After hanging up, Yan Qing gave a resigned shrug. She didn’t take the matter particularly to heart — it was just going through the motions, really, so she’d have something to report back to Second Aunt afterward. More or less completing a task.

“Teacher Yan.” Shi Ting knocked on the open office door.

“Team Leader Shi?” Yan Qing swiveled her chair around. “Didn’t Director Liu give the criminal investigation unit time off? How come you’re still here?”

“Still have a few things to finish up. You’re working overtime too, aren’t you?” Shi Ting set a folder of documents on her desk. “There’s some technical knowledge in this case I wanted to ask you about.”

Yan Qing set down her pen and asked with genuine enthusiasm, “What did you want to ask?”

When Hulu walked in, he noticed right away that Shi Ting was standing beside Yan Qing, and that Yan Qing was quietly explaining something to him.

One seated, one standing — one petite, one tall — even from behind, they looked remarkably well-matched.

Hulu gave a knowing blink and quietly slipped back out.

Not long after, Hulu came back in.

“Shifu, it’s raining outside,” he said, raising his voice deliberately. “How are you getting home later? Getting a cab is definitely going to be a struggle.”

“Oh — Team Leader Shi, you’re here.”

Yan Qing had been deep in discussion with Shi Ting, and at the sound of Hulu’s words she immediately went to the window and pulled back the curtain.

The forensics room rarely had the windows open, and they were small besides — but sure enough, it was raining outside. Not a heavy rain, but not light either.

“Shifu, should I call a cab for you?” Hulu offered helpfully. “I just don’t know if it’ll be easy to get one in weather like this.”

“Let me drive you back,” Shi Ting said, picking up the thread. “I don’t have much left to deal with here anyway.”

“Really? That’s so kind of you, Team Leader Shi.” Hulu looked even more pleased than Yan Qing. “Then I’ll leave it to Team Leader Shi to get my shifu home safely. Shifu, what are you standing around for? Hurry up, get your things together and go with Team Leader Shi. If you wait any longer, the rain’s going to get heavier and the roads are going to be backed up.”

Yan Qing was at a loss for words.

She hadn’t even opened her mouth yet, and her apprentice had somehow already arranged everything for her.

“Hulu makes a good point. The rain’s still manageable now, and traffic isn’t too bad yet. We should head out sooner rather than later.” Shi Ting checked his watch. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

And just like that, Yan Qing was “escorted” into Shi Ting’s car by her own well-meaning apprentice. It wasn’t until she was sitting in the passenger seat that something started to feel off to her, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.

Before she could figure it out, a soft, soothing melody began to play from the car stereo.

“What song is this? It’s so beautiful.” Her train of thought was immediately swept away by the music.

“Xiao Bai recommended it,” Shi Ting said. “It’s called ‘Moving Heart.'”

“This singer’s voice is really distinctive. Listening to it on a rainy day like this… it feels even more evocative somehow.”

“Do you like listening to music when it rains?”

“I do.” Yan Qing gazed out at the window. “Music in the rain has a certain feeling to it.”

“What kind of music do you like? I’ll find something.”

“This song is perfect as it is.”

Outside, raindrops drummed against the car windows and trickled down the glass in thin, winding streams, while “Moving Heart” played softly inside the car.

*”My heart leaps for you, the rhythm fast, my cheeks burning — it’s the mole at the corner of your brow, it’s the glance you cast as you smile and turn…”*

Yan Qing let herself be carried along by the music, by the quiet, by this rare and unhurried rainy afternoon.

Then the rain outside gradually intensified, and she pressed closer to the window to look out.

What had been a moderate rain was now heavy enough that each drop smacked against the glass with an audible sound, and water was pooling on the road, rushing in sheets toward the drains below.

When the car pulled up beneath Yan Qing’s building, the rain was coming down even harder. Shi Ting said, “The umbrella’s in the trunk. Wait here — I’ll go get it.”

“Maybe we should wait a bit longer. The rain’s so heavy — you’ll get soaked the moment you open the door.”

“It’s fine. It’s just a little rain.”

As he said it, he pushed open the car door and ran.

A short while later, there was a tap on Yan Qing’s window. She quickly pushed the door open to find him there, umbrella raised, his hair and clothes already wet. Rain cascaded down along the umbrella’s edges in a steady pour.

“Come on out.” He angled the umbrella over her head.

Shi Ting walked Yan Qing all the way to the entrance of her building, keeping the umbrella tilted toward her the whole time — so Yan Qing barely got wet, while his own clothes were drenched through.

“Get upstairs,” Shi Ting said. “Go change before you catch a chill.”

Yan Qing looked at him, soaked and dripping, and felt a pang of guilt. He had gotten wet because of her — and the entire time, he had held the umbrella mostly over her head.

“The rain’s only getting heavier. The roads are going to be a mess,” Yan Qing thought for a moment. “Why don’t you come up and dry your clothes first, then head back once it lets up a bit?”

If he sat in wet clothes through hours of traffic, he might well catch a cold.

“Would it be too much of an inconvenience?”

“I live alone — there’s nothing inconvenient about it.”

Shi Ting paused inwardly.

The inconvenience would be to her, not him. Did this girl not quite grasp what he meant?

