Ma Xiang stood in front of the luxurious door of a penthouse. He looked around curiously and carefully for a while and was about to reach out to ring the bell when he suddenly remembered something. He quickly retracted his hand, took out his mobile phone, and dialed Yan Xie's phone number.
Ten seconds later, the door was opened, and Yan Xie stuck his head out with his upper body naked.
"Oh, brother Yan, I missed you so much—"
"Shhh!"
Ma Xiang stopped abruptly as if someone had stuffed raw egg in his throat, only to see Yan Xie put his index finger in front of his lips, pointing in the direction of the bedroom, and saying sternly: "Keep your voice down! Consultant Lu is sleeping!"
Ma Xiang: "..."
Ma Xiang, who was dumbfounded, watched Yan Xie turn around and entered the house, with countless "yooooooooo~" lines floating in his mind.
"Have you brought the thing with you?"
On the second floor of the duplex apartment, Yan Xie sat on a rattan chair on the terrace, and put a can of coke that had just been taken out of the refrigerator in front of Ma Xiang. Then he took out a cigarette, lit it himself, and took a deep puff.
Ma Xiang took out the gun from his lower back, held the muzzle, and handed it to him: "There are five bullets in total, registered in my name. You can check it to make sure. If there was even one missing bullet, I would take off my police uniform and leave."
"It's okay," Yan Xie took the gun and opened it, counted five bullets in front of Ma Xiang, and said with a smile, "If you lose your job, your brother Yan will support you and your 2D harem for the rest of your life."
Ma Xiang was so moved that his nose suddenly became sour: "Brother Yan…"
"Go, go, don't be like that. The license plate number of the bastard who followed me last night was found out?"
Ma Xiang said in his heart that you are officially out of the closet and you still despise others. Is there any point? While muttering in dissatisfaction, he opened the document bag and said, "It's all here. Silver Hyundai Elantra Sedan with license plate number C66RT3, which is a fake license plate as expected. I retrieved the traffic surveillance video on Workers' Avenue and sharpened it, but the driver following you was camouflaged to a certain degree, so we couldn't get valuable facial images, and the video alone can't give any more detailed clues."
This was not unexpected for Yan Xie. He flipped through the printed surveillance images in the document bag and asked, "What about his escape route?"
"The monitoring time shows that just two minutes after the traffic police and patrol police were dispatched, this Elantra suddenly changed lanes and drove into the new high-tech industrial park east of Workers' Avenue. The roads inside the park are complicated and the monitoring is not complete. I suspect that he was very familiar with the terrain, that's why we haven't been able to track down this bastard's escape route."
Yan Xie's movement stopped, and he stared at an image.
It was a surveillance image that had been sharpened and enlarged several times. The angle was very clever, and a small half of the driver's face was photographed. Because of the windshield, the face wearing sunglasses and mask could not be seen clearly, but after staring at the blurred face outline for more than half a minute, an indescribable subtlety suddenly rose in Yan Xie's heart.
Have I seen this person before? He couldn't help but have such an idea.
An important professional quality of criminal police was to observe human faces. For a front-line Criminal police officer like Yan Xie who often dealt with all kinds of suspects, face blindness was something that didn't exist at all. There were thousands of human faces stored in his mind, and many of the most wanted criminals could be recognized at a glance even from a long distance.
He stared at the driver in the image for a long time, but he couldn't be sure whether he was being overly suspicious, or if he was really inexplicably familiar.
"This person has some anti-reconnaissance skills," Yan Xie said with a frown.
"Indeed." Ma Xiang said while drinking coke, "But his tracking skills are not very good, and he was discovered by you very quickly."
Yan Xie shook his head, thinking that it might not necessarily be the case.
He was able to spot this man last night purely because he changed lanes and bought a cake. If it wasn't for this coincidence, it would have been hard for him to notice the stalker. After all, Sedan cars of this color were too common and inconspicuous.
In other words, he wasn't even sure how long he had been followed.
"I said, Brother Yan, although we police officers must have made a lot of enemies, things like the family of criminals taking revenge are rarely heard of. This bastard dared to follow the Vice-Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division in broad daylight. His courage was obviously not small. Why don't you report this matter to Deputy Chief Wei and the others so we can be prepared, at least your heart would be at ease, eh?"
Yan Xie was silent for a moment, then he put away the pistol and the document bag, shook his head, and said, "Don't tell anyone about it."
"Why?"
