Later, Huo Ranyin really did fall asleep. He slept through to ten in the evening, right past dinner.
When he finally woke up, the slumber demon hadn’t completely released its captive. Ji Xun noticed that Huo Ranyin’s expression was a bit dazed, yet shadowed with a touch of annoyance.
It was rare to see such straightforward, plain emotions on his face.
“Hungry?” Ji Xun asked right away.
“…” Huo Ranyin shook his head.
“Then keep sleeping,” Ji Xun said, lightly patting him.
“…” Huo Ranyin glanced over at him.
Without a word spoken, Ji Xun already felt the question burning in that look: What about you? Are you hungry?
“Not hungry,” Ji Xun answered.
It was true. Sitting around in a hospital room every day without moving a muscle—how could anyone have an appetite? At this point, Ji Xun sighed just looking at hospital food. Honestly, why did humans even need to eat?
“…” Huo Ranyin continued to stare at him.
“If I get hungry, I’ll eat on my own,” Ji Xun replied smoothly, passing Huo Ranyin a glass of water. “Drink some water to soothe your throat, and you can shower tomorrow morning… Also, don’t worry. I might be injured, but thankfully I’m not crippled. Moving like this doesn’t hurt much. Besides, I need to do my rehab anyway.”
Huo Ranyin didn’t say a single word.
However, his expression gradually softened, looking completely satisfied. He no longer hovered awkwardly between sleep and wakefulness.
Obediently, he drank a sip of water right from Ji Xun’s hand, then shifted his position from lying across the bed to resting side-by-side with Ji Xun. But the moment the back of his head touched the pillow, he abruptly switched from lying flat to lying on his side, nestling half of his face into the crook of Ji Xun’s neck, with one hand draped lightly over Ji Xun’s waist and abdomen.
Then, a tiny murmur spilled out.
“Does it… hurt?”
Hmm?
“You have to tell me…” Huo Ranyin mumbled incoherently. The moment the words left his lips, he drifted back off to sleep.
Ji Xun smiled softly.
Even though the man was already asleep, he still whispered back his promise: “Got it. I’ll definitely tell you.”
*
Having gotten a full night’s sleep, Huo Ranyin woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and full of energy. He got out of bed quickly and stepped into the bathroom. In just fifteen minutes, he wrapped up brushing his teeth, washing his face, showering, and the rest of his routine.
By then, Ji Xun slowly dragged himself up, checking the time. “Seems a bit early.”
Huo Ranyin said, “Got enough sleep.”
He held a towel, drying his hair. A few stray water droplets clung to his face, making him look like a blade that had just been washed—sharp, pristine, and stripped of all dust.
Ji Xun suggested, “Then let’s have breakfast first before you head to the station.”
Huo Ranyin had no objections.
On an early morning like this, even the air felt a few degrees fresher. A breeze drifted through the open window, carrying a couple of firmiana blossoms onto the floor. Though separated from their branches, they were still vividly romantic.
The hospital meal delivered by the orderly was quite hearty: fried dough sticks, steamed buns, rice porridge, and side dishes—they had it all.
However, it lacked a bit of care. The fried dough sticks hadn’t been cut into small pieces, which wasn’t ideal for an injured patient to chew. A penetrating injury through the collarbone didn’t just immobilize the shoulder; when severe, it could even affect eating. Every bite and swallow was a minor, excruciating ordeal.
Huo Ranyin rolled up his sleeves and tore the dough sticks into bite-sized pieces, feeding them to Ji Xun. “Try this. Is the size okay?”
Ji Xun took a big bite, chewing slowly and thoughtfully. Once he swallowed, he flashed Huo Ranyin a broad smile. “Just right. Doesn’t hurt to eat at all.”
Satisfied, Huo Ranyin nodded. Between feeding Ji Xun a piece here and there, the two of them finished breakfast together.
After breakfast, he wasn’t in a rush to leave immediately. Instead, he treated the fruit in the hospital room the exact same way—washing, peeling, and dicing every single piece. He divided them into three small bowls for morning, afternoon, and evening, covered them with plastic wrap, and tucked them into the fridge. Then he poured out some milk, popped it into the microwave on high for two minutes, and placed it in front of Ji Xun right as it reached the perfect temperature.
