Chapter 20
Through this robbery incident, Iris and Zhuang Zhuoyuan's petty squabbles finally came to a satisfactory end. Zhuang Sheng had restrained himself somewhat at the Zhan family's house, but as soon as he returned home, he revealed his true colors, exposing his talkative nature. Not only did he hug and kiss her tightly, but he also used the excuse of gathering writing material for Iris to drag her along and recount in even greater detail what they had said in the car.
“BB, you have no idea how cunning that robber was today. He pretended to be a hostage himself, and then had the hostage pretend to be the robber. If it weren’t for Ah Tao being sharp and noticing the unnatural expressions on their faces, and seeing the gun the robber was holding to the hostage’s waist through the glass reflection, I can’t even imagine what would have happened.”
His expression was extremely exaggerated, and Iris, who was being held tightly, naturally cheered enthusiastically: "Of course, we also have to praise our best marksman. If you hadn't appeared and shot the robber, the hostages wouldn't have been rescued so quickly, right?"
"Yes!" Zhuang Zhuoyuan smiled and admitted, his eyes crinkling. He reached up with his left hand, took Iris's hand that was resting on his cheek, and tried to kiss her again. At first, he didn't want his girlfriend to know too much about the mission, afraid that she would overthink and be scared. But now it seemed that the clearer the details were, the more stable Iris's emotions became. For her, the unknown was probably the most deadly thing.
“BB, BB,” he rubbed Iris’s nose affectionately, “Now I know what you meant when you told A-Tao. Don’t worry, whether we’re safe and sound like now or encounter any unexpected events in the future, I will tell you everything I can. I believe you will be strong, right?”
"Mmm." Iris then took the initiative to hug him and kiss him. After each mission, perhaps due to hormones, Zhuang Zhuoyuan's desire was always very strong. Iris was usually gentle and attentive, but today was a little different, and she gradually let go. It just so happened that Zhuang Zhuoyuan was working overtime, and there was no one else at home, so the two of them didn't need to be reserved and played a little too much, until it was almost noon the next day when Iris, overcome by hunger, finally woke up.
“BB…” she called out subconsciously, but it was Zhuang Zhuohua who responded. Iris snapped back to reality, grabbed the blanket, scratched her head sheepishly, and called out softly, “Big sister.”
Zhuang Zhuohua stood at the door with a tray in her hand, looking at the scene inside with a knowing expression. In fact, even without looking, Zhuang Zhuoyuan's behavior in the morning was enough to tell what had happened between them the night before. Zhuang Zhuohua, who was used to it, calmly said, "Do you need me to get you anything? Yuan went to work. He told me to take good care of you."
Iris blushed so much she wanted to disappear into a hole: "No need, sister, I can get dressed myself. You, you go eat first, I'll be there in a bit."
"OK." Zhuang Zhuohua, refreshed after waking up, nodded and turned around, but the playful look on her face didn't fade. After taking a few steps, assuming Iris had already dug her head out of the covers, she turned back and asked her easily teased sister-in-law through the door, "Iris, so do you need me to come in and get your clothes like Ah Yuan did?"
Iris, who had just gotten up, immediately threw herself back onto the covers, refusing to get up again. So, her older sister had actually known what they were doing all along, hadn't she? But knowing Zhuang Zhuohua's personality, how could she possibly say it out loud! Iris felt embarrassed and wronged, and finally clenched her fists and punched the bed twice, shouting at the door with all her might, "Older sister, you've ruined your image!"
Zhuang Zhuohua took out Iris's bowl and chopsticks, and shook her head with a smile at the dining table. After thinking for a moment, she went back to their bedroom door and spoke to Iris through the wooden partition: "It's not that my image has collapsed, it's that your and Ayuan's efforts have paid off. Iris, I think I'm ready to meet with the therapist you've been in contact with. Could you help me schedule a time?"
