My Life with Narration

Chapter 560 - 551: I’m an Adult, Why Should I Be Scared?

’Crunch, crunch.’

Su Qing stepped on the snow, making a sound that was incredibly stress-relieving. He had two hobbies related to rain and snow: stepping on snow and stomping in puddles.

He had only played with the latter when he was a child, and then he would get a good scolding from his mom, Zhou Hui, as it was typical naughty behavior. Now that he’s grown up, he wants to play but feels he can’t let loose.

Fortunately, he can still step on snow. He particularly enjoys stepping on untouched snow. If someone else has already stepped there, his interest wanes significantly, even disappearing altogether.

Luckily, in this kind of weather, snow is everywhere, and his behavior doesn’t draw much attention, allowing him to indulge in a bit of reasonable childishness as an adult. It’s quite satisfying.

Listening to the sound of snow crunching beneath his feet, he had to admit it was very stress-relieving, akin to watching knife-forging contests, hoof trimming, ear cleaning, or blackhead popping videos. They all have a liberating effect.

Looking at the previously untouched snowfield that he had thoroughly trampled, Su Qing exhaled heavily and shouted in his heart, ’Awesome!!’

Then he leisurely walked towards the entrance of the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau.

It was the 29th of the last lunar month, the day before New Year’s Eve. The dragon and phoenix had already left, the landlady had returned to her hometown, the company was on holiday, and even Wang Xing had gone home. Suddenly, he felt there was no one around him, and it was somewhat dull.

As for the thin dog, he had returned today. However, right after coming back from out of town, he might have been in a rush, and since time was tight, he also needed to reunite with his family, so Su Qing didn’t reach out to him. Instead, Du Qiang seemed to have disappeared mysteriously, which was quite absurd.

Everyone around was busy with their own affairs. Thinking it over, he realized there might still be acquaintances at the bureau, and since he was a criminal investigation consultant, he might as well drop by. He couldn’t just take the salary for nothing, right?

Even though he had nothing to do if he showed up, a quick visit wouldn’t hurt.

As soon as he entered, he noticed that even the Public Security Bureau was quite deserted at this time. Hardly anyone was coming in to file a report, and the scattered staff were sitting together in groups, chatting cheerfully and looking forward to the upcoming holiday.

"Hey, Little Su is here, a rare guest! Have a seat!"

In the upstairs office, as soon as Su Qing walked in, Zhao Minghui greeted him.

"Susu, click-click-click, at least you have a conscience and came to see your big brother!" Du Qiang said from the side.

"Eh? Why is it just the two of you?"

Seeing only the two of them in the office, he couldn’t help but ask in surprise.

After all, although Old Zhao’s office is the personal office of the squad leader, on regular days, whether it’s Lin Chengcai, Yan Lie, or some senior detectives, they’d come by now and then to discuss cases. It’s rare to see it this empty today.

"Oh, isn’t it just that we’ve had hard luck as master and apprentice? Old Zhao’s wife gave birth, so he went on paternity leave. As for little Li..." Saying this, he glanced at his disappointing apprentice and sighed.

Upon hearing this, Du Qiang felt a bit embarrassed, "Well, Sister Li and the others are already on holiday. I took a lot of leave earlier, so I have to cover more shifts during the New Year. Do you have plans tomorrow? If not, come spend New Year’s Eve with me here. We young folks don’t watch the Spring Festival Gala anyway, so it doesn’t matter where we celebrate, right?"

Faced with Du Qiang’s invitation, Su Qing refused outright, "No need to be so enthusiastic. Even though I don’t watch the Spring Festival Gala, I still need to go home for dumplings. I don’t want to spend New Year’s Eve at the police station, dreaming big dreams."

After all, this New Year’s Eve, the government allows fireworks and firecrackers. We may not watch the Spring Festival Gala, but can’t we watch fireworks? Every year on New Year’s Eve, there are people setting off fireworks on several bridges over Jiang City.

Even in past years when firecrackers were banned, people would secretly set them off. Especially now that it’s permitted.

"Hahaha, well said! I’m finishing my last shift today and won’t be coming tomorrow. Du, it’s hard on you during this period!" Zhao Minghui laughed heartily.

Du Qiang: ...

If Lin Chengcai hadn’t suddenly taken leave, he wouldn’t even need to be here today. As a squad leader of the criminal investigation section, there are still some perks, but with Lin Chengcai on leave, someone had to keep things running at the bureau, so he persisted until today.

