Chapter 8

The Bar

“No, Brother Shanglan, I still don’t understand what your relationship with her is. Why is your toothbrush and cup with her?” He Chuanan was still tangled up in this question. Qi Shanglan was too lazy to explain again and casually lied, “It’s just an accident, nothing else. If you keep talking nonsense, you’ll take over my shifts for the week.”

“No way, bro!”

While the two of them were arguing, suddenly two young, beautiful women rushed in from outside, looking flustered. They had great figures, and they immediately rushed to the front desk to report an incident.

He Chuanan asked what had happened, and the two women said they had been assaulted at the bar.

After asking for more details, Qi Shanglan instructed Bai Meng to take the two women to check the bar’s surveillance footage. The footage showed that the perverted man had been committing serial offenses. He would pretend to casually walk by, and then, when the women weren’t paying attention, he would quickly grope their private areas before pretending to leave and sneaking away. He would then target the next woman.

By the time the women realized what had happened, the man had already disappeared into one of the dark corners, and although the women had no evidence to accuse him, they were still upset and came to the police station to report it.

After taking note of the man’s clothing and physical features, Qi Shanglan got into the police car with Bai Meng and He Chuanan to head to Yongye Bar.

The busy streets of Yongning at midnight were still brightly lit, with people coming and going in various shops.

At the end of the long street, there was a black glass door that blended with the wall. After pushing it open and passing through a dimly lit corridor, they reached the interior of the bar.

Inside the narrow corridor, the three of them, wearing police uniforms, stood out like sore thumbs among the energetic, thrill-seeking crowd.

Qi Shanglan walked at the front, the loud music growing clearer and louder in his ears until it completely engulfed him.

He furrowed his brow impatiently and stepped aside to avoid a greasy man stumbling in front of him, a woman clinging to his arm. She was dressed provocatively, with a curvy figure.

The bar was filled with flashy, colorful lights that constantly spun and flickered, creating an atmosphere that was both intense and decadent.

When they first entered, not many people paid attention to them, but Qi Shanglan’s sharp eyes immediately spotted the pervert.

He exchanged a glance with He Chuanan and was about to approach the man when his eyes landed on Lin Qianyou, who was sitting alone in a corner, drinking.

She was wearing a strapless short-sleeve top and a brown leather bodycon skirt, with matching long leather boots. Under the ambiguous lighting, her expression, seemingly tipsy, was incredibly seductive.

She slowly lifted her drink to her lips and tilted her head back, draining the glass. Then, she suddenly sniffed, looking as though she had been wronged.

While Qi Shanglan was still dazed, He Chuanan was already one step ahead, quickly subduing the pervert. As he cuffed the man, he turned to Qi Shanglan and asked, “Shanglan, what are you spacing out for?”

Qi Shanglan snapped out of it and, along with He Chuanan, escorted the pervert out and into the car.

He opened the driver’s side door and was about to sit down when he suddenly stopped.

“Xiao Meng, you drive. I have something to take care of, I’ll be back later,” he said, turning to leave. Bai Meng had no choice but to switch to the driver’s seat and drive.

When Qi Shanglan returned to the bar, Lin Qianyou was no longer alone in the corner. Two men were standing in front of her, smiling and chatting with her. But she had a cold expression and clearly didn’t want to say a word, indicating she didn’t know them.

The two men weren’t offended by her indifference. Instead, they chuckled, and one of them even reached out to touch her exposed shoulder.

Just as the man’s hand was about to touch Lin Qianyou, it was suddenly and mercilessly pushed away by another hand, one with distinct knuckles.

The man turned around in anger, about to curse, but upon seeing Qi Shanglan in police uniform, he immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

“Comrade police, we’re good citizens, we didn’t do anything, we didn’t do anything…” He instinctively tried to explain, fearing he’d be arrested.

“Get lost,” Qi Shanglan coldly replied.

The two men, realizing the situation, moved a little farther away, though their eyes still couldn’t seem to leave Lin Qianyou.

Qi Shanglan glanced at them, and only then did they reluctantly avert their gaze.

Meanwhile, Lin Qianyou, looking hazy, mumbled, “Qi Shanglan?”