Ma Xiang was unconvinced and was a little bit instinctively uneasy in his heart. Yan Xie looked at him for a while, pressed the cigarette butt casually, and frowned: "Because your brother Yan knows what to do! I have the final say on when I should tell Lao Wei, do you understand? Besides, he'll cancel my suspension!"
"Oh——" Ma Xiang seemed to understand something, and whispered teasingly: "But you're still not having fun at home during the daytime…"
Yan Xie stood up and knocked a chestnut on his little brother's head.
"Also, don't tell Consultant Lu about this matter, lest he worries. Consultant Lu is already very tired at night, so let him rest during the day. Don't disturb him if there is nothing important, okay?"
A row of barrages instantly appeared above Ma Xiang's head, all of them were: yooooooooo~!
Yan Xie laughed and scolded: "If you understand, go back to work soon!"
Ma Xiang couldn't look directly at the spring-like atmosphere of the room, especially when he saw Yan Xie turn his back toward him, pretending not to reveal two inconspicuous scratches on his back muscles. His first reaction was to look up at the sky with noodle-like tears in his eyes, feeling that his 24K titanium alloy single dog's eyes were going to be blinded.
Brother Yan, are you still the same brother Yan who swore that he would never be interested in men? Your straight-man persona was just a f*cking scam, right?
"Hey, in fact, I don't really care if Chief Lu cancels my suspension. It's all because of how clingy your Consultant Lu is." Yan Xie sighed seriously while sending Ma Xiang out of the house: "You don't know, every time I want to go to work, your Consultant Lu is very unwilling, tearful, and insists on kissing one more time. When we work as policemen, we owe debts to our wives. Fortunately, I am now suspended from duties to accompany him at home. Your Consultant Lu was too enthusiastic these two nights, so he was tired, but you really can't blame me…"
"..." Ma Xiang finally made up his mind and looked around to make sure there was no one before he lowered his voice and solemnly said, "Brother Yan."
"?"
"Does it feel good?"
Ma Xiang, an omnivorous party who loved both big sisters and lolitas, a pure-hearted young man who indulges in 2D, with more than half of his monthly salary paying tribute to major game developers' house, finally couldn't help but ask the question he was most curious and concerned about.
Yan Xie stared at him with an indescribable look for a long time and finally asked, "Are you… still a virgin?"
Ma Xiang's eyes were erratic, and he nodded invisibly after a long time.
"…It feels very good." Yan Xie patted him on the shoulder like a mentor, and said earnestly, "Young people can try it occasionally."
Ma Xiang blushed, feeling embarrassed for a long time before humming like a mosquito: "Try it?"
Yan Xie nodded.
"But… but I haven't had much contact with Consultant Lu. Wouldn't it be strange if there was no emotional foundation?"
Yan Xie's face changed at the speed of light and he roared: "Go away!!"
Ma Xiang burst into laughter and ran away in a hurry.
...…
"Ma Xiang came just now?"
Yan Xie returned back to the bedroom. Jiang Ting had woken up at some point and was standing in the bathroom connected to the master bedroom, brushing his teeth with one hand resting on the side of the washbasin. His voice filled with toothpaste foam was still very hoarse.
As soon as Yan Xie heard the voice, he was instinctively a little excited. He forcibly reached over, trying to push him, until he was hit on his ribs by Jiang Ting's elbow. He covered his stomach with an "Ow", feeling so painful that he couldn't speak, only squeezing out a sentence between his teeth after a long time: "Captain Jiang, you are a black widow…"
Jiang Ting looked down at him condescendingly: "Why didn't I know you were so delicate, Vice-Captain Yan?"
Yan Xie, who was once again recognized for his Film Emperor-level acting skills, was finally satisfied. He straightened up and said humbly, "You're flattering me."
"What was Ma Xiang doing here?"
"Oh, it's nothing. There were a few old case files I wanted to study at home during this time, so I asked him to bring them to me."
Jiang Ting lowered his head and rinsed his mouth. He pulled the towel and wiped his lips before saying, "Does it have anything to do with your delay on the road last night?"
As a criminal investigation expert, Jiang Ting was indeed very powerful. Almost immediately, Yan Xie noticed that his words were "delayed on the road last night" instead of "delayed in the city bureau last night". The subtle difference between these words was self-evident.
"Isn't it because I didn't find the materials last night, so I asked him to send it this morning?" Yan Xie smiled nonchalantly, "Why? We haven't even officially obtained the certificate yet, and you're already starting to check your husband's work?"
