Chapter 21

As Xu Man gradually approached, the window on the driver's seat of the black SUV slowly lowered, revealing Qin Shen's handsome face.

"Good morning." He greeted her with a warm smile.

Xu Man smiled back at him, delicate and reserved: "Good morning, Captain."

A young and handsome man was waiting for her downstairs in his car - this was the first time she had experienced such a thing. The novel experience made her heart beat slightly faster and her face flushed. She quickly turned her face to the side and lowered her head to cover it up slightly, hoping that her little thoughts would not be seen through by the other party.

Qin Shen noticed her exceptionally rosy face, but didn't think much about it. His attention was focused elsewhere: the thin and light summer dress perfectly fit the girl in front of him, outlining her beautiful body curves. When she walked towards him, she was like a breeze, bringing with her the unique freshness and sweetness of summer.

When she looked over here with a slight smile, her almond-shaped eyes seemed to be filled with tiny starlight, creating a charming scene. Her honey-colored lips were gently pursed, sparkling in the sunlight. Her face was pretty and rosy, full of vigor, like a camellia filled with dew, blooming quietly and beautifully.

Just looking at it like this made him feel happy. People are always happy to see beautiful things, not to mention that this person is Xu Man, his lovely schoolmate.

He raised the corner of his mouth and smiled at Xu Man who was walking towards him: "You look very beautiful today."

Xu Man stopped and blushed a little at his sudden praise. She also felt guilty and at a loss, not knowing how to respond to this straightforward compliment.

From childhood to adulthood, many people have praised her for her good looks. Some were polite words, but most were sincere compliments. She had heard the words "good-looking" and "pretty" countless times and was already familiar with them. She was also used to responding to them with a smile and gratitude, but when the person who said these words turned out to be Qin Shen, she could no longer treat it with a normal heart.

When she realized that she might have a crush on the captain of the criminal investigation team, she could no longer adjust her attitude. She always felt that it was not good to do this or say that.

More importantly, did he realize that he had dressed up deliberately today?

If you can see it, then have you seen your own thoughts?

Feeling uncertain, Xu Man finally chose the safest way to answer, which was to politely lower her head and smile, but this smile was much more delicate and reserved than usual.

Qin Shen didn't notice her little thoughts. He smiled generously, leaned back in his chair, and glanced at the time. "Six twenty, quite punctual." He tilted his head towards her, "Get in the car, Yan."

Xu Man agreed, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door and got in.

Qin Shen turned his head and watched her close the door, put her bag away, and then pull the seat belt and fasten it. The four-finger-wide cloth belt was pressed diagonally against the round hillock on her chest, pressing the middle down slightly, revealing two graceful curves. His Adam's apple moved unconsciously.

After holding the backpack against her knees, Xu Man sat and waited for a while. When the car didn't start, she turned to look at Qin Shen in confusion: "Captain?"

Qin Shen immediately withdrew his gaze, coughed dryly to cover up, turned his gaze back to the windshield, turned the key to start the engine, and drove to the entrance of the community. On the way, he glanced at Xu Man again and saw her sitting quietly in her seat, looking at the scenery on the roadside with her face slightly tilted. She looked well-behaved, and his thoughts couldn't help but deviate from the right track again. Fortunately, he remembered that it was driving time, so he didn't relax too much. He quickly gathered his thoughts and concentrated on driving.

It was six o'clock in the morning, and it was not yet the rush hour. There were few vehicles on the road and it was very quiet. Qin Shen drove smoothly and arrived at the detachment in less than fifteen minutes. The guard at the door recognized his car and let him pass without stopping to show his ID. He drove all the way to the yard, stopped the car, turned off the engine, closed the windows, and drove down in one go. It was only half past six, half an hour before Xu Man's shift change at seven o'clock, which was enough time for breakfast.

"Put your bag in the car and come back to get it later." After the car stopped, Xu Man was about to get out of the car with her bag when Qin Shen next to her gave her this suggestion. She thought about it and felt that it made sense, so she put her bag down and got out of the car with only her phone.

But in this case, she didn't know where to put her free hand, and she didn't know what was going on. Since she first saw Qin Shen downstairs of the apartment building this morning, her mind has been hanging in the air. It was difficult to calm down, and she just felt uncomfortable all over. Originally, she had a bag on her shoulder and could hold the strap to distract herself a little, but now she can't do that. Fortunately, Qin Shen took her outside after getting off the car and talked to her about breakfast all the way, so she didn't have time to think about all kinds of things. She felt much more relaxed without realizing it.

The detachment is located on one side of the intersection of two main roads. The "breakfast shop next to the detachment" that Qin Shen mentioned is on the other side of the intersection. Although they are not neighbors, they are not far away and can be reached in five minutes on foot.

It is a small restaurant with simple decoration. There is a sign at the door that reads "Lao Zhou's Authentic Breakfast and Snacks" and a plastic door curtain. There are quite a few people sitting inside in twos and threes. It seems to be doing good business. The standing air conditioner in the corner is blowing cold air, making people feel refreshed as soon as they step in.

