Chapter 65: Prelude to the Big Case

  Another half month has passed in the blink of an eye. The weather is getting colder day by day. Gao Xiang followed Luo Lin on a mission and left again for more than half a month. When Tian Miao saw him again, he looked like a vagrant, with a messy beard and disheveled hair. Even his leather shoes were worn out and had their tongues hanging out. He didn't look anything like a people's policeman anymore.

  Here is the translation:

  As soon as they met, Tian Miao Miao shouted "Brrr". Tian Miao Miao's heart ached and pulled him back to the armory. Sitting in the sweltering armory, Gao Xiang was still shivering with cold. Tian Miao Miao poured him a cup of hot water and told him to hold it to warm his hands first. When they left, it was still autumn. They were wearing relatively thin clothes. In the past half month, the temperature had been dropping continuously in the Da Yuan area. Ten days ago, Tian Miao Miao had already changed into winter clothes. Letting Gao Xiang sit down, she took out a thermometer and measured his body temperature first. 37.6 degrees. He had a slight fever. She also found some cold medicine from the medical box and made him take it. For more chapters, please visit... After thinking for a moment, Tian Miao Miao didn't mind that he was dirty. She took out her own down jacket and covered him with it. In a soft voice, she said: "You rest here for a while. Haven't eaten yet, right? I'll go get you something to eat. No more smoking allowed. Put your cigarettes on my desk."

  Gao Xiang stared blankly at her, making Tian Miao's face flush with heat. She glared at him and turned to leave. Gao Xiang snuggled into Tian Miao's large wicker chair, smelling the scent of Tian Miao's body on the cotton clothes. He let out a sly laugh. Remembering what Tian Miao had said earlier, he pulled out a box of crunchy red plums from his pocket and placed it on the table.

  Tian Miao Miao returned after more than half an hour, carrying a thermos. Gao Xiang had already fallen asleep, curled up in the rattan chair and snoring. Tian Miao Miao frowned as she picked up the thermos and poured out half a basin of water. She used her own towel to wipe Gao Xiang's face, which was dirty. Really dirty. Gao Xiang's face looked like that of a coal miner after a shift. In no time at all, the basin of water turned dark gray. Tian Miao Miao's yellowish-brown towel also became an unpleasant color. There were wounds on Gao Xiang's face, which seemed to be from a fall and had already scabbed over. She skillfully cleaned them with hydrogen peroxide and applied iodine. She threw away the cotton balls and poured out the dirty water. Then she refilled the basin with clean water and continued to wipe Gao Xiang's hands with her towel. His hands were also disgustingly dirty, with thick mud under his fingernails that made Tian Miao Miao want to chop them off. She couldn't bear it anymore and took out nail clippers to trim them for him. Finally, after cleaning Gao Xiang's face and hands, Tian Miao Miao threw the towel and nail clippers into the trash can and washed her hands repeatedly, feeling disgusted.

  It's all done. Looking at Gao Xiang who was still fast asleep, Tian Miao Miao couldn't help but want to kick him awake. "You really owe me from the previous life..." She saw the cigarettes that Gao Xiang had left on the table. The cigarette box was already empty. She picked it up and casually threw it into the trash can. Tian Miao Miao opened a drawer and rummaged through it, finding two packs of cigarettes. One pack of soft Zhonghua (confiscated from the team leader). One pack of Huanghe Lou (confiscated from Li Quan). She gently placed them on the table, sat down in a corner, and spaced out.

  Gao Xiang woke up at 6 pm. He jumped up and shouted, "Don't move!" which scared Tian Miao Miao so much that she almost hit her head. Seeing him like this, it was really hard to say anything. They never told Tian Miao Miao about the things they did on their missions. Tian Miao Miao could imagine the kind of pressure the detectives who went undercover must have been under. They were called criminals, after all. Did they not have the guts to commit crimes but had the guts to fight with the police? Gao Xiang didn't know what he had gone through this time either.

