“Let’s go home, I’ll take you back.” Chen Xiao hugged Ya Ya tenderly and said softly, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you to this place.”
As Chen Xiao was about to leave the venue with Ya Ya in his hand, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him, followed by a large hand patting his shoulder and a hearty voice laughing, "Huh? Chen Xiao? It seems I run into you everywhere I go!"
Chen Xiao turned around and saw a familiar face.
"Officer Xu?" Chen Xiao was stunned.
It was indeed Officer Xu in front of him, but he wasn't wearing a uniform at all—this was the only time Chen Xiao had ever seen Officer Xu without a uniform. He was casually wearing a T-shirt and looked at Chen Xiao with some surprise and astonishment.
Chen Xiao sighed, but still greeted him politely: "Hello."
Officer Xu glanced at Ya Ya beside Chen Xiao and smiled, "Oh, did you bring your girlfriend here for sightseeing?" He shook his head, seemingly somewhat disappointed, "I thought you came because of the incident here..."
Chen Xiao was a little confused, but before he could ask, Officer Xu laughed and said, "Alright, since you're here to have fun, I won't say anything more."
"Could it be... that you've come here to..." Chen Xiao frowned.
"Plainclothes officers, on a mission," Officer Xu said in a low voice with a wry smile.
"Plainclothes officer? You?" Chen Xiao was somewhat surprised. Given Officer Xu's rank, even if there were any plainclothes missions, it wouldn't be up to a high-ranking police officer like him to personally take action, right?
"Well, things are a bit complicated, but this decision wasn't mine. Sigh... I do think this case is quite peculiar, but the higher-ups believe it's a case of tourists intentionally harming animals. Since we can't catch the culprit right away, we can only send people around here, posing as tourists and waiting for them to come to us. But I think that's a complete waste of time."
Chen Xiao wasn't very familiar with the animal abuse incident reported on the television news, and didn't ask any further questions.
"Well, it's a waste of time, but there are some advantages too," Officer Xu said with a wry smile. "I don't usually have time to spend with my family. Today was a good day, and since I was on a mission in a place like this, and it wasn't anything important or confidential, I decided to bring my daughter along. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've spent time with her. Oh, right, where is she? She just said she was meeting up with some colleagues and friends today, how come she's gone in the blink of an eye?"
Officer Xu turned and looked around. Chen Xiao, out of politeness, couldn't leave immediately.
result……
"Chen Xiao!!!!!!!!!"
A clear, sharp scream suddenly came from behind the crowd. Then, two girls struggled through the crowd and ran quickly to Chen Xiao!
"Oh my god! It really is you!! I was just saying I thought I saw you, but I thought I was seeing things! Then I went to the entrance to pick up the cabbage... Haha! I didn't expect to actually run into you here!!"
Standing before me was a lively and adorable girl with a round face, a charming smile, and a pair of shallow dimples on her cheeks…
“Xiao Nuo? Ye Xiao Nuo?” Chen Xiao recognized her immediately.
Isn't this the lovely female colleague from the fast food restaurant where I used to work? The one who gave me the MP4 player.
Ye Xiaonuo frowned and said with displeasure, "Hey. Have you forgotten? You should call me Ye Zi!"
The person standing next to Ye Xiaonuo was none other than Cabbage Girl!
Bai Cai MM's smile was somewhat forced, especially when she saw Ya Ya leaning against Chen Xiao's chest. Ya Ya's adorable, dependent appearance made Bai Cai's smile even more strained. She nodded weakly, "Chen Xiao, what a coincidence."
Officer Xu touched his hair and looked at Xiao Nuo: "Xiao Nuo? Do you know Chen Xiao?"
"Of course... he was my former colleague... Huh? Dad, how do you know him?"
Xiao Nuo's eyes widened.
But Chen Xiao's eyes widened in surprise!
Officer Xu's eyes widened as he looked at Chen Xiao, then at Bai Cai—he naturally recognized Bai Cai: "You said you invited friends over today, so you invited Miss Bai?"
