Until the woman left, Zhou Zuizui gave Shen Nan a sharp look and poked him on the arm. “Why did you interrupt me?”

The person from before had glared at her angrily and even cursed at her when he realized who they were. Zhou Zuizui glanced at the culprit.

Shen Nan lowered his gaze, responded to a message from the little boy, and then looked at her coldly. “Did you have fun?”

“Of course,” Zhou Zuizui shrugged, looking him up and down with disdain. “That little cutie was much more interesting than you.”

Playing around and joking a bit wasn’t so boring. Otherwise, being with Shen Nan might have bored her to death. This man was so stiff—his body was stiff, his temper was stiff, and there was no fun at all.

Of course, Zhou Zuizui definitely wouldn’t admit there were other reasons.

Shen Nan just curled his lips and ignored her.

The dessert shop was crowded, with people coming and going, chatting and laughing. Many people who were tired from walking came in to rest.

Before Zhou Zuizui arrived, many people had been casting glances at Shen Nan, and several had been eager to strike up a conversation.

Once Zhou Zuizui returned and sat next to Shen Nan, everyone’s interest quickly faded.

Zhou Zuizui didn’t pay any attention to the various looks. She ate the desserts that were served, leisurely and comfortably.

After finishing her own, she looked at the untouched desserts beside her and said, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Shen Nan replied, “It’s too sweet.”

“Then why did you order it?” Zhou Zuizui shot him a look and unapologetically pulled the red bean double bean milk towards herself.

“Well, then I’ll eat it.”

Saying this, Zhou Zuizui dug into the dessert. She hadn’t had lunch and was actually quite hungry.

After eating, the two continued to sit in the dessert shop, each playing with their phones in silence.

Before long, Zhou Zuizui couldn’t stand the dull atmosphere and nudged Shen Nan with her elbow to get his attention.

“What?”

“Could you at least give me a hint about what you’re working on?”

Shen Nan pressed his lips together, paused to look at her curious expression, and finally explained, “Negotiating business.”

Zhou Zuizui’s eyes brightened with understanding. 

“Illegal?”

Shen Nan fell silent again.

But from Shen Nan’s expression, Zhou Zuizui knew she had guessed correctly. With a bit of reassurance, she felt slightly more at ease.

Zhou Zuizui smiled smugly, giving an “OK” hand gesture.

That afternoon, after leaving the dessert shop, the two wandered around some more. When they reached a certain place, Shen Nan’s phone vibrated, and he answered the call.

After ending the call, Shen Nan looked at her.

Zhou Zuizui understood. “You go ahead and take care of things.”

“Hmm.” Shen Nan looked at her for a moment. “Be careful.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zuizui smirked, looking at him. “You should be the one to hear that.”

Shen Nan didn’t respond. After a moment, he said, “Call me if you need anything.”

“No problem.”

In the blink of an eye, Shen Nan disappeared from Zhou Zuizui’s sight.

She watched his back, silently curling her lips. After two years, this man seemed even more rugged and mature, with a bit more charm.

In another guesthouse.

The little boy sighed with relief as Shen Nan returned. “Captain Shen, they said they’ll meet tomorrow night at seven for a detailed discussion.”

Shen Nan nodded and took the message from the little boy.

He pondered for a moment and then asked the little boy, “Any news from Deputy Captain Gao? Have they found where the goods are stored?”

“No,” the little boy reported truthfully. “Deputy Captain Gao said they are very cautious. The goods haven’t shown up, and since they have a larger quantity this time, they’re even more cautious than before.”

Shen Nan understood and said softly, “Our target is not only Brother Leopard but also the people behind him.”

Smuggling is always illegal, especially when it involves rare animals. The scale of their smuggling is massive, and the police have been unable to take effective action against them.

They are cunning and have moles within the police, which has made it impossible to successfully apprehend them.

Shen Nan had just returned from another location when he was assigned this task and brought the little boy and others with him.

Those who had previously dealt with Brother Leopard were unsuccessful, whether they were police or their own. They had information about these people, so after some consideration, Shen Nan, who hadn’t been seen for two years, was deemed the most suitable. These criminals wouldn’t know about him.

The little boy nodded. “I understand.”

“Where’s the meeting location tomorrow?”

“In the middle of the lake.”

They’ve requested that they take a boat over.

The lake nearby is a tourist spot during the day, but the boarding area isn’t next to the guesthouse; it’s in a more distant location. At night, few people go boating because there are no night views, no other entertainment, and it’s unsafe. Boating is not allowed at night unless you have special connections, and only private boats can enter.

Shen Nan raised an eyebrow and sneered slightly. “They’ve got a bit of an idea.”

In the middle of the lake, if something urgent were to happen, the group could escape by jumping into the lake. The lake near their guesthouse is very large—it could almost be considered a river, but it’s labeled as a lake here.

The little boy looked at Shen Nan with concern. “Captain Shen, do you think they might suspect our identities?”

“They won’t.” Shen Nan said calmly, “Where is Deputy Captain Gao now?”

“At different guesthouses.”

“Let’s go over.”

“Yes.”

While Shen Nan was on the mission, Zhou Zuizui was a bit bored, wandering around the ancient town.

Since it was Valentine’s Day, there were twice as many tourists in the ancient town compared to usual, and the streets were full of couples, walking around lovey-dovey.