Chapter Twenty-Four: Keeping Up Appearances

When she said this, the girl sitting across from her grew visibly uncomfortable, shifting in her seat with an awkward expression.

“Oh, come on, Jing, what are you even saying? What era do you think we’re living in? How old-fashioned can you get? Are you telling me my friends must be girls and can’t be boys? Besides, the whole point today was that you don’t have many friends in W City, and I didn’t want you to feel lonely, so I called you out. I don’t need your gratitude, but you could at least not be so ungrateful!” she said, her face clouded with annoyance.

The girl called Jing seemed to be the gentle, mild-tempered type, not particularly sharp-tongued. She’d been upset about her own situation, but now, faced with this reversal, her cheeks flushed red and she found herself at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Yan Xue could no longer hold back. With long, purposeful strides, she approached and, before anyone else could react, snatched the bottle covered in foreign writing from the man holding the drinks and handed it toward the girl sitting opposite Jing.

“If it’s really something good, why don’t you, as her good friend, try a few sips first and see how it tastes?” Her face was stern, devoid of any hint of a smile, which lent her an imposing air.

The girl instinctively shrank back, as if terrified that the mysterious drink would be forced into her mouth. Her quick movements and panicked expression spoke louder than any words.

“And who are you supposed to be?! Are you people crazy?!” the man who’d had the drink snatched from him grew agitated, standing up as if to snatch it back from Yan Xue.

But he had barely risen before Kang Ge pressed him firmly back into his seat by the shoulder.

“Sit down. Why so worked up? If you’re already this agitated now, won’t you just pass out when things really get going?” Kang Ge’s face wore a cheerful grin, but his grip was so strong the man couldn’t break free.

As he spoke, he exchanged a look with Yan Xue. She nodded, one hand gripping the bottle, the other fishing out her credentials from her pocket and flashing them before the group.

Jing, upon realizing they were police officers, was overjoyed, visibly relieved.

The other three men and one woman, however, showed varying reactions. The one Kang Ge was holding down stopped struggling; the remaining three rose slowly to their feet, their faces complicated.

“Sorry, did we disturb your meal?” The man opposite them, apparently the oldest and something of a ringleader, forced a smile and nodded to Kang Ge and Yan Xue. “We were wrong, just joking around with our friend, took it too far, that’s on us. Your criticism—we understand! From now on, we’ll be more mindful, keep things in check!”

“Yes, yes! We’ll do better! Um… could we have our stuff back?” another chimed in.

“No rush, no rush. We just wanted to say hello and have a chat. You’re just out for a meal, right? Why, are you in a hurry to leave?” Kang Ge’s tone was relaxed, but he showed no sign of letting them go. “These two ladies are university students. What about you three? Are you students as well?”

The three men replied that they had left school. When asked about their work, they hesitated, unable to give a clear answer. Yan Xue, listening, could tell at once they were just idle loafers.

“How old are you?” Yan Xue asked Jing.

The girl, steadied by the knowledge that these were police officers, replied, “I just turned eighteen last month.”

“You’re an adult now. In the future, be more discerning when making friends. If someone insists you drink something they’re not even willing to touch themselves, it’s best to keep as far away from them as possible. If someone calls you out late at night to meet with several men, and a male friend you just met tries to make you drink, while your female classmate encourages it instead of stopping him—it’s best to end that friendship. Don’t go to that kind of date unguarded.

It’s not your fault if someone tries to take advantage of you; those who do such things are beasts. But you can’t expect beasts to act like people, so it’s no harm to keep your guard up.” Yan Xue’s expression was grave as she spoke to Jing.

Jing, her face burning red, nodded earnestly. The others avoided Yan Xue’s gaze or looked sullenly resentful but dared not protest given the police presence.

Just then, several uniformed officers entered, guided by the waiter, and headed straight for their table. The four suspects were clearly panicked, wanting to run but not daring to, trying and failing to look composed.

“What’s going on here?” the lead officer asked, sweeping his gaze across the group.

