She lowered her gaze, staring at the large hand around her wrist, then glanced at the group of people approaching quickly.
Her eyes were full of disgust as she took a deep breath. “President Yin, please let go.”
This was a public place, and even though Yin Hao had feelings for Wen Xin before, he had never forced anything.
“President Yin, let go of her first. There are many guests up ahead,” Shu Shuangyue said anxiously.
Yin Hao naturally saw the people approaching, especially one face he had seen in a photograph.
Shen Yan and a group of his brothers from the squad were walking toward the private room over here.
Rao Shuwan stood by his side and asked casually, “Isn’t that Miss Wen? She seems to be in a bit of trouble.”
She tilted her head, trying to see Shen Yan’s reaction. All she saw was his tightly clenched jawline, devoid of any expression—exactly the same as when he was working.
Perhaps their relationship was just that of friends after all.
With that thought, she felt much more at ease.
The group was locked in a standoff at the entrance of the private room. Yin Hao thought that Wen Xin would at least agree to have dinner with him out of respect for him being her superior. He had even planned the next step—the two of them could take a walk by the river afterward. In short, he had a hundred and eighty things he could do to make their feelings grow.
Just as the group reached the entrance of the private room—
A sudden force struck Yin Hao’s wrist. His hand bent at a ninety-degree angle to his arm, and the pain made him grimace, doubling over and howling.
Shen Yan looked down at him, his brow dark and brooding. “You touched her?”
Yin Hao was in so much pain he wanted to curse his mother—this guy was trained.
“I just wanted to keep her for dinner.”
“But I heard her tell you to let go?” His gaze was as cold as ice, fixed on Yin Hao, his tone carrying not a trace of warmth.
“Right, right, I won’t dare anymore.”
Of all the strategies, retreating a step opens up a world of possibilities.
Shen Yan slowly released his grip, then gave a push. Yin Hao, a tall man at 1.8 meters, collapsed to the ground.
Standing off to the side, Shu Shuangyue was already starting to envy Wen Xin. When would she ever find herself a boyfriend from the criminal investigation unit?
The sense of security was off the charts, wasn’t it?
She probably had no idea that later on, she would fall so hard for that young man from the criminal investigation unit—and that the ending would deal her a fatal blow.
Shen Yan stepped forward and crouched beside Yin Hao, his eyes sharp as blades. “You need to remember—she’s not someone you can touch. Understand?”
No matter how displeased Yin Hao was, seeing that Shen Yan had numbers on his side, he could only swallow the loss in silence.
After the farce was over.
The young men from the criminal investigation unit, being quite perceptive, invited Wen Xin and Shu Shuangyue to join them for dinner.
Shen Yan and Wen Xin walked at the back. She tugged at the hem of his shirt and whispered, “Officer Shen, that was super cool just now.”
He pressed his lips together and gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.
Inside the private room.
Shen Yan sat at the head of the table, with Wen Xin and Rao Shuwan seated on either side of him.
Shu Shuangyue’s impression of Shen Yan was skyrocketing by the second. This damn charisma—she couldn’t wait to share tonight’s events with her roommates.
Chen Chuan handed over the menu, practically buzzing with excitement. “Miss Wen, Miss Shu, take a look at the menu—would you like to add any dishes?”
Shu Shuangyue, acting as both attentive assistant and half-manager, actually told Wen Xin to eat to her heart’s content.
Wen Xin was so happy her smile stretched from ear to ear.
In contrast, Rao Shuwan’s expression was not so pleasant. She had just assumed Shen Yan wouldn’t meddle in other people’s affairs, but who would have thought he would publicly discipline those who bullied Wen Xin? And now, she had just joined the criminal investigation team—this was her first group dinner. Why had no one asked her what cuisine she liked?
“Shuwan, I saw that your ancestral home is Fujian, so you should be able to handle spicy food. Eat your fill tonight—don’t save the boss any money,” Chen Chuan said.
