Dr. Chi’s Mission: Seduce Officer Su - Chapter 21.2

Chi Jue didn’t want to ruin the lighthearted atmosphere they had finally built. She yearned for a childhood like “Little Bear’s” and asked, “Are there any other fun little stories?”

“Let me think… Oh, I’ve got one!” Su Qiao snapped her fingers, and the story was still about this very alley. “When I was little, I was really mischievous. I caught the neighbor’s cat and shaved all its fur off. The owner complained to my grandma, and she chased me through the alley with a feather duster.”

Chi Jue laughed again, reaching out to pinch “Little Bear’s” nose and giving it a firm tug. “You were so naughty as a kid!”

“Ouch, that hurts!” Su Qiao rubbed her nose and whined, her face brimming with a long-lost, pure joy.

“Did your grandma catch you in the end?”

“Of course! She chased me through several alleys and finally cornered me in a dead end.”

Chi Jue clapped her hands in delight. “Serves you right! Who told you to be so meddlesome?”

“You think that was all?” Su Qiao grumbled resentfully. They had just reached the building, and she pointed at the concrete wall in front of them. “Right here, I was made to stand as punishment for the whole afternoon.”

“Standing punishment isn’t that bad. Maybe it’ll teach you not to bully little animals again.”

“It was more than just standing! Grandma shaved my head into a kiwi fruit right in front of the cat’s owner. It was during summer break in kindergarten, and I had to wear a hat for a long time. I even got heat rash from it.”

“Haha, a kiwi fruit?! Your grandma is quite the fierce one~” Chi Jue covered her mouth, trying hard not to laugh, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably from the effort.

“My grandma said that’s called an eye for an eye, and told me that only when the kitten’s fur grew back would my hair grow out too. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life!”

“Being guided correctly by elders is something to be grateful for.” Chi Jue felt envious, envious that Su Qiao had grown up happily in a carefree environment.

“I live on the seventh floor. It’s an old building with no elevator, so it’s quite a climb. You can just see me off here.” Su Qiao couldn’t keep Chi Jue standing downstairs listening to her stories forever. The night was growing colder, and though she was reluctant to part, she could only bury those feelings in her heart.

“Alright, get some rest early when you get home.” Chi Jue nodded readily, her farewell crisp and straightforward.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”

“I’m not a child. I won’t get kidnapped. Go on up.” Chi Jue gently nudged Su Qiao, pushing her into the stairwell.

Their hands, now separated, felt awkward and out of place. The chill seeped through their fingers, gradually cooling the ambiguous atmosphere between them.

They both silently blamed the dark, winding alley, why couldn’t it have been just a little longer?

Su Qiao craned her neck slightly, searching in the darkness for that slender, receding figure until the sound of footsteps faded from her ears.

She climbed the stairs slowly, each step feeling unusually heavy, hesitating and glancing back repeatedly.

Suddenly, a voice inside her screamed, how could she let Dr. Chi walk alone through such a dangerous alley?

Go after her. Be bold, just this once.

An unprecedented panic, like countless tentacles, silently invaded her nerves.

Her breath hitched, as if the alley behind her might truly morph into something monstrous, ready to swallow the person she cared about so deeply.

Her heart lurched, giving her a dizzying sense of weightlessness, the feeling of fear made tangible.

The next second, she flew down the stairs, her breathing falling out of rhythm.

In the pitch-black darkness, her sprinting figure traced a chaotic path known to no one.

Chi Jue walked at a leisurely pace, wrapped in solitude, she reverted to her cool and detached demeanor. Against the backdrop of the dilapidated surroundings, it added a layer of self-protective distance.

The sound of footsteps from behind made her heart tighten. Though she had bravely claimed she wasn’t afraid, if real danger arose, she would be helpless.

The first thing she felt was a firm touch at her waist, a solid arm scooping her up almost entirely.

The calm Dr. Chi didn’t scream. The moment she turned her head, she caught a familiar scent that dissolved her tension, the smell of laundry detergent and sunshine, offering a sense of security.

Su Qiao hadn’t expected herself to be bold enough to wrap her arms tightly around Chi Jue’s waist. She repeated her explanation, “I just couldn’t rest easy. I couldn’t leave you alone in such an unsafe place. You’ve already seen me home, so now it’s my turn to walk you back.”

“Little Bear is being disobedient.” Chi Jue’s chiding tone was filled with immense affection. She smiled helplessly but yielded to this act of protection.

“It’s Little Bear who’s disobedient, not Officer Su.” Su Qiao teased before turning serious again. “Let me emphasize once more, you really know nothing about crime.”

