Chapter 28: Surrender

Xie Yan’s rough fingers twitched slightly. His wheat-toned skin flushed, but it was nearly impossible to see.
“Daidai,” he said softly, “I’ll ask your permission before I touch your face again.”

Xue Qingdai wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Her legs weren’t as long as his and couldn’t touch the ground, so her body swayed on the backseat of the bicycle, eager to head to the police station.
“What are you even talking about, Xie Yan? I’m going to report those people to the police and try to get them each a pair of shiny little bracelets.”
(Note: Referring to handcuffs)

Xie Yan felt like he’d sunk into a bed of cotton — soft and warm — and the tingling sensation spread through his entire body. He said nothing, but he pedaled slower than usual. He hadn’t fully caught what Daidai had said, only something about going to the police station.

Xue Qingdai sat sideways on the back of the bicycle, letting her legs swing freely.
Every time she loosened her arms, Xie Yan would speed up, so she had no choice but to hold his waist tighter. Leaning her head on his back, she closed her eyes for a moment.

“Xie Yan, what was it you wanted to tell me the other day?” she asked. She vaguely remembered the snowy day when he looked like he wanted to say something but stopped short. What kind of secret could her third brother not hear? It could only be about the engagement. She had made the decision on her own, and Xie Yan had helped her keep it a secret — he really was a good guy, even if he could be a little fierce sometimes.

Xie Yan steered with one hand and gently moved one of her hands away from a sensitive area. Her hands were very soft.
“I just wanted to ask where your new place was. I thought you’d already left.”

Xue Qingdai was half-listening, eyes fixed on the street vendors selling snacks.
“We’re not leaving anytime soon. My third brother is too busy — he registered for a business license and started a small company. He’s still on duty with his work unit too, always negotiating his shifts with coworkers. No time at all.”

She didn’t say the whole truth — their grandfather only told them to stay in the capital for a few days, but both she and her third brother had their own plans. She wanted to quietly break off the engagement and secretly study medicine at the clinic. Her third brother was secretly getting into business, selling electrical parts and signing lots of orders.

No wonder they were twins — both rebels. Both heading toward a bright future.

“Oh, I see. He’s really busy,” Xie Yan replied.
“He told me to take good care of you when I have time.”

Xue Qingdai nodded. Her third brother was meticulous — not only did he prepare breakfast for her, he even arranged someone to pick her up.

“Oh right, Xie Yan, don’t tell my brother about the engagement thing, okay?”
She didn’t want to bring it up every time — that would be too harsh. This time, she hinted at it gently. That was already being considerate of Xie Yan’s feelings. She was such a good person.

Xie Yan rang the bell on his bike — “ding-a-ling” — the sound crisp and clear.
“Daidai, what did you just say?”

“Huh? Oh! We’re here!” she shouted suddenly.
Xue Qingdai quickly hopped off and rushed into the police station, leaving Xie Yan behind to sigh in resignation.
All she could think about was breaking off the engagement.
But at least, he thought, it was just between the two of them. If she didn’t want her third brother to know, it meant this decision was her own idea.

That made things easier.

Xue Qingdai walked into the police station, her complexion bright and fair from her recent skincare routine. Under the fluorescent lights, her skin almost seemed to glow among the more tanned crowd. A young officer immediately jumped up to greet her.

She laid out all the evidence on the table and explained in detail the experiences they had with that mother-daughter pair.
“That’s how it is. Please come with me to Jiren Clinic tomorrow. If they’re willing to pay what they owe — even in installments — my master is happy to accept. She’s worked so hard, up early and late, never asking for the money they owe, but lately we just can’t keep the clinic running. We can’t let them keep freeloading.”

She finished in one breath.

The young officer simply gave a faint smile.

Xue Qingdai felt a twinge of worry — crime rates were high lately, and police were overwhelmed. He might not have the time to go with her tomorrow.

“We understand your urgency,” the officer said, “so we’ll file a record of your case. Whether we can go with you tomorrow depends on our manpower — after all, emergencies can happen at any time.”

Behind her, people were already lining up.
A stout auntie in a dark purple coat poked her head around.
“Officer! My chickens didn’t come home today!”
“Who stole my underwear?! It only had three holes — still good for another three years if I patch it! If I find that thief, I’ll beat them!”
“Waaah! My wife ran off with someone else! Officer, please find her!”
“Officer, my gold necklace got snatched! I just bought it — didn’t even get a chance to warm it on my neck!”

…Xue Qingdai felt like she’d walked into a marketplace — noisy chaos all around. The line behind her just kept growing longer.

The young officer didn’t really want to turn her down. His job didn’t make dating easy, but this girl—fair, pretty, and sweet-spoken—was exactly the type he dreamed of marrying.

Just as she was about to leave, he blurted out,
“Wait! I’ll try to go with you tomorrow.”

He scribbled his personal information on a slip of paper.

Before she could take it, Xie Yan stepped in and plucked the note from the air, slipping it into his own palm.

“I’ll take it for her,” he said in a low, cool voice, sharp as ice.

The young officer gave an awkward chuckle. Noticing the military uniform Xie Yan wore, he stiffly sat back down to continue processing the next report.

Xue Qingdai, still curious about what was on the note, reached for it — only for Xie Yan to lift it out of her reach with his height advantage. His deep eyes grew even darker.

She felt bullied again, biting her lips in frustration.
Her light pink lips were soon flushed red, and her almond-shaped eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she stared straight at Xie Yan.

Xie Yan slipped the note into his pocket without discussion and firmly wrapped his arm around Xue Qingdai’s waist, guiding her away from the crowd and deeper into the police station.

At that moment, the director of Xinjie Police Station, Li Xinren, was at his desk reviewing case files related to a recently captured serial killer. Hearing a knock at the door, he calmly replied, “Come in!”

The moment he saw who entered, Li Xinren immediately stood up and strode over.

“Xie Yan! You’re back? And you didn’t even tell your brother!”

Li Xinren wore the deep blue uniform of the police department, his badge properly displayed on his chest. His features were well-defined, with particularly sharp eyes that made people instinctively want to speak the truth when met with his gaze.

He gripped Xie Yan’s hand tightly, clearly emotional. As a policeman with keen instincts, Li Xinren immediately noticed someone standing behind Xie Yan.

Peeking out from behind Xie Yan, Xue Qingdai’s eyes were red as she curiously looked around.

Xie Yan gently brushed away the tears from the corner of her eyes with his fingertip, and she leaned lightly into his chest.

Li Xinren looked at the cold, expressionless Xie Yan and then at the pitiful, teary-eyed girl beside him. This… was hard to judge. Even if his buddy had committed a crime, it still needed to be handled by the law.

“Bro, don’t tell me you’re here to turn yourself in?” he teased.

Xie Yan waved a hand dismissively, ignoring his friend’s joking tone and introduced, “My fiancée, Xue Qingdai.”

Xue Qingdai softly said, “Hello~”

That was all Xie Yan needed to say—just her name.

Xue Qingdai tugged gently on his sleeve to hint something to him, only for the arm around her waist to tighten even more in response.

Li Xinren had to cover his mouth to hide the grin tugging at his lips.

His good friend Xie Yan used to be as cold as ice—no-nonsense and emotionally distant. Now, finally, someone had managed to tame him.

It looked like the usually stern Lao Xie really had it bad for this little girl.

“So… she’s the sister-in-law, huh…”