The Exclusive Bodyguard of the Top Idol - Chapter 37

It’s said that humans take 21 days to form a habit, and repeating the same action over time engraves it into their very bones. As a SWAT officer, Ji Qingshi understood this well. Her daily, high-intensity training had not only forged her resilient character and physique but had also etched every motion of shooting into her soul, turning it into instinct.

Now, it seemed this principle applied not just to training but to certain habits in life as well.

After spending two months living with Ren Jiao, the sudden distance between them now felt unbearable. These past few days, every time she opened her bedroom door after waking up, she instinctively imagined seeing Ren Jiao in the living room. Only when faced with the empty apartment did she remember, she had moved out. They were no longer under the same roof.

Ji Qingshi couldn’t help but want to go upstairs and see her, especially after tasting the meal Sister Cen had brought down. That impulse had been the strongest. Yet, in the end, reason prevailed, and she forcefully suppressed the urge.

What a joke! She had her pride, too. Having just been rejected outright by Ren Jiao, she had no intention of lingering around her.

Truthfully, Ji Qingshi’s confession had ended far too abruptly. From start to finish, Ren Jiao had said nothing beyond “I’m sorry.” Ji Qingshi didn’t even know why she had apologized or why she had worn that expression.

At the time, her mind had been consumed by the heartache of rejection and overwhelming shame. All she could think about was moving out of Ren Jiao’s place as quickly as possible to avoid the awkwardness of facing her every day after such a failure.

But after two days of cooling off, she began to wonder. Had she really been rejected? Ren Jiao had only said “I’m sorry.” What exactly was she sorry for? And why, after rejecting her, had she still sent Sister Cen to bring her food?

These thoughts tormented Ji Qingshi to no end. The way she kept making excuses for someone who had rejected her was downright lovesick. She even had the impulse to march upstairs and demand answers from Ren Jiao.

Fortunately, she managed to hold back. Her pride stopped her in her tracks, preventing her from doing anything that might further bruise her dignity. Stopping now at least allowed her to maintain a professional working relationship for the sake of the mission. If she went and asked, only to hear Ren Jiao say outright, “I just don’t like you,” Ji Qingshi doubted she could even continue with the assignment.

This was fine…

At least she could still stay by Ren Jiao’s side under the pretense of the mission until the day it finally concluded.

Considering the recent updates from Qi Xuesong regarding the operation’s progress, Ji Qingshi suspected that day wasn’t far off.

The two of them carried on like this for several days, each lost in their own thoughts, neither making the first move to reach out. Then, on April 13th, Ji Qingshi received a summons from the task force, instructing her to accompany Qi Xuesong on a sniper mission the following day.

Though it was framed as a summons, Team Leader Du Tianrui had actually asked for her opinion whether she was available for the temporary assignment. If Ren Jiao happened to have any plans on the 14th that required her to leave home, Du Tianrui would assign someone else to the mission.

The reason Ji Qingshi was still prioritized despite her protective detail was simple: as the SWAT team’s top sharpshooter, she was the natural first choice for high-difficulty operations.

Ji Qingshi didn’t agree immediately. She really hadn’t received any notice that Ren Jiao was planning to go out on the 14th, but to be cautious, she decided to ask first.

This also became the first opportunity for them to reconnect in days.

After hesitating for a while, Ji Qingshi took the initiative to send Ren Jiao a message. She didn’t call. She still didn’t know how to face Ren Jiao, unsure of how she’d react upon hearing her voice. So, shamefully, Ji Qingshi chose to avoid it.

In her life, she rarely ran away from things. This was the first time and probably the last.

When Ren Jiao received Ji Qingshi’s message, her hands trembled, her heart a mix of anticipation and unease. Shakily, she opened WeChat.

The message was simple, just asking if she had any plans to go out the next day.

Looking at those few words on the screen, Ren Jiao’s hopeful yet anxious heart gradually sank into disappointment. She felt ashamed. She was the one who had rejected Ji Qingshi, yet she still longed for her favor in secret.

What right did she have?

How selfish.

In the end, Ren Jiao only typed a few words in reply, telling Ji Qingshi she wasn’t going out and would stay home.

Ji Qingshi typed out a long message, explaining that she had a mission the next day and that since Ren Jiao didn’t have work, she should stay home and not go out.