Jiang Ting glanced at him inexplicably, turned out of the bathroom, and went straight to drink his bottle of high-calcium milk that the doctor had instructed him to drink every morning.
Yan Xie was still wearing baggy pajama pants. With his hands in his pockets, and one shoulder leaning against the refrigerator door: "Tell me, we've already slept together twice, yet you're still not in a hurry to think about how to marry into the family. There's really no sense of urgency at all."
Jiang Ting raised his head and drank the milk. There was faint milk foam around his bright red lips, and he looked up and down at Yan Xie from the corner of his eyes, seemingly feeling a little amused.
"Fortunately, you have met a responsible man like me. Even if you're embarrassed to mention it, I still won't do the things like running away. Then, when are we going to get the certificate? The Civil Affairs Bureau doesn't care. Let's make a certificate at home and frame it."
Jiang Ting finally finished drinking the bottle of milk under Yan Xie's unblinking gaze, wiped his mouth, and asked with a smile, "You want to get married so much?"
"Hey, what are you saying, am I not thinking all this for your sake? Tell me, you don't even have a title right now. In case I change my mind and run away in the future, you won't even get anything for my family property. How pitiful."
Jiang Ting ignored him with a smile and went straight toward the bedroom. Yan Xie followed behind him and said, "After receiving the certificate, you will have assurance. Cheating and having children are considered a crime of bigamy, and the income after marriage is also considered as joint property of the husband and wife. In case one day your husband is unfortunate and dies a glorious death, you can still get a pension to save for later…"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Ting suddenly stopped and turned around. Yan Xie almost bumped into him, only to see that his eyes had sunk: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"..."
The two looked at each other for a long time. Yan Xie blinked and finally raised his hand as if begging for mercy: "Okay, okay, okay. I was wrong, I was wrong…"
Jiang Ting got into the bedroom with a calm face, and before Yan Xie could follow up, he slammed the door hard in front of him, almost hitting his straight nose.
Yan Xie suspected that Jiang Ting was just taking advantage of the topic, so he didn't give up. Since the time he got the cold shoulder that day, every day he would mention the words "Let's get the certificate" once or twice every day, and every time he proposed the betrothal gift, it would rise higher than before. From "buying a pigeon egg diamond ring for your wedding" to "writing half of the pre-marital property in your name", from "of the three surrogate children in the future, one can have your surname" to "okay, okay, the first child will have your surname." In the end, he even brought up the humiliating term "as long as I cook every day after marriage" — As a straight male cancer who had never been in the kitchen since he was born, Yan Xie deeply felt that he had given up the last of his dignity.
But despite this, his status as a good gun friend had not changed.
"What's so bad about getting married—" Yan Xie leaned listlessly behind the shopping cart and complained in a lengthened tone.
Wearing an anti-smog mask, Jiang Ting stood in front of the supermarket refrigerator to look for a while, then he picked up a can of yogurt and put it in the shopping cart, laughing: "I like my single life."
Division Vice-Captain Yan had made his suspension into a marriage leave, and three weeks passed by in a flash. Except for the routine study of the old case files every night, the rest of the vacation was spent on sleeping, sleeping, and sleeping. He was not even interested in entertainment such as going out of the house to play ball, racing, playing games, etc.
Captain Jiang deeply felt that the vulgar taste of sleeping could not develop into a long-term hobby. First of all, young people should devote their remaining energy to the construction of socialist culture and ethics, and secondly, his weak physical condition could not accept it. Captain Jiang was a very strategic person. After making up his mind, he asked to eat at home every day and asked the two of them to cook together in the kitchen. Finally, after taking it slow and steady, he gradually developed Vice-Captain Yan's interest in cooking.
"Don't take this box of eggs, take the one from inside, it's fresh." Yan Xie pushed the shopping cart and commanded: "Yes, that box inside."
Jiang Ting asked, "Do you still want to eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes tonight?"
Yan Xie nodded with satisfaction, and after five seconds, he started nagging again: "What's so good about the single life—"
Jiang Ting walked across the supermarket shelves, went to the fresh fruit and vegetable section to buy tomatoes, and asked with a smile, "What does me being single have to do with you?"
"Of course, it has something to do with me. You are dragging me, an older man, to be single with you. How can you be so ignorant of others?"
"Are you old?"
"Hmm," Yan Xie nodded solemnly.
Jiang Ting teased: "You didn't say that last night."
Yan Xie immediately retorted: "Last night, you weren't as cold in bed as you are now!"
