Dr. Chi’s Mission: Seduce Officer Su - Chapter 44

“So fragrant~”

Su Qiao dashed into the kitchen to sneak a bite the moment she stepped through the door.

“Shoo, shoo! You didn’t even wash your hands, so dirty!”

Granny, as spirited as ever, rapped Little Bear on the head with the spatula she was about to rinse. Thwack!

Chi Jue stood by the doorway, watching the affectionate interaction between grandmother and granddaughter with a relaxed smile. “Grandma, let us help you.”

Noticing the bag still in Chi Jue’s hand, Granny smacked Su Qiao’s head again. “You big oaf, couldn’t you help Xiao Chi carry that? Are your eyes on the back of your head?”

“Ouch, stop hitting my head! I’m dumb enough as it is!” Su Qiao clutched her head and scurried out of the kitchen, snatching the bag from Chi Jue’s hand. She pouted at her resentfully. “See? I get domestically abused all the time too.”

“You’re at the bottom of the food chain now, why not behave?” Chi Jue didn’t bother comforting her. At home, she naturally sided with Granny.

She took off her coat, rolled up her sleeves, and entered the kitchen, standing beside Granny to assist.

Seeing the dishes yet to be served, at least ten plates, big and small, she was stunned. “Grandma! You made so much! Can we even finish all this?”

“You youngsters just don’t understand New Year’s traditions. Four cold dishes and six hot ones make ten dishes in total, it symbolizes peace throughout the four seasons and smooth sailing in all things!”

“Oh~ That’s quite meaningful.” Chi Jue linked arms with Granny, swaying playfully as she coaxed. “But it’s too much work. Don’t go to all this trouble in the coming days, okay? I’ll take you out to eat.”

“Alright, alright, you two arrange it. I’ll just enjoy myself~” Granny was usually frugal; after all, with just her and Su Qiao at home, they rarely indulged in lavish meals. But now, with a future granddaughter-in-law around, she couldn’t help but spoil her a little.

“Wait… you never treated me like this before! When I begged to eat out, you’d whack me with a rolling pin. Such favoritism!” Su Qiao clung to the doorframe, loudly complaining in a fit of jealousy, her tone full of grievance.

“Look at your build, then look at Xiao Chi’s! You’re so sturdy and all you ever think about is eating!” Granny shot her a glare, then turned to Chi Jue with a cheerful smile. “Here, try this.”

Granny picked up a piece of marinated gizzard with her chopsticks and fed it directly into Chi Jue’s mouth. “I marinated this fresh today. You two can snack on it while watching the gala later. Is it good?”

“Delicious!” Chi Jue nodded repeatedly, then glanced back at Su Qiao with a triumphant raise of her eyebrows, flaunting her favored status.

“What about me? What about me?” Su Qiao rushed over in a flash, pointing at her open mouth toward Granny. “Ah!”

“You can have the rolling pin.” Thwack! Granny rapped her on the head again.

Seeing Little Bear’s dejected expression, Chi Jue secretly slipped a piece of marinated gizzard into her mouth.

Granny watched their affectionate antics, her eyes crinkling into happy slits, and shooed them out of the kitchen. “Shoo, shoo! go play somewhere else.”

“Got it~” Su Qiao obediently took Chi Jue’s hand and whisked her into her bedroom in a flash.

She sneakily closed the door, then turned and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. In two quick steps, she tumbled onto the bed with momentum.

Chi Jue covered her mouth, suppressing a gasp. “What are you doing? I’m warning you, no funny business under Grandma’s watch!”

“Nothing else, just a kiss, okay?” Su Qiao pouted playfully, acting spoiled. If she didn’t get a smooch soon, her lips would start to itch.

Chi Jue extended a finger to block her lips, tilting her head away defiantly. “No!”

“Mmm~ mmm~ mmm~ smooch, smooch!”

Watching the little bear squirm like a worm again, Chi Jue couldn’t hold out any longer. She cupped her face and planted a firm kiss. “Happy now!?”

Su Qiao pouted. “Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!”

“Pushing your luck!”

“Being with you feels like I just want to hold you and kiss you all the time. What am I supposed to do about that?”

“Nothing. Just endure it.” Chi Jue pushed her away, afraid Su Qiao’s hands might start wandering, if that happened, she really wouldn’t be able to hold back.

“Ah, will my bed be too narrow for us to sleep in tonight?” Su Qiao suddenly realized her tiny 1.2-meter-wide bed probably couldn’t fit two people, and she grew worried.

“Small is good. You can hold me tight and we’ll squeeze together, isn’t that exactly what you want?” Chi Jue didn’t mind; in fact, she thought a smaller bed would let them tangle even closer.

Just as they were lost in their sweet moment, Chi Jue’s phone rang.

She ignored it. There was no need to guess who was calling.

Seeing her remain unmoved, Su Qiao understood but couldn’t help pursing her lips in slight frustration. “Really not going to answer?”

“No.” Chi Jue shifted into a more comfortable position, burying herself in the little bear’s embrace and breathing in her scent. “That place doesn’t bother anyone else, only me. Why should I go looking for trouble?”

The phone’s ringing continued to disturb them, but Chi Jue stubbornly refused to budge. Her heart was like a stone, a hard rock forged bit by bit by her family, now impervious to wind and unyielding to chisels.

Su Qiao, standing from a neutral standpoint, never intentionally escalated conflicts in their relationship, but she always quietly sided with her lover.

She raised her hands and covered Chi Jue’s ears, shielding her from the intrusive ringing until the bedroom returned to silence.