  Sorry, I'm smiling at Tian Niu Niu. First time update, sneaking a peek at the thermos. Tian Niu Niu originally didn't have a good expression, but was amused by him. A box of stir-fried silk squash and meat, a plate of boiled peanuts, half a bucket of preserved egg lean pork porridge... High翔 devoured everything in no time. Caught sight of cigarettes on the table, eyes lit up with nicotine craving. Just as he thought of reaching out for one, heard a loud "bang" from slapping the table. Didn't dare mention cigarettes again. Chatted nonsense with Tian Niu Niu for two more sentences. Looked at watch and said: "It's already time to get off work, let's go! I'll send you back home. Come along and take a bath."

  Four school guards gathered together again. Gao Xiang, in order to please Tian Miao Miao, somehow managed to get a copper pot and made a Sichuan hot pot using ingredients from the cafeteria, so they had to call out to Old Zeng. As they were eating hot pot, the four school guards were chatting and laughing, while Old Zeng was smiling and drinking wine, just like one big happy family. Tian Miao Miao and Gong Qian both didn't like spicy food, so Gao Xiang personally poured them half a bowl of fragrant oil, added a layer of finely chopped scallions, cilantro, and pickled mustard greens, and then they each took a spoonful. The two girls then added two tablespoons of aged vinegar to their bowls. The hot pot was opened, and chicken wings and duck necks were put in first. Thinly sliced fresh waist meat was picked up with chopsticks and swirled around in the pot, then taken out and it was tender and fragrant. Gao Xiang, Cheng Gang, and Old Zeng were eating beef and drinking wine, while Tian Miao Miao and Gong Qian were cooking mushrooms, quail eggs, tofu, and shrimp dumplings in the middle of the fresh soup. They were all enjoying their meal. Suddenly, Li Quan kicked open the door with a loud "bang". When he saw Old Zeng's angry face, he slowly closed the door and sat down next to Tian Miao Miao. Tian Miao Miao covered her face and resignedly handed him a bowl and chopsticks. Before long, the four boys were all shouting and cheering... Later, when an old man's dark shadow was peeking through the window, there was one more person eating hot pot. Zhou Bin, Old Zeng, and Li Quan were on one side, drinking wine and ordering Gao Xiang around: "Don't get any vegetarian dishes! If you dare to bring over green vegetables or radishes, I'll beat you up! Get two big plates of beef slices and fresh waist meat. And that cow stomach and goose intestine too. Oh, and get me some fish slices as well."

  Tian Miao pushed open the dormitory door. She saw Gong Qian leaning on the bed holding an iPad and said with a sarcastic tone: "Ye Dui has come to find Gao Xiang again, huh." Without paying attention to Gong Qian's reaction, she made her bed, changed her shoes, and prepared to sleep.

  Gong Qian couldn't help but jump down from the bed and first lay on the windowsill to take a look, but didn't see anyone. She went back into the room and asked Tian Miao: "Did you see clearly? Where is the person? She came alone again."

  Tian Miao Miao was holding a thermos, irritably stimulating her: "You call Ye Dui on the phone. Or ask Gao Xiang. Ask me what's going on." Looking at Tian Miao Miao who had crawled into the quilt, Gong Qian's dark heart was about to burst out again. She really wanted to grab a pillow and slap it in Tian Miao Miao's face...

  A large group is gathered at the side door. Gao Xiang and Ye Dui are also doing similar things; when he sees Ye Dui, Gao Xiang almost thinks that this female hooligan owes him 17,000 yuan. This woman had promised to treat him to a meal last time but ran away with half a month's salary...

  There's a saying that goes, "You remember the good times but not the bad." Gao Xiang didn't look like he was in the mood to be teased. He stomped his feet in anger, wanting to pounce on her, but was afraid of being seen by others. Gao Xiang's awkward expression, a mix of embarrassment and frustration, made Ye burst out laughing: "Haha, who told you to be so arrogant? Now you know that no one will pay for your mistakes! I was thinking of making you eat plain congee for half a month. But I took pity on you, so today I came to invite you to have a good meal. Consider it compensation for last time. Let's go!"

