After getting home, Le Ning was still a little upset.

She slammed the door shut, which startled Le Luo.

“Sis, what happened?”

“Nothing.” Le Ning pouted angrily. “Go do your homework.”

Le Luo pulled at his lips, looking skeptical. “…Really nothing?”

He hadn’t seen his sister this angry in a long time.

“Really.” Le Ning flopped onto the bed, kicking her legs into the air a few times before feeling a little less angry.

Damn it.

That damn man.

It was probably on purpose.

Le Ning closed her eyes, and for some strange reason, the scene from the bar appeared before her eyes.

After she shouted that line, everyone had stared at her in unison.

Zhou Ran didn’t seem to expect it either. After a brief moment of surprise, he turned his head to look at her. In that instant, Le Ning felt as if she could sense his nervousness.

His voice was low, with a hint of rasp: “I’ll buy you a drink.”

Le Ning kept a straight face, remaining silent.

Zhou Ran stood up and left. A short while later, he returned with a new glass of alcohol and handed it to her.

Le Ning raised her eyes to look at him. His gaze was deep, staring directly at her.

Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, and she took the glass, setting it aside.

But in the end, Le Ning didn’t drink it.

Whoever wants to drink it, go ahead!

By the time the gathering ended, the glass of alcohol still sat on the table, untouched by anyone.

She muttered to herself, “Serves me right.”

---

In the car, Zhou Ran had drunk a little, and Lu Jiaxiu, who was acting as the driver, took him back first.

As soon as they got into the car, Lu Jiaxiu turned to look at him.

At first, Zhou Ran had no intention of responding.

He closed his eyes, resting his head against the window, completely indifferent to the gaze from beside him.

Lu Jiaxiu didn’t have Zhou Ran’s patience. He cleared his throat and couldn’t help but ask, “Were you doing it on purpose?”

“What?”

Zhou Ran replied indifferently.

Lu Jiaxiu snickered and raised an eyebrow. “You tell me.”

Zhou Ran didn’t say anything.

Lu Jiaxiu laughed. “If you weren’t doing it on purpose tonight, I’ll twist my head off and kick it like a ball.”

Zhou Ran paused for a moment, then said slowly, “I’m not that bothered by a ball.”

Lu Jiaxiu: “……”

After a brief silence, the talkative Lu Jiaxiu couldn’t help but ask further.

“Did you know Le Ning was there from the beginning?”

Zhou Ran gave him a blank look.

Lu Jiaxiu laughed. “I knew it. With your bad temper, you should’ve gone home to sleep. There’s no way you’d have time to hang out with us and meet the elementary school junior.”

He said, his curiosity piqued. “But there’s one thing that’s bugging me.”

“How did you recognize her so quickly?”

…

By the time Zhou Ran got home, he was completely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

But strangely, after getting home, he wasn’t sleepy at all.

He thought about the two questions Lu Jiaxiu had asked, reaching up to rub his brow.

— It wasn’t just a glance.

— It was one look.

Le Ning’s appearance hadn’t changed much since high school, though her features had grown a bit more defined.

From the moment she entered high school, she became a prominent figure among her female peers.

She had excellent grades and was beautiful. Even though she was a little shorter than her classmates, her abilities were undeniable.

Additionally, she was younger than most of her classmates, often standing in the front row during flag-raising ceremonies or exercises.

When Zhou Ran first heard about her, it was when he passed by and overheard someone saying that a top student in the first-year class was a beauty, with fair skin and a soft, delicate look. They joked that if she weren’t so young, they’d have tried to approach her.

Later, Zhou Ran found out that she was only fourteen, which still made her too young.

Her eyes were big, round, and bright, exuding a focus and seriousness that drew people in like a magnet, easily making one fall for her.

When she first started pursuing Zhou Ran, he was surprised, thinking it was a joke, but he didn’t get angry.

But after repeatedly delivering water to him… Zhou Ran suddenly realized that this joke might have been a bit too much.

To be honest, back then, it wasn’t that he didn’t have feelings for her.

She was just too young, a half-grown child who was still naive about everything. If he had feelings for her then, he’d truly be a beast.

…

Suddenly, the ringtone of his phone interrupted Zhou Ran’s thoughts.

He snapped his eyes open and answered the call.

“What’s up?”

Xu Zhi paused for a moment, then quickly replied, “Captain Zhou, the autopsy results are out.”

Zhou Ran paused, stood up from the couch, and said, “I’ll be right there.”

The night was dark, and the calm surface of the lake rippled slightly.

The next day, after a good night’s sleep, Le Ning had completely forgotten about the awkward situation from last night.

In the morning, she pampered her skin with a face mask. She had been lazy the night before, and since she had to take Le Luo back to school in the afternoon, she quickly applied an Estée Lauder Iron Man mask to save her skin.