Touched by the little bear’s gesture, a faint blush tinged Chi Jue’s nose, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

She had imagined Su Qiao might gently persuade her on her parents’ behalf or indignantly curse on her behalf, but she never expected Su Qiao to protect her in this way.

Lifting her gaze to that gentle, smiling face, even though Chi Jue’s lips didn’t curve into a smile, her eyes were filled with contented happiness.

She wondered if all the injustices she had accumulated in the first half of her life were just to culminate in one big surprise at thirty-five.

It turned out that injustice and favoritism were balanced.

Her heart, riddled with holes, had been leaking wind for so many years, but the little bear took pieces of candy to mend and patch it, even reshaping it into a form she loved.

“Oh dear, someone’s about to cry~” Su Qiao lightened the moment, deliberately teasing her with playful words to wrap the tenderness back into a cozy atmosphere.

Chi Jue sniffled and grumbled, “You’re so annoying, making fun of me on purpose!”

The little bear always knew how to provoke her, yet she was soft and fluffy like cotton candy, a contradictory but sweet presence.

“I might not be able to provide you with ample material security, just as An Jiaqin said. The gap created by social class is something I can never cross in this lifetime.”

“But I have a heart that loves you. It burns fiercely, beating wildly for you time and again. It strips away all my rationality, making you my one and only bottom line.”

“I may not be your best choice, but I am certainly the most special one.”

Su Qiao gently traced the contours of Chi Jue’s brows and eyes, delicately sketching the depths of that serene pool. She gazed so intently, so mesmerized, that she forgot to lean in for a kiss.

“You said I’m like a neon lightning bolt, but do you know what you remind me of?

When you emerged from that firefighting foam, I saw a pure white light radiating from you, a flawless, untainted white, like a holy angel descending from the heavens.

Even through my helmet visor, your brilliance stung my eyes. At that moment, I thought, how could anyone be so purely radiant? It didn’t seem possible.

Guess what happened next?

The moment our eyes met, I fell, plunged into those clear, yet unfathomable depths of yours.

I didn’t know how to describe that feeling.

Maybe it was love at first sight, but I didn’t dare admit it. How could I fall for someone without knowing anything about them?

I questioned that affection, even convinced myself it must be an illusion.

But as we met again and again, drew closer and closer, I drowned completely in your gaze, unable to resurface, sinking deeper and deeper.”

This was the first time Chi Jue had heard Su Qiao speak so earnestly about love. She never asked, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to know. So, it turned out this little bear had already felt the stirrings of affection back on Highway 104.

“Oh~ so you liked me that early on~” She nuzzled Su Qiao’s neck, feeling unsatisfied, then trailed up to her ears, teasing while whispering provocatively, “Are my eyes really that captivating?”

“More than captivating…” Su Qiao, dazed by the kisses, tightened her arms around Chi Jue’s slender waist, swiftly taking control as she pressed the mischievous Chi Jue beneath her. “Starting trouble again, are we? Who was it that said we shouldn’t mess around under Grandma’s watchful eye?”

“I surrender, I surrender!” Realizing she’d pushed too far, Chi Jue tried to shove away the solid frame above her. “Get off, quick! If Grandma comes in and sees… Mmm…”

“Let her see. It’s not like the sky will fall…” Su Qiao sealed Chi Jue’s lips, tangling with her soft tongue in a fierce, sucking bite.

“Don’t…” Chi Jue felt cool fingertips tracing circles on her lower abdomen and quickly clamped her legs shut, squirming away. “We can’t!”

“Fine, we can’t!” Su Qiao rose with a tone of lingering desire, suppressing the fire burning in her core. She lifted Chi Jue to sit on her lap. “But I really like holding you like this.”

Chi Jue leaned in, resting her head against Su Qiao’s, fingers threading through her hair. “Why?”

“Because I can look up at you. This angle represents devotion, loyalty to the one I love, and an admiration that feels almost out of reach.”

So this little bear wasn’t so clumsy with words after all, she knew how to whisper sweet nothings.

“Am I really that amazing in your eyes?” Chi Jue felt so flattered that it almost seemed unreal. “Aren’t you just buttering me up? I might get conceited!”

“How could it be flattery? You’ve completely tamed me, isn’t that proof enough of your power?”

They clung to each other as if bonded by superglue, the atmosphere so harmonious that the world seemed saturated with thick, sweet honey.

But then, the phone rang again.

Su Qiao decided this couldn’t go on and reached into Chi Jue’s pocket to pull out the phone.

The caller ID showed Chi Jin.

Chi Jue pressed her lips into a tight line, tossing the decision to Little Bear. “Should I answer?”

“Hmm…” Su Qiao hesitated. She was afraid this call would take the lover in her arms away, yet she felt that some issues, if left unresolved, would forever remain unresolved.

After a moment of indecision, she chose the path of resolution. “Answer it. At least hear what she has to say.”

“Alright.” Chi Jue responded, pressing the answer button and switching on the speakerphone. “Hello?”

“Sis.” Chi Jin’s voice was soft, almost devoid of any background noise.

Chi Jue could guess she was at home and responded with a cool “Hmm,” not asking anything further, simply waiting for what came next.

“Come home, please?”

“No, that place isn’t my home.” Chi Jue rejected her sister’s plea.

Su Qiao held her tighter, not wanting the suffocating silence to shatter her.

“Today is New Year’s Eve. A family should be together to be a family… Mom is sick and keeps saying she wants to see you. I’m begging you, please come home…”

Hearing that her mother was ill, Chi Jue’s heart skipped a beat, a soft, aching pain.

She smiled bitterly at her own inability to be truly heartless, but she chose not to compromise for it.

“A-Jin, I believe you and big brother will take good care of her. Happy New Year.”