Le Ning was fine with most things, but she had one unavoidable physical quirk: the moment she got nervous or excited, her face would flush bright red.
Like right now.
Even though she desperately wanted to stay calm and keep her eyes steady without a ripple, the blush on her cheeks still betrayed her real feelings.
She took a deep breath, pressed her lips together, and looked sideways at the man beside her.
Compared to high-school Zhou Ran, the current him carried an extra layer of cold hardness. His features were stern and unyielding; not a trace of that old delinquent vibe remained. But that casual question just now… for some reason, it made Le Ning feel something.
They locked eyes for a second. She looked away first and said coolly, “Isn’t it normal to be nervous around police?”
Before Zhou Ran could reply, Xie Wei across the table laughed. “Miss Le, don’t be nervous. We’re not here to question you today.”
Le Ning gave a faint smile. “Then thank you.”
Xie Wei looked at her, still feeling she was extremely familiar but unable to place where he’d seen her.
He had an outgoing personality, so he took the initiative to chat.
“Miss Le, did you go for a run this morning?”
“Yeah.”
Le Ning paused, then looked at him. “You guys didn’t go home all night?”
Xie Wei nodded helplessly. “We haven’t found a single clue about the killer yet. How could we dare go rest?”
Le Ning nodded and said softly, “You’ve worked hard.”
Xie Wei smiled and joked, “Serving the people, you know.”
Le Ning looked at the cheerful man in front of her and found it a little amusing.
For someone as cold as Zhou Ran to have such a lively subordinate—it was actually quite rare.
Xie Wei’s words were light and never overbearing.
Soon their breakfast arrived. This place was famous for its small wontons—each one plump with meat filling. One bite and the savory sauce burst out, incredibly satisfying.
Le Ning loved them. She ate while scrolling Weibo.
Weibo was still full of last night’s news. There were posts about the murder case exposed yesterday, but it hadn’t gotten much attention. On the other hand, the offline beauty event she attended last night was trending high on the hot search list.
Le Ning clicked in. Even after a whole night, the buzz hadn’t died down.
She scrolled and saw photos of herself.
They were posted by a marketing account that loved sharing pictures of her—whether from livestreams or events, they always edited her to look stunning.
—[Oh my god, let me show you what real peerless beauty looks like! Le Ning tonight was just toooo gorgeous!!!]
Since the post went up, fans had been flooding the comments.
[AHHHHHH what kind of face card does Le Ning even have.]
[I just want to ask—how is Le Ning so skinny and still has boobs??! This is a mystery I’ll never solve.]
[Mommy, “baby face with huge boobs” describes her perfectly. Not exaggerating at all.]
[This is what they call pretty? Too much filler, right? How many paid commenters did Le Ning buy? Why are they all mindlessly praising her?]
……
Le Ning scrolled through the comments and got hit hard by one.
She swallowed the wonton in her mouth whole, coughed a couple of times, and finally stopped.
What the hell.
Le Ning pinched her own cheek. What do you mean too much hyaluronic acid? Which eye of yours saw my face looking stiff?!
She instinctively straightened her back, and as she raised her hand, she accidentally brushed against the man beside her.
Le Ning froze. She turned her head to glance at him.
Zhou Ran had already finished his breakfast and was now looking down at his phone, completely unaware that Le Ning had touched him.
Le Ning paused, then quietly withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened.
After finishing breakfast, Le Ning asked the owner to pack one portion, then went to pay.
As soon as she got there, she was told it had already been paid for.
Le Ning looked toward the two men nearby, bypassed Zhou Ran entirely, and spoke directly to Xie Wei.
“Did you pay?”
Xie Wei answered without thinking: “It was Captain.”
Le Ning: “…”
She pressed her lips together, pretending not to understand: “How much? I’ll transfer it to you.”
Xie Wei smiled: “No need, it was just on the way.”
Le Ning actually wanted to insist for a second, but then she thought better of it.
Fine. Consider it repayment for all the water she bought him back in high school.
Hmph!
Suddenly, Xie Wei said: “By the way, Miss Le, let’s exchange contact info. Once your coat is cleaned, we’ll return it to you.”
“…Okay.”
Le Ning had no objections.
She’d always had a soft spot for police officers, and Xie Wei’s personality was pretty nice too. There was no reason to refuse a request from the people’s police.
After exchanging contacts, Xie Wei and Zhou Ran left.
Le Ning picked up the packed breakfast and headed home in the opposite direction.
Only after they’d walked a good distance did Xie Wei turn to look at Zhou Ran, scrutinizing him with the sharp eyes he’d honed over years as a detective.
“Captain Zhou.”
“Do you know Miss Le?”
Zhou Ran didn’t respond.
Xie Wei’s eyes lit up: “You really do know her?”
If Zhou Ran didn’t know her, he would’ve denied it immediately. This silence today… it was obvious there was something going on.
No wonder Zhou Ran had taken the seat right next to Le Ning on his own initiative.
So they knew each other?
But the way Le Ning looked at Zhou Ran… it didn’t quite seem like that.
Before Xie Wei could figure it out, Zhou Ran gave him a cold glance and asked in a low voice: “Aren’t you getting in the car?”
……
When Le Ning got home, Le Luo was already up.
After breakfast, Le Luo went to his room to do homework, and Le Ning returned to hers.
Just then, a message from Ruan Qiu came in.
Ruan Qiu: [Has your cold still not cleared up? Let’s go out today. I’ll take you to the doctor. The weather’s pretty nice.]
