Chapter 9. “Hanging out.”

Chen Cheng noticed Jiang Yan’s gaze and smiled at him, his hand still on Lin Xingzi’s wrist. Since Lin Xingzi had stayed overnight, and he was delivering clothes, he surely knew about Jiang Yan and Lin Xingzi’s relationship.

She wore a ring, and her wrist was slender and fair. Upon closer inspection, there was a faint red mark circling her skin. Last night, he had struggled to control himself but ultimately lost it.

“My phone...”

Before Jiang Yan could get closer, Chen Cheng took the phone and, switching hands, offered it to Lin Xingzi. “General Manager Lin, your call.”

He seemed to have done this many times, skillfully and naturally. Lin Xingzi didn’t find anything amiss, only Jiang Yan’s hand lingered in the air for an extra half-second.

Lin Xingzi glanced at the caller ID and immediately anticipated a scolding. Sure enough, as soon as the call connected, Li Qing burst out as if she’d swallowed firecrackers, “Your own father and mother haven’t seen a shadow of you these past two days. Where have you been messing around again? Lin Xingzi, you’re a savage now. I’d rather raise a dog than have given birth to you.”

“Oh, Mom,” Lin Xingzi’s voice stretched out. “What messing around? I’m busy as hell, okay? How do I have time to mess around? You can’t win an argument with Dad, so don’t take it out on me.”

“I’m really not lying. Uncle is watching me for you every day. I’ve been on a business trip this whole week. I finally managed to squeeze in some time to have lunch with your son-in-law. Don’t believe me? Then let him tell you,” Lin Xingzi tossed the phone to Jiang Yan, quietly reminding him, “Don’t tell her I have an afternoon flight.”

Chen Cheng was discussing work with him. She listened, walking ahead and stepping out the door. Jiang Yan grabbed two umbrellas, locked the door, and said gently, “Mom, Jiangjiang is with me...”

It was raining, and the stairwell was still gloomy. Lin Xingzi, wearing high heels, was extra careful.

The area was all residential, so cars couldn’t enter. They had to walk a distance to the intersection to catch a ride.

“General Manager Lin, how about you share an umbrella with me? Mine is larger.”

Before Lin Xingzi could speak, Jiang Yan answered for her, “You’re carrying a suitcase; it’s inconvenient.”

He opened the umbrella and, reaching out, wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. The umbrella covered both their heads, and in the misty rain, Chen Cheng couldn’t see clearly, but in his eyes, they looked extremely intimate.

“Okay, then I’ll go ahead and wait for a car.”

Two-thirds of the umbrella was over Lin Xingzi’s head. Jiang Yan’s left shoulder was wet, but it wasn’t obvious on his dark shirt. “What time is your flight this afternoon?”

“A little after five.”

“There’s a meeting at the bureau. I might not be able to make it to send you off.”

Actually, Lin Xingzi hadn’t expected him to send her off anyway.

Perhaps because of the rain, which affected her mood, garbage from the sewer was washed onto the road, and wafts of foul odor drifted by. Thinking about him living in such a place left a bad taste in her mouth, but she held back the words that were on the tip of her tongue due to pride.

She lifted her arm and linked it with his, pretending to be nonchalant. “It doesn’t matter. You do your work.”

Lin Sang had found a well-rated restaurant online and already reserved a table. Lin Xingzi had messaged her before leaving, saying they’d arrive in about ten minutes, so she ordered the dishes.

While Jiang Yan was in the restroom, Lin Sang teased Lin Xingzi relentlessly about the men’s shirt she was wearing and the “hickey” marks hidden beneath it. Lin Xingzi didn’t bat an eye, claiming they were mosquito bites.

At the round table, Chen Cheng sat to her left, and all the dishes were served from his side. Jiang Yan was very familiar with Lin Sang, so any deliberate pleasantries would have seemed awkward. The steamed fish was the restaurant’s specialty; it tasted fresh and perfectly seasoned. He deboneed a piece of fish, but someone beat him to it, placing the deboned fish into Lin Xingzi’s bowl.

“Officer Jiang, why aren’t you eating?” Chen Cheng politely asked him. “Would you like some tea? I can pour it for you.”

“Thank you, no,” Jiang Yan’s expression was normal. “This fish is a bit fishy. It’s fresh, so it must not have been prepared well.”

After he said that, Lin Xingzi didn’t touch the piece of fish Chen Cheng had given her.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded; there were only a few tables in total. Lin Xingzi picked up her phone to scan the QR code, but the waiter told her the bill had already been paid.

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t do it,” Lin Sang shrugged. “Your husband paid.”

Jiang Yan finished his call and walked over from the window, his gaze at Lin Xingzi soft with a hint of apology. “Jiangjiang, I...”

“Go ahead,” Lin Xingzi guessed what he was going to say. “I’ll go back to the hotel with my sister.”

It was raining, there wasn’t anywhere to go, and she wasn’t there for tourism.

Jiang Yan was already facing disciplinary action, and this operation hadn’t been reported to his superiors in advance. Last night’s raid was on the largest entertainment club in the area, which had multiple owners and complex connections. Drug involvement was no small matter; Jiang Yan had stirred up a hornet’s nest.

The pressure from above was immense, and Captain Zhou was suffering from a severe headache. He furiously reprimanded a few people, slamming the table loudly.

Coming out of the office, everyone looked dejected. “Captain Jiang, how could you take all the responsibility? We all raided the place together, we all caught the people together. The responsibility should be shared. You can’t just suspend all of us.”

“Enough. This matter ends here.”

“Damn it... ugh! Never mind. Hey, Captain Jiang, they all say your wife is super beautiful, like a celebrity. I didn’t see her last night. Let’s have dinner together tonight, I promise I’ll only say good things about you.”

“She’s returning to Haishi this afternoon. Maybe another time,” Jiang Yan checked the time. It was already almost 3:30 PM.

It would take about an hour and a half to get to the airport from here. A taxi might be faster, but the weather wasn’t good today, so it was hard to say.