Ji Xun’s expression turned slightly odd.
Although he thoroughly enjoyed being taken care of like this by Huo Ranyin, still…
Huo Ranyin instructed, “Stay in the room and be good.”
Ji Xun nodded obediently. “Mm, I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Why does this kind of care feel less like taking care of a lover and more like… taking care of a pet?
Ji Xun’s obedient act lasted right up until the hospital door clicked shut.
The second Huo Ranyin left, Ji Xun immediately broke free. He went straight to flip through the calendar, relieved to see that he could be discharged in just two more days.
He remembered his discharge date, of course.
It was just that watching the calendar and crossing off each passing day with a pen brought a subtle sense of ritual, helping to ease the faint anxiety stirring in his chest.
Since discharge was around the corner, certain things had to be arranged.
Ji Xun picked up a notebook first. His right hand was still a bit clumsy, but sketching and writing with his left hand was more than enough. He spent quite a bit of time scribbling in his notebook. When 9:30 AM rolled around, he dialed a phone number. That call lasted a long time—nearly half an hour. He then made a few more calls, each one lengthy. By the time he finally hung up, the entire morning had slipped away, and the clock pointed to 11:30 AM.
He stood up, carefully stretching his body, and took a few laps around the room. After taking deep breaths near the window filled with firmiana blossoms, he counted it as a complete relaxation session. Deciding the timing was right, he called Bureau Chief Zhou just as lunchtime approached.
When the call connected, Chief Zhou expressed genuine concern: “How’s your recovery going lately? I applied for a commendation and a cash bonus for you. Drop by the police station when you have time to pick them up.”
“Pass it on, I don’t need it,” Ji Xun bargained. “Can you credit it to Huo Ranyin instead?”
“What, you think commendations are like apples, where you can just give yours to him if you don’t want to eat it?” Chief Zhou snapped back, adding, “Why are you worrying about him? The merit from this case is huge. Do you really think Huo Ranyin won’t get enough credit?”
Regarding the recent incident, as much as Chief Zhou cared, he still had plenty of complaints.
Mainly targeting Ji Xun’s terrible habits—no communication, no updates, completely disobedient, and refusing to follow management. Of course, since everything had already happened, that reckoning could wait for later. The main priority right now was recovering from his injuries.
Riding on this leverage, Ji Xun got straight to the point: “Actually, it’s about Huo Ranyin…”
“Hmm?”
“He’s been way too busy lately!”
“Hmm?”
“Since the credit has already been finalized, why not give him some time off?” Ji Xun hinted heavily.
“Hmm—”
Ji Xun knew right away that this was going to be tough, but he pressed on to convince Chief Zhou: “Huo Ranyin literally went undercover on a ship to crack this case. Is it really necessary to keep him for all the cleanup work afterward? He just fought his way off that ship with everyone and spent the last half month sifting through leads with you. That should be enough by now, right? You can’t keep shearing the same sheep until it goes bald!”
“Mm-hmm-hmm,” Chief Zhou replied offhandedly. “Mm-hmm-hmm.”
Without even listening further, it was obvious the man hadn’t taken in a single word!
Helpless, Ji Xun grumbled under his breath, “You bloody exploiter!”
“Mm-hmm-hmm… Wait, what?” Chief Zhou snapped back. “Did you just curse at me?”
Ji Xun stuck out his tongue and hung up at lightning speed, pretending nothing had happened.
“Little brat,” Chief Zhou muttered at the disconnected line. Then he thought it over, sensing that something wasn’t quite right.
If Huo Ranyin wanted leave, he would just ask for it himself, and Chief Zhou wouldn’t refuse him. Why would Ji Xun be the one calling to ask?
Could it be that these two…
Surviving on the same boat, pulling together through thick and thin… was their revolutionary comradeship really that deep?
Having come up with a totally reasonable explanation, Chief Zhou tossed his phone aside and paid it no more mind.
Since the boss couldn’t be moved, Ji Xun had to activate Backup Plan B: get their colleagues to lighten Huo Ranyin’s load instead.
The first person who came to mind was, naturally, Yuan Yue.
However, after thinking about Yuan Yue for three seconds, Ji Xun abandoned the thought with a heavy wave of guilt.
