A Marshmallow: Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Protecting You

Gu An followed behind Jiang Yan with her hands behind her back, quietly observing his tall and slender figure.

The first time she saw him, he had a cold, handsome, and intimidating face, with an impatience in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows as he asked her who she was looking for.

During the internal dinner of the Criminal Investigation Unit, they didn't even need to turn on the air conditioning because his mere presence was like a blast of cold air.

But when the guys were joking around, he covered her ears with his hoodie from a distance and told them to mind their language because a kid was present.

That moment was probably the beginning of her affection for him.

At some point, his aloof tone began to soften, and his beautiful dimples appeared more frequently. When he didn't smile, he kept people at a distance, but when he did, his eyes curved, his eyelashes were long, and he looked so gentle and captivating.

He never asked for her minor grievances that she didn't express, or her thoughts that weren't meant for others. He simply understood them.

When she couldn't help but cry during her training, when her emotions broke down, and he noticed that her voice was off, he was there to pick her up. While others had their parents by their side, she had him.

So, beneath this person's cold exterior, there was indeed a very gentle soul, even when it came to a colleague's sister.

But what if he got a girlfriend in the future?

She couldn't think about it.

But she couldn't help to think about it either.

Gu An.

Grow up quickly...

-

After June, for the first time in three years, Gu Zhen took a rare vacation to stay at home and take care of Gu An during her college entrance exams.

He had a bunch of colleagues with high school students in his social circle, and he collected numerous posts like "My child got into a prestigious school because of what I fed her," "To succeed in the college entrance exams, you need this recipe," "Before the college entrance exams, parents and friends must follow these ten rules" from senior colleagues.

His primary battlefield had shifted from various crime scenes to the kitchen. At the same time, the Engel coefficient at home skyrocketed for the month. He and Jiang Yan had spent their entire salaries on buying various ingredients and nutritional supplements. Those who didn't know might have thought these two were transitioning from the frontlines of criminal investigation to the kitchen.

Fortunately, the kitchen was open, so two 185 cm tall detectives standing side by side didn't make it too crowded.

Jiang Yan remained his comrade, shoulder to shoulder.

Jiang Yan's dad is a big shot, while this guy has been a pampered rich kid since he was young. Before attending the police academy, he always had everything handed to him, including his meals. After graduation, he's eaten high-end private chef takeout, junk food, and even cafeteria food. He's not picky, but he rarely sets foot in the kitchen, let alone cooks himself.

And now, he stands at the kitchen counter, wearing a SpongeBob SquarePants apron, bending over with a level of focus that rivals aiming a gun, staring intently at the uneven "potato strips" on the cutting board. He rubs his nose with the back of his hand and questions life's choices.

"Look! Look at these potato strips! So elegant! So unique! They must be delicious!" Gu An, holding her English vocabulary in her arms, enthusiastically squeezes under Jiang Yan's eyelids and offers her appraisal. "They look very tasty!"

Jiang Yan's previously furrowed brows relax, and he smirks, his lips curving upwards.

Without speaking, he lightly taps Gu An's head with his knuckles. The sunlight streaming in from the large French windows gives everyone a soft glow, making him appear even gentler and more handsome.

Gu An looks up at him with her eyes narrowed and smiles, revealing her small tiger teeth.

Gu Zhen, who has been bustling around unnoticed, can't help but sneer at the completely devoted Gu An. He's already used to her tendency to flatter, and even though he thinks it's overdone, he can't help but say, "Stop causing chaos here. Go study your vocabulary!"

Gu An pouts and mumbles like a parrot, "Can't get a wife, can't get a wife, Gu Zhen can't get a wife..."

She's living her days blissfully now, her tail wagging high in the sky.

She ranked first in the art school entrance exam, and with the help of Jiang Yan and Gu Zhen, her performance in regular subjects improved significantly.

Both young police officers were academic prodigies in high school, figures to be admired from a distance.

Gu Zhen and Jiang Yan worked together for three out of their four years at the police academy, with impeccable teamwork and clearly defined roles. One focused on math while the other handled language, English, history, geography, and politics.

Although the process felt like a living hell, the results were ideal.

In the last monthly exam before the college entrance examination, Gu An's scores were so high that she was among the top ten percent of the entire grade, practically halfway through the door of the art academy.

"Brother, I want to have pumpkin with salted egg yolk for dinner tonight. If there's any salted egg yolk left, could you make a bit of green dumplings and a little salted egg yolk barbecue..." After finishing breakfast and putting down her chopsticks, Gu An places her hands on her knees and sits up straight, beginning to discuss the dinner menu with Gu Zhen.

