Five Cases – Chapter 34: Zhongchuan City

“Pleasure working with you.” Standing in the airport, Lu Hui and Zhong Yuxiu shook hands with each other. 

Zhong Yuxiu smiled: “Likewise. Goodbye.” He removed his hand. 

Lu Hui dipped his chin in a nod: “Goodbye.” He turned around and brought his squad, along with the unpaid Xi Junhong, to the security line. 

“So, the archives?” Ji Fanyang asked, “We’re all going?”

“Just you and me.” Lu Hui lowered his voice, “Talk quieter. I don’t want the whole airport to know about the homicide.”

Ji Fanyang sighed, then turned helplessly to the stricken security guard and explained: “No worries, he’s kidding.”

“I’m not.” Lu Hui said, dead serious. 

Ji Fanyang patted Lu Hui, then comforted the guard: “He really is kidding.”

Even though Ji Fanyang had a warm, harmless appearance, he was still dragged through two security checks because of Lu Hui. 

Economy class. 

“Director Gao’s stinginess is outrageous.” Lu Hui’s one meter eighty-five figure was huddled in the narrow seat by the window, looking quite pathetic. 

Ji Fanyang was only a little shorter than Lu Hui, so he felt uncomfortable as well. However, he did not have the same building resentment as Lu Hui. He cast a sidelong glance at Lu Hui: “In service of the people.” 

“…Manners, young man.” Lu Hui hmph’d indignantly, spreading his arms out until he took up half of Ji Fanyang’s space. 

Ji Fanyang smiled good-naturedly, conniving at Lu Hui’s behavior. His tawny-brown eyes were like fragments of sunlight. 

As before, the flight was over two hours long. Aside from Lu Hui’s grumbling complaints, his dishonest tossing and turning, and his outrageously ridiculous pranks, the flight went well. 

They grabbed their luggage and exited the airport. Lu Hui addressed his squad: “Ji Fanyang and I are staying in Zhongchuan City to take care of something. You all go back first.”

“Wait, but we haven’t caught the murderer yet?” Rao Feifei asked in astonishment. 

“We will.” Lu Hui didn’t wish to elaborate, “Wait for my news in Linhua City.”

Yang Jie nodded, then pulled Rao Feifei away, who still wanted to ask further questions: “Understood.”

Yang Jie, Rao Feifei, and Xi Junhong left. Lu Hui called a cab: “The Public Safety Bureau.”

Ji Fanyang and Lu Hui sat together in the back seat: “Public Safety Bureau?”

“Borrowing a car.” Lu Hui said, “I don’t want to take a cab everywhere.”

“…You know people in Zhongchuan City?” Ji Fanyang was two hundred percent doubtful. 

Lu Hui smiled fakely: “They can lend me one.”

The cab stopped in front of Zhongchuan City’s Public Safety Bureau. Lu Hui got out of the car as Ji Fanyang settled the fare. 

Lu Hui had just stepped into the Bureau when a policeman came over to greet him: “Yo, if it isn’t the Miraculous Detective Lu. It’s been awhile.” 

“Long time no see.” Lu Hui’s face was cold, “I came to borrow a car.”

The policeman forced a smile: “No problem, no problem.” 

“You agreed quickly. The key, then?” Lu Hui stretched out a hand. 

The policeman smiled slightly: “Free-loading isn’t very upstanding.” 

Lu Hui glared at him: “You owe me several favors.”

The policeman’s smile dropped, and he even seemed a bit angry: “Speak sensibly, Lu. You stole those cases from me.” 

“Those cases were resolved in my hands. If I hadn’t taken them, they wouldn’t have been resolved until the end of time.” Lu Hui’s ability to render someone speechless was far from rusty, “Give me the key.”

“Wait, Chief Lu.” Ji Fanyang couldn’t watch anymore. Seeing that they had run into trouble acquiring the key, he asked gently, “When the cases were resolved, whose signature was on the documents?”

“His signature.” Lu Hui pointed at the policeman. He smiled craftily, “See, he owes me a favor.”

The policeman held himself back for a while, then took the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Lu Hui: “Two days, at most.”

“Two days are enough.” Lu Hui slipped the keys into his pocket, “Let’s go.”

They found the car in the parking lot and drove off. 

