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nTranslator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

nXiang Wan was rooted to the spot for two seconds.

nIt was Cheng Zheng!

n“It’s you?”

n“It’s me.” Cheng Zheng’s handsome face under the rays of the sunset looked especially cool and cold.

nHowever…

nGeez! This was too much of a shock for Xiang Wan!

nJust a few days ago, Cheng Zheng had just asked her to become his girlfriend. And now he became Fang Yuanyuan new beau?

nXiang Wan had difficulty accepting that.

n“Why? Teacher Xiang doesn’t seem to welcome me?” Cheng Zheng smiled when he saw Xiang Wan frozen on the spot as well as her incredulous expression.

nXiang Wan chuckled to ease the awkward situation. She was about to move away to let the guest in when Fang Yuanyuan said, “Eh? Captain Cheng, why are you alone, where is he?”

nWhat the hell is going on? Why did Yuanyuan address him this way?

nXiang Wan turned back swiftly to give Fang Yuanyuan a glare.

n… Why didn’t you tell me he’s not your boyfriend?

nFang Yuanyuan’s eyes narrowed to a squint as she showed a teasing smile at Xiang Wan.

n… You never asked, my fault?

nCheng Zheng happened to see the two women “communicating” with their eyes.

nHe rubbed his nose with his finger as he put on a faint smile. “He went to get some groceries for dinner. He’ll be back soon.”

n“Okay, ” acknowledged Fang Yuanyuan who spoke in a demure manner, which was a rare sight. “Sigh, why buy groceries? We can just settle by eating out. It’s so much more convenient and saves a lot of trouble. Moreover… who’s going to cook dinner?”

nThis is indeed a really big problem!

nXiang Wan gave a light cough and waved her wounded hand, implying her current predicament!

nCheng Zheng looked at her intensely for a moment before walking past her. “I’ll do it.”

nEh? What?

nFang Yuanyuan thought she might have heard it wrong, so she looked at Cheng Zheng without blinking her eyes.

nAs for Xiang Wan, she had received multiple “shocks” in such a short period and had yet to recover her language ability.

nOnly Cheng Zheng was able to look around the apartment completely at ease. Afterward, he rolled up his sleeves and wanted to head to the kitchen.

n“Captain Cheng!” Xiang Wan felt her scalp going numb at that instant. She quickly raised both of her hands in front of her. “No, don’t go in there!”

nIf one asked Xiang Wan which was the place in her rented apartment she did not want anyone to see, it would be the kitchen.

nXiang Wan seldom cooked as she was living alone. Not to mention now that her hand was hurt, she had no reason to cook for the time being.

nThere were appropriate kitchen utensils and pots. Nevertheless, the layer of dust in there was really thick. How could she let Cheng Zheng enter a kitchen like that?

nHowever, the apartment was too small. As she said that, Cheng Zheng had already pushed open the kitchen door.

n“Well, it sure didn’t look like a place where a fairy lives in!”

nXiang Wan walked over with her back on the door. She wanted to close the door, but Cheng Zheng stopped her with a hand pressing on the door, together with a smile.

n“It’s alright!” He shook his head lightly as he shot a glance at Xiang Wan, whose cheeks were red from embarrassment.

n“You don’t need to stay here, fairy.”

nIt’s embarrassing! Too embarrassing!

nHow could she go out now?

nThe kitchen was in such a dirty state… Moreover, she was the owner!

nXiang Wan was pushed aside by him, then she started to pace to and fro in the kitchen awkwardly. She wanted to help out, but her hand had not recovered yet; it would be reckless of her if she went ahead to help clean up the kitchen.

nCheng Zheng could not stand her anymore. He grabbed her wrist and “threw” her out of the kitchen.

n“Just stay outside! The two of you can chat with each other, I’ll be done very soon.”

n“…”

nXiang Wan felt as though her world was crumbling as she watched his shadow scrub the stove as well as wash the kitchen utensils.

n“Fang Yuanyuan!”

nShe turned around to stare at Fang Yuanyuan while gritting her teeth. “What kind of boyfriend did you get? Why did you invite Captain Cheng over?”

nFang Yuanyuan’s face was full of excitement due to having found a new love, so why would she bother with Xiang Wan’s frustration?

