DSMIS CH27

Chapter 27: Will You No Longer Be a Narcotics Cop?

The kitchen in this old house was quite small, so having two men over 1.8 meters tall inside at the same time felt a bit cramped. Once the pot came to a rolling boil, Shen Xing brought out two large soup bowls. He placed the noodles at the bottom, followed by thick slices of Spam, sausage, and fried eggs, and finally garnished them with a few vibrant green baby bok choy leaves. He then ladled the steaming broth over everything. Filling a large bowl to the brim, he handed it to Jiang Lin to carry out first. As Jiang Lin pinched the two ‘ears’ of the soup bowl, he heard Shen Xing say:

“We’ll eat at the coffee table.”

Jiang Lin didn’t question why they were eating at the coffee table when there was a perfectly good dining table. He simply nodded and carried the bowl over. Looking up, he noticed that Dr. Shen’s sofa and coffee table exuded a very lived-in atmosphere. A laptop was still open on the small coffee table, alongside a stack of printed documents. A few jelly cups and two packets of spicy strips were scattered near the table’s edge. Next to the coffee table sat a box full of snacks, and two thick books were splayed open on the sofa—the kind of thick books you could use to knock an assailant out cold. One of them was even entirely in English.

Not daring to move things carelessly, Jiang Lin carefully slid the laptop to the side, neatly gathered the documents, and placed the snacks into the snack box. He then used a blank sheet of paper as a makeshift coaster on the coffee table before setting the bowl down.

When Shen Xing emerged carrying his own bowl, he saw Jiang Lin turning to help him. Behind Jiang Lin, the gluttonous white furball had its head stretched out, inches away from plunging into Jiang Lin’s noodle bowl. Shen Xing urgently called out:

“Hero, quick, hold him down!”

Jiang Lin spun around abruptly, grabbing the Samoyed right before it could bury its face in the bowl.

“Awooo~”

Shen Xing set his bowl down, hastily hauled the dog over, and clamped its muzzle shut.

“Why are you so greedy? This isn’t for you. Go, go on, go play by yourself.”

The large furball whimpered pitifully, its four paws climbing up Shen Xing as it whined and acted spoiled. Jiang Lin couldn’t help but interject:

“Why don’t we open a small can for him?”

Actually, Shen Xing had already fed Qianjin earlier that evening. But knowing this gluttonous dog, if he didn’t find something for him to eat right now, he wouldn’t settle down.

“Alright, I’ll open a small can for you on account of Uncle Jiang. Go on, say thank you to Uncle Jiang.”

Jiang Lin looked up in slight surprise, his gaze carrying a hint of anticipation:

“He can say thank you?”

To his surprise, Shen Xing’s version of “saying thank you” involved pressing his hand on the Samoyed’s fluffy head and nodding it at Jiang Lin twice. Then, he burst into laughter:

“What were you expecting, Hero? You think my silly dog could actually learn to say thank you?”

Jiang Lin couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching out to rub the large furball’s head.

Shen Xing got up and went to the fridge:

“Cola, Sprite, orange juice. What do you want?”

“Cola.”

Shen Xing shook two cans of Cola:

“I knew great minds think alike. Braised beef noodles only truly have a soul when paired with Cola.”

The sound of slurping noodles filled the living room. Jiang Lin ate very carefully, terrified of dripping broth onto Shen Xing’s newly bought carpet.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Shen Xing took a bite of a soft, thick slice of Spam and spoke up:

“Guess what I was thinking when I bought the carpet this afternoon?”

The person across from him, who had been focused on eating, looked up:

“What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that with such a beautiful carpet, eating instant noodles while sitting on it would definitely taste exceptionally delicious.”

Jiang Lin smiled:

“So you decided to have a deluxe version tonight? This really is the most luxurious beef noodle soup I’ve ever had.”

“You call this luxurious? This is actually a downgraded version. When I’m at home, I add shrimp paste and scallops. I’ve even tried adding abalone, and it’s delicious too. When I get the chance, I’ll make you an authentic, supreme edition of Shen’s Beef Noodles.”

Jiang Lin’s eyes widened slightly. He truly hadn’t expected someone to add so many things to a bowl of braised beef noodles.

It had been eight hours since lunch, and both of them were hungry. Before long, the soup bowls were empty. After eating, Shen Xing leaned back against the sofa. Jiang Lin got up to clear the dishes, and Shen Xing hurriedly spoke up:

“Hey, you don’t have to do that. I’ll wash them later.”

“It’s no trouble.”

Shen Xing followed Jiang Lin to the kitchen. Feeling lazy after eating his fill, he leaned languidly against the kitchen doorframe, watching Jiang Lin place the bowls in the sink. The sink was a bit low for Jiang Lin, so he leaned forward slightly and rolled up his sleeves, revealing smooth, firm forearms, marred only by a section of a scar on his left arm.

Shen Xing’s gaze unconsciously fell on that scar, then shifted to the man’s hands, which were currently washing bowls with a soapy rag. To an orthopedic surgeon, these hands were undoubtedly attractive—the finger bones were well-proportioned and long, yet they exuded a sense of strength.

