Case 0057 Closed
As soon as Qu Zhong entered the door, she found the living room light on and her slippers on the entryway carpet, facing the door.
Everything was the same as before; someone was waiting for her to come home.
She realized that Zhai had returned, and hurriedly slipped on her slippers and went inside.
Zhai Shi, who was originally sitting on the sofa, got up and went outside after hearing the sound of pressing the keypad lock outside the door.
Their current situation is like a math problem that we often did in elementary school.
Two people walk in opposite directions from opposite ends of a road of fixed length. They keep walking until they meet at some point along the way.
They met in the middle of the living room, and both stopped the car almost simultaneously.
Qu Zhong thought that her longing for Zhai Shi had reached its peak the moment she tasted the local-style noodle soup not long ago.
It wasn't like that after all. Now he's standing right in front of her, within reach, yet she seems to miss him even more.
Neither of them spoke; they simply gazed at each other undisturbed, their silence speaking volumes.
Perhaps due to her professional advantage, Zhai clearly had the upper hand in this eye contact, and Qu Zhong's face quickly warmed up slightly under her gaze.
She pursed her lower lip, moved to the side, placed the takeout noodles she was holding on the table, and asked casually, "When...did you get back?"
Her reactions made Zhai subconsciously curl his lips. He followed her to the dining table and said, "I just got back not long ago."
Qu Zhong tilted her head: "Why?"
After asking her, I thought she'd lost her mind. What do you mean, "why"? This was originally his home. It was her who, after the argument, took over the place, living happily alone.
Zhai didn't say anything, just stared at her intently. Qu Zhong was incredibly embarrassed and was about to run to the bathroom to hide when Zhai suddenly pulled her up and sat her on the dining table.
The movement was sudden, and Qu Zhong's hand almost knocked over the noodle box next to her. In her panic, she could only hold onto his waist tightly.
The two immediately became very close.
Zhai held her tightly in his arms, buried his face in her neck, and took a deep breath. He almost obsessively sought her body heat to confirm that she was real.
After a long silence, he finally answered her previous question: "Because I miss you."
"For no other reason than that I miss you," he repeated.
His words were as candid as ever, and Qu Zhong's heart immediately softened upon hearing them.
She nestled against his firm chest, letting him sniff her. She could clearly hear his heartbeat. Thump-thump, like a key ringing in his waistband, producing a soothing and hypnotic sound; she could fall asleep instantly in his arms.
The two remained in that position for a while before Zhai Shi loosened his grip and looked up at her, saying, "It was my fault that day."
His eyes were full of conciliatory and appeasing intent.
Qu Zhong briefly recalled the argument that day and quietly admitted, "I also had a problem."
After they finished speaking, they smiled at each other, and the atmosphere instantly thawed.
Qu Zhong, having calmed down, began to interrogate him: "Where have you been staying these past few days?"
Zhai confessed: "It's at a friend's house."
Qu Zhong pressed further: "What friend?"
Zhai thought for a moment and replied, "Male friend."
Qu Zhong's eyes crinkled with laughter at his answer, and she hummed, "Did I ask if it was a man or a woman?"
Zhai smiled, said nothing more, and hugged her tightly again.
Although the Little New Year is not Lunar New Year's Eve, the atmosphere is just as lively. Even in this quiet neighborhood, you can faintly hear the sound of firecrackers outside.
There were soaring explosions that seemed to pierce the sky, and bursts of sound that danced joyfully on the ground. Some were loud, some soft, some fast, some slow, and it was as if a spring of blooming flowers was arriving in my ears.
Qu Zhong's mood also improved, and she took the initiative to say, "I was in a particularly bad mood that day because I had handled a particularly awful case."
Zhai whispered close to her temple, "What case? Can you tell me about it?"
Qu Zhong told him the whole story of Cheng Quan's case, and then said in a low voice, "I just went to the boss's shop and ate noodles. This might be the last bowl of noodles he cooks in Shanghai."
While listening to her, Zhai gently patted her back, like comforting a child who had fallen and hurt himself, and then seriously commented, "I think the taste must be very authentic."
Qu Zhong looked up in confusion: "How did you know?"
Zhai raised his chin slightly, gesturing to the empty noodle box beside him: "Otherwise, why would you have packed it up?"
“Oh…” Qu Zhong followed his gaze, then looked back at his face, and tapped the tip of his nose with her index finger. “I think Prosecutor Zhai would be an excellent policeman.”
She's always so perceptive and observant, with a heart that's incredibly cautious.
Zhai understood her meaning and smiled knowingly: "I have no plans to change careers for the time being."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud firecracker exploded from the sky, like a gavel striking the table, sealing the deal.
Qu Zhong was taken aback at first and hugged him tighter. Then, as if guided by something, she bit her lower lip and immediately decided to be honest with him: "Zhai, this is for you. Actually, I was planning to call you as soon as I got back."
Unexpectedly, he had already arrived home before her; he was even more eager to see her than she was.
Zhai looked at her quietly, a hint of expectation in his eyes, but he asked patiently, "What did you want to say on the phone?"
Hmm... I want to repeat to Cheng Quan every single word she said in the noodle shop.
But when she was actually in front of him, she couldn't say anything. Qu Zhong stammered, "No... I don't want to say anything. It's just... I eat takeout every day, it's not good, I want to eat your cooking."
Zhai grumbled, reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him: "You really think I'm a chef?"
His gaze was like a high-hanging mirror, instantly revealing all of Qu Zhong's dishonest micro-expressions. She finally told the truth: "Okay, actually, I wanted to tell you about the question you asked me last time..."
She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, but after a long pause, she realized that what Zhai wanted to hear was actually very simple, and not so difficult to say:
"Zhai, I like you, I like you so much, I like you as much as you like me."
After saying that, Qu Zhong felt that all the fireworks that should have appeared in the dark sky were exploding in her mind.
How could this be? How could someone with such a sharp tongue utter such tender and cheesy words, repeating them three times?
Unfortunately, the room and the surroundings were completely quiet at that moment, with no sound that could distract her.
After a long while, Zhai, whom she had confessed to, seemed to come to his senses and greedily said with a smirk, "If only you could take back what you said in the past."
Going back to the night he confessed his feelings to her, or even earlier, to the day they first met.
In that case, when he likes her, it won't be a one-sided love.
Here we go again, using French and French slang that they all understand to say sweet nothings. Qu Zhong has absolutely no resistance to this.
She couldn't help but touch half of her cheek with the back of her hand, and sure enough, it was burning hot.
Zhai chuckled softly, removed her hand, and leaned down to kiss her.
It didn't go deep; it was just a light, fleeting touch.
A strong desire arose within Qu Zhong, and almost without pause, she leaned in and returned his kiss in the same way.
Then, the two of them seemed to be having a pointless, repetitive conversation, going back and forth endlessly.
When they finally stopped, their foreheads were pressed together, their breaths mingling, and they gazed at each other at extremely close range:
"I'm not planning to get married right away."
"Give me a little more time."
At the same time, the two blurted out their thoughts and then smiled knowingly.
The plaintiff withdrew the lawsuit, the defendant agreed to a settlement, and both parties compromised, thus closing the case.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