She gave a proper smile. “Okay, thank you.”
Wen Xin casually lifted her gaze and glanced at him.
Jinjiang Banquet was an establishment under the banner of Shen Yan’s mother, Long Mei. When they were young, Shen Yan often brought her here for nutritious meals because she had been too skinny back then. Every day, Shen Yan would order a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and after a month, Wen Xin had visibly gained weight.
Her moist, crescent-shaped eyes were full of delight. “Officer Shen, thank you for taking us in.”
Beside her, Shu Shuangyue chimed in, “That’s right, thank you to Officer Shen and all the officers for tonight.”
Jiang Shisan, who rarely spoke, opened his mouth and said, “You’re welcome.”
Shu Shuangyue’s first impression of him wasn’t particularly good—after all, she had been treated like air the first time they met.
Because of Wen Xin and Shu Shuangyue’s presence, the meal didn’t feel out of place at all. Instead, it allowed people from two different professions to gain a deeper understanding of each other.
Chen Chuan tried several times to ask for a photo and signature, but each time, a single look from Shen Yan suppressed the attempt.
Honestly, did Shen Yan have some kind of device installed on him? This was too difficult.
After the dinner party dispersed.
Rao Shuwan saw that Shen Yan was the last to leave, so she mustered up her courage and approached him. “Captain Shen, we happen to be going the same way. Could I trouble you to give me a ride?”
“Getting around in the capital is fairly convenient. You can book a car online.”
If one were to talk about Shen Yan’s way of rejecting people, it was truly ruthless.
He never gave women a chance—not even a spark of hope.
Rao Shuwan’s face twitched.
With that, he lifted his foot and walked out.
Underground parking garage.
Wen Xin looked left and right, and only when she saw no one around did she bravely get into Shen Yan’s car.
She always felt like the two of them had some kind of secret affair, yet there was clearly nothing between them.
Shen Yan stamped out the burning cigarette butt on the ground, let the smell dissipate from his clothes, and then got into the car.
Wen Xin’s nose was sharp. She turned around and immediately spotted the takeout box from Jinjiang Banquet in the back seat. She exclaimed in delight, “Shen Yan, is this for me?”
He nodded.
“Is it Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? I didn’t think you’d still remember.” Wen Xin had long assumed Shen Yan had forgotten her preferences.
But then, a bucket of cold water came down without warning.
“Ms. Long knew we were dining here today, so she had the kitchen make it specially.”
Wen Xin pouted her lips, a little disappointed. “Auntie Long is still the best, and Grandpa Shen, and Uncle Shen too.”
The car sped through the streets of the capital at night, and Wen Xin, hugging the Jinjiang Banquet takeout box, fell asleep in the passenger seat.
As they neared Jinxiu Tiandi.
From a distance, Shen Yan spotted two suspicious men lurking around, still shoving each other back and forth.
When the two saw the headlights, they immediately turned around, pretending to be chatting to cover themselves.
“It’s all your fault. Now that someone’s here, what do we do?”
“It’s fine, we’re just passersby. What’s there to be afraid of?”
“But would passersby turn around the moment they see a car like we did? They’ll think we’re thieves!”
The two argued, neither willing to back down.
Shen Yan curved the corner of his mouth. After driving into the neighborhood, darkness and silence once again fell over Jinxiu Tiandi.
“See? They didn’t notice us!”
“It’s this late—should we keep staking the place out?”
The other man looked up at the cluster of high-rises, flanked on either side by the Criminal Investigation Division and the Fire Department buildings.
Even with night blindness, he felt as though some imposing authority was bearing down on him, a suffocating pressure welling up from within.
“Let’s just head back. They’re bound to come out tomorrow. This place isn’t suited for us to linger.”
The shorter man retorted, “What’s there to be afraid of? We’ve got someone covering our backs.”
After weighing their options, the two decided to step forward and check things out.