Chapter 45: Different Flavor

In the bureau office, Lin Ju was talking to Xie XingMu about this year’s title evaluation, who kept fiddling with his cell phone. Lin Ju couldn’t bear it, his hands on the teapot slammed down heavily on the table, “I’m talking to you, but you only know how to poke and prod with your phone! What kind of attitude is that?”

Xie XingMu looked up at him and said, “Let’s give that spot to old Zhou’s fifth group, his child is going to college and needs an increase in his salary.”

“Don’t you need a raise?” Lin Ju regretted just after asking the question, wanting to stuff the words back into his throat.

Xie XingMu answered indifferently, “That little salary every month isn’t even enough to buy two new toys for DuoDuo. Even if you work for another ten years, it will not cover the money I donated to the bureau for the expansion of the canteen.”

Lin Ju wanted to smash the teapot in his hand, but stretched out his finger in the air and said, “The face of a profiteer.”

“I’m not a rich man, I’m the second generation of rich people. I’m not a rich man, I’m a rich boy. My parents and my sister and brother-in-law had to die early, leaving me with a bunch of money that I couldn’t spend.” Xie XingMu leaned back on the sofa, resting his hands on the back of the chair and dropping his eyelids, “Yes, and a two-month-old child.”

Lin Ju was silent for a moment before saying, “Last time I asked you to go to my house for dinner, but you didn’t go, so why don’t we go today? Xiao Ting is home, so she can make us a nice meal.”

Lin Ju had already said this several times, and Xie XingMu knew what he meant; he wanted to set him up with Xiao Ting. Feeling that he couldn’t be more vague, he cleared his throat and sat up straight, staring at the floor in front of him, before speaking, “Lin Ju, my father and you were old comrades, so after he and my mother passed away, you took good care of me and often brought me home for dinner. In my heart, you and aunt are my relatives, and Xiao Ting is also my sister. But now I also have a family and can’t always go to your house for dinner. I don’t think it’s a good thing for Xiao Ting, after all, Xiao Ting became a big girl. When I find someone someday, or if Xiao Ting brings my brother-in-law back, then either of us will be a third wheel.”

Lin Ju listened to his words and his face changed, as if he wanted to say something else, but then swallowed it, and finally sighed and said, “I understand what you mean, but it’s mainly for Xiao Ting…”

Xie XingMu said in a warm voice, “Xiao Ting doesn’t yet understand her own feelings. When she meets the right one, she will understand that she has confused her feelings.”

Lin Ju shook his head with a bitter smile and changed the subject to ask, “Yu ShiQing’s little son, has he said where the key is?”

“No.” Xie XingMu replied

“Whether you can get it out of him or not, observe him longer.”

Xie XingMu paused, but said, “I know.”

 

Yu Chu was fiddling with his phone when he was nudged, as the female police trainee named Jiang ShaSha poked her head in, looked around and gave him a light smile, “Yu Chu.”

Yu Chu reflexively sat up straight, his legs seemingly crossed over each other casually, and after adjusting his sitting posture, he raised his eyebrows slightly, “Hello, Jiang ShaSha.”

But Jiang ShaSha suddenly covered her mouth.

Yu Chu immediately reacted, withdrew his hand from the back of the sofa chair, adjusted his expression without moving, and calmly looked at her.

Jiang ShaSha was a little embarrassed to explain, “Sorry, I just think you pretending to be an adult is so cute.”

“I understand.” Yu Chu said with a wooden face.

Jiang ShaSha stood in the middle of the room for two seconds before remembering her purpose of coming in, taking out the cable from her hand and saying, “Team Leader Xie asked me to charge the tablet.”

Yu Chu wanted to say no, but thought it would be more trouble to explain, so he didn’t say anything. Jiang ShaSha took the tablet on the table and started charging it.

“Yu Chu, our Team Leader Xie is really good to you.” Jiang ShaSha plugged in the device to charge but didn’t want to go out. She wanted to stay in the room and steal some time, “He also asked Wang ChuanYou what suitable clothes brands guys like, and went to buy new clothes.”

Yu Chu looked down at his body and remembered that Chi DuoDuo had exactly the same striped T-shirt, and remembered that it was a closet of pink and blue animal head T-shirts, then chose not to comment.

“Team Leader Xie is really good, he’s not only handsome, but also honest. He has never had a scandal, and also took care of the child. I heard that he’s also a great home cook.” Jiang ShaSha usually didn’t talk much, but Yu Chu seemed to be docile and well-behaved and similar in age, and Xie XingMu took good care of him, so she couldn’t help but open the chatter box.

