Knock knock~
I quietly added 1,500 words to the second half of Chapter 37 last time! (Added around 7 p.m. on June 21. If you read Chapter 37 after that, you don’t need to go back and reread it.)
If you haven’t read it yet, remember to go back and check out the latter half!
Once that’s done, we’ll officially begin this chapter’s story. Let’s go!
*
They had originally planned to set out first thing in the morning, but because of one thing, Jiang Nuan and Jiang Ce’s departure was pushed all the way to the afternoon.
Shen Wu broke the news over breakfast.
“Our captain’s paperwork can be completed this morning.”
Ye Que paused with his chopsticks halfway to his plate. “Wasn’t it supposed to take two days?”
“Lu Zhaoming vouched for him.” Shen Wu took a sip of porridge.
Qinian had insisted on handling breakfast all by himself that morning. He had cooked dinner the night before as well, and even fought to set the table. Jiang Ce had tried to help, but Qinian had turned him down every time.
Jiang Nuan thought about it and didn’t find it particularly surprising.
Lu Zhaoming’s name alone carried considerable weight.
Even though the Lighthouse squad’s sealing of the abnormal energy had triggered a chain reaction of small-scale outbreaks, his word could still compress a two-day procedure into half a day.
The mistakes of the strong had never been judged by the same standards as the mistakes of the weak.
That was true no matter where or when.
But why had he helped?
Jiang Nuan toyed with her chopsticks for a while.
Maybe it was because the governor shared a name with his son. Perhaps that had made him take a second look, decide the man had some ability, and give him a casual push in the right direction.
After breakfast, they split up.
Qinian, Ye Que, and Shen Wu set out first.
Jiang Nuan and Jiang Ce went to the Investigation Department to help Lu Shiyan finish up his paperwork. Afterward, the three of them would travel to District A by helicopter under the pretext of official business.
*
The Investigation Department building stood in the center of District E, with staff hurrying in and out of the entrance, all wearing busy, anxious expressions.
The wind at the beginning of winter carried a damp chill, and Jiang Nuan sneezed when it blew against her.
Jiang Ce moved half a step toward the wind. His broad shoulders and back blocked most of it from reaching her.
Jiang Nuan raised a hand to rub her nose. From the corner of her eye, she saw his overcoat puff slightly in the wind.
Without realizing it, she edged a little closer to him.
They were walking toward the building’s entrance when two people came out.
She looked over instinctively and recognized the person in front.
Lu Zhaoming.
He was wearing a dark overcoat today and looked completely at ease, as if every matter in the world could afford to wait once it reached him.
Another man walked beside Lu Zhaoming.
Jiang Nuan thought he looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him for the moment.
He was somewhat younger than Lu Zhaoming, with slightly curly hair and a lazy, loose-limbed gait.
The two groups met at the entrance.
Lu Zhaoming stopped first.
His gaze swept over Jiang Nuan and Jiang Ce’s faces before he recognized them. “Jiang Nuan. Jiang Ce.”
He had met them once at the barbecue restaurant and remembered their names.
“Good to see you again, Captain Lu.” Jiang Ce greeted him politely. When he said “Captain Lu,” his tone carried a subtle nuance that only Jiang Nuan could detect. “You’re here because of Governor Lu, right? We really have to thank you for what you did this time.”
Lu Zhaoming shook his head. “I was just helping out since I happened to be passing by.”
A single recommendation from him had influenced the Investigation Department’s rigidly fixed procedures, yet he made it sound as casual as brushing off a minor favor.
Jiang Nuan and Jiang Ce thanked him sincerely.
Lu Zhaoming smiled. “Governor Lu’s name feels very familiar to me.”
“If I hadn’t confirmed that the ages didn’t match, I might have thought…”
He shook his head without finishing.
Perhaps he felt that whatever came next would sound too absurd if said aloud.
“Anyway, it’s a very special kind of fate,” he added, neatly wrapping up the unfinished sentence hanging in the air.
