Chapter 181

When she left the Zhou Family, it was already past lunchtime.

As Pei Jing rode his bicycle through the village, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a fading figure in the distance. There was something familiar about it, yet it disappeared so quickly that he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks.

When Pei Jing arrived home, An Fourth rushed to see her two darling babies, who she had not seen for a full day. Pei Jing had gone to deliver money to his friends for buying cigarettes and liquor.

After playing with the children for a while, An Fourth handed them over to their grandfather and went out on her bike.

An Fourth had waited outside the police station for a while before Liu Jun finally emerged.

"Brother Liu Jun..." An Fourth called out. Liu Jun's gaze turned towards her, instantly lighting up.

His colleague jokingly elbowed him, "Is that your girlfriend?"

"Don't talk nonsense, she's my sister," Liu Jun explained hurriedly as he jogged over to An Fourth. "An Fourth, I heard you were back but haven't had the chance to see you. How long are you staying home for?"

"Just a few days. I have to go back tomorrow," An Fourth replied. She asked him, "Do you have time, Brother Liu? Let me treat you to a meal."

"No, no, no, I should be the one treating you," Liu Jun laughed as he walked his bike alongside An Fourth's. "I have you to thank for asking me to keep an eye on the Gao Family siblings. If not for that, I'd probably still be wandering the streets aimlessly instead of being dispatched to the countryside now that I'm working at the police station."

It was because of capturing the human traffickers back then, along with his previous achievements, that he was noticed by the police station and given the opportunity to wear this uniform.

"That was all thanks to Brother Liu's capabilities. I merely asked you for help, I didn't expect you to accomplish such a feat," An Fourth thoughtfully probed, "Speaking of which, how did the Gao Family siblings get involved with the human traffickers? Do you know, Brother Liu?"

Liu Jun carefully recalled the situation back then. It wasn't hard to realize that the Gao siblings had clearly known the identities of the human traffickers beforehand. They had used themselves as bait in hopes of capturing the traffickers to gain merit as well, but Liu Jun had beaten them to it. Instead, they had unwillingly assisted him.

As for the leader's rescued daughter, she was now married to one of Liu Jun's sworn brothers. If not for the several fortunate coincidences, he would not have had the patience to keep the Gao siblings under surveillance.

But afterwards, they must have noticed somehow, which was why they never made another move.

Liu Jun found it very bizarre how they seemed to possess some kind of foresight regarding certain matters.

Even until recently, he had his brothers inquire about the Gao siblings' current circumstances. Upon finding out they were still peacefully farming in the countryside, he finally stopped paying them any more heed.

The two chatted all the way to the state-run restaurant. But when it came time to pay, Liu Jun managed to foot the bill before An Fourth could even react.

Aside from being a grown man, considering all the benefits he had gained from these events, Liu Jun believed he really should be the one treating An Fourth as a token of gratitude. Otherwise, if Pei Jing were to find out about him taking such egregious advantage later on, he surely would not let Liu Jun off easy. The night was pitch black without a single moonbeam or starlight.

A cold gust of wind blew by, sending down a few raindrops.

An Fourth bid Liu Jun farewell as the skies darkened. "Brother Liu, it looks like rain is coming. I'll get going first. You should head back soon too."

"Alright, you go ahead. I'll have a smoke first," said Liu Jun.

As An Fourth cycled away, unbeknownst to her, Liu Jun tailed her from a distance. Only when he saw someone coming out with an umbrella to receive her near her home did he finally leave.

It was unsafe for a girl to travel alone at night. With the foul weather and lack of pedestrians outside, he could not afford to make such a mistake that allowed danger to befall someone right in front of him.

No sooner had Pei Jing and An Fourth entered the house than beansized raindrops came pelting down, smacking her in the face before trickling down into her clothes, leaving her shivering from the chill.

Pei JianGuo had just finished washing up and came jogging back from the yard.

Pei Jing opened up an umbrella and brought An Fourth back to their room. Only then did he ask her, "Dad said you didn't eat dinner at home. Where did you go?"

"I went for a walk around town and bumped into a friend of my fourth brother Liu Jun. We grabbed a bite together. When my fourth brother had just left, he asked his friend Liu Jun to look after me. You know him right? He works at the police station now." As An Fourth explained, her gaze drifted towards the bed. Not seeing her children there, she asked, "Where are the kids?"

"We're leaving tomorrow. Grandpa and Grandma couldn't bear to part with them, so they went over for the night," said Pei Jing, using a towel to wipe the raindrops off her face.

After drying her, his cool lips touched down on the tip of her nose.

"Cold?" he asked. "Want to go take a hot shower in your space?" Pei Jing knew she had hot running water in her dimension, so he would often tell her to shower there and avoid the chill outdoors.

An Fourth did feel an urge to wash up. She circled her arms around his neck alluringly. "Will you join me?"

Those pure eyes seemed to possess hooks that faintly pulled at his heartstrings, his own eyes growing increasingly obscure.

Ardent kisses rained over her body, already affirming through action that he would gladly fulfill her request. The scene instantly shifted. Layers of heavy clothing lay discarded all over the floor.

The pitter patter of shower water echoed ceaselessly within the washroom.

Innocent, unblemished skin pressed tightly against olive tan as black and white tangled endlessly, both pairs releasing heavy breaths that could inebriate the soul.

From the bathroom to pristine white bedsheets, everything was left in disarray.

The night remained long...

Something tickled lightly at her face. An Fourth opened her eyes to find her little one perched right before her, smearing drool all over.

Her limbs were sore, especially her legs which she barely wanted to move.

Pei Jing came in cradling their child, gently asking, "Awake? Feeling alright?"

It was rare not to have the two kids disturbing them last night. He had been a little too indulgent. Now Pei Jing felt somewhat guilty.

An Fourth still felt exhausted and nasal as she mumbled, "What time is it?"

"Just past eight. Sleep more if you're tired. We're not leaving until the afternoon so there's time," Pei Jing reassured.

"It's past eight already. Why didn't you wake me for breakfast? Dad didn't ask why I wasn't eating did he?" How awkward would that be, An Fourth cringed internally. No matter how sweetly he coaxed later on, such wanton behavior could not happen again, especially under her elders' roof.

Back in the army, it had only been the two of them without anyone to supervise her sleeping habits.

Only now did An Fourth understand the meaning of making one's own bed and lying in it. Turns out he was not lacking stamina at all, but rather a ravenous wolf when presented a feast, insatiable once satisfied.

Not daring to show any temper since he had created this situation himself, Pei Jing could only patiently pacify her, "I told Dad you were a bit dizzy. Don't worry, no one will overthink things."

Having a dizzy spell as an excuse, An Fourth simply remained in bed without getting up. She freshened up in her space dimension, plucking a snow crystal fruit to munch on with crisp crunches.

Its rejuvenating effect was instantaneous. Her previously worn out body became pumped full of energy around ten minutes after eating the snow crystal fruit.

She also let Pei Jing eat one. Though Tiger Girl claimed it was a female exclusive due to the fruit's rarity and dearth of agricultural knowledge in the beast world, after a period of cultivation, An Fourth's space now boasted a bountiful harvest that she would often share generously with Tiger Girl.

And the pure-hearted girl would transport all kinds of exotic fruit trees and treasures from the beast world plane into An Fourth's space in return, currently occupying several hilltops within.

Of course, An Fourth had also given her ample benefits.