Embarrassment!
A room full of awkwardness!
On Monday morning, as Luo Wenwu stepped through the office door, he sensed something was wrong.
Everyone in the room was silent.
Li Yang was buried in writing copy, Yu Yue was searching for information, and only Lü Qingqing stood with her arms crossed, legs crossed, her toes tapping rhythmically.
Her eyes were fixed on Hu Jia, who was acting like an ostrich, trying his best not to look up.
"What's going on?" Luo Wenwu whispered to Li Yang.
"Tsk tsk, you didn't see it just now. Lü Qingqing was an absolute maniac. As soon as she walked in, she started yelling at the boss. She yelled so much that the boss is afraid to even look up now. Tsk tsk, I really pity our boss. His married life is ruined," Li Yang said with a flourish, but Luo Wenwu couldn't see much sympathy on his face.
"Hush!" Yu Yue glanced at Lü Qingqing. "Careful, you might draw fire."
Li Yang nodded, a foolish grin on his face. As expected, Little Yue Yue still cares about me.
Yu Yue didn't see his silly smile. Instead, she beckoned Luo Wenwu towards the door. "Come on, let's talk outside. Haha, you really missed out, it was so exciting."
Li Yang: "..."
"Let's talk right here. Let's lay everything out, word for word, so Wenwu can hear it. Does your boss even consider me one of his own?" Lü Qingqing's voice made Yu Yue scurry back to her seat.
"Uh, it has nothing to do with me. He wanted to ask," Yu Yue pointed at Luo Wenwu, then at Li Yang. "He's the one who wanted to talk."
Luo Wenwu was slow-witted, but not stupid. "Sister-in-law, you speak. I'll listen. Don't be angry. If the boss did anything wrong, just scold him. I'll guard the door for you and make sure he doesn't run away."
After saying that, Luo Wenwu actually blocked the doorway.
...
"There was a lead, and they didn't take me!"
"They were going to arrest someone at night, and they didn't take me!"
"They were arranging police deployment, and they didn't take me!"
"Am I even part of the Special Operations Team?"
"If I'm not, then return the two copper coins you owe me. Let's part ways sooner rather than later."
Lü Qingqing's voice was not loud, but each word was filled with anger. Luo Wenwu realized that Lü Qingqing seemed to be angry about last night's operation to apprehend the suspects.
But what about the two copper coins?
"The case is solved, the person has been caught, and I'm the last to know." Lü Qingqing was truly angry. They had worked on the case together, and yet she was excluded from the final stage.
It turned out that after Lü Qingqing's call yesterday, Hu Jia and the others quickly brought Old Wangtou back into the interrogation room.
Under further questioning, all the truth surfaced.
When Zhu Xinkai went to the cinema that day, it was Old Wangtou who opened the door. From the conversation between Zhu Xinkai and Zhang Hao, Old Wangtou already knew the visitor's purpose and that Zhang Hao and Yue Hongling would be entertaining guests that day.
So when Zhang Hao and Yue Hongling entered and exited the backyard multiple times, he became suspicious. Especially when he saw the silver dollars spill from Zhang Hao's bag, he had a hunch. Old Wangtou then secretly went to the finance office and indeed found something amiss!
Old Wangtou was hesitating whether to report it or pretend not to see it, but the shiny silver dollars in the safe really stung his eyes.
Seeing Xiang Xia, who had fainted, Old Wangtou finally pocketed a handful of silver dollars.
Back in the security booth, holding the silver dollars, Old Wangtou's hands trembled. He felt closer to wealth than ever before. With greed taking hold, Old Wangtou decided to take a risk. "Even if something happens, it won't be traced back to me."
So, Old Wangtou found his nephew, and together they conspired to steal the silver dollars.
During this process, Xiang Xia woke up. To prevent the matter from being exposed, Old Wangtou's nephew knocked Xiang Xia unconscious again and transported her out in a wheelbarrow.
Fortunately, Old Wangtou and his nephew were not cruel people. Xiang Xia was merely held captive. Old Wangtou had intended to resign after the heat died down, but he was caught by the police less than two days later.
