Chapter 581: No Free Lunch

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Bai Muchuan showed a casual smile. “Don’t worry, this scenario will never happen.”

“Little Bai! Bachelors also have pride.”

“Fine, when this case is over, I’ll give you a long break. Only the girls who will wait for you are the ones who are serious…”

“… D*rn, how can you do this?”

“Just stop playing around. Don’t you know I understand you the best?”

If there was an impending mission, Quan Shaoteng would be the first to come to him.

He loved missions that could bring him thrills, adventures and enthusiasm…

He didn’t like detective work that required him to think and analyze every day.

“Little Bai…”

“What will you be doing if you don’t come to work? Will you be diving, horse riding, shooting or mountain climbing…”

“It’s a blind date, I’m really going for a blind date!” Quan Shaoteng seemed to be a little frustrated as he stressed that. “My sister-in-law has already let me seen the photos. The girls are beautiful like young flower buds…”

Young flower buds?

Pffft!

Everyone roared in laughter.

“I don’t believe it,” remarked Tang Yuanchu, “no matter how beautiful the girls are, I don’t believe they are as good-looking as you, Captain Quan?”

“That’s for sure.” Quan Shaoteng continued to boast. “In this world, there’s no one else quite like me. So, for the sake of the continuity of the family line and inheritance, I have to lower my demands a little…”

Mei Xin couldn’t take it anymore.

“Is it alright to start dinner now?”

She had been keeping quiet all this while.

Her voice sounded calm like water from the ocean. It instantly doused Quan Shaoteng’s “blind date speech”…

Everyone stopped talking for a moment and sat properly.

“Let’s eat, let’s eat…”

Quan Shaoteng looked at everyone. “I haven’t finished what I wanted to say.”

What was going on?

He looked at Mei Xin. “Are you very unhappy with me going for blind dates?”

Mei Xin looked perplexed. “The food on the table is getting cold.”

Quan Shaoteng stared unkindly at her for a moment. “I want to take two days off to go on blind dates. I haven’t finished what I wanted to say…”

Mei Xin repeated, “The food on the table is getting cold.”

Quan Shaoteng replied, “Is having a meal more important than my blind date?”

Mei Xin looked at him, then she looked at everyone with a bewildered expression.

“Isn’t that… the case?”

The atmosphere was suddenly quiet.

These two were really single because of their personality.

Were they joking with each other? Of course not.

Both of them were really serious.

Mei Xin totally couldn’t understand why he was so annoyed.

“If the food is cold, it won’t taste as nice. Won’t that be a waste of Captain Bai’s efforts?…”

She seemed a little troubled when everyone kept quiet and she looked at Bai Muchuan.

“I’m hungry. Is it ok to start eating now, Captain Bai?”

Bai Muchuan nodded.

Mei Xin took her chopsticks. “I feel so hungry when I see these large pieces of meat…”

They were in a barbecue restaurant.

And the table was full of meat…

However, after she made that remark… the appetizing pieces of meat…

Mm, she had an appetite but the others seemed to have lost theirs.

Everyone: “…”

They looked at her as if they had lost something precious because of her.

Bai Muchuan nodded his head and clapped his hands for attention. “Everyone, let’s start the dinner. Don’t stand on ceremony. I know that everyone has worked hard and that all of you couldn’t enjoy Lunar New Year… The meal tonight is to reward everyone for their hard work over the past few days.”

“So? After this meal, that’s all?” Quan Shaoteng raised his eyebrows.

“So, after you finish your meal, you’ll continue to work tomorrow.”

“… I knew it. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

“Shouldn’t it be dinner?” Salimu chimed in, “Captain Bai, you’ve upset Captain Quan so much that he couldn’t even distinguish between lunch and dinner… Maybe, just take pity on him and let him go for his blind dates.”

“You shut up!” Quan Shaoteng stared at him. “You’re still young and not fully grown. Why are you poking your nose around the matters of the adults…”

“This is slander!” Salimu grunted. “This is absolutely slander! Captain Bai, I can prove that I’m already fully grown up!”

