Finally, the special search team wisely stated that they would simply bring the suspect back and thanked Captain Xu for his assistance.
A group of people watched as Captain Xu led the other person into the car, personally fastening his seatbelt, and silently watched the two drive away.
After the vehicle had traveled some distance, the previously quiet area erupted in chaos. Those who arrived later, having missed the scene, were just a step too late and could only listen to others' accounts, sighing and regretting their actions.
As they drove from the suburbs into the city, seeing the lights gradually illuminate the streets, Jiang Yu, a citizen who had been slumped in the passenger seat listening listlessly to Captain Xu's lecture on the dangers of drinking, slightly stood up and said, "Let's interrupt for a bit. I'm not going home today; I'm going to your place."
The lecture wasn't over yet; going home now would mean another mixed-gender lecture.
Xu Tonggui glanced at him and turned the car around.
The lecture finally ended near their apartment building. Although Jiang Yu hadn't been thinking clearly, his ears had still strained. He let out a long sigh at the end, unbuckled his seatbelt, and prepared to jump out of the car as soon as they arrived.
Before he could jump out of the car, his head was pressed down, his messy hair was pushed down, and his height inexplicably decreased by 2cm.
Xu Tonggui leaned over and handed him a jacket from the back seat, telling him to put it on, saying, "It's windy outside."
Citizen Jiang once again acted as Captain Jiang.
He went upstairs familiarly, and the man who usually collapsed onto the sofa the moment he entered the house quickly grabbed his clothes and rushed to claim the bathroom.
There must be a reason behind this unusually proactive behavior.
After the man came out of the bathroom, Xu Tonggui knew what he was thinking.
Jiang had preemptively taken Xu's pajamas.
After moving in together, the victim, Xu, only had this one set of pajamas left. Having listened to the lectures all the way, the suspect, Jiang, was very vengeful and decided to ensure Xu had no pajamas to wear that night.
Truly a powerful act of revenge.
Rolling up his overly long sleeves, Jiang Yujin, dressed in loose pajamas, sprawled comfortably on the sofa, meeting the gaze of the person opposite him. Holding his goose, he laughed, "I'm already wearing it, you can't take it off for me."
His attitude was utterly arrogant, showing no sign of remorse whatsoever.
— Citizen Jiang later reflected that he probably shouldn't have said those words that night.
Because his clothes had indeed been ripped off.
He and his goose were dragged to the bed, the person on top holding him, him holding the goose, his hands tightening, sweating slightly. Like
a salted fish fried until both sides were reddish, he was thrown into the sea. He could still thrash around a bit, but eventually he could only lie flat, drifting with the current.
Jiang Yujin slept soundly until dawn the next day. This time, no one woke him up early, and he slept to his heart's content.
The pillow was soft, the blankets warm. He turned over, habitually reaching for his goose, but found nothing. He opened his eyes.
There was no one else on the bed, no goose, and the goose wasn't on the floor either.
He got up, put on his slippers, and left the room.
Last night, Xu Tonggui took him for another bath. His pajamas were back on, the sleeves thoughtfully rolled up, but the trousers were so long they looked like a walking mop. He tried to lift them a couple of times, but finding it ineffective, he let them mop the floor.
Sounds and aromas came from the kitchen, and Jiang Yujin approached.
Hearing the noise behind him, Xu Tonggui, still holding a spoon, turned around, his gaze falling on the person standing not far away: "Awake?"
Jiang Yujin asked, "Where's my goose?"
He only realized his voice was terribly hoarse after speaking, almost as if he'd been drinking all night.
"It got wet, so I washed it and hung it outside to dry," Xu Tonggui said. "Go wash up first, then have some white fungus and red date soup to soothe your throat."
"Wet?"
Jiang Yujin wanted to say something, but then his memory returned, remembering how tightly he'd held onto the goose last night, so he shut up.
Before washing up, he went to the balcony to check on his goose sunbathing, and also saw the clothes he'd changed out of last night and the four-piece bedding set.
After inspecting the balcony, Jiang Yujin went to the bathroom. He mechanically brushed his teeth, glanced at the mirror, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
His eyes were still red around the corners, as if he'd been... well, you know. Looking at himself, he inexplicably wanted to punch himself.
...He really had been... well, you know.
Citizen Jiang decided to stop looking in the mirror and quickly brushed his teeth.
Sitting at the dining table, drinking the white fungus and red date soup that had dripped onto his hand, he mentioned his eyes to the person sitting next to him.
Xu Tonggui said, "It's not very pretty."
He even smiled, clearly genuinely liking it.
Jiang Yujin: "..."
He knew why this guy had been staring at his eyes all night.
There are definitely more perverts in the world.
