After Fang Rui realized he liked Mu Mian, he decided to confess directly. He didn't want to play games with hints and ambiguity, because Mu Mian might not pick up on his signals at all.
The next day, Fang Rui waited outside Mu Mian's door as usual to go to work together.
Mu Mian opened the door, carrying a huge luggage bag, stumbling as she walked out. She nearly fell over.
Fang Rui steadied her. "Mu Mian, I like you," he said, his voice a bit nervous.
"Fang Rui, thank you for liking me. I like you too. I'm so tired right now. If you could help me get this bag into the car, I'd like you even more." Mu Mian put the bag on the ground and took a few deep breaths to recover. The bag was so heavy!
Fang Rui felt a bit helpless. His first confession had failed so miserably; Mu Mian might not have even realized he was confessing.
"Why are you bringing so much stuff? Mu Mian, you're going to work, not on vacation." Fang Rui picked up the bag. It was quite heavy, and from the bulging shape, it seemed to contain a variety of items.
"Self-defense tools. Better safe than sorry."
Self-defense tools? Fang Rui paused. He opened the bag to find various restricted items: a stun gun, hammer, machete, chainsaw, electric drill, anti-wolf spray, several bottles of unknown substances...
Seeing Fang Rui open her emergency kit, Mu Mian looked a bit embarrassed. She had originally thought Fang Rui could protect her, but she realized that as a bodyguard, he had significant limitations. So she had to rely on herself.
Fang Rui read the disdain in Mu Mian's expression and quickly clarified, "Mu Mian, that time was an accident. They ambushed me. Otherwise, even if there were ten of them, I could have taken them on."
"Fang Rui, I believe you would protect me, and I know you're great at fighting. But sorry, I'm afraid there might be more... accidents in the future," Mu Mian tried to phrase it delicately. "Fighting isn't just about brute force; sometimes you need to use your brain too."
"Mu Mian, you think I don't have a brain?"
"No, I'm just worried the bad guys are too cunning," Mu Mian consoled Fang Rui. "Chen Xue says nowadays criminals are very clever. Their brains work exceptionally well when it comes to committing crimes, making them hard to guard against."
Fang Rui was irritated by her lack of trust. He reached out and messed up Mu Mian's hair.
"Fang Rui, I want to be able to protect you too."
Fang Rui was stunned. Had he become so important to Mu Mian that she wanted to protect him?
"Protect my sister, Chen Xue, Zhang..." Mu Mian looked at him earnestly with her disheveled hair. "I don't want to helplessly watch bad guys take you away and not be able to do anything. That feeling is awful."
Fang Rui smiled wryly. He was important enough to be listed alongside Zhang. But he quickly let it go, because he was also listed alongside Shen Xiyin, and even came before her.
Mu Mian clenched her fists and said passionately, "Fang Rui, I want to become strong!"
"That's a good idea. How about I teach you some self-defense techniques?"
"No." Mu Mian instantly deflated like a punctured balloon. "Fang Rui, I'm not physically coordinated. I can't learn those things. You'll laugh at me if I can't learn. Besides, learning self-defense is so tiring. I don't want to learn; I just want to take shortcuts. Can I use physical power-ups to get stronger?"
Fang Rui was speechless. Mu Mian had the desire to get stronger but lacked the motivation to act on it. However, given Mu Mian's small frame, not resisting would probably be safer than resisting if she encountered criminals.
"But you can't have so many power-ups," Fang Rui pointed at the bag full of dangerous tools. "You have decision paralysis. Criminals won't give you time to choose a suitable weapon."
In the end, Mu Mian only brought one self-defense item - the anti-wolf spray. Her reasoning was sound: it was small, cute, easy to carry, discreet, and required no physical effort to use.
After the couple murder case was closed, it was time for the special task force to return home.
The Director held a farewell party for them.
The party was held in a small auditorium with a few tables set up, offering barbecue, snacks, and milk tea. It was simple, but thanks to the social butterflies Zhang and Wang, the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.
The Director had intended to say a few words, but he was interrupted by Sun Guangtian after just two sentences.
"Old Wang, stop speaking so pompously and wasting time. Just get to the point."
Zhang and the others were stunned. Captain Sun... dared to interrupt the Director? The Director hated being interrupted the most. It turned out that when Sun Guangtian first arrived, he wasn't targeting them specifically; he just liked to challenge people.
Surprisingly, the Director didn't seem upset. After all, he had gotten used to Sun Guangtian's provocations during their college years. The Director simply announced the start of the farewell party.
Everyone ate, drank, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Forensic Doctor Cheng handed Mu Mian a simple, elegant notebook. "Little Forensic Doctor Mu, I didn't have much to do these past few days, so I wrote down my years of experience in this notebook. I'm giving it to you now, hoping it will be helpful."
"Thank you for the gift. I love it. I promise I'll read it carefully." Mu Mian was delighted to receive the gift.
She really liked Forensic Doctor Cheng because he reminded her of her father. Her father had also patiently taught her knowledge, even when she didn't need such detailed instruction. She could understand most things after reading them once, but she still liked hearing her father explain them again. Occasionally, when it came to topics her father excelled in, she would pretend not to understand, so her father would first frown, then happily explain it to her again.
Mu Mian hadn't thought about her father for a long time, but Forensic Doctor Cheng's presence awakened that part of her memory.
"Little Forensic Doctor Mu, you're an excellent forensic doctor. I have high hopes for your career development."
"Thank you for the compliment. I'll become even better."
Forensic Doctor Cheng glanced at Fang Rui, who was talking to Sun Guangtian not far away, and whispered to Mu Mian, "Captain Fang is very outstanding. If you like him, you should act quickly. A young lady from our task force has taken a liking to him and even asked your Director to help introduce them."
Mu Mian didn't quite understand his meaning. She agreed that Fang Rui was outstanding, and she liked him very much, but she didn't understand why she needed to chase after Fang Rui - he wasn't going to run away. And why did it matter to her if someone else liked Fang Rui? Why tell her this? Did they want her to help persuade Fang Rui to go on a blind date?
Mu Mian's expression turned serious. "I'm sorry, I can't help. Fang Rui doesn't like blind dates. I can't force him."
"Little Forensic Doctor Mu, let me have that notebook back for a moment. I just remembered I left out some things." Forensic Doctor Cheng realized he had written too little about social skills and relationships. He should expand the section on dating experience.
Sun Guangtian stood by the window smoking, out of place in the lively, harmonious atmosphere.
"Captain Sun, you should smoke less. It's bad for your health," Fang Rui reminded him.
"I know, but I'm too old to quit now," Sun Guangtian extinguished his cigarette. "Don't learn from me, kid."
Looking at Fang Rui, Sun Guangtian was reminded of his younger self - motivated and full of a sense of justice.
"Old Wang kept praising you to me before. I thought he was exaggerating. Your investigative skills are indeed quite good." Sun Guangtian patted Fang Rui's shoulder. "Apologize to your girlfriend for me. I didn't mean to be harsh to her that day."
"Mm."
Sun Guangtian was a bit surprised. "So Forensic Doctor Mu really is your girlfriend? I thought they were just spreading rumors."
Fang Rui smiled at him. "Not yet. But I think she will be soon."
