First, then, love.

HZ: I have a question for you.

The other side replied very quickly.

Sang Xiaojiu: Say it.

HZ: A white tube with French writing all over it. It's for washing your face. It cost 2,800 yuan. What brand is it?

Two seconds later.

Sang Xiaojiu: ?

Sang Xiaojiu: You've started skincare now? Has the SWAT team turned into a beauty pageant?

He Zheng had no patience to waste on her nonsense.

HZ: Enough with the nonsense, just tell me your name.

Sang Xiaojiu: Bro, how about a face wash that costs 2,800 yuan, white tube, French label, Chanel Sublimage? Or Guerlain Orchidée Impériale? Or La Prairie? Can you give me a picture?

He Zheng touched his back molars with the tip of his tongue.

HZ: No photo, but it smells like roses.

Sang Xiaojiu: ...

Sang Xiaojiu: What did you do?

HZ: I used it to wash my hair.

The dialog box always displays "The other party is typing".

Half a minute passed.

Sangjiu sent a voice message.

He Zheng opened it and held it to his ear.

"He Lao Er! You're a fucking idiot! You used a 2,800 yuan luxury face wash to wash your dog head?! What a waste! No wonder you came to me for help, you got kicked out of your house, didn't you?!"

The woman's mocking laughter was jarring even through the screen.

He Zheng's face darkened as he pressed the voice button.

"Buy one, the same one, and have it delivered today."

Mulberry wine returns text.

Sang Xiaojiu: How would I know which one it is? It's most likely Dior's Prestige line or Chantecaille. I'll have someone go to the counter and get a copy of both of those cleansers.

HZ: Okay.

He Zheng opened the transfer window, entered the password, and transferred 10,000 yuan directly.

HZ: We'll refund any overpayment and collect any underpayment, and have someone deliver it directly to Jinxiu Huating.

Sang Xiaojiu: You've been paid to do this job, so just wait and see. And while you're at it, offer some incense to Mrs. He for me. She's had a really tough life marrying you.

He Zheng locked his phone and tossed it back onto the chair.

Money spent can be replaced.

He still felt annoyed.

He turned around and walked back to the fighting ring.

Old Li was still nagging from the side, "Captain, remember, buy red, vibrant flowers..."

"Shut up."

He Zheng gave a low shout, interrupting Old Li's incessant chatter.

This time, he wasn't wearing gloves.

He walked straight to the heavy sandbag, raised his eyes, and stared intently at it with his dark eyes.

"Bang!"

A powerful punch landed squarely on the leather sandbag.

The sandbags shook violently, and the chains emitted a grating scraping sound.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The continuous heavy blows caused the rough calluses on his fists to rub against the sandbag, turning them faintly red.

His chest heaved violently, and his breathing became heavy and hot.

Sweat dripped down his sharp jawline, landing on the plastic floor and spreading into a small, dark stain.

He clenched his teeth, and the masseter muscles in his lower jaw bulged out from the effort.

The body is engaged in high-intensity mechanical movements, but the mind is completely out of control.

During training, he remained calm and focused.

Today, everything is in chaos.

He threw a left hook, but what flashed before his eyes was not the shadow of his imagined enemy.

It was that night, under the bright light of the bathroom.

Shu Yao stood there, clutching the shriveled face wash bottle tightly. Her champagne-colored silk nightgown clung to her body as she pointed at his nose and called him a barbarian, her voice trembling.

He pounded the sandbag with a loud thud, sweat dripping down his sharp jawline, his mind filled with the image of Shu Yao's slightly red eyes when she was angry.

*

3:30 PM, Municipal Special Police Brigade.

He Zheng stepped down from the fighting ring.

He was covered in sweat; his black tactical vest was completely soaked and clung to his body.

He strode into the changing room and pushed open the shower door.

Turn the tap all the way down and pour cold water directly over your head.

The cool water washed over my burning muscles, taking away the sweat and heat.

Ten minutes later, he turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and wiped himself casually.

I changed into a clean black windbreaker, black work pants, and tactical boots.