n“Hehe! He’s going to appear soon. When you see him, you’ll know why.”

nSo I’ll know when I see him? Then he must be someone I know.

nXiang Wan was pondering that in her head. Soon enough, a man showed up at the door with two big bags of groceries and was perspiring all over. It was Detective Huang!

nHe was smiling happily as he greeted Xiang Wan, and when he looked at Fang Yuanyuan, he showed a bashful smile.

n“I just bought some raw ingredients that came to mind, I don’t know what kind of food all of you like…”

nFang Yuanyuan’s cheeks flushed red as if a peach blossom in bloom. Was there really a need for food when she had love?

n“It’s okay. I’m not a picky eater, same for Xiang Wan, too.”

nXiang Wan rolled her eyes.

n“Since when did both of you get together? Tch, tch, you’ve done such a good job in keeping it a secret. I totally have no idea at all…”

nHuang He scratched his head in embarrassment, then he took a peek at Fang Yuanyuan with a smile.

n“It’s from that, that day, Captain Bai let me send Yuanyuan downstairs… and, erm, and we got to know each other.”

nIn these modern times, if one wants to get in a relationship, it isn’t difficult at all.

nWhen the feelings are mutual, both can simply add each other’s WeChat account, then they can develop their relationship under their blanket, messaging each other.

nXiang Wan took a deep breath; the corners of her mouth turned upward as she swept a glare at Fang Yuanyuan. “We’ll talk later, how can you just get into a relationship so easily?”

nOoh, so you’re trying to use your elder cousin status to lecture me? thought Fang Yuanyuan.

nFang Yuanyuan laughed and secretly tugged a corner of Xiang Wan’s clothes. “My dear cousin, you should go help Captain Cheng. He’s cleaning the kitchen all by himself!”

n“I know, you don’t want me to stay here and become the third wheel, right?” Xiang Wan pretended to give an angry stare at her. “Tch, so you’re starting to find my presence unwanted?”

n“Detective Huang, my cousin is not a good-tempered girl,” Xiang Wan reminded Huang He out of goodwill. “She may look gentle and behave in an adorable manner, but when she flares up, even the Buddha can’t put out her flames of anger. You must treat her nicely!”

n“I will, I will,” Huang He touched his neck as he said so.

nHe was abashed as this was the first time he used this new status to get along with them. It was no wonder he was not used to it.

nWhen the two of them sat together, Xiang Wan felt that both of them do look good together and heaved a sigh in her heart.

nSuddenly, she felt that the kitchen was the best place to seek solace…

n…

nBefore, Xiang Wan would never believe that Cheng Zheng would be able to cook.

nHowever, not only was he able to cook, the dishes he made were exquisite, beautiful, and decorated nicely.

n“Uh, Captain Cheng, my sincere apologies to you. You’ve come to my place as a guest, yet you’re the one who prepared all these dishes. Heheh…” When Xiang Wan saw him prepare dinner with such familiarity, her heart seemed to twitch inexplicably, and she tried to start a conversation with unease.

nCheng Zheng’s eyes were focused on the preparation of food. When he heard that, his thin lips formed a slight curve upward.

n“You’re welcome. When your hand is fully healed, you can cook a meal for me.”

nGeez! These words… it’s too ambiguous.

nXiang Wan leaned on the kitchen door frame; her fingers scratched on the wall unconsciously, and her hurt finger happened to be one of them. Tsk! The sharp pain made her gasp, and her face became stiff and strained.

nCheng Zheng turned to look at her, his gaze landing on her wounded hand. “What happened?”

nXiang Wan tried hard to turn the corners of her lips upward, showing an awkward smile. “It’s nothing.”

n“The wound is still not healed?”

n“It’s better now.”

nCheng Zheng furrowed his brows; he seemed to not believe what she had said. He washed his hands carefully before he walked over to examine her bandaged hand. “It’s not fully recovered yet. Don’t touch water and don’t hurt it again.”

n“…Hm.” Xiang Wan hurriedly pulled her hand back.

nCheng Zheng raised an eyebrow seeing her in a dither. “Don’t be nervous. I’m here to ‘rescue’ you from a tight situation.”

nRescue? Xiang Wan did not understand what he meant.