Qi Shanglan turned back to look at her, frowning as he asked, “How much have you drunk? Aren’t you afraid something will happen?”

Lin Qianyou set down her glass, grumbling in dissatisfaction, “Why are you so fierce? Aren’t you the police…”

“What did you say?” He didn’t catch it.

“Nothing, the wine’s good,” she replied, then picked up another glass, ready to drink it down, but Qi Shanglan swiftly snatched it away from her.

“Stop drinking, go home. It’s not safe for you to be alone in a bar,” he patiently advised.

“I don’t have a home, I’m not going back,” she said flatly, reaching to grab the glass from his hand.

Qi Shanglan pulled it back, and she couldn’t reach it. She stood up, trying to snatch it from him.

Both of them stood out with their distinctive appearances, and with Qi Shanglan wearing his police uniform, it didn’t take long for all eyes in the bar to be on them.

“Give it to me!” Lin Qianyou suddenly yelled at him, then unexpectedly burst into tears, “Why are you bullying me too… Aren’t you my messenger? Didn’t I tell you to do whatever I ask…”

The men and women in the bar stared at them, assuming Lin Qianyou was just drunk and rambling.

Qi Shanglan slammed the glass down on the table, roughly grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of the bar.

“You really asked for this,” he muttered, ignoring the struggles behind him as he forcefully dragged her out.

He took her to a street corner and sternly said to her, “You should stay away from places like this in the future, understand?”

“I don’t understand,” she responded, deliberately being contrary, relying on her drunken state.

“…”

“Alright, go home. I have some business and need to go back to the station first. Add me on WeChat, and message me when you get home to let me know you’re safe,” he said, taking out his phone.

Lin Qianyou, still with tears in her eyes, suddenly burst out laughing when she heard his words. She extended her long, fair index finger and poked his chest, saying, “Officer, your pick-up lines are just like those bad guys. You’re one of them.”

“…”

“However, since you’re my messenger, I’ll reluctantly add you on WeChat,” she said, snatching Qi Shanglan’s phone and entering her WeChat ID before adding him to her contacts.

“…”

After adding him on WeChat, Lin Qianyou suddenly remembered his superpower. With a drunken smile on her face, she looked up at him, “Qi Shanglan, can you use your superpower to send me home? Like, teleportation or something, hee-hee.”

“…”

She was still making requests.

Qi Shanglan took his phone back from her and sighed lightly, trying to reason with the drunken woman. “It seems my superpower isn’t working anymore.”

“Huh?”

Qi Shanglan wasn’t lying. He had tried many times today, like attempting to teleport from the lobby to the bathroom, but despite mentally repeating the command, it didn’t work. Instead, it just made him feel strange and out of sorts.

Lin Qianyou furrowed her brows, recalling what Ah Fu had said. It mentioned that Qi Shanglan’s superpower was granted by her, and if she didn’t summon him or wasn’t around, his abilities would disappear, making him just like any ordinary person.

She muttered, “It’s not that it’s not working, it’s because without me, you’re nothing.”

“…”

Seeing her drunken state, Qi Shanglan didn’t argue with her.

Lin Qianyou then said seriously, “I now command Qi Shanglan to use his superpower to send me home!” She suddenly slapped Qi Shanglan’s shoulder.

In the next moment, the two of them disappeared from Yongning Street and appeared in Lin Qianyou’s home.

The living room was dark, with the lights off, so nothing could be seen. Lin Qianyou happily exclaimed, “Wow!” Then she slapped Qi Shanglan’s shoulder, sounding somewhat proud, “See? It’s all because of me.”

“…”

“Yeah, because of you,” he said helplessly. “You should go to bed. I need to head back.”

“Head back? Can’t you tell I’m in a bad mood? If you’re my friend, stay and keep me company,” Lin Qianyou said, walking to the entrance to turn on the living room lights. She then went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a can of beer.

Qi Shanglan saw this and walked over, snatching the beer from her hand, inexplicably angry. “Haven’t you had enough? If you’re in a bad mood, go to sleep. After a good night’s rest, everything will be fine.”

Qi Shanglan usually didn’t drink; he despised drunkards, and most of the criminals he apprehended had committed crimes while intoxicated.

