Rejecting Qinghua Baoyan, I became a military officer

"All right?"

After leaving the family quarters, Chen Chen finally spoke up and asked.

"He said he didn't want it no matter what, but I forced it on him in the end," Xu Ye said with a wry smile.

If he hadn't used the "threat" at the end, Teacher Tao would never have accepted it.

“You all know what kind of person our teacher is, it’s perfectly normal!” Zhang Guicheng said.

At that time, teachers' salaries were not high, but many teachers' incomes were not low.

Textbook kickbacks are a small matter; tutoring fees are the real expense, especially for skilled teachers like them, whose fees are even higher.

However, neither Teacher Tao nor Teacher He did anything about these things, and they adhered to their duties as teachers.

It may seem like a simple statement, but very few people can actually do it.

This time, the child's illness not only depleted our meager savings but also left us with a lot of debt.

Even so, they remained true to their original intentions and refused to accept Xu Ye's money.

After a pause, Zhang Guicheng tentatively suggested, "How about we split the cost among the three of us?"

Six or seven thousand yuan is not a big amount for him. It just means he has to endure hardship for a while longer. Anyway, he has almost gotten used to hardship.

If all else fails, I can always ask my parents for help!
“That’s right, it’s for the three of us!” Chen Chen chimed in.

Or perhaps this was something they had already discussed, but Chen Chen simply didn't want to bring it up himself.

“If you want to express your feelings, go do it yourselves!” Xu Ye refused directly. “You should know that 20,000 yuan is nothing to me right now.”

After a pause, Xu Ye continued, "I appreciate your kindness, brothers!"

He understood their good intentions, but Xu Ye was not short of money at the moment.

"that's true!"

Seeing that Xu Ye had said that, Chen Chen did not insist.

He didn't know how much money Xu Ye had now, but Chen Chen knew about the rewards from the county and even the city, so Xu Ye certainly didn't lack those 20,000 yuan.

"Since we're not short of money, let's take down the tycoon tonight and start the second round!"

Zhang Guicheng glanced at Chen Chen, and after seeing him nod slightly, he stood on tiptoe and put his arm around Xu Ye's shoulder.

What they said just now wasn't just polite talk; it reflected their true feelings.

However, since Xu Ye was unwilling, there was no need for the two of them to insist.

"Alright, pick whatever you like. Tonight's expenses are on me!" Xu Ye said generously.

It's rare to have close friends in life, and Xu Ye cherishes them very much.

"Let's go!"

Chen Chen then put his arm around Zhang Guicheng's shoulder.

No need to stand on your feet.

The three people, arms around each other, cast long, long shadows under the dim streetlights.

……

"Hey?"

Feeling his phone vibrate, Zhang Guicheng woke up from his sleep. Without even opening his eyes, he fumbled for the phone and answered it.

"Master!"

Zhang Guicheng sat up abruptly, no longer sleepy. "Okay, I got it. I'll be right there."

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Guicheng put down his phone and rubbed his cheeks vigorously with both hands, trying to look as alert as possible.

Memories of last night began to surface in his mind. Zhang Guicheng glanced at the mess left unresolved from last night, and then saw Chen Chen lying unconscious on the other side of the sofa.

Fortunately, the heating hadn't been turned off yet, and Chen Chen was covered with a blanket; otherwise, lying on the sofa in the living room all night would have definitely given her a cold.

In early April, Los Angeles nights are still a bit chilly.

Last night, it was said that "Young Master Xu would pay the bill," but the three of them didn't go to those high-end places. Instead, they bought some barbecue, cold dishes, and drinks from a street vendor and brought them back to his place. They ate, drank, and chatted until three or four in the morning. Zhang Guicheng didn't remember what happened after that.

"Hey, where's Xu Ye?"

After scanning the room and not seeing Xu Ye in the living room, Zhang Guicheng rubbed his aching head and staggered to his feet from the sofa.

The effects of the alcohol haven't completely worn off yet!
However, his master just called, and even though he had asked his master for leave yesterday, he still had to go now.

There's no way around it; a police call is an order, and their line of work never really gets a real holiday!
"Why don't you sleep more?"

At this moment, Xu Ye opened the door from the outside and came in, carrying several plastic bags containing steaming hot breakfasts.

"Impressed!"

Seeing that Xu Ye was completely unharmed and acted as if nothing had happened, Zhang Guicheng said with admiration.

If he remembered correctly, Xu Ye drank the most last night.

"Great talent!"

Xu Ye casually asked, "What's up?"

Judging from his appearance, he clearly didn't wake up naturally.

"My mentor called and told me to hurry up and go to the bureau." Zhang Guicheng didn't hide anything. "Sigh, I was originally planning to go sightseeing with you."

