Coming to Myself

The task of booking a restaurant also fell to You Mingxu—after all, she was the sworn brother of both of them. You Mingxu agreed without hesitation and then asked, "Mengshan, Old Jing, what do you two feel like eating?"

Xu Mengshan said, "Whatever's most expensive."

You Mingxu ignored him and turned to Jing Ping. He was also looking at her, his fair-skinned face framed by long, narrow eyes that held a deeper calm than before.

Their eyes met for a moment, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his gaze before he replied, "Anything is fine."

You Mingxu averted her eyes and said with a smile, "Alright."

She settled on a Hunan restaurant, ordering some grilled skewers and hot pot, then went to Ding Xiongwei's place to snag a case of baijiu. The group of police officers feasted and drank boisterously in the private room, boasting and joking around with great enthusiasm.

Since Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan had just been discharged from the hospital, Xu Mengshan had wanted to drink baijiu, but You Mingxu confiscated his glass and ended up serving them both beer instead.

Truth be told, for a detective, the burdens hidden in their hearts might be heavier than those of ordinary people. So when they drank to the point of exhilaration and slight intoxication, you'd see some laughing heartily, full of high spirits; others with tears welling in their eyes, speaking sparingly; and still others speaking righteously and eloquently—even if they were usually as silent as a clam.

You Mingxu wasn't much of a drinker herself. She occasionally joined in the fun, urging others to down a few glasses or accepting a drink or two when pressed. As for the men who were drinking wildly, she typically left them to their own devices, letting them fend for themselves.

But today, she had intermittently drunk about half a jin and was starting to feel the effects, so she asked the server for a cup of tea and sipped it slowly.

The private room was noisy and chaotic. After drinking her tea for a while, she still felt a bit dizzy. Turning her head, she saw Xu Mengshan holding a glass of beer, his eyes red.

You Mingxu pressed his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Mengshan pursed his lips and replied, "I'm missing Jiajia."

Those words brought a sudden sting to You Mingxu's eyes, and she fell silent.

Xu Mengshan said quietly, "Actually, I rarely think of her these days. It's just that it suddenly hit me—if she were here, she'd be like a little firecracker, and the atmosphere would be even livelier."

You Mingxu sighed, "Yeah." She picked up a nearby bottle, poured herself a drink, clinked glasses with Xu Mengshan, and they both downed their drinks.

As the eating and drinking wound down, You Mingxu went to the front desk to settle the bill. After paying, she didn't rush back to the private room. Instead, she sat on a sofa in the hallway to get some fresh air and rest for a while.

Before long, someone emerged from the private room.

Jing Ping's face was flushed from drinking, but his steps were steady and his gaze clear. He walked over and sat down beside her.

You Mingxu remembered that he had received the most toasts earlier; even if it was just beer, he had probably downed several bottles. It seemed he had quite a tolerance for alcohol.

He leaned back in the chair, pressed a hand to his head, and said nothing.

You Mingxu asked, "How much did you drink?"

Jing Ping replied, "Four bottles."

You Mingxu frowned. "You and Mengshan are really living it up!"

Jing Ping smiled and said, "No big deal, don't worry about it. How much did you drink?"

You Mingxu answered, "A little under half a jin."

Jing Ping let out a soft "tsk."

They both fell silent for a moment before Jing Ping said, "Mingxu, I'm planning to go back to Yunnan."

You Mingxu was taken aback and turned to look at him. "You're... going back?"Jing Ping smiled and nodded. "I was never in criminal investigation to begin with. This time I just came to assist with drug enforcement. Now that the case is solved, it's time for me to return to the front lines. They're waiting for me there."

You Mingxu didn't know what to say. Should she ask him to stay? There was no reason to—they truly belonged to different police divisions. For Jing Ping, he was probably more accustomed to the distant borders, intercepting drug dealers one after another; just like how she and Xu Mengshan were more skilled at protecting the many people in this city, keeping crime further away from them.

They were eagles soaring over the city, while he was a wolf in the jungle.

You Mingxu simply asked, "When are you leaving?"

"This Sunday."

That left less than a week.

You Mingxu thought for a moment, then said to him with genuine sincerity and calm, "Then I wish you a smooth journey, cracking bigger cases, everything going smoothly and safely."

Jing Ping leaned back on the sofa, the soft light from the hallway falling on his face. He rested his chin on one hand, his gaze as gentle as an older brother next door. "Mm, I hope so. And I wish our Sister You many more achievements, safety, and all your wishes fulfilled."

The two fell silent for a moment, then laughed simultaneously.

You Mingxu said, "If you ever come to Xiangcheng again, you must come see us."

Jing Ping replied, "Naturally. If you ever come to Yunnan, be sure to let me know. I'll take you around to play and eat. The climate in Yunnan is great—once you go, you might not even want to leave."

You Mingxu said, "Then we really should go check it out."

Jing Ping looked at her and said, "But before I leave, there's still one wish I haven't fulfilled."

You Mingxu chuckled, "What is it?"

"That fight we talked about months ago—we still haven't had it."

You Mingxu, who might have been a bit intimidated by him before, now looked him over from head to toe without any hesitation and said, "Are you sure? You just got out of the hospital—can you even fight?"

Jing Ping said, "Enough to handle you."

You Mingxu snorted coldly.

Jing Ping added, "How about this: if you're worried, I'll rest a few more days. Let's meet at the bureau's combat training ground Saturday night. No one's around in the evening, so even if the top-ranked Sister You in the branch loses, it won't be embarrassing. I'll leave the next day after the fight. How about it?"

You Mingxu was indeed itching for it, thinking that at worst, they could stop before seriously injuring each other, so she agreed.

Later, when Xu Mengshan found out about the two planning to fight, he thought to himself, My Brother Jing is still my Brother Jing—disappointed in love, but he's still going to triumph in the ring. Then he thought, If Jing Ping really could beat You Mingxu, he'd be the only man to have defeated her in all these years. In her heart, he'd become someone special. Wait... Is that exactly what Jing Ping is planning? This old drug enforcement officer is still plenty cunning.

Xu Mengshan had initially considered going to watch the fight that night, but after weighing Yin Feng and Jing Ping in his mind, he felt his brotherly bond with Jing Ping ran deeper, so he kept quiet about it.