Xia Youqing had already given birth to a baby girl. Right now, Yuan Yue was burning the candle at both ends—participating in the post-case wrap-up on one end, and rushing home right after work to help his mother, who had come up from the countryside, take care of the baby and his wife… Ah, right, he couldn’t call her his wife yet. Xia Youqing hadn’t relented or agreed to forgive Yuan Yue just yet.
…
Wait a second.
Did Xia Youqing ever relent? Probably not, right?
Ji Xun suddenly wasn’t sure. Although he had been recovering lazily in the hospital for a long time, he really hadn’t kept track of Yuan Yue and Xia Youqing’s situation. He had no idea what stage they were at right now.
Was he being a bit too unconcerned about his friend?
Ji Xun spent three seconds feeling guilty over his friendship with Yuan Yue, then pulled out his phone and called Xia Youqing.
“Ji Xun, how are you recovering? You’re getting discharged in a few days, right?” Xia Youqing answered, sounding a bit apologetic. “I’m stuck in post-natal confinement right now, so I couldn’t visit you. I’m really sorry.”
“No need to visit, it’s totally fine,” Ji Xun replied sincerely. Compared to his lack of concern for her, Xia Youqing was plenty caring toward him. “I’m actually calling to ask you something…”
“What is it?”
“Did Yuan Yue manage to win you back yet?”
“Ah…” Xia Youqing’s tone turned subtle. “Did Yuan Yue ask you to call and probe?”
“No.”
“Yeah, that didn’t sound like something you’d do,” Xia Youqing said. Since Yuan Yue hadn’t asked, she instantly understood why Ji Xun was asking.
She was probably the very first person to figure out the truth between him and Huo Ranyin, Ji Xun thought. He recalled that moment with a bit of amusement; back then, he had treated it as just an awkward yet harmless little misunderstanding in life.
Looking back now, that misunderstanding had transformed into a sweet beginning.
Perhaps life was just fickle like that—sometimes filled with pain, other times brimming with surprises. Maybe if you refused to admit defeat, fate would be the one to back down instead.
“Yuan Yue was actually doing pretty well before…” Xia Youqing continued.
Before Ji Xun could even feel happy for Yuan Yue, Xia Youqing added gloomily, “Though right now, he seems to be a dead man to me again.”
“…” He fell silent for two seconds, feeling another wave of repentance toward Yuan Yue.
If it weren’t for him, Yuan Yue wouldn’t have been dragged into this case. And if he hadn’t been dragged in, maybe he wouldn’t have turned back into a “dead man” in Xia Youqing’s eyes.
Xia Youqing sighed. “Can you believe he actually set up a camp cot right in my living room?”
Ji Xun: “?”
“Is there no second bedroom? What about the sofa?”
“There is a second bedroom, and it has a bed. There’s a sofa, too.”
Ji Xun understood.
“But Yuan Yue claimed he sleeps too soundly on a bed, and holding the baby on the sofa isn’t safe enough. He said it’s easier to wake up on a camp cot, so he can hear the baby the second she cries. I guess that makes some sense, but seeing that cot there really makes me nervous—it feels like he’s preparing to charge off to war at any given moment…” Despite her complaining, Xia Youqing admitted, “Though it does work. At night, I don’t hear the baby at all. He even handles the chores during the gaps when he wakes up to feed her… Doesn’t he ever get tired?”
“All of that sounds somewhat normal,” Xia Youqing added in a dark voice. “Mainly, he actually wanted to bring the baby to the police station during the day! He even said he already reported it to Chief Zhou, and Chief Zhou completely agreed… I can only say they’ve both gone insane.”
Ji Xun didn’t just understand—he was completely stuffed with a mouthful of couple’s dog food.
Unfortunately, Huo Ranyin wasn’t around.
He didn’t want to swallow this dog food all by himself.
“It seems like…”
“It seems like you can hang up now,” Xia Youqing finished Ji Xun’s sentence for him. Then she let out a soft laugh and whispered, “Before you hang up, let me tell you—the baby’s nickname is Xixi.”
“I hope… no matter what happens, she’ll always be filled with hope [Xiwang].”
