Chapter 10: Giving Me a Hard Time?

The two of them got into the elevator together.
There were quite a few people inside, including an elderly man in a wheelchair.
There wasn’t much room to put down the box, so Ji Yanli simply held it in his arms the whole way.

It wasn’t a big deal for him—training back in police academy had been far more strenuous than this.

Tang Xiaohe kept glancing at him, then at the box.

She had ordered five bags of dog food and some canned meat. Altogether, the box must weigh around thirty to forty pounds. Yet Ji Yanli held it steadily, as if it were weightless. She couldn’t help but wonder if his arms were sore.

She inched closer to Ji Yanli and gently supported the box from the bottom, trying to share the load.

Ji Yanli raised his eyebrows.
Did she really think he couldn’t handle this weight?
How weak did she think he was?
Still, seeing her voluntarily move closer… fine, let her do what she wanted.

The elevator was already crowded, and now that she’d stepped closer, the two of them were pressed up against each other.

Tang Xiaohe wasn’t short, but standing next to Ji Yanli, she barely reached his chin.

She could feel his warm breath brushing against her ear, sending heat rushing up her face.
Her ears slowly turned red.

Thankfully, the elevator soon reached their floor.

Tang Xiaohe practically bolted out as if a pack of wolves were chasing her.

“Beep—Unlocked.”

She opened the door, turned on the light, and grabbed a pair of women’s slippers from the shoe cabinet.
A little embarrassed, she said,
“Here, wear these. I don’t have any men’s slippers at home. These are brand new, no one’s worn them before.”

Ji Yanli looked up at her, then obediently set the box down and changed shoes.

But the slippers were clearly too small—his feet barely fit in halfway, and his heels were hanging off the back.

“Giving me a hard time?” he asked flatly.

Tang Xiaohe tensed.
That tone—she couldn’t tell if he was mad.

“How about just not wearing them? They look kinda uncomfortable.”
She offered. She figured she could mop the floor later—no big deal.

“It’s fine. I’ll wear them like this.”

So, Ji Yanli walked into the apartment, tiptoeing awkwardly.

“Where should I put this?”

“Next to the coffee table is fine. I’ll deal with it in a bit.”

As soon as they entered, her two dogs, Zhaocai and Laifu, disappeared—probably startled by a stranger’s presence.
Only Zhaotao, her more sociable pup, trotted over wagging its tail, circling Ji Yanli’s legs affectionately like a furry welcome committee.

“It really likes you!”
Tang Xiaohe smiled.
Zhaotao wasn’t normally this friendly. When she walked it in the neighborhood, it always did its own thing, barely playing with other dogs and rarely letting strangers pet it.
It had a serious aloof vibe. Only when it was in a good mood would it allow kids to stroke its head.

Ji Yanli’s long, defined fingers ruffled Zhaotao’s fluffy head.
The dog squinted its eyes in bliss, clearly loving it.

Tang Xiaohe suddenly felt a little bitter.
Seriously? Even a dog gets better treatment than me…

Ji Yanli scooped Zhaotao up onto his lap, took its little paw, and waved it at Tang Xiaohe.

“Pfft—”
She burst out laughing.
“Thanks again for today! If it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve had to borrow a cart to drag this upstairs.”
She was truly grateful. Since meeting Ji Yanli, she had relied on him quite a few times.
Sure, these interactions brought them closer, but she still felt a little guilty.
She silently vowed to treat him to a meal sometime soon.

“No trouble.”
Ji Yanli said casually.

“Oh right—do you want something to drink?”
She slapped her forehead, scolding herself for being so thoughtless.
Ji Yanli had been here a while already, and she hadn’t even offered him water.

“Just plain water is fine.”
No surprise there.

Tang Xiaohe quickly found a cup, went to the water dispenser, and poured a glass of water for Ji Yanli.

Ji Yanli was still playing with the dog. One hand was holding Zhao Taohua (the dog’s name), and the other reached out to take the glass. Zhao Taohua suddenly squirmed, its short legs kicking around. Ji Yanli’s hand slipped, and his fingers brushed against Tang Xiaohe’s fingertips.

Tang Xiaohe pulled her hand back like she had been burned, leaving Ji Yanli’s fingertips with a faint trace of her cold touch.

“Um… Do you really like dogs?” Tang Xiaohe, feeling a bit awkward, tried to make conversation, remembering Ji Yanli’s WeChat profile picture and using it as a starting point.

“Yeah, I used to have one. It’s with my mom now.”
Tang Xiaohe felt a bit disappointed. That golden retriever was beautiful—she had really wanted to see it in person.

“I’ve been too busy with work, no time to take care of it. Maybe I’ll bring it here next time—you can come see it,” Ji Yanli said, seeing the look of disappointment in her eyes and softening his tone.

“Really?! That would be amazing!”

She was this easy to make happy. Who says it takes skill to please a girl? Didn’t seem that hard.

Ji Yanli glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. I’ll head out now.”

Tang Xiaohe stood up and walked him to the door. “Officer Ji, you’ve helped me so much recently. I’d like to treat you to a meal sometime—if you’re free?”

She was prepared to be turned down, but instead she heard: “When is ‘sometime’?”

Tang Xiaohe felt like she just won the lottery—completely stunned by the surprise. Did… did he just agree?

“I’m free anytime! Whenever works for you!” she nodded enthusiastically, afraid she might not sound sincere enough.

“Then how about tomorrow? I’ll come pick you up after work.”

Once she closed the door, Tang Xiaohe picked up Zhao Taohua and started spinning in circles.

She was so happy!

Officer Ji doesn’t have a girlfriend, Officer Ji took her home, Officer Ji helped carry her package, and now Officer Ji was going to have dinner with her tomorrow!

She quickly reported the “battle progress” to Lin Jing.

He Baodandan: “Babe, I think winning over Officer Ji is just around the corner!”

She waited a while, but there was no reply from Lin Jing.

Tang Xiaohe found that odd. Sure, they were the kind of friends who didn’t mind replying late or ignoring messages sometimes, but this felt off. Based on Lin Jing’s usual passion for gossip about her love life—and the fact she was practically glued to her phone 25/7—she should’ve replied instantly.

But… silence.

Whatever. The most important thing now was preparing for tomorrow’s battle.

How to become a beautiful woman in the eyes of a man?
Tang Xiaohe had read a post online once. The gist was: first, build a good figure (that’s the outer frame); then fix your style and hairstyle (that’s the middle frame); and finally, do your makeup (the fine details).

She agreed completely.

She grabbed a handful of her waist and frowned—she had been snacking a lot lately. Determined, she decided to do a Pamela Reif fat-burning workout.

Downstairs, Ji Yanli could faintly hear movement coming from the apartment above. He frowned slightly—what was she doing up there? Tang Xiaohe really was dedicated, huh? Even after a full day of work, she still pushed herself to exercise at night. Teachers were really disciplined.

But… the noise only lasted about 7–8 minutes.

Upstairs, Tang Xiaohe collapsed onto the couch, exhausted, and began scrolling through her phone, about to order takeout as a reward. After all, there’s a saying: You have to eat well to have the strength to lose weight!