This mask was perfect for emergencies. She used it whenever she had urgent events or when her skin wasn’t in the best condition.

Every time she used it, her skin felt incredibly smooth and soft, like peeled egg whites, very delicate, with a nice glow.

After the mask, Le Ning put on some beautiful makeup.

Since she was taking Le Luo back to school, she dressed in a youthful, campus style: overalls, a sweater, and a lively little bun.

When she went downstairs, Le Luo was surprised.

“Sis.”

“Hmm?”

Le Ning, in a good mood, patted her face. “What’s wrong?”

Le Luo, always prepared with a compliment for his cousin, said, “Are you trying to look like my little sister today?”

Le Ning chuckled and gave him a look. “Need money?”

Le Luo: “…No.”

Le Ning pretended not to hear him and transferred some money to his account. “Buy whatever you want, and come find me if it’s not enough.”

“Got it.”

After the playful exchange, Le Ning took him back to school.

Le Luo praised a nearby sauerkraut fish restaurant near his school, saying it was especially delicious, and Le Ning decided to go with him to try it.

After arriving at the school, Le Luo went to the dormitory to drop off his things, and Le Ning decided to take a walk around the playground while waiting for him.

Unexpectedly… she ended up getting hit on.

Le Ning tried to hold in her laughter, and after managing to get rid of the guy who was flirting with her, she couldn’t help but post about it on her WeChat moments.

【Hahahahahaha ran into someone who wants my WeChat at high school today! I’m still sixteen years old!】

As soon as she posted it, several people quickly liked and commented.

Ruan Qiu: Why didn’t you post a photo?!

Ji Chuchu: Our Ningning is always sixteen!

Even Lu Jiaxiu, who had just added her on WeChat last night, commented.

Lu Jiaxiu: Junior, you’ve always been beautiful. Did you visit your alma mater today?

Le Ning stared at Lu Jiaxiu’s message for a while before replying: Not my alma mater, it’s my brother’s high school.

After seeing her reply, Lu Jiaxiu immediately took a screenshot and sent it to Zhou Ran.

Zhou Ran, who had just finished a task, stared at the message for a few seconds before asking: [When did you guys add each other on WeChat?]

Lu Jiaxiu: [When you went to get the drinks.]

Zhou Ran didn’t have time to reply before Lu Jiaxiu asked again: [Should I send you the junior’s WeChat?]

Zhou Ran’s face darkened, and he immediately declined: [No need.]

After sending the message, Zhou Ran turned to look at Xie Wei.

Xie Wei, who was confused by Zhou Ran’s look, asked, “Captain Zhou, what’s wrong?”

Zhou Ran thought for a moment and shook his head: “It’s nothing.”

“By the way, Captain Zhou,” Xie Wei suddenly remembered the message from Le Ning, “Miss Le asked if her clothes are washed.”

Zhou Ran froze, his face turning darker.

He looked at Xie Wei: “When did she send you the message?”

“Just now.”

Zhou Ran’s face grew even darker as he glanced at the message Xie Wei had opened.

Le Ning’s message was formal, without any hints of urgency, just asking to confirm a time.

“Captain Zhou, how should I reply?”

“We’ll talk later.”

“Huh?”

In the afternoon, more students had returned to school.

The sauerkraut fish restaurant was very popular and well-known, with long queues every time. To save time, Le Ning and Le Luo had timed their visit carefully.

But still… they were late.

Le Ning furrowed her brow and looked at him: “Do we have enough time? Isn’t the evening self-study session starting at seven?”

“Yeah.”

It was almost six o’clock.

Le Ning glanced around and softly suggested, “How about we—”

Before she could finish, Le Luo suddenly grabbed her arm excitedly: “Sis, look! Aren’t those the two police officers we saw that night?”

Le Ning: “…”

She followed Le Luo’s pointed direction and, as luck would have it, saw Zhou Ran and Xie Wei.

Perhaps Le Luo’s excitement caught the attention of people inside.

Zhou Ran, with his sharp instincts as a police officer, immediately noticed and looked over at them.

Their eyes met from across the glass wall and through the crowd, and it seemed like Zhou Ran raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, Le Ning quickly looked away.

“Right,” Le Luo said.

“Should I go over and say hi? I actually wanted to ask them which school they graduated from that night…”

Le Luo was very chatty, especially about things he was interested in.

Le Ning looked at him, pursed her lips, and said, “Forget it, we’re not that familiar. If you really want to know, I’ll ask him for you later, don’t rush.”

“Really?”

Le Ning nodded. “Of course, your sister—”

Before she could finish, someone suddenly approached.