“By the way, when can we drink at your wedding? I don’t need wedding planning stuff right now, but I did a lot of research before. If you need any tips, I can send them over.”
Hanging up the call with Xia Youqing, Ji Xun pondered for a moment, then dialed Yuan Yue.
Clearly, Yuan Yue was making notable progress on his path to winning back his wife. Since that was the case, Ji Xun could definitely borrow a few pointers.
After all, stones from other hills could be used to polish jade.
Yuan Yue was swamped with work. Even though it should have been his lunch break, Ji Xun decided to keep it short to avoid indirectly increasing Huo Ranyin’s workload: “Quick question for you. How many plans did you prepare to chase your wife back?”
Yuan Yue: “Huh?”
Though bewildered by Ji Xun’s question, Yuan Yue honestly laid out all his plans without holding anything back.
It was simple enough to summarize in one sentence: “I wash the clothes, I mop the floors, I hold the baby, and I do the dishes.”
Hearing this, Ji Xun went quiet: “…”
Yuan Yue asked nervously: “…Is that no good?”
“It’s not that it’s no good,” Ji Xun asked slowly. “Why didn’t Xia Youqing just hire a nanny?”
Yuan Yue was stumped. “…Uh.”
“A paid nanny is nice and all, but don’t constantly act like one,” Ji Xun noted. He had offered this advice before, expecting Yuan Yue to make progress, but it seemed Xia Youqing actually fell for this approach. So Ji Xun simply said, “Bro, moving into the house is progress. Don’t get complacent or blindly optimistic. Keep pushing forward and keep up the good work.”
“No problem.” The moment relentless effort was mentioned, Yuan Yue’s confidence instantly returned. He considered this his ultimate comfort zone.
“Alright then. Keep trying hard. You got this.”
Ji Xun offered superficial encouragement. He had originally called to steal some successful strategies, but now it seemed Yuan Yue’s methods were completely incompatible with his own. If Ji Xun tried doing all that, he’d have a 90% success rate on his own anyway; if he used Yuan Yue’s tactics, Huo Ranyin would probably think he had been possessed by a ghost.
He was just about to hang up when Yuan Yue added, “Actually… I think being able to move in was mostly due to luck.”
“Oh?”
“It’s just… that day when Qingqing was about to give birth, her water broke in the room. We had already called an ambulance and it was arriving, but my brain went totally blank… I just scooped her up and sprinted all the way to the hospital…” Yuan Yue chuckled awkwardly. “Later, my mom told me she caught it on video—me sprinting ahead carrying Qingqing, while the paramedics were chasing behind us with a stretcher, gasping for air and cursing me out the whole way.”
“Pfft.” Ji Xun burst out laughing at the mental image.
“My mom showed the video to Qingqing after she came out of the delivery room, and then I…”
“Heaven really favors honest fools,” Ji Xun remarked with feeling.
“And one more thing…”
“What?” Seeing that Yuan Yue had contributed a decent story, Ji Xun decided to listen a bit longer.
“Don’t tell Qingqing this,” Yuan Yue smiled shyly. “Honestly, even though I really look forward to us getting back together, I actually think this process of pursuing her all over again is great. Every day, my heart is fluttering with nervousness… Not the painful kind, but the kind where your whole heart feels young, vibrant, and alive again.”
What a coincidence.
Same world, same feeling of being in love.
Thinking back to a line Huo Ranyin had once let slip, Ji Xun smiled softly.
As long as you were with the person you loved, every stage of the process had its own unique sweetness. The bittersweet sensation of a clear, mutual crush was indeed wonderful, but…
“I prefer things a bit sweeter…” Ji Xun thought to himself. It shouldn’t hurt to throw in a bit more sugar, right?
After finishing his calls with Yuan Yue and Xia Youqing, Ji Xun felt like he had forgotten something.
He pondered for a moment, then remembered.
He dialed Zhao Wu, the Interpol/Criminal Investigation Captain over in Qin City. The ability to crack such a massive case this time was largely thanks to their colleagues in Qin City; in fact, a key piece of evidence used during the final showdown against Yu Cisheng had been provided by Zhao Wu himself.
Calling a colleague far away in Qin City to coordinate on the case was totally normal, right?
The call connected.
