Chapter Eighty-Three: Warm Comfort and Consolation

  Tian Miao Miao's mood has improved a lot after seeing her. The old classmates from the special class can also rest assured and leave. When they were about to leave, Ye asked if someone would be keeping watch at night. Gong Qian unexpectedly said, "You all go back, I'll stay with her." Several people's eyes immediately didn't look right. Wang Min was like an old mother hen blocking Tian Miao Miao's bed: "I'm telling you, class leader, she's already disfigured. Can you still bear to ruin her?" Tian Miao Miao got angry and threw a pillow at her. Gong Qian also rushed over to grab her.

  See you all off. Gong Qian said: "Let's go back. I'll be going back alone tonight, it's so lonely. It's a bit better to talk to Miao Miao." Gao Xiang scratched his head and said: "Then we'll leave first. Tomorrow morning I'll come to deliver food. I'm going back to the big team to stew a big bone soup."

  As soon as they heard about eating, Ye Dui, Wang Min, Su Su and Han Juan couldn't be driven away even if they wanted to. They had long heard Gong Qian and Tian Miao Miao bragging about Gao Xiang's culinary skills. Today was the perfect opportunity. How could they let it go? Sugar vinegar ribs, Kung Pao chicken... a bunch of dish names directly bombarded Gao Xiang, whose eyes were shining with golden stars. "Muddy coal, you guys are either here to see Miao Miao or to get free food. In school, weren't you all shouting about wanting to lose weight? Is it really suitable for you to eat like this now?"

  "Shut up, you sister! If you dare mention those two words again, we'll make you regret coming into this world!" A group of foodies dragged and pulled Gao Xiang onto the car. Wang Min drove Gao Xiang's old Jetta. The crowd rushed off in a big team without mentioning it.

  Tian Miao was lying in bed, feeling a bit bored. The doctor didn't allow her to move around. It had been two days since she was transferred to the hospital. As it approached noon, the door to her room swung open and a large group of leaders walked in. The head of the propaganda department from the Municipal Bureau of Education and Training led the team, accompanied by leaders from the Economic Investigation Brigade, Criminal Investigation Brigade, Special Police Brigade, and even Cyber Police. A young police officer from the Propaganda Department was carrying a camera, while a beautiful policewoman held a microphone.

  The leaders looked in a great mood, one by one smiling. Then everyone followed the order of rank and took turns to warmly console Comrade Tian Miao Miao who was injured on duty. Comrade Tian Miao Miao was so moved that she was choked with sobs... After all the leaders had finished consoling her, Gong Qiancai led the comrades from the Propaganda Department to come up: "Miao Miao, these are comrades from the Municipal Bureau's Propaganda Department. They were very moved after hearing about your story. Today they came especially to console and interview you."

  Miao Miao was like a ghost when she saw the camera, and let out a loud cry as she covered her face with a quilt. The two people from the propaganda department looked at each other in confusion. Next to them, Gao Xiang quietly pulled Gong Qian over to the windowsill before saying, "Miao Miao definitely doesn't want them to take pictures of her current appearance. You go talk to her." Gong Qian looked him up and down several times with a hint of a smile, saying, "You really understand her." Seeing Gao Xiang's serious expression and attitude, Gong Qian still walked over and said a few words with a smile. Before long, she led the propaganda department colleagues out the door. The two internal staff members probably knew Gong Qian's identity, so they gave her face and left after putting down the fruit basket and flowers.

  In the evening, Gong Qian's behavior was quite unexpected to Tian Miao Miao. Not only did she personally go to the cafeteria to buy her dinner, but the dishes were also well-matched. After dinner, she even helped her peel fruit to eat; at around 10 o'clock, she brought hot water to serve Tian Miao Miao for washing up and simply wiping down her body. The latter said with a sarcastic tone: "Wow, letting Miss Gong serve me, I'm not worthy of such treatment."

  "Virtue! You still dare to recruit me after all this? Don't sleep at night, be careful I'll smother you with a pillow."

  Two girls quarreled and then laughed. Gong Qian shook the bed and took out an iPad from her bag to hand it over to Tian Miao Miao.

  " Cheap cheap. Really fake. Give me."

  "You think you're so clever. I know you're bored. Lending it to you for fun."

  Xiao Jianjian and Tian Miao Miao privately called each other "Gong Qian" after the emotional murder scene.

  "Wow, there are quite a few photos here...can't help but look."

  "Look then. Afraid you'll look and I won't give it to you."

  Open the photo album. There are so many photos in the camera roll. It seems like Gong Qian's 64G iPad is used to store all these photos. Open the first album and take a look. It turns out to be Gong Qian's growth diary. From learning to walk, to reading and writing, from carrying a small school bag on her back to graduating from university wearing a graduation gown, every photo is there. Especially the one where she's wearing a graduation gown and cap, looking quiet and gentle like a good girl. Tian Miao Miao looked at her with disdain and said: "You know what they say, 'familiar words are not good'. Have you heard of it? It means that when someone pretends to be pure and innocent but actually is not..."

  Angry, Gong Qian made a move to grab it. Tian Miao Miao held the tablet in her arms, laughing like a little fox stealing a chicken. Gong Qian helplessly said: "Don't look at my old photos anymore, flip forward, there are photos of our special class."