Gu Zhen raises an eyebrow and looks over. His youthful face is chiseled, with distinct angles, and he has the same little tiger teeth as her. When he smiles, he looks like a sunny young man, but he often appears stern, resembling an irritable primary school student.

The irritable elementary schooler, upon hearing her request, raised an eyebrow in annoyance and said, "Why are you so..."

At this moment, Jiang Yan, sitting across from him, looked up, and a cold light gleamed in his clear eyes.

Gu Zhen's lips twitched. Not long ago, after he had made Gu An cry because of a scolding, he had sworn in front of Jiang Yan that he would speak gently to Gu An at least until her college entrance exam, making her feel the utmost care from her family. During this time, whatever Gu An said, he would listen without arguing.

As the words reached the tip of his tongue, "Why are you so meddlesome?" was forcefully twisted into "Why are you so good at cooking?"

Gu An grinned, put on her small backpack, and happily skipped off to school.

The irritable elementary schooler, Gu Zhen, holding back his urge to scold, was truly amusing!

Gu Zhen, still irritated, cleaned up his dishes and began searching for a recipe for salted egg yolk char siu.

Goodness, isn't this almost like explaining a hundred and one steps?

Just then, his phone switched to an incoming call screen, and the ringtone sounded. It was his superior.

He answered, and on the other end of the line was the familiar bustling noise of people. Even through the receiver, he could sense his colleagues' preparedness and haste.

"There's a nationwide wanted criminal spotted in our province. The department has decided to assemble and depart immediately..."

Jiang Yan heard Gu Zhen's prompt acceptance.

In other families, little girls are pampered and raised with luxury and elegance.

But Gu An had never had even one percent of that luck.

He couldn't imagine how a teenage girl could grow up under the care of others when her parents divorced, her grandmother passed away, and her older brother, who became a policeman, disappeared without a trace. How could she deal with those grievances and fears that no one could alleviate?

But he had seen her painting alone, silently shedding tears when under pressure, and waiting at the bus stop with dozens of pounds of art supplies on a snowy day.

Now, was she going to take care of her own college entrance exam?

Gu Zhen hung up the phone, and the screen of his mobile phone reverted to the recipe he had been searching for earlier. Thinking about Gu An's cheerful expression, he suddenly felt guilty.

But he saw Jiang Yan standing up and calmly saying, "I'll handle the case for you."

•

Five days later, the annual college entrance examination arrived as scheduled, capturing the nation's attention, and without a doubt, dominating all television programs and news segments.

The exam centers were randomly assigned within the city, and Gu An and Jiang Ning both took the test at No. 7 High School. After breakfast, they boarded the school bus together, sitting in the same row with Gu An by the window and Jiang Ning by the aisle.

Outside the bus window, No. 1 High School receded into the distance.

Gu An's lips were tightly pressed into a thin line, visible nervousness evident, and her subtle expressions didn't escape Jiang Ning's notice. So, she poked Gu An to divert her attention, "What are you going to do after the exam?"

After the exam?

In her mind, a little lightbulb lit up instantly.

There were so many things to do!

Gu An had pondered this question countless times during art training and during cultural classes after school exams.

Clutching her small fist, her doll-like face was incredibly serious as she said firmly, "Chase... my idol!"

"I knew it! How long have you had a secret crush on him? It's time to take action," Jiang Ning teased, tickled by her cuteness, and couldn't help but pinch her cheek. "Didn't that guy give you any encouragement before the exam?"

Gu An's lips, which had just been curved, immediately flattened, and she sighed, "No, he didn't."

Jiang Ning was puzzled, "Huh? Why not?"

Gu An whispered, "A few days ago, he had to go on a business trip, and I don't know when he'll be back."

The day before the provincial joint exam, Jiang Yan had called her, suddenly appeared during the school exam to hand her a stack of materials, and said with a smile, "I humbly obey."

But right before the college entrance exam, he left abruptly, no messages, and she had no idea if he would disappear like he did before, for six months or even longer.

Although she really, really wanted to see him, his safety was a thousand times more important.

"That's how it is for a police officer; they have no control over their own lives. They don't belong to themselves or anyone else, only to the country."

Jiang Ning's family had many military and police personnel.

Her uncle had disappeared for three years before, almost like he didn't exist. She understood the pain of it all too well, and she had deep respect for this profession.

I'm sure Gu An was the same.

The bus stopped at the entrance of No. 7 High School, and the SWAT officers in black training uniforms were already in position, with stern faces and upright postures.

"All the handsome guys have been handed over to the country!"

"The SWAT little brother is so handsome!"