“And don’t look at his cool facade, he really is very careful. When we went on a mission together, he went to buy water, and asked the female team members if they could drink ice, and ah, he—” 1

“Want me to pass on something to him?” Yu Chu suddenly interrupted Jiang ShaSha’s words.

“Huh?” Jiang ShaSha was a bit confused.

Yu Chu asked, “Do you want me to give Xie XingMu some words of praise?”

Jiang ShaSha just reacted and waved her hands in fear with a red face, “No, no, no! I’m just being sentimental, but don’t tell him.”

“Mn, I know, you’re simply admiring him, but don’t want to develop any other relationship with him.” Yu Chu nodded thoughtfully.

Jiang ShaSha blushed even more and said sharply, “What are you thinking? I don’t even dare to talk to Team Leader Xie, I just admire him from afar, so don’t tell him.”

“I know, don’t worry, I won’t say anything.” Yu Chu said.

Jiang ShaSha went out, and Yu Chu stayed in the room alone for a while, when he suddenly heard a commotion from outside. There was an angry roar and the sound of a woman’s cry.

He put his cell phone in place and curiously pushed open the door. He saw a man and a woman in the office, two middle-aged people in their fifties. The man was red-faced and said something to Fan Tao, while the woman was sitting on a chair crying.

“Are you saying what my son did is rape?! That’s called being in love, they loved each other! How dare you say that’s rape?! And to capture him because of that?! You cops are such fools, blinded by that vixen!”

Fan Tao said to Jiang ShaSha, “Go and get a glass of water for the elder brother and sister.”

“On it,” the dumbfounded Jiang ShaSha rushed to pour water.

Fan Tao brought the chair behind the man, but he kicked it away and said grumpily, “What do you want me to sit for?! I’m not sitting, I’ll stand and wait for news of my son! That vixen has deliberately framed him, the police arrested him without facts, I want to sue them for abuse of power!”

The woman heard the words, crying louder. Jiang ShaSha put the water cup in front of her, and hurriedly backed away.

Wang ChuanYou, who had been sitting in front of the computer, stopped typing on the keyboard, pushed his glasses up and said coldly, “We’re still at work, so if you continue to make trouble, you’re obstructing the enforcement department to handle the case, according to the criminal law. In accordance with the provisions of the crime of disturbing the social order, you will be handed over to the public security management for punishment.”

The woman’s cries first gave a beat, then turned into bawling, while the man’s eyes cracked, “My son was arrested and you want to arrest me too? Come on, come on, I’ll fight with them!”

At that moment, Yu Chu, who was standing at the entrance of the cubicle, saw a flash of something shiny in his hand.

It was later than ten in the morning and the criminal investigation brigade of police officers were out on duty, each going to work on their cases in hand. The entire hall was left in charge of internal affairs: Jiang ShaSha, Wang ChuanYou and Fan Tao.

The man raised his knife and rushed over. Wang ChuanYou was a technician, although in the public security university he had also learned fighting skills, but at that moment he was still stunned. He was unable to react to the sharp knife approaching his neck.

Jiang ShaSha was still at the water fountain pouring water, Fan Tao, even though he wasn’t far away, pounced too late. Just then, an object flew through the air and hit the man’s wrist. With a cry, the man’s knife flew out of his hand and fell to the ground in an arc in mid-air.

There was an enamel cup rolling on the ground, while the man was on the floor grunting.

Wang ChuanYou then reacted, the man holding his wrist was screaming and then backhanded the desktop. Fan Tao also rushed over and clicked on his handcuffs. The man struggled desperately, cursing, and the woman also picked up the water cup and papers on the table and began to smash them, but was restrained by Jiang ShaSha, who rushed up and bent her arms back.

The unusual commotion caused a few police officers next door to rush in and ask about the situation, the two quickly brought it up.

Wang ChuanYou touched the sweat on his forehead, saw Yu Chu still standing at the entrance of the room, and then saw the enamel jar lying on the floor not far away, lips mumbled a few times, but he finally stifled a sentence, “Thank you. “

Yu Chu had thrown the enamel cup that knocked away the man’s knife, saving Wang ChuanYou. The coffee had spilled out so now his chest and arms were wet.

Jiang ShaSha silently handed him paper towels while Fan Tao said, “That’s not going to do anything to help clean his clothes. He needs to change.”

Wang ChuanYou immediately said, “I’ll go out to buy him a new one, wiping is—”

“No, I’ll take him.” Xie XingMu’s voice rang out from behind him. Xie XingMu held out his hand to Yu Chu and said, “Come here.”