But as she finished typing, she hesitated before sending. Her finger hovered over the send button before she finally deleted the message word by word.

Forget it. It was meaningless. Her concern might not be welcome in Ren Jiao’s eyes right now. It might even make her resentful.

Exiting the chat with Ren Jiao, Ji Qingshi messaged Du Tianrui to confirm she’d be at the scene the next day.

After that, she contacted Cen Shu, asking her to keep Ren Jiao company if she had time and make sure she didn’t leave the house.

________________________________________

At noon on April 14th, Ji Qingshi arrived early at the mission location, Yanshan as agreed.

This operation was based on solid intelligence obtained by Qi Xuesong: the Fengbo Group had hidden a batch of illegal drugs in an abandoned factory at Yanshan. Evidence against the drug-trafficking syndicate was being gathered step by step, and this lead was crucial. The task force had devised a meticulous ambush plan in advance.

Ji Qingshi played a key role in the operation. She had to arrive early and secure the best sniper position at the designated spot on Yanshan.

As the mission commander, Qi Xuesong had actually arrived even earlier than Ji Qingshi and led her to the optimal vantage point outside the abandoned factory.

Ji Qingshi set up her rifle in the best sniper position. “This is the only spot in the entire factory that covers both floors. Just these two tiny windows, it’s a tough shot.”

Qi Xuesong glanced down at her and asked, “Confident?”

“Underestimating me.” Adjusting her scope, Ji Qingshi sat cross-legged on the ground and looked up at Qi Xuesong. “Leave it to me.”

“Good. I’ve also arranged backup snipers nearby, all members of your team.”

“Got it.”

Even after everything was set, Qi Xuesong remained standing there, her gaze lingering as if she had something else to say.

Ji Qingshi noticed and asked, “Captain Qi, is there something you want to tell me?”

Since she’d been caught, Qi Xuesong didn’t hold back. “You don’t seem like yourself. Are you upset about something?”

Ji Qingshi immediately averted her gaze, dodging the question: “No, everything’s fine.”

There was no way her expression could fool Qi Xuesong. Instinct told her that this was almost certainly related to Ren Jiao.

Qi Xuesong narrowed her eyes and asked, “What has Miss Ren been up to lately?”

Ji Qingshi lowered her eyes, her forced smile beginning to falter. In the end, she feigned nonchalance and said, “She’s preparing a new album. And her company wants her to try acting, so she might be looking at scripts too.”

The way Ji Qingshi reacted at the mention of Ren Jiao like someone who’d stepped on a cat’s tail. Only made Qi Xuesong more certain that something had happened between them, and it probably wasn’t good.

As an outsider, Qi Xuesong knew better than to meddle in other people’s relationships. She held back and ultimately said nothing. She wasn’t particularly close to Ji Qingshi, nor did she know what had transpired between her and Ren Jiao. Speaking up would be pointless and might even affect Ji Qingshi’s sniper focus today.

Once the sniper position was set, Qi Xuesong left first. Ji Qingshi remained alone in her concealed spot, waiting for the signal. At that moment, the abandoned factory seemed deserted except for her. After Qi Xuesong left, she had no idea where she’d gone or where the rest of the team was hiding. All she could do was wait.

The April weather in Bincheng wasn’t hot yet. Even under the sun, it only felt pleasantly warm, making the wait bearable.

At three o’clock, Ji Qingshi’s ears twitched as she heard a car pull into the factory yard. From her position, she could only see the windows on the upper and lower floors of the factory, not the front courtyard. But her sharp hearing picked up five people getting out of the car.

Without Qi Xuesong’s orders, Ji Qingshi stayed silent and motionless. Soon, all five entered the factory. Through a small window and her scope, Ji Qingshi observed them; four men and one woman. When she got a clear look at the woman’s face, she was stunned.

Teacher Qin?

Ji Qingshi knew she couldn’t possibly be mistaken. The woman was Qi Xuesong’s girlfriend, Qin Sheng.

At that moment, Ji Qingshi confirmed her earlier suspicion: Qin Sheng’s sudden disappearance from the Special Investigation Team had been for a covert mission.

Through her scope, Ji Qingshi watched as they appeared to be setting up explosives on the first floor.

