Chapter Three

"Well, congratulations, Old Jiang. Looks like you've found your successor." Lu Heng had known Jiang Luchuan for three years, and he’d never heard him call anyone his 'beloved disciple.' How to put it? It just felt a bit… too sweet, with a smug undertone.

Seriously arrogant!

Jian Ming considered himself an easygoing guy. In his life, he absolutely couldn't stand two things: arrogance and rudeness. And the man in front of him seemed to embody both. What a waste of such a handsome and imposing presence.

"Hey, Lu Heng, usually when I try to talk to you seriously, you're not this chatty."

Jiang Luchuan was genuinely troubled by Lu Heng. On one hand, he couldn't refuse the request of a long-time friend, and on the other, the special invitation from the Special Police Detachment was non-negotiable. But this kid was so stubborn he could infuriate a bull, and his own aging body really couldn't handle it anymore.

"Come on, I really do need to introduce you. This is Jian Ming. The one I told you about on the way here, who'll be taking over and continuing your psychological counseling." Jiang Luchuan clapped Lu Heng on the shoulder, moving closer to Jian Ming.

Hearing Jiang Luchuan say "taking over," Jian Ming suddenly recalled that goofy smiling face from the file last night.

After superimposing the two images of Lu Heng, he finally put the pieces together. So, it was him.

"Old Jiang, are you serious about this?" Lu Heng turned his head, looking at Jiang Luchuan in genuine surprise.

"Of course, I'm serious. Jian Ming's资料 was sent to the Special Police Detachment last month, and your uncle knows about it too." The "uncle" Jiang Luchuan referred to was precisely that long-time friend he couldn't refuse, and also the captain of the municipal special patrol police detachment, Lu Heng's mother's only younger brother, Gu Tao.

"Sigh... I haven't been able to help you much in three years, it's really been quite a blow to me." Jiang Luchuan gave an embarrassed laugh, but his cheerful expression didn't betray the slightest hint of shame in his words.

Jian Ming felt that Teacher Jiang was especially happy today, radiating a sense of relief, like finally getting rid of a hot potato.

"Whatever. I just came to get a prescription. Doesn't matter if it's from you or him." It really did seem that way. Thinking about it, Lu Heng felt less annoyed.

After the nightmare last night, he hadn't slept a wink for most of it. He'd finally managed to hold on until early morning to call Jiang Luchuan, and had been curious why he was so enthusiastic and offered to pick him up. So, this old fox was here to handle the handover, huh?

What a waste of my time.

"I still need to rush back to work. You two, whoever, just prescribe the medicine already." Lu Heng felt his patience slowly draining away.

Jiang Luchuan seized the opportunity, glancing down at his watch. "Jian Ming, you take it from here. I still need to go to the school, I'm off." With a nod to Jian Ming, he turned, patted Lu Heng's shoulder, and left the room.

The room suddenly became eerily quiet, as if both were waiting for the other to speak first.

And the impatient one is usually the loser.

"Hey, can you prescribe the medicine now? I'm in a hurry." Lu Heng finally got a good look at the man in front of him. Damn, a man who looks like that must have bribed the official in charge of reincarnation.

Jian Ming let out a chilly snort: "Heh, how childish." This was the first thing he'd said since Lu Heng barged in.

"What did you say?" Lu Heng scratched his ear, feeling like he must have misheard.

"You didn't mishear." Jian Ming sat down and took out the file from the document bag.

Lu Heng stared wide-eyed at Jian Ming, so utterly choked by him he didn't know how to respond.

Jian Ming looked up at him, writing. "First, I'm not 'Hey.' This is my name." He then pushed the sticky note with "Jian Ming" written on it towards Lu Heng.

"If I were you, I'd ask for leave from work now, because our first session is probably going to be very long." Jian Ming's lips curved into a slight smirk.

These words, when heard by Lu Heng, completely shattered his worldview. The key was that the other person's expression didn't even flicker.

Normally, this kind of teasing would have escalated to a brawl, but he still wanted to give Jian Ming a chance. This kind of person, who spoke slowly and deliberately but had an astonishing aura, he had never encountered before.

"I'm asking one last time, are you going to prescribe the medicine or not?"

"Prescribe what medicine?"

"You're asking me what medicine to prescribe? Are you the doctor or am I?"

"I am. So shouldn't you let me know what's wrong with you first?" Jian Ming countered effortlessly.

"........." Lu Heng froze.

Jian Ming flipped through the file in his hand and continued, "It's been 65 days since your last psychological counseling session. This file is basically void with me. It specifically noted your negativity and avoidance of treatment. Officer Lu, I can responsibly tell you that if this continues, prescribing medicine won't solve your problem."

Lu Heng stood up abruptly, feeling a bit dizzy, his head spinning. He instinctively pressed his temples, his brow furrowed tightly.

Jian Ming's brows furrowed slightly. He took a bottle from his bag, poured out two colorful small pills, got up and poured a glass of water, and handed it to Lu Heng.

"Eat them."

Lu Heng didn't know why he listened to him, but for some inexplicable reason, he did, and he took the pills.

"What kind of medicine is this?" He only remembered to ask after he had taken them.

"You dared to take it without even knowing what kind of medicine it was?" Jian Ming smiled mockingly.

This guy's current appearance wasn't too annoying. His face, without its defenses and guard, was even a little cute. Jian Ming scrutinized him carefully. His skin was wheat-colored, and his features weren't particularly perfect, but put together they were unexpectedly handsome. However, none of that mattered, because he discovered... this officer actually had a pair of amber eyes.

"You, what did you give me to eat?" Lu Heng suddenly grabbed Jian Ming's wrist tightly.

His grip was strong, and Jian Ming felt a little pain. He struggled for a moment and pulled his hand free.

"Glucose. Sweet enough?"

"Damn it!" Lu Heng knew he must look incredibly stupid right now.

The phone in his pocket suddenly rang, very timely, saving his pride a little.

He took out his phone and looked at it. It was Li Wei's call. "What's up?"

Li Wei's voice on the other end was especially loud, so Lu Heng had to hold the phone away. "Damn it, you really got guts, man. Who the hell said they were canceling their leave yesterday? I've been hiding from Jiang Haosheng all morning. I've been to the bathroom eight times, and Brother Ding from the cafeteria just brought me some anti-diarrhea medicine."

Jian Ming didn't intend to eavesdrop and deliberately moved away, but it seemed he could still hear clearly as long as he was in the room. This was awkward.

"Little Flower Li, please move your mouth away from the microphone."

Two years ago, in order to pursue his niece's homeroom teacher, Li Wei insisted on wearing a flowery dress and performing on stage with his niece. Of course, that wasn't the point. The point was that his niece was also the announcer and thought that performing on stage meant being an artist, and artists needed stage names. Thus, "Little Flower Li" was gloriously born.

"I'm at Old Jiang's place. Didn't you tell me to come yesterday?" Lu Heng explained with a confident tone.

"Lu Heng, you're really something. Did you really have to go first thing this morning? Don't you know Jiang Haosheng is watching you?" Li Wei lowered his voice, his tone still furious.

"Last night... I dreamt again." As soon as these words were out, there was silence on the other end of the phone. Without waiting for Li Wei to respond, he said, "I'll be right back," and hung up.

He looked up and saw Jian Ming staring intently at him.