Chapter 9

Teasing

Qi Shanglan suddenly appeared in the station’s lobby, startling He Chuanan, who had been dozing off at the front desk.

The two locked eyes, both surprised in their own way. Despite having teleported twice before, Qi Shanglan was still shocked. He tilted his head to glance at his shoulder, momentarily speechless.

“Brother, you’re back?” He Chuanan, not thinking too much, had just been dozing and assumed that Qi Shanglan had taken a cab back.

Qi Shanglan ignored He Chuanan entirely. He hurriedly walked to the office, took off his police uniform, and changed into his civilian clothes before quickly leaving without stopping for a second.

Seeing him in a rush to leave, He Chuanan casually asked, “Shanglan, where are you going? Didn’t you just get back?”

Qi Shanglan pushed the glass door open with one hand while scrolling through his phone with the other, too busy to respond to He Chuanan.

Fortunately, Lin Qianyou had just agreed to add him as a friend. He quickly dialed her for a voice call, but the phone rang for more than ten seconds without her picking up.

Qi Shanglan couldn’t help but feel anxious. The last time he checked Lin Qianyou’s ID at the hotel, he found that she wasn’t from here, and her parents had passed away. She mentioned she had an older brother, but her house clearly didn’t have any men, and her brother was probably not in Yangcheng either.

Qi Shanglan couldn’t figure out what had happened to her. How could she even mention something like “suicide”?

As a police officer, he couldn’t just ignore her. He couldn’t let her do something reckless either.

Fortunately, Lin Qianyou finally picked up the phone on the twenty-third second.

“Hello?” Her soft voice still carried a trace of drunkenness.

“Why did you take so long to answer?” Qi Shanglan asked urgently, his tone inexplicably tinged with anger.

“I was brushing my teeth. Do you need something?” she asked innocently.

Hearing this, Qi Shanglan let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t understand why he had suddenly become so impatient, so he tried to calm his emotions and asked her patiently, “You… haven’t done anything stupid, right?”

“Stupid? Are you talking about suicide?” she asked, then suddenly laughed softly. “I’ve figured it out. I wouldn’t do something as stupid as suicide. It’s not my fault things went wrong. Let it be. Thank you for still thinking about me.”

Qi Shanglan walked quickly along the sidewalk, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the phone, listening to her talk. The sound of the wind was constant in his ears, but it was nothing compared to the clarity of her voice through the receiver.

Her words gradually calmed his heart, and his pace slowed. His gaze shifted to a convenience store window on the side of the street. He then spoke into the phone, asking her, “Do you have honey at home? I’ll come over in a bit, so make sure to open the door for me.”

“Huh? No, no,” Lin Qianyou replied, not quite understanding. “You’re coming to my house? I’m really fine now, I won’t do anything stupid. You go ahead and do your thing, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“I’m not busy. I’ll chat with you for a bit,” he replied lightly, his voice carrying a slight magnetic quality through the phone, though more of a soft, sensual warmth.

For some reason, Lin Qianyou liked hearing him talk. She liked his voice. Acting on impulse, she replied with a simple “Okay,” then added, “So, if I call your name, will you teleport here? That way you don’t have to take a cab.”

“Not yet. Let me buy something first. Wait a moment,” Qi Shanglan said, stepping into the convenience store.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Qianyou responded with a long “Oh,” and then didn’t say anything else.

Qi Shanglan still had the phone pressed to his ear. Not hearing anything, he thought she had hung up. But when he checked his phone, it was still on the call.

He found it a bit strange and asked, “Why aren’t you speaking?”

“Huh? I… I just want to hear you talk,” came her reply.

“Mm?” Qi Shanglan was taken aback. “You want to hear me talk?”

“Mm, I like your voice,” Lin Qianyou said, her voice carrying a hint of laughter.

Qi Shanglan paused while reaching for the honey jar, caught off guard by her sudden comment. He was momentarily lost for words and didn’t know how to respond.

It’s said that alcohol makes people speak their true thoughts, but for the first time, Qi Shanglan found himself at a loss for direction after being teased by a girl.

