After the Divorce, I Went Back to My Hometown, Pregnant and Became the Sheriff - Chapter 1

On New Year’s Eve, Bay Park in G-City was teeming with people. The air was heavy with a bizarre scent: a chaotic mix of various pheromones lingering in the humidity.

Jiang Xu leaned against the railing of the smoking area. He was tall; even standing there with a loose, languid posture, his silhouette remained strikingly eye-catching. A slightly salty evening breeze drifted under his shirt, leaving a trace of sticky dampness against his wheat-colored skin.

An inexplicable wave of restlessness surged within him. Jiang Xu instinctively reached into the pocket of his uniform trousers, but he found no cigarettes to soothe his agitation.

“Need one of these?”

Jiang Xu glanced back at the newcomer. It was a face with delicate, baby-face features. Even with a police cap on, it could not quite tame the slightly curled, chestnut-colored hair at his temples. This was He Xianxing, the recently arrived Inspector at their station. Rumor had it he had been assigned to the General Bureau in S-City immediately after graduating from the police academy, but for some reason, he had been transferred here to G-City.

“Inspector He.” Jiang Xu straightened up and saluted the young superior. In G-City, the rank of Inspector was significant; it was certainly much higher than a grassroots security officer like himself.

The baby-faced Inspector tossed a cigarette toward Jiang Xu. “Your name is Jiang Xu?”

“Yes, Inspector.” By the time Jiang Xu caught it, the other man had already lit one for himself.

There was still a touch of boyishness on that face. His round, almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, and his eyelashes trembled with every breath, casting faint, hazy shadows beneath them. “You look quite a bit older than me, do you not?”

“I am thirty-three.”

As he spoke, a lit lighter was extended toward him. “Thanks,” Jiang Xu muttered. He held the cigarette in his mouth and leaned in. The flickering flame illuminated his deep, sharp features. He raised a hand to block the wind, and as the tobacco caught fire, a mellow aroma filled the air.

Rushing in along with the smoke was an extremely faint, sweet scent, reminiscent of cocoa or chocolate. It was the other man’s pheromones. Although he was an Alpha, his pheromones lacked any sense of aggression, Jiang Xu thought idly.

“You are seven years older than me. You can just call me He Xianxing,” the Inspector said with a light chuckle.

Jiang Xu kept his eyelids half-draped. Although they worked in the same precinct, they had rarely crossed paths; he knew very little about the superior standing before him. His gaze was drawn to the metallic lighter in He Xianxing’s hand. In this era, it was rare to see someone using such a vintage kerosene lighter: they were both troublesome and expensive.

He looked up, finding He Xianxing watching him as well.

As their eyes met, the lighter clicked. The flame went out.

“Now that we have shared a smoke, we are accomplices in slacking off,” He Xianxing said, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

Jiang Xu offered a faint smile in return, slowly exhaling a plume of pale blue smoke. The hazy mist softened his overly harsh features, and his half-closed eyes betrayed a sense of weary lethargy.

He Xianxing leaned back against the railing and pointed toward his own face. “There is a scar on your right eyelid. When did that happen?”

“This?” Jiang Xu used two fingers, the ones holding his cigarette, to lightly brush the spot. It was not a large scar, just a tiny ridge on the skin. If he had not been asked, he might have forgotten he had ever been injured there. “A bullet fragment caught me during a mission a long time ago.”

“Do security officers in G-City need to carry firearms?”

“No, we do not.”

“Ha, it is quite cool, though. Like Themis,” He Xianxing tilted his head, his gaze landing on the epaulettes of Jiang Xu’s uniform. A faint, unreadable curve played at the corners of his lips. “Is it not?”

Jiang Xu’s eyelid gave an almost imperceptible twitch. Themis was the goddess of justice and fairness in Greek mythology. Legend said she wore a blindfold to remain untainted by influence or threat, maintaining the absolute rationality of the law. As members of the law enforcement system, the insignia embroidered on their epaulettes was none other than the Scales of Themis.

The cigarette began to sting his fingers as it burned down. Jiang Xu watched the ash but did not respond.

“Currently, S-City is the only place in the country where even grassroots officers have firearm clearance, right?” He Xianxing looked at Jiang Xu sideways, his amber pupils clear and bright in the reflection of the distant lights. “Were you stationed in S-City before?”

