Whenever Tong Qiu used to carry out his ‘routine business’ with Huo Zhixing, he had always pitied Huo Zhixing for being an officer because of all the scars on his body.
There had been many moments where he was too afraid to touch those scars, despite knowing that enough time had probably passed that the scars were no longer painful. However, he still felt that if he were to touch them, the wounds would open and blood would flow from them once more.
It wasn’t that it made him uncomfortable – he was just a little scared.
However, now that he was gazing at the scars on Huo Zhixing’s body once more, he felt that it made Huo Zhixing sexier and even more handsome. He couldn’t help but feel that this kind of man was extremely attractive.
These scars hadn’t been formed because of a youth’s rebellious scuffles. Neither were they the signs of a rude, boorish boss giving orders for people be beaten or killed. Every scar that remained on Huo Zhixing’s body was a medal in its own right.
Tong Qiu wished he could count how many scars were scattered across Huo Zhixing’s body. He wished Officer Huo would tell him the story behind each scar and what had happened to the bastards that had harmed him. Tong Qiu felt that this could be a way for the two of them to gain a better understanding of each other.
However, Tong-laoshi was far too busy at the moment and Officer Huo was just as preoccupied.
One was busy preparing for his proctoring duties while the other was preparing for an exam – everything else could wait until later.
“Are you going to be okay?” Huo Zhixing took the lube that Tong Qiu handed him, “would it be too difficult for you to go to work tomorrow?”
Tong Qiu pulled him closer and said, “Stop talking so much.”
Huo Zhixing grinned and squeezed some lube onto his hand. “Then I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Tong-laoshi and have him proctor me the whole night.”
When Tong Qiu heard the words ‘the whole night’, a particularly shy ‘flower’ on his body suddenly tightened. However, looking forward to it was one thing, but what Tong Qiu really wanted to know was whether Huo Zhixing could actually ‘fire off rounds’ the entire night!
“Mm…”
The moment that Huo Zhixing’s finger touched him, he began whimpering.
“Tong-laoshi, the exam hasn’t even started yet and you’re already groaning?”
Tong Qiu wanted to retort but couldn’t find the strength to do it – it was Huo Zhixing’s fault for speaking the truth.
When faced with the undeniable truth, Tong-laoshi chose to accept it.
“Does it hurt?” Huo Zhixing asked. “This pencil is a bit thin. In Tong-laoshi’s opinion, how are the results when writing with it?”
Tong Qiu lay on his stomach, his face flushed, and he replied in a muffled voice, “Answer the questions properly. There’s no whispering allowed in the exam room.”
“But I’m not whispering,” Huo Zhixing teased, “I’m just raising my hand to ask the teacher for an explanation!”
Tong Qiu was beginning to realize that Huo Zhixing had quite the glib tongue and should have joined a debate team. Perhaps he would have even won a few prizes.
The ‘pre-exam preparations’ left the two of them dripping with sweat. Huo Zhixing pulled Tong Qiu closer and gave him a sweet, affectionate kiss and Tong Qiu was about to announce that the exam was about to start.
However, Huo Zhixing’s ‘godly pen’ hadn’t even written a single answer before his phone suddenly let out a ring.
As a police officer, he couldn’t not pick up his phone when it rang, in case something urgent had come up.
Huo Zhixing had left his phone on the living room sofa when they had come inside. He pulled Tong Qiu up and despite the fact that all the preparations had been made and he was ‘ready to enter the exam room at any moment’, he still got up and went to the living room.
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.
Tong Qiu sat down properly on the sofa and watched Huo Zhixing pick up his phone that had been resting on the coffee table.
Ktf mjiifg kjr Lf Lbcuajb.
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Ktfs tjv jigfjvs gfjmtfv atf qblca ktfgf atf fzjw yfii tjv gecu, yea atf fzjwlcff kjr revvfcis ifjnlcu tlr rfja. Ktlr xlcv bo atlcu wjvf atf qgbmabg rmgjamt tlr tfjv jcv ifa bea j ujrq.
Despite his reluctance, Tong Qiu still nodded his head.
After all, there was nothing to be done. He could hardly make a fuss for no reason and as the ‘Best Police Family Member’, he was aware that he had to make certain sacrifices to ensure the security of society as a whole, even if those sacrifices included his sex life!
Tong Qiu lay on the sofa and felt that he had all but embodied the saying, ‘great, glorious and righteous’.
Huo Zhixing walked off to take the call and lowered his voice. He didn’t really want Tong Qiu to overhear.
“Where are you?” He Hongtao asked.
“What’s wrong?” Huo Zhixing went to the bathroom and judging by He Tongtao’s tone, he didn’t sound very happy, which made Huo Zhixing’s face fall. “Tell me what happened.”
“Zhao Xiaoyuan is dead.”
Huo Zhixing started and then let out a curse. “How?”
“We suspect it’s Zou Kai,” He Hongtao said. “Come to the base, there’s something you need to see.”