Iris could hardly believe her ears. She froze for a few seconds, then immediately slipped on her nightgown and rushed to the door. She looked Zhuang Zhuohua up and down, took a few deep breaths, and asked, "Sister, what did you just say?"
Chong Cheuk-wah gently tapped Iris's forehead with her fingers, her expression a mixture of affection and感慨: "I have to say, your acting was really terrible. I knew what you were up to from day one. Anyway, thank you."
"Thank you, you should give me a hug!" Iris jumped on tiptoe, put her arms around Zhuang Zhuohua's waist, and hugged her tightly. "Sister, I'm so happy for you!"
Zhuang Zhuohua felt very warm inside: "Iris, I'm also very happy that you came to our home."
"So, shall we kiss?"
"If a certain jealous person doesn't get jealous."
Iris wasn't worried about Zhuang Zhuoyuan being jealous. In fact, she even sent photos of herself and Zhuang Zhuohua being affectionate to Zhuang Zhuoyuan's email address. Imagining his reaction, she couldn't help but smile.
She laughed three times while eating a bite of food, and Zhuang Zhuohua gained a whole new understanding of her younger siblings. She tapped the table in front of Iris, signaling her to focus on eating. However, Iris made a request: "Sister, although I don't mind the joke just now, that scene was really too embarrassing. Please don't hurt my heart again next time, okay?"
Zhuang Zhuohua naturally agreed, but she then explained the origin of today's joke—if Mr. Zhuang Zhuoyuan hadn't been looking back so affectionately early in the morning, she would never have shared her heart-wrenching feelings with the innocent Iris.
The two women exchanged glances, and Iris nodded vigorously, clearing out the almost-edited but unsent text message at once. "Ah Yuan's acting is really terrible. We need to make him think more, like guessing the meaning behind the photos. This will help him develop stronger empathy and imagination in the future. He needs to keep working hard to become a good actor!"
Iris clenched her fist, and Chong Cheuk-wah expressed her agreement.
Thus, with the two women forming a united front, Mr. Zhuang Zhuoyuan's life became increasingly rich and colorful.
After much anticipation, Team A has finally welcomed two new members. Their ability to stand out from the rigorous selection process speaks volumes about their skills. However, the new members are still quite young; one is overly arrogant, and the other is too reserved—neither is entirely satisfactory.
After intense training, Zhuang Zhuoyuan introduced two young men to his girlfriend, who was a quarter of an hour late, at the PC Bar. When no one was looking, he whispered to her, "Yu Xueli is another bob boy. He'll be challenging Zhan Sir as soon as he arrives."
“Bob?” Iris remembered that his English name wasn’t Bob.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan grinned, but instead of answering directly, he asked, "What do you often call me?"
"Ah," Iris immediately realized, "best of the best, I see. Is he really that amazing?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan covered his eyes and sighed, "He beat me and Guangzai in training today." Anyone who dares to boast about beating Zhan Sir must have some skill. If it weren't for his partner Qiu Junxuan dragging them down, Yu Xueli's group would have won easily in training. But because he abandoned his teammates along the way, Yu Xueli, who had just become a Flying Tiger, couldn't beat these veterans no matter what.
“Oh well,” Iris sighed, taking a sip of her drink, and casually pulled out her phone to press a few keys. “Looks like I’ll have to sign up for that cooking class I was thinking about the other day. You’ll probably be working overtime a lot in the future. All sorts of excuses.”
Adding to the last sentence, Iris's gaze shifted to Yu Xueli, who was chatting enthusiastically with Uncle Chao. Initially, Uncle Chao was recounting his glorious past, with Zhuang Zhuoyuan, adept at enlivening the atmosphere, joining in the conversation. But now, Yu Xueli was the one truly listening. From his words and actions, Iris could already sense the new member's ambition and impatience. Considering the various intensive training Zhan Sir had mentioned to them today, she could already guess the tough days these two newcomers were about to face.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan wanted to grimac at the mention of overtime, but their Flying Tigers' work hours were irregular to begin with, so extra drills weren't unexpected; they could always find a way to make the best of it. What he really wanted to know was what Iris's reasons included. Iris, however, didn't reveal the answer. She simply shifted her body, half-facing Zhuang Zhuoyuan, and said with a hint of excitement, "BB, how about I make a bet with you? I think Inspector Zhan will transfer Yu Xueli to your sniper unit."
