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Chapter 1836 Auxiliary Police
The sun was shining brightly on graduation day.

Jian Fan stood in the queue, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his dark blue police uniform.

He turned his head slightly and saw Liang Wuyun standing at the front of the girls' line, her back straight, her short hair neatly tucked behind her ears, her gaze fixed firmly on the podium.

Xiao Chenggang, standing beside him, secretly yawned and was only able to stand up straight after being nudged by Jian Fan's elbow.

"I hereby declare that this year's police academy cadets have officially graduated!"

As the dean finished speaking, enthusiastic applause erupted on the playground.

Jian Fan clapped along, but in his heart he was thinking about which restaurant to go to for the celebration that night.

The year was 2015. They were twenty-two years old, in the prime of their youth, and their future seemed bright.

"Jian Fan!" After the ceremony, Liang Wuyun jogged up to him, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "I've been assigned to the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division!"

"Wow, what a heroine!" Xiao Chenggang put his arm around Jian Fan's shoulder. "Where's our young master Jian?"

Jian Fan smiled lazily: "The police station, of course! Where else can I go? I'm just trying to make a living anyway."

Liang Wuyun frowned: "Can't you be serious? Being a police officer isn't an ordinary profession."

"Okay, okay," Jian Fan waved his hand. "Come on, it's my treat to celebrate Officer Liang's promotion!"

A year later, Jian Fan squatted on the cement steps in the backyard of the police station, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

However, his auxiliary police uniform was a bit wrinkled, and the words "auxiliary police" on his shoulder insignia were particularly glaring in the sunlight.

"Jian Fan! Slacking off again!" Xiao Chenggang poked his head out from the back door. "Chief Zhao is looking everywhere for you!"

"Okay." Jian Fan slowly stubbed out his cigarette and patted the ash off his pants.

In his office, Director Zhao was frowning as he stared at his computer.

Seeing Jian Fan enter, he said without looking up, "You've signed up for the police recruitment exam next Monday, haven't you?"

Jian Fan's heart tightened: "I've submitted it."

“Prepare well,” Chief Zhao finally looked up. “Haven’t you been a police auxiliary officer for a year enough? Your police academy grades weren’t bad, so how did you end up like this?”

Jian Fan opened his mouth, but said nothing.

He knew he was lazy, but he just couldn't muster the energy.

As he walked out of the office, he saw a photo of Liang Wuyun receiving an award on the wall; she was now a full-fledged frontline criminal police officer.

On the day of the exam, Jian Fan sat in the exam room with his palms sweaty.

Because of his lack of confidence and excessive nervousness, Jian Fan's breathing became rapid.

The questions on the exam paper blurred before his eyes, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest.

He felt a wave of dizziness, followed by a sharp pain spreading from his chest...

"Call 120 immediately! Someone has fainted!"

"What? You fainted from this? What a useless piece of trash."

"Blood pressure 80/50, heart rate 140! Quick, adrenaline!"

In the blinding white light, Jian Fan heard a cacophony of shouts, but those sounds gradually faded into the distance.

Then, a strange consciousness surged into his mind like a tide...

Su Ning, 21 years old, is already a seasoned veteran of countless worlds. After waking up, he takes over this body.

Three days later, Su Ning sat dejectedly on the hospital bed, sorting through Jian Fan's few memories.

This world is almost identical to his real world, except that time has been reversed by eight years.

He is now a despised auxiliary police officer who is not even qualified to carry a gun.

"Jian Fan! You're not dead!" Xiao Chenggang, Jian Fan's best friend, burst through the door, carrying a bag of fruit. "You scared me to death! You fainted during an exam!"

Su Ning forced a smile and said helplessly, "It's nothing! I was probably just too nervous."

"You're famous now! The entire public security system has probably heard about your deeds."

"As for it?"

"Brother, we're police officers, your mental fortitude is really too weak."

"We are just auxiliary police officers."

“Uh? Jian Fan, Director Zhao said he’s giving you a week off this time,” Xiao Chenggang suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice to explain, “But you know about the gold shop robbery, right? It’s a big case with people dead, and the whole station is swamped.”

"Cheng Gang, why are you worrying so much, you're just a police auxiliary officer?"

"You don't want to earn merit anymore?"

"Oh well! Let nature take its course!"

After a period of recovery, Suning is finally back to normal.

On her first day back at work after being discharged from the hospital, Su Ning was called to the director's office.