“…”

“Ahem!”

Cough, cough, cough!

Not sure who started it, everyone started to cackle in laughter.

“Let’s eat,” said Bai Muchuan, “just look at yourselves. If I give all of you a pair of wings, are all of you going to fly to the heavens?”

The people who showed up at the dinner were the ones that were inside the Gossip group chat.

Cheng Zheng was the only one who was not there – everyone else showed up at the dinner.

They usually chat in the group chat and were familiar with each other.

Although it was a work gathering, it felt more of an offline gathering between a bunch of online friends.

They could chat and relax without any inhibitions.

Someone asked Huang He about his injury, there were also some who talked about the latest gossip…

It was about Xie Wanwan.

Most of them did not know about Tang Yuanchu’s feelings for Xie Wanwan.

They talked without restrictions and Xiang Wan noticed that Tang Yuanchu started to look uncomfortable.

“Let’s not talk about all this celebrity gossip,” she suggested, as she didn’t want Tang Yuanchu to feel awkward.

“It’s not gossip. It’s related to the case.” Salimu smiled. “Teacher Xiang, we’re actually talking about work matters—”

Tang Yuanchu suddenly lifted his head, put down his chopsticks and sent a glare over. “We don’t have evidence on this matter. Don’t talk so much.”

After that, he pushed his chair aside. “I need to go to the restroom.”

And so he left.

The door of the private dining room closed.

Salimu was still looking at the door with a confused expression.

“Is he crazy? What’s with him?”

No one answered him.

He asked again, “Did I say something that upset him?”

His questions continued to be left unanswered.

Salimu scrunched his nose in puzzlement. “I didn’t say anything that upset him, right?”

“Yeah, this fellow’s menopause period got brought forward.” Quan Shaoteng agreed with Salimu. “Come on, let’s continue to eat!”

“Strange fellow!” Salimu muttered to himself.

Tang Yuanchu came back after 15 minutes.

By then, he had adjusted himself and was back to normal.

He could joke around with Salimu and did not seem as if anything was troubling him.

Xiang Wan took a few glances at him and felt that this young fellow didn’t have it easy either.

For he fell in love with a woman that he shouldn’t have.

Xie Wanwan was actually not suitable for him. He was unable to get her nor able to get over her.

The atmosphere of the dinner was relaxing throughout.

Tang Yuanchu was back to his old self. Salimu was a happy-go-lucky person and totally forgot about that little incident. Even Quan Shaoteng and Mei Xin no longer bickered with each other during the dinner…

As they didn’t drink any alcohol, the dinner ended quite early.

In about an hour’s time, everyone was ready to go.

In the end, when they got out of the private dining room, they saw Xie Wanwan and Ye Lun together, hand in hand.

Although Tang Yuanchu seemed a little gloomy to see them, he didn’t lose his composure. He told Bai Muchuan that he would go to get the car first and left.

Xie Wanwan took a glance at him from the corners of her eyes and greeted both Xiang Wan and Bai Muchuan with a smile. “Both of you are leaving already?” She extended an invitation. “Wanna join us? Eat a little more and have a chat?”

“We still have something on.” Bai Muchuan looked at everyone.

Ye Lun revealed a devilish looking grin and let out a sigh. “Detective Bai always refuses our invitations…”

Bai Muchuan turned to face Ye Lun. “We have work to attend to, please excuse us.”

Ye Lun smiled and stepped aside to let them move out.

“Officers, have a safe journey!”

Maybe it was because of his antagonist role in “The Grey List”, Ye Lun always gave off a dark and chilly vibe. No matter what kind of expression he wore, Xiang Wan always felt like he was up to no good…

Xiang Wan’s gaze brushed past his face as she walked away with Bai Muchuan.

However, she didn’t expect that Xie Wanwan would call out to her.

“Teacher Xiang, can I look you up tomorrow? Just the two of us.”

…

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