DSMIS CH50

Chapter 50: Guan Yu Wouldn’t Kiss Zhang Fei Like This, Would He?

Jiang Lin’s folding cot was actually quite narrow, only about 80cm wide—just enough for an adult man to lie on. Shen Xing lay on his side, his arm wrapped around the Samoyed nuzzling beside him. This silly furball was the only one oblivious to everything.

He repeatedly rubbed its tender pink ears. Heibao, meanwhile, lay by the door like a soldier faithfully guarding his post. The two dogs and one man in the room created a rather harmonious picture.

Shen Xing was actually exhausted. Once the adrenaline surge from the intense emotional fluctuations faded, he was left with a profound sense of lethargy permeating his entire body. Yet, his mind was racing with too many thoughts, preventing him from falling into a deep sleep.

Even when he did drift off, he had chaotic dreams. He kept feeling like someone was chasing him, startling awake repeatedly before drifting back into a daze.

The lights in the interrogation room downstairs remained on. Vehicles constantly came and went through the main gate of the county bureau. It wasn’t until past 3 AM that Jiang Lin finally emerged from the interrogation room. As he stood up, he had to brace his arm against the armrest of his chair, his movements somewhat stiff.

Du Binbin followed him out, looking a bit exasperated: “Captain Jiang, that kid denied everything clean. So, he’s just an innocent victim?”

The driver’s drug test came back negative. He claimed ignorance to every question, stubbornly insisting he knew nothing. He said he simply took a transport job to haul a few loads of fruit, didn’t even handle the loading or unloading, and the felt blankets were just laid down to prevent the oranges from freezing. He hadn’t paid them any attention.

The nerve pain in Jiang Lin’s leg began to flare up intensely. He reached into his pocket, only to realize he had left his painkillers in his office drawer. Shen Xing was probably asleep by now. He simply leaned back against the corridor wall.

He looked up at Du Binbin: “Got a cigarette?” “Oh, yeah.”

Du Binbin pulled out a cigarette, handed it to Jiang Lin, and used his lighter to light it for him.

Jiang Lin smoked the cigarette in the corridor. After catching his breath, he called the others into a small meeting room to arrange the next steps: “Go to technical reconnaissance and recover his recent chat logs. Check his bank accounts for any income exceeding normal transport fees recently…” “We’ll split into three teams shortly. Team one will search his residence. Team two will go to the fruit and vegetable market where he delivered the goods. Team three will go to the distribution center where he loaded the cargo…”

After everyone dispersed, Jiang Lin sat alone at the head of the conference table, his head slightly lowered. Noticing his pale complexion, Du Binbin spoke up: “Captain Jiang, you should go upstairs and rest for a bit.”

He had been on duty with Jiang Lin all day. The night before last, there seemed to have been an urgent case in Tianjin City. It looked like Jiang Lin had pulled an all-nighter then, worked a full shift today, and clearly wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight either. Even a healthy person couldn’t withstand this kind of exhaustion.

Jiang Lin thought of the person in his office, and of the impulsive kiss in the car that afternoon. While Shen Xing hadn’t seemed too repulsed yesterday, it didn’t necessarily mean he was okay with it. Honestly, Jiang Lin hadn’t quite sorted out his own feelings enough to face Shen Xing right now.

The office door was pushed open again: “Captain Jiang, the anti-narcotics detachment from the Municipal Bureau won’t arrive to support us until dawn. We don’t have enough police dogs for the scene investigations. Could we borrow… borrow Heibao for a bit?”

They knew Heibao was retired, but they were truly short on police dogs right now.

Remembering that Heibao was upstairs, Jiang Lin paused before saying: “Have Heibao investigate the residence.”

With that, he braced himself on the table and stood up. The throbbing pain in his leg intensified. As he walked upstairs, he had to grip the handrail to steady himself. The lights in the second-floor corridor were already out. He glanced toward his office; the lights inside were off as well. Shen Xing was likely fast asleep by now.

He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it gently. However, even the slightest noise was magnified in the dead of night. Heibao, lying inside, immediately pricked up his ears.