“To the Public Security Department^[1]I’m going to go back and edit this in previous chapters later, but this is referring to what I translated as the “Provincial Public Safety Bureau” before. I’m changing it because I initially … Continue reading?” Ji Fanyang sat in the passenger seat. The clock on the dashboard displayed the time: 4:30 PM. 

“How could we do that.” Lu Hui replied incredulously, “We’re going to the mall.”

“…The mall???” Ji Fanyang shouted, “Why’re we going to the mall?”

“Buying clothes.” Lu Hui pulled at the collar of his wrinkled shirt, “This won’t do.”

Ji Fanyang started to doubt the purpose of their trip to the Public Security Department: “Why do we need to change if we’re going to the Public Security Department?”

“…The archives are inconvenient.” Lu Hui hemmed and hawed, then said coldly, “Stop asking so many questions.”

Ji Fanyang shut his mouth and stopped asking. Lu Hui wouldn’t answer now, but he would find out tomorrow when they went to the Public Security Department. He didn’t need to worry too much for the moment. 

The car stopped in front of an enormous shopping mall. Lu Hui got out of the car, and the two of them took the elevator to the fourth floor’s menswear department. 

Accompanying Lu Hui to the mall was a special kind of torment. Even though Ji Fanyang had experienced it one before while buying furniture and appliances, he still couldn’t adapt this time. 

Lu Hui was one meter eighty-five, tall and slender. Although slovenly in appearance, with stubble along his jawline and a crumpled shirt, he was still very good looking. 

He had an air of gloom mixed with a mysterious melancholy. His occasional childishness made others find him both adorable and detestable. Whenever he simply sat quietly, his brows knitted and his eyelashes swooping down over his cheeks, his undisguised vulnerability was a blow directly to other people’s hearts, men and women alike. 

Ji Fanyang was well-acquainted with this type of surprise attack. Each time he let Lu Hui have his way, it was for this reason. 

“Excuse me, who shall I assist…?” The shop assistant came over to greet them. 

Ji Fanyang pointed to Lu Hui: “Him.”

“Oh…Then, what type of clothing are you looking for, sir?” The assistant asked. 

Lu Hui hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ji Fanyang awkwardly: “You pick.”

Ji Fanyang sighed, then accepted his fate and walked over to the shelves: “Alright.” He had long since given up hope for Lu Hui’s aesthetic sensibilities. 

Lu Hui picked out a light-colored T-shirt from the pile, one which didn’t fit him at all. He seemed to have an innate incompatibility with light colors. When he came out wearing a cream-colored shirt, Ji Fanyang covered his eyes: “My God, you’re like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” 

Lu Hui pulled on the hem of his shirt: “Didn’t you pick this one out?”

“I just wanted to try something out.” Ji Fanyang explained. He couldn’t prevent his lips from curving upward, “Okay, I just wanted to see you wear it. Hahaha, you can go change.” 

Lu Hui threw a menacing look at Ji Fanyang, then went back into the changing room. 

When Lu Hui wore darker colors, regardless if it was dark brown, dark gray, dark purple, or black, he seemed to unfurl a set of invisible wings. Ji Fanyang rubbed his eyes. He sincerely acknowledged that Lu Hui had the potential to act as the villain of a play. 

They picked out shirts, pants, socks, and shoes, then went to pick out a watch. As they followed from behind, the shop assistant said: “You two have a good relationship.” 

Lu Hui shrugged: “This is one of my vexations. He’s too clingy.”

Unwilling to be outdone, Ji Fanyang said: “He can’t even buy clothes without me, so who’s actually clingy here.”

Lu Hui fastened a watch on his wrist: “This one?”

Ji Fanyang shook his head: “Too heavy. How about this one?”

The shop assistant passed the watch that Ji Fanyang picked out to Lu Hui. He fastened the clasp; the watch was refined and elegant. Lu Hui nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at the price, calmly took it off, and put it back: “Let’s go look at the cuffs. I heard that sandalwood is pretty good.”

Ji Fanyang noted the brand and price without changing expression, then said: “Alright, let’s go look.”

After they left the counter, Lu Hui said: “Don’t be a fool and spend so much money on a watch for me.”

“…” Ji Fanyang blinked, “You’re too narcissistic.” 

Lu Hui was silent.

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