Ji Xun started with some polite pleasantries: “Captain Zhao.”
Zhao Wu was quite warm: “Expert Ji!”
“Actually, I’m calling Captain Zhao regarding the case…” Ji Xun wanted to lighten Huo Ranyin’s load without saying it outright, so he beat around the bush for a few rounds.
However, Zhao Wu was a veteran police captain. After listening for a moment and piecing it together, he got the message loud and clear.
He agreed wholeheartedly: “Don’t you worry, our team here is working overtime to catch up. There won’t be too much left for your end, we’ll wrap it up ASAP!”
Ji Xun gained a whole new level of respect for Zhao Wu: “Captain Zhao, you’re a good man.”
Zhao Wu burst into laughter: “I’m already married, so don’t go handing out ‘good man’ cards to me!”
This easy success satisfied Ji Xun. Right after hanging up, he didn’t waste a second and dialed Tan Mingjiu next.
Tan Mingjiu picked up almost instantly: “Hey, Old Ji! What a rare guest! How’s your injury?”
Ji Xun: “My injury is almost healed.”
Tan Mingjiu’s lively voice rang out: “That’s awesome!”
“Well, you’re not doing so awesome,” Ji Xun said slowly.
“Huh?”
“What about your work?” Ji Xun pointed out judgmentally. “From the 29th of last month until today, it’s been nineteen full days. You still haven’t finished? With an attitude like this, can you even pull your weight?”
“Why couldn’t I pull my weight?” Tan Mingjiu was utterly confused.
“Such a massive case, such enormous merit! Opportunities like this don’t come knocking twice,” Ji Xun hinted heavily.
To be honest, Tan Mingjiu was quite touched: “Old Ji, you’re hurt so badly and you’re still thinking about me?”
“We’re old friends, after all,” Ji Xun sighed with emotion. “If I don’t think about you, who else would I think about?”
“My brother!”
“My brother, work harder,” Ji Xun encouraged him once again, keeping his goal firmly in mind.
“Sigh, I feel like my recent effort has already gone way over budget,” Tan Mingjiu sighed. “Didn’t I tell you before? I’m just like the bumbling cop next to the genius detective—I don’t need to use my brain at all, I just stand there cheering ‘666’ from the sidelines…”
“…” Ji Xun replied, “That really won’t do. A man without distant worries will soon find trouble near at hand.”
Yet Tan Mingjiu remained cheerfully optimistic: “It’s fine, I’ve got a great mindset. As long as I have enough money to get by, I’m good.”
“…” Ji Xun pressed on, “Are we climbing the ladder for money? We do it for honor! Look at Captain Huo, he isn’t short on cash either, yet doesn’t he still work like a man possessed?”
“Well, isn’t that why Captain Huo is Captain Huo, and I’m just Little Tan?” Tan Mingjiu lay flat peacefully. “Contentment brings happiness. Money and position—as long as it’s enough, it’s good.”
“Even if you think that way,” Ji Xun said slowly, “maybe your future wife and kid will think otherwise.”
“Old Ji…”
“Hmm?”
“Have you been cooped up inside for too long because of your injury?” Tan Mingjiu asked cautiously. “It’s our fault, totally our fault. The station has been a bit crazy lately, but no matter how busy we are, we shouldn’t neglect visiting you. Hang on, I’ll organize everyone to go to the hospital to see you tonight!”
“I don’t need that!” Sensing things were veering off course, Ji Xun firmly shut it down. “I just need you to work hard and stop wasting time!”
“I think tonight looks pretty good,” Tan Mingjiu declared on his own. “Decided! Tonight it is—we’ll all come see you!”
“…Stop talking to yourself,” Ji Xun rolled his eyes. “Listen carefully to what I’m actually saying.”
However, the more he talked like this, the more worried Tan Mingjiu became.
Why would a man who had been a lazy, useless salted fish for three years suddenly call to lecture him about ambition? From what standing, what angle, and what bizarre logic was this salted fish delivering a motivational speech?
Clearly, something was wrong!
And it was a huge problem!
Tan Mingjiu plotted quietly. He felt that letting Ji Xun go on like this wasn’t an option; an intervention was needed, and the sooner, the better. So he hung up the call and sent Ji Xun a video call request instead.
