Chapter 38: Lack of a Girlfriend
In the golden autumn of October, the sunlight was warm and gentle.
After finishing his shift, Qin Hao rode his little electric scooter back home, leisurely swaying along the way.
Neighbors greeted him warmly, and he couldn't help but feel a faint sense of being the community's guardian—a rookie, but a content one nonetheless.
“Dad!”
He unlocked the door with his key, glanced around but didn’t see his old man. Naturally, he headed to the kitchen to cook himself a bowl of noodles. Checking the fridge, he found two eggs, gave them a quick rinse, and tossed them into the pot.
Although fried eggs were tasty, they always produced a layer of foam when boiled, so he preferred simply boiling them.
About ten minutes later, Qin Hao was happily alternating between bites of garlic and noodles. Just then, Qin Maocai came in carrying a small puppy by the scruff of its neck. The little dog was silent, not making a sound.
“Where’d this dog come from?”
“It’s one of Old Wang’s Blackie’s pups.” Qin Maocai looked around, tore up a big cardboard box, placed the puppy inside, and said, “From now on, it’s your job to train it. Make it like a police dog so I can take it on walks.”“How would I know how to train a dog?”
“Aren’t you a policeman? Can’t you train police dogs?”
“I’m a policeman, but I can’t defuse bombs either.”
“…”
Qin Maocai thought for a moment. “Well, if it’s raised by a cop, it’s a police dog.”
Qin Hao didn’t bother arguing. Did they really think a humble community officer like him could do everything? “What’s its name?”
“It needs a powerful, majestic name. Let me think it over and look through the dictionary.”
“Did you even look through a dictionary when naming me…?” Qin Hao muttered under his breath, slurped some noodles, and then looked up. “Oh, right. I’ve got something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“That guy Qingzi—does he have a cousin? I’ve been friends with him since we were kids and never heard about this.”
“Hm?” Qin Maocai paused, his hand mid-motion as he teased the puppy. “Never heard of it. Why? Got your eye on someone’s sister?”
“No, just asking.” Qin Hao waved it off.
The two families were very close. During holidays, they often gathered together. It was said that before he was even born, their fathers had joked about arranging a child marriage. But when Xu Qing was born, it turned out he was a boy. Then when Qin Hao was born—surprise! Another boy.
The child marriage plan was off the table.
“Why are you asking about someone’s sister out of the blue?”
“I met a girl yesterday. Qingzi said she’s his cousin. She’s quite pretty but a little… strange.”
Qin Hao couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt off. It wasn’t much of a big deal—he just thought the girl seemed absent-minded. But recalling Xu Qing’s behavior at KTV… not that it was wrong, just that the whole situation felt a bit contrived.
Was he overthinking things, being too much of a cop?
Qin Hao chewed on a piece of garlic thoughtfully. If Xu Qing hadn’t mentioned the cousin beforehand...
“Pretty, huh?” Qin Maocai raised his eyebrows, catching the key detail. “Alright, I’ll ask Old Xu about her sometime.”
“…” Qin Hao was speechless. “We’re not even on the same wavelength here. Where’s your mind wandering to?”
“Just leave it to me.”
Afternoon
Xu Qing took his tagalong, Jiang He, to pick up the cake he’d ordered earlier that day. Pausing at the gate on the way out, he greeted Uncle Zhao.
“Uncle Zhao, no ghost sightings recently, right?”
“None, none. That priest wasn’t all talk. Ever since that ritual, it’s been peaceful.”
Uncle Zhao lounged in his chair, swaying back and forth, sighing, “There are some things you just can’t not believe in. I’ve lived over half my life and seen all sorts of things, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a ghost…”
“Alright, as long as it’s settled. Take care, Uncle.” Xu Qing smiled. He figured he now understood where those ghost stories originated. In the future, when Uncle Zhao retired and spent his days babysitting grandkids or strolling with other seniors, he’d add embellishments to his tales. Pretty soon, it’d turn into a viral story on some forum: ‘My Security Guard Days.’
“Look at you scaring the poor guy,” Xu Qing said to Jiang He as they walked away from the gate. However, hearing that the issue was resolved put him at ease. Jiang He truly seemed to have stayed out of trouble, no longer sneaking out at night.
“It won’t happen again.”
Jiang He pursed her lips. Now she didn’t need to sneak out—her computer could tell her whatever she wanted to know.
“They think I’m your girlfriend.”
“Yeah, they do.”
“But I’m not.”
“Of course not. Didn’t I tell them? They just don’t believe me,” Xu Qing shrugged. “Come on, let’s grab some milk tea.”
“They…” Jiang He hesitated but didn’t continue. She didn’t understand why people thought that way. The two of them were innocent, sleeping in separate rooms, with no inappropriate behavior. Sure, they ate and shopped together occasionally, and sometimes Xu Qing helped dry her hair. But as long as their conscience was clear, who cared?
Sipping her kumquat lemon tea, Jiang He followed Xu Qing, pondering as she drank.
“What do girlfriends usually do? We should avoid those things so people don’t misunderstand.” She figured rumors could negatively affect Xu Qing, so she wanted to prevent them.
“Girlfriends? Hmm…” Xu Qing thought for a moment. “They might go shopping, take walks, eat together, or live together.”
“…” Jiang He froze.
“Oh, and drink milk tea together,” Xu Qing added, noticing the cup in her hand.
“Then I… I…”
“But you’re an exception because of your unique situation. Normal rules don’t apply to you.”
“Really?” Jiang He asked uncertainly. She instinctively wanted to throw the milk tea away but couldn’t bear to part with it.
“Of course.” Xu Qing nodded seriously.
“Then we… we…” Jiang He struggled for words before finally saying, “We just have to keep a clear conscience!”
“Exactly. We’re both upright people. Nothing to worry about.”
Xu Qing agreed, turning to head to the cake shop. Jiang He nodded vigorously, taking another sip of her milk tea.
Clear conscience—it’s that simple. That’s what young heroes believe. What does it matter what others say?
The birthday cake Xu Qing had ordered was already prepared. After paying, he carried the large box out. While it wasn’t as big as the one he’d seen yesterday, it was still about the size of a washbasin. Jiang He estimated it must’ve been expensive, and she couldn’t help but feel her debt to him growing.
“You said before that work is about solving problems for others and getting paid.”
“Mm, that’s right.”
Jiang He thought for a moment and asked, “Do you have any problems I could help solve, young hero?”
“You?” Xu Qing looked back at her in surprise. So now she was planning to work off her debt to him? Clever, truly clever.
“I don’t have any problems, and even if I did, you couldn’t solve them.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Hmm… I’m missing a girlfriend,” Xu Qing teased.
Jiang He froze, lowering her head in silence.
“You’re not taking that seriously, are you?” Xu Qing was startled.
So bold? Then again, even if Jiang He agreed, he wouldn’t dare take the leap. Sure, his mom would be overjoyed at such a pretty girlfriend, but just picking one up like this felt too hasty.
“…I can’t help you abduct decent women.” Jiang He looked at him apologetically. “That’s against the rules set by the First Boss.”
“…”
Alright, clearly, he was overthinking things.
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