Jiang Lin opened the door just a crack. By the faint ambient light, he could see the person sleeping on the folding cot. His gaze lingered on Shen Xing for a moment before he stepped inside quietly, intending to grab the medicine from his drawer and take Heibao without waking him. He stepped as lightly as possible. Heibao recognized his scent and immediately sprang up. Just as Jiang Lin opened the drawer and pulled out the medicine bottle, Heibao’s tail happened to thwack against the folding cot. Shen Xing, who was already sleeping fitfully, was instantly startled awake by the sound.

Opening his eyes, he saw a dark silhouette resembling a person standing before him. He sat up abruptly, reaching for his phone: “Who is it?”

Afraid of scaring him, Jiang Lin quickly said: “Don’t be afraid, it’s me.”

The flashlight on Shen Xing’s phone illuminated Jiang Lin. Seeing who it was, Shen Xing let out a breath of relief. Still groggy from sleep, half of his blanket had fallen to the floor when he sat up. His voice carried the hoarseness of someone just awakened: “Are you done? What time is it?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a bit awkward. It sounded as if he had been waiting up for Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin checked the time on his phone: “Not yet. I just came up to get Heibao. It’s only 3:30. Go back to sleep.”

While answering, he walked over, bent down, and picked up the fallen blanket. As he stood back up, the sharp pain in his leg spiked. His knee buckled uncontrollably, and he stumbled, having to catch himself on the folding cot to stand upright.

Shen Xing’s remaining drowsiness vanished instantly. Spotting that something was wrong, he grabbed Jiang Lin’s arm in the dim light of the phone: “What’s wrong?” “It’s nothing, my leg fell asleep.”

Shen Xing threw off the blanket, stood up barefoot, and turned on the light. The sudden brightness made him squeeze his eyes shut. The next second, a hand gently covered his eyes. The hand was slightly cool and carried the faint scent of tobacco. Jiang Lin’s aura seemed to envelop him completely, causing Shen Xing’s heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably. He instinctively raised his hand and grasped Jiang Lin’s. Only after somewhat adapting to the light did he move Jiang Lin’s hand away and open his eyes.

Their gazes locked. Shen Xing finally got a clear look at the man before him. Jiang Lin’s complexion was poor, a deep, lingering exhaustion etched into his brow: “You smoked?”

He had never seen Jiang Lin smoke and had assumed he didn’t. Jiang Lin didn’t deny it. Letting Shen Xing hold his hand, he nodded slightly: “Yeah. Had one to wake myself up.”

In the dead of night, when a person’s emotions are at their most vulnerable and abundant, a surge of heartache washed over Shen Xing as he looked at the man in front of him. Suddenly, he didn’t want to hide anymore. He flipped his grip, wrapping his arm around Jiang Lin’s waist. Caught by the force, Jiang Lin took a step forward. Shen Xing pointed directly at his own forehead: “You kissed me here earlier.”

Jiang Lin closed his eyes for a moment. He also raised a hand and grasped Director Shen’s waist, his voice low and hoarse: “I did.”

Shen Xing blinked: “Guan Yu wouldn’t kiss Zhang Fei like this, would he?”

This elicited a chuckle from Jiang Lin. Director Shen’s thought process was truly unique. He nodded again, raised a hand to cradle the back of the person in his arms, and then, following his heart, kissed Director Shen’s forehead once more. Jiang Lin’s bloodshot eyes from exhaustion revealed an unspeakable tenderness and cherishing. He spoke almost in a tone of surrender: “You’re right. Guan Yu wouldn’t kiss Zhang Fei like this. My feelings for you aren’t nearly as pure as Guan Yu’s for Zhang Fei, Director Shen.”

Jiang Lin was truly exhausted right now. It wasn’t just the consecutive all-nighters; the persistent nerve pain was slowly eroding his willpower, making him suddenly lose the desire to maintain any semblance of rationality on a night like this. He didn’t even have the extra energy to consider the consequences of his actions—whether he and Shen Xing might not even be able to remain friends after this.