Le Ning thought for a few seconds and replied: [Okay. I’ll do a quick livestream too. Will you come pick me up?]
Ruan Qiu: [No problem.]
Le Ning went back to her room.
She usually livestreamed on Bilibili, where she now had over a million followers.
She hadn’t even posted any announcement, but the moment she went live, her most dedicated fans popped up immediately.
[??? What did I just stumble into!!]
[Lemon is actually livestreaming today??]
[Wow wow wow!! Am I the first one here? So lucky!]
Le Ning watched the barrage of comments, the corners of her lips curving up.
“I’m heading out soon, so today I’ll do a simple caramel pumpkin makeup look. It’ll be perfect for autumn.”
She blinked, adjusted her posture, and sat down at her vanity.
Le Ning’s features were exquisite—no matter the angle, she was flawless from 360 degrees. Every shot of her looked stunning.
While doing her makeup, she occasionally gave product explanations to satisfy the viewers.
When applying foundation, she glanced at the comments: “Everyone knows foundation liquids. Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place Glow BB vs. the classic Double Wear? Actually, the Glow BB has better transparency and gives that creamy skin everyone wants, while the classic one is more hydrating—better for winter. Both have decent coverage.”
She paused: “One sentence: If you’ve got money, go classic. If not, Glow BB. The difference isn’t huge.”
[Hahahahaha I love Lemon’s straightforward, no-nonsense style!]
[Wuwuwu poor student here—I bought the Glow BB last time and it’s seriously long-lasting. Didn’t budge even after hotpot.]
[I just want to say: If I had Lemon’s skin condition, would I even worry about which foundation? Even bare-faced, I’d be the brightest kid on the street!]
Le Ning laughed.
Her movements sped up. Her makeup technique was excellent and had its own unique style.
Le Ning first became famous because of an imitation video.
In it, she used makeup to imitate several popular female celebrities—and one even more impressive one: she directly transformed into a well-known male celebrity.
The makeup was so spot-on it looked like she was the real person. Viewers were blown away by her skills, and more and more people came to watch her.
At the final step, Le Ning applied her lipstick, flicked her hair, and looked at the camera: “Done. Was that fast today?”
Fans flooded the chat saying it was too fast—they hadn’t seen enough.
Le Ning raised an eyebrow. Her curled lashes trembled slightly, looking like a little vixen, making the fans’ hearts pound wildly in the live room.
She really was too beautiful.
“Then I’m ending the stream. See you next time.”
She thought for a second: “I’ll post the products used on Weibo tonight. Come check then—no need to screenshot now.”
“Of course, if there’s a class rep who wants to summarize, even better.”
Fans: ……
After finishing her makeup, Ruan Qiu arrived right on time. When she saw Le Ning’s look, she raised an eyebrow. “Looks good. You look like a college student today.”
Le Ning’s outfit was very youthful: a plaid wool crop top vest over a white button-up shirt, paired with a high-waisted mini skirt that showed off her long, straight, fair legs—impossible to miss.
As soon as she got close, Ruan Qiu leaned in and sniffed lightly, then looked at her in surprise.
“Your perfume today smells really nice.”
Le Ning nodded, her eyes sparkling as she said, “Right? I tried it on today and thought it was perfect for such a romantic day.”
‘Jo Malone London Sambac & Marigold’ – jasmine and marigold, mainly a white floral scent. It has that fresh, roadside-flower-after-rain feeling. The first whiff is stunning—clean, natural, and utterly addictive.
Ruan Qiu caught the key word.
She looked at Le Ning in disbelief, blinking. “Romantic day? What romantic thing is happening today?”
Le Ning gave an “oh,” then batted her lashes at her playfully. “You’re taking me to the hospital to see a doctor. Isn’t that romantic?”
Ruan Qiu: “…”
Hospitals are always crowded—registration, waiting in line, all the procedures are especially tedious.
By the time it was Le Ning’s turn, she was already dozing off in the chair.
Fortunately, it wasn’t anything serious—just a seasonal change she hadn’t paid attention to.
After getting some medicine, the two of them left the hospital.
“Where to now?”
Ruan Qiu had already planned ahead: “Let’s grab something to eat first. Tonight I’m taking you to a bar to dance.”
Le Ning: “…Oh.”
But Le Ning never expected that going to a bar to dance would lead to running into someone she knew.
The main hall of the bar was too loud. After a while, Le Ning’s ears started hurting, so while Ruan Qiu was still excited, she excused herself to go to the bathroom.
As soon as she came out of the restroom, she bumped into Zhou Ran.
The man was leaning against the wall, one foot slightly bent, posture lazy—completely different from how he looked last night.
He was smoking.
This side was the smoking area; a few other men were also smoking nearby.
Le Ning saw Zhou Ran, and naturally, Zhou Ran saw her too.
Their eyes met. Zhou Ran paused for a second, then stubbed out his cigarette.
Just as Le Ning turned to leave, he suddenly asked, “What are you doing here?”
Hearing that, Le Ning wasn’t happy.
“What, are people’s police officers checking bars tonight too?”
Zhou Ran: “…”
He gave a light laugh, the corner of his mouth hooking up as he asked slowly and deliberately, “Why do I get the feeling—Miss Le has a lot of hostility toward me?”
Author’s Note:
Ning Ning: Why do I have so much hostility toward you? Don’t you have any clue in that heart of yours?
Captain Zhou: Nope.