Chapter 9
Lu Xiaoming is half a year younger than Xin Xin. He will not graduate from university until July this year. He was raised by the old man of the Lu family since he was a child. He was always spoiled and could get whatever he wanted.
So when they heard the young master's unrestrained question, the people present were not surprised, at most they felt embarrassed.
Lu Zhao clicked his tongue, grabbed the back of Lu Xiaoming's neck, and warned him, "Lu Xiaoming, stop messing around."
Cen Zhao's gaze fell on Lu Xiaoming. He looked to be in his early twenties, about the same age as the interns in their department. He shared the common traits of youth: recklessness, directness, and fearlessness. Furthermore, Lu Xiaoming's tone wasn't aggressive or rude; at most, it could be described as persistent, determined to get an answer.
So Cen Zhao gave him this answer, not the ambiguous one used to fool a child, but a serious answer: "Not yet, I'm pursuing him."
As soon as the words fell, Chen Du and the others wanted to scream, but it was obviously inappropriate to do so in front of Lu Xiaoming. They endured it with great difficulty and winked at Lu Zhao, which meant, take our lovelorn Mingming away quickly.
Lu Zhao patted Lu Xiaoming's shoulder, feeling very complicated for a moment. On the one hand, he was pleased that his friend was in love with each other, and on the other hand, he was sad that his brother's love did not come true.
It’s hard to be a brother these days.
Chen Liuchi stood at the back holding flowers, trying to hold back his laughter. When he saw Cen Zhao looking at him, his smile widened and he secretly hooked his finger at him.
"What's wrong?"
Cen Zhao moved closer to him and heard Chen Liuchi apologize in a low voice.
"Why apologize?" Cen Zhao was a little puzzled.
Chen Liuchi thought for a moment and said, "I didn't expect him to follow me here, nor did I expect him to ask you such a question."
Cen Zhao shook his head: "I came here without telling you in advance and disturbed your friends' party."
Chen Liuchi laughed when he heard this: "Do you even need to use the word 'disturb'? Aren't you being too polite?"
Cen Zhao was very confident: "Boss Shen is still apologizing for no apparent reason. Isn't this polite?"
Chen Liuchi paused, observing Cen Zhao's expression. He realized that the other party really didn't care about the little incident caused by Lu Xiaoming. He felt relieved and explained to Cen Zhao, "Lu Xiaoming is much younger than me. His family used to live on Huanhai Road, and we were neighbors. At that time, his parents and Lu Zhao were working and studying abroad. They only had an old man in their family, so I took care of him for a while, just like a child."
Therefore, Chen Liuchi always felt that Lu Xiaoming's feelings for him were nothing more than admiration, at most a slight mixture of family affection and romance, but there was absolutely no question of true love.
But children are always stubborn and have self-esteem. The first time they expressed their love, they were rejected neither softly nor harshly. They couldn't let it go, so they put all their efforts into hanging around Shen Liuchi for several years. With such high morale, it was hard to tell whether they regarded Shen Liuchi as their lover or a thorn in their eyes.
Cen Zhao nodded when he heard this. Seeing that Chen Liuchi was still looking at him, he couldn't help but smile: "Boss Shen is very good. It's normal for me to have competitors."
Besides, competition only comes when both parties are on the same starting line. Cen Zhao is confident that he is the one being favored.
Chen Liuchi held the flowers and shook them: "Where are you from? I only accepted flowers from you."
Cen Zhao felt even more relieved when his suspicions were confirmed. He hummed softly and reached out to brush away the petals that had rubbed Chen Liuchi's jaw. "I was afraid you wouldn't like those with strong fragrances, so I only picked a few tulips."
Chenliuchi didn't move, letting the wind gently brush across his chin. He felt a little itchy, but he didn't know if it was the flower branch or Cen Zhao's fingertips.
It was a very dark night. In the distance, sea lights were suspended on the surging tide. The air was filled with silence and tenderness.
Chen Liuchi glanced at the time. It was almost twelve o'clock. He didn't know whether Cen Zhao still needed to go to the Municipal Bureau to complete his work tomorrow. But whether he needed to or not, he didn't want to waste time with a bunch of light bulbs.
"What's wrong?"
Cen Zhao saw him looking around and thought he was looking for something: "What do you want?"
Chen Liuchi pretended to be mysterious, leaned close to his ear, and whispered in a low voice: "I want to be alone with you for a while."
Cen Zhao suddenly smiled and grabbed Chen Liuchi's wrist: "Let's go, I drove here."
Chenliuchi gestured towards the distant coast. "Is what's happening over there a big deal? I just heard Lu Xiaoming say someone died."
Cen Zhao shook his head. "He drowned. He's dead even after being pulled out. The police have already notified his family."
Chen Liuchi was stunned when he heard this and pointed to the deck below: "So it has nothing to do with the corpse here?" This is another unsolved case for them.
