Yu Hanjiang grew up in Jiangzhou City. When it comes to understanding Jiangzhou, Xiao Lou, who only studied there for a few years, certainly can't compare to Yu Hanjiang. This time, the restaurant Yu Hanjiang booked was one that Xiao Lou had never heard of before. Unlike the bustling hot pot restaurants that Xiao Lou usually goes to, the restaurant Yu Hanjiang chose was located in a quiet courtyard.
The layout of this courtyard is somewhat like a traditional Chinese courtyard house, with pavilions, terraces, bridges, and flowing water. The environment is elegant and unique. As Xiao Lou walked on the stone path, she couldn't help but ask softly, "Is this a private restaurant?"
"You wanted hot pot, so I booked this place. The environment is nice, and sitting in a private room means we won't be bothered by outsiders, which will be more comfortable." There was an artificial lake ahead, requiring crossing a stone bridge. Yu Hanjiang turned around, naturally took Xiao Lou's hand, and whispered, "Watch your step."
Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat. He looked around and, finding no one paying attention to them, breathed a sigh of relief and gently grasped Yu Hanjiang's fingers. Yu Hanjiang immediately slipped his fingers between Xiao Lou's, their fingers intertwined.
Their hands intertwined gently, intimately close. Xiao Lou's ears burned slightly. Strictly speaking, this was their first "date," which explained why Yu Hanjiang chose such a quiet place.
After entering the private room, the two separated their hands. Yu Hanjiang pulled out a chair for Xiao Lou and softly asked, "Can you eat spicy food?"
Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "Let's have a hot pot with two broths, one in each broth."
Yu Hanjiang called the waiter over and ordered the food. The two then sat down facing each other.
The hot pot was quickly brought to a boil, steaming hot and fragrant. The two ate and chatted, enjoying the meal without being disturbed by others, which made them feel much more at ease.
When they were half full, Xiao Lou suddenly asked, "By the way, when will you officially start working at the Jiangzhou Criminal Police Detachment?"
"I'll be here next week." Yu Hanjiang picked up a meatball from the hot pot and put it into Xiao Lou's bowl before explaining in a low voice, "The captain of the Jiangzhou Criminal Police Detachment is about to retire and we need to find someone to take over as soon as possible. I refused this transfer because I didn't get along with my father and didn't want to work under him."
Xiao Lou had never asked about Yu Hanjiang's family before, but he had seen Yu Hanjiang's parents in the mirrored maze of the Nightmare Secret Room and clearly remembered their faces. Hearing that Yu Hanjiang didn't get along with his father, Xiao Lou couldn't help but ask with concern, "Is there some unresolved issue between you and your uncle?"
Yu Hanjiang paused for a moment, sighed softly, and said, "When I was a child, my father was very strict with me. He would beat me with a police baton if I made a small mistake, so much so that I have a psychological trauma related to his batons."
Xiao Lou was stunned. It seemed Captain Yu's psychological trauma was quite severe. No wonder everyone else in the Nightmare Secret Room was armed, while his father chased him all the way with a baton.
Yu Hanjiang paused, then said, "However, after experiencing so much in Card World, my thoughts have changed. Although my father's parenting style was strict, if he hadn't guided me through various martial arts training, I wouldn't have been able to react so quickly when faced with danger. He had a bad temper and was strict with me, but overall, he was a good person. If I asked him for anything, he would definitely agree."
Xiao Lou said, "So, your early transfer to Jiangzhou was also to cultivate a good relationship with your uncle."
Yu Hanjiang nodded, his gaze towards Xiao Lou exceptionally gentle. "Otherwise, how can I take you back to meet my parents?"
Xiao Lou ""
Although the topic of meeting each other's parents had been brought up in Card World, Xiao Lou hadn't expected it to happen so soon; he wasn't mentally prepared. Moreover, the thought of meeting Yu Hanjiang's parents in the Mirror Maze sent chills down Xiao Lou's spine. He had a feeling those two wouldn't like him, and what if his parents objected to their relationship?
Seemingly seeing through Xiao Lou's thoughts, Yu Hanjiang reached out from the table and gently covered the back of Xiao Lou's hand, saying softly, "Don't worry, I've already talked to my parents and told them that I have someone I like in Jiangzhou. I'll find a suitable opportunity for you to meet in the future."
Xiao Lou coughed nervously, "Let's wait a while, I'm not ready yet."
Yu Hanjiang said earnestly, "Yes. Since we've decided to be together, we can't keep it a secret forever. I want my family and friends to all know you exist. As for the specific time we'll meet, of course, I'll respect your wishes." Xiao Lou felt as warm as a cotton quilt warmed by the winter sun. It seemed that Captain Yu was ready to have a serious relationship with him, and had even thought about taking him to meet her parents.
Looking up into the man's deep eyes, Xiao Lou couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips and said, " Hanjiang, actually, I've also prepared a surprise for you."
Yu Hanjiang was very curious. "Oh, tell me about it."
Xiao Lou smiled and kept everyone in suspense, saying, "I won't tell you yet, you'll find out in a few days."
Yu Hanjiang smiled, a rare occurrence for him, and pointed to the meatballs in his bowl. "Eat up, they won't taste good when they're cold." As she spoke, she added more vegetables to his plate. "Eat more meat, I need to fatten you up a bit, you're still too thin."
The meal was very enjoyable, and afterwards Yu Hanjiang even drove Xiao Lou to the cinema to watch a movie.