“Alright, alright, it’s me who knows nothing. I’ll have to trouble Officer Su to be my guardian~” Unable to resist, Chi Jue responded by taking her hand again. “Hold on tight. If I trip, I’m blaming you.”

Taking advantage of the pitch-dark surroundings, Su Qiao laughed unreservedly, her fingers obediently tightening around the hand she longed to hold. “Then I really have to hold on tight, or I’ll be in trouble.”

The two figures walking back were much closer than when they had come.

Chi Jue was almost leaning against Su Qiao’s chest, finding ample excuses for their closeness, holding tight would make the walk easier.

“I didn’t tell you about the promotional video shoot. Are you upset with me?”

Su Qiao hurriedly shook her head at the sudden question. “You’re so busy; it’s normal to forget such things.”

“I originally wanted to surprise you at the shoot, but then I thought the traffic police team would definitely tell you. Oh well, that plan fell through.”

The playful tone danced lightly in Su Qiao’s mind, and this time, she mimicked Dr. Chi’s tone: “Oh well, that fell through.”

Chi Jue reached out and ruffled her hair. “Don’t copy me.”

“You can copy me, but I can’t copy you? I never knew you were so domineering.”

“No respect for your elders, I’m the older sister here.”

“Shouldn’t older sisters give in to their younger sisters?” Su Qiao protested, tightening her grip on Chi Jue’s hand, afraid the doctor might get annoyed and shake her off. “Come on, I’ll take you somewhere nice.”

Following the brisk pace of the “little bear,” Chi Jue asked in surprise, “It’s so late. Where are you taking me?”

Su Qiao faced the glow of the streetlights at the end of the alley, keeping her secret. “You’ll find out soon.”

…

Standing at the entrance of a small shop adorned with colorful flashing lights, Chi Jue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

On either side of the door stood cutouts of cartoon characters, and groups of young people were constantly coming and going.

She turned her head incredulously toward the eager “little bear.” “This is the ‘nice place’ you were talking about?”

Su Qiao was already stretching her wrists and limbering up, looking as if she were ready for a serious challenge. “Yeah, who doesn’t love claw machines?”

Just then, a young couple walked out. The boy’s crossbody bag was covered in trophies of all sizes, and the girl clutched two plush toys, her face full of lingering excitement.

Feeling out of place in such a scene, Chi Jue rubbed her forehead and teased, “You’re so childish.”

“Who was the one clamoring for a little bear plushie? And you’re calling me childish?” Su Qiao grabbed her wrist and charged into the shop without hesitation.

In front of the game token vending machine, she scanned the code while boasting, “Today, I’m going to make your dream come true.”

Chi Jue wasn’t interested in the claw machine; her attention was entirely on the “little bear.” Leaning casually against the machine, she teased, “And how do you plan to make my dream come true?”

“When I passed by here before, I came in to check. There’s a traffic police bear plushie in that machine over there. I’m not sure if it’s an official one, but we might as well try to grab it.”

Su Qiao pointed to a machine in the corner. It seemed she had already scoped it out but hadn’t had the chance to achieve this feat. Today, she was determined to seize the opportunity and show off her skills.

Chi Jue followed her gaze and, sure enough, spotted the traffic police bear plushie she had been longing for. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she hurried over to claim the spot first.

Su Qiao held a basket full of game tokens. For her, she had spent a lot of money today, but it didn’t matter if she had to tighten her belt in the coming days. The main goal was to make Dr. Chi happy.

Watching her frantically inserting coins into the machine, Chi Jue teased, “Are you sure you can do this?”

“Underestimating me?” Su Qiao wrinkled her nose and made a funny face. “I’m really good at arcade games.”

As it turned out, the claw machine didn’t give her any face, the little bear it picked up wobbled twice before falling back in. After more than twenty tries, she ended up with nothing.

Seeing her growing more and more discouraged, her whole demeanor wilting, Chi Jue leaned in to examine the claw, then glanced at the bear closest to the prize chute. “How about… I give it a try?”

Su Qiao tilted her head, staring blankly at her while silently cursing herself for freezing up at the critical moment.

In her eyes, Dr. Chi, with her halo of academic excellence, seemed like someone who had just solved an extremely difficult trigonometry problem, now confidently ready to teach her the correct way to approach it.

Chi Jue naturally reached out and covered the back of Su Qiao’s hand. This enigmatic woman always managed to find the perfect opportunity to boldly take control of every aspect of the “little bear.”

“First, shake the claw like this to adjust the angles of the three sides. Don’t aim for the bear’s head, instead, try to grip it under its arms and inner thighs. That way, you form a triangle for stability, which at least increases your chances of success.”

