Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 186 I am a policeman
The sun had just risen, and the air still carried the chill of last night.

Chen Shu, who rarely gets a day off, got up early, ate the potstickers he made himself, and then took a cold shower, feeling refreshed.

Back when I was in police academy, the conditions in the student dormitories were not very good. Although each dormitory room was equipped with a toilet and a bathroom, there was no hot water, and the school did not allow students to install electrical appliances on their own.

To take a hot shower, one has to walk to the school's public bathroom.

Back then, the young and spirited police academy students would rush into the bathroom, sing songs like "Target Practice Song" and "People's Police Song," and just tough it out by turning on the shower.

Even in the dead of winter, business at the school's public bathrooms isn't very good.

Once, Chen Shu caught a cold and couldn't stand the shivering. He carried a washbasin full of toiletries on his way to the public bathhouse. For some reason, he kept getting stares from his classmates and teachers along the way.

Perhaps it was psychological, but the oppressive feeling was unbearable for Chen Shu, making his chest feel tight. It wasn't until he finished showering and returned to the student dormitory building from the public bathroom, standing on the steps in front of the building and listening to the completely off-key shouting and singing filling his ears, that he finally felt a sense of relief.

From then on, Chen Shu never went to the school's public bathroom again.

His two years at the police academy instilled in him the habit of sleeping on a hard bed and taking cold showers. Even after so many years since graduation, he hasn't given up on it.

Ironically, he felt it was a kind of faith, a sense of honor for police academy students, and a way to commemorate a youth that had not been wasted.

After tidying himself up, Chen Shu picked up his phone from the table and prepared to go camping with his friends.

While waiting for the elevator, I opened my phone and browsed through my WeChat messages.

Xu Chaofan sent more than a dozen voice messages.

Chen Shu knew without even listening that it was 100% a complaint that he had deserted his post and dumped the entire case on Dongming Police Station.

You've already taken all the benefits, do you expect me to clean up your mess?

Chen Shu chuckled, not clicking on the voice message with the red dot. Today was a rare day off, and there was no need to make things unpleasant for himself.

However, he also understood in his heart that for such a major case involving a gang, the real investigation only began when the suspects were arrested and sent to the detention room of Dongming Police Station.

Last night, Chen Shu and the others slipped away early and managed to get a good night's sleep. But the group from Dongming Police Station didn't sleep a wink all night; they're probably still exchanging words with their partners right now.

Chen Shu estimates that at least five or six people will be criminally detained in last night's Shang K case, and there will be no shortage of administrative detentions! Add to that the evidence from the witnesses—there are over a dozen witnesses in total. Oh, and those twelve clowns in MAX 222 room, tsk tsk, if they printed out that much A4 paper, it could probably fill a whole sack!

He shook his head, putting all these cases and police matters aside. Today, he was just an ordinary person, enjoying a day of travel after work!
Chen Shu drove his newly acquired black Golf GTI to a nearby car wash for a thorough cleaning. After reluctantly paying the 80 yuan car wash fee, he turned his mood around and hummed a tune as he drove towards the market.

This camping trip was a weekend winter getaway planned by Chen Shu, Cheng Mian, Chen Chuan, Zhu Chaoran, Huang Siqian, Xiao Min, and others.

It just so happened that Chen Shu was being promoted, so everyone agreed that he would go to the market to buy food for their outdoor lunch today, which would be an outdoor hot pot.

Upon arriving at the market, Chen Shu bought a variety of cooked foods, including coriander-dressed cold pig's head meat, crispy spare ribs, boneless chicken feet, Yongquan tangerines, dragon fruit, and winter jujubes. He also bought hot pot ingredients such as mantis shrimp, clams, lamb rolls, fried dough sticks, and enoki mushrooms. He then casually bought a bag of hot pot broth base and seasonings, and that was it.

After finishing our shopping, we drove to the meeting point, Sail Shadow Square.

Upon arriving at the meeting point, we waited a while until everyone was present. There were two cars in total: Chen Shu's black Golf GTI and Chen Chuan's Porsche Panamera.

Chen Shu, Zhu Chaoran, Huang Siqiang, and Xiao Min were in one car, while Chen Chuan and Cheng Mian were in another. Along the way, both cars used CarPlay convoy mode, and everyone chatted happily, creating a lively atmosphere.

The campsite was located in the grass beside a stream in Yong'an County. The winter sun was warm, and although the temperature was a bit low, the sunshine, the sound of the babbling stream, and the feeling of nature's bounty made this trip away from the hustle and bustle of the city extremely comfortable.

Opening a 3*5 meter square canopy on the grass can slightly block direct sunlight and also prevent sudden rain.

A Bluetooth speaker was hanging on a long pole outside the canopy, playing Jay Chou's songs.

Under the canopy, a long folding table is placed, with a portable outdoor gas stove in the middle. A soup pot with a diameter of 32cm is placed on top, hot pot base is poured in, water is added, and then the food bought from the market in the morning is neatly arranged around it.

It has a unique flavor.

Chen Chuan mysteriously took two bottles of red wine with very deep grooves at the bottom from the trunk.

"These two bottles of wine were kept in the very back of the old man's wine cellar. I secretly took them out! Hehe, everyone, have a taste!"

Zhu Chaoran jumped up, grabbed a disposable cup, and cheered, "Brother Chuan, you're like my own brother!"

Chen Shu and Cheng Mian exchanged a knowing smile.

Although Chen Chuan, the "King of Free Meals," enjoys freeloading and considers paying the bill a disgrace, he is surprisingly generous to his friends. Judging by the location of these two bottles of red wine in his father's wine cellar, they probably weren't cheap.

Considering that two people had to stay behind as drivers, Huang Siqian and Xiaomin each poured themselves a small cup to sip, while the rest of the people poured themselves full cups.

"cheers!"

"Go one!"

"CHEERS!"

After finishing their drinks, everyone started chatting casually, eating hot or cold dishes, or some fruit and cooked food.

Chen Shu took a hot pot ladle, put in a few clams, dipped them in the boiling pot for about ten seconds, and then casually poured them into Huang Siqian's bowl, who was sitting to his left. He then casually asked Chen Chuan, who was sitting to his right:
"Chen Chuan, what time did you guys finish last night?"

Chen Chuan, who was focused on cooking the lamb rolls, jumped up immediately upon hearing this.

"Hey Chen Shu! Why didn't you call me when you slipped away last night? I thought you were working at Dongming Institute. Turns out, after looking all over the place, I found out that all the people from Zhongshan had already run off!"

While the other person was talking, Chen Shu scalded another spoonful of clams and poured them into Chen Chuan's bowl, saying solemnly, "Chen Chuan, you shouldn't go to those kinds of brothels anymore. It's not appropriate."

"I'm not going! I'm not going! It's so annoying!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan, who had been bouncing around, sat down dejectedly and began to eat the clams.

After a long while, he took a tissue from the table, wiped his hands and mouth, stared blankly at the stream flowing outside the sky, and said softly, "Leaving aside sex, there can be pure feelings between men and women. Even if you know she is a commodity, she knows what she is. Pure feelings will not abandon this kind of person. They are human beings too, and they also have the right to enjoy life."

Chen Shu picked up a full glass of red wine, lowered it to touch the equally full red wine glass on the table in front of Chen Chuan, and nodded slightly: "But you are a policeman."

Chen Chuan took a deep breath, his lips curving upwards in a smile that, in reality, brought tears to his eyes.
"Yes, I am a police officer."

(End of this chapter)