047 Police Car
“Hot!!!”
August seemed endless. Riding his bike to work, Qin Ren wished he could bring Luo Yao to the company every day.
From the bottom of his heart, he envied the two girls at home who weren’t afraid of the heat.
One was a cold-blooded animal.
The other was a cultivator.
When he talked to the cultivator about this, her answer was always as otherworldly as her own temperament.
“Yourong, why aren’t you afraid of the heat?”
“The Great Dao is simple. A calm heart naturally brings coolness.”
“…”
Alright, what can I say to that?
Qin Ren wasn’t fat or weak, but he was the type of person who would die without air conditioning in the summer.
Qin Ren thought it must be related to global warming.
Some people said that global warming was a natural law of the Earth’s climate change.
But it was also a fact that the ozone layer hole over the Antarctic this year was twice as large as last year’s.
Anyway, in his memory, the summers of the past were not like this.
At least, after leaving the orphanage and moving into the large courtyard, Qin Ren and Gu Qing only needed one bamboo mat each summer.
The reason they still had to turn on the creaky old fan at night was purely because his sister wanted her little brother to hold her to sleep, which would slightly increase their body temperature.
Usually, a piece of watermelon, a Green Tongue popsicle, a bag of Seven Dwarfs colored ice cubes, and the summer would pass by refreshingly.
But it was different now.
Once the weather got hot now, no matter how many popsicles he ate, as soon as he left the air conditioner or the human air conditioner, Qin Ren would start to sweat.
Especially since Qianhe Architecture, this Sino-Japanese joint venture, always required wearing formal attire to work.
So when it got hot in the summer, Qin Ren would sweat while riding his bike, sweat while walking, and even sweat while sitting still at his workstation.
Of course, this specifically referred to when the office air conditioner was broken.
Like today.
…
“Zhou… Chi…”
At 9 a.m., Qin Ren was slumped in his office chair, like a half-dead fish washed ashore.
“Let me… use your fan… for a while…”
“The hell you say.”
Zhou Chi opposite him pulled his small USB fan closer, then pushed a pot of green pothos from his side towards Qin Ren.
“Here, natural cooling.”
“Get lost.”
Qin Ren pushed the pothos aside, feeling the fabric back of the office chair burning against his body. He went to the conference room and swapped it for a chair with a hollowed-out metal back.
“Hey, hey, Brother Chi, let me ask you a question.”
“Spit it out.”
“They say women are made of water. How come they don’t sweat much in the summer?”
Zhou Chi, who was drawing a detailed plan, was stunned upon hearing this and fell into deep thought.
Right…
It does seem a bit strange.
You often see men on the street with their T-shirts soaked in sweat, front and back, but it’s rare to see this with women, especially since they even wear a bra under their T-shirts.
“I’ve seen online that women’s sweat glands are more developed than men’s.”
“They are, but there’s one thing you haven’t figured out.”
Zhou Chi’s thoughts became clear.
“I think it’s not that they don’t sweat much, but that they don’t get hot easily! If they get hot, they’ll definitely sweat more than men. The reason you think they don’t sweat much is essentially because they still don’t feel hot enough.”
I see…
Qin Ren felt that what Zhou Chi said made sense. This was why when Yun Wanhe came in soon after, Qin Ren saw that she still looked as if she were taking a leisurely stroll, with not a single strand of her elegant hair stuck to her forehead.
“Hey, Sister Yun, aren’t you hot?”
“It’s alright.”
Yun Wanhe put down her bag and fanned her face with her hand, but that was all.
Unlike Qin Ren and many other male colleagues in the company, who had rolled up their sleeves and opened their collars, yet were still drenched in sweat.
If it weren’t for the fact that he showered frequently and had been marinated in cologne-scented body wash for years, Qin Ren estimated that he would definitely be like Old Lei Wu who dug sewers in My Own Swordsman. People would avoid him wherever he went.
“You’re that hot…” Yun Wanhe said as she turned on her computer, glancing at the fine beads of sweat in the opening of Qin Ren’s shirt.
“Hot! I’m dying of heat! Sigh, I really want to take off my clothes…”
“…”
Yun Wanhe’s throat moved, and her eyes glazed over for a moment, as if imagining something. When she came back to her senses, she tapped the back of Qin Ren’s chair.
“The little fans from the May Day lottery. It seems like there are some left in Mr. Huang’s office. Do you want one?”
“Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Sister Yun!”
Qin Ren’s eyes lit up, and he grinned.
“Heh, Sister Yun is still the best to me. The bond between master and apprentice is truly touching.”
“Alright, it’s a small thing. No need to be so dramatic…”
Yun Wanhe stood up from her office chair, smoothing her hips. She muttered faintly, but her steps towards the office seemed a bit light and quick, her little heels clacking, just like Cheng Siyu’s yesterday.
It was indeed a small thing, but a woman’s heart is also small, very delicate and sensitive.
Because of this small thing, Yun Wanhe’s mood was much brighter than when Cheng Siyu had first arrived yesterday. It felt like when she was in school, and the boy at the next desk borrowed her eraser.
A tiny little interaction. She knew he would forget about it after using the eraser, but she could be happy for a whole day.
Mmm… but speaking of which, Yun Wanhe had never shared a desk with a boy from childhood to adulthood. She didn’t know if this analogy was accurate…
But that wasn’t important. What was important was that Yun Wanhe was very lucky. The air conditioner was broken today. Many people had already secretly gone to Mr. Huang’s office to get the little fans, and there was just one left.
Mr. Huang often didn’t come to the company, and today was no exception. Yun Wanhe picked up the little fan. Since it was the last one, she carefully checked to see if there were any broken parts. After checking, she walked back. Her originally light and quick steps gradually became heavy as she approached her workstation.
The newcomer from yesterday, Cheng Siyu, had arrived at the company at some point and was now standing by Qin Ren’s side with a delicate Doraemon mini fan.
Yun Wanhe’s heart sank slightly.
It felt like the boy at the next desk had asked to borrow her eraser, but she couldn’t find it after searching for a long time, so he had gone to borrow one from another girl.
…
“Engineer Qin~ Surprise?” Cheng Siyu’s face was blooming with a lively and playful smile, just like Yun Wanhe’s expression a few years younger.
“Not bad, you. Where did you get it?” Qin Ren eagerly plugged the fan into his computer, turned it to the highest setting, and felt comfortable.
“I bought it. But I didn’t know the air conditioner would be broken today. I just bought two to be prepared.”
Cheng Siyu shook another Dorami-shaped mini fan in her hand.
“Here, I’ll use this one.”
Qin Ren was a man who knew how to live. He clicked his tongue.
“There’s no need to buy two just to be prepared, is there?”
“Oh, then don’t use it. I’ll go return one.”
Cheng Siyu said as she went to unplug the cable. Qin Ren immediately stopped her.
“No, no, no. Engineer Cheng bought well, bought well…”
“Not well.”
“Well.”
“Not well.”
…
Yun Wanhe stood not far behind the two of them, looking at the little fan in her hand. Her rosy lips pursed and relaxed.
Flirting with an old employee on her second day…
Flirting is one thing, but their hands are touching from time to time…
Why are young girls these days so… so lacking in self-respect!
Smack—
The annoyance from yesterday rose in Yun Wanhe’s heart again. Her high chest heaved twice. She walked over with a cold face, placed the little fan on her own desk, pulled over her chair, and sat down.
“Shh…”
The department head had arrived. As a new employee, Cheng Siyu also immediately restrained her actions and obediently sat back down at her workstation next to Qin Ren.
“Sister Yun is back?”
Qin Ren didn’t have to care about these things. He turned his head and went over to Yun Wanhe’s side.
“Where’s the fan? Hehe, Engineer Cheng just gave me one. Now I can have one on each side. It’ll be awesome.”
Heh.
One on each side…
Yun Wanhe sneered inwardly, not wanting to bother with him at all. She plugged the little fan into her own computer and started to blow it.
“Uh… Sister Yun, aren’t you not hot?”
“I suddenly got hot.”
Sister Yun said casually, then called Cheng Siyu over.
“Little Cheng, let me explain the land acquisition process to you. You might have to work overtime today.”
“Oh, oh, okay.”
Cheng Siyu started to rummage through her bag for a notebook and pen. Qin Ren found this strange and quietly leaned over to Yun Wanhe’s ear.
“Sister Yun, a newcomer working overtime on her second day…?”
Yun Wanhe’s ear was a little hot from the warm breath from his lips, and her face was also a little hot. But she felt even more annoyed by his words.
“None of your business.”
