Chapter 22

Lu Jiu didn’t expect it to be so coincidental and subconsciously followed her friend’s gaze. 

However, what came into her view was a familiar yet strange face. 

It was Officer Wei, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time. 

He didn’t see her; at the moment, he was reaching for the office chair in the car. 

Perhaps too focused, the man didn’t notice that his jacket was riding up with his movements, revealing a significant portion of his slim waist. 

Lu Jiu’s gaze instinctively fell on his well-defined honey-colored abdominal muscles. 

Then, as if burned, she grabbed her friend and ran away. 

“What’s wrong? Why is your face so red?” Fang Jingjing asked, bewildered as she was dragged along. 

Lu Jiu kept running forward, unable to articulate that she had not only seen the abs but also… the dense and wild hair around the man’s navel… 

If not for the belt restraining it… Ah!!! 

— 

Chapter 12 

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed in her ears. 

Wei Shian instinctively looked back but saw nothing. 

“The leaders are so stingy; moving houses doesn’t even cost that much… finally closing the case, and they don’t even give us a break…” Luo Wei complained, carrying two stools and looking grim. 

Wei Shian turned his gaze back to his team member, who usually was cheerful but now had a visibly irritable expression. He asked, “What happened?” 

If it were someone else asking, Luo Wei wouldn’t have said anything because it was too embarrassing. 

But since his team leader was someone who kept tight-lipped and didn’t talk much, Luo Wei decided to vent by putting the stools down by the wall, sitting down, and pulling out a cigarette, handing one to the team leader. 

Wei Shian came over, didn’t take the cigarette, and instead grabbed the thermos cup from the wall and took a few sips. 

Since the team leader didn’t take it, Luo Wei lit the cigarette himself, squinting as he puffed, organizing his words in his mind. 

After a while, finishing one cigarette, he turned to the tall man sitting next to him and recounted the ridiculous events of the day: “The elementary school teacher I was set up with two months ago… It fell through today…” 

He lit another cigarette and briefly summarized the situation: “…Honestly, meeting a blind date a few times, maybe developing a bit of affection, breaking up would just be a bit disappointing… What I can’t accept is that she tried to set me up with her colleague, and she’s a teacher, no less. What did she think I was, her colleague’s plaything?” 

Wei Shian raised an eyebrow: “Didn’t her colleague know?” 

Luo Wei scoffed: “She should have been tricked into it. They ended up falling out right away…” 

Wei Shian patted his brother’s shoulder: “I’ll take you out for a drink tonight. As for that woman, she has character flaws. It’s better to break up now; you’ll find someone better later.” 

“Thank you.” Luo Wei didn’t stand on ceremony with his team leader. He indeed needed alcohol, but… “I won’t look for someone for now. You’re right; in our profession, even if we find someone, we don’t have time to spend with them. It’s better to stay single.” 

For some reason, hearing this, Wei Shian’s mind suddenly recalled the image of a young girl running after a garbage truck last month and her attempts to feed him… 

“Give me a cigarette,” he suddenly reached out. 

“Don’t you not smoke?” Even so, Luo Wei handed over the cigarette box and lighter. 

Wei Shian took a cigarette from the box, bit it, and lit it. 

After taking a deep drag, he squinted his narrow black eyes and leaned back lazily… 

It had been more than a month since he last saw her; the girl must still be bright and happy. 

— 

It wasn’t the case. 

Lu Jiu, who was on Wei Shian’s mind, was in a bad mood at the moment. 

She looked impatiently at the man who had suddenly entangled himself with her: “Li Ze, we’ve been engaged for a long time. Isn’t it better to part ways amicably since we grew up together?” 

The beauty’s irritation even showed on the tips of her eyes, adding an extra charm. 

This was the first time Li Ze had seen Peony since the broken engagement. 

A… completely unfamiliar Peony. 

Although he had known Peony was beautiful and refined since childhood, she was now so unfamiliar that he barely recognized her. 

Li Ze had always known Peony was beautiful, with an almost unreal level of refinement since she was young. 

So, as she grew up, he subconsciously had her dress modestly, forcing her to hide all her beauty. 

All Peony’s beauty was supposed to be for him alone. 

But… how did he end up losing someone he once cherished so much? 

Realizing this, Li Ze felt a sharp pain in his chest and couldn’t help but step forward again: “Peony, you’ve changed so much. I… I miss you, but you’ve been avoiding me.” 

Lu Jiu took two steps back, not understanding his current behavior and feeling there was no need to continue the conversation, so she prepared to leave. 

But as she took a step out, she saw her friend blocking her path. 

Fang Jingjing, hands on her hips, pointed at Li Ze’s nose and scolded him: “Stop being disgusting. A scumbag who cheated and still wants Peony? Is that what you think of her?” She then glared contemptuously at the woman who had been clinging to Li Ze’s arm, looking at them with resentful eyes. 

It was then that Li Ze remembered Han Anan beside him. He pulled his arm away as if burned, almost causing her to fall, and hurriedly explained, “No, Peony, I can explain…” 

“Explain what? Do you really think we don’t know your dirty little thoughts? I think you’re shameless… Let me guess, do you think Peony has always followed you since childhood, and getting engaged was just a natural progression? Was life too boring? Bah! Scumbag!” Fang Jingjing, with her fiery temper, had wanted to curse since the engagement was called off. 

Now that the scumbag had come to them, she certainly wouldn’t miss the chance. 

Although, to be fair, she had also grown up with Li Ze. 

But hearts have biases, and in Fang Jingjing’s heart, Peony was the most important friend. 

Having hit the mark, Li Ze’s face turned ugly. 

Fang Jingjing was right. Growing up, not only had Peony become familiar with him, but he had also grown accustomed to her presence. 

So, technically, they had never been in a serious relationship; it was just that when they reached the right age, their families thought it was time to get engaged, so they did.