Not continuing the topic, Jiang Yujin asked, "Aren't you going to work today?"
Xu Tonggui said, "I took the day off."
The result of taking the day off was that he spent the whole day watching soap operas with Citizen Jiang. Since Da'e wasn't around, he served as a human cushion all day.
—Following
witnessing the thrilling scene last night, the news spread instantly among the gossip groups of various departments of the Special Investigation Bureau. The next morning, everyone arrived at the bureau with a strange sense of anticipation, occasionally pretending to pass by the Special Investigation Team's office.
No wonder they'd found it odd; someone who used to work endless overtime had suddenly started leaving on time every day, and someone had even witnessed him grocery shopping with someone who looked like a high school student.
Now that they thought about it, the boss of the agency, Mr. Jiang, had a son who had just graduated high school.
A bunch of gossipers at the bureau were eagerly awaiting the news, but today was different. Their usually punctual Captain Xu was absent. Someone inquired and learned he'd taken the day off.
Everyone thought for a moment, then a knowing look appeared on their faces.
A day later, when Xu Tonggui returned to work, he received a flurry of stares.
Xu Gao, the bureau's gossip kingpin, passing by, seemed hesitant to speak, his expression indescribable.
Xu Tonggui: "..."
—Before
his throat recovered, Citizen Jiang refused to go home. Only after he was almost fully recovered did he finally set off on his journey home.
When he got back, his eldest son was home, still correcting his homework in the living room.
Some people do their homework here before the college entrance exam and correct it here afterward. Noticing the two of them return, Chen Jing consciously left the long sofa for the person who collapsed as soon as he entered and got up to pour water.
He had previously thought that if this person wasn't too useless, he could take care of him by himself, but now he retracted that thought.
Some people are always good at being useless. When he lay down after entering, he needed someone to sit next to him as a leg rest and TV rest, and he also needed someone to bring him tea and water. If there was only one person, it would be too much to handle.
When handing the water to the person, Chen Jing explained that there was a classmate reunion tomorrow night, and he wouldn't be eating at home.
He wasn't very enthusiastic about reunions, but as the class monitor, he had to go.
Jiang Yujin took a sip of water and continued to stare intently at the TV. Xu Tonggui asked, "Will you be playing for a long time? If it's too late, I'll drive over to pick you up." After
some time, Chen Jing was finally able to clearly realize and accept that these kinds of words, usually spoken by ordinary parents, would come from Xu Tonggui's mouth.
Just like a real parent.
Jiang Yujin, who was watching TV nearby, turned around and casually revealed Chen Jing's secret, saying, "He watches 'The Stepfather's Handbook' every night."
Chen Jing raised an eyebrow.
Xu Tonggui took a sip of water.
Jiang Yujin leaned over, took a sip from Xu Tonggui's water glass, then slumped back down, saying, "I'm meeting a friend who works at the aquarium tomorrow night, we'll eat out too."
Before the other two looked over, he added, "I won't drink, and if I do, I won't drink too much."
The other two seemed unconvinced, but he took their looks as trust.
The trusted citizen Jiang left home near dusk the next afternoon.
He probably really had some kind of magic about him; the two main laundry workers at home washed the clothes perfectly clean, but they started to deform when he wore them. Clothes changed in the morning were already wrinkled and crumpled by the afternoon.
Chen Jing left home after citizen Jiang.
The location for the gathering had been arranged in advance; someone had already sent the location to the restaurant. When he arrived, many people were already there, and they called out "Class Monitor" upon seeing him.
The students in the class all did well on their exams this year. Now that the pressure was gone, they all seemed happy and smiling.
There was a river next to the restaurant, and they could see part of it from their room window.
It got dark quickly in the evening, and after everyone arrived, they chatted for a while before the sky began to darken. By the time the food was served, it was completely dark. The river, which had been clearly visible before, was now pitch black, and the streetlights on both sides couldn't illuminate the center of the river.
Everyone was chatting, and a few boys who often borrowed Chen Jing's homework to copy came over, offering him cola instead of alcohol to express their gratitude.
They even bowed deeply, holding their cups as if worshipping a god of wealth. Everyone in the room laughed, and Chen Jing smiled slightly as well.
Amidst the laughter, the sound of splashing water rang out.
The noise was very faint, and by the time it reached them, it had faded away, but Chen Jing heard it. He put down his water glass, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the distant river.
In the dim light of the streetlights, a figure in wrinkled clothes, who should have been having dinner with friends, flashed past and quickly disappeared across the water.
Chen Jing: "..."
Someone asked him, "Is there anything outside?"
"No," he replied expressionlessly, closing the window without hesitation. "Nothing."
Indeed, some people are never at ease.