There was also a middle-aged man with an unfamiliar face standing in the office; his epaulets indicated that he was the leader of the criminal investigation team.

"Jian Fan, this is Captain Qin from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment," Director Zhao introduced. "He has a mission that requires the cooperation of our police station's auxiliary police officers."

Captain Qin's sharp gaze swept over Su Ning: "According to intelligence, the robbers may be fleeing towards the north of the city. You auxiliary police officers will set up a checkpoint at the intersection of the old industrial area. If you spot any suspicious vehicles, report them immediately. Do not act on your own."

He particularly emphasized the last sentence.

"Understood!" Su Ning answered standing at attention, but he was already making plans in his mind.

According to Jian Fan's memory, there were two roads in the old industrial area. The main road was a key area for police surveillance, while the side road...

"Chenggang, let's take the back road." After leaving the director's office, Su Ning said to Xiao Chenggang, who was putting on his bulletproof vest.

"Huh? Captain Qin didn't say..."

“Xiaolu is close to my restaurant,” Su Ning blinked. “After I’m done, I can deliver some vegetables to my restaurant, which is short-staffed lately.”

Xiao Chenggang hesitated for a moment: "Won't we be discovered?"

"Nobody ever uses that road. Why would robbers choose it? We're just going through the motions."

"That's true! Jian Fan, I'm finding you to be getting smarter and smarter."

"That's right! We're just auxiliary police officers with nothing, not even a gun. Wouldn't we be in big trouble if we encountered robbers?"

So, while the other auxiliary police officers went to the main road to set up checkpoints as planned, Su Ning and his group of five drove a dilapidated van and wobbled towards a secluded side road.

The truck was also loaded with several baskets of vegetables, which were indeed prepared for Suning's restaurant.

"This piece of junk!" Auxiliary police officer Xiao Chen, who was driving, slapped the steering wheel in frustration. "It stalled again!"

The car broke down in the middle of the road, and several people got out to check it.

However, Su Ning had a bad feeling and a sense that something unpleasant might happen next.

Just then, a black sedan sped towards us from a distance at an extremely high speed.

"Pull over!" Suning suddenly shouted.

Because Su Ning had already recognized the car; it was exactly the same as the robber's vehicle described in the case report.

This is absurd! In the original story, the robbers were clearly on the main road. After being intercepted by Liang Wuyun's team, they scattered and fled. They would never have appeared here!

Could it be that my time travel altered the plot?

Before I could think, the black sedan was already upon me.

Suning made a quick decision: "Move the car sideways! Block the road!"

Several auxiliary police officers frantically pushed the vehicle, barely managing to position the van across the middle of the road.

It turned out that Liang Wuyun's team spotted the suspects at a certain location and began to pursue them.

The agile Liang Wuyun took the lead and captured one of the fugitives on the spot, while the other four continued to flee.

What was even more unexpected was that the direction the fugitive headed was the same path where Jian Fan and the others were.

The black sedan was forced to slow down, and the window rolled down, revealing a menacing face: "Get out of the way!"

"Vegetables! Throw vegetables at them!" Su Ning grabbed a tomato and threw it, hitting the driver squarely in the face.

Other auxiliary police officers followed suit, and potatoes, cabbages, and carrots rained down on the car.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, and the robber in the back seat opened fire.

Everyone immediately dropped to the ground and scrambled into the roadside drainage ditch.

"Damn it! The auxiliary police don't even have a baton!" Xiao Chenggang trembled in the ditch. "Jian Fan, it's all your fault for coming up with that terrible idea! I thought you were smart! Turns out you're possessed by the God of Wealth."

The gunshots attracted nearby patrol cars.

When Chief Zhao arrived with his men, the robbers had already abandoned the car and fled, leaving behind only vegetables scattered on the ground and five disheveled auxiliary police officers.

"Jian Fan!" Director Zhao's roar made Su Ning tremble. "Disorganized and undisciplined! Go back and write a self-criticism! Suspended from duty for reflection!"

Back at the police station, Su Ning casually packed his things, not taking the suspension and reflection seriously at all.

Su Ning and Xiao Chenggang left the police station with no other choice.

Just then, the sharp-eyed Xiao Chenggang spotted a beautiful woman and couldn't help but be captivated.

Xiao Chenggang suddenly nudged him: "Look, a beautiful woman!"

