“Look.” He grinned brightly and said, “He’s got it right.”
Zhuang Long remained silent for a long time.
He stared at Jimmy for a long time. Jimmy couldn’t guess what this person was thinking. Ever since Zhuang Long had recovered, he seemed to be wrapped in a layer of fog. Outsiders couldn’t see his true appearance clearly.
Zhuang Long suddenly said, “You shouldn’t have become a police officer.” He patted Jimmy’s shoulder and sighed. “You were born to be a gambler.”
Jimmy defended himself. “I’ve only gambled once in my life!”
Zhuang Long shrugged. “So what? Even if it’s just once, it’s still a gamble.”
But Jimmy said, “But I made the right bet.”
Zhuang Long pursed his lips.
He heard a few meters say, “Look, he gambled, and in the end, he gambled correctly. What if he didn’t gamble back then? That little boy would have gone to prison. If he didn’t receive a good education, he wouldn’t have been able to develop so many antidotes to viruses that are beneficial to human society.”
Jimmy didn’t waste time with Zhuang Long’s riddles. He changed the subject and said, “One of my big gambles has been a boon to mankind. Especially to those who, despite being infected with the virus, haven’t given up hope of survival.”
After hearing Jimmy’s words, Zhuang Long was silent for a long time.
The two of them continued their walk, chatting and laughing. When they returned, they arrived at Jimmy’s house. Zhuang Long handed Parker back to Jimmy. As Jimmy reached for the leash, he heard Zhuang say to him, “You’re a good cop.”
Jimmy looked startled, flattered.
Zhuang Long said again, “As long as you’re here, it won’t be too late.”
With that, Zhuang Long led Xiao Li and Zhuang Qilin back to his house.
Jimmy looked down, lost in thought.
Rachel walked over and bumped her head against Jimmy’s back from behind. When Jimmy came back to his senses, she asked him, “What are you thinking about? You look distracted.”
Jimmy turned back and took hold of Rachel’s hand. Smiling, he said, “Before you do the laundry, you must remember to search the pockets. You told me that.”
Rachel nodded automatically. “I did. Why?”
Uncle Jimmy suddenly picked Rachel up in his arms and spun her around. He kissed Rachel’s cheek. Rachel gave a gasp. “Oh my god, why are you still holding me up at this age? Don’t break my old bones.”
The truth was, Rachel wasn’t old.
Jimmy kissed her again. For no reason at all, he said, “That’s a good habit.”
Rachel thought that her husband was a fool. She couldn’t even be bothered to respond to him.
…
Zhuang Long and the others returned home and walked on the cobblestone path in the manor.
Zhuang Long hooked Xiao Li’s finger and suddenly said, “Stay here tonight, okay?” He said domineeringly, “I mean stay in my room.”
This sentence was filled with hints.
Xiao Li was stunned for a moment. She smiled like a fox. “Okay!”
Zhuang Qilin had already grown up. He no longer needed Xiao Li to tell him bedtime stories. When he returned to the house, he was especially good at reading people’s expressions. He said sensibly to Zhuang Long, “Dad, I’ve agreed to have a video call with my friend tonight. I have to go back to my room to rest.”
He hugged Xiao Li’s cheek and kissed it. “Good night, Mom.”
Xiao Li also kissed his forehead. “Good night.”
Zhuang Qilin turned around and prepared to leave.
Zhuang Long looked at Zhuang Qilin coldly. Seeing that he had really forgotten about him and was about to go upstairs, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Zhuang Long sighed in his heart. Before he could finish his sigh, a small figure suddenly rushed over and jumped onto him.
Zhuang Qilin grabbed Zhuang Long’s waist and kissed him on the cheek.
Crunch.
“Goodnight, Dad.”
Only then was Zhuang Long overjoyed.
Zhuang Qilin jumped off Zhuang Long and ran towards the second floor. After running a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned around to shout at Xiao Li and Zhuang Long, “Please work harder tonight. I hope to see my biological sister on this day next year.”
The two adults, who had the responsibility of creating a new life, looked at each other and silently looked away.
After returning to his room, Zhuang Long asked Xiao Li to take a shower first.
When Xiao Li went to the bathroom, she was carrying a large box.
Zhuang Long found it strange. Did women need so many things to bathe?
Xiao Li spent a few minutes washing herself clean, then she began to apply the hair removal ointment on her legs and arms. She placed great importance on what would happen next. For this, she had to be well-prepared. Actually, Xiao Li had already done laser hair removal, but no matter how good the advertisement was, it was impossible to get rid of her hair once and for all.
She had been extremely busy recently. It had been a long time since she had visited a beauty salon.
Today’s incident had happened so suddenly that Xiao Li could only clean the small hairs on his legs herself.
Zhuang Long waited for a long time. Just as he thought that Xiao Li had fallen asleep in the bathroom, Xiao Li finally came out. She was wearing an especially beautiful gown. The fiery red silk robe was draped lazily over her body, revealing most of her shoulders and chest.
When she came out, Zhuang Long was about to knock on the door when they bumped into each other. Zhuang Long could even smell a faint perfume. He often smelled this fragrance on Xiao Li. When she first sprayed it on herself, it smelled of orange flowers and lemon. After a while, it would smell of irises and night vanilla. On a few occasions when he went to see Xiao Li in the night, her perfume would turn back to amber and musk.
At first, Zhuang Long thought that she had used a few different perfumes, but he soon realized that something was wrong.
He had long been curious about the perfume Xiao Li used. Today, he finally asked the question in his heart.
Xiao Li was still a little surprised. He had not expected Zhuang Long to like this perfume so much.
She asked him, “Does it smell good?”
Zhuang Long nodded.
She leaned closer. In her flat slippers, she had to look up to speak into Zhuang Long’s eyes. Xiao Li asked Zhuang Long, “Why does it smell good? If you praise me enough, I’ll tell you.”
Zhuang Long made a particularly crude move.
He grabbed Xiao Li’s hand and placed it below his.
Xiao Li was startled.
Zhuang Long said, “Once I smelled it, that was it.” He sounded quite innocent. “It smells good. I like it.”
Xiao Li retracted his hand with a satisfied expression.
Alright, this praise could not be more sincere.
“It’s Jean-Paul-Gaultier’s Classique.” Seeing that Zhuang Long looked a little blank, Xiao Li continued, “It’s commonly known as the Naked Women Classic.”
Zhuang Long had heard of this.
“I see.”
Xiao Li continued, “The person who loves this fragrance loves it very much. Those who don’t love it will despise it to the extreme.” Ordinary people would not be able to master this perfume, but Xiao Li was an exception. She and this perfume seemed to be a match made in heaven. From the moment she encountered it, Xiao Li never used another perfume.