Ji Xun accepted the video call.
Tan Mingjiu took a quick look at Ji Xun’s background first. Still in the hospital room—good.
Ji Xun was still patiently telling Tan Mingjiu: “I don’t need you guys to come over, you just need to focus on working hard…”
“Right, right, work hard,” Tan Mingjiu put on his most dramatic acting face, catering to Ji Xun’s fragile mental state. “Since you won’t let us visit, at least let us video chat with you for a bit. You can take this chance to encourage us to work hard!”
“Mm…” Ji Xun thought this was actually a pretty decent solution. Though besides Tan Mingjiu, he wasn’t super close with the other two. “Wouldn’t that be a bit too pushy…”
“What’s pushy about telling people to work hard?” Tan Mingjiu countered.
“…” For a split second, Ji Xun actually felt a ray of pure, unselfish glory shining through his selfish motives.
So, when he realized Tan Mingjiu was actually in the station canteen and had set his phone right on the lazy Susan of a large round dining table, his reaction lagged by half a beat—missing the window to stop Tan Mingjiu in time.
The lazy Susan spun, bringing his screen right in front of Wen Yangyang.
Wen Yangyang bubbled with energy: “Teacher Ji! I’ll definitely work hard! Don’t worry, and focus on recovering!”
Ji Xun didn’t really want to exploit Wen Yangyang, but at this point, he could only say, “I believe in you…”
The lazy Susan spun again, stopping in front of the bespectacled detective, Zhong Xiaojin.
Zhong Xiaojin had the least contact with Ji Xun, so he pushed up his glasses nervously: “Brother Ji, rest assured, I’ll work hard too.”
Ji Xun replied, full of expectation: “Keep it up.”
The lazy Susan spun further, bringing him in front of the other members of the Second Branch. Without Ji Xun saying a word, they were all exceptionally motivated, proactively declaring their commitment to work hard. For a moment, Ji Xun felt like a capitalist overseer inspecting his laborers…
And then, with one final flick of its tail, the lazy Susan spun to a halt… right in front of Huo Ranyin.
Ji Xun finally realized where his faint, lingering unease from earlier had come from.
Once the rest of the Second Branch had finished spinning past, who else was left but Huo Ranyin?
The two of them stared at each other through the screen.
In unison, both of them recalled the conversation they had shared that morning when parting.
“Stay here and be good.”
“I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Huo Ranyin crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow. He flashed Ji Xun a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile: “Don’t worry. I’ll follow your instructions… and work very hard.”
Ji Xun: “…”
Right at that moment, Chief Zhou happened to walk past in the background holding a lunch tray. Being sharp-eyed, he immediately spotted Ji Xun on Huo Ranyin’s screen.
He stopped in his tracks, pointing a finger at Ji Xun: “You called me this morning begging to get Huo Ranyin time off, and by noon you’re sending a video call to make him rest? Whether he rests or not, what does that have to do with you? If you care so much about our police station’s leave policy, why don’t you come back and experience for yourself whether my task assignments are reasonable or not?”
While Chief Zhou was scolding him, Ji Xun caught sight of Tan Mingjiu.
He watched as Tan Mingjiu’s face cycled through confusion, shock, and finally total realization.
Oh boy.
The dummy finally figured it out.
Ji Xun gritted his teeth.
Shrinking his head back, Tan Mingjiu hid behind the crowd and offered Ji Xun a sheepish, apologetic smile, mouthing the words:
Sorry, sorry!
You absolute mallet! Ji Xun glared back fiercely with his eyes.
I am a mallet, okay! Tan Mingjiu replied with an equally aggrieved look. But your scheme was way too roundabout!
Who on earth would have guessed that to lighten Captain Huo’s load, you’d pull a “Besiege Tan to Save Huo” move, trying to exploit ME to reduce Captain Huo’s workload?!
Meanwhile, under Huo Ranyin’s amused, comfortable gaze, Chief Zhou’s lecture to Ji Xun had already progressed to:
“…Have you registered for the civil service exam yet? How’s your studying going?”
“…” Ji Xun.
Save me!
Losing all desire to go on living, he abruptly hung up the video call and fled.