A tall, slender young woman with long, flowing hair stood at the entrance of the police station, wearing a simple yet elegant beige trench coat.

Su Ning narrowed his eyes. Based on Jian Fan's memory, he knew that this was Jiang Dijia, a regular customer who occasionally ate at his restaurant.

"I bet five hundred yuan I can get her phone number," Su Ning suddenly said to Xiao Chenggang with a mischievous grin. "You're kidding!" Xiao Chenggang didn't believe her at all.

Su Ning straightened her uniform and walked over: "Miss Jiang? What a coincidence."

Jiang Dijia turned around, her eyes widening in surprise: "Jian Fan? What are you doing here?"

"Yes! I made a bet with my friend about whether I could get your number. Do you think I can?"

"How dare you! You know me perfectly well."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Su Ning "naturally" got her phone number and casually brushed away non-existent dust from her shoulder.

Such an ambiguous gesture made Jiang Dijia feel embarrassed; she never expected that one day she would be flirted with by a young man.

When they returned to Xiao Chenggang's side, the latter stared in disbelief as he pulled out his wallet: "When did you...?"

"It's a secret." Su Ning smiled mysteriously, then took the money Xiao Chenggang handed over.

……

That evening, Suning helped out at his own restaurant.

It was lunchtime, and the hall was bustling with noise.

His gaze swept over two male guests at a table in the private room, and he suddenly froze.

Although they had changed clothes and were wearing hats, they were clearly two robbers who had escaped the net!
"Mom, I'll serve that table," Su Ning said softly to her mother, then picked up the teapot and walked over.

"What would you two like to eat?" he asked, feigning composure.

At the same time, I noticed a bulging backpack under the table, which was very likely filled with stolen goods and weapons.

"Bring me a few of our signature dishes," one of the robbers said without looking up.

Su Ning returned to the kitchen and retrieved the potent tranquilizer she had brought from the spatial world...

He first mixed the powder into the dishes and soups.

Twenty minutes later, the two robbers began to doze off.

Under the pretext of adding soup, Su Ning approached and suddenly took out a high-voltage stun gun from his spatial storage, pressing it directly onto one of the people's necks.

Just as the other man was about to draw his gun, Su Ning struck him in the temple with an elbow strike, and then knocked him unconscious with an electric shock.

"Jian Fan! What are you doing?" the mother asked in alarm.

"Mom, call the police and say they've caught the jewelry store robbers," Su Ning said breathlessly, using the store's ropes to tie the two of them up tightly.

"what?"

"Hurry up! Your son is about to get a permanent position this time."

"..."

Then Suning's mother called the police, and the police station where Suning lived quickly dispatched officers.

However, when Director Zhao arrived with his men, his first words were: "Jian Fan! Who gave you permission to act without authorization? Do you know how dangerous this is?"

"Chief, I..."

"Write a self-criticism! A profound self-criticism!" Chief Zhao roared angrily. "The police force has its rules! Do you think you can act with impunity just because you caught two fugitives?"

"I..." At this moment, Su Ning was so frustrated that she wanted to curse.

As I walked out of the police station, it was already late at night.

Xiao Chenggang patted Su Ning on the shoulder: "At least we've done something, right?"

Suning smiled wryly when his phone suddenly vibrated.

A text message from an unknown number: [Officer Jian, do you have time to talk? — Jiang Dijia]

"Okay!"

He looked up at the night sky and felt an invisible net slowly unfolding.

The jewelry store robbery was just the beginning; a much larger conspiracy was yet to come.

Now, he is involuntarily drawn into it.

……

Su Ning stared at the text message on her phone screen for a full ten seconds.

Jiang Dijia asked him to meet her at the "Jingyuan" private restaurant in the east of the city at noon the next day.

He had heard of this place; the average cost per person was equivalent to half a month's salary for him, and it was definitely not a place that ordinary wage earners would go.

"Hey! A beautiful girl asked you out?" Xiao Chenggang leaned over and said sourly, "Just treat her to a roadside stall instead of acting all high and mighty."

"Get lost! It's none of your business." Su Ning ignored his teasing.

"Hmph! Maybe this Jiang Dijia really has taken a liking to you," Xiao Chenggang continued to tease.

Suning put away his phone: "Get lost, I have to go back and write a self-criticism."

The next day at noon, Su Ning changed into a decent high-end casual suit, but after much hesitation, he still didn't wear his auxiliary police officer ID.