He puffed his cheek in annoyance and, after a long pause, randomly grabbed a jar of honey from the shelf.

The white lights on the shelf cast shadows across his sculpted face. After a few seconds, his Adam’s apple moved as he spoke softly, “Lin Qianyou, are you really drunk, or are you pretending?”

“I’m not drunk,” came her firm reply.

Qi Shanglan let out a small laugh, a smile curling at the corner of his lips. “I’ll hang up now. I’ll pay, and then call me in five minutes.”

“Okay, sure,” she obediently hung up the phone.

After paying, Qi Shanglan found a corner out of the camera’s view, and five minutes later, Lin Qianyou called out his name. He reappeared in her living room.

As soon as he appeared, Lin Qianyou let out a long “Wow,” surprised, “So magical, you can appear just like that, Qi Shanglan.” She cheerfully walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

She had changed into white pajamas. The short sleeves and shorts accentuated her figure, and her long hair, originally loose, was casually tied into a bun at the back of her head. Though it was a bit messy, it still complemented her delicate, oval face.

Qi Shanglan looked at her for a few seconds, then, noticing her outfit, asked, “Are you really going to sleep?”

“Mm, I told you, I won’t commit suicide. Only an idiot would do that,” she said casually.

Seeing her nonchalant reaction, Qi Shanglan suddenly felt like he was meddling in her affairs. However, her attitude shifted so quickly—it had only been a few minutes since she had been crying desperately, and now she was back to normal.

Indeed, a woman’s heart is as deep as the ocean.

“Where’s the kettle?” Qi Shanglan asked.

“The kettle? It’s… over there.” Lin Qianyou pointed to it, then asked, “Do you want some hot water? I’ll get you a cup.” She stepped ahead of him, walking into the kitchen and taking a glass from the cabinet.

Qi Shanglan took the cup from her, then added, “Can you also get a spoon?”

“A spoon?” Lin Qianyou frowned. “You drink water with a spoon? How fancy.”

“…”

“I’m making you honey water,” he explained helplessly.

“Give it to me?” Lin Qianyou pointed at herself. “Why are you making honey water for me? Trying to be considerate? Are you trying to win me over?”

Her words were straightforward, and Qi Shanglan couldn’t be bothered to explain to a drunk person. He walked past her into the kitchen, found a spoon from the utensil tray, washed it, and brought it back.

The kitchen was a little small. He had to turn sideways to squeeze past her, and that’s when he caught a scent sweeter than honey.

It seemed to be her scent, familiar to him. He had smelled it the first time he met her, but now it was even stronger, and much more pleasant.

Her stray hair from her bun lightly brushed his chin, tickling him slightly but in a strangely pleasant way.

Qi Shanglan set the cup on the dining table, then tilted his chin to indicate for Lin Qianyou to sit down. She obediently sat, but being drunk, she swayed and almost fell before she could steady herself.

Quick as lightning, Qi Shanglan grabbed her arm to steady her, muttering under his breath, “Still saying you’re not drunk?”

Lin Qianyou didn’t hear clearly and responded with a confused “Huh?” her eyes blurry.

Qi Shanglan released her arm, but the warmth and scent of her still lingered in his hand.

Her skin was smooth and delicate; just holding her arm briefly caused it to redden. Qi Shanglan glanced at the spot where he had gripped her arm and gently reminded her, “Don’t wear such revealing clothes to a bar next time. It’s not a good place. Do you understand?” He paused, feeling something was off, and added, “Actually, it’s best you don’t go to bars at all, no matter what you wear. Bad people won’t let you off just because of how you dress.”

Lin Qianyou, still a bit dazed, seemed truly sleepy or uninterested in his lecture. She nodded and muttered, “Mm.”

Qi Shanglan opened the honey jar with his bare hands, scooped out some honey with the spoon, and mixed it into a cup of hot water while stirring.

Seeing his practiced movements, Lin Qianyou suddenly burst into laughter, “Qi Shanglan, why are you so good at this?”