I took the car keys from the locker and walked out of the locker room.

Along the way, he encountered several team members who, seeing his menacing and strode-by manner, all kept their distance and walked close to the wall, afraid of incurring his wrath.

He Zheng ignored everyone, went straight to the parking lot, and got into his car.

Ignition, accelerator, steering wheel – all done in one smooth motion.

The off-road vehicle roared out of the brigade's gate like a black beast.

Old Li looked out the office window and clicked his tongue.

"This haste and urgency...it seems like they've finally figured it out."

The car drove onto the main road.

The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, so He Zheng lowered the sunshade.

My mind was filled with those few rubbish words Old Li had uttered by the training field.

"Women just need to be coaxed."

"Buy flowers! Buy the reddest and biggest ones!"

He Zheng gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his left elbow resting on the edge of the lowered window, letting in a gust of cold wind.

He never bought flowers for a woman in his entire life.

The car didn't go to the popular flower shop in the city center.

Parking there was a hassle, and he had to wait to wrap it up, which annoyed him.

The SUV headed south, leaving the city and getting onto the expressway to the southern suburbs.

Half an hour later.

The car stopped in front of the huge agricultural greenhouses in the southern suburbs.

The brakes were applied a bit too suddenly, and the tires kicked up a cloud of yellow dust on the dirt road.

He Zheng pushed open the car door, stepped out with his long legs, and his big leather boots made a slight thud on the half-dry, half-wet muddy ground.

Old Zhao was sitting on a small stool outside the greenhouse, smoking a pipe and looking through the account books.

Hearing the noise, I looked up and froze.

"Hey, Captain He? What brings you here again?" Old Zhao quickly stood up and tapped his pipe on his trouser leg.

I just inspected the batch of roses for the wedding a couple of days ago, why are you here again today?

He Zheng walked over, his face cold and hard, and went straight to the point.

"I want flowers, red roses, right now."

Old Zhao was taken aback by his imposing manner and was a little confused.

"Captain He, the flower buds in that half-shed you rented aren't even as big as a fingernail yet. There aren't any flowers now; we'll have to wait until spring," Old Zhao quickly explained, afraid that this guy would get angry.

"I'm not taking that batch." He Zheng interrupted him impatiently, gesturing with his chin towards a row of greenhouses next to him. "This is a wholesale flower base. Do you have any fresh flowers already in stock, or flowers that are already open, in the other greenhouses?"

Old Zhao suddenly realized.

"Yes, yes, yes! There's a batch of 'Free Spirit' and 'Corolla' in shed number 2. They're going to be delivered to the flower market tomorrow morning. They're all big buds, blood-red."

"lead the way."

The two walked towards greenhouse number 2, one after the other.

Lift the heavy, transparent plastic curtain.

A wave of hot, humid air swept over me, carrying the strong scent of roses and the earthy smell of base fertilizer.

Inside the greenhouse, rows of iron frames were covered with rose bushes that were taller than a person.

The leaves are lush and green, with large red buds at the top, some still in bud and others already having opened a few petals.

Looking out, the vibrant red expanse is truly spectacular.

Old Zhao walked to a bucket next to him, in which were several bundles of roses that had been cut and were ready to be shipped the next morning.

"Captain He, how about this batch? I've already cut them all, twenty stems per bunch." Old Zhao pointed to the flowers in the bucket.

He Zheng walked over and glanced down at it.

His brows furrowed.

"No way," he refused outright.

"These flower buds are too small, and the leaves are wilted." He has a sharp eye and can spot the problem at a glance.

Old Li said he wanted to buy the biggest and reddest one.

These in the bucket are substandard; they're not good enough for that woman.

"Give me a pair of scissors." He Zheng turned his head and held out his hand to Lao Zhao.

Old Zhao paused for a moment, then quickly took out a pair of pruning shears from his tool bag and handed them over.

He Zheng took the scissors and weighed them in his hand.

He refused the thick canvas gloves that Lao Zhao offered.

He strode directly into the heart of the flowerbed.