Huo Zhixing hesitated for a moment but eventually said, “Alright, hold on.”
He was actually pretty torn – the issue on He Hongtao’s end was very serious but he didn’t want to leave Tong Qiu hanging either. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Huo Zhixing stayed in the bathroom for a moment to gather himself so that Tong Qiu wouldn’t notice anything amiss. Phone in hand, he came out and smiled as he leaned forward to give Tong Qiu a kiss.
“Did something happen?” Tong Qiu was a teacher and was very good at reading people. He dodged Huo Zhixing’s kiss and furrowed his brows slightly.
Huo Zhixing was caught off guard – he didn’t think Tong Qiu would actually avoid him.
“It’s nothing,” Huo Zhixing pulled Tong Qiu into his arms and headed back to the bedroom. “I just have to make a trip back to the station to take care of something, don’t worry.”
Tong Qiu lay down and frowned as he gazed up at Huo Zhixing. “You’re trying to trick me, huh?”
He reached out and poked Huo Zhixing’s scar-covered body with his finger. “Don’t try to fool me, I’m not stupid.”
The whole thing made Huo Zhixing feel rather awkward. He had planned to take care of things with Tong Qiu – no matter what happened, he couldn’t just toss Tong Qiu aside after a bit of foreplay. However, the news was a bit upsetting and he couldn’t quite get back into the mood.
Tong Qiu took his hand and pulled him closer, then rested his chin on Huo Zhixing’s shoulder. “If there’s something wrong then just say it. It’s not like I’m going to stop you from leaving.”
Tong Qiu felt that he was way too good at being sensible and was moved by his own display of thoughtfulness – as expected of a teacher of the people.
“I’m really sorry,” Huo Zhixing gently kissed his ear. “Something came up and I have to go take care of a few things.”
Tong Qiu smiled a little. “Go, then. Be careful.”
Huo Zhixing still ended up holding him for a bit longer. He got up to leave after a few more kisses and before heading out, he said, “Sleep well, I’ll make it up to you later.”
With the bedcovers wrapped around him, Tong Qiu saw Huo Zhixing to the door. He blushed as he waved a hand and said, “Hurry up and go, I don’t need you to make it up later.”
Huo Zhixing left as soon as he had ignited the flame but Tong Qiu was left still burning.
As he gazed at the empty exam room, the proctor’s heart ached with disappointment. His body felt a bit hollow as well and in the end, he decided to answer the exam questions himself.
He pulled out the less than satisfactory ‘little toy’ and while he was using it, he thought to himself, ‘the only person you can depend on is yourself, after all’.
—
Huo Zhixing left Tong Qiu’s place and headed straight for the criminal investigation team’s base. When He Hongtao had contacted him and had mentioned Zou Kai and Zhou Xiaoyuan, he couldn’t sit still.
As a police officer, it was a given that he would have a few enemies, especially considering the fact that he had been involved in several major cases when he had been part of the investigation team. Even though years have passed, he could still clearly recall the words Zou Kai had said to him when he had personally put the man behind bars.
Zou Kai had stared at him with furious, bloodshot eyes and had said through gritted teeth, “I’m going to fucking kill you one of these days.”
Zou Kai was once an infamous gang leader and back then, Huo Zhixing – who had been investigating him – had followed the clues and eventually found evidence of his crimes. Afterwards, Zou Kai had tried to get away and avoid capture but the team had united together to arrest him. In the end, he had still fallen into Huo Zhixing’s hands.
From what Huo Zhixing could remember, Zou Kai was sentenced to 15 years. However, only three years had passed but He Hongtao had said the man had been released.
There was also Zhou Xiaoyuan – why was he dead? And how did he die? Who was the murderer?
Huo Zhixing’s head was full of questions as he made his way to the criminal investigation team’s base.
It was already late by the time he arrived, and yet the base was still as brightly lit as if were day. When he arrived, He Hongtao was in the middle of scolding someone.
“Your temper is as terrible as ever.”
He Hongtao let out a sigh when he noticed that Huo Zhixing had come in. He took a sip of water and pressed down his rage.
Beside them was a young man who was too afraid to even let out a sound while he breathed. He said, “Xing-ge, you probably haven’t heard but ever since you left, no one’s been able to control Captain He’s violent temper.”
“Stop talking nonsense!” He Hongtao led Huo Zhixing towards his office, then turned his head around to yell at the rest of his team. “How long has this case been dragging on? There’s so many of you and yet you can’t even catch one person? Are you people useless?”
Everyone was too terrified to make a sound and each person returned to their own stations.
Huo Zhixing patted He Hongtao on the shoulder and smiled as he went inside the office, “That’s enough already. It’s not easy for everyone here and look at how much you’ve scared them.”
“They’ve pissed me off so much I’m this close to being dead.” He Hongtao sat in his chair and waved a hand. “If you want water you can pour some for yourself.”
Huo Zhixing sat down across from and said, “I’m good. Just tell me what happened.”
He Hongtao passed him some documents. “Let’s talk about Zou Kai first.”