Jiang Nuan and Jiang Ce fell silent at the same time.
She knew what Jiang Ce was thinking. It was probably more or less the same thing that had crossed her mind.
That younger relative whose age actually matched would, at this point in this timeline, most likely be somewhere playing in the mud.
A scene suddenly popped into her mind: a young Lu Shiyan squatting on the ground, molding mud.
Chubby little hands. A serious expression. The mud shaped into one form after another.
…No, that wasn’t right.
He probably hadn’t played with mud as a child.
More likely, he would have been the terrifying sort of child who arranged building blocks by color and sorted snacks by expiration date. By the age of seven, he would already have been assessing the threat level of everyone around him with his eyes, leaning gloomily against a wall without saying a word.
She almost lost control of her expression.
With considerable effort, she pressed the corners of her mouth back into place and forced down the smile that had nearly escaped.
Following Jiang Ce’s lead, she smiled as well. “There are plenty of people in the world who share the same name, but a coincidence like this really is a kind of fate.”
Lu Zhaoming nodded. Then he turned slightly and tipped his chin toward the man beside him. “This is my teammate, Lin Zhou, of the Lighthouse squad.”
The Lighthouse squad. Lin Zhou.
The vague image in Jiang Nuan’s mind suddenly clicked into place.
No wonder he had looked familiar.
She remembered now.
The old photograph on Lu Shiyan’s desk.
The curly-haired man standing beside the short-haired woman.
The two of them had been smiling with carefree abandon.
And now that man was standing right in front of her.
Lin Zhou leaned forward a step and waved at them. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Our captain told us about what happened at the barbecue restaurant the other day. He said the two of you dealt with the abnormal energy so incredibly—” He flicked the slightly curly strand of hair beside his ear. It sprang right back into place, and he ignored it, continuing, “Your strength is top-tier. It’s a waste for you to stay in the Investigation Department.”
Jiang Ce scratched the back of his head. “You’re too kind. We mainly succeeded because Captain Lu arrived in time.”
Lin Zhou glanced toward Jiang Nuan. “Why don’t you join the Lighthouse squad? Our captain just helped your governor. If you round things up, we’re practically family. You can come straight over.”
…They really were family.
In the literal sense.
Jiang Nuan couldn’t help stealing a glance at Lu Zhaoming, forcibly pressing her lips together to keep from laughing.
Jiang Nuan said, “…Thanks for the invitation, but I’m not considering a transfer.”
“Not considering it for now, or not considering it at all?” Lin Zhou asked with a grin, showing no sign of letting the matter go.
This man really was persistent.
Jiang Nuan smiled. “The latter.”
“Very precise wording.” Lin Zhou didn’t seem discouraged in the slightest. He turned and chatted with Jiang Ce for a few more moments, saying things like how it was a shame for someone like him to remain in the Investigation Department. Then he took a step back and waved a hand. “All right, we’ll get going. Let’s have a drink together next time we meet.”
The two figures headed toward the courtyard gate of the Investigation Department. As they walked, Lin Zhou took a packet of some kind of snack from his coat pocket, tore it open, and offered it to Lu Zhaoming. Lu Zhaoming didn’t take it, and Lin Zhou didn’t seem surprised. He simply stuffed it into his own mouth and kept walking as he chewed.
Jiang Nuan watched the two figures disappear around the corner. When she came back to herself, she realized she was smiling.
Lu Zhaoming helping Lu Shiyan.
To anyone unaware of the truth, it would look like nothing more than a top-tier powerhouse casually lending a hand to a junior.
But…
There seemed to be some indescribable sense of connection in blood ties.
Even when separated by twenty years—and by an entire timeline that should never have existed.
She withdrew her gaze and walked toward the entrance of the Investigation Department with Jiang Ce.
Lin Zhou had tried to poach them right from the start. He was far too friendly for his own good.
Still, he was pretty entertaining.
I hope we really get the chance to share that drink next time.
