RLTT CH 5

Chapter 5: Parking Lot · Couple Toothpaste · Cooking Together

“Shi Shi, save me!”
“He said he wants to marry you!”

The two of them shouted in unison toward the woman who had just entered.

The newcomer was none other than Yang Zhen’s girlfriend, Shi Shi. She froze for a moment, staring at the two tall, grown men tangled together like children. Then, she burst into laughter. “It’s lively here today, isn’t it?”

“Yang Zhen said he wants to marry you! Wife—he meant you!” Wei Jiayi quickly tattled.

Yang Zhen and Shi Shi had been dating for several years, but Shi Shi was an exceptionally independent and capable woman, so Yang Zhen had never dared to bring up marriage.

“Shut up!” Yang Zhen smacked Wei Jiayi on the head, his face flushing red despite his rank as a high-ranking inspector. “Be careful! When Shaofeng comes out, I’ll spill all your secrets!”

“Shaofeng? Are you talking about the famous Yun Shaofeng? He’s here?” Shi Shi perked up and leaned closer. “Let me interview you, Inspector Wei—what’s your current state of mind?”

“What state of mind?” Wei Jiayi asked, confused.

“I’ve been furthering my studies in clinical psychology this year,” Shi Shi began explaining with a serious demeanor. “Based on your experiences, it’s highly likely that you’re dealing with emotional PTSD^[1]. Meanwhile, Yun Shaofeng’s amnesia is also likely not a physiological disorder. I’m considering using the two of you as case studies for my report.”

Wei Jiayi was utterly lost in her barrage of academic jargon. Looking at her in bewilderment, he softly whispered, “Could you lower your voice? Don’t let Shaofeng hear you. I won’t even know how to explain this to him later. And Yang Zhen, can’t you control your girlfriend? If this keeps up, she’ll end up marrying her textbooks instead of you!”

“Marriage this, marriage that… Do you secretly want Yun Shaofeng to marry you?” Shi Shi teased with an exaggerated expression, arching her eyebrows at them. “Hmm, noted…”

“Hahaha!” Yang Zhen laughed so hard at Wei Jiayi’s reddened face that he was clutching his stomach.

At that moment, Yun Shaofeng finally returned, looking at the three of them in confusion. He had no idea what he had missed.

Naturally, Wei Jiayi was the first to spot him. He quickly released Yang Zhen, giving him a shove to create some distance. Then, pointing at Shi Shi, he said to Yun Shaofeng, “This is Prosecutor Shi, a public prosecutor.” He gestured between Yang Zhen and Shi Shi. “Those two are a couple. It’s got nothing to do with me, okay…” His tone was full of cautious clarification.

Shi Shi, on the other hand, greeted Yun Shaofeng confidently, shaking his hand warmly.

“Aren’t you two going for a meal together?” Wei Jiayi almost pushed the pair out the door, waving them off as he urged, “Go on, go on. Hurry up.” Only when the two were holding hands and heading off for their date did Wei Jiayi turn back and quietly ask Yun Shaofeng, “So, uh, what do you want to eat for lunch?”

In the end, they decided to head to a nearby supermarket, buy some groceries, and cook at home.

Wei Jiayi was driving while Yun Shaofeng sat in the passenger seat, silently gazing out of the window. Wei Jiayi gripped the steering wheel, his fingers lightly tapping to the rhythm of the countdown on the red light.

“…You and Yang Zhen, did you know each other before?” Wei Jiayi’s gaze flitted to the side, trying to mask his unease.

“Hmm?” Yun Shaofeng was caught off guard by the question and froze for a moment. “No, we didn’t. I thought you two already knew each other?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, we did.” Wei Jiayi glanced at the rearview mirror. “We’ve known each other since before I joined the force. We’re like brothers.”

Yun Shaofeng didn’t continue the conversation, and a long stretch of silence followed.

The car slowly drove into the underground parking lot of the mall. Watching as the light gradually dimmed, Yun Shaofeng hesitated but eventually spoke up. “Actually, I’ve always felt like I knew you before.”

The car came to an abrupt stop in front of an empty parking spot.

“But then, after thinking about it, I guess that’s not possible,” Yun Shaofeng said with a soft smile. “The feeling you give me is so familiar—too familiar. It even makes me feel safer here than I did in Vancouver.”

“Then why…”

“That’s why I don’t think someone like you could have existed in my life,” Yun Shaofeng interrupted gently. “If I had known you before, if you were really there—no, not if—I know you’d have protected me. But if that were the case, why would I have ended up so alone, forced to move to a freezing, unfamiliar country?”

