DSMIS CH49

Chapter 49: A Kiss

Shen Xing felt his legs moving mechanically. He kept feeling like there were footsteps following him, but he couldn’t be sure if it was someone from that truck or just a pedestrian on the street.

He didn’t dare turn around, nor did he dare show a shred of unnatural behavior. Only he knew that his heart was hammering wildly against his ribs, and the rapidly spiking adrenaline made his entire body want to shake.

Scenes from every police and anti-narcotics movie he’d ever watched flooded his mind. He was terrified that someone would suddenly come up behind him and blow his head off, or throw a sack over his head and drag him into some minivan without a care in the world.

It wasn’t until his phone vibrated slightly that he looked down. It was a message from Jiang Lin. He had turned on location sharing, and the message was very brief: “Find a large store nearby with security cameras and go inside. I’ll be right there. Don’t be afraid.”

That single line of text inexplicably calmed Shen Xing’s racing heart for a moment. He immediately tapped into the location sharing but didn’t dare look at his phone any longer. There was a large-looking supermarket across the street. He forced himself not to break into a run, but he could hear the footsteps behind him getting closer and closer: “Wait a second.” “Hey.”

Shen Xing felt like the person was calling him, but he didn’t dare stop. He was almost at the supermarket. Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder. Shen Xing leaped forward two steps, creating distance between himself and the person behind him. Then, a bag was thrust in front of him: “You dropped your things.”

He turned around and realized the person following him wasn’t the driver of the truck, but an auntie in her fifties. She spoke with a heavy accent, holding the meat he had just bought. He must have left it near the back of the orange truck. He quickly took the bag: “Thank you.”

He didn’t dare think about whether she was truly a kind-hearted passerby or an accomplice of the orange seller. After thanking her, he immediately turned and hurried into the supermarket. It wasn’t until the moment he stepped inside that he finally let out a breath, feeling as if he had come back to life.

He grabbed a red shopping basket at random, covertly glancing at the ceiling to locate a spot directly under a security camera. He stood there, pretending to pick out items, his peripheral vision locked on the entrance. He wasn’t sure if he was afraid of the person in the truck coming in, or just praying for Jiang Lin to arrive quickly.

He felt like every minute, every second was passing in slow motion, just like in a movie.

Heibao still seemed preoccupied with what just happened, frequently looking up at Shen Xing. Shen Xing rubbed his head, feeling a bit guilty. If there really was a problem with the oranges on that truck, Heibao would have earned a merit, but Shen Xing was too much of a coward; he completely lacked the courage to let the dog investigate further.

Only the white furball beside him remained oblivious, drooling at the boxes on the shelves that looked like its favorite small cans of wet food.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Shen Xing spotted a figure at the entrance. He couldn’t be mistaken—it was the exact same person he had locked eyes with in the rearview mirror earlier. He quickly grabbed the two dogs and hid behind the very last row of shelves, pulling the leashes tight and clamping his legs around the Samoyed to stop it from moving. He stared unblinkingly at the man walking in.

The man was wearing the same baseball cap pulled low over his face as before, walking towards the back of the store. Shen Xing practically held his breath. He wouldn’t be bold enough to attack me inside a supermarket, would he? He looked around, his hand silently gripping a glass bottle on the shelf beside him. If he tries anything, I’ll smash this bottle over his head.

The man’s figure was obscured by a shelf in front of them, but Shen Xing could see his legs. He watched those footsteps draw closer and closer, his heart pounding erratically.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm from behind. Without a second thought, he grabbed the bottle and was about to swing it when his wrist was caught with just the right amount of force. Then, an arm wrapped around his waist, and a familiar voice sounded by his ear: “It’s me.”

Shen Xing turned his head and saw that all-too-familiar face. The moment he saw Jiang Lin, Shen Xing felt his entire body go weak, as if drained of all strength. He opened his mouth, his nose stinging, and his voice trembled when he finally spoke: “Where did you come from?” “The back door. Let’s go.”

Jiang Lin pulled Shen Xing along, exiting through the supermarket’s back door. Only then did Shen Xing realize Jiang Lin hadn’t driven his own car or a police car, but an inconspicuous Volkswagen.

Shen Xing followed him into the car almost mechanically. His legs were shaking slightly as he got in, his eyes constantly darting backward, terrified someone was following them. His heart rate refused to slow down.

Seeing him like this made Jiang Lin’s heart ache. Emotion overriding logic, he wrapped an arm around Shen Xing’s waist and pulled him into his embrace. He stroked Shen Xing’s back repeatedly, his hand resting on the back of his head, comforting him in a low voice: “It’s over, it’s over. Don’t be afraid.”