  Really. Tian Miao Miao didn't care about Gong Qian's private photos either. Not even the ones of her wearing a swimsuit by the sea were looked at. After flipping through a few, it was indeed the training team's photos. One by one, they were opened and familiar faces appeared. The one with a cheap look in class is Gao Xiang; the one running on the training field with his tongue hanging out is Zhu Weitao; the one pretending to be serious at the birthday party is Wen Qi; the one with shining eyes during dinner is Jia Junpeng; Han Juan holding a pig's trotter in the cafeteria, ready to take a bite; Su Su's hands flying across the keyboard in the multimedia room; Ye Dui wearing pajamas and blowing her hair in the dormitory; Wang Min standing in line, looking like a soldier; Gong Qian standing in front of a police car, wearing a uniform and looking majestic; Zhang Tong standing at attention, straight as a spear; finally, there's a photo of herself wearing headphones, holding a gun and aiming.

  Stroking each face, smiling and combing through this precious memory. Gong Qian sat on the bed and let Tian Miao lean against her. The two of them pointed at each photo and whispered to each other. Suddenly, a feeling of unreality surged into Tian Miao's heart. When she was at home, she didn't want to be a police officer. For some unknown reason, she made a meritorious achievement and entered the training team, but when it came time for assignment, she was too afraid to join the big team. In a daze, half a year had passed, yet it felt like many years had gone by.

  At the dead of night, Gong Qian curled up on a small bed beside her and fell asleep. Tian Miao Miao silently sat up, picked up the hat placed on the bedside table, rubbed the national emblem on it until it shone brightly, then gently put it down. She recalled the events of two days ago. Perhaps, or maybe, being a police officer was just like any other job in society. There's nothing to be really afraid of. Can't you even encounter thugs when collecting stall fees? The two young rascals who used to look so fierce in her eyes now seemed no match for herself; the criminal suspects described as dangerous and vicious on the records were also not much different from ordinary people. Getting beaten hurts, getting shot makes one cry.

  That day, one of Luo Mingwei's subordinates was shot in the leg by a stray bullet. According to Qian Dui, the bullet hit him at the root of his thigh. At that moment, he fainted from fear. With this burden, they were able to buy precious time for the reinforcements. The world is ultimately made up of ordinary people. Police and criminals alike are just common folk. He sat silently thinking for half a day, until he felt a chill run down his spine, then lay back down and slowly fell asleep.

  The next day, after the doctor's rounds, another guest arrived in the ward, or more accurately, a fellow patient. Zheng Shiyuan's old wound on his face had not yet healed, and he was carrying a thermos bucket with his hand as he gently pushed open the door.

  Tian Miao put down the tablet and looked up to see Zheng Shiyan walking in, seemingly a bit nervous. As she sized him up, he was also sizing her up; earlier when she had walked in, Tian Miao's eyes which had been somewhat dull seemed to reveal a hint of joy. A surge of indescribable emotions rose from the bottom of her heart. Zheng Shiyan stood there in front of the bed like that.

  "What are you standing there for? Sit down. Are you feeling better? I heard from the doctor that it's just a superficial wound, so you're quite lucky." Tian Miao Miao broke the silence first, then asked: "What did you bring? Our teammates went to the cafeteria to buy food. I haven't had breakfast yet. Uncle, you've brought good stuff, hurry up and take it out."

  "Hey, big brother. I'm not much older than you." Zheng Shiyan's face turned black again by Tian Miao Miao's successful sentence. He sighed and smiled bitterly. This girl's cunning nature he had a deep understanding of.

  "Where did you put the bowl? I'm telling you, this is good stuff. It's got Cordyceps and the rarest thing is that it has half a wild ginseng root. Although it's only 30 years old, but it's been well-preserved..."

  Looking at Tian Miao's strange eyes, Zheng Shiyan poured out a bowl of soup and handed it to her: "What's the point of being so moved? It's not like I did it..."

  "I was hit on the head by a scoundrel, but I'm not stupid yet. You're in the same situation as me, lying in the hospital. Even with your feet, you should know it wasn't you who did it. It must have been your wife who did it. Help me thank your wife..."

  Tian Miao Miao smiled as she took over the soup, eating it elegantly with small spoonfuls. This soup was truly a labor of love, having been stewed for at least 7 hours or more. The medicinal flavors had all been infused into the broth, imperceptible to the naked eye. It's clear that this wealthy family doesn't lack money. A single jar of this soup, made with Cordyceps sinensis, wild ginseng, and other precious herbs, costs nearly ten thousand yuan. And the taste is simply unparalleled. This uncle looks quite foolish, but his wife is indeed very virtuous.

  Zheng Shiyuan thought for a moment and then reacted, saying: "This soup was sent by our captain. We both have a share. Let's have another bowl..."

  Shaking her head. Tian Miao gently put down the bowl. Zheng Shiyan saw that there was fruit on her bedside table, and took an apple, peeling it.

  "Zheng Ge, I...I've held you back."

  Zheng Shiyan smiled and comforted her with a couple of words. After a while, he asked softly: "Are you still afraid?"

  Tian Miao Miao shook her head. Zheng Shiyan sighed and said: "You've done very well already. This is what it's like to be on the front lines - anything can happen. That day, if I had gone forward, they would have found an opportunity to counterattack too. If I had been knocked down, you would have been left alone to face the gangsters... The consequences would have been unthinkable... So, you were very brave. In that situation, you still managed to injure one of them and make the most correct decision. Do you still think you're holding me back?"

  I didn't expect Zheng Shiyuan to evaluate her like that, Tian Miao felt a little embarrassed instead. Zheng Shiyuan didn't say anything, just smiled and looked at her with eyes full of relief and approval. Feeling his gaze, Tian Miao quietly lowered her head, her heart beating a bit faster; she raised her hand as if possessed, wanting to gently stroke Zheng Shiyuan's clear eye sockets. Zheng Shiyuan lightly grasped her hand, holding it in his large palm, and patted the back of her hand lightly. He said: "I'm going to be discharged from the hospital soon, there are still things waiting for me at the team. From now on, you're a qualified field agent. Believe in yourself, go for it."