretty with fair skin and long hair – a real beauty.
She bounded over when she caught sight of Huo Zhixing.
“Huo-ge, you weren’t here yesterday.” She set down the two bags she was carrying on the desk. “Didn’t I tell you I was going to properly thank you? As a matter of fact, here’s my ‘thanks’”
Tong Qiu continued to stare at her as he pondered over who the woman was, exactly.
“Aiyo, I didn’t realize you’re busy. You’ll have to excuse me, I only just noticed.” The woman took out an insulated food container and placed it in Huo Zhixing’s reach. “I hand-made some dumplings and figured you lot are too busy to eat, so I made sure to bring them over.”
The woman put Huo Zhixing’s share on his desk, then placed a pair of chopsticks on top of the container. “I won’t bother you then. Carry on.”
She carried the other dumplings to a spare desk and said, “Is anyone hungry? I made dumplings for you guys.”
At her call, the uniformed men and women who were so busy they hadn’t eaten yet all gathered around.
Tong Qiu was all smiles as he gazed at Huo Zhixing and it was enough to make Huo Zhixing’s scalp go numb.
“Are you hungry?” Tong Qiu leaned slightly forward and placed his elbow on the desk. He propped his chin in his palm and beamed as he said, “You should eat.”
Huo Zhixing didn’t manage to respond before Tong Qiu continued, “It must be nice being an officer. There’s even pretty girls who make dumplings for you.”
“I wish I was as lucky,” Tong Qiu continued. “Those students of mine only cause trouble.”
Huo Zhixing leaned back in his chair and smiled too. “Why does it smell like vinegar here? Oh right, dumplings have to be dipped in vinegar.”
Tong Qiu let out an almost inaudible “hmph”, then asked, “How come I never knew you were so popular?”
He really was a little jealous.
Huo Zhixing realized that, despite being a fairly reasonable person, Tong Qiu was actually prone to jealousy. Why wasn’t he aware of this side of Tong Qiu before?
Eating a little vinegar was perfectly harmless – it was good for your health, and also good for emotional development.
“I’ve always been pretty popular,” Huo Zhixing boasted shamelessly. “You never knew because you never came by. Sometimes, there are so many girls and boys who come over to ogle me that the station’s front steps are worn thin.”
Tong Qiu burst out laughing. “In your dreams!”
They grinned as they gazed into each other’s eyes, a honey-sweet feeling blossoming between them.
While they were smiling at each other, the woman came by again. She stood cautiously next to Tong Qiu and said tentatively, “Ah, I heard that you’re Huo-ge’s lover?”
Tong Qiu startled, then looked over at Huo Zhixing. He didn’t know how to respond.
“What’s up?” Huo Zhixing said. “He’s taken, so don’t get your hopes up.”
The girl stared bashfully at Huo Zhixing. “Huo-ge, what are you talking about?”
She grinned then handed over a container. “I grabbed some from the pack of starving wolves over there.”
Tong Qiu was a little too embarrassed to take it. A moment ago, he had been eating vinegar because of her. And now he was eating her dumplings too – it really made him seem thick-skinned.
“There’s no need to be so polite,” the woman said. “I’m from the clinic across the street. These past few days, some people have been giving us trouble at night. Us girls were terrified but Huo-ge came by with his team and took care of them. Today, I came by just to thank him.”
“How come you didn’t thank me?” Zhao Heyu sidled over, a dumpling dangling from his mouth. “It was me who noticed it first and I was the one to get shifu to come over!”
Tong Qiu smiled. He accepted the container and thanked her. The woman and Zhao Heyu continued squabbling off to the side and Huo Zhixing asked, “Eating vinegar again?”
“Who says I’m eating vinegar?”
“No, I’m asking you if you want to eat any vinegar with your dumplings.”
Tong-laoshi knew he had been exposed and in a fit of humiliation-fueled rage, he ended up eating his ex-husband’s box of dumplings too.
—
When Tong Qiu eventually left the station with Huo Zhixing, he discovered that he was in a good mood. As they say, happiness is the kind of drug that cures all diseases. Even though his ass had been too painful to bear, after the whole ruckus, it didn’t seem as uncomfortable as before.
Fang Baicheng was handed over to Zhao Heyu. Huo Zhixing told him not to worry and that Fang Baicheng will be taught a good, hard lesson.
Tong Qiu honestly didn’t want to worry over it anyway. It would be best if Fang Baicheng never wandered across his path again. It was too terrifying.
Huo Zhixing insisted on sending him home, but taking the police car wasn’t too appropriate. There was a bicycle left in the courtyard and after going back to ask around, Huo Zhixing managed to get ahold of the key to unlock it.
