A Marshmallow: Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Hello, Officer Jiang
Early autumn, Jing City.
The train was about to arrive at the station. Gu An leaned against the window, dozing off. Suddenly, she was awakened by the sound of her phone ringing, and the announcement played simultaneously.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the train is about to reach Jing City Station. Passengers getting off at Jing City Station, please prepare your luggage."
Gu An sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her eyes were slightly round, with dark and clear pupils, like an innocent and harmless little deer, looking a bit dazed.
She answered the phone, looking outside the window. "Brother, I've arrived at the station!"
Just a few hours ago, she was in the water town of Jiangnan. Now, she had reached this northern city, known for its distinct four seasons, winter with snow, and a dry climate without continuous rainy seasons.
A few months ago, her older brother, Gu Zhen, was transferred to Jing City's Criminal Investigation Division from the southwestern border. He had settled down in this city.
Their parents were divorced, and one followed their father, while the other followed their mother. Now that Gu Zhen had stabilized, the first thing he did was bring her to study in high school with him.
"I have a case here and can't get away temporarily. I'll send you the address. You can take a taxi, don't worry about the money."
Gu An retrieved her luggage from the overhead compartment and walked with the crowd towards the exit, unable to hold back a smile. "Don't worry, I can handle it on my own!"
-
Jing City Police Station, first floor, at the end of the corridor.
On the other end of the phone, the elderly voice was gentle, "Before, you disappeared for several years, and our family lived in constant fear. Now that your job is stable, should you consider settling down?"
"Your grandfather arranged a marriage contract for you. I didn't mention it when you were working out of town. Now, I'm telling you to be mentally prepared..."
"In a few years, when the young girl has grown a bit more, should we set the wedding date?"
"Grandmother, please cancel the engagement." The man who answered the phone was tall and stood like a crane. He wore a cold, solemn police uniform, and his voice was pleasant. However, his eyelashes hung halfway, and his demeanor was untamed.
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and the persuasion continued, "I heard the young girl is as cute as a little porcelain doll. Maybe you'll like her as soon as you meet her?"
Jiang Yan remained calm, summarizing the situation, "There's no such possibility."
"Look at you, you're not young anymore. Old Li even became a grandfather for the second time last month..."
After more than ten minutes, the call was finally disconnected.
The phone screen dimmed, and Jiang Yan unlocked it, opening a conversation with his colleague Gu Zhen.
Two police academy classmates, with a lifelong bond.
[Jiang Yan: Do you still have a guest room at home?]
[Jiang Yan: I don't want to stay at home lately.]
[Gu Zhen: The attic is available, and you can choose any other room!]
Just then, a voice with a heavy sobbing tone came from behind: "Officer, I need to, need to report a case!"
The girl was crying so hard that she could hardly catch her breath, and her words were fragmented and illogical. Her emotions gradually calmed down under the reassurance of the female officer. She raised her head and looked at the male police officer sitting across from her.
His hair was very short, his features were sharp, and his lips were straight, with an excessively handsome yet cold and cool face. The only exception was his long and dense eyelashes, and when he pursed his lips, a faint dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth.
She stared at him blankly, until he raised his eyebrow slightly, and then she blushed and said, "Today, I was at the Jing City train station and encountered human traffickers..."
The person reporting the case had taken the high-speed train from her home to go to college. When she got off the train, an old lady struck up a conversation with her. Before she realized something was wrong, a middle-aged man among the old lady's companions surrounded her. They claimed that the person reporting the case was their daughter-in-law and wondered why she had been away from home for so many days.
Passersby gathered around and, hearing their conversation, assumed it was a clichéd soap opera-style family drama and didn't want to get involved in other people's affairs."
"Just as they were about to drag me into the van, I smashed the roadside vendor's mobile phone. Only then, only then did it grab everyone's attention...
After the person filing the report finished the documentation, they hesitated at the entrance of the lobby, not leaving. They turned around and saw the stern-faced police officer from earlier had changed into casual clothing - a simple black jacket and black pants. Hands in the pockets, he headed downstairs.
Tall, slim, fair-skinned, with a straight posture, not wearing a police uniform, he looked just like a twenty-something police academy student. He exuded a youthful aura without any incongruity.
"Officer Jiang, can I add you on WeChat?"
The girl's cheeks blushed slightly. Even a setback can turn out to be a blessing. Reporting a case and encountering such an exceptionally handsome guy, who serves as the head of the criminal investigation division but looks like a scholarly gentleman, after just one glance from him, who knows how long the heart will be entangled...
Jiang Yan lowered his gaze, and she stared at his eyelashes in a daze, holding the QR code with her face turning red. "I-if there's any information, I can contact you..."
"If you need anything, you can call me."
The girl's eyes were filled with surprise.
"110." Jiang Yan nodded and passed by.
The black SUV drove out of the Public Security Bureau. The young men from the Criminal Investigation Division gathered in a hurry, their gossip spirits burning brightly.
"Jiang Yan, and that Gu Zhen who came along, what's their background?"
"The Airborne Criminal Investigation Support Team didn't disclose, but at the time, the provincial headquarters specifically made arrangements..."
"I heard that this guy worked on the frontlines of drug control in the southwestern border a few years ago. Have you heard of the 711 sensational case the department handled a few years ago? I guess it's the higher-ups' protective policy, placing major contributors like him here."