Last night's operation was to arrest the suspects and rescue Xiang Xia.
Hearing Lü Qingqing's "complaint," Luo Wenwu was puzzled. Why was she blaming the boss instead of Li Yang for not taking her on the mission?
It was Li Yang who said that Sister-in-law was tired, having run around for two consecutive days, and she should rest. He said this was a chance to show the tenderness of a fiancé towards his fiancée.
As a result, Hu Jia believed him.
Now, he was facing her displeasure.
Seeing Hu Jia look at him, Li Yang's expression changed, and he made gestures of surrender with his hands.
Hu Jia was so angry his teeth ached. This kid claimed to be a master of romance, but he had never succeeded.
Sigh...
Thinking of the words Li Yang had taught him that morning, Hu Jia hesitated. Should he trust that kid one more time?
"Qing, I was afraid you weren't getting enough rest and wanted you to have more," Hu Jia decided to trust him one more time. After all, he had said it so confidently that this explanation would surely get him out of trouble.
"Afraid I would be tired?" Lü Qingqing retorted.
Hey, this was promising!
"Yes, afraid you wouldn't be able to handle running around for several days," Hu Jia nodded repeatedly.
Unexpectedly, Lü Qingqing then said, "You mean women are inferior to men?"
This statement completely bewildered Hu Jia. Was that what he meant? Why did it feel like he was being deliberately misinterpreted?
"I didn't say that."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I was worried about you," Hu Jia gritted his teeth. "After all, you are my fiancée. You are my person, who else would I protect if not you?"
Hu Jia blurted out everything Li Yang had taught him in one breath.
It was so shameful!
He felt so embarrassed to even say it.
Uh...
Lü Qingqing hadn't expected Hu Jia to say "my person" so openly in front of everyone.
The office fell silent again.
Not even a breath could be heard.
After a long pause, a simple voice asked, "Sister-in-law, should I still block the door?"
...
Having spent some time together, Lü Qingqing had gotten a grasp of the characteristics of the people in the office.
Li Yang, smooth-talking but without ill intentions. Although they looked similar in age, he seemed more like a child. Especially towards Yu Yue, he was typically bad at something but loved to play.
Yu Yue, the goddess of gossip. Dressed fashionably, but very traditional at heart. A typical case of talking big.
Luo Wenwu, rumored to be a formidable fighter, but she hadn't had the chance to see him in action. He spoke little, but his words were always precise.
And finally, there was Hu Jia. Although he was 27 years old, his memory seemed to be stuck at 22. It was as if he had experienced the five years from 22 to 27 without truly living them.
The five years had not added any social experience, nor had they made his mind more mature. As the captain of the Special Operations Team, he maintained an aura of authority when out in public, but once he relaxed, he reverted to his 22-year-old self.
Therefore, Hu Jia was sometimes like a split personality. He appeared very imposing to outsiders. The first time she met him, he had completely dominated Yao Jieyan of the Tongyuan District Police Station. But once he returned to the office, back to people and things he was familiar with, that youthful energy of 22 returned.
Like just now, what did he say?
My person?
This was the first time Lü Qingqing had heard such a direct statement.
For some reason, these three words seemed to strike a chord in her heart.
Lü Qingqing was a little distracted all morning, her eyes occasionally drifting towards that man.
That man had such long eyelashes, and his fingers, the way he held his pen, was so focused.
Huh? His nose bridge was quite high, and very straight. They say men with large noses have good physical fitness.
And then, there was his Adam's apple...
Just as Lü Qingqing was completely absorbed in her observation, Hu Jia suddenly looked up. "You're still looking at me?"
The feeling of being caught red-handed was terrible.
Knowing that Hu Jia's senses were far beyond ordinary, Lü Qingqing still dared to peek so openly. It was only natural that she would be caught.
Seeing Lü Qingqing hastily lower her head in fright, Hu Jia breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the woman's anger had subsided. As Li Yang had said, women could indeed be coaxed.
Whether to cover her embarrassment or for some other reason, Lü Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "I want to go to the training institute."