Huo Zhixing listened as he flipped through the material.
“Zou Kai was released for medical treatment.” He Hongtao lit a cigarette and narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Huo Zhixing. “A guy like him supposedly had a mental breakdown – do you believe it?”
Huo Zhixing’s eyes flared with rage. “Like hell I’d believe that!”
“However, the proof is all there and even if we say it’s impossible, it’s no use,” He Hongtao said. “He was released two weeks ago and from what I understand, he should be living at his younger cousin’s place right now.”
Huo Zhixing furrowed his brows as he set the documents back down onto the desk. “Did you look into it? His mental breakdown must be a load of bullshit.”
“I only just found out about this today,” He Hongtao said. “I heard about it when I found out that Zhou Xiaoyuan was dead.”
When Zhou Xiaoyuan’s name was mentioned, Huo Zhixing’s face was full of anger and he couldn’t help but grind his teeth.
“What happened to Zhou Xiaoyuan?” Back then, Zhou Xiaoyuan had been an informant working for Huo Zhixing and the fact that they were able to capture Zou Kai was largely thanks to his efforts.
He Hongtao stood up and closed the office door.
He pulled out a photograph and gave it to Huo Zhixing. “See for yourself.”
The person in the photo had been pared down into bloody, mutilated pieces. He lay on the cement and his face was turned upwards. His white shirt was so thoroughly drenched in blood that it was too horrific to endure.
At the time, Zhou Xiaoyuan had committed his fair share of crimes. However, it was more along the lines of theft and shady business dealings. Because he had played a role as an informant, plus he had been well-behaved when he had been in prison, it only took two years before he was released.
After he had been released, he had come around and treated Huo Zhixing to dinner and had thanked Officer Huo for giving him guidance. He had said he had borrowed some money from a relative to open a little grocery store and intended to live as a proper citizen.
Huo Zhixing thought about the Zhou Xiaoyuan from back then as he looked at the photo and his insides twisted in response.
“Zhou Xiaoyuan’s body was found near Hongye District. You remember where Hongye District is, don’t you?”
Of course Huo Zhixing remembered. It was where he had captured Zou Kai back then.
“You think it was Zou Kai who did it?”
“I can’t reveal too much but the reason I called you here today was to give you a heads up,” He Hongtao said. “If he really was the one behind Zhou Xiaoyuan’s murder, then asides from Zhou Xiaoyuan, the person he holds the biggest grudge against would be you.”
Huo Zhixing looked at the man in the photo with tightly knitted brows.
“The fact that he was released for medical treatment makes me think that something fishy is going on from the inside. I’ve already asked a few people to look into it. As for this murder case and the current Zou Kai situation, I can only say that you have to be extremely careful.”
Extremely careful.
Huo Zhixing was too sensitive to these two words – if he had been ‘extremely careful’ back then, he could have avoided the very thing that he was too late to repent for.
“I’m worried he’s going to come looking for you,” He Hongtao said, “so I thought I’d warn you. You have a family, don’t you? You should be extra careful these days.”
Translator’s note
Thanks so much for reading and being patient with the slower updates. Given that it’s a long weekend, I /might/ be able to find some time for to translate another chapter – no promises, but I’ll do my best!
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.
Aah! Damn… teacher really be left hanging…
Thank you for the chapter.!
An enemy… Huo Zhixing can’t leave his Tong Qiu alone, who knows what that psycho could do to him.
Thanks for the chapter!
Oh no! Tong-laoshi will be in danger. I feel it!
Thank you for the chapter!!! It’s a pity that the exam didn’t happen. I bet they both were left very unsatisfied. Let’s hope nothing bad will happen, and even if something happens, let’s hope tha officer Huo will be just in time to save his precious Tong laoshi. 😉😘
Ahh so scary 😣
Thank you for the chapter ❤
I hope officer Huo doesn’t hide this from teacher Tong.
Thank you so much for the chapter!(๑´>᎑<)~❤
we can go through two routes, either: A) “You’ll be in danger with me, so I’ll separate from you, but I won’t tell you the reason why” or B) “Let’s do this together, but then you’ll get kidnapped, I’ll save you and our relationship will get stronger”. take your bets XD [thank you for the chapter ❤️ ]
Ima place my bet on A
Oh no! I hope nothing bad happens to TQ and HZ! I wonder what it was that he did though tsk…thanks for the chapter ❤️
Thank you dear translator!
That makes no sense at all. Why would they release him just because he had a mental breakdown? Prisons either have healthcare in some form there or they get heavily guarded while bussed to a hospital. Or is that just the American way of doing things?
This is what make up exams are for
I bet he’s watching where he goes home from the station and then if he even meets up with the teacher but there’s already information about them so it doesn’t matter even if he stopped seeing MC because kai would still know about him uggg😥
Really, why is it that rain always falls on beach days….😣😬😭
Am suddenly reminded that being a cop entails more than just uniforms. 😭
Thank You for the chapter ♡(ŐωŐ人)