Chapter Twenty-Nine: Xiao Jie’s Tearful Plea

Zhao Yan looked at Nian Yu with a troubled expression and said, “The first one I can manage, but the second… I’m really not sure if I can pull it off. You saw Zhou Yu’s strength before he lost consciousness. Back then, if I put in some effort, I could probably beat him. But once he wakes up, who knows what might change? If he’s gotten stronger, forget about beating him—I’d be lucky if he doesn’t beat me instead.”

Nian Yu glanced at Zhao Yan. “Xiao Yanzi, do you really have so little confidence in yourself?”

“It’s not that I have no confidence,” Zhao Yan replied, his face still full of gloom. “It’s just that I’m self-aware, all right? I’ll do my best.”

Seeing Zhao Yan like this, Nian Yu didn’t press him further. “Fine then, Xiao Yanzi. But you have to go all out.”

Suddenly, Zhao Yan’s demeanor shifted. With a sly grin, he said, “Um, Sister-in-law Nian Yu, about those ninety-eight conditions—how about we just forget them? What do you think?”

Nian Yu didn’t bother replying. She walked over and gave Zhao Yan a swift kick, sending him stumbling out the door. “Hurry up and get out there. Wang Kui is waiting for you!”

As it turned out, while Zhao Yan and Nian Yu were haggling, Wang Kui had already headed outside.

The scene shifted to the inner room. After Nian Yu and the others left, Xiao Jie sat beside Zhou Yu, softly talking to him.

Looking at Zhou Yu, Xiao Jie spoke in a gentle voice. “Seeing you again… it really makes me happy. But it’s complicated, too, since you’re not really me.”

“Before I saw you, I often thought back to when Nian Yu and I were still in school. You always used to come looking for us, the three of us carefree and without worries.”

“I was so naïve back then, only focused on studying, never realizing you liked me. And by the time I liked you in return, I misunderstood and thought you and Nian Yu were together. I truly didn’t know what to do. After all, one of you was my closest friend, the other the one I loved. The only thing I could do was avoid you both.”

“Later, when graduation came, I chose to cut off contact with you. You’ll forgive me for that, won’t you?”

“If I had ended up with you back then, would we have ended up like you and Nian Yu? Would we have broken up for the same reasons?”

“Zhou Yu, listen—do you hear Nian Yu’s voice? That’s the woman by your side. She really makes you happy, you know. You still hold onto that same innocence you had back in school.”

“I really envy Nian Yu. Maybe she thinks it’s all just normal, but I can’t help feeling jealous. I wish I could be like her. I wish I could have grown up by your side.”

As she spoke, Xiao Jie began to cry.

She wiped her tears and continued, “All these years, we never stayed in touch. You probably have no idea what I’ve been through.”

“After graduation, I got into the police academy. Did you know? There are very few girls there. And I studied criminal investigation.”

“As a woman, I was naturally weaker than the boys, so I had to work so much harder than everyone else at the academy.”

“There were a few boys who pursued me, but what did it matter? I still couldn’t let you go, not then, and not now.”

“Right before graduation, my instructor called me into his office and told me that being a female detective would be twice as hard as it was for the men, and that I would have to keep training constantly.”

“After my assignment, I kept training hard. Whenever I had free time, I worked on my fitness. At the station, if there were no cases, I’d practice my marksmanship.”

“I never dared let myself be idle, because if I slowed down, I’d start thinking about you.”

As she spoke, Xiao Jie leaned over Zhou Yu, sobbing uncontrollably.

After a while, she felt a large hand gently stroke her head.