As Qi Shanglan ruthlessly took the beer from her, a sense of grievance surged in Lin Qianyou’s chest. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she suddenly began to sob without warning. She lifted her face, glazed with drunkenness, and stared at him with displeasure.

Lin Qianyou only stared at him, saying nothing, as though it was Qi Shanglan who was bullying her.

Her eyes were red, and the tip of her slightly upturned nose was also tinted with a faint blush, looking pitiful, as if she had suffered immense pain and injustice.

Qi Shanglan quietly watched her sobbing, and all kinds of thoughts involuntarily flashed through his mind.

He had heard from He Chuanan that she had been crying when she went to the station in the afternoon, and she was still crying now. She even went to the bar to drown her sorrows.

Why had she fallen so low? Had she broken up with someone? Or was it something else?

Qi Shanglan couldn’t be sure and didn’t want to poke at her wounds. Just as he was about to say that there was nothing she couldn’t get over, Lin Qianyou spoke before him.

“Qi Shanglan, why are you such a straight man? Can’t you say a comforting word?” She angrily walked past him and sat on the couch. “Qi Shanglan, I already consider you my friend. I’m in a bad mood, can you stay and talk to me?”

“You’re drunk. Your words don’t count,” Qi Shanglan said indifferently. He glanced at his phone, where He Chuanan had sent him a message saying the man had confessed and accepted punishment, so he didn’t need to hurry back to the station and should calm his girlfriend down first.

Reading the message, Qi Shanglan’s brows furrowed involuntarily. Every day it’s just guessing without any real understanding.

Before he could send the reply “Be right back,” Lin Qianyou spoke again, “What do you mean by ‘doesn’t count’? You don’t consider me your friend? Just because we haven’t known each other for long?”

Qi Shanglan didn’t mean it that way. What he wanted to say was that Lin Qianyou was asking him to stay while drunk, and once she sobered up, she would likely regret this decision.

After all, what kind of girl would casually leave a guy she barely knew, who she had just met less than two days ago, in her house, especially while drunk and out of her senses?

Seeing her innocent expression, Qi Shanglan sighed helplessly, “That’s not what I meant—”

“Then stay and talk to me,” Lin Qianyou interrupted him. “Officer Qi, aren’t you afraid that if you leave, I might do something crazy like commit suicide?” She even learned to threaten him. “Besides, I’m a goddess, one word from me, and I can summon you.”

“Suicide?” Qi Shanglan frowned, his expression immediately turning serious. He slowly walked in front of her, his demeanor resembling a teacher disciplining a student.

He looked down at her coldly, “You’re going to commit suicide over a little setback? Do you think that’s fair to the parents who gave you life?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Qianyou’s expression noticeably changed, but she quickly returned to normal and calmly said, “I don’t have parents. They died a long time ago.”

When Qi Shanglan heard this, his heart skipped a beat. After a few seconds of silence, he softly apologized, “I’m sorry, I… didn’t know…”

“It’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it, but fortunately, I still have an older brother,” she said casually, but the sadness in her eyes didn’t escape Qi Shanglan’s notice.

It seemed that Lin Qianyou became a bit more sober after hearing Qi Shanglan’s words. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said to him, “You’re right. I shouldn’t think about suicide over a little setback. It’s not my fault that things went wrong.”

She spoke calmly, but Qi Shanglan felt uneasy, a dull ache in his heart.

“I’m fine now. You don’t have to stay with me. You can go back to the station. Thanks for today.”

“The matters at the station are settled. I’ll stay and chat with you for a while,” he said, as if preparing to sit on the couch.

Lin Qianyou let out a long breath, rejecting him. “Really, it’s fine. I’m tired and need to sleep.”

Qi Shanglan hesitated but then heard her say, “Don’t take a cab back. How about I use my superpower to send you back?” She even smiled as she said this.

Qi Shanglan felt a complicated mix of emotions. He looked at her again—her eyes still held tears, yet she could smile like that.

Lin Qianyou raised her hand and placed it on Qi Shanglan’s shoulder, smiling once more. “You look so righteous in your uniform. Go back to the station, Qi Shanglan.”

She patted Qi Shanglan’s shoulder, and in the next second, he disappeared from her blurred vision.