Xu Man followed Qin Shen in and took a quick look around. She discovered that this was a small self-employed restaurant. There was no specific cashier counter. There were only a few QR codes posted below the menu poster on the wall for customers to scan and pay. Behind the window for ordering food was the kitchen, and through a glass window, customers could clearly see the food preparation process. The boss was a middle-aged man wearing a chef's hat, who was steaming cakes busily. There were no employees, only a middle-aged woman helping out in the back. They seemed to be a couple who opened this shop together to run their business.

Qin Shen walked to the ordering counter. Before he could say anything, the boss who was busy opening the steamer to put the buns in saw him, looked up and smiled and greeted him warmly: "You're here. I was wondering why I didn't see you the past two days. Only your henchman came to buy a bunch of breakfast from me. It seems that you are working overtime again? Do you have a case?"

"There are always cases in the team." Qin Shen said. The two of them were very familiar with each other. It seemed that they had visited here frequently. "I work overtime every day. I finally have some free time, so I come to take care of your business."

"Then I have to say thank you. Still the same as before, a bowl of tofu pudding and a pancake, no coriander?"

Qin Shen hummed and moved a little to the side to make some space for Xu Man behind him so that she could see clearly what was inside. "What do you want to eat? I recommend the tofu pudding here. It's tender and fragrant, and has lots of seasonings. Other dishes are also OK. The breakfasts in this restaurant are relatively light, not heavy, and they have fried dough sticks, soy milk, and so on."

Xu Man took a step forward and glanced at the menu on the glass window. Before she had time to take a closer look, the boss inside started laughing: "Wow, this is a big deal today. You brought your girlfriend here? You are so lucky to have found such a beautiful girl."

Qin Shen laughed and scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about. This is my junior sister, she came to the team for internship, and she happened to be assigned to me, so I took her with me and came to have breakfast on the way. What girlfriend? I work overtime all night and don't go home every day. Which girl is willing to be my girlfriend? There is no place to find one even if I want to."

The boss said, "Oh, that's how it is. I made a mistake. So, little girl, what do you want to eat? I have fried dough sticks, soy milk, steamed buns, and pancakes. Or, like your captain, have a bowl of tofu pudding? The tofu here is homemade. It's natural, healthy, and delicious. Many people come to buy it every day. If you come too late, you won't be able to eat it."

Xu Man smiled, but her smile seemed a little uncomfortable. "Then have a bowl of tofu pudding." She was used to being misunderstood about her relationship with Qin Shen again, but the difference was that this time it was Qin Shen who had to explain. When she heard him say "What nonsense are you talking about" without hesitation, she felt... a little strange in her heart, as if she was vaguely lost.

It seemed that she was really overthinking it. Her captain had no intention of that kind towards her at all. He probably took care of her because Aunt Jiang had instructed him to do so, not out of his own will.

Well, he has good abilities, a good background, and top-notch external conditions. Why would he like me? That's too self-indulgent of him.

"Okay, tofu pudding. Do you want sweet or salty? What ingredients do you want?" the boss asked, still smiling.

Xu Man smiled slightly and said softly, "Salty. Use any ingredients you like, just leave out the coriander."

"Okay, two bowls of tofu pudding and a pancake, both are salty, and no cilantro." The boss shouted, opened the tofu pot, took two bowls and scooped up a few spoonfuls of tofu, while saying a number, which was the price of their breakfast.

Seeing Qin Shen taking out his phone to pay, Xu Man quickly said, "Captain, I'll treat you to this meal. I promised to thank you for sending me home."

Qin Shen looked at her, smiled, and didn't insist. He put the phone back in his pocket: "Okay, I'll take advantage of you today." After she scanned the code to pay, he said, "I'll get the food. You go and grab a seat first. If there are too many people later, there will be no place to sit."

Xu Man nodded, turned and went to the lobby. Qin Shen's eyes followed her until she found a table by the window and sat down on the bench, then he looked away.

When he turned around, he was met with his boss's knowing smile.

"Hey, Xiao Qin, tell me the truth, do you want to pursue this girl?" The boss lowered his voice and talked to him, "This is the first time I see you bringing someone here. Although my place is not a high-end Western restaurant, you usually come and go by yourself. Suddenly you bring such a beautiful girl here. If you tell me that you have a clear conscience, I don't believe it at all."

Qin Shen didn't try to explain it like before, but smiled and said, "So obvious? I thought I had a good grasp of it."

The boss sneered: "What's so good about that? The way you stared at me just now was almost like you were gluing your eyeballs to me. And you're still talking nonsense to me, saying that I'm talking nonsense. I think you're the one talking nonsense."

"How can you say that's nonsense?" He answered seriously, "I am interested in her, but she is definitely not my girlfriend. How can I admit that? Girls are very sensitive. If I follow your words and make a joke, and accidentally make her unhappy, and she refuses to go out with me alone in the future, where can I go to cry?"

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