Kang Ge and Yan Xue produced their credentials and gave a brief account of the situation, especially the part where the group had tried to force Jing to drink the mysterious beverage. They didn’t overlook the subtle gestures of the two people beside Jing.

Yan Xue handed the bottle, which she had never returned to the group, to one of the uniformed officers. “We recently handled a case where the victim was tricked into drinking this kind of thing, with terrible consequences. I’d recommend having it tested—it likely contains a strong sedative.”

The officer’s demeanor grew serious as he took the bottle. Having overheard Yan Xue’s words, Jing’s face, which had been flushed with embarrassment and tension, went deathly pale. It was clear she now realized what might have happened had Kang Ge and Yan Xue not intervened—something no one dared imagine.

As the suspects were led away, their faces were ashen. Jing, as the victim, needed to accompany the police to give a statement and assist with the investigation.

Before leaving, she approached Kang Ge and Yan Xue, blushing, to thank them again. They responded with polite reassurances.

“Officer Kang, um… may I have your contact information?” the girl asked shyly before leaving, her young face tinged with red. She clearly admired this striking detective who had appeared out of nowhere to help.

Kang Ge chuckled. “My contact is easy to remember—just dial 110! There are plenty of reliable officers like me in W City. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to call. No need to be embarrassed, and no need to be overly polite. But unless it’s urgent, try not to tie up public resources!”

With a hearty wave, he sent her off and turned with Yan Xue back toward their private room.

Now that the incident was resolved, it was time to continue the discussion with Gao Yang.

“Well done, Old Kang!” Having acted heroically, Yan Xue felt a deep sense of satisfaction, from the soles of her feet to the tips of her hair, and couldn’t resist teasing Kang Ge. “Quite the charmer, aren’t you?”

“Oh, nonsense! She’s just a naïve young girl, nothing more,” Kang Ge replied with exaggerated modesty, waving his hand. Then he corrected her, “And stop calling me ‘Old Kang.’ I don’t like it. If you insist on a nickname, call me ‘Little Kang.’”

“You’re a few years older than me and you still want to pretend you’re young so I’ll call you ‘Little Kang’?” Yan Xue laughed.

“Exactly! Because you’re heading for a well-off life!” Kang Ge raised an eyebrow.

Yan Xue shivered. “That joke was ice cold!”

Grinning, Kang Ge dropped the banter, and the two returned to their room, where Gao Yang had just sat down again, having also been out to see the commotion.

“You two really are kind-hearted people,” he said once they rejoined him, speaking with an initiative he hadn’t shown before. “Honestly, I thought everyone these days just minds their own business. You invited me out because of the Xu Wenrui case, and this other matter wasn’t even your responsibility—I didn’t expect you to get involved. If you hadn’t stepped in and taken control, who knows what might have happened to that girl!”

“That’s not quite right! Our line of work requires us to step in when there’s an emergency within our scope of duty, even when we’re off the clock—let alone during working hours!” Kang Ge waved the compliment away, playing humble. “Let’s get back to our previous topic. How did you and Xu Wenrui end up so closely linked by your mothers?”

With the focus back on himself, Gao Yang’s mood sobered. “My mom and Xu Wenrui’s mom were classmates—they grew up together, always in the same class, and even when they were no longer classmates, they were in the same school. They didn’t work together after graduation, but by some strange coincidence—or maybe it was planned—they ended up buying homes in the same neighborhood.

Because they’ve always been around each other, their relationship has always been close, like best friends. But their friendship is just… so strange. I still can’t make sense of it.

Most of the time, they’re inseparable. If one family has a problem, the other will help out. If one is upset or wronged, the other will offer comfort and supportive words.”

“That sounds pretty nice. What’s so hard to understand?” Yan Xue asked.

“If it were just that simple, I wouldn’t be confused,” Gao Yang sighed. “That’s how they are with other people, totally normal. But between the two of them, there’s this unspoken sense of competition. No one ever brings it up, but they’re always trying to outdo each other. They want the other to do well—but only as long as they themselves are doing better.

Honestly, there’s nothing in this world they can’t turn into a silent contest, big or small, inside or out—there’s simply nothing off-limits for their rivalry!”