Shen Xing felt as if the organ in his chest was beating so hard it might burst out. An indescribable joy flooded his heart. His arm around Jiang Lin’s waist slowly tightened, his eyes sparkling brilliantly: “What a coincidence. My feelings for you aren’t pure either, Captain Jiang.”

A spark seemed to return to Jiang Lin’s exhausted eyes. Almost instinctively, he lowered his head and captured the lips that had just parted. Truthfully, Shen Xing had no kissing experience either. He only felt that Captain Jiang’s lips were slightly cool but soft, and the kiss felt incredibly comforting. The sourness, apprehension, and hesitation he had felt these past few days after realizing his own feelings seemed to crumble into dust within this kiss.

The white furball nearby also woke up. It lazily lifted its head, its pink ears twitching, seemingly confused as to what the two humans pressed together were doing. It trotted over, rubbed against Shen Xing’s leg, and then forcibly squeezed its plump self between Shen Xing and Jiang Lin, plonking its butt right onto Shen Xing’s foot.

Before Shen Xing could kick away the little troublemaker, clear footsteps approached from outside, heading straight for the office. It was Du Binbin coming up to find Jiang Lin. Knowing Shen Xing was in the office and likely sleeping at this hour, he hadn’t dared to make much noise. But seeing light spilling from under the door, he figured Shen Xing must be awake. Only then did he stand at the door and lower his voice: “Captain Jiang?”

Shen Xing hurriedly pushed Jiang Lin away, his face blushing profusely. Jiang Lin smiled at his reaction and reached out to ruffle his hair: “I have to go back down. Sleep a little longer.”

Only then did he release his hold on Shen Xing’s waist. He waved a hand at Heibao. Catching a glimpse of his leg, Shen Xing remembered something: “Wait, is your leg hurting?”

Jiang Lin didn’t want him to worry: “It’s fine. Just sat for too long in the interrogation room earlier; it’ll be fine once I move around. I have to head out now. Sleep a little longer, be good.”

Those last two words made Shen Xing’s knees go weak. But his doctor’s intuition prompted him to immediately reach into Jiang Lin’s pants pocket. Sure enough, through the fabric, he felt the medicine bottle inside. He didn’t even need to take it out to know what it was. Jiang Lin had likely been in the interrogation room this whole time. After everything tonight, it would be abnormal if his leg wasn’t hurting and swollen. He knew he should tell Jiang Lin to rest, but he also knew this was Jiang Lin’s job, and he couldn’t rest right now: “Take the medicine if it hurts, but don’t overdose. Come back as soon as you’re done.”

Jiang Lin took a deep look at the person before him, feeling a grounded sense of security he had never experienced before: “I will.” “Heibao, let’s go.”

Heibao immediately followed Jiang Lin’s footsteps. The white furball happily trotted after them, only to be yanked back by Shen Xing. Unable to help himself, he called out to the man and dog who had already stepped out the door: “Both you and Heibao, be careful.”

From a short distance away, Jiang Lin’s voice responded in acknowledgment.

Shen Xing stood by the window. Soon, he saw Jiang Lin and Heibao get into one of the police cars. Then, several police cars drove out of the county bureau’s courtyard.

Lying back down on the folding cot, he had lost all sleepiness. He hugged Qianjin, who still wanted to go out, and pinched his chubby face: “Your Brother Panther went to catch bad guys. You stay here and behave. When Heibao comes back safely, Daddy will make an exception and open two small cans for you.”

Hearing ‘small cans,’ the Samoyed’s ears twitched, and it nestled deeper into Shen Xing’s embrace. Shen Xing stroked its fur, then suddenly looked down at his own hand, bringing it to his nose to sniff. His fingertips still carried the faint scent of tobacco from Jiang Lin’s hand. His thoughts began to drift again. One moment he thought of the hug, the next he thought of the kiss, and then he thought of Jiang Lin’s hands. What would Captain Jiang’s fingers look like holding a cigarette? Would it be as pleasing to the eye as in the manga?

So… does this mean we just confessed to each other?