Le Ning’s eyelid twitched, and before she could react, Le Luo had already gotten excited.

“Hello.”

Zhou Ran nodded, looking at the sunny and energetic boy in front of him. “Hello, I’m Zhou Ran.”

Le Luo’s eyes lit up. “I’m Le Luo, and this is my sister. We were—”

“I remember.”

Zhou Ran looked at the two of them. “Came here for dinner?”

“Yeah.”

Le Luo seemed disappointed. “But there’s no more space.” Then, his eyes brightened as he looked at Zhou Ran. “Captain Zhou… do you mind sharing a table?”

Before Le Ning could stop him, Zhou Ran had already agreed.

“Sure.”

It was simple and to the point, his usual style.

Even though Le Ning didn’t want to go in, it was Le Luo who spoke first.

She had to give this face to her brother, if not to Zhou Ran.

Without realizing it, Le Ning followed him into the restaurant.

Xie Wei, sharp-eyed, noticed the situation and, thinking about what just happened with his captain, didn’t even move his seat.

Le Luo didn’t notice anything, cheerfully being pulled by Xie Wei to sit next to him. Le Ning naturally ended up sitting beside Zhou Ran again.

Xie Wei poured them both a cup of tea, smiling as he said, “Miss Le, we meet again. This must be your brother.”

“Yeah,” Le Ning said, “Just call me Le Ning, and this is my brother, Le Luo.”

Xie Wei nodded repeatedly. “No problem.”

He chatted with Le Luo, and in no time, the two were getting along well.

Across from them, the conversation was lively. On their side… it was quiet as a tomb.

Le Ning looked down at her phone, while Zhou Ran sipped his tea.

She felt the presence of the man beside her and strangely felt the space was cramped.

Why hadn’t she noticed before that a four-person table could feel so crowded?

The sauerkraut fish restaurant had those small sofas. One person could sit comfortably on one side, but two people… well, it was a little cramped.

Le Ning barely moved, and she could feel herself brushing against the man beside her.

If she leaned just a little bit closer… she could even hear his breathing, the sounds almost intertwining. The position and distance made it so easy for awkward tension to grow.

She grabbed her phone and started venting in the group chat.

Le Ning doesn’t like lemons: [What kind of bad luck do I have?! Why do I keep running into Zhou Ran even when I’m just here for sauerkraut fish?!]

Ruan Qiūqiū: [What?!]

Chūchū Jiùshì Chūchū: [???]

Le Ning, being someone who can’t keep things to herself, immediately shared that she came to eat, then ran into them by chance, and ended up sharing a table.

As soon as she finished, Ruan Qiū sent a series of “hahaha” messages.

Ruan Qiūqiū: [Isn’t that perfect? It means you two are meant to be reunited.]

Le Ning doesn’t like lemons: [? Who wants to reunite with him? And besides, did we even have a past connection?]

Chūchū Jiùshì Chūchū: [How can you say there was no past connection? The water-delivering connection, haha.]

Le Ning couldn’t be bothered with their nonsense. She was just about to put her phone away when she heard someone next to her ask, “Do you want to report to the police academy?”

Le Ning froze and looked at Le Luo.

Le Luo nodded, his eyes sparkling. “Yeah, Zhou Ge, do you have any good suggestions?”

Le Ning: “…”

Wait, she was just playing on her phone for a moment, and now Zhou Ge is involved?!

Are you two that familiar?

Zhou Ran was brief, but always hit the mark.

“See if you’ve thought this through, or if it’s just a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

Xie Wei nodded in agreement. “Yeah, being a police officer isn’t easy. It’s exhausting, and one mistake could cost you your life. There’s no time to even rest.”

Le Luo smiled lightly and looked at the two of them. “But you two do it too.”

He paused, then suddenly got curious. “Zhou Ge, Xie Ge, what made you want to become police officers?”

Xie Wei chuckled. “I wasn’t doing well in school, but I was a bit more agile.”

Hearing this, Le Luo looked at Zhou Ran.

Le Ning… also perked up, still looking at her phone but listening closely. Honestly, she was also a bit curious. When Zhou Ran applied to the police academy back then, it surprised everyone in the whole school.

Zhou Ran looked at the person next to him, and from his angle, all he could see were Le Ning’s trembling eyelashes—long and curled, her eyes bent like glass beads when she smiled, so beautiful.

He looked away and said淡淡道, “Some people say police uniforms are cool.”

Author’s Note:
After getting together, Zhou always wears his uniform at home.

Le Ning: Why don’t you wear casual clothes?

Zhou Ran: …You don’t like it?

Le Ning: When did I ever like it?

Zhou Ran: …

That night, Zhou made sure to remind his girlfriend when exactly she had liked him wearing it!!

Author: Hahahahahaha.