APR 48

Yu Zizhuo simply focused on pulling a brightly colored lollipop from the shopping bag he was carrying, offering the girl a warm smile as he said:

“Look what I have here? A really delicious lollipop! Little one, if you can hold back your tears, I’ll give this lollipop to you, okay?”

The little girl was immediately captivated by the rainbow lollipop, momentarily even forgetting to cry as she stared at it in a daze.

Clutching Zhong Su’s index finger, she hid behind him, peeking out with half her face to sneak glances at the candy in Yu Zizhuo’s hand, her voice soft and childish as she said, “…I want the candy.”

“Alright, here you go. So we have a deal, no more crying, okay?” The smile on Yu Zizhuo’s lips brightened as he handed her the candy, then pulled a wet wipe from his pocket and gently wiped away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes.

Seeing Yu Zizhuo so naturally produce a wet wipe, Zhong Su felt a strange mix of emotions.

He thought oddly to himself, Even though I’ve seen this policeman’s two-faced act before and after hitting someone, I never expected him to be the type who carries tissues around like a goody-two-shoes.

Watching him now, speaking softly and comforting the little girl, there was no trace of that violent policeman persona to be seen.

After wiping the girl’s tears clean, Yu Zizhuo patiently coaxed her, “Now, can you tell me again where you got separated from your mommy?”

Nibbling on the lollipop, the girl had clearly calmed down a lot. She pointed toward a supermarket not far away and said, “Mommy told me to wait for her over there. She said she had to carry something really heavy. But I waited and waited, and I couldn’t see her.”

Following the direction the girl pointed, through the heavy curtain of rain, Zhong Su saw the supermarket doors slide open automatically, and a plainly dressed housewife stepped out anxiously, looking around as if searching desperately for something. She set down several heavy shopping bags filled with items, some of which spilled out onto the ground.

The little girl suddenly cried out joyfully, “Ah, Mommy! Mommy! I’m over here!”

Letting go of Zhong Su’s hand, she toddled through the rain and threw herself into the housewife’s arms.

The housewife hugged her daughter, a mix of anger and relief washing over her. She gave the girl’s bottom a light pat and scolded gently, “You naughty girl, who told you to run off like that? Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you! And where did you get that candy in your hand?”

“It… it was given to me by that really tall policeman over there…” Afraid her mother would be angry but unwilling to part with the candy, the girl tried to hide it behind her back. “He said I was good, so he gave it to me.”

The housewife looked up and saw Yu Zizhuo in his police uniform waving at her kindly. Seeing that he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, she relaxed slightly.

She gently pinched her daughter’s nose and said, “If you want something to eat, just tell Mommy. Next time, don’t take things from strangers, understand?”

“I understand.” The girl clung to her mother like a little puppy, helping to pick up the scattered items from the ground and put them back into the shopping bags.

Watching the heartwarming interaction between mother and daughter, Yu Zizhuo patted his knee and stood up, sighing with relief. “That’s good. Looks like the little one found her mommy safely.”

He turned to Zhong Su, greeting him with a cheerful smile. “Good evening, little brother. We meet again. Do you remember me?”

Yu Zizhuo resembled an extremely affectionate dog wagging its tail vigorously, his brilliant smile reminiscent of a sun-drenched meadow.

But Zhong Su did not respond. His impression of this police officer wasn’t particularly favorable, as he could tell that the man only liked “good people” in the purest sense—and whether before or after his rebirth, he himself was merely a misguided villain who had found his way back.

What could someone like him gain from interacting with a police officer? Seeking self-inflicted discomfort?

Seeing Zhong Su remain silent, Yu Zizhuo thought he had forgotten him and awkwardly touched the tip of his nose, reminding him: “The business card… when I sent you to the hospital earlier, I gave you a card—if you still recall, it had my name and details printed on it.”

He noticed Zhong Su’s gaze falling on his shopping bag, filled with small biscuits and colorful fruit candies, bulging and packed, looking as if he were preparing to distribute sweets to kindergarten children.

Yu Zizhuo’s ears flushed red instantly, and he explained: “These aren’t for me to eat, but gifts for my colleague’s child… My colleague invited me to dinner at his home tomorrow to thank me for lending him my car, and his child loves sweets.”

Then he pursed his lips and earnestly added: “Actually, I personally don’t really like sweet things.”

This explanation not only failed to bridge the distance but made Zhong Su’s scrutinizing gaze even more peculiar.

