After saying that, Gu Hai immediately asked, "Su Yun, have you had breakfast yet?"
Su Yun shook her head. "Not yet. Today my younger brother's school is organizing a Children's Day outing to the park. My mom got up very early to cook, but I didn't feel like eating. I was planning to buy a couple of flatbreads on the way."
Hearing this, Gu Hai reached into his satchel and took out a lunchbox, handing it to her. "Perfect timing—I brought you breakfast. It may not be as good as flatbread, but at least fill your stomach first. I'll get you something else later."
Su Yun was surprised. She instinctively opened the lunchbox and saw neatly fried eggs and two beautifully shaped steamed buns inside.
"You made this?"
Gu Hai nodded shyly.
He had deliberately shaped the buns like roses and specially prepared them for Su Yun, though he wasn't sure if she would notice.
He was just about to mention it when Su Yun picked up a bun, took a bite, and her eyes lit up. "Mmm, delicious!"
Then, in just a few bites, she finished the bun.
Gu Hai: "..."
"Gu Hai, your cooking is amazing! Why don't you stop working in electronics and open a restaurant instead? I think if you did, you'd definitely take the whole capital by storm—maybe even become the richest man in the country!"
As soon as she said that, Su Yun realized she had slipped up again!
She quickly sat on the back seat of the bicycle, patted Gu Hai's shoulder, and urged, "It's getting late—we should go! Hurry, hurry!"
Although Su Yun changed the subject, Gu Hai still remembered what she said and couldn't help but ponder it.
Electronics? Opening a restaurant? Becoming the richest man?
Was that what Su Yun expected of him?
Wasn't that a bit too much confidence in him?
So in her eyes, he was actually that capable?
Gu Hai happily pedaled the bicycle, a smile tugging at his lips, his deep eyes filled with quiet joy.
Meanwhile, sitting on the back seat, Su Yun patted her chest in relief, silently vowing to control her tongue better in the future and never reveal secrets again!
---
At the entrance of the police station, banners had already been put up with welcoming messages.
People were coming and going—some in olive-green police uniforms, others from various sectors of society.
Gu Hai stopped the bicycle, and Su Xiu, who had been waiting at the entrance, walked over with a smile. "Su Yun, you're here."
"Cousin? Why are you waiting for me here?" Su Yun asked as she jumped off the bicycle.
Su Xiu replied, "Officer Zhou asked me to receive you. He knows you're my cousin, so he asked me to take you in to collect your reward."
As she spoke, Su Xiu secretly glanced at Gu Hai and quietly asked Su Yun, "Is he your boyfriend? My dad said your boyfriend is very handsome—and it turns out he was right."
Hearing this, Gu Hai silently approved of Su Xiu's judgment.
Su Yun smiled awkwardly and didn't bother explaining anymore.
Forget it—she had given up.
---
Su Xiu led Su Yun and Gu Hai into the police station, explaining along the way, "Today is Children's Day. Our bureau is hosting a social dance event and has invited people from all walks of life. There will be a lot of guests, so you won't stand out in the crowd…"
While she was speaking, a female officer approached from the opposite direction. Upon seeing Su Xiu, she immediately averted her gaze and deliberately walked to the side, clearly trying to avoid her.
Su Xiu's expression froze for a moment, and a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
Seeing this, Su Yun immediately asked, "Cousin, who was that? Are you being ostracized at the police station?"
Su Xiu forced a bright smile and shook her head. "No. My colleagues are all very nice to me. No one is ostracizing me."
Su Yun didn't believe her.
---
After Su Xiu helped her collect the fifty-yuan reward, Su Yun used the excuse of going to the restroom, handed the money to Gu Hai for safekeeping, and then deliberately went to the clerical office where Su Xiu worked.
As soon as she arrived, she overheard people inside talking about Su Xiu—
A female officer holding a teacup said, "Have you noticed? Su Xiu is acting like nothing happened. Everyone's avoiding her, but she pretends everything is normal. Her mental strength is really something!"
"Exactly! If it were me, and a man came making a scene, claiming he'd slept with me, I'd probably want to crawl into a hole out of embarrassment."
"Well, Su Xiu is different from you. You're from a cadre family and haven't suffered much. She's the daughter of a coal worker—her skin must be as thick as coal…"
As soon as that was said, the whole office burst into laughter.
After laughing, someone asked, "So do you think Su Xiu really slept with her fiancé?"
At this point, Su Yun understood everything.
It must have been that Qiang fellow who came to the police station to cause trouble, spreading lies and ruining Su Xiu's reputation.
Su Yun's eyes flickered, and she immediately stepped into the office, loudly interrupting them:
"Excuse me, is this the clerical office? I'm Su Xiu's cousin. I'm here to see her—is she around?"
The female officer who had just spoken immediately stood up, a trace of guilt flashing in her eyes. "Su Xiu isn't here. If you're looking for her, you'll have to wait."
Another male officer looked at Su Yun curiously and asked, "Comrade, are you really Su Xiu's cousin? Then you must know she has a fiancé, right?"
Su Yun nodded innocently. "Yes, I do."
The clerks exchanged gossip-filled glances.
The same male officer continued, "Then do you know about Su Xiu and her fiancé?"
Su Yun immediately began her performance:
"Of course I know! Speaking of my cousin's fiancé, that's quite a story. You probably don't know—his name is He Qiang, and he's a well-known troublemaker in the area. There's something seriously wrong with his head…"
"Near his house, there's a widow named He who has a daughter named He Hua. She's already eighteen. This He Qiang, just to extort money from that widow, went around telling people that He Hua was his daughter! When people didn't believe him, he argued—if she's not his daughter, why does she have the same surname as him?"
"Tell me—doesn't that sound like something's wrong with his brain?"
The people in the office looked at each other, stunned.
Su Yun continued, "And there's more. At the beginning of the year, someone raised a dog. He Qiang took a liking to it and went to the owner's workplace to make a scene, claiming he had already 'slept with' the dog and that the owner had to give it to him, or he wouldn't leave!"
"Does that make any sense?"
The male officer smacked his lips. "That really doesn't make sense."
Su Yun clapped her hands. "Exactly! And when he was a kid, he got bitten by a dog. Because of that, he's… not capable. He can't even have children! Back then, my cousin's family was deceived by him, which is why they agreed to the engagement. But once they found out about all this, they immediately broke it off."
"My cousin broke off the engagement, but He Qiang refused to accept it. Now that she's working as a police clerk and he hasn't gained any benefit, do you think he'll just let it go?"
"To be honest, I overheard him saying he planned to come here to cause trouble—to spread rumors and threaten my cousin. That's why I came here today, to warn her not to be intimidated or fall into his trap!"
As soon as Su Yun finished speaking, the entire office erupted into commotion.