Wei Jiaxi turned his head to look at him but saw Yun Shaofeng staring down at his own shoes, deep in thought. If Yun Shaofeng had looked up at that moment, he would’ve seen the overwhelming emotion in Wei Jiaxi’s eyes—an unspeakable mix of heartache and guilt.

“…You’re right.” Wei Jiaxi squinted slightly, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart. “If we had known each other before, I would never have let you go. But now that we’ve come this far, I swear I won’t let you get hurt again.”

“Inspector  Wei…” Yun Shaofeng vaguely sensed something hidden in his words. “That’s not what I meant.”

“We didn’t know each other before,” Wei Jiaxi unbuckled his seatbelt and avoided his gaze. Pushing the car door open, he said, “Don’t worry, Shaofeng. No matter what happened in the past, I’ll protect you now.” He took a deep breath, turned back to Yun Shaofeng, and grinned—a bright smile with two dimples, one deep, one shallow.

Yun Shaofeng looked at him, stunned for a moment, then smiled softly in return. “Alright. I’ll pretend we really did know each other before. Now, it’s your turn to take care of me.”

The two entered the supermarket, strolling leisurely by the frozen section. Wei Jiaxi walked on the outer side while Yun Shaofeng pushed the cart. Inside were some bread and fruit. Since it was a weekday afternoon, the supermarket was nearly empty. Only a few housewives wandered about, and a handful of sampling clerks, visibly bored, fried sausages in the corner. Over the speakers, a voice repeatedly announced discounts on dish soap.

Wei Jiaxi casually grabbed a large bottle of cola and placed it into the cart. He walked alongside Yun Shaofeng for a while before suddenly remembering he wanted to buy milk. He turned back, taking quick steps to the freezer section, tapping his chin as he pondered.

For frothing coffee, full-fat milk would work best… But does Shaofeng still like drinking milk now?

After a brief hesitation, Wei Jiaxi decided to grab a liter of full-fat fresh milk and turned back to catch up with Yun Shaofeng . As he looked up, he saw Yun Shaofeng standing right ahead, tilting his head while contemplating which ice cream flavor to pick. Further ahead, a man wearing a mask approached. His hoodie was pulled tight over his head, concealing most of his face. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he staggered slightly as he moved toward Yun Shaofeng.

In an instant, Wei Jiaxi’s instincts as a police officer kicked in. His eyes swept over the man’s bulging pocket, where a glint of silver briefly flashed. Alarms went off in Wei Jiaxi’s head. Without thinking, he sprinted toward Yun Shaofeng. With one hand holding the milk, he wrapped his arm around Yun Shaofeng’s waist. His other hand firmly gripped the shopping cart, pulling Yun Shaofeng into his embrace. His body acted as a shield between Yun Shaofeng and the approaching man.

“Inspector W—”

“Shh…”

Yun Shaofeng was about to cry out in surprise but was silenced by Wei Jiaxi’s stern expression. Their faces were so close their noses nearly touched. In Wei Jiaxi’s sharp gaze, Yun Shaofeng saw his own stunned reflection. He held his breath and dared not move.

The man brushed past Wei Jiaxi’s back, continuing straight ahead without pausing. Wei Jiaxi, still holding Yun Shaofeng, watched the man out of the corner of his eye. He noticed the man pull his hand out of his pocket, revealing a silver metal lighter in his palm.

It was a false alarm.

Wei Jiaxi’s pounding heart finally began to calm, though his face showed little change. Only the tension in his brows and eyes eased slightly. Snapping back to reality, he realized he was still holding Yun Shaofeng in an overly intimate manner.

Their wide eyes met for a moment, both of them stunned and at a loss.

“…Sorry.” Wei Jiaxi quickly released Yun Shaofeng’s waist and placed the milk into the cart.

Yun Shaofeng noticed that his ears were turning red again and couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s fine.”

“In the future, when we’re outside, just call me… uh, Jiaxi,” Wei Jiaxi scratched his head. “After all, just in case things go awry, it’s better if no one knows I’m a police officer.”

Seeing that Wei Jiaxi was too embarrassed to look at him, Yun Shaofeng just nodded, responding with a simple, “Okay.”

The two of them continued pushing the shopping cart forward. Suddenly, a young female sales assistant popped up, seemingly having been standing there all along, holding two tubes of pink-packaged toothpaste. With enthusiasm, she said to them, “Gentlemen, it’s White Day! Couples’ limited-edition toothpaste is buy one, get one free!”

Not long after, Wei Jiaxi received a text from Zhong Zai, saying that he and Cheng Jiesen were waiting at the safe house. The two quickly finished buying everything they needed and drove home.

As soon as they entered the door, they saw the other two sitting in the living room. Upon seeing them, the two greeted them, and then both seemed to share a tacit understanding as they turned their gaze toward Yun Shaofeng.