“Of course I recognize you, Officer Yu,” Zhong Su curled his lips, his tone flat yet prickly. “You’re the first person to crack my skull open. The impression is too deep; it’s hard to forget even if I wanted to.”

“But I don’t think we’re in any relationship where we should greet or chat, and I’ve already thrown away your business card.”

If an ordinary person heard this, they would surely understand the sense of detachment and tactfully cease pestering.

But Yu Zizhuo merely blinked his eyes, as if automatically shielding Zhong Su’s unfriendly signals, only capturing the part he wanted to hear. His lips slowly curved into a brighter smile, and he joyfully said: “Great, so you still remember me.”

Then we can just exchange phone numbers now. Last time you left the hospital early, I didn’t get a chance to ask for your number, so we couldn’t truly become friends.”

Zhong Su:

Even after rejecting him to this extent, was this person truly unable to understand, or deliberately pretending to be obtuse and insisting on clinging?

He couldn’t comprehend Yu Zizhuo’s thought process, so he simply turned sideways, ignoring this strange police officer.

Damp moisture dispersed in the air, and the clothes soaked by the rain earlier clung to his skin, bringing a sticky, uncomfortable sensation. Zhong Su casually tugged at his collar, then lowered his head and lit a cigarette. The sudden flame illuminated his profile.

He didn’t look directly at the enthusiastic and clingy Yu Zizhuo beside him, who resembled a large dog, indifferently flicking ash from his cigarette: “Who agreed to be friends with you? Stay away.”

“Huh?Yu Zizhuo tilted his head in doubt. “But you’re a good person, and I’m a good person too. Why don’t you like me? Earlier you were clearly helping that little girl and even smiled at her.”

Zhong Su didn’t know how Yu Zizhuo had seen him smile, but he was too lazy to explain. He wiped the rainwater from his face and shook off the droplets from his fingertips.

Seeing Zhong Su act this way, Yu Zizhuo seemed to suddenly understand something. He deftly took off his own jacket and handed it over, his eyes clear and transparent, revealing a pure, childlike sincerity at a glance: “If you need it, I’m more than willing to help. Like right now, the autumn rain is chilly, and you’re all wet. It’s easy to catch a cold. Wear my jacket to keep warm.”

The fluorescent green jacket was dry and clean. As he moved closer, he could still smell a faint, lingering fragrance of fabric softener on it.

Seeing the jacket suddenly thrust in front of him, Zhong Su was stunned. The cigarette ash accidentally shook off onto his fingertip, burning a tiny, sharp sting.

This slight pain snapped him back to reality, and he thought clearly: This person is also a lunatic, equally unwilling to listen to others.

…But what the other person was doing wasn’t bad. In a way, it was even considerate and friendly.

He always found such stubborn and utterly straightforward people difficult to handle.

“No need for the jacket. 9123…”

“What?”

Zhong Su crushed the cigarette butt, glanced at Yu Zizhuo’s confused expression, and said calmly, “Didn’t you want my phone number? Write it down now. Also, I’m not younger than you. Don’t call me ‘little brother.’ Just call me by my name—Zhong Su. ‘Zhong’ as in clock, ‘Su’ as in retrospect.”

“Okay!” Yu Zizhuo beamed as he exchanged phone numbers with Zhong Su.

After entering the last digit into his phone, Zhong Su thought for a moment about the name field. Finally, he added parentheses after “Yu Zizhuo” and noted “Weird Cop.”

Just then, a red bus drove through the rain. Its dazzling headlights, like a lighthouse on the shore, suddenly illuminated the entire dim station.

“Ah.”

Yu Zizhuo used the light to see the number on the bus and smiled at Zhong Su. “I’ll take this one. Well then, Zhong Su, see you next time.”

Zhong Su watched him board the bus expressionlessly. As soon as he looked away, he saw the bus he needed to take following closely behind.

He took a few steps forward to the edge of the shelter, ready to board as soon as the bus stopped.

As it approached, the bus gradually slowed down. Before it had fully stopped, a van with black-tinted windows rudely squeezed into the gap between the station and the bus, letting out a sharp “screech—” as it braked.

The sliding door opened, and seven or eight thugs wielding machetes jumped out. They charged straight toward Zhong Su at the edge of the station, shouting angrily, “Zhong Su, we finally caught you! Don’t even think about running! Pay up!”