Jingyuan is hidden in a quiet alley, with white walls and black tiles, and only a small wooden sign hanging at the entrance.

Pushing open the carved wooden door, the waiter led him through a winding corridor to a private room overlooking the water.

Jiang Dijia was already waiting there. Today, she had her long hair tied up, revealing her fair neck, and a dark green cheongsam outlined her elegant curves.

"Officer Jian, you're right on time!" She smiled and stood up to greet her.

"Just call me Jian Fan." Su Ning pulled out a chair and sat down, noticing that several exquisite cold dishes had already been laid out on the table.

Jiang Dijia poured him a cup of tea: "I heard about what happened yesterday. I didn't expect you to be so brave."

"What kind of bravery is it to catch a fugitive and still have to write a self-criticism?" Su Ning chuckled self-deprecatingly, observing the other person without making a sound.

Jiang Dijia's fingers are long and slender, and her nails are neatly trimmed, which is extremely attractive to normal men.

“The owner of this restaurant is my friend,” Jiang Dijia said softly. “The specialty is Huaiyang cuisine, but the best dish is a family-recipe braised pork, which is said to have been passed down for three generations.”

The waiters served the dishes one after another, each one beautifully presented.

Jiang Dijia knows the origin and preparation of each dish like the back of her hand, and can even point out a few special seasonings.

"You know a lot about cooking?" Su Ning asked, picking up a piece of crystal pork jelly.

Jiang Dijia's eyes lit up slightly: "My father is a chef, so I've been exposed to the profession since I was a child. Speaking of which, your family's restaurant is very famous in the west of the city, especially your braised meat, which is absolutely unique."

"That's what the regular customers say," he answered vaguely, then changed the subject, "Which restaurant does your father work at?"

“He died young.” Jiang Dijia lowered her eyes, then looked up again. “But he left me with a lot of recipes. Jian Fan, would you be willing to sell your family’s braised meat recipe?”

Suning's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, not expecting Jiang Dijia to have such a purpose.

The conversation that followed became delicate.

Jiang Dijia always intentionally or unintentionally steered the conversation toward cooking secrets, while Su Ning pretended to casually avoid the topic.

When the dessert arrived, Jiang Dijia finally couldn't hold back any longer.

“Jian Fan, actually, I asked you out today because I have a favor to ask.” She put down the silver spoon and looked directly into Su Ning’s eyes again. “I want to buy your family’s braised meat recipe.”

Su Ning almost choked on the almond tofu in her mouth: "Cough cough cough... this..."

“I’m willing to pay a high price.” Jiang Dijia took out a check from her handbag and pushed it in front of him. “One hundred thousand, for your formula.”

As Su Ning looked at the already filled-in numbers and signature on the check, alarm bells rang in her mind.

This was by no means a spur-of-the-moment decision; Jiang Dijia had been preparing for it for a long time.

"Sorry, this is a family secret recipe, not for sale!" Su Ning pushed the check back, her tone resolute.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Jiang Dijia's face, but she quickly put on a smile again: "I understand, I understand. Then can I try it? I'll invite you to my house, you can cook it, and I'll prepare the ingredients."

This turning point made Suning even more vigilant.

A young woman invites a man she doesn't know very well to her home to cook.
It's so unreasonable.

“Miss Jiang,” Su Ning put down her napkin, deciding to take the initiative, “who exactly are you? And why are you so interested in my family’s braised meat recipe?”

Jiang Dijia's expression froze for a moment, then she smiled and said, "You're just a food lover."

“Ordinary enthusiasts wouldn’t spend 100,000 yuan to buy a braised meat recipe.” Su Ning stared into her eyes.

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became tense.

Jiang Dijia's fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of the teacup, as if she were weighing something.

Finally, she sighed.

“Okay, I’ll confess.” She looked up. “My family’s hotel wants to introduce this dish.”

"Miss Jiang, I'm so sorry! I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you." After thinking for a moment, Su Ning directly refused.

"Jian Fan, are you really not considering selling the formula?"

"I won't consider it! Besides, if Miss Jiang considers me a friend, please don't bring this up again."

"Two hundred thousand."

“This isn’t about money! Miss Jiang, I might be richer than you.”

"..."

Jiang Dijia naturally didn't believe Suning's words, feeling that Suning's refusal was nothing more than waiting for a higher offer.

……