“C’mon, I’ll see you home.”
Tong Qiu really wanted to facepalm. His butt still hadn’t recovered and now he was going to sit at the back of a bike.
Maybe it was time to buy a car.
It was around 7 o’clock and night had already fallen. The street lamps were all illuminated and the light, spring breeze tickled Tong Qiu’s face as it brushed past.
He sat at the back of the bicycle, one arm resting on his leg while the other arm circled around Huo Zhixing’s waist. Huo Zhixing was still wearing his uniform and with a start, Tong Qiu realized that he looked like a little kid being sent home by the policeman-shushu.
It was kind of endearing.
Tong Qiu said, “The last time I sat at the back of a bike was when I was in elementary school and my dad was taking me to school.”
“How is it? Isn’t it great that ge is helping you relive your childhood?”
Tong Qiu’s thoughts zeroed in on the word ‘ge’ and for some unfathomable reason, his heart began beating wildly. It was as if the little deer inside his heart had drank too much and had decided to gallop around in a drunken stupor.
“It’s alright.” Tong Qiu leaned stealthily against Huo Zhixing’s back and quietly pressed closer.
His movements were very subtle, but Huo Zhixing noticed all the same.
Huo Zhixing didn’t ask too many questions and simply allowed the person sitting behind him to act spoiled. The corner of his lips curved slightly and he slowed down the pace.
Tong Qiu suddenly realized that this was all rather romantic. Although someone looking at them might think it’s kind of lame for two men in their thirties to be riding a bicycle together, but who cared? It was fine as long as he was happy.
“Oh right, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Mm, tell me.”
Tong Qiu patted his pocket to check if the two movie tickets were still there. “Feng Kaiwen gave me a pair of movie tickets for tomorrow. I can’t find anyone else to go with so are you free tomorrow?”
—
The author has something to say:
I’m so hungry. I wanna eat dumplings. Dipped in hot chili oil.
—
Translator’s Note
Thanks so much for reading! As promised, the bonus audio drama cuts have been subbed and the dressing room scene can be found here! Please remember to turn on closed captions (CC) and let me know what you think! n__n If it’s something that you enjoy as much as reading the novel, I’ll consider subbing more cuts when I find the time ;u;
Once again, I just want to stress that the police officers depicted in this novel are very idealized and shouldn’t be confused with the atrocities that IRL police officers have committed. I understand that novels are an escape for many people (myself included), but if you do find the time I encourage you to learn about BLM and racism/police brutality faced by black and POC communities.
Thank you for the chapter <3 and thank you for subbing the dressing room cut it’s so sweet, even better than i could have ever imagined it.
Thanks so much for reading and for checking out the audio drama! The fluffy moments in the AD are so good and so sweet T___T
This is getting cuter and cuter istg! >♡< Also, I’m definitely gonna be checking out the clip after this. Thank you for your hard work!
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
Yes there’s so much fluff to come! ;u; Hope you enjoy listening 😉 And thanks for reading!
Thank you for the chapter <3
Thanks so much for reading! 😀
Thank you so much for the chapter and bonus audio drama!!! I love it so much! ❤❤❤
Yay I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and listening n__n
I visited your link for the audio drama cut and I love it. I can only speak English and I’m not familiar with these audio dramas, but I hope we can see more of these. I saved the YT video link and subscribed 😀
To add more, I really liked the voiceovers. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the voices were perfect, especially Tong-laoshi’s and Huo Zhixing’s ah~ 😌 Thank you very much!
Thanks so much for listening! I totally understand that audio dramas are a different experience compared to reading;;; I personally love how voice actors can bring characters life and hopefully their acting and tone was enjoyable, even if the words they spoke are in a different language! And yes, I also think that both voice actors are a great fit for their characters!! ;u; Thanks so much for checking it out! <3
Thanks for responding to my comment and the feedback uwu
A bicycle ride can become a precious memory, huh. What a cute moment. It’s like they’re through the courtship and now they’ll have his first date!
Thanks for the chapter!
Hehehe, thanks for the audio-drama fragment. It was so heartwarming!
Yes, it was super cute and I love that it feels like the starting stages a romance~ Thanks so much for reading, and for listening too! <3
Such a sweet story! Thank you for the chapter and the subbing. ❤
Those two are so adorable!!! The audio clip was better than I imagined! Thank you so much for subbing it!♥️♥️
Thank you so much for the chapter!(๑´>᎑<)~❤
Thank you for the translation and the subbing was great as well!（≧∇≦）
Their voices sounded very nice!!👍🏼👍🏼
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
My heart 💘 I love this so much!!
Thx for the update!!
Thank You for the chapter ♡(ӦｖӦ｡)