WTCM 5. Cherish Life, Stay Away from Little Troublemakers

Chen Tianxiang quietly pushed open the locker room door and peeked outside. Once he confirmed no one was around, he carefully grabbed a small paper bag and headed toward the office building.

He had been called back to the station for a meeting in the afternoon, so he had no choice but to bring the “hot potato” back with him and hide it in his locker. But a locker wasn’t exactly a long-term storage solution. If a colleague found it, he’d have no face left to show in the station. So, he waited until everyone else had left, stuffed a piece of clothing into the paper bag, and covered the shameful object as best he could. Only then did he feel a bit safer.

“Ah Xiang, still not back?”

Suddenly, someone slapped him on the shoulder. Chen Tianxiang, feeling guilty, glanced at the paper bag, making sure nothing was out of place. Then, he casually nodded toward the person who’d called him.

“Jing-ge, you on duty today?”

“Yeah. Why are you leaving so late? It’s almost 8 o’clock.” Zhou Jing, two years older than Chen Tianxiang and a senior in the police force, had a good relationship with him. To be honest, Zhou Jing was also Chen Tianxiang’s type, so whenever they met, it was hard not to chat for a bit.

“Just finished handling some stuff.” But today, Chen Tianxiang had no interest in chatting. He was eager to get home and destroy the thing, so he quickly gave a half-hearted answer and kept walking out the door.

“Haven’t eaten yet, right? I was busy too, didn’t have time to eat. Perfect, let’s go together.” Zhou Jing casually followed him, pushing open the door of a noodle shop as they left the station. Turning back, he called out, “This one’s good,” and stepped in first to order two bowls of egg noodles.

Chen Tianxiang reluctantly followed him inside. Since Zhou Jing knew he was single and lived alone, it was hard to come up with an excuse to turn down something as simple as having noodles together.

The small noodle shop was doing good business, and Zhou Jing managed to grab two seats, even having to share a table with someone. Chen Tianxiang glanced around, noticing that the four-person table by the wall already had two people sitting at it, leaving no space to place his things. He reluctantly set the paper bag on the floor by his feet, thinking that in the time it took to eat a bowl of noodles, nothing would go wrong.

However, Chen Tianxiang had unknowingly made four fatal mistakes.

First, he hadn’t noticed the little brat sitting behind him, a four or five-year-old who had been eyeing the cartoon black cat with big eyes printed on the paper bag ever since he entered. Second, he hadn’t properly secured the valuable item and had just left it next to his leg. So when he noticed the paper bag had been knocked over by the brat, it was too late to regret not wedging it between his legs. Third, at such a crucial moment, his hands were occupied holding the bowl of soup, so he couldn’t act quickly enough. By the time he realized what had happened, Zhou Jing had already leaned down and picked up the paper bag from under the table.

“The clothes fell out. They’re definitely dirty now.” Zhou Jing casually held the bag in one hand, inspecting the clothes with the other, but then he stopped and looked at the contents with confusion. He started shoving the clothes back into the bag, only to pull them out halfway again.

No, don’t! Chen Tianxiang screamed in his mind, quickly reaching across the table to grab Zhou Jing’s hand.

“It’s fine, it’s not dirty!”

“Huh?” Zhou Jing stared as Chen Tianxiang snatched the bag back, still holding the clothes in his hand. He handed the clothes back with a puzzled look. “What’s inside? A pink, pink something?”

“It’s nothing. Just a kid’s toy.”

The little brat behind them had been reluctant to apologize under his mother’s urging, but hearing the conversation, he suddenly reached for the paper bag. “What toy? I wanna see!”

“Jing-ge, I just remembered I’ve got something at home, I’ll head out first!” Chen Tianxiang quickly shoved the clothes back in, hurriedly stood up, and tried to ignore the kid still clutching the paper bag. He pulled with all his might… but then made his fourth mistake.

If only he could go back ten seconds, Chen Tianxiang would have much rather gently coaxed the brat away than have the bag ripped open, spilling everything onto the floor.

Although the clothes did a decent job of covering the dildo, from Zhou Jing’s shocked expression, Chen Tianxiang was sure he’d seen it! He grabbed the clothes, wrapped the thing in them, and looked up to meet Zhou Jing’s confused gaze. For a split second, he wanted to do the classic drama move and shout “I’m innocent!” and run away, tearfully covering his face.

Of course, he couldn’t just run away. Having made the mistake, he had to salvage something from the situation.

“It’s a toy train I bought for my nephew. Luckily, it didn’t break. Heh, Jing-ge, I’m heading out now.” Seeing Chen Tianxiang awkwardly wave goodbye, Zhou Jing wisely didn’t try to keep him. But as he watched the tall figure practically flee the noodle shop, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

A toy train? Really? What kind of train looks like that? They’re both adults. w
Who hasn’t seen an adult movie? Of course he knows what that pink thing is. Hmm, wait a minute… Chen Tianxiang is single, doesn’t have a girlfriend… so what does he need that for?

Chen Tianxiang slammed his fist against his apartment door in frustration before fishing out his keys to unlock it. After holding everything in all the way home, he finally let out some of his anger in the privacy of his doorstep. He reminded himself to leave the bad mood at the door. As for tomorrow… he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. Knowing Jing-ge, he probably wouldn’t share this embarrassing moment with anyone.

Before he could turn the key, the door across from his opened, and someone burst out with a loud voice. “Xiang-ge! You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for three hours!”

Seeing the culprit who had embarrassed him earlier, Chen Tianxiang stared at him, his hand trembling as he almost broke the key while trying to unlock the door. He quickly took a step forward to grab Qi Haiyang by the collar, ready to give him a good beating, but when he noticed his neighbor, Aunt Zhang, walking out behind him, he quickly let go. His eyes were burning with anger, but he couldn’t let himself make a scene right at the doorstep.

“Xiao Chen, your cousin came to find you but couldn’t get in, so I brought him over to wait at my place,” Aunt Zhang said kindly with a smile, then added, “You two really look alike! You’re both so tall.”

“Thank you, Aunt Zhang.” Chen Tianxiang gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to snap, and forced out a polite response. How do we look alike? Just because we’re the same height doesn’t mean we look the same! And Aunt Zhang, you’re too bold! You’re just letting strangers into your house. What if he’s a robber?

“Thank you, Aunt Zhang! I’ll head home now, and I’ll come play with you next time!” Qi Haiyang clearly had already gotten close with the neighbor, Aunt Zhang. After thanking her, he turned around and made a face at Chen Tianxiang.

Chen Tianxiang snorted. Arguing with him right now wouldn’t do him any favors, so he just opened the door and walked inside. If you’re looking for trouble, come right on in!

Of course, Qi Haiyang followed him in, locking the door with a mischievous grin. Before Chen Tianxiang could lose his temper, Qi Haiyang quickly unbuttoned his shirt, giving an exaggerated, dramatic look, and pounded his chest like a warrior ready to face his fate.

“I know I was wrong! Xiang-ge! I’m fine with whatever you want to do to me!” After patting his chest, he started to undo his jeans, almost as if he were about to perform a striptease.

“Damn! Are you really this desperate?!” Chen Tianxiang had never seen someone so shameless. He cursed, then rushed forward, grabbing Qi Haiyang by the neck and dragging him onto the bed in the bedroom.

“I know I shouldn’t have pretended to be your cousin, but if I didn’t do that, I still wouldn’t have gotten through your door today,” Qi Haiyang said, looking pitiful as he exaggeratedly raised his eyebrows. Unfortunately, there was no trace of sweetness, only absurdity.