Xiao Lou thought Yu Hanjiang was going to take her to see some suspense or crime film, but to her surprise, Yu Hanjiang had already bought the tickets. It turned out to be a romance film about "first love." The whole movie had a warm and healing tone. Throughout the two-hour movie, Yu Hanjiang held Xiao Lou's hand, their fingers intertwined.
In the movie, at the moment when the protagonists, who had secretly loved each other for years, finally confessed their feelings, Yu Hanjiang suddenly leaned close to Xiao Lou's ear, gently kissed his earlobe, and whispered, " Xiao Lou, I like you. Are we officially dating now?"
Xiao Lou gave a soft "hmm," her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.
His ears are his most
Yu Hanjiang's light, fleeting kiss sent a shiver of pleasure through his body, making him feel both numb and itchy, and his ears instantly turn bright red.
In the dark theater, Professor Xiao, whose ears were bright red, struggled to control his heartbeat and couldn't concentrate on the rest of the movie.
Xiao Lou didn't come to his senses until the movie ended.
The two walked to the underground parking lot, got into the car, and Xiao Lou gently touched his nose, asking, "I thought you were going to take me to see a police drama, but you wanted to watch a romance drama instead?"
Yu Hanjiang's reasoning was, "My own life is like watching cop movies every day, it'd be too boring to show you these. Since we're in a relationship, we should watch romance movies." He paused, then looked at Xiao Lou and asked, "Do you think it's good?"
Xiao Lou thought to himself that he hadn't really gotten into the story and didn't know what happened next, but he didn't want to disappoint Yu Hanjiang, so he changed his tune and said, "It's pretty good. The main actors are good-looking and have great acting skills."
Yu Hanjiang was very direct: "I couldn't concentrate on it, all I could think about was you."
Xiao Lou ""
Captain Yu's direct approach during interrogations can drive suspects to the brink of mental collapse. But when it comes to being direct in a romantic relationship, Xiao Lou sometimes struggles to cope. The man in front of her never uses flowery language; he always expresses himself directly, and it's precisely this directness that makes him seem exceptionally sincere.
Xiao Lou blushed slightly, and it was unclear what he had been thinking.
Yu Hanjiang didn't explain, calmly started the car and drove Xiao Lou to her apartment. On the way, a message suddenly popped up in Xiao Lou's WeChat group. It was from Chu Huaying: " Professor Xiao, I just saw a news article online. Senior Gui is currently in Beijing for a meeting. After the meeting, he will go on a lecture tour in various places for a week. Let's not go to his house this weekend. There's no one there anyway."
Xiao Lou immediately replied, "Do you know when he'll be back?"
Tang Ci chimed in, "I've also looked up some information. According to his schedule, he should be taking a flight back to Jiangzhou next Thursday night. Let's reschedule our visit for next Friday night."
Xiao Lou said, "No problem."
Although Yu Hanjiang was driving, he could tell from Xiao Lou's expression that the matter was related to Old Gui. "How is it?"
Xiao Lou showed him the chat history: "It's been changed to next Thursday. Are you coming back early?"
Yu Hanjiang shook his head. "It's okay. I'll go back to Linzhou tomorrow to finish the handover procedures at the Police Station, and then come back next week."
The car quickly stopped in front of Xiao Lou's building. Yu Hanjiang looked at the single-room apartment building in front of him with a puzzled expression. "I remember, your place is in a residential area near the school, how come..."
Xiao Lou said, "This was three years ago, when I had just graduated and hadn't bought that house yet."
Yu Hanjiang understood. "I almost forgot about that. You should go back and get some rest. We'll see you another day."
As he spoke, he leaned in and gently kissed Xiao Lou on the forehead.
Xiao Lou got out of the car and took a few steps, but he felt a gaze on him from behind. He turned around and saw Yu Hanjiang standing by the roadside watching him. Xiao Lou suddenly turned around and walked towards Yu Hanjiang, stopping by the car.
Yu Hanjiang rolled down the car window, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Xiao Lou mustered up his courage, leaned over, and gently kissed Captain Yu's lips, saying, "I had a great day. You should go home now. Goodnight."
By the time Yu Hanjiang came to his senses, Xiao Lou had already turned and left quickly.
She's probably shy.
Yu Hanjiang touched his lips, still warm from Xiao Lou's kiss. He couldn't help but smile slightly, watching Xiao Lou's figure disappear into the building's entrance before reluctantly driving away.
While waiting for the elevator, Xiao Lou's face felt so hot it was almost burning.
Taking the initiative to kiss Captain Yu was indeed a bold move, but today Yu Hanjiang not only treated him to dinner, but also to a movie and took him home. As a boyfriend, he was extremely considerate, and Xiao Lou felt that he should reciprocate in kind.
Since it's a relationship, Captain Yu can't be the only one making sacrifices, right?
Xiao Lou's final farewell kiss was just to let Yu Hanjiang know that I like you too.
Although Xiao Lou isn't very direct and isn't used to saying things like "I like you," he can show it through his actions, and he thinks Captain Yu must have sensed it.
Yu Hanjiang certainly felt it too. On the drive back, his heart was filled with warmth.
In this peaceful world where you don't have to worry every day, dating someone you like feels infinitely better than Yu Hanjiang imagined. It seems she needs to increase the frequency of their dates to further solidify their relationship.
However, Xiao Lou is still renting an apartment. Why not wait until I'm officially transferred to Jiangzhou and then bring her to live with me? That way I can see the person I like every day, right?
Yu Hanjiang felt that he had made another wise decision.