Yu Chu paused briefly and went towards the door.

Xie XingMu wiped the coffee stains off his hands with a paper towel and said to the other three, “Let’s clean up the office while I take him to clean up.”

Yu Chu was taken by Xie XingMu to the back of the dormitory building and entered a single dormitory on the second floor. The interior was very simple, with a bed and a closet, which was supposed to be the room Xie XingMu usually used when he was resting in the unit.

Xie XingMu took out a set of clean clothes from the closet and a new pair of underwear that hadn’t even been opened, and put them in a basin together with shampoo and shower gel and handed them to Yu Chu, “At the end of the hall is the bathroom, go wash up.”

Yu Chu felt that his body was sticky and uncomfortable, so he took the basin and went to the public bathroom at the end of the hall. There were some small compartments, opposite was a laundry table, he pushed open the compartment to see. The inside was quite clean, so he put the basin on the side of the wooden cabinet, took off his dirty clothes and began to run the shower.

The bathroom was pushed open and a man came in and stopped in front of his spacer. Yu Chu wiped the water from his face, and was about to ask who it was, when he saw one hand taking all his dirty clothes and pants.

“Xie XingMu?” he asked tentatively.

“Hmm.” Xie XingMu moved as he replied.

Yu Chu continued to shower, listening to the sound of clothes being washed. After rubbing shampoo on his hair, he suddenly remembered that his underwear was also taken by Xie XingMu. He froze for a moment until the shampoo dripped into his eyes, and then he thought, What the heck? Xie XingMu can wash them if he really wants to.

But despite this, a pink tinge rose to his ears.

After showering, he changed into clean clothes; a black T-shirt and pants that Xie XingMu normally wore. The shirt and pants were too big for him, so he rolled up the pants legs a few times and the T-shirt fell loosely over his body. He pushed open the cubicle with the basin and found that Xie XingMu was no longer there and that the laundry table was still wet. He slipped on the plastic slippers, which were also too big for him, and walked back into the room to see Xie XingMu drying his freshly washed clothes on the windowsill.

Xie XingMu turned around, took a quick look at Yu Chu, twitched the corners of his mouth, and said, “They seem a little too big.”

Yu Chu, carrying the basin in one hand and the waist of his pants in the other, replied, “The underwear is also big, I think my butt is showing.”

Xie XingMu coughed with his fist against his mouth, looked around and said, “Let’s make do with it for now, after lunch, I’ll take you to buy new ones.”

Yu Chu said, “But don’t we have a lot of new clothes at home?”

“Don’t you not like those?” Xie XingMu asked in return.

Yu Chu wanted to say he could make do with them, but continued, “How do you know I don’t like them?”

Xie XingMu said, “You don’t like to wear the same striped shirt as DuoDuo, but still wear it because he was happy wearing it.”

After saying this, he shook a small piece of fabric in his hand and turned his head to use the clothespin on the windowsill to clip it. Yu Chu saw his just changed out of underwear, light blue, the back had a printed small whale that was spouting water, in Xie XingMu’s hands. He swallowed the words that were about to escape from his mouth.

After asking for Yu Chu’s opinion, the group chose a hot pot restaurant nearby. Lunch was served at a hot pot restaurant opposite the Public Security Bureau. Because Wang ChuanYou insisted on treating him, he wasn’t allowed to choose boxed fast food.

On the way, Fan Tao and Jiang ShaSha treated Yu Chu much closer, not to mention Wang ChuanYou, who gave priority to Yu Chu’s opinion when he suggested where to eat. When crossing the street, Xie XingMu led the way in front, with Jiang ShaSha and Yu Chu a few steps behind.

“Yu Chu, are you wearing Team Leader Xie’s clothes?” Jiang ShaSha asked Yu Chu in a quiet voice.

Yu Chu tugged at his collar, which was about to fall off his shoulders, and said, “Yes.”

The young policewoman came to his ear and whispered, “It’s a little bigger, but it has a different flavor to it, it’s very nice.”

Yu Chu glanced at her as he replied, “Thank you.”

He didn’t move his face, but in his heart he was thinking, Why wouldn’t I look good? I look good even if I put a sack on my body.

 

Translator Notes:

If you don’t understand what Jiang ShaSha is getting at, she’s saying that MuMu is so understanding that he’s even worried if the females are on their period by asking if they can drink ice. This is since, when on your period, drinking anything cold will worsen or create cramps.