“I’m not meddling, just asking…”
“A newcomer working overtime, why are you so concerned?”
“I’m… I’m not concerned. I’m just asking…”
“Are you the department head or am I?”
“…You are…”
“Then go back! Go draw your blueprints!”
“…”
Qin Ren thought to himself that Sister Yun’s mood seemed very unstable recently. She would suddenly become serious for no reason, her style constantly switching between a domineering CEO and an approachable person.
Could it be that, like Luo Yao, her good friend is visiting?
It was possible. Qin Ren didn’t dare to speak out of turn anymore. When it was time for him to get off work, he saw his little sister-in-law studying a pile of newly learned forms and drawings with a pained expression. His heart softened, and he was about to go over and help her explain or even do some of the work for her, when Yun Wanhe’s voice suddenly came from behind.
“You’re off work. Why are you still here?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Qin Ren turned his head and gave a dry laugh.
“I just saw that it’s Engineer Cheng’s first time with this, and I wanted to help her take a look…”
“No need.”
He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but Qin Ren seemed to see the department head’s mouth also pout slightly when she frowned. In short, she was not happy.
“You go back. I’ll help her.”
“Oh… okay.”
Although his little sister-in-law secretly gave him a pitiful look, Qin Ren could only silently indicate that he was helpless. Today’s department head was not someone he could handle, so he went straight home.
————————
When he got home, Qin Ren brought a cup of pearl milk tea.
“Thank you, Gege!”
This was the second day in a row that Qin Ren had brought her milk tea. Classmate Yu Yourong was very happy. As usual, she took Qin Ren’s jacket, hung it up, patted it, handed him his slippers, and then started to help him untie his tie.
“Where’s Luo Yao?”
“Next door, playing with Tang Bobo.”
The only “cooling appliance” in the house was actually not here. Qin Ren was greatly annoyed. He was dying of heat. After a simple change into shorts and a T-shirt, he went next door to get Luo Yao.
“Ah, Yaoyao’s brother.”
“Hello, Sister Su. You’re too polite, Sister Su. Just call me Qin Ren.”
After knocking, the one who opened the door was Tang Bobo’s mother, Su Yu. She wasn’t wearing a black dress today. She had on a pink T-shirt and a pair of white slim-fit capri pants.
This kind of pants actually had high requirements for a person’s figure. If your legs weren’t straight, or if you were too fat or too thin, they would look crooked. Su Yu didn’t have this problem. Her full and slender leg shape was well outlined, revealing a small section of her fair calf. The gray lace no-show socks on her feet had a very “housewife” feel.
“Yaoyao, your brother is here.”
She turned her head and called out. Then came the sound of a door opening, and a certain Pixiu came pattering over barefoot.
“Qin Ren, Qin Ren~”
“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”
“I forgot~”
Anyway, her little feet wouldn’t get dirty, so Qin Ren wouldn’t mind when he wanted to secretly touch them. So Luo Yao didn’t care about such things.
“What are we having for dinner~?”
“Braised Pixiu.”
All she thought about was eating. Qin Ren spanked her little bottom, gently. Although he knew it was impossible, he was still psychologically afraid of a hemorrhage. Then he impatiently picked her up.
Phew~
A shiver ran down Qin Ren’s spine. His whole body trembled. The human air conditioner was worthy of its name…
And compared to the strange smell that came from the air conditioner, the pleasant sweet scent on Luo Yao was also refreshing.
“Sorry to trouble you, Sister Su.”
“No, no.”
Su Yu smiled gently, tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing the metal earring on her soft earlobe.
“It’s no trouble. With Yaoyao often coming to keep us company, we should be the ones to welcome her more.”
Although Su Yu was a single mother, since she had a decent job at a state-owned enterprise, she had more time to spend with her child than Qin Ren.
“You haven’t said yet, Qin Ren. What are we having for dinner?”
Luo Yao was eighteen, not a child. She wouldn’t believe that Qin Ren would really eat braised Pixiu, so as soon as she got home, she started to urge him.
Qin Ren looked at the reserves in the fridge at home and found that it was all vegetables. And today was a meat day. After thinking about it, he decided to go out and buy some meat since it had just gotten dark. But he found a car with flashing red and blue lights parked at the community entrance.
A police car?
Translator’s Notes
-
My Own Swordsman (武林外传): A very famous and beloved Chinese sitcom that parodies the wuxia genre.