n“When that couple gets affectionate with each other, won’t that put you in a tight spot?”

n“…” This can be a reason too? She thought.

nAfter that, Cheng Zheng continued to be a graceful chef.

nGood-looking people are indeed different. Even when they cook, they could do it so beautifully as if they’re creating works of art.

nHowever, Xiang Wan stood there purely admiring his skills. She tried her best to understand his fancy knife skills and how he made food that could make one drool but to no avail.

n“Impressive!”

nShe complimented him from the bottom of her heart.

n“Captain Cheng, you’re really good at this!”

nXiang Wan gave him a thumbs-up. Cheng Zheng took off the apron slowly as a faint smile appeared on his face. “Dinner is ready.”

nThe couple at the living room seemed to be whispering sweet nothings to each other.

nThe sunlight from the window landed on the dinner table. The reflected light seemed to make the beautiful exquisite plates of dishes glow.

nThis scene felt somewhat like the warmth of a family having a meal together.

n“Dinner is ready, let’s eat!”

nFang Yuanyuan was the most enthusiastic among them. Huang He was not someone who liked to talk a lot, but he was a good and honest person. He liked to smile and would sing the same tune with Yuanyuan. Cheng Zheng’s refined, cold face felt like a wealthy young master from the olden times. Although he had a distant aura, his good looks made people want to approach him.

nXiang Wan became the most uncomfortable of the four–although she was the host.

nJust the other day, she had rejected Cheng Zheng.

nNext, Fang Yuanyuan and Huang He got together out of the blue. Lastly, she even wanted to move in with her…

nThere was also the problem that if Cheng Zheng used the same excuse to want to “rescue” her and kept coming over to her place, what should she do?

nWhat a headache!

nThe mind of a police officer is simply illogical!

n…

nAlthough Xiang Wan’s mind was wandering off, she did not delay in tasting the scrumptious feast on the table.

nIt had been a while since she tasted home-cooked food, so she ate to her fill.

n“Please help yourselves to the food. I need to work on my story now.”

nXiang Wan grinned and exchanged glances with Fang Yuanyuan before going into “hiding” inside her bedroom.

nFang Yuanyuan let off a giggle. She knew the reason Xiang Wan did that.

n“I don’t usually see her in such a hurry. Captain Cheng, my cousin’s an introvert as well as a timid girl. You need to be more patient with her!”

nCheng Zheng returned a casual smile. “I will.”

nAfterward, he got up slowly and looked at Huang He.

n“I shouldn’t impose any longer. You… take care of the remaining chores.”

nThe table was now full of empty plates and bowls, so leaving it to Fang Yuanyuan’s new beau was the most suitable choice.

nFang Yuanyuan pursed her lips and formed a sneaky smile, whereas Huang He smiled somewhat reluctantly.

n“Bye Captain Cheng!”

n“Keep safe and watch your steps!”

n…

nThe sound insulation was poor.

nXiang Wan could hear the sounds when Cheng Zheng left as well as the sound of door closing.

nHuff! She heaved a relief with a hand on her full stomach.

nShe closed her eyes to rest for a while before she clicked on the mouse to look at her reviews and comment page.

nShe had not updated for the past few days, so her reviews and comment page was filled with “weeds”.

nBesides the comments from readers chasing her for updates, there were also spams like this—”Work in the comfort of your home, typing job, daily income of 300 to 600″. These were all spams, and their real nature were scams to rein people in.

nHmph! Xiang Wan curled her lips in contempt, slowly eradicating all these malicious spam when she came across a comment made by a familiar ID.

n“Who’s the one who installed the micro spy camera on the door? Why did the readers lie? Is the murderer behind all of these? I want to know all these. Who else wouldn’t want to know? Too bad, you’re a bum that knows nothing. That’s why you’re unable to continue writing, right? You’re like a garbage author who knows nothing. Why are you still alive? Why don’t you just die?”

nShe had seen reviews and comments that dissed and cussed her.

nPrior to the closure of the 720 case, she had also seen countless numbers of unusual and strange comments.

nHowever, this particular comment…

nSomehow this ID, which was a string of a mobile number, seemed really familiar?

nIn no time, a strange and spooky feeling grew inside her heart.

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