Chapter Eleven: Do You Like Him Too?

After a short while, Wang Kui returned. He said to Zhou Yu, “I’ve finished eating, you can go now,” and then began his patrol.

Zhou Yu watched this taciturn man, wondering if he always did everything so quickly and succinctly. The thought brought a mischievous smile to Zhou Yu’s lips as he walked over to the group.

He sat down beside Nian Yu. She handed him a bowl of fried rice with soy sauce and a bottle of mineral water. Suddenly, noticing the playful grin on his face, Nian Yu’s cheeks flushed red.

It had been a long time since she’d seen Zhou Yu smile like that. She felt a pang of nostalgia, mixed with a bit of embarrassment. In a low voice, she said, “You rascal, can I ask you something?”

Zhou Yu, puzzled by her blush, replied, “Go ahead.”

“Who are those sanitary pads in your bag for?” she whispered.

“They’re for you, of course. Isn’t it that time of the month for you?” Zhou Yu answered.

She pouted and turned away. “Rascal, how can you think about that at a time like this? You’re terrible.”

“What did I do? How am I a rascal now?” Zhou Yu asked, bewildered.

“Still playing dumb? Then tell me—what’s with that smile on your face?” Nian Yu demanded, frustrated by Zhou Yu’s confusion.

“Oh, you mean that? You misunderstood. I wasn’t thinking about that at all. I just thought of something funny,” Zhou Yu explained weakly.

“Hmph. Liar. Don’t I know exactly when you make that face?” Nian Yu retorted.

“Alright, sweetheart, I’m sorry, okay? Don’t be mad. There are still people here,” Zhou Yu pleaded.

“Hmph, just you wait until tonight when no one’s around.” With that, Nian Yu walked off, not bothering to look at his expression.

But then she returned, a bit sheepish. “Um, you rascal, I’d like to talk with Xiao Jie for a bit. Can you ask her to delay her patrol?”

“No problem, go ahead,” Zhou Yu replied affectionately.

He stood up and addressed the others, “Everyone, take a break before we get back to work. Zhao Yan, when you’re done eating, do a round of patrol.”

Everyone nodded silently.

Nian Yu grabbed Xiao Jie, who was still eating, and led her into an empty room.

As Zhou Yu ate, a thought suddenly struck him and he stood up. “Where did these bowls come from?” he asked, a trace of excitement in his voice.

“They were found in the rooms. We washed them. The young girl told me not to use tap water, so we used drinking water from the car and wiped them clean with your clothes,” the only woman in the group replied.

Zhou Yu relaxed at her answer. “Try not to use tap water,” he reminded them. “We still don’t know what caused all this, so let’s be cautious.”

The group nodded in agreement.

Zhou Yu continued, “Remember what I asked yesterday? Does anyone want to leave?”

They all shook their heads. They understood now—there was no way to survive in this world on their own. Only by following Zhou Yu did they have any hope.

“Good. Since you’re all staying, I won’t say any more. Eat, rest, then let’s finish our work before nightfall,” Zhou Yu said, seeing everyone’s response.

Inside the room, Nian Yu watched Zhou Yu speaking outside and smiled. She turned to Xiao Jie and asked, “Do you like him too?”

Xiao Jie was taken aback by her directness and hesitated.

“I’ve sensed it for a long time,” Nian Yu said, “but that rascal out there has no idea.”

Xiao Jie didn’t reply, but her silence was answer enough.

Nian Yu continued, “If you think about it, I’m the one who took him away. At first, he approached me to say he liked you, but back then you only cared about studying. You didn’t pay attention to anyone or anything around you.”

She glanced at Xiao Jie before going on, “After spending more time with him, I started to like this big kid too. But then I realized you were starting to like him as well. At that time, he still liked you, but you never told him how you felt. He was disappointed, thought you didn’t care, and during his lowest moments, I was the one by his side, comforting him. Eventually, we ended up together. What I really want to know is—why didn’t you ever tell him how you felt?”

When she finished, she looked quietly at Xiao Jie.

Xiao Jie fell into memories at Nian Yu’s words.

“We were best friends—like sisters. Just as you knew I liked him, I knew you liked him too,” Xiao Jie said. “But he always sought you out. Even when he came to me, he’d tell me to bring you along. I thought you two were already together. So I chose to hide my feelings. But I couldn’t suppress them, so I decided to distance myself from both of you. In the end, nothing changed.”

Nian Yu looked at her and asked, “Why are we meeting again now? Why do I feel like you’re still holding back your feelings?”

“Because I met him at the police station this time—he saved me,” Xiao Jie said, her voice tinged with sadness. “As for why I’m still suppressing my feelings, it’s because his heart belongs to you.”

Nian Yu shook her head. “You haven’t changed at all. How did you ever become a detective? You’re still just as clueless as before.”