"Hello, Officer Xu." Bai Cai's expression remained relatively calm, not because she wasn't surprised, but because "other" emotions were stronger. Chen Xiao smiled: "I didn't expect such a coincidence either. So, Ye Zi, you're Officer Xu's daughter... But... why is your surname Ye?"
He had only asked casually, but Officer Xu's smile immediately became a little awkward. Ye Xiaonuo, on the other hand, laughed heartily: "It's nothing... Actually, Dad isn't my biological father. Well, to be precise, both he and Mom got married with children already." She patted Officer Xu on the shoulder and laughed, "Dad, don't be embarrassed. We young people are very open-minded. You and Mom have such a good relationship, I don't mind at all! Besides, I've long considered you my real dad."
After saying that, she pounced on Officer Xu and gave him a big kiss on the face.
Officer Xu touched his face somewhat embarrassedly and looked at Chen Xiao: "Sorry... I'm sorry you had to see this. Xiao Nuo has always been like this, speaking without thinking..."
Chen Xiao smiled and said, "It's nothing... I know her personality. I've worked with her for a while, and she's always been like this, quite cheerful."
Officer Xu blushed slightly, greeted the young men, pulled Chen Xiao aside, and said with a wry smile, "Now you know a little bit of my privacy, so we're even, right?"
He patted his pockets, but immediately realized that smoking was prohibited in the animal enclosure, so he chuckled awkwardly and said, "When I was young, I met Xiao Nuo's mother. We were both divorced once and had children, but we still got together. Hehe... I've always treated Xiao Nuo like my own daughter. I also have a son, a little older than you, who is my biological son, but Xiao Nuo's mother loves him very much too."
Chen Xiao suppressed a laugh and said, "I understand... I didn't expect that, Lao Xu, you were very open-minded when you were young."
Officer Xu sighed, "When I was young, I was in the special operations team. I was very busy and didn't have much time to think about my personal feelings. Xiao Nuo's mother is a good woman. Back then, I was working my butt off every day, and the work was dangerous, but she was very understanding. I thought, so what if I'm divorced and have a child? As long as she's good to me, that's enough. Besides, I'm also divorced and have a child."
"You are a good person." Chen Xiao nodded.
After talking for a while, the initial barrier between them gradually dissipated.
“I haven’t had time to care about Xiao Nuo, partly because I’m not her biological father, and there are many things I can’t control. So I didn’t know that the fast food restaurant where she works is the one you used to work at… It seems I’ve failed as her father.”
Chen Xiao laughed and said, "I suddenly realized today, Officer Xu, that you are quite humane! But this is not like your usual behavior! I remember you as a meticulous and dedicated police officer. How come today you are abusing your power, using the excuse of being on duty at the zoo to bring your daughter here for a visit?"
"Hmph." Officer Xu chuckled dismissively. "Because I find these undercover missions incredibly boring and a waste of time! Animal abuse incidents? The higher-ups have concluded that they were committed by some psychologically disturbed tourists, but... I feel that things aren't that simple at all!! So it's just a waste of time... Heh. You understand now?"
Chen Xiao couldn't help but become curious: "So... what exactly is this animal abuse incident...?"
A smug smile flashed in Officer Xu's eyes: "Alright, you're finally curious. To be honest, I'd also like to ask you for help with this matter... After all, you and some of your friends aren't ordinary people! This kind of unusual case would be great if someone like you were willing to help..."
Although Chen Xiao was reluctant to get involved in police matters, he couldn't refuse since Officer Xu had spoken up.
After all, he still owed Officer Xu a favor for what happened before.
"Are you free now? I'll show you a few things," Officer Xu said with a smile.
Chen Xiao hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously glanced at Ya Ya beside him. Ye Xiaonuo was holding Ya Ya's hand, asking her all sorts of questions with a look of surprise. She seemed amazed by Ya Ya's beauty and innocence. However... Bai Cai was there, and she knew about Ya Ya's background. Moreover, Bai Cai was very clever and should be able to smooth things over, preventing any mishaps.