Chapter 34

A mature and steady man often has good control over his emotions. 

Wei Shian was no exception. Although he felt a bit displeased, he still cooperated outwardly. 

However, after the blushing and excited stranger left, he immediately put on a cold face and adopted a posture that clearly discouraged any further interaction, effectively warding off others who might have been tempted to approach. 

Lu Jiu didn’t notice her boyfriend’s vigilant efforts. She took the bottle of mineral water he had opened for her and took a few sips. “Aren’t you going to drink?” 

“I’ll drink later.” Wei Shian had originally planned to take his girlfriend to a nearby restaurant for lunch, but since she wanted to have a picnic, he was fine with that too. He just needed to make sure what exactly they had in the bag. 

Seeing her boyfriend busy with preparations, Lu Jiu took out another bottle of water, intending to open it for him. 

But Wei Shian stopped her. “Don’t open it. We can share one bottle; it’s more convenient that way.” 

Convenient? How? 

The bottle wouldn’t leak even if it was closed again. 

But since they had kissed countless times, sharing a bottle of water didn’t seem like a big deal either. 

Thinking this, Lu Jiu’s slight discomfort faded away. 

To show she wasn’t making a big deal out of it, she even handed the half-drunk bottle back to him. 

Wei Shian took it, drank a few large gulps, and when only a little was left, he handed it back to his girlfriend, continuing to sort through the disarrayed items in the bag. 

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Jiu wipe the bottle’s mouth before taking a dainty sip. 

Wei Shian was incredulous. “Were you… were you being picky just now?” 

Lu Jiu was momentarily confused but quickly realized what she had just done. 

She looked a bit embarrassed. “It was just an unconscious reaction. I didn’t even notice until you mentioned it.” How could she possibly be picky about Officer Wei? 

However, after hearing her explanation, Officer Wei felt even more disheartened. 

As a result, during the rest of their park visit, he would occasionally bend down and take a bite of whatever food his girlfriend was eating. 

After a few times, Lu Jiu simply bought an ice cream and suggested they share it, with her taking a bite and then offering it to him, which finally managed to cheer up the somewhat sulking Officer Wei. 

— 

At 11:30 AM. 

After wandering around for another lap, Lu Jiu wasn’t very hungry, but since it was lunchtime, she suggested they stop to eat. 

Wei Shian had no objections and said, “Let’s find a shaded spot.” 

Lu Jiu replied, “No need, that pavilion up ahead will do.” 

Wei Shian… Weren’t picnics supposed to involve laying out a mat on the grass? 

Considering the man’s appetite, Lu Jiu had asked the housekeeper to prepare quite a bit of food. 

But having snacked non-stop all morning, she wasn’t very hungry. 

After a few bites, she put down her chopsticks. 

Wei Shian raised an eyebrow. “Done eating?” 

Lu Jiu nodded. “Yeah, I’m not hungry.” 

Knowing her usual appetite, Wei Shian fed her a piece of egg roll, then didn’t insist any further, simply handing her a box of fruit. “Want some fruit?” 

Lu Jiu wasn’t planning on eating any, but when she saw cherries in the box, she took it, nibbling on them as she enjoyed the surrounding scenery. Then, turning to her boyfriend, she happily invited him, “Next month, the peonies I planted will bloom. Let’s go see them together, okay?” 

Wei Shian agreed, “Sure.” 

Seeing him agree so readily, Lu Jiu smiled, but then she realized something. 

Whenever they went on dates, Officer Wei mostly went along with her preferences. 

Like this time, he wasn’t particularly interested in flowers and plants, yet he accompanied her sincerely. 

Lu Jiu wasn’t oblivious, and her heart softened. She moved closer to him, curious, “You once mentioned that when you have time off, you mostly stay at home. Don’t you have any other hobbies?” 

Wei Shian replied, “I usually stay at home, but occasionally I play sports.” 

Lu Jiu was even more curious. “What sports? I’ve never seen you play.” 

“Basketball, badminton, and tennis are all fine. I’ve also played a few games of soccer.” 

Is he really that into sports? No wonder he’s so muscular. Lu Jiu reached out to squeeze his firm arm—it was indeed solid. 

Wei Shian turned his head to look at his girlfriend, who was suddenly feeling him up, and his eyes gradually darkened. “What’s up?” 

Lu Jiu smiled back. “I was just thinking that your muscles are so hard; no wonder, given all the exercise you do.” Then she pinched her own arm. “Look at me, I don’t like exercising at all, so I don’t have any muscles.” 

Wei Shian chuckled. “It’s hard for girls to build muscle anyway. You’re fine as you are—soft and cuddly, just the way I like it.” This wasn’t just a compliment; he genuinely liked holding his soft, cuddly girlfriend. 

Being described as “soft and cuddly” made Lu Jiu’s thoughts wander a bit. She quickly cleared her throat. “Well… next time you have a day off, I’ll go with you to play sports.” 

Wei Shian, being a perceptive person, immediately understood her intent. 

Since he was usually busy with work, on his rare days off, he naturally wanted to do things that pleased her. 

But seeing how much she thought about him made him happy. “Alright.” 

— 

The park was quite large. 

But after spending the entire morning there, they had pretty much seen everything. 

So in the afternoon, they mostly sat in shady spots, chatting and enjoying each other’s company. 

Then, around 3 PM, they drove home. 

On the way, they passed a large fruit store, and seeing the inviting cherries displayed at the entrance, Wei Shian pulled over. “You stay in the car; I’ll go buy some fruit.” 

Lu Jiu was feeling a bit tired, so she yawned and lazily leaned back in her seat, continuing to look through the photos she’d taken that day on her phone. 