"Just like some people wear blue uniforms their whole lives without achieving white collars, while others, in the first three years after graduating from the police academy, build up a resume that others can't build in a lifetime..."
At the South Street of the Train Station, Gu An realized she was walking in the wrong direction. Her luggage stood beside her as she reloaded the map to check the route.
Looking from the side, her cheeks were plump with collagen, and with her suspender skirt and cartoon T-shirt, she looked like a soft and easily approachable middle school student.
"Little girl, are you alone?" The elderly woman approached with a smiling, chatty demeanor. "Where are you planning to go?"
Gu An had a poor phone signal and frowned at the screen. "Intercontinental Garden."
"You don't sound like a local, do you? Grandma is going there too," Gu An turned, and the elderly woman immediately grabbed her wrist. "Let's go together; carpooling is cheaper..."
The map loaded, and the buses on Station Street could take her directly. Gu An curved her lips. "No need; I'll take the bus up ahead."
Hearing her words, the elderly woman, who had been smiling just moments ago, instantly changed her expression. Wrinkles piled up on her fleshy cheeks, and she tried to pull her hand away, but the elderly woman held it even tighter, leaving a red mark on the back of her hand with her nails.
After a few muffled thunders, the sky darkened instantly.
The South Street of the train station was sparsely populated, and people hurried along, fearing that a heavy rain might start at any moment.
"Please let go of me..." A chill spread through her skin, and Gu An's back shivered. She tried to free herself from the woman's grasp, and a grumbling male voice rang out from above:
The human trafficker's face contorted, his wrist twisted behind his back, and the dog quickly jumped the wall, pulling something from inside his jacket. The man directly kicked him hard in the knee pit, pressing him down on the ground.
His profile was handsome, with a nose as sharp as a blade.
His dark eyebrows and eyes exuded a cold and oppressive aura, and his forehead's scattered hair was already wet from the rain.
Gu An's hand couldn't stop trembling, and the 110 emergency call she dialed with a strong mind had just been answered. The voice on the other end was friendly: "Hello, Jing City Police Emergency Center, how can we assist you?"
The human trafficker's face twisted in agony, and it looked even more ferocious when he glared at her. His brain, overwhelmed by intense fear, completely crashed. Gu An's words in her mouth were illogical, failing to form coherent sentences: "I, I'm here, human trafficker... South Street, the station."
Seeing something, Gu An's eyes widened, rendering her speechless.
With a cold, metallic glint, he swiftly locked the handcuffs on the human trafficker's wrist. At the same time, she heard his voice, a deep and pleasant tone, carrying a clear chill.
"Police."
The Jing City Police Station, after Gu An finished the recording, handed her a pen and paper. "If everything is correct, please sign."
Gu An took it, behaving like a first-grader, carefully writing her name stroke by stroke. Her knuckles turned white from the effort, and although the officer across from her said something, her mind was blank.
"Young lady, you can go now. But in the future, you should be more careful."
Gu An stood up. If it weren't for the police officer who happened to pass by, what would her situation be like now?
Chill seeped through her bones, and her voice was small and trembling. "May I ask about the officer from earlier?"
"Oh, you mean Jiang Yan? He's busy."
She hadn't even had a chance to thank him.
"Could you give me his contact information, if it's convenient?"
Another victim of charm?
When Jiang Yan first joined, the entire Jing City Police system trembled. This guy had a clean and mysterious history, and even the Provincial Hall specially informed them. Yet he happened to have a face that could overshadow the entertainment industry's little stars.
Having been in Jing City for these few months, those who pursued him included, but were not limited to, the wealthy second-generation with mining resources at home, the internally recognized beauty within the system, the niece of the leader of the provincial hall, and several dozens of suitable young women enthusiastically recommended by the people...
However, up to this day, not a single one has come close, walking like a refrigeration machine, rumored to be cold-hearted.
"This kind of irritable young man only has a handsome face," the policeman said with a touch of reluctance, "Do you know how he responded when a young lady asked for his phone number today?"
Gu An looked bewildered and shook her head obediently.
"He said, 'You can call Yao yao ling.'" (T/E: Yaoyaoling is an Internet buzzword, which is the Chinese homophony of the number 110. He means to seek help from the police.)
Gu An laughed, her eyes sparkling, her cute little fangs showing, "Please thank him for me!"
As she walked past a promotional board in the hall, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
On the promotional board, there was a cold and indifferent passport-sized photo, alongside a picture of her elder brother, Gu Zhen.
The person in the photo was dressed in a standard police uniform, strikingly handsome with sharp facial features. However, there was a slight dimple on one side of his lips, and his brows were clean, staring straight ahead, as if recalling a clear blue sky washed by a torrential rain.
In the lower right corner, in black Song font, it read: Criminal Investigation Support Team, Jiang Yan.
---
Disclaimer: This story is not mine. I'm just translating this Chinese novel 😊
Notes:
1. This is an Age gap story, so if you're not comfortable with that, don't read. But this is a slow romance, so nothing really happened until the FL is 20. The ML is a gentleman too.
2. The title of the web novel was 'You look very affectionate' or something but I used the published title because it's shorter and it suits the story better. The FL and the story is literally so SWEET.
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