Chapter 11 (2/2)

Xia Lei was speechless.

Jiang Ru-Yi hit Xia Lei and laughed, “Ha! Still so gullible, believing everything I say. I didn’t just get you to come with me because of the reward money. I have something important to share with you too.”

Xia Lei rolled his eyes at her. “Don’t tell me – you finally found your other half?”

Jiang Ru-Yi was annoyed. “What ‘finally’? That sounds so ugly! Am I the sort of woman who can’t get a boyfriend? Let me tell you, if I were bothered, there would be a phalanx of suitors after me!”

“Yes, yes… A phalanx, sure.” Xia Lei shrugged. “Tell me your great news, then. What is it?”

“You won’t believe it even if I tell you.” Jiang Ru-Yi hesitated, then spoke earnestly, “An exception was made and I was promoted to North Police Station’s Chief. I took over Li Qing-Hua’s job.”

“Wha-?” Xia Lei was so surprised his mouth wouldn’t close.

“But there’s a three-month probation period. If I do well during this period, the position of Chief is mine.”

“It’s just part of the process. No worries, you’ll do fine,” said Xia Lei.

Jiang Ru-Yi laughed. “Hee hee. Big sister likes to hear nice words. Let me guess – this is in large part due to your friend. What do you think?”

Xis Lei shook his head. “I know nothing about this so I can’t make any guesses. If you think so, it must be so.”

“Who the hell is she?” Jiang Ru-Yi shot Xia Lei a look. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Xia Lei chuckled dryly, “Would a woman with such amazing abilities fall in love with a poor peasant like me? Stop joking. I’m not on close terms with her.”

“Not close?” Jiang Ru-Yi was surprised. “Not close but she charged into a police station for you. And pointed a gun at the Police Chief’s head. Not close?”

“It’s not what you think. I coincidentally helped her a week before so she was returning the favour,” said Xia Lei.

“What did you help her with?” Jiang Ru-Yi was very curious.

“She doesn’t want it known, so stop asking,” said Xia Lei.

“Hiding and covering… You two must have serious problems.”

“Hey, did you ask me out to question me or treat me to a meal?”

“Treat you to a meal, of course.” Jiang Ru-Yi stopped the car at a Sichuan restaurant by the road.

“Are we really having Sichuan food?” Xia Lei was a little dumbfounded.

“Get out of the car. What else do you want to eat for 200 yuan? It’s better than me treating you to plain rice.” Jiang Ru-Yi alighted and stretched but she looked grumpy.

At that moment, Xia Lei’s eye throbbed. Jiang Ru-Yi was naked under the sunlight – she had all the right curves and was slim but full-figured. Her sexiness was through the roof. Xia Lei’s gazed lingered on areas it shouldn’t linger on, like a bee buzzing around the centre of a flower, intoxicated by the sweetness of its nectar.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Get out.” Jiang Ru-Yi had no idea what she looked like in Xia Lei’s eyes and shooed him out of the car.

Xia Lei snapped back to reality and averted his gaze, then smiled wryly. Why couldn’t he control the urge to look at Jiang Ru-Yi?

Jiang Ru-Yi locked the car and started walking towards the restaurant while Xia Lei followed, trying his best not to look at her perky bum, wrapped gorgeously in a uniform skirt. He was afraid his eye would be triggered again. If sexiness was edible, Jiang Ru-Yi was always whetting his appetite – it was a problem with no solution.

Just then, an old man applied paste on an electric pole by the roadside and stuck an advertisement on it.

The electric pole was at least 20m away from Xia Lei and the text on the advertisement should be unreadable under normal circumstances but Xia Lei’s eye throbbed and the advertisement seemed to be instantly pulled in front of him, the text on it clear as day.

The advertisement was a notice of ownership transfer for a machine shop.

Xia Lei was interested. “I’ve learnt welding and lathe operations at construction sites and I just so happen to have some money. Why don’t I try setting up my own shop? I would be a worker bee my whole life if I stayed on at construction sites. If I open my own business, I would be the boss no matter how much or how little I earned. Moreover, my eye has such a wonderous, special ability – I will definitely do better than I had.”

With these thoughts in his head, Xia Lei grew more keen and moved to ask the old man more questions about the machine shop.

“What are you doing, Lei?” called Jiang Ru-Yi, “Come on, hurry up and order something! I’m starving! You have to accompany me to shop for clothes after eating, too. Move it.”

Xia Lei gave a small sigh, made a mental note of the contact details and address and entered the restaurant.

After their meal, Jiang Ru-Yi was all set to drag him shopping. Xia Lei was trying to come up with an excuse to get himself out of it when she received a call from the police station, requesting her to look into a case that had cropped up.

“Argh, what bad luck! Why do I have to go back to work when I’m on a break?” Jiang Ru-Yi was a picture of unhappiness after she ended her phone call.

Xia Lei chuckled, “You’re Chief now! Go back and solve the case – work is important.”

“How are you going back?” Jiang Ru-Yi asked, “How about I send you back before I go to the station?”

“No need. It’s not far so I can just walk,” said Xia Lei.

“Okay. I’m off. Remember to go clothes shopping with me tomorrow.” Jiang Ru-Yi pressed her finger to Xia Lei’s nose. “Don’t find an excuse – there are no excuses.”

Xia Lei was speechless.