Even though the resolution was a bit low, most of the photos were candid shots of her boyfriend, and she enjoyed them immensely. 

After a while, the car door opened again, and she looked up. “All done?” 

Wei Shian first placed a large bag in the back seat before sitting in the driver’s seat and handing her a box. “Here, eat this.” 

Lu Jiu took it, surprised to find it was filled with cherries, fresh and glistening. She blinked. “These are…” 

Wei Shian fastened his seatbelt and started the car. “I saw you liked them. Don’t worry, they’re washed.” 

“Thank you.” Lu Jiu felt a sweet warmth in her heart and fed one to her boyfriend. 

Wei Shian glanced down, ate the cherry, and said, “You eat. It’s not convenient for me while driving.” 

Cherry pits, after all. 

Remembering his girlfriend’s earlier yawn, Wei Shian said, “It’ll take about forty minutes to get home. If you’re tired, you can sleep.” 

“I’ll keep you company,” Lu Jiu declined. 

In fact, within less than ten minutes of making that declaration, she had already fallen asleep against the seat. 

She slept through the drive to their villa community, only waking up when Wei Shian gently kissed her awake. 

When she first stirred, she was a bit disoriented and instinctively clung to his neck. 

It wasn’t until she couldn’t catch her breath from the kiss that she realized she had fallen asleep. 

“You’re tired today. How about a bath and then more sleep when we get home?” Wei Shian said softly, loosening his hold. 

Lu Jiu’s cheeks turned pink again. “I know. You should rest well too. By the way, don’t you need to drive back to the old district’s house?” 

Wei Shian, affectionately brushing his girlfriend’s dark hair, replied, “No, recently I’ve been staying at the city bureau dorm.” 

Doesn’t he find it noisy? Suddenly, as if remembering something, Lu Jiu asked, “Has the old house been sold?” 

Since he had already been guessed, Wei Shian didn’t hide it. “Yes, don’t overthink it. I’ve been quite busy lately, so staying at the bureau is more convenient.” 

Not that he liked noise.  

Though she felt a rebuttal in her heart, Lu Jiu didn’t show it. She just nodded. “Then I’ll head back now.” 

Wei Shian watched her for a moment, ensuring there was nothing wrong, before he felt relieved. “Go ahead. Don’t forget to take the fruit from the back seat; it’s all for you.” 

“Alright.” 

— 

Going out for fun can be both enjoyable and physically exhausting. 

Adding to that, since they had gotten up so early, Lu Jiu took a bath and slept until eight the next morning. 

When she came downstairs to look for food, there was no one at home except the housekeeper. 

“Madam was invited by Mrs. Liu to go shopping in the Shanghai.” 

Lu Jiu took a sip of red bean porridge and asked curiously, “So early? What time did they leave?” 

“They left at six to avoid traffic and make it a round trip on the same day.” 

Indeed. After thanking the housekeeper, Lu Jiu sent her mother a long message, not just basic care but also a list of items to bring back from Ms. Fang Wenyi. 

Receiving a reply from her mother that read ‘You annoying little girl,’ she happily finished her breakfast. 

She hadn’t been to the flower shop for a few days. 

After eating and resting a bit, Lu Jiu drove to the shop. 

Xiao Yuanzi had resigned, and Li Yan had already adapted to the job. 

Saying adapted wasn’t entirely accurate; it was more like she had come to love it. 

Girls generally don’t dislike flowers. 

A month had passed, and it was obvious that Li Yan had relaxed considerably. 

After distributing the snacks she brought to Li Yan and Lan Lan, Lu Jiu began to settle the accounts. 

Business had been quite good these days, and it took only half an hour to finish. 

After settling the accounts, while waiting for Li Yan to go deposit the money, Lu Jiu didn’t rush to leave. 

She settled into the sofa and started messaging Officer Wei. 

She had thought it through while taking her bath yesterday. 

Since staying in the dorm wasn’t convenient, she could accompany her boyfriend to rent a place first. 

After all, buying a house would require renovation and airing out, which would take at least a whole year. 

In the meantime, they couldn’t stay in the dorm forever. 

Thus, renting a place was quite necessary. 

Lu Jiu earnestly shared her thoughts and suggestions with her boyfriend. 

Almost immediately, Officer Wei replied: “I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Would you accompany me tonight to look at houses?” 

For some reason, seeing those words on her phone, Lu Jiu felt like she had been schemed by someone again? 

She was a bit annoyed and decided to give that scheming guy a few more hits when they met in the evening. 

In fact, Lu Jiu’s resolution didn’t come to fruition, and Officer Wei’s house viewing plan was also unsuccessful. 

He missed the appointment. 

— 

At 4 PM. 

The harsh, urgent sound of a police siren suddenly blared. 

In the flower shop, Lu Jiu jumped up and quickly walked to the door. 

Through the glass door, she saw police cars whizzing past with red and blue lights flashing on the opposite side of the street. 

“What happened?” 

“Yes, why such a big commotion?” 

“It’s so frightening. Let’s go home first?” 

The customers’ discussions reached Lu Jiu’s ears, and her heart grew tighter. 

Suddenly, someone patted her shoulder. 

Lu Jiu turned, stunned. 

Li Yan patted her boss’s back again. “It’s okay 

. If something serious had happened, there would be so many police forces here. Besides, we’re in peacetime.” 

Lu Jiu stared at Li Yan’s moving lips, taking a while to understand what she had said. 

Lies! 

Who says there are no sacrifices in peacetime? 

As a retired special forces soldier, Wei Shian faced more danger than ordinary people. 

Her heart was even more unsettled. 

She immediately took out her phone and shakily sent a message to Officer Wei: “Be careful. I’m waiting for you to come back and look at the houses. We can look at rentals and the house to buy together.”