"It's alright, go ahead and do your thing, important matters come first!" Xu Ye shook his head. "I promised Linlin last night that I would take her out to play today."

"She doesn't go to class?" Zhang Guicheng thought it was just a casual remark last night.

"Do you think she still needs to attend classes?" Xu Ye tidied up the coffee table briefly and put down the breakfast he was holding.

"that's true!"

Zhang Guicheng suddenly realized, and couldn't help but complain, "You geniuses are really frustrating!"

"Alright, hurry up and wash your face and eat something. Aren't you going to the station later?" Xu Ye interrupted him.

"Three minutes!" Zhang Guicheng realized that this was not the time to chat and hurriedly walked to the bathroom.

Seeing that he didn't look sober, Xu Ye shook his head, flipped his hand, and a pill appeared in his palm.

Being recalled after taking leave clearly indicates there's a case at work. Given Zhang Guicheng's current state, being reprimanded is a minor issue compared to making a serious mistake at work.

"Eat this!"

Less than three minutes later, Zhang Guicheng, his hair still wet, came out of the bathroom, and Xu Ye handed him the pills.

"What?"

As he spoke, Zhang Guicheng picked up a pill and popped it into his mouth, trusting that Xu Ye wouldn't harm him.

"This specially made hangover remedy works quite well!" Xu Ye said casually. "By the way, don't talk nonsense!"

"understand!"

Zhang Guicheng instantly imagined a lot and said excitedly.

"You don't understand anything!" Xu Ye said irritably. "Hurry up and eat!"

The two of them subconsciously lowered their voices during their conversation, trying their best not to wake Chen Chen, who was still sleeping.

"Oh, right, take the key. Stay here for the next few days!"

With a steamed bun stuffed in his mouth, Zhang Guicheng reached into the coffee table drawer, found a set of keys, and handed them to Xu Ye, speaking somewhat indistinctly.

"Row!"

Xu Ye didn't stand on ceremony with him. Anyway, Zhang Guicheng lived alone here, so there was nothing inconvenient about it.

Xu Ye would naturally not agree to living with his parents or girlfriend.

"Ok?"

"what time is it?"

Chen Chen struggled to open his eyes and saw the two people eating. He asked, somewhat dazed.

"It's almost eight o'clock. Do you want to get up and eat something before going back to sleep?" Xu Ye looked up at his watch.

"I'm not eating, you guys eat, don't worry about me, I'm going to sleep some more!"

Chen Chen shifted his position, making himself more comfortable on the sofa. Forget fried dough sticks and steamed buns; even the most exquisite delicacies couldn't stop him from taking things to the next level with his dream girl.

"I'm going to the market later, Xu Ye is going to keep Linlin company, why don't you go to your room to sleep?" Zhang Guicheng took a big gulp of soy milk.

A sofa is fine as it is, but a bed is much more comfortable.

"It's okay, you guys go about your business, don't worry about me!" Chen Chen didn't even open his eyes.

He was so tired!

There was no way around it; he was the one with the worst constitution among the three!
"Alright, let him sleep!" Xu Ye said casually.

"I've never seen him this tired even when he stayed up all night at internet cafes!" Zhang Guicheng couldn't help but complain.

He wanted to keep sleeping too!
Both of them ate very quickly, and while they were talking, they finished eating in less than five minutes, except for what they left for Chen Chen.

"Wow, it works so well?"

Zhang Guicheng suddenly asked in surprise.

At this moment, the hangover feeling has subsided considerably, and I feel much more energetic.

"How about we talk about the special medicine?" Xu Ye said with a smile, not surprised at all.

It's worth the price of a liver scroll, so the effects must be immediate!

"That?"

Zhang Guicheng chuckled and rubbed his hands together.

"Don't even think about it, I don't have any left!" Xu Ye immediately nipped his idea in the bud.

Since it's a product of the system, there's nothing wrong with eating it right in front of you.

But, it's better not to prepare it for him.

"All right!"

Zhang Guicheng wasn't disappointed; after all, it was something from within the military, so it was normal that Xu Ye didn't have much of it.

"Alright, hurry up and get to work!" Xu Ye urged.

"Okay, I'll contact you again tonight!" Zhang Guicheng quickly changed his clothes and hurriedly went out.

After Zhang Guicheng left, Xu Ye shook his head slightly.

At this time, police officers, especially criminal investigators, rarely had free time, which did not surprise Xu Ye at all.

Compared to the extremely low crime rate, especially the rate of serious crimes, ten or twenty years later, this is actually very high.

Although Zhang Guicheng didn't say anything just now, it's probably a big case.