  The brilliant lights. The city reflected like a sea of stars. In a certain high-end Western restaurant, the candles on the table flickered dimly, exuding an ambiguous flavor. Gao Xiang and Ye Dui sat opposite each other. This meal was extremely enjoyable.

  Two people were quietly inquiring about each other's organs. Eating and holding red wine. Occasionally, there would be a cheers. Those who didn't know the truth thought they were talking about love. A bottle of red wine had unknowingly been drunk halfway. Ye was really savoring the red wine. Gao Xiang poured Sprite into his cup... The delicious food on the plate was also eaten seven or eight parts. As the sky grew dark, Ye elegantly wiped his mouth and smiled at Gao Xiang, saying: "Are you full, Gao Xiang? Actually, I came to find you today for another matter."

  Gao Xiang smiled and said: "If you didn't have something to ask me, then the sun must be rising in the west today."

  Ye Qiu tightly grasped the dinner napkin. With a scolding tone, he said: "You're such a gloomy person! I invited you to dinner with sincerity. What I want to talk about isn't private matters, but official business."

  "I know, I know. It's official business, after all. You're the mother. Of course, we need to find a father to take care of things..." Ye gripped the knife tightly. Gao Xiang stood up straight and said, "Hey, which one of us is the female rogue? We can both fit in one bed. Let's roll out a sheet. You just speak up. If it's something I can do, I'll definitely go all out. If it's something I can't do..." He paused here. Picking up the Snowflake red wine, he took a sip and said firmly, "I definitely won't do it."

  The leaf grasped the fork with one hand. Fortunately, at this time, the waiter came over and asked if the two had finished eating. Gao Xiang hurriedly said that they had finished eating. The wine and wine glasses were left behind. The knife and fork were quickly taken away. Bring me another bottle of frozen Sprite.

  Ye Dui's anger was about to overflow again. Gao Xiang feared she would unleash another big move. This meal wasn't cheap either. It should be known that although Ye Dui had been assigned to CCIC, she was still in the midst of internship training at the Economic Investigation Brigade. Now she spoke seriously about official business, which must have been a case related to economic investigation. Gao Xiang hastily became serious and asked her: "Is there a case?"

  Look at him finally being serious. Ye asked curiously, "How did you know there's a case? Your whole team has received the news? No way. This information is still blocked, right?"

  Gao Xiang's eyes flickered with effort, his expression unclear. Ye reacted quickly, but fortunately, the whole team would soon know about this case as well. Luckily, the mistake wasn't too big. Hurriedly pressing on the table, he said: "When I'm speaking, don't interrupt. Do you understand? This is how it is. How much do you know about counterfeit bills?"

  "Counterfeit money. Don't really understand. Usually when buying something, sometimes can feel it's fake. Most of the time it doesn't feel right. Directly ask the vendor to exchange for change."

  Gao Xiang saw the disappointment on Ye's face that couldn't be hidden. Having been out for so long, he knew this was a case of being forced into a corner. His quick-witted brain flashed with an idea: "You say counterfeit bills? I'm not capable. But that doesn't mean others aren't either. Aren't you quite close to Miao Miao? Why don't you go find her? She's an expert in this field. Any counterfeit bill would be child's play for her, and she could easily get rid of it."

  "Really..." Ye stood up excitedly, grabbing Gao Xiang's hand across the table. But as she stood up, her chest inadvertently exposed a stunning view that left Gao Xiang stunned. Excitedly, Ye shook his arm twice but he didn't react. Following his gaze downwards, she let out a sharp cry and picked up the hot tea on the table to splash it on his face.

  Gao Xiang suddenly came to his senses. He pressed the armrests of the chair with both hands. A red empty cup directly flipped over and hid behind the back of the chair. Ye forced herself to put down the teacup. The whispers around her made her realize what was happening. It was very embarrassing.

  After the two sat down, Ye Dui, whose face had turned red with anger, told Gao Xiang everything she knew. Ye Dui seemed to have put her mind at ease. In the end, they parted on good terms.