Wei Jiaxi could probably guess what was going on, so he turned to Yun Shaofeng and asked, “We might need to discuss some work. Are you okay cooking alone?”

Yun Shaofeng shrugged, took the vegetables and eggs from Wei Jiaxi’s hands, and cooperatively headed to the kitchen on his own.

Only then did Wei Jiaxi walk over to the other two and sit down with them.

“We just finished a meeting, and before we could get back to the office, a few of our brothers reported that several of Hongsheng’s men left and went to the mahjong hall. They should be having a big meeting,” Cheng Jiesen spoke up anxiously before Wei Jiaxi could say anything. “There are all sorts of people—Qinglong, Baihu, and the others—showing up today. I suspect they’re counting their thugs.”

“So many people, just to deal with one witness?” Wei Jiaxi furrowed his brows, worried.

“Should we send more people right away or upgrade the plan?” Zhong Zai also seemed quite concerned.

Cheng Jieshen shook his head. “I don’t think so. After all, the whole exchange student plan is kept highly confidential within the police station, so the likelihood of leaks is low. I actually think Hongsheng is planning some further moves against Xin Qing^[2].”

At this point, Cheng Jiesen suddenly stopped, first glancing at Wei Jiaxi, then at Zhong Zai.

“Uh… is there something I’m not authorized to hear?” Zhong Zai, being a smart guy, noticed the awkward look on their faces and began to stand up. “I’ll step aside then.”

“No need,” Wei Jiaxi reached out to stop him. “I don’t think Zhong Zai is the type to gossip behind our backs. Cheng, just speak plainly.”

“Alright,” Cheng Jieshen nodded. “I think your older brother, Wei Jiayi, has bigger ambitions than we imagined. He practically wants to swallow all of Xin Qing.”

Hearing him say “older brother,” Zhong Zai froze and stared wide-eyed at Wei Jiaxi.

Wei Jiaxi rolled his eyes, raised his hand to close Zhong Zai’s gaping mouth, and then turned back to Cheng Jiesen. “We’ve known about his ambitions for a while, but I don’t think it’s likely. Wei Xiye is the type of person who, while seeming quiet on the surface, has a way of manipulating people’s minds…” Wei Jiaxi paused, seemingly reminiscing, then shook his head. “Wei Jiayi doesn’t have that kind of brain.”

“If he doesn’t have the brain, his mother might,” Cheng Jiesen looked at Wei Jiaxi with concern. “Your older brother still hasn’t shown his face, but Lianna ^[3]has been spotted by the ‘paparazzi’ (CIB^[4]’s nickname, not actual paparazzi) quite a few times. Judging from the scale of Hongsheng’s recent ‘recruiting’ activities, this is definitely not a small matter. If something truly dangerous happens, it will be hard to handle.”

“Stop talking about my older brother!” Wei Jiaxi shot him a glare. “Who would want to claim such a person as their older brother…”

“Okay, okay, I won’t mention it again,” Cheng Jiesen quickly corrected himself. “The reason I came to you instead of discussing this with the O team^[5] is that I hope you can help us figure out what Xin Qing is planning, and whether we need to intervene.”

“Oh…” Wei Jiaxi scratched his chin, putting on a mysterious expression. “Doesn’t the CIB have a lot of informants? Undercover agents, all that? Do you still need to come to me?”

Cheng Jiesen smiled and said lightly, “Yeah, you’re my informant.”

Wei Jiaxi smiled too, shaking his head, then became serious again. “I haven’t spoken to Wei Xiye in years. It might be hard to get in touch right away.”

“It’s alright, do your best,” Cheng Jiesen patted his shoulder. “I understand you have a mission to protect the witness, that’s the most important thing.” He glanced at the still-shocked Zhong Zai, then stood up. “That’s all I wanted to say. I’ll take my leave now.”

At this moment, Yun Shaofeng happened to come out of the kitchen, his shirt sleeves neatly rolled up to his forearms, exposing his fair wrists. When he saw Cheng Jiesen heading for the door, he spoke somewhat disappointedly, “Oh, I made enough rice for four. Why don’t you join us for a meal, Inspector Cheng?”

“Well, it’s probably better not to interrupt your family meal,” Cheng Jiesen raised an eyebrow, his eyes flicking between Wei Jiaxi and Yun Shaofeng, as if surprised by their interaction. “Feels like I’m intruding… a peaceful life, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s your first day of ‘alone time.’ How could we let us crash your meal?” Zhong Zai grinned, nudging Wei Jiaxi with his shoulder.

Wei Jiaxi remained expressionless, giving Zhong Zai a light knock on the head, then replied flatly, “Next time you come, be a bit more considerate. Remember to bring fruit.”

To be continued…