Otherwise, Zhang Guicheng had already asked his master for leave, and now he was being called over early in the morning, which clearly meant there was a case involved, and not a small one.

After quickly cleaning up the mess from last night, Xu Ye didn't wake Chen Chen, who had fallen asleep again. He left him a note, put the key beside him, and then took the trash out.

What will Xu Ye do if he leaves the key with Chen Chen?
What a joke! This is just a regular door lock, not some safe. It'll open in a second.

A dozen minutes later, Xu Ye drove to the school gate, where Tao Linlin was already waiting.

"Linlin, get in the car!"

Xu Ye rolled down the car window and called out loudly.

Hearing Xu Ye's voice, Tao Linlin smiled and waved, then happily ran over.

"Are you getting impatient?"

After Tao Linlin got into the car, Xu Ye said softly.

"No, I just arrived," Tao Linlin said quickly as she fastened her seatbelt at Xu Ye's prompting.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Xu Ye started the car.

"I've already eaten, Brother Ye!" Tao Linlin looked at Xu Ye's profile. "Oh, right, I also brought you some!"

As she spoke, Tao Linlin took out a lunchbox from her bag, opened it, and showed it to Xu Ye.

"Steamed dumplings made by Teacher He?"

As he smelled the familiar scent, related memories began to surface in his mind, and Xu Ye said with a touch of nostalgia.

During that time, Xu Ye ate at Teacher Tao's house many times, and especially liked Teacher He's steamed dumplings.

Unexpectedly, after all these years, Teacher He still remembers his preferences.

“My mom said you like to eat this, so she skipped morning self-study and started making it first thing this morning,” Tao Linlin said without hiding anything.

As she spoke, she pinched a dumpling through the plastic bag and held it towards Xu Ye's mouth, as if to "feed" him.

Xu Ye didn't refuse and naturally accepted her feeding.

In Xu Ye's heart, Tao Linlin had long been regarded as a younger sister. Back then, this little bundle of joy had made him laugh a lot.

Soon, Tao Linlin finished feeding the whole box of dumplings.

"Brother Ye, are you full?" Tao Linlin asked uncertainly.

Although this batch of dumplings was enough for two meals, Xu Ye didn't seem very full.

"Mmm, I'm full!" Xu Ye turned to look at her and said, "By the way, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"I'd like to go hiking, is that okay?"

After hesitating for a moment, Tao Linlin tentatively asked.

Since she got sick, her parents won't let her do anything else, let alone climb mountains or even go for a run.

"Hiking?"

Xu Ye roughly guessed what she was thinking, "How about we go take a look at the Longmen Grottoes?"

Since the Longmen Grottoes are grottoes, they are naturally carved into a rocky mountain, so they can be considered a mountain in themselves.

It's not high, only two or three hundred meters, which is perfect for someone like Tao Linlin who is recovering from a serious illness.

"Okay, I'll listen to you!"

Tao Linlin didn't refuse. She was already very happy that Xu Ye agreed, so she wouldn't be picky!
Moreover, it felt like she was back five or six years ago, and she habitually listened to Xu Ye.

"By the way, have you ever been there?"

Xu Ye stopped at the intersection, turned around, and casually asked a question.

"no!"

Tao Linlin immediately replied, "I've wanted to go for a long time, but I've never had the chance!"

"What a coincidence, I've never been there either!" Xu Ye said, somewhat surprised.

However, it suddenly dawned on me that some attractions, which locals always feel they can visit anytime, are often places they've never actually been to.

This situation applies perfectly to both of them.

This is a nationally renowned tourist attraction, yet neither of the two locals had ever been there.

Moreover, Xu Ye was "even more unfortunate," not only had he never been there in this life, but he had never been there before he died in his previous life, so today he could be said to have fulfilled his dream.

The Longmen Grottoes are only a dozen kilometers from the city center. It was just a short drive, and the two of them chatted and laughed all the way until they arrived at the entrance of the scenic area.

"Brother Ye, here you go!"

After parking the car, Tao Linlin handed Xu Ye a wad of cash, saying, "My mom gave it to me, saying I shouldn't let you spend money."

"Let me tell you a secret, I'm a rich man now!" Xu Ye said in a deliberately low voice. "So, keep this money as pocket money!"

After saying that, Xu Ye walked towards the ticket booth with a smile.

Seeing this, Tao Linlin, unsure whether Xu Ye was telling the truth, quickly put the money away and ran after him.

"What? The scenic area is closed today?"

When Xu Ye arrived at the ticket booth, he received bad news from the ticket seller.

No wonder there weren't many people at the parking lot or the ticket booth; it turns out they were closed today!

This unexpected situation left the two somewhat frustrated. (End of Chapter)