An overwhelming sense of having survived a disaster swallowed Shen Xing whole, making him abandon any pretense of rationality. He instinctively wrapped his arms around Jiang Lin’s waist, hugging him tightly. As he did so, he felt something tucked into Jiang Lin’s waistband.

A leather-like holster… He instantly realized what it was: Jiang Lin’s service weapon. He quickly pulled his hand away from the holster, but before he could, his wrist was caught, and his hand was pressed firmly back against the gun: “It’s my service weapon. So, don’t be afraid.”

With that, Jiang Lin, holding Shen Xing’s hand in place, pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Feeling the touch on his forehead and realizing what Jiang Lin had just done, Shen Xing froze like an air-dried fossil, completely stiff and unsure how to react. He took several deep breaths before finding his voice: “That person was in the supermarket. I… I don’t know if he is [involved], but Heibao’s reaction earlier strongly suggested a problem.”

“Mm. I’ve already deployed officers over there. Don’t worry, the security footage around the supermarket will be wiped clean. Don’t go home for now; I’ll take you to the county bureau.”

Shen Xing felt Jiang Lin rub his head again. Once the fear faded, it was replaced by a profound sense of bewilderment. What is happening right now? He couldn’t ask, nor did he feel it was the right time, so he simply nodded.

Jiang Lin let him go and leaned over to buckle his seatbelt. Shen Xing could even smell the woody scent of the shampoo in his hair, and his newly calmed heartbeat threatened to spike again.

The county town wasn’t large, and it wasn’t far from the county bureau. Without traffic, it took only ten minutes. While driving, Jiang Lin made a phone call, issuing orders to his subordinates on how to proceed. As the car pulled into the county bureau, Jiang Lin turned his head: “Take Qianjin inside and wait for me in my office.”

Still a bit dazed, Shen Xing nodded. He opened the car door, then turned back: “Please be careful.” “I will.”

Shen Xing was incredibly familiar with the path to Jiang Lin’s office, but this was the first time he had ever felt so restless and anxious sitting inside. A young police officer came in and poured him a glass of water. He thanked him, sitting on the small sofa clutching the cup, his mind in utter turmoil.

He subconsciously raised a hand to touch his forehead, his mind filled with what had transpired during those short ten minutes in the car. Even his nose still seemed to catch the lingering scent of Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin had hugged him earlier. And kissed him!

If the hug could be explained away as Jiang Lin trying to comfort him, that kiss on the forehead seemed impossible to justify, right? Guan Yu could hug Zhang Fei to comfort him, but he would absolutely never kiss Zhang Fei, right?! (TN: famous sworn brothers from Romance of the Three Kingdoms)

A highly suspicious conclusion was practically screaming in his mind: It seems… it seems Captain Jiang’s feelings for me aren’t exactly pure either!

As the minutes and seconds ticked by, Shen Xing snapped out of his internal conflict, only to plunge back into worry. He checked his phone, but there were no messages from Jiang Lin. He had no idea what was happening on the other side, and he didn’t dare call to ask. He couldn’t help but think of the truck again; if they truly were drug dealers, there definitely wouldn’t be just one person. What if they also had guns?

Shen Xing couldn’t sit still anymore. He stood up, walked to the window, and stared at the main gate of the county bureau.

Nearly two hours passed, and the sky outside grew dark before cars finally drove into the county bureau. Shen Xing saw Jiang Lin step out of one of the vehicles with Heibao. As he got out, Jiang Lin turned his head and seemed to give instructions to a police officer beside him. The officer nodded, and Jiang Lin strode through the main entrance. Shen Xing immediately left the office, hurried downstairs, and ran smack into Captain Jiang.

Seeing him rushing over, Jiang Lin pulled him to turn around just as the sound of a group’s footsteps approached from behind. Shen Xing heard someone say: “Take him to the interrogation room.”

Shen Xing didn’t look back, but he figured they had caught someone. So, there really was a problem with the oranges?

The footsteps behind them faded away. Jiang Lin, still holding Shen Xing’s arm, turned to look at him, his voice softening: “You need to go to the inquiry room and give a statement. Don’t be nervous, just tell the truth.”

Shen Xing nodded.

It was the same inquiry room as before. Truthfully, this wasn’t Shen Xing’s first time in this room. It was incredibly dramatic—the first time he came in, he was suspected of transporting drugs; the second time, he had discovered a potential drug transport.

Jiang Lin sat on the sofa diagonally across from him. The other police officer responsible for taking notes was someone Shen Xing recognized—Du Binbin, the guy who had lined up for his grilled squid. Jiang Lin turned to Shen Xing, his voice gentle: “Ready?”