Seeing Cen Zhao nod, Chen Liuchi couldn't help but click his tongue. He felt that one of them must have some secrets, otherwise how could he be dismembering people wherever he went? What did that mean? Was it Conan from the present?
"The questioning is over."
Cen Zhao's gaze fell on the lower deck and he nodded to a familiar police officer. The latter shook the bag in his hand and made a goodbye gesture, which was very suggestive.
Forensic Doctor Cen, we need you!
Cen Zhao pretended not to see it. There were people on duty in the bureau. Besides, it was already midnight and everyone had a wife and children at home.
He naturally turned his head to look at the sinking pool. When they looked at each other, he instantly saw a bright smile and light in each other's eyes.
Chenliuchi moved his lips and whispered: Shall we go?
Cen Zhao imitated him and said secretly: Go.
Chen Du and others were at the bow of the boat comforting Lu Xiaoming, who was crying out in frustration due to a broken heart. The child's crying was earth-shaking. Lu Zhao was unable to comfort him alone and was having a headache, so he had to drag Xin Yin and Chen Du into the water together.
Chen Liuchi pulled Cen Zhao along, and the two of them, like thieves, used the barbecue grill as a cover to stealthily move to the gangway, clattering down under the scattered moonlight. The noise quickly attracted everyone on the bow, instantly arousing their discontent:
"Hey! Chenliuchi, why are you running?!"
The sky and the earth were filled with the coolness of the tide, and the moist vapor carried the cries of Chen Du and the others far out to sea. Chen Liuchi grabbed Cen Zhao's hand and ran ashore on the humid early summer night, gradually disappearing into the hazy moonlight.
"Still running?"
As they were about to leave the port, their yacht had become the most inconspicuous dot on the inky sea.
Chen Liuchi looked back with the flower in his arms. His pupils were bright, dancing in the darkness as he ran, like some kind of concrete heartbeat.
Cen Zhao held his hand tightly, feeling as if the moon and Venus were crashing into the earth at the same time. "Run."
The heart of the sky is trembling, let us not stop at this moment.
Cen Zhao said, "Let's run!" and Chen Liuchi dragged him along the boardwalk until he reached the end. He ended up holding onto the railing for three minutes, panting. He subconsciously glanced at his watch. His heart rate was 151. This wasn't just a palpitation; it was a heart-pounding tremor.
Cen Zhao usually exercises and is in much better shape than Chen Liuchi. He recovered after taking a breath for a while. Seeing that Chen Liuchi was still panting, he reached out to hug his flowers, but unexpectedly someone dodged him.
"What are you doing?" Chen Liuchi hid the flower under his arm.
Cen Zhao was amused: "I'm not trying to snatch it from you. I'm just helping you hold it for a while. Be careful not to swallow the petals if you're breathing so hard."
Chen Liuchi was a strong and healthy man after all. Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up straight and steadied his breath. "How can I be out of breath? I just had a stitch in the side during the last 100 meters."
Whatever he said was what he meant. Cen Zhao didn't argue with him, but patted him on the back. "Got it. So you should breathe quickly. Holding your breath at this time is not good for your heart and lungs."
Chenliuchi couldn't breathe steadily anymore, so he went down the stairs and breathed for half a minute before he felt better. He supported himself on the railing with one hand and took a deep breath of the sea breeze: "Refreshing!"
After he shouted, he realized belatedly that he should maintain his image in front of Cen Zhao. What boss would arrange a date with someone shouting into the sea?
Thinking of this, Chen Liuchi instantly felt a little regretful. He turned around quietly to glance at Cen Zhao, but his eyes didn't meet. He saw Cen Zhao also stepped forward to stand beside him, staring at the sea and brewing for ten seconds: "The sea!"
Chenliuchi burst out laughing, his laughter even louder than his breathing just now, almost swallowing the flower petals. It took him a long time to stop: "What about the sea?"
Cen Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Is it really beautiful? I'm a science student and I'm not good at Chinese."
Chen Liuchi said, "That's unfortunate. I don't have any literary romantic cells."
Cen Zhao laughed, "Boss Shen isn't romantic. I thought running on the beach was romantic."
Chen Liuchi tutted his words, "Forensic Doctor Cen has a very strong filter for me. The last time there was a running event at the beach was the Pier Marathon. Is that romantic?"
Cen Zhao wants to say that marathons are not romantic, and running on the beach is not romantic either. What is romantic are the flowers, the people, and for a moment, the eyes and heartbeats looking at him from the sinking pool.
But this was a bit too reckless, and Cen Zhao couldn't say it now.
Sinking Pool didn't seem to want a definite answer either. The two of them maintained a tacit and peaceful silence, watching the tide rising layer by layer in the distance.
"You still have to go to work tomorrow?"
After an unknown amount of time, Chenliuchi tilted his head and asked.