"My sister works in the household registration department of the Public Security Bureau. She says there are two incredibly handsome guys in the Criminal Investigation Division..."

Gu An thought, yes, Jiang Yan looks especially stunning in his police uniform.

But he's in a different province now, and she can't see him with an uncertain return date.

However, when he comes back, she'll have already finished her college entrance exams!

She needs to use this time to plan a complete strategy to chase her crush!

After parking, the homeroom teacher called Jiang Ning over to discuss transportation arrangements after the exam. She was the class monitor, and she would need to take attendance and handle a series of matters afterward, so she let Gu An go ahead.

Gu An walked with the crowd toward the gate of No. 7 High School, and just as numerous as the students were the parents. Their level of nervousness was probably not any less than that of the test-takers, and they might even have a more agonizing wait here.

At that moment, Gu An couldn't help but think whether her mom and dad knew that she was taking the college entrance exam today.

Just then, a shiny black steel beast of a car passed by her, clean and stopped at the entrance of No. 7 High School. Someone opened the door and stepped out, with black hair, black eyes, and a tall and slender figure.

No matter what, it seemed like he was the most eye-catching person in the crowd. Their eyes met, and Jiang Yan's long, slender eyebrows raised slightly.

Gu An's heart skipped a beat and then she took a step forward, completely uncontrollably, running to his side.

She ran so fast that when she stopped, her voice was unsteady, and she looked up at the person in front of her, saying, "Brother Jiang Yan, how come you're here?"

The young girl was dressed in a summer school uniform with a blue-collared white short-sleeved shirt.

Her freshly-cut short hair made her head look very round, giving her an extremely cute appearance.

"Where did this little mushroom come from?" Jiang Yan lowered his voice, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

Gu An had never resisted the bewitching potion from the downstairs barber shop director, Kelvin, before her exams. She couldn't resist getting a haircut, and now her hair was neatly aligned with her chin, making her innocent face even rounder. 

Gu Zhen, who had previously vowed not to tease her or make her cry before the college entrance exam, almost burst into laughter. He said she looked like a walking bean sprout with a small body carrying a big head.

Under Jiang Yan's gaze, Gu An felt a little awkward. She reached up to scratch her head, successfully pulling out a stray little strand of hair, making her look like she had a sprout.

But her curiosity and excitement overcame her shyness, and she persisted in asking him, "Isn't guarding the school the duty of Police Officer Uncle?"

Her real brother worked at the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, responsible for solving major cases. She had never heard of the Criminal Investigation Division being involved in college entrance exam security.

Jiang Yan had an uncommonly fair complexion, perfectly flawless. So, when he stayed up late, dark circles under his eyes were particularly pronounced. He looked at her lazily and said, "You seem to understand the internal divisions of the Public Security Bureau quite well."

Gu An's heart raced, and she tried to steady her voice to control her excitement. She tightly grasped the strap of her school bag. "Then why did you come..."

Jiang Yan lowered his gaze, and the little girl's hair brushed against his shoulder. Her innocent, round eyes stared at him, unwavering, like a young fawn.

He didn't know why he had come, maybe out of habit from helping Gu Zhen with childcare, perhaps thinking of himself as their older brother.

Yesterday, when he returned to the bureau from an out-of-town trip in the middle of the night, Gu Zhen, who was on vacation, had already been called back to work overtime.

He didn't want her to be alone, just like that snowy day before.

Gu An waited for Jiang Yan's response but couldn't help but maintain eye contact with him, gradually calming down her racing heart, feeling a bit dejected.

What was she thinking just now?

Maybe he was in the vicinity for some errands, so he decided to stop by.

Or perhaps because Jing City No. 7 High School was near the highway exit, and he passed it on his way back to the office, so he decided to drop by.

Or maybe it was at Gu Zhen's request, as it had been countless times before, so he decided to stop by.

Anyway, he just came by casually. Don't read too much into it.

It's already very good that you came to see me!

And in the next moment, Jiang Yan lowered his body, his line of sight changed from an upward angle to a level gaze, and the person she liked was right within arm's reach.

In just a few days of not seeing him, he seemed to have become even leaner, with a well-defined jawline. From this close, she could even see the faint stubble on his chin, giving him a casually handsome appearance.

However, his eyes remained pure and clear, like they had been bathed in spring water. When he looked at people with that gentleness, it felt as if he had concealed a hook within.

The noise and the bustling crowd around them instantly became distant and blurry. She looked into the depths of his pupils, where she saw a tiny reflection of herself. She heard Jiang Yan speak slowly and softly, word by word:

"Protecting the school is indeed a special police task."

"So, I'm only protecting Gu An."

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