Chapter 21 : Good Night, Sweetheart

The entire cafeteria was stunned.

How was this possible?

Four years. In all that time, no one had ever heard Chen Mo talk about having a girlfriend. He never even took more than two days off during leave.

Did this seem like the behavior of someone in a relationship?

Could it be… an online romance?

The cafeteria was eerily quiet. Everyone stopped eating and just stared at their captain’s retreating figure.

The news was so shocking that no one could react in time.

“Xiao Sun, go find out what’s going on,” Gao Yue said, snapping out of her daze as Chen Mo was about to leave. She quickly patted Sun Yang on the shoulder.

“Uh… me? That doesn’t seem right…” Who would dare gossip about the captain’s private life?

“Fifty bucks!”

“I’m on it!”

Sun Yang immediately stood up and ran after Chen Mo.

“Captain Chen, wait for me!” Sun Yang called out as he caught up to him.

“What is it?”

“Uh… I know a phone repair shop. I’m familiar with the owner; they can give us a discount,” Sun Yang hesitated before suggesting, “Should I take you there?”

“That works.”

Sun Yang let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed that Captain Chen was indeed going to repair his phone. But was it really for his “wife”?

The phone repair shop wasn’t far away. After crossing three streets, they arrived.

Then Sun Yang saw Chen Mo take out a small phone from his pocket, one that wasn’t even as big as his palm.

In Chen Mo’s large hands, it looked particularly tiny.

Sun Yang: “…”

Was this a kid’s phone?

“Officer Sun, back again to fix your phone? This is your third time this month. Maybe you should just switch to a Nokia—it’s more durable and perfect for you detectives,” said the shop owner, a slightly chubby middle-aged man. His face scrunched up in a cheerful smile.

“This time it’s not me; it’s my captain!”

“Oh?” The shop owner shifted his gaze to Chen Mo, who was several centimeters taller than Sun Yang.

Wow.

This big guy…

If not for the police uniform, one might mistake him for a thug or gangster.

“Uh, here to fix your phone?” The shop owner was meeting the captain for the first time, and Chen Mo’s stern face made him hesitant to crack any jokes.

“Yeah,” Chen Mo placed the phone on the counter. “Screen replacement.”

“Got it, got it.”

The shop owner didn’t dare delay and quickly picked up the tiny phone.

Hmm~

Who would’ve thought that this tough-looking captain would use such an adorable phone—with a pink case, no less?

Was this the legendary macho man pink?

“Heh heh, Captain Chen, have some water,” Sun Yang said as he cheerfully poured two glasses from the shop’s water dispenser, handing one to Chen Mo. “So… about what you said earlier—are you really married?”

“Do I look like someone who jokes around?” Chen Mo raised an eyebrow at Sun Yang as he took the glass.

“You don’t, but you also don’t seem like the married type!”

“…” Chen Mo felt the sting of the backhanded compliment. “Sun Yang, has it been a while since your last training session?”

“No, no, no!” Sun Yang quickly raised his hands in surrender. “My bad, my bad…”

He actually wanted to say that Chen Mo didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would know how to charm a girl, given his gruff and intimidating demeanor.

Still, if Chen Mo truly was married, Sun Yang would offer his congratulations. “So, what’s she like? What does she do? Got a picture? Let me see!”

Sun Yang was genuinely curious about the woman who could win over the pride of their precinct. Plus, he’d also be helping Gao Yue verify the claim.

“Are you asking for yourself or on someone else’s behalf?”

“Heh heh~” Sun Yang scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Honestly, Gao Yue asked me to check. You know she has a bit of a thing for you. But, uh, I’m also just really curious.”

Chen Mo didn’t respond. Sun Yang was known for his loose lips, blurting out everything to everyone.

Chen Mo didn’t want to expose the girl in question.

Besides, their relationship was still more in name than in reality. He hadn’t even won her over yet.

“…” Chen Mo remained silent.

“Come on, Captain! You’re not really that stingy, are you?”

“I am.”

Sun Yang: “…”

Fine. Be high and mighty. You win!

An hour and a half later, Sun Yang returned to the precinct, looking dejected. Gao Yue and the other young officers immediately surrounded him.

“What’s with that face? Is it true? Is the captain really married?”

“It’s true.”

“Whoa—!” The precinct erupted into a cacophony of excited yells.

“Who is she? Who is she?! Do you have a picture of her? Show us!”

“Nope. Captain Chen refused to share anything.” Sun Yang felt like he had ventured into the melon field but returned without a single melon to eat.

The officers: ???

Captain, this is too much!

With no gossip to fuel their curiosity, the young officers dispersed in disappointment.

Sun Yang thickened his skin and approached Gao Yue. “Sister Yue, about that fifty bucks…”

“You found out nothing, yet you still want money?”

Sun Yang: Feeling wronged~

He couldn’t get Captain Chen to spill anything no matter how hard he tried. What could he do about it?

…

When Chen Mo got home with his repaired phone, he saw Song Zhiyi sitting on the couch, hugging her laptop and working on an article.