Cen Zhao nodded: "You can be an hour late after returning from field work."
Chen Liuchi glanced at the time: twelve forty-seven. Cen Zhao didn't take out his phone. He leaned forward slightly, seemingly lazy, and glanced at Chen Liuchi's watch. "It's really getting late. I guess I'll have to cancel my punch-in tomorrow morning."
"I can't soak in it." Chen Liuchi pulled Cen Zhao's wrist, "My car is parked nearby—"
There was a slight pause in his voice.
Cen Zhao turned his wrist, broke free from Chen Liuchi's grasp, and grabbed his fingers with his backhand.
The sea water brought by the long wind was mixed with a salty and humid smell, the moonlight trembled and flickered in the darkness, and Chenliuchi's fingertips fell on Cen Zhao's palm, safely and steadily.
"Is your car nearby?"
Cen Zhao continued, "Then, could you please give me a ride, Mr. Shen? My car is at the other end of the pier, and it'll probably take more than half an hour to walk there."
Chen Liuchi nodded, holding the flowers in one hand and holding Cen Zhao's hand in the other, and the wooden plank road made a clattering sound.
His expression was calm, and his steps were neither hurried nor slow. However, within two minutes, Cen Zhao pinched his palm. The latter suppressed a smile and pointed to the side: "Past Boss Shen, the stairs are over there."
Chenliuchi uttered an "oh" and immediately tried to make amends: "It's too dark. I'm a little nearsighted and can't see clearly."
Cen Zhao expressed his understanding and walked naturally to Chen Liuchi, standing shoulder to shoulder with him: "Then I'll take Boss Shen with me."
Upon hearing this, Boss Shen could only continue to pretend to be short-sighted and calm. Being led by Cen Zhao, the two of them took steps of the same size, speed and frequency. They walked quietly and noisily on the dozens of meters long plank stairs.
The car park at the sinking pond wasn't far from here, and there was a decent parking lot. He saw the weather forecast for rain that night, and he didn't want to get his freshly washed car wet again. However, judging by the current weather, the rain wasn't expected to stop for a while, so he paid an extra twelve dollars an hour for parking.
The door to Cen Zhao's residence, the sinking pool, was already cleared, and he drove along the seaside avenue towards the old city, and dropped him off at his doorstep as he was familiar with the route.
When he saw the familiar sinking pond at the gate of the residential complex, he paused for a moment. It felt like his speed was less than 40 miles per hour. How could he have arrived at the place so quickly? He hadn't even had a good chat with Cen Zhao yet.
The car was parked at the same spot as last time, still some distance from the entrance to the residential complex. Cen Zhao said, "Wait a moment," got out of the car and walked towards the security office. A short while later, he returned to the car and announced his building number. "Let's go! I'll have security input your license plate number."
Chen Liuchi asked knowingly, "Isn't Forensic Doctor Cen afraid that I might suddenly attack you and catch you off guard in the future?"
Cen Zhao smiled calmly: "I'm at your service anytime."
In the time it took to say these two sentences, the car had already arrived downstairs. Chen Liuchi parked the car and looked at the time. It was almost 1:30: "If you're late for work tomorrow, I'll voluntarily pay for Forensic Doctor Cen to make up for your absence."
Hearing this, Cen Zhao paused while unbuckling his seatbelt and turned to look at him: "With what Boss Shen said, I won't be in a hurry to go upstairs."
Chen Liuchi held the steering wheel with both hands and looked at him, saying meaningfully: "So you are in a hurry to go upstairs."
Cen Zhao paused and laughed, "So you were waiting for me here."
Unable to hold on to his pretentious expression, Chen Liuchi also curled his eyes and said, "I won't bother you anymore. Go upstairs and get some rest. If you're any later, the sky will be——"
Click.
A very slight sound fell on the front windshield of the car. Before the people in the car could react, raindrops suddenly fell down with crackling sounds. The sky suddenly became low, the clouds were pressed very close, and the rain curtain was so dense that everything was suddenly invisible.
The two were caught off guard by the sudden rainstorm. Chenliuchi quickly raised the car window, and his arms resting on the window sill were wet from the rain: "The weather forecast is still accurate." It's just that they came a little late, making him spend an extra twelve dollars in vain.
Cen Zhao didn't respond, but just looked at the pouring rain, which poured down on the roof and in front of the car, so fast and fierce, and no one knew when it would stop.
"There's an umbrella on the back seat, you can use it first." Chen Liuchi said as he was about to reach back.
"Sinking pond."
Cen Zhao suddenly reached out and pressed his arm, his gaze shifting to Shen Liuchi's face. His tone was gentle, his demeanor natural, so natural that it was almost impossible to notice the change of address. Cen Zhao just stared at him, the rain blurring his vision, his light-colored eyes like melted syrup:
"It's raining so hard, I'm worried about you driving back now."
"Would you like to come to my house and spend a night there?"
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