Dr. Chi’s Mission: Seduce Officer Su - Chapter 13

The 360° revolving Western restaurant on the hotel’s top floor offered a panoramic view of Zhouhai’s glittering nightscape as dusk settled.

The refined ambiance unique to upscale restaurants made Su Qiao’s breathing heavy, she still wasn’t quite accustomed to overly quiet environments.

Before taking her seat, Chi Jue deliberately slowed her steps.

She tugged Su Qiao’s arm. “Sit with me.”

“Mm-hmm.” Su Qiao nodded obediently, like a shy little child.

“I didn’t expect you two to know each other. I’ll question you properly later.” Chi Jue secretly pinched the ‘little bear,’ only to find that despite her slender arms and legs, the girl was surprisingly firm.

“Hello, we’d like to order.” Lin Yao signaled to the waiter for additional dishes, then turned to chat with Su Qiao. “How long has it been? Fancy running into you here of all places.”

“The world is a small circle, isn’t it?” Su Qiao leaned closer to the table, estimating. “It’s been over two years since we last met.”

Yes, she had vanished from everyone’s world for two years, a blank, indescribable stretch of more than 700 days.

Chi Jin propped her chin with interest, flashing a mischievous grin at her sister. “Sis, aren’t you going to introduce the mysterious guest you brought?”

“I think that part is better left to them.” Chi Jue smoothly deflected her sister’s probing.

In other words, she was more interested in how Su Qiao and Lin Yao knew each other.

Lin Yao pretended to lift his wine glass, hiding half his face behind it. While the sisters weren’t looking, he secretly winked at Su Qiao.

Su Qiao raised an eyebrow, instantly switching sides to join his friend’s camp.

Her eyes conveyed the message: Don’t worry, bro, today, I’ll tie your red string of fate into an unbreakable knot.

Lin Yao blinked back: That’s my bestie!

Su Qiao turned toward Chi Jue, batting her sparkling eyes. “Lin Yao is an old classmate of Captain Ji. We used to meet up often at the boxing gym to spar. We’ve known each other for at least five or six years.”

Lin Yao hastily added, “Ah, yes, yes! We’re old friends who know each other inside out.”

“Old friends who know each other inside out~” Chi Jue drawled, savoring the words, then fixed her gaze on Su Qiao’s earnest eyes. “Then wouldn’t your assessment be biased?”

“If you don’t trust me, surely you trust Captain Ji’s character? At the very least, we’re both righteous police officers, birds of a feather flock together, right?” Su Qiao let out an awkward chuckle.

“Right, right, right!” Lin Yao quickly stood up to pour wine for both of them. “I never expected my two friends to both know you, sis. Fate works in mysterious ways! Let me propose a toast.”

“I don’t drink, but feel free to enjoy.” Chi Jue didn’t deliberately assert her imposing aura; most of her attention remained on Su Qiao, who had already swallowed several times while eyeing the appetizers. “Everyone must be hungry. Let’s chat while we eat.”

Chi Jin leaned back against Lin Yao, her gaze never leaving Su Qiao. “Officer Su, how long have you known my sister?”

“We only met recently, but we hit it off quite well. We’re quite suited to be friends.”

It was Chi Jue who answered. She gently sliced the steak on her plate into small pieces, then thoughtfully swapped plates with Su Qiao.

Su Qiao had been drooling over the steak, but at the words “quite suited to be friends,” her hand, holding the fork, froze.

In those few seconds of hesitation, her heart plummeted as if over a cliff’s edge, aching faintly with a stifling pain.

“Not long ago, there was a car accident on National Highway 104. We met while rescuing the injured.” She forked a piece of steak and stuffed it into her mouth, but it lacked the anticipated flavor, tasting like chewing wax.

“I saw the news about that. So, the doctor who saved Cheng Can was Second Sister, what a twist of fate~” Lin Yao exclaimed again, then busied himself cutting Chi Jin’s steak.

Chi Jin let out a faint “oh” and said nothing more.

Noticing that Chi Jue hadn’t touched her cutlery much, she asked with concern, “Sis, are you not hungry?”

Chi Jue, engrossed in her phone, replied dismissively, “You know me, I have the appetite of a bird.”

“I almost forgot to tell you. Big Brother wanted to find time to visit you at the hospital, but he thought you were too busy and didn’t want to disturb you. Knowing we had plans, he specifically asked me to find out when you’re free so we can all get together.”

At the sound of this, Chi Jue’s gaze fixed on the screen, a subtle distraction flickering in her eyes.

For a moment, the roses on her office desk seemed to prick her with pain.

Fortunately, she was adept at suppressing unnecessary emotions. When it came to people she didn’t want to discuss, her response remained lukewarm: “Why is he having you relay messages? Does he not have a mouth or a phone? Work is busy. If we meet, we meet, let it be as fate allows.”

Chi Jin understood what her sister was resisting. She glanced surreptitiously at Su Qiao, who was focused on her meal, and swallowed the name An Jiaqin along with a sip of red wine.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Lin Yao tried to lighten the mood: “Su Qiao, when you have time, why not come to my boxing gym for a session?”

“Sure, it’s been a while since I last trained. I’m afraid I won’t be able to beat you,” Su Qiao replied, blaming her poor appetite on the hamburger as she set down her knife and fork early.

“I heard from Nanxing that you’re returning to the team. That’s great news. When you have time, let’s celebrate together.”

Su Qiao smiled and agreed, “Alright.”

The topic of returning to the team made her fear arousing Chi Jue’s curiosity. If they delved deeper, it could easily turn into a nightmare.

Chi Jue put down her phone and lazily propped her cheek on her hand. “You know how to box?”

Su Qiao answered vaguely, “Just some amateur skills.”

“Don’t be modest. You’ve won plenty of medals in internal and external combat competitions. How is that amateur?” Lin Yao praised her professionally.

