Chapter 29 Roasted Milk and You
Because it was kept in a warmer, the cup was still covered with cold water droplets when it was taken out, and the ice cream and cream on top remained intact.
She ran back into the alley with the cup and handed it to Lu Zheng: "Here, this is for you! It's a new product today called Fiery Volcano Roasted Milk Tea, and it tastes pretty good! Consider it a thank you for always being so timely, and also... thank you for your advice, I took it to heart!"
Lu Zheng was clearly taken aback. Looking at the cool-looking drink with an enticing sweet aroma handed to him, a look of surprise and hesitation flashed across his face.
He opened his mouth, as if to refuse: "I won't..."
"Hey, take it! I saved it especially for you!" Su Xiaonuan didn't give him a chance to refuse. She took a step forward and grabbed his hand that was hanging by his side. His hands were large, his fingers were long, and his palms had obvious calluses from guns and thin calluses from training. They felt warm and dry to the touch.
Without a word, Su Xiaonuan shoved the cold cup into his hand, her fingertips inevitably touching his skin.
Lu Zheng seemed startled by the slightly cool touch and her movements, his body stiffening instantly, and he forgot to tighten his grip on the cup.
Su Xiaonuan had already let go of his hand, took two steps back, waved at him, and smiled brightly: "Let's go, Officer Lu! Thank you for cleaning up! Good night!"
After saying that, she turned around, walked briskly out of the alley, and disappeared around a corner.
Lu Zheng was left standing there, stunned, holding a fancy iced drink that seemed completely out of place with his cool demeanor. He looked bewildered, and a suspicious blush seemed to be spreading around his ears.
Just then, a commotion was heard at the hotel entrance.
Lu Zheng quickly composed himself, reverting to his usual cold and aloof demeanor as the criminal police captain, and strode out.
The boy with the beige curly hair had already been handcuffed. He was only wearing a thin shirt, his hair was disheveled, and his face was ashen white, filled with panic and disbelief. He was still futilely trying to explain, "Officer, it's a misunderstanding! It must be a misunderstanding! My girlfriend and I were just joking..."
Beside him, the girl who had been unconscious had woken up. She was wearing a coat given to her by a police officer. Although her face was still pale and her eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty, she was clutching the coat tightly and hiding behind the policewoman. But at least she was properly dressed and did not seem to have been physically assaulted.
Her eyes were filled with fear and lingering dread as she looked at the boy.
From afar, Su Xiaonuan, who had already returned to her car, saw this scene through the car window. Only then did she truly relax and let out a long sigh of relief.
She glanced one last time at the white-haired scumbag being led into the police car, then at Lu Zheng, who was standing at the hotel entrance, still holding the cup of roasted milk tea, looking in her direction with a complicated expression, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
Without lingering, she started the car, and the silver-white RV silently drove out of the dark alley, merged into the night traffic, and disappeared into the city's neon lights.
At the entrance of Yuelai Hotel, the operation was nearing its end.
Lu Zheng stood there, watching Su Xiaonuan's car drive away, before finally letting out a slight sigh of relief.
Looking down, his gaze fell again on the exaggeratedly shaped "Flaming Volcano Roasted Milk" in his hand.
The condensation on the cool glass had dampened his palm, bringing a refreshing coolness.
"Yo ho!" A voice with obvious mockery rang out from the side.
The man who had just introduced himself to Su Xiaonuan, Qin Haoran, who was very close to Lu Zheng and also belonged to the Criminal Investigation Detachment, came over and nudged Lu Zheng with his elbow, winking at the cup in his hand, "Captain Lu, that's impressive! Which young lady gave this to you? Getting a sweet treat while on a mission? This is the first time our team has received such treatment!"
Qin Haoran is cheerful and outgoing, the life of the party in the team, which is in stark contrast to Lu Zheng, who is cold and taciturn. But it is precisely because they complement each other that the two have a very good personal relationship.
He had noticed Lu Zheng whispering with the pretty stall owner in the alley earlier, and now he had caught the "evidence".
Lu Zheng glanced at him expressionlessly, his gaze so cold it could freeze a person to death.
But upon closer inspection, one can see that the slight blush that had appeared on his ears due to Su Xiaonuan's sudden approach has completely faded, and he has returned to his usual calm and composed demeanor.
"It seems you've finished writing the CCTV analysis report for that serial theft case in the East District?" Lu Zheng said calmly, his voice devoid of any inflection. "Perfect, I need to see the detailed report on my desk at tomorrow morning's meeting."
Qin Haoran's smile instantly froze, turning into a bitter expression: "No way, Captain Lu! So many surveillance cameras! You're trying to trip me up like this? That's so unfair!"
"Serving the people, what's the point of talking about morality?" Lu Zheng's tone remained calm as he walked towards his car.
Qin Haoran followed behind him, scoffing and muttering under his breath, "Stingy! He retaliates for asking a question... It's just that I hit the nail on the head..." But he wasn't really angry, knowing that Lu Zheng was just like that.
Lu Zheng ignored him and got into the driver's seat.
He placed the cup of roasted milk on the passenger seat and started the car.
The city roads were much clearer at night.
While waiting at the red light, Lu Zheng's gaze involuntarily drifted back to the drink.
The blue flame display at the top had long since ended, but the caramel-colored traces and shimmering gold dust still made it look unique.
As if possessed, he reached out, picked up the small spoon stuck in the lid of the cup, scooped up a spoonful of the mixture of caramel cream, slightly melted ice cream, and chilled milk tea at the bottom, and put it in his mouth.
The first thing you taste is the coolness, which dispels the sweltering heat of the summer night.
Next comes the rich, creamy vanilla ice cream and the silky, light whipped cream, with the sweetness perfectly balanced so it's not cloying.
Then, the unique slightly bitter caramel aroma from the flames spreads, cleverly balancing the sweetness and creating a rich, layered flavor.
Finally, the rich tea flavor and subtle fruity aroma of the iced milk tea at the bottom slowly emerge, refreshing and cleansing the palate.
The taste... is indeed very good.
It's complex, it's unique, just like... just like the person who made it.
Lu Zheng couldn't help but picture Su Xiaonuan in his mind—her sweet smile and quick hands and feet while setting up her stall;
He is calm, decisive, and highly skilled when facing thugs and thieves.
Just now in the alley, he had a slyness and a teasingness like a little fox... Each of his appearances was completely different, yet they were strangely blended into the same person.
His relationship with her seemed to be like this cup of roasted milk tea—seemingly simple, yet containing a mixture of doubt, inquiry, cooperation, and an indescribable, subtle tension, like ice and fire intertwined.
It is incomprehensible and inexplicable, yet it inexplicably attracts people to explore it.
He shook his head, shaking off these inexplicable thoughts, and focused on driving.
He took that cup of roasted milk all the way home and put it in the refrigerator.
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