“You’re back,” she said, noticing the groceries in his hand. She set her laptop aside and went over to help him carry the bags.

“Your phone,” Chen Mo handed her the phone instead of the groceries.

“Thanks,” Song Zhiyi accepted her newly repaired phone, her voice soft with gratitude.

“And here’s your 20 yuan and your recorder.” After giving her the phone, he pulled two 10-yuan bills from his pocket along with her recorder.

“…Really?” Song Zhiyi stared at the money and hesitated before speaking.

“Yeah, I promised you.”

Truthfully, the 20 yuan might not even have been hers. Back at the detention room, with people lying everywhere, Chen Mo had casually pulled the money from some guy’s pocket before leaving.

“Thank you.” Song Zhiyi thanked him again, feeling that Chen Mo had a very straightforward side to him.

After dinner that evening, Song Zhiyi threw herself into her laptop, writing frantically.

Following last night’s KTV incident, Lin Qiqi had already written two articles, condemning a certain second-generation rich kid for using his wealth to bully others. Her sharp words were accompanied by a photo of Song Zhiyi standing outside the KTV room, draped in a police jacket. The image showed only her profile and had been blurred for privacy.

Originally, they had expected righteous netizens to join in criticizing the rich kid. However, the comments section took an unexpected turn.

“This girl has such a great figure and such fair skin. Can you not blur the photo?”
“If a rich kid took notice of her, she must be stunning… I just want to see how stunning.”
“Look at those long legs—amazing! It’s already September, but it’s still so hot. Why is she wearing long pants?”

Author’s reply: “Why does wearing long pants bother you? If you want to see bare legs, go watch live streams—plenty of them there, you perv!”

“It feels like a classic case of playing hard to get. Going to a KTV late at night—can she really be a decent girl? Girls these days, so hypocritical.”

Author’s reply: “The Qing dynasty is long gone! Don’t let your mom go out at night either, or you might end up with a stepdad!”

When Chen Mo saw the news articles, he frowned slightly.

Although he knew there was a mix of people online, he hadn’t expected this level of low behavior. People making comments like, “If I were a girl, I’d spread my legs and beg to be kept by a rich guy,” surely weren’t living great lives.

Thankfully, Song Zhiyi’s face wasn’t revealed. Who knows what disgusting things those men would have done otherwise?

“Your colleague posted about the KTV incident online,” Chen Mo said, glancing at the girl curled up in the corner of the couch, typing away. She hadn’t gone out all day and was still in her nightgown.

As she propped her legs up, the hem of her dress revealed her fair, shapely legs.

Her toes were tinged with a soft pink hue, inexplicably reminding Chen Mo of a comment he’d read earlier: “These legs could keep me entertained for a year.”

Her legs truly were beautiful.

“Yeah, she asked for my permission, and I agreed,” Song Zhiyi replied, explaining, “As a journalist, she has monthly quotas, but there’s not always news happening every day. This incident worked as a news piece.”

“I see…”

Even though it was with permission, Chen Mo felt annoyed when he saw the online comments mocking Song Zhiyi’s figure.

It’s because the internet isn’t fully real-name authenticated. That’s why people can speak so recklessly.

At ten o’clock, Song Zhiyi stretched and closed her laptop. She had finished two articles. With two more tomorrow, she’d complete her monthly quota.

“All done?” Chen Mo came out of the kitchen, holding a cup of warm milk. “Drink this and then go to bed.”

“Okay.”

Song Zhiyi cradled the cup and drank most of it. Just as she was about to take it to the kitchen to wash, Chen Mo took the glass from her hand the moment she stood up.

“I’ll wash it,” she said, reaching for the cup.

“Go take a shower,” Chen Mo replied, lifting the glass to a height she couldn’t reach.

He noticed a ring of milk around her lips from drinking earlier.

Using his thumb, he gently wiped the corner of her mouth.

Song Zhiyi: “?”

“How can you drink milk like a kid?” Chen Mo remarked, licking the milk off his thumb.

The rich, creamy flavor lingered.

“You…” Song Zhiyi’s face flushed at his gesture.

Did Chen Mo realize what he just did?

This was no different from an indirect kiss…

And why did such a simple action make him look so… suggestive?

“Mm?” Chen Mo smirked slightly. “Sweet.”

“…”

Embarrassed, Song Zhiyi bolted into the bathroom.

Chen Mo cleaned the glass, placed it back in the cupboard, and returned to his room.

With her in the house, constantly moving around in front of him, it felt like he was losing out by doing nothing. Besides, she was in his house now—she was bound to be his someday.

Her lips were just as soft as he had imagined.

If he kissed her directly…

They would taste even sweeter, wouldn’t they?

Just the thought sent a surge of excitement through him.

He opened the window, leaned against the railing, and lit a cigarette to calm the beast stirring inside.

Taking a couple of puffs, he glanced to the side. Song Zhiyi’s bedroom was right next to his, the warm orange glow of her lamp filtering through the window. A few moments later, the light went out.

She must have gone to bed.

Snuffing out his half-smoked cigarette, Chen Mo murmured, “Good night, sweetheart.”