When Du Qiang heard this, his expression immediately soured. Most colleagues were on holiday, and even those left were on a rotating schedule, working maybe one day at most. Only he couldn’t rest until the third day of the New Year. It was absurd.

He even had to spend New Year’s Eve here, both day and night shifts. Just thinking about it was daunting.

Subsequently, the three of them sat down in the office to discuss if there were any tricky cases at the bureau recently. Thankfully, everything was peaceful.

Though they still had significant cases pending, none could be resolved in a short time. After all, police officers are human too. They can’t be denied rest during the New Year.

Besides, such cases are endless; when one’s solved, another arises. They need to relax a bit during the festive season.

As for emergencies leading to police reports, there’s personnel allocated to handle these, as is the case in Jiang City’s other precincts and local police stations.

You could say that during New Year, departments like the police, hospital, and fire department must have staff available because New Year’s Eve is rarely calm.

By the afternoon, Su Qing and Zhao Minghui tidied up and left work together, leaving Du Qiang gritting his teeth.

"Hey, are you sure you don’t want to join me tomorrow for New Year’s Eve?" Seeing him about to leave, Du Qiang made a last-ditch effort to persuade.

After all, he would be by himself at the station. Even though there were some colleagues around, they weren’t that close. Even with dumplings and a decent overtime pay for these days, he still wanted to be on holiday.

"Forget it. Tomorrow night I’m planning to wander the streets to see if there are any pretty girls around. Who wants to spend New Year’s Eve with an old guy like you?" Su Qing quirked an eyebrow, smiled, and left before Du Qiang could respond.

Kidding me? What’s there to do at the police station? If Shen Yi were around this year, would he be so bored as to check-in at the station during the New Year’s Eve?

Another reason he didn’t mention was actually that having Du Qiang on duty was beneficial. At least it would stop him from reminiscing too much, since holidays make you miss loved ones more. Although he appeared to have moved on, who knew what was really on his mind now?

After returning home, he called his mom, Zhou Hui, to ask if there were any New Year goods that needed preparing. Fortunately, although his mom isn’t entirely reliable, she’s definitely competent in managing the household. After all, they’ve made it through so many years without issues.

Around 8 PM, he received a call from Shen Yi.

"Hey Bao’Er, have you gotten home?" Su Qing asked with a smile.

"Just arrived home, no worries, everything’s safe. By the way, I’ve got some good news for you, can you guess?" Shen Yi’s voice came through.

Hearing this, Su Qing thought for a moment, "Did you tell your parents about us?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? I just got home; I haven’t even had dinner, so how could I mention anything?" Shen Yi said playfully.

Yesterday afternoon, when Su Qing told Shen Yi that Wang Xing and Lin Miaomiao had officially confirmed their relationship, Shen Yi was quite surprised. Because of this, he had specifically reminded Shen Yi to discuss their relationship with her family properly.

"So what’s the news?"

"Can’t guess, right? Hehe, last night I was too late getting back and too tired, so I didn’t call you. To be honest, I watched the movie you invested in, and it’s really impressive. I think the box office won’t disappoint at all. Even if it doesn’t explode, it certainly won’t lose money. Plus, the word of mouth and reviews won’t be low either. Xiao Tang said such a movie has never appeared domestically before; it’s sure to shock everyone. How do you have such a good eye? You found a potential goldmine and invested in it. How about this, you run the company and I’ll be your assistant?" Shen Yi laughed, her tone quite cheerful.

From watching the advance screening with Tang Nan last night, she knew this was surely a top-quality film.

Unlike the joy brought by theatrical movies, this one offered a profound soul-stirring sensation. Even though she was just a viewer, she had to admit it was an outstanding film.

Any previous concerns vanished after watching it last night. Now, even she was curious to see how far this movie would go in the market.

"Of course, your man’s eyesight can’t be bad. Maybe in a month, I’ll be richer than you. You’d better start ingratiating yourself with me now, and I might just support you. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what?"

"I..."

Before he could finish, a woman’s voice came through on the other end, "Xiao Yi, who are you on the phone with? Come eat!"

Then came Shen Yi’s slightly panicked voice:

"Ah! Ah? Mom, why didn’t you make any noise when you walked? It’s... no one special, I’m coming right now!"

"Eh? Why do you look like that? Are you dating someone?"

Beep, beep, beep.

Listening to the busy signal, Su Qing was startled too, Shen Yi’s mother?

"Good thing Xiao Yi hung up quickly. That scared me," Su Qing said, patting his chest with an apprehensive expression. But soon he realized,

"Hey? Wait a minute, I’m an adult! What am I afraid of?"

...