Holding Su Qiao’s hand, Chi Jue guided the joystick back and forth, demonstrating the technique step by step. Once the angle was set, she took Su Qiao’s other hand and decisively pressed the confirmation button.

Su Qiao’s attention was entirely fixed on Chi Jue’s profile. Though her mind was wandering, she nodded along earnestly, pretending to be fully engaged.

How could she possibly focus on whether they’d succeed? Dr. Chi’s wise gaze sent ripples through her heart, one wave after another.

The world around them seemed to fade into dullness, leaving only Dr. Chi as a spot of pristine, untarnished white.

When Su Qiao finally looked back at the claw machine, the claw had firmly grasped the bear and delivered it to the chute.

Su Qiao gasped, “We… we actually got it!”

She quickly crouched down to retrieve the plush toy and, out of habit, gave its head a firm squeeze.

Feigning annoyance, Chi Jue snatched it back and tenderly smoothed out the wrinkled face of the bear. “Don’t ruin it, this is the first gift you’ve ever given me.”

“But it’s not really from me, is it? You’re the one who grabbed it,” Su Qiao said dejectedly, unwilling to take credit where it wasn’t due.

“Who says it wasn’t you? You bought the game tokens, right? It was your hand guiding the joystick just now, and you pressed the button, didn’t you?” Chi Jue piled all the credit onto Su Qiao, hugging the bear tightly to her chest, utterly unwilling to let it go.

A blush spread across Su Qiao’s cheeks. Chi Jue’s gentleness felt like soft cotton punches to her heart, sweet, tingling, and irresistibly tender.

She couldn’t help but rub the bridge of her nose and mutter, “I’ve noticed that whenever we’re together, we act so childish. You’re not the meticulous Dr. Chi, and I’m certainly not the serious Officer Su.”

Chi Jue laughed at Su Qiao’s analogy, hugging the bear even tighter. Perhaps what she truly wanted to embrace was the person in front of her, but reason and propriety compelled her to express her feelings through this object.

“What’s wrong with being a little naive? It’s been so long since I’ve felt such immense joy over a small success, a pure kind of happiness, free from thoughts of gain or whether I did the right thing.”

Yes, it turned out that satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment didn’t need to be paved with money. This was one of life’s small, certain blessings.

“So, now that your dream has come true, you won’t hold a grudge against me anymore, right?” Su Qiao led Chi Jue out of the small shop. “Where are you planning to put it?”

“Right by my pillow, of course. I’ve heard that bears are guardians of the bed, they raise their swords to chase away every nightmare.”

Chi Jue was a romantic, in a way that didn’t quite match her age. Perhaps a part of her childhood self still lived inside her, a self that had rushed to grow up too quickly, forgetting how to hold onto innocence, until she met the person standing before her now.

“So… is there a possibility that when this little bear in your arms encounters a nightmare, instead of raising a sharp sword, it holds up a breathalyzer and says to the nightmare, ‘Come here, take a breath’?” Su Qiao mimicked the gesture used during drunk-driving checks, her tone perfectly serious.

Chi Jue was both amused and exasperated by the dry humor. She pinched Su Qiao’s arm and said, “You’re so annoying!”

“Ouch, assaulting an officer is a criminal offense. I’ll have you locked up in a dark room.” Su Qiao retorted, grabbing her hand. Noticing how cool it felt, she tucked it into her own pants pocket.

“You’re bullying me! I’m cutting ties with you for one minute.” Chi Jue pretended to be angry and tried to pull her hand away, but she couldn’t break free from the firm grip.

“Are you mad?” Su Qiao half-turned to look at her pouting face. So adorable!

A mischievous thought crossed her mind, she wanted to take advantage of Dr. Chi’s softness.

“…”

“You’re so petty!”

“…”

“Hey, don’t be like this.”

“…”

“Only 30 seconds left until our one-minute friendship break is over.”

Su Qiao’s incessant chattering gave Chi Jue a headache. “I just realized how noisy you are.”

“Ah, you broke! You talked to me. What about the one-minute friendship break?”

“Su Qiao, I think your grandma didn’t chase you down the alley enough times. You’re seriously cheeky!”

“How about I give you a chance to get back at me? You can chase me down the alley too, but of course, you’d have to catch me first.” Su Qiao was indeed cheeky. She shook her head triumphantly, as if mocking Dr. Chi’s frail physique.

“Hmph, another one-minute friendship break.”

Seeing that Chi Jue had fallen silent again, Su Qiao whined playfully, “Don’t be mad~ Don’t be mad~”

Like a guilty puppy with droopy ears and a wagging tail.