What? You're a notorious bandit? What a coincidence, me too!

Lin Chang'an lit a cigarette and suddenly said to Wang Xinchen, "Can I smoke now?"

"Take it or leave it!" Wang Xinchen snorted, resting his chin on his hand.

Lin Chang'an took a long drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and sighed, "I was suffocating in there."

"Why don't I beat you to death!" Wang Xinchen said with disgust, looking at Lin Chang'an's intoxicated expression.

"What would you like to eat?" Lin Chang'an asked.

"casual."

Wang Xinchen leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd around him.

Lin Chang'an didn't stand on ceremony. He called over Old Yang's wife and ordered several skewers of lamb, grilled chicken wings, grilled vegetables, and a pitcher of beer.

Soon, the barbecue was served.

Wang Xinchen frowned as he looked at the roasted meat on the plate, clearly showing some resistance to this kind of roadside food.

"Alright, a little dirt won't hurt you."

Lin Chang'an picked up a skewer of lamb and stuffed it into Wang Xinchen's hand. "Try it. Old Yang's barbecue is absolutely delicious."

After saying that, he picked up a skewer and started eating it in big bites.

He was really hungry. He hadn't eaten much at the barbecue stall that afternoon, and after spending so much time at the police station, he was starving.

Wang Xinchen looked at the lamb skewers in her hand, then at Lin Chang'an eating with relish, hesitated for a moment, and finally tentatively took a bite.

The aroma of the roasted meat instantly filled her mouth; it tasted really good, much better than she had imagined.

Although she still felt in her heart that this thing was definitely not clean.

Lin Chang'an poured himself a beer and then offered one to Wang Xinchen, but she stopped him with her hand: "I don't drink. We're starting the DUI check now."

Lin Chang'an nodded, picked up his cup and downed it in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.

The two ate in silence for a while before Lin Chang'an broke the silence by speaking first: "You always said you wanted to be a policeman, and I never thought you'd actually make it."

Wang Xinchen paused, holding the lamb skewers, and corrected, "It's about becoming a criminal police officer."

Lin Chang'an said, "Yes, a criminal investigator. Wait, that's not right. So how come you're working as a beat cop at the police station?"

"Mind your own business. I'll be a detective sooner or later anyway," Wang Xinchen snorted, wiping the grease from his mouth with a tissue.

Lin Chang'an smiled and ate his meat skewers.

The woman's stubbornness remained unchanged.

Wang Xinchen suddenly stared directly at him, her tone cold: "All these years, you've been hanging out with these shady characters?"

Lin Chang'an sighed: "What do you mean by 'neither fish nor fowl'?"

"What, did I say something wrong?"

Wang Xinchen rolled her eyes at him. "You idle away your days, doing nothing productive, and always getting into fights. What else can you call that but something shady?"

"Sigh, you can talk about them, but why did you have to drag me into this?"

Lin Chang'an sat up straight and said in a serious tone, "I have long since turned over a new leaf and started anew."

Wang Xinchen looked Lin Chang'an up and down, clearly not quite believing him, and shook his head.

Suddenly, her gaze swept across Lin Chang'an's face, and her brows furrowed even more.

She pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to Lin Chang'an, saying irritably, "Wipe your face. Why do you eat like a pig?"

Lin Chang'an wasn't annoyed by the other person's insults. He reached out and took the tissue, wiped his face haphazardly a couple of times, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the ground.

"Officer, it's not that I look like a pig, it's that you're too clean."

As soon as he said this, Wang Xinchen's expression changed slightly, and something flashed in his eyes.

She suddenly said something that Lin Chang'an hadn't expected.

"I remember, this was the reason you gave when you broke up with me back then!"

"Cough cough—"

These words came suddenly, and Lin Chang'an, who was putting a meat skewer into his mouth, was choked and coughed violently.

He quickly picked up his beer glass and took a big gulp before he could barely recover.

"Hi, really?"

He put down his cup, scratched his head, and looked like he couldn't remember. "This is an old almanac from so many years ago, I've long forgotten it."

Wang Xinchen snorted.

Lin Chang'an picked up a skewer of grilled vegetables, intending to hand it to Wang Xinchen to ease the tension: "Try this, grilled eggplant, Old Yang grilled it especially well."

Wang Xinchen didn't answer at all, but just stared at him coldly, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion, like dissatisfaction, or something else entirely.

"What, are you full?" Lin Chang'an reluctantly withdrew his hand and stuffed the roasted eggplant into his mouth.

I felt a little regretful. I shouldn't have asked her to have dinner with me; it was just asking for trouble.

He chewed on his eggplant, gave an awkward laugh, and tried to find another topic to break the awkward silence.

"Um...you just said you wanted to be a criminal investigator, is being at the police station just a temporary measure?"

Wang Xinchen glanced at him, her tone still indifferent: "Well, gain some experience at the police station first."

"Sure, I believe you can do it," Lin Chang'an said sincerely.

"Of course, I won't give up halfway."

Wang Xinchen said, "Unlike some people, I don't drift through life aimlessly, not knowing what I want to do."

"Hey, are you indirectly criticizing me?"

"If you're willing to take this personally, I have no objection," Wang Xinchen said calmly.

Lin Chang'an smiled helplessly.

After chatting for a while, Lin Chang'an suddenly said, "By the way, I'm getting married in a while. Come over sometime."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Wang Xinchen's eyes, and her expression changed instantly, though Lin Chang'an did not notice in the darkness.

She said coldly, "I don't have time."

Lin Chang'an sipped his drink, popped a skewer of grilled meat into his mouth, and mumbled, "I haven't even said what time it is yet."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Xinchen interrupted him, her tone even colder: "Whenever, I'm never free."

Lin Chang'an responded with an "oh".

Suddenly, Wang Xinchen stood up and said, "I'm full, I'm leaving now."

"Wait a moment, I'll see you off." Lin Chang'an also stood up.

"Need not."

Wang Xinchen coldly refused and turned to walk out of the barbecue stall, but after taking two steps, he turned back.

"What were you thinking? You're getting married, and you want me to attend your wedding?"

Lin Chang'an looked at the woman's cold tone and said, "Well, aren't we old acquaintances? For something this big, I should treat you to a drink at the wedding."

A mix of emotions flashed in Wang Xinchen's eyes. She gritted her teeth, wanting to curse, but ultimately held back.

"Okay, I wish you a happy marriage!"

She picked up the beer on the table, poured herself a glass, and drank it in one gulp.

Then she poured herself another glass, drank it down in one gulp, and said, "I wish you a speedy delivery of your son!"

He then poured himself another glass, downed it in one gulp, and said, "I wish you a long and happy marriage!"

"That's enough."

Lin Chang'an looked at the woman's obviously angry expression.

"That's enough, that's enough."

Wang Xinchen put down the cup, her face slightly flushed.

He glared at Lin Chang'an with hatred and uttered two words.

"asshole"

Then turned and left.

Lin Chang'an watched the woman drive away, then touched his nose, regretting his loose tongue. Why did he have to bring this up?

He finished his meal quickly, paid the bill, and rode his motorcycle home.