The sky outside gradually brightened. Shen Xing felt not a sliver of sleepiness. After the dopamine in his brain faded, it was replaced by worry. He didn’t need to guess what Jiang Lin and Heibao were out doing. He frequently checked the window, but he never saw those police cars return. The longer he stared at the empty courtyard, the more uneasy he felt.

Drug dealers were different from ordinary criminals; they might have guns. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. Holding his phone, he still didn’t dare to call.

It wasn’t until nearly 9 AM that police cars finally drove into the county bureau courtyard. Shen Xing immediately looked down and finally saw Jiang Lin step out of a car. His walking posture was a bit off. Shen Xing quickly turned and hurried downstairs.

When he reached the ground floor, Jiang Lin had just entered the building, holding Heibao’s leash. Shen Xing wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Heibao seemed even more energetic than before, his eyes bright and alert. Seeing Shen Xing, he immediately wagged his tail. Jiang Lin saw him and stood still, waiting for him to approach.

To Shen Xing, the bustling police officers in uniform seemed non-existent. He walked straight up to Jiang Lin: “Captain Jiang, can you spare fifteen minutes to eat?”

Before Jiang Lin could speak, Du Binbin, who was nearby, immediately interjected: “Yes, yes he can! Captain Jiang didn’t even eat dinner yesterday. Captain Jiang, don’t worry, I’ll brief Captain Gu clearly on the case details. Hurry up and go eat.”

Only then did Jiang Lin nod. The police officers around them dispersed to their respective duties. Jiang Lin followed Shen Xing with slightly slow steps. Reaching the staircase, Shen Xing turned his head: “Can you still walk?”

For no apparent reason, Jiang Lin detected a chilling undertone in those words. His intuition told him that if he said ‘I’m fine, I can walk’ again, Director Shen might explode. He softened his voice: “My leg hurts, but we’re at the bureau. I can push through a little longer.”

His refusal to stubbornly act tough improved Shen Xing’s expression slightly. He didn’t support Jiang Lin; he merely took Heibao’s leash, letting Jiang Lin use the handrail to walk upstairs. However, he stayed right beside him at a 45-degree angle behind, his eyes constantly watching Jiang Lin’s steps. Once they entered the office, he immediately pressed Jiang Lin into the office chair.

He grabbed the KFC takeout bag from earlier and placed it on his lap: “Eat up, quickly.”

Jiang Lin held the bag and peered inside. He really was hungry. Still, he didn’t forget to look up at Shen Xing: “Have you eaten?” “I ate. This was saved for you.”

With that, Shen Xing pulled over a small stool, sat beside him, and patted his own lap, signaling Jiang Lin to rest his leg on it. Jiang Lin felt a bit embarrassed. Shen Xing urged: “Hurry up, let me see if your leg has swollen into an elephant trunk.”

Only then did Jiang Lin slowly lift his leg, even trembling slightly. Shen Xing quickly supported his left leg. He could feel something was wrong even through the pants. Rolling up the pant leg, his suspicions were confirmed: the calf was swollen to twice its normal size, feeling ice-cold to the touch. The ankle was particularly severe, and the edema had even spread to the knee.

Jiang Lin shoved a hash brown into his mouth, carefully observing Director Shen’s expression, feeling somewhat apprehensive. As if trying to curry favor, he gently moved his calf: “It’s just a bit swollen from standing all night. Don’t pull a long face, Director Shen. It makes me feel like I have an incurable disease.”

Shen Xing was already heartbroken. Hearing this, he glared at him: “Captain Jiang, if you don’t know how to speak, you can shut up.”

Jiang Lin didn’t want him to worry and teased with a smile: “If I shut up, I won’t be able to eat the KFC you bought me.”

Shen Xing dug out the medicated oil from the office drawer, vigorously rubbed his hands together to warm them up, poured the oil into his palms, and pressed them onto Jiang Lin’s calf: “Why didn’t I realize you were this glib before?” “Because Director Shen didn’t get angry as much before.” “Director Shen isn’t angry now, either.”

Jiang Lin held half a hash brown up to Shen Xing’s lips: “The anti-narcotics detachment from Baoshan City will be here shortly. I can rest tonight. So, Director Shen, who isn’t angry, please don’t be angry anymore.”