Jiang Xu remained silent, taking one last drag. He watched the ember glow brightly before fading into grey. “I was there for a while after graduating from the academy,” he replied in a low voice.

“I see,” He Xianxing leaned back, narrowing his eyes at the horizon. “In another two months, G-City will fall under S-City’s jurisdiction. I heard the top brass are sending some high-level officials down. I am worried things are going to get complicated.”

Despite his words, his tone did not carry a hint of genuine worry. “Once we are integrated into S-City, the system will change to match theirs. Maybe then, Jiang Xu, you will be able to carry a gun again.”

The New Year’s bells began to toll in the park, followed immediately by the whistling roar of fireworks.

Streaks of fire burst in the night sky. Brilliant golden sparks exploded and swirled like spilled ink across the G-City skyline before vanishing in an instant, fading into silver embers that drifted down like a brief flurry of first snow. G-City, located on the warm southern border by the sea, never saw a single snowflake all year round.

He Xianxing’s face was illuminated by the kaleidoscopic lights. “Wow. It looks just like snow, Officer Jiang Xu.”

“It does,” Jiang Xu’s voice was muffled by the boom of the fireworks.

“Happy New Year!”

“Thanks. Happy New Year.”

Jiang Xu watched the chaotic, noisy display. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a four or five-year-old boy running toward them in tears. He pressed his unfinished cigarette into the ash post; the weak spark struggled under his well-defined knuckles before finally being extinguished.

The little boy was sobbing. Jiang Xu glanced at He Xianxing, who also put out his cigarette.

Jiang Xu knelt down. “Hey there, little guy. Are you lost?”

“Waaaaah, Officer Uncle,” the boy lunged toward Jiang Xu, crying loudly. “I cannot find, I cannot find my mommy and daddy.”

Jiang Xu patted the boy’s head, softening his voice. “Where did you lose them?” His voice was deep, and when he slowed it down, it was remarkably pleasant to the ear. The boy pointed left, then shook his head and pointed right, his face a mess of tears and snot.

He Xianxing’s lip twitched, and he took a half-step back with a look of slight distaste. Jiang Xu pulled a piece of candy from his pocket, skillfully unwrapped it, and held it to the boy’s mouth. The boy blinked, bit the lollipop, and slowly stopped wailing.

“Why do you have candy in your pocket but no cigarettes?” He Xianxing asked, standing aside with his arms crossed. He clearly had no intention of joining the effort to comfort the child.

“Because I am trying to quit.” Jiang Xu picked the boy up with one arm. “Inspector He, I will take the kid over there to look for his parents.”

He Xianxing gave a slight nod, and Jiang Xu turned to carry the child into the distance.

Left alone in the smoking area, the smile on He Xianxing’s face gradually vanished. His gaze followed that tall figure as it disappeared into the brilliant fireworks in the distance.

A subordinate called out from behind, and he turned around.

“Inspector, the park is starting to clear out.”

The young patrol officer followed He Xianxing’s previous gaze and clicked his tongue. “Aiya, Jiang Xu is slacking off again!”

“A child was lost,” He Xianxing explained on Jiang Xu’s behalf.

“He only ever looks for the easy jobs,” the officer grumbled, though his expression remained friendly. “But do not be fooled by his ‘I cannot be bothered’ attitude. I heard he used to be a Mid-level Superintendent in S-City.”

“Oh?” He Xianxing played along. “Then why did he come to G-City to be a grassroots officer?”

“No one is quite sure.”

As the two walked toward the dispersal area, the officer glanced at He Xianxing and muttered, “Inspector He, did you not also apply to come to G-City from S-City? You have a lot of nerve asking about other people.”

He Xianxing interlaced his hands behind his head, walking with a rhythmic stride. “Aiya, my situation is different.”

“And why is that?”

“Haha, because I do not know how to fire a gun.”

“Huh? For real?”

“Totally for real,” He Xianxing laughed nonchalantly. “Ah, right. Is Officer Jiang Xu an Omega?”

The officer burst out laughing. “No way! I remember his file says he is a Beta, even though he looks more like an Alpha than most Alphas.”

“Eh, is that so?” He Xianxing said, his voice trailing off with meaningful intent.

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