Su Qiao sighed helplessly, “As long as Ji Nanxing is around, I’ll always be second best. You know how it is.”

The atmosphere finally warmed up a bit.

Noticing that ‘Little Bear’ showed no interest in the food, Chi Jue discreetly tugged at her sleeve.

Su Qiao was surprised, she hadn’t expected Dr. Chi to be the one wanting to leave early.

Catching the hint, she pretended to check the time and found an excuse to leave: “I just remembered I have something to take care of back at the Criminal Investigation Center. Sorry for cutting the fun short.”

“No problem, no problem. You’ve just returned to the team, you must be busy,” Lin Yao said, preparing to see Su Qiao off.

“Actually, I need to hurry home to write a report too,” Chi Jue added, putting on her coat and signaling Lin Yao not to bother. “You two enjoy your date. We can’t keep being third wheels forever.”

“It’s rare for us to get together for a meal. How could it be a bother?” Lin Yao winked at Chi Jin, hinting for her to see the guests out.

Chi Jin remained unmoved, teasing sarcastically, “Busy, everyone’s busy. Being busy is good.”

Chi Jue smiled faintly without replying, probably thinking her clumsy excuse was too easily seen through, after all, her sister was sharp.

They watched the two leave.

Lin Yao puffed out his chest and tightened his tie. “So, how did I do? Did I pass your sister’s inspection?”

“Her eyes are practically glued to Su Qiao, how could she spare you a proper glance?” Chi Jin teased, sipping her red wine and muttering, “Hey, can you smell the scent of spring in the air?”

…

Chi Jue strode out of the hotel at a brisk pace, the wide legs of her trousers swaying with sharp, elegant lines that betrayed her impatience.

Su Qiao hurried after her, softly complaining, “You’re walking so fast again. Slow down, slow down.”

As they passed through the revolving door, the crisp, penetrating chill of the winter night refreshed their spirits but also sent an involuntary shiver through them.

Chi Jue turned and grabbed ‘Little Bear’s’ wrist, her breath slightly uneven. “Come on, there’s still time.”

Su Qiao’s gaze drifted down to her own wrist. Dr. Chi’s casual remark about them being suited as friends had extinguished all her wild imaginings.

“Time for what?” she asked uncomfortably, withdrawing her hand and unconsciously maintaining a distance.

As the warmth of Chi Jue’s palm left her skin, the biting wind swept through her fingers like an embrace that had fallen short.

Chi Jue froze for a moment, then felt that such physical contact was unbecoming. With a light laugh, she explained, “There’s still time to find the walkie-talkie you wanted.”

Su Qiao was taken aback. She searched Chi Jue’s eyes for something more, but the still surface of that lake showed no ripples, unfathomable and impenetrable.

“A walkie-talkie isn’t a necessity. Isn’t it too abrupt to leave such an important dinner just like that?” Her smile was tinged with loneliness, a loneliness born from not knowing how to navigate the delicate balance of friendship.

Leaving midway just to help her find a pair of toy walkie-talkies, that would be crossing a line. Beyond that boundary lay a murky world, always hard to define or articulate.

“It’s not abrupt,” Chi Jue reasoned, her logic versatile enough to argue either side. “Officer Su has already labeled her old friend, who knows her inside out, as a ‘good person.’ I doubt there’s much left to test. Even if I listed a hundred reasons why he’s no good, A-Jin, in the throes of infatuation, wouldn’t pay any attention.”

Of course, she wouldn’t reveal her true motives. Her sudden departure was merely an excuse to be alone with ‘Little Bear.’

“Let’s go find the walkie-talkie that Su the Three-Year-Old has been dreaming of,” Chi Jue insisted.

“Let’s just forget it. It’s too much trouble,” Su Qiao retreated, losing her nerve.

“Consider it a small gift for accompanying me to the dinner. Like a treasure hunt, doesn’t the unknown thrill of adventure appeal to you?” Chi Jue took a step closer, lacing her words with a hint of temptation.

Su Qiao firmly refused, “No.”

“Why not?”

“You’re already exhausted from standing in the operating room all day. There’s no need to trouble yourself with my whims.” Su Qiao’s gentleness was like a mouthful of plain rice, unadorned by flowery words, but with a subtle sweetness that emerged upon careful savoring.

Chi Jue tasted that sweetness but feigned displeasure. She was used to being the one who rejected others; how dare this little thing turn her down again and again?

She grumbled, “You’re really not giving me any face.”

Su Qiao’s heart skipped a beat. “Am I?”

“Of course!” Dr. Chi declared righteously, pulling out her phone. The screen still displayed a map searching for the nearest McDonald’s fried chicken shop.

So, during dinner, her distracted scrolling on the phone was just her planning this ‘adventure’?

A bright smile spread across Su Qiao’s flushed cheeks.

She always wore a smile for others, but no one knew that her heart was encased in three feet of ice, impervious to the thaw of spring.

In that moment, the protective ice around her heart cracked, and a sudden, fierce pulse gave rise to tender sprouts, determined to grow wild and unchecked.

The melodious cold wind tugged at Chi Jue’s waistband, making it flutter. She tightened her coat around herself and stamped her feet, still patiently waiting for “Little Bear’s” response.

Su Qiao took off the scarf from around his neck and wrapped it snugly around Dr. Chi. “You’re like a 3.5-year-old child. I won’t blame you for not having learned how to dress properly yet. Come on, let’s go find the walkie-talkie.”

Chi Jue buried half her face in the scarf and playfully blinked at Officer Su. “Aren’t you just a 3-year-old child too?”

She secretly absorbed the warmth and scent Su Qiao had left on the scarf, a clean fragrance filled with sunshine and laundry detergent, so addictive it was almost intoxicating.