Shen Xing nodded. Jiang Lin looked at Du Binbin: “Begin.”

Truth be told, Du Binbin’s eyes were darting around a bit right now. Why? Because he was the one tasked with retrieving and deleting the supermarket’s security footage earlier, and he had seen exactly how their Captain Jiang held Doctor Shen in his arms!

Logic told him not to overthink it, but right now, he was struggling to be logical. Because he couldn’t think of a single person in the entire county bureau who, if they encountered what Shen Xing had, Captain Jiang would hug and coax and comfort like that.

Furthermore, now that they had brought the suspect back, the situation was still unclear, and Director Shen was merely giving a routine statement. Yet their Captain Jiang had abandoned the suspect to personally accompany Doctor Shen while he gave his statement! Coupled with Captain Jiang queuing up for grilled squid multiple times before… he couldn’t not overthink it even if he tried.

However, he didn’t dare show it, merely making his questioning tone as gentle as possible and keeping the questions concise.

Leaning back on the sofa, Jiang Lin listened to Shen Xing recount his story, only then realizing he had gone out to buy meat for Korean BBQ. Jiang Lin glanced down at his watch. Looks like I’m destined to miss out on that BBQ tonight.

The statement process went very smoothly, taking only a dozen minutes. Du Binbin looked at Jiang Lin: “Captain Jiang, the statement is finished. Then, I… I’ll step out first.”

Jiang Lin nodded. For a moment, only Shen Xing and Jiang Lin remained in the inquiry room. A faint, elusive emotion permeated the air because they both knew something had shifted. But clearly, they didn’t have the time to dissect it right now. Shen Xing’s heartbeat started picking up speed again, and Jiang Lin seemed unsure of how to start.

Shen Xing broke the silence first: “You caught someone. Heibao didn’t smell wrong, did he? There really was a problem with those oranges?”

“There was no problem with the oranges. The problem was the felt blankets laid underneath them. As for the specifics, we’ll only know after the interrogation.”

A wave of delayed fear washed over Shen Xing. Jiang Lin stood up and walked over to him. Shen Xing looked up at him, feeling as if Jiang Lin was about to touch his head again. Sure enough, a hand rested on top of his head. He felt as if a jolt of electricity had passed through him, a tingling sensation spreading all over, making him even squint his eyes slightly. Jiang Lin’s heart softened at the sight of his expression: “I have to go to the interrogation room now. I probably won’t be able to leave tonight, and the situation is still unclear. You shouldn’t go back alone today. Make do and stay in my office for the night?”

Shen Xing was indeed feeling extremely uneasy. He was already unfamiliar with the area, and running into this kind of situation… if those people really were dangerous, he definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully even if he were told to go home. He nodded: “Okay.”

Jiang Lin looked down at the meat by Shen Xing’s hand: “Looks like we won’t be having BBQ tonight. I’ll have someone put the meat in the canteen fridge for you; take it back with you tomorrow.” Shen Xing nodded again.

Jiang Lin finished giving instructions and watched him head upstairs before turning to the interrogation room.

The sky outside had completely darkened. Before long, there was a knock on the office door. Du Binbin entered, carrying a takeout bag: “Doctor Shen, Captain Jiang ordered this for you.” “Oh, great, thank you.” “Um, Captain Jiang said there are mattresses and blankets in the closet, and the folding cot is over there. Should I set it up for you?”

Shen Xing quickly waved his hand: “No need, no need, I can do it myself.” “At the end of the east corridor on the second floor is the bathroom for the on-duty officers. You can shower and wash up there. The bag next to the takeout bag has the toiletries Captain Jiang bought.”

Du Binbin pointed to the bag next to the food. Shen Xing nodded, instinctively asking: “Has he eaten?”

Du Binbin naturally knew who ‘he’ was: “Not yet. They’re busy with the interrogation right now. He’ll probably just grab a quick bite later.” Having delivered his message, Du Binbin hurried back downstairs.

Shen Xing opened the bag. The takeout was from the Tibetan restaurant they had visited before, and the order was very comprehensive: baked buns, pan-fried lamb, skewers, plus Cola and yogurt.

After eating, throwing away the trash, and cleaning up, Shen Xing unfolded the cot and opened the closet Du Binbin had mentioned. Inside were a mattress, a pillow, a blanket, and two sets of loungewear. He laid out the mattress, placed the pillow, stared at the two sets of loungewear, and finally grabbed one before opening the door and heading to the bathroom at the end of the hall.

After his shower, he put on Jiang Lin’s loungewear. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he could clearly smell Jiang Lin’s scent on it. Inexplicably, his mind drifted back to the kiss in the car, and the tips of his ears burned red.