Jiang Ting was firmly blocked by his solid comeback. His ears turned slightly hot, but his face was calm as usual.
"Let's go out to Lao Feng Xiang[1] next door to buy three golds. I'll buy you three pairs of dragon and phoenix bracelets each waiting 100gm. Will it be enough as a deposit? Necklaces, earrings, rings, and pendants can also be added. Tell me, is it sincere enough…"
"Steamed fish tonight?" Jiang Ting asked.
Yan Xie immediately said, "Yes, yes, yes."
Jiang Ting picked up the perch, and Yan Xie was almost splashed with water by the fish's tail, so he hurriedly avoided it, pushed the cart, and continued to follow behind, educating him painstakingly, "Don't be so stubborn. In fact, I'm thinking about you. We've already slept together so many times…"
"Isn't that what you mean by pure sex?" Jiang Ting said without turning his head back, and he didn't pay attention to lowering the volume.
There was silence behind him. After a while, Jiang Ting felt that something was wrong and turned his head.
The aunt who was selling shrimp at the next stall was staring at them dumbfounded. Her eyes slowly fell on Jiang Ting's flat chest, her face full of words like the Public morals are declining day by day and people are not like how they used to be, and young people these days really know how to play, etc..
Yan Xie: "..."
Jiang Ting: "..."
Jiang Ting reacted, pulled Yan Xie, and hurried away with a red face.
"Hahahahahahahahaha—"
Jiang Ting pressed his forehead with one hand: "What's so funny?"
"Hahahahaha—"
In the parking lot outside the supermarket, Yan Xie was carrying large and small shopping bags, laughing so much that he almost couldn't even open the trunk of the car: "It's over. You ruined my reputation and integrity, so I can only marry you now. Marrying you is fine too. A day as a couple means sharing a hundred years of affection. After crossing the road, turn right and after 100 meters the door of the jewelry store hasn't closed yet, let's hurry over to find…"
Jiang Ting endured and endured, and finally decided to open his mouth to train people, but he burst into laughter as soon as he opened his mouth.
His facial muscles were always naturally relaxed, and his expression was usually cold and distant. When he laughed, the corners of his eyes were bent, and he quickly turned his head away, his side profile handsome and attractive. Yan Xie saw that no one was paying attention to this side, so he suddenly grabbed Jiang Ting's shoulders, quickly leaned down, forcibly took off half of the mask, and used his body as cover to place a kiss on the corner of his lips. Then he quickly retracted and opened the car trunk with a smile.
Jiang Ting hurriedly covered his face and put on the mask. Fearing that he would be openly attacked again, he turned to the other side of the car in a few steps. At this time, Yan Xie had already put all the shopping bags in the car trunk and stood up to look at him with a smile. The late summer sunset passed through the parking lot, reflecting the glimmer of light in the depths of their pupils.
"I said you are…" Jiang Ting was about to laugh at something when Yan Xie's cell phone rang.
"Oh, your husband has won the lottery." As soon as Yan Xie saw the incoming call number, he recognized it. He took two steps away, pressed the answer button, and first coughed to clear his throat, "Chief Lu?"
In the Material Evidence Office of the Jianning Municipal Bureau, Huang Xing, Director of Technical Investigation, sat in front of the instrument, frowning slightly apprehensively. Chief Lu stood behind him, holding a transparent evidence bag in his hand, his voice somber, and one could not even hear the slightest emotion in it: "Where are you now, Yan Xie?"
"Near home. What's wrong Chief Lu?"
"Come to the bureau at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning."
On the other side of the phone, Yan Xie was stunned. The first thought in his mind was, Could it be that the incident of being followed that night three weeks ago was discovered?
However, Chief Lu's low deep voice rang out:
"We have found some new important clues from the 619 serial kidnapping case. After identification, we found that it may be related to you."
Yan Xie's pupils suddenly tightened!
"Come directly to my office tomorrow morning." Chief Lu said this and hung up the phone without saying anything more.
The office fell into silence again. Director Huang seemed to have some doubts, and after deliberating on it again and again, he couldn't help but say, "Chief Lu, you see this matter…"
But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a silent gesture from Chief Lu, who said lightly, "Don't tell anyone about this clue for the time being."
"...Yes!"
Chief Lu turned around, put his hands behind his back, and without saying anything left the Material Evidence Office. Huang Xing let out a sigh of relief and watched as he went farther and farther away with the evidence bag containing a bullet casing, and disappeared into the elevator.