"Are you sure?" Zhuang Zhuoyuan clinked glasses with her. "Yu Xueli is a top-notch player on the attacking team."
Iris's eyes lit up: "So what if he's a good fighter? He'll definitely get to your side first."
The word "first" made Zhuang Zhuoyuan instantly understand the key point. In the blink of an eye, he denied the possibility of the bet coming true: "BB, it's difficult. I think I'm on the same side as you."
The group was used to the two of them whispering to each other when they got together, but it was still quite novel to the newcomers. Ye Shuhui noticed that Qiu Junxuan, who was relatively quiet and reserved, had been glancing at Zhuang Zhuoyuan and Iris several times. So he raised his glass and went over to them, saying, "It's fine how sweet you are normally, but since you're new to the team, you should give them an adjustment period."
"OK!" Mom's gesture drew the attention of half the people. Seeing that Yu Xueli and Qiu Junxuan's focus had shifted from Uncle Chao to herself and her boyfriend, Iris simply turned to Zhuang Zhuoyuan, winked, and gave him a kiss in front of everyone. "This is the maximum we can go. You two shouldn't need any more adjustment period, right?"
Perhaps only by punishing himself with three bottles of liquor could he rival such a formidable sister-in-law. Yu Xueli clasped his hands in a fist and drank first as a sign of respect, followed closely by Qiu Junxuan.
Before she arrived, the new recruits had already been plied with alcohol. Iris, not one to force anyone to drink, simply raised her glass and told them to drink as they pleased. There was no reason to whisper anything more to Zhuang Zhuoyuan afterward, so she turned to talking about the new police officer, Luo Yongfu, whom she had met on the way. Fu was a long-time neighbor of Zhan Sir's family; they had practically watched him grow up. Iris had run into him several times when she visited PC Bar. The young man was well-behaved and reliable, and handsome as well. If he hadn't aspired to be a good policeman like Zhan Sir since childhood, Iris would have loved to recruit him for more roles in her film series.
Those veteran officers who had met Fu Zai naturally understood Iris's wish, while Yu Xueli, who hadn't met him, was somewhat skeptical. Of course, being competitive, he also wanted to see what the new police officer, who was praised by everyone, was really like. If it weren't for Zhan Sir, who had just gone out to meet Luo Yongfu, saying that Fu Zai on patrol had probably already gone far away, Yu Xueli would have really wanted to go out and meet him.
Just as laughter filled the bar, a scream shattered the silence of the night from the street outside. The commotion grew louder and louder, drawing the A Team members outside to investigate. Iris followed Zhuang Zhuoyuan to the center of the crowd and was shocked to find that the person lying on the ground was none other than Luo Yongfu, the center of their conversation!
Fu-zai is lying in a pool of blood!
A young life was abruptly cut short on his first night on patrol, his bright future ending before it even began.
Iris felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, almost losing her balance. The experience was completely different from seeing a corpse before; the death of her friend was something she couldn't process. Just a short while ago, she had greeted him and chatted with him.
"Ah Yuan..." Tears streamed down her face without her realizing it. Zhuang Zhuoyuan noticed Iris's unusual state and quickly covered her eyes, pulling her into his arms. Iris always valued family and friends above all else; the emotional impact of this scene on her was unimaginable. It was his carelessness; he should have stood in front of her immediately, preventing her from witnessing all of this.
All words of comfort were superfluous at the moment. Zhuang Zhuoyuan kissed Iris's forehead and said to her, "BB, we will definitely catch the murderer who killed Fuzai and let Fuzai rest in peace."
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