“Captain Qi, there are explosives. Be careful.”

“Understood.”

Just as the group split up to move between the first and second floors, the police and SWAT teams, who had been lying in wait, stormed the factory on Qi Xuesong’s command.

Ji Qingshi kept a close eye on the three men on the first floor. Criminals backed into a corner often resorted to desperate measures. Having already planted explosives, these ruthless men would likely prefer to go down in a blaze of glory if escape was impossible. By detonating the bombs and starting a wildfire, they could take the police with them.

Sure enough, Ji Qingshi saw the bald man reach for the detonator.

In an instant, she pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The bullet tore through the air with deadly precision, piercing the bald man’s forehead. In that split second, all he felt was a chilling breeze rushing through his skull before everything went dark.

Ji Qingshi pressed her Bluetooth earpiece, her gaze sharp. “One target down.”

Her marksmanship had reached the point where she never missed a shot. Even when her target hid behind a container and she had to locate them through a tiny window, she still pinpointed their position in an instant and delivered a fatal blow with a single shot.

The operation was successfully completed. Ji Qingshi returned to the task force to debrief, and by the time she headed home, it was already evening.

After a long, exhausting day, she was somewhat fatigued. Ji Qingshi planned to take a bath as soon as she got home and then get a good night’s sleep.

But what she never expected was to see Ren Jiao leaning against the wall, waiting at her doorstep.

They hadn’t seen each other for several days, and Ren Jiao looked somewhat haggard, with deep exhaustion hidden between her brows.

The moment she saw Ji Qingshi return, Ren Jiao straightened up immediately, her gaze sweeping over her repeatedly.

“You, why are you here?” Ji Qingshi walked over, hesitating before speaking first.

Perhaps seeing that she was unharmed, Ren Jiao let out a sigh of relief, only to belatedly feel awkward. ” I heard from Sister Cen that you were on a mission today. I texted you, but you didn’t reply. I called but your phone was off.”

Ji Qingshi widened her eyes, pulled out her phone to check, and then said, “It must’ve died. I didn’t notice.”

“Oh. Okay. Then…” Ren Jiao, now assured of her safety, felt the weight lift from her heart and prepared to leave. “I’ll head back now.”

Without hesitation, she turned to go, but as she brushed past, Ji Qingshi suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“What do you mean by this?”

Ji Qingshi blocked her path, refusing to let her leave, her tone urgent and laced with anger as she asked this seemingly abrupt question.

Ren Jiao instinctively glanced at the surveillance camera in the corner and tried to shake her off. “Sister, let go first.”

“I won’t!” Ji Qingshi, her temper flaring, tightened her grip. “What is this? Are you concerned about me? You rejected me, then come running to check on me. Worried about that camera now? Why weren’t you worried while waiting here earlier?”

“What exactly do you mean? Is toying with me fun?”

As she spoke, Ji Qingshi’s voice wasn’t just angry anymore. It was also filled with hurt.

She just couldn’t understand. What was Ren Jiao playing at? One moment rejecting her, the next showing such concern. Looking back, it had always been like this. Ren Jiao paying her so much attention, even engaging in all sorts of ambiguous, intimate gestures. Every word, every action, even her expressions, had all fallen into Ji Qingshi’s eyes, making her mistakenly believe they were laden with tender affection.

Ren Jiao’s heart ached at the hurt in her voice. She stopped struggling, even feeling an instinctive urge to comfort her, to ease that pain.

But the words lingered on her lips for a moment before she swallowed them back, one by one.

“I was just worried about your safety.” Ren Jiao carefully chose her words, keeping her expression restrained and her tone deliberately calm. “We’ve known each other for so long. We’re friends, right? I didn’t know if your mission was dangerous, so…”

“Enough.” Ji Qingshi cut her off, her gaze complex as she stared at her.

That look pierced Ren Jiao’s heart like an awl, nearly bringing her to tears.

“Not every mission of mine is necessarily safe, so there’s no need for you to worry so much.” Ji Qingshi released his grip on her wrist and lowered his gaze, saying, “Don’t do things that could be misunderstood in the future. As you know, I like women. If you care too much about me, I might get the wrong idea.”

Without another glance at Ren Jiao, he turned and walked into the house, closing the door behind him.