He had touched these hands that morning and felt prominent calluses on the web between the thumb and forefinger and on the fingertips. He didn’t know if those were what they called “gun calluses,” but one thing was certain: Jiang Lin’s hands had definitely held guns. And now, these hands were swiftly and efficiently washing bowls, cleaning the pot, wiping down the stove, rinsing the rag, and finally, scrubbing the sink. Shen Xing’s gaze drifted up to the man’s face, and, driven by some inexplicable impulse, he spoke:

“Captain Jiang.”

Jiang Lin’s hand paused in the middle of scrubbing a bowl. It took him a long moment to respond:

“Hmm?”

Shen Xing hadn’t expected to actually say it out loud, but he didn’t feel embarrassed either. With his head resting against the doorframe, his blood flow was probably focused on his digestive system dealing with that deluxe beef noodle soup, leaving less for his brain. Consequently, he felt a bit sleepy, leaning against the doorframe as if he were boneless.

“I just think that title sounds really cool.”

Jiang Lin chuckled:

“Why?”

“Before I met you, anti-narcotics police officers were just characters in TV shows and movies to me. I never expected to meet the deputy captain of an anti-narcotics detachment in real life.”

Actually, ever since he learned that the medical record belonged to Jiang Lin, he had been filled with admiration and curiosity about his past and his experiences. Jiang Lin washed the rag under the running water, suppressing a bitter twist at the corner of his lips. His tone barely seemed to shift:

“I probably won’t be one anymore when I get back.”

Shen Xing froze, and the air seemed to quiet down instantly, leaving only the sound of water running from the faucet. Shen Xing remembered the injuries on his body. As a doctor, he knew perfectly well that complete recovery was impossible. So he can’t be an anti-narcotics cop anymore? He couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart—it felt as if someone had suddenly squeezed his heart and then tossed it away. Once that sense of weightlessness passed, a profound feeling of being at a loss washed over him. He licked his lips but couldn’t utter a single word.

Jiang Lin wrung out the rag, hung it neatly on the rack to the side, and turned around to give Shen Xing a smile. Only, this smile made Shen Xing feel even more uncomfortable:

“I was mentally prepared for this when I was discharged from the hospital.”

Shen Xing’s fingers gripped the kitchen doorframe tightly. His previously relaxed posture was now pulled completely taut.

They had finished eating and washed the dishes; it was getting late, and Jiang Lin should have been heading back. Yet Shen Xing felt he shouldn’t just let him leave like this, but he also didn’t know how to continue the previous conversation. He could only awkwardly pivot to a new topic:

“Sit for a while longer. I ate too much just now and can’t sleep anyway.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Lin followed him back into the living room. Watching the person across from him who, despite claiming to be too full, was busily rummaging through a snack box with his head down, he took the initiative to speak:

“You have tomorrow off too, right? Do you have any plans?”

Shen Xing immediately looked up, as if he’d been rescued:

“I scheduled a tow truck for the morning to haul my car to the 4S dealership in Baoshan. I haven’t had time to deal with it all week. It wasn’t easy for it to make it all the way here with me.”

Jiang Lin remembered his car getting a flat tire, falling into a ditch, and puncturing its gas tank on the way, and smiled:

“It definitely wasn’t easy. Is one week enough for the round trip?”

“It needs maintenance, painting, and repairs, not to mention the round trip itself will take two days. Knowing the efficiency of those 4S dealerships, I doubt it’ll be enough. But it’s fine. I live so close to the hospital; anyway, I can just walk. You’re off tomorrow as well, right? Any plans?”

Jiang Lin took a sip of the remaining Cola:

“Nothing major. I’ll go to the hospital to check on Auntie Shulan.”

He had discussed Liu Xiaohu’s treatment options with Cao Shulan a few days ago, and he guessed she’d have made a decision by tomorrow:

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“If you’re free, let’s go together. I think Auntie Shulan will choose to send Xiaohu to Beijing.”

“Alright, call me in the afternoon.”

It felt like the conversation had stalled again. Shen Xing began rummaging blindly through the snack box once more. Finally, he pulled out a jelly cup:

“Want one?”

Jiang Lin took it. Shen Xing felt absolutely stifled. Suddenly, he looked up:

“Hero, have you ever heard the saying that sometimes, a person only truly lives for a few defining moments?”

Jiang Lin peeled off the lid of the jelly cup and handed it back to the person across from him:

“For example?”

Shen Xing swallowed the jelly whole, not even tasting the flavor:

“For example, you catch a heinous drug dealer, you destroy a drug den, you solve a major drug trafficking case. Maybe it’s just those few things, those few moments, and that’s enough.”

At this point, he felt he hadn’t phrased it quite right:

“No, I don’t mean that’s all there is. I mean, maybe you can’t keep doing these things forever, but even if you’ve only done one such thing in your life, you’ve already far surpassed thousands of ordinary people. It’s already incredibly remarkable. Do you… do you understand what I mean?”