“Then I won’t impose.”

Shi Ting followed Yan Qing to her front door. As she unlocked it, she was already talking, “On your way back, don’t go through the underpass at Changsheng Bridge — water collects there. Take Huadong South Road instead; the traffic there is usually a bit better.”

She opened the door and pulled a pair of slippers from the shoe rack by the entrance. “Change into these. I’ll get you some hot water.”

It was the turn of summer into autumn, and the rain had brought a faint chill to S City.

Yan Qing took the umbrella from his hand and carried it to the bathroom, then came back with a towel and passed it to Shi Ting. “The dryer’s in there. Take your clothes off in a minute and run them through — they’ll be dry quickly.”

“Thank you.” Shi Ting accepted the towel, and took in the apartment around him.

It was a standard two-bedroom layout, the color scheme predominantly white, with few decorative pieces, but clean and fresh.

On the sofa sat a plush toy — something round and fluffy that might have been a rabbit, though it didn’t quite look like one. Chubby and endearing.

“Drink this first.” Yan Qing came over and handed Shi Ting a cup of hot water.

Shi Ting took it and let his gaze drift toward the kitchen. “You like baking?”

“I do. I even took a proper class to learn.” Talking about something she loved made her eyes light up. “Old Fan and the others used to be my regular guinea pigs — they were the only ones who didn’t mind eating sweets made by the hands that cut open bodies.”

“Hands that uphold justice and punish evil — the food they make should be the most delicious in the world.”

Yan Qing heard those words and seemed genuinely taken aback. After a moment, a radiant smile broke across her face. “When you put it that way, I feel even more inspired.”

“Does that mean I might be able to enjoy your cooking alongside Old Fan and the others in the future?”

“You can start right now.” Yan Qing smiled. “You’re going to put your clothes in the dryer anyway — I’ll bake you something small while you wait.”

She pushed open the bathroom door. “The dryer’s over there. The water heater is plugged in — feel free to use it whenever.”

Shi Ting watched as she pulled the door shut, then let a quiet smile cross his lips.

She was a police professional herself — her sense of vigilance ought to be higher than the average person. The fact that she had let him into her home, even offered him the use of her bathroom, was entirely because of his shared identity as a law enforcement officer. It was a kind of wordless trust.

Shi Ting stripped off his wet clothes and fed them into the dryer. There was no time to wash them properly, and it would only be a waste. He thought about how this was his first time in her home and, despite having her permission, a shower felt a step too presumptuous — so instead of turning on the showerhead, he simply wiped away the rain from his skin.

By the time Shi Ting had his clothes back on, warm and dry from the dryer, the scent of something baked was already drifting through from the other room.

“Your timing is perfect.” Yan Qing, wearing a thick oven mitt, was lifting a baking tray out of the oven. “Do you like cream? If not, I’ll leave it off.”

“Either way is fine.”

“Then I’ll add a little cream — it tastes better that way.”

Shi Ting walked over, intending to help, and was immediately stopped by an outstretched hand. “Don’t touch — it’s very hot.”

“Are those… cream puffs?”

“Yes — my own variation on the classic. You can fill them with jam, or with a chocolate center.”

Yan Qing picked one up from the tray and held it out to him. “Try it — they’re best eaten fresh and warm.”

Faced with the small pastry she was offering, Shi Ting’s first instinct was to lean in and take it with his mouth — but the moment he thought it, he recognized the gesture as far too intimate, and likely to make her uncomfortable. So he took it with his hand instead.

“Well? Is it good?” Yan Qing watched him with a smile, like a schoolchild waiting for praise.

“It’s good.” Shi Ting said with genuine appreciation. “Better than anything you’d buy from a cake shop.”

“Team Leader Shi, you’re just flattering me.”

“I’m telling the truth. I never flatter anyone.” Shi Ting gestured toward the tray in her hand. “Might Teacher Yan be willing to spare another one?”

“This whole tray is for you.” The person whose baking had just been praised broke into a smile wide enough to show off a row of white teeth. “You’re not allowed to leave until it’s finished.”

Outside, the rain went on, showing no sign of letting up. As the sky grew progressively darker, the downpour only intensified.

“I have some ingredients at home. If you don’t mind, I could stir-fry a couple of dishes?”

Shi Ting had been sitting on the sofa watching television, answering calls from time to time. On hearing Yan Qing’s suggestion, he didn’t stand on ceremony. “Why don’t I do it?”

“You can cook?” Yan Qing sounded genuinely surprised.

“A few basic home-cooked dishes. Nothing too complicated.”

“You’re a guest — I can’t have you going into the kitchen.” Yan Qing reached for an apron and tied it on. “I’ve been so busy lately there hasn’t been time to go to the market, so I’ll just work with whatever I have.”

“Let me help.” Shi Ting followed her over. “If I lend a hand, at least I won’t feel like I’m eating for free.”

“Then peel these carrots for me — they’ve been sitting for a few days and the skin’s starting to wrinkle.”

Yan Qing took the carrots out of the refrigerator and handed them to Shi Ting. “No need to be polite.”

Shi Ting was quietly pleased to have been given this task. He peeled away at the carrots while keeping a covert eye on Yan Qing as she cooked.

—