Qi Shanglan, hearing this, disagreed. He furrowed his brows and impatiently asked, “Where do you see that I’m good at this?”

“Where do I see it?” Lin Qianyou leaned in close to him, her hazy eyes scanning his face.

She approached him without warning. Qi Shanglan instinctively pulled back, but Lin Qianyou grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him back toward her.

They were now incredibly close. Lin Qianyou’s half-closed eyes nearly touched his, and Qi Shanglan’s pupils dilated as he saw her tipsy face reflected in his eyes.

The two of them stared at each other for a while. Lin Qianyou finally spoke, her breath filling the space around him, making him feel a little dizzy too.

“Qi Shanglan, your eyelashes are so long,” Lin Qianyou let go of his collar and reached her index finger toward his eyelashes, but he quickly pushed her hand away.

“Lin Qianyou, drink your honey water,” he said, not holding back.

“Oh, come on, why are you mad? I was complimenting you on your long eyelashes, not mocking you,” Lin Qianyou pouted, then turned her gaze back to him.

After a moment, she continued, “Your nose is so sharp too, sharper than mine. And your lips, they’re so nice. Your jawline is so tight. Sigh, it’s a shame you’re not a male model with that handsome face of yours.”

She even sighed as if she truly felt bad for him.

“If you ever became a male model at a bar, I’d be the first to order you. How’s that, pretty loyal, huh?”

Qi Shanglan had the impulse to slap her awake.

“So, have you ever ordered a male model at a bar?” he tried to bait her.

Lin Qianyou shook her head, then nodded, saying, “I haven’t ordered one, but I’ve seen others order them. Those male models were so handsome, tall and good-looking, and they even had eight-pack abs.” Lin Qianyou proudly made an “eight” shape with her two fingers to Qi Shanglan.

Qi Shanglan: “…”

Not only a drunk, but a pervert as well.

“Oh, by the way, don’t you have abs too?” Lin Qianyou looked down at Qi Shanglan’s stomach, seriously saying, “I didn’t get a good look that night, are they six-pack or eight-pack?” She even started to reach for his shirt to lift it up.

Qi Shanglan suddenly grabbed her wrist, saying, “Lin Qianyou, can you stop being such a pervert? Do you know that this is considered harassment?”

“Huh? Harassment?” Lin Qianyou raised her head in confusion, displeased. “It’s just looking at your abs. Why be so stingy? Tch, who hasn’t seen abs before? I don’t even care about yours. What if you only have six? Not even worth looking at.”

“Who told you I only have six?”

“Don’t you? Or is it four?”

“…” Damn, even drunk she knows how to use reverse psychology.

“I’ll show you for three seconds, count them yourself.” Qi Shanglan said indifferently.

“Three seconds isn’t enough to count to eight!” she retorted.

“…”

“Fine, then I’ll show you for eight seconds. After that, drink the honey water and go to bed.”

“Mm!” She nodded vigorously.

Then Lin Qianyou lifted Qi Shanglan’s shirt, seriously counting. She really did count eight abs.

Qi Shanglan felt a bit awkward being studied so closely by a girl and regretted agreeing to let her count. His stomach slightly rose and fell with his heavy breathing.

Lin Qianyou couldn’t resist touching, smiling as she said, “You’re way more attractive than those male models, especially when you breathe.”

“Alright, that’s eight seconds.” Qi Shanglan ruthlessly pulled Lin Qianyou’s hand away. “Drink the honey water, it’s getting cold.”

“Oh.” She obediently took the honey water and drank it all in one go. “So sweet.”

“It’s getting late, you should go to sleep. I’ll head back now.” Qi Shanglan stood up to leave.

“Wait, let me use my superpowers to send you back.”

“No need, I’m going home. It’s really close, just one traffic light away, in Boyuan Community. You should rest early. If you’re feeling down, just call me or summon me over directly.”

“Oh, alright. Be careful on your way, and thanks for today.”

“You’re welcome, it’s the least I could do.” He then opened the door and walked out.

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew through the street, making his already restless heart even more agitated. The spot on his stomach where she had touched felt like it was burning.