Shen Xing’s eyes were very pure, looking at Jiang Lin as if terrified he hadn’t made himself clear. Jiang Lin suddenly smiled and nodded:

“I understand.”

Shen Xing leaned forward onto the coffee table:

“Do you really understand? I’m trying to say that even if you can’t…”

Jiang Lin smiled and finished his sentence:

“You’re trying to say that even if I can’t be an anti-narcotics cop anymore, I shouldn’t have any regrets, because I’ve experienced those moments that make it all worthwhile.”

Shen Xing’s eyes lit up:

“Yes, exactly. That’s what I mean.”

Seeing that Jiang Lin truly understood, he let out a deep breath. The suffocating tightness in his chest finally eased.

Jiang Lin took another jelly cup from the snack box, peeled off the lid, and handed it to the person across from him again:

“Do you feel a bit better now?”

Shen Xing paused slightly as he reached for the jelly, stunned:

“What do you mean, ‘Do I feel a bit better now’?”

“You kept me here to talk because you wanted to comfort me, right? It felt like if you didn’t comfort me, you were going to hold it in until you suffocated.”

Having been seen through once again, Dr. Shen swallowed the jelly in one gulp and chewed vigorously twice:

“Hero, you should quit being a cop and become a fortune teller.”

Jiang Lin’s brows relaxed:

“Thank you. I genuinely feel comforted.”

Shen Xing actually felt a bit embarrassed and immediately put on a stern face:

“Who said I kept you here to comfort you? Did your legs hurt after walking all afternoon?”

The moment this topic came up, Dr. Shen’s aura changed completely. The words “they don’t hurt” were on the tip of Jiang Lin’s tongue, but he forced them back down:

“A little bit.”

“Lie down. Let me see if the swelling has gotten worse tonight.”

Lie down? Lie where? Just as Jiang Lin was considering lying directly on the carpet, Shen Xing patted the sofa behind him:

“Lean here.”

Shen Xing grabbed a throw pillow and placed it on the sofa’s armrest. Jiang Lin obediently leaned back against the sofa. The Samoyed, having finished its small can of food, ran over and affectionately rubbed against Shen Xing’s leg. Shen Xing rubbed its large head:

“Go away, Daddy is busy right now.”

He sat on the edge of the sofa and rolled up Jiang Lin’s pant leg. He placed his hand on Jiang Lin’s calf and frowned slightly. The man had just eaten a steaming bowl of noodles, yet his left calf still held no warmth:

“It’s still cold. Is this leg cold when you sleep at night too?”

“It gets a bit better.”

The swelling hadn’t gone down much either, likely due to a combination of walking all afternoon and the cold weather:

“Did you take painkillers tonight?”

“No.”

Shen Xing nodded:

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy and get some herbs for you. Soak your feet in them for fifteen minutes every night when you get back. It’ll help alleviate the swelling and improve blood circulation.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Lin’s obedient patient demeanor made Dr. Shen feel like he had won a round back.

Feeling satisfied, Dr. Shen finally let Police Officer Jiang head home. Just as he was seeing him out the door, he suddenly spoke up:

“The forecast says it’ll snow and the temperature will drop tomorrow. I’ll walk Black Panther in the morning.”

“It’s fine. I usually drive him for his walks. I only walked them on leashes yesterday because Qianjin was afraid of Black Panther.”

Before Shen Xing could say anything, Jiang Lin continued:

“I’ll wake you up tomorrow morning. You can ride in my car and we’ll walk them together, otherwise it’s a bit cold.”

Shen Xing genuinely disliked the cold, damp mornings here:

“That works too. I’ll hitch a ride then.”

“See you tomorrow morning.”

“See you tomorrow morning.”

After Jiang Lin left, Shen Xing sat alone on the sofa, recalling everything he had said that evening. After a long while, he slapped his forehead. He tried to comfort the guy, but was seen through instantly.

After struggling with himself on the sofa for a long time, he spaced out in a daze. Even if he’s not an anti-narcotics cop anymore, he should still be a cop, right?

Shen Xing suffered from insomnia that night. He tossed and turned in bed like stir-fry in a wok for an hour without falling asleep. Giving up, he turned on the light, brought his laptop to bed, and began studying Jiang Lin’s medical records. In the quiet bedroom at night, the only sound was his fingers tapping on the keyboard. It wasn’t until nearly 2 AM that he finally felt a wave of sleepiness. He set down the laptop and drifted off.

The next day, he was woken up by the Samoyed pressing down on him. He instinctively rubbed the large furball in his arms and buried his head in its fur:

“Stop making a fuss.”

The furball continued to bark toward the door. Only then did Shen Xing hear the knocking. He sat up with a start, rubbed his hair, and got out of bed. Sure enough, standing at the door was Jiang Lin, wearing the same down jacket from yesterday, with an imposing Black Panther sitting by his leg:

“Come in and wait for me for ten minutes. I’ll be quick.”

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Author’s Note:

I love it when Dr. Shen calls him Captain Jiang [Eating Melon][Eating Melon][Eating Melon]