First, then, love.

At 7 p.m., at a high-end Cantonese restaurant in Jiangcheng with excellent privacy.

He Zheng pushed open the door to the private room. Sitting at the round table was a woman with short, ear-length hair, wearing a simple white shirt and casual trousers. She had no heavy makeup and was bare-faced, but her features were regular and her eyebrows revealed a heroic spirit.

Upon seeing them enter, Lin Wei immediately stood up, her back ramrod straight, her posture bearing the distinct marks of a soldier.

"Old He." Lin greeted him with a smile, his gaze falling on the left arm hanging in front of his chest. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he didn't ask any further questions.

Her gaze shifted to Shu Yao, a hint of amazement flashing in her eyes.

Shu Yao was dressed very simply today, but the radiance that shone from within was something that the black clothes couldn't suppress.

"This must be your wife, you're so beautiful. Old He must be incredibly lucky to have married you." Lin Wei extended her hand naturally and gracefully, without the slightest hesitation.

"Hello, Shu Yao." Shu Yao reached out and shook hands with her. Her palms were dry, and there were calluses on the back of her hands. She was indeed a trained fighter.

The three sat down, the dishes were all served, they didn't drink alcohol, but ordered a pot of Pu'er tea.

Lin Wei was indeed there to discuss serious business.

"Old He, this time we brought back three sets of rehabilitation exoskeletons. One set is for lower limb amputations, with neuronal sensing, and it's no different from a real leg. I want to keep it for the SWAT team." Lin Wei took out a thick document from her bag and pushed it in front of He Zheng.

He Zheng took the document and skimmed through it.

"The parameters are wrong. This equipment can only bear a load of 30 kilograms. The daily carrying loads of retired special police officers far exceed this value. The bearings will break after prolonged use." He Zheng saw the problem at a glance, his voice cold and professional.

Lin Wei's eyes lit up: "I knew you had a sharp eye. Back in military school, you always got full marks in tactical equipment class. This equipment is a downgraded civilian version; I'm still applying for the military version, and I need your combat data to support it."

"The combat data is classified, so I can only give you a watered-down version. But the hydraulic rods on the chassis must be replaced with titanium alloy, otherwise those old guys will definitely fall over when they wear them." He Zheng picked up the pen on the table and quickly drew a few lines on the document with his right hand.

The two of them got into work mode as if no one else was around, and all sorts of professional terms, model numbers, and tactical terms came out of their mouths very quickly.

"Do you remember the lower body power point in CQB tactics? The sensor on this equipment has a 0.2-second delay, which is a fatal flaw in actual combat," Lin Wei pointed out.

"Just change the algorithm. Move the sensor down three centimeters, closer to the fibula," He Zheng offered without hesitation.

Shu Yao sat quietly beside them, sipping her Pu'er tea and watching the two people in front of her.

Lin Wei handed over a blueprint, which He Zheng took. The two didn't even need to make eye contact to accurately grasp each other's train of thought.

This high degree of professional resonance and tacit understanding is an invisible glass wall.

Shu Yao was not jealous of Lin Wei.

Lin Wei's gaze was frank, without any seductive scheming or tactless provocation; she was simply discussing work.

But in Shu Yao's heart, an indescribable sense of loss slowly rose.

That was his world, the world where he bled, sweated, and struggled, while she knew nothing about that world.

She couldn't get a word in edgewise, and couldn't understand the dry technical specifications and tactics. Like a delicate vase that had wandered into a military camp, she could only sit there and watch them fight side by side.

The waiter pushed open the door and brought in a bowl of piping hot Cantonese slow-cooked soup.

When the soup was placed on the table, the waiter's hand trembled, and a few drops of scalding soup splashed out and flew onto the back of He Zheng's hand.

Lin Wei reacted extremely quickly, almost instinctively. She instantly pulled out a tissue and covered his hand with it a second before the soup dripped down, blocking the hot soup. Her actions were swift and decisive, entirely out of consideration for her friend.

"Be careful," Lin Wei warned, frowning.

"It's nothing." He Zheng threw the tissue into the trash can.

Shu Yao's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.

I saw it too, but she was a whole beat too slow; her hand was only halfway up.

She lowered her eyes, gently placed the teacup back in its place, and remained silent.

The meal lasted almost two hours. The project was settled, with He Zheng agreeing to provide data support and Lin Wei responsible for getting the equipment to Lao Chen.

After the dinner ended, I walked to the restaurant entrance.

"I've called a car, I'm leaving now. See you later, Lao He and sister-in-law." Lin Wei waved decisively, opened the door of a ride-hailing car, got in, and drove away.

A night breeze blew by, making the night in Jiangcheng a bit chilly.

He Zheng turned his head and looked at Shu Yao, who was standing silently beside him.

The woman, who is usually very talkative, has been mostly silent all evening.

In the underground parking lot, because He Zheng's hand was injured, Shu Yao sat in the driver's seat.

She fastened her seatbelt, stepped on the brake, pressed the start button, and the SUV emitted a deep roar.

She gripped the steering wheel with both hands, staring at the concrete pillar ahead, not in gear, and the car was deathly quiet.

He Zheng, sitting in the passenger seat, keenly sensed that something was wrong.

He knew her too well; if she fell silent, something was definitely wrong.

"What's wrong?" He turned to the side, looking at her tense profile.

"Nothing much, let's go home." Shu Yao shifted into Drive and released the brake.

The SUV slowly drove out of the parking space, having traveled less than ten meters.

"Pull over, stop the car." He Zheng's voice turned cold.

Shu Yao bit her lip, slammed on the brakes, and brought the car to a steady stop at the edge of the passage. She didn't look at him; her gaze was fixed on the windshield.

He Zheng unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned closer to her, grabbed her chin with his large hand, and forced her to turn her head to look at him.

"Tell me, what's wrong? You barely ate anything, and your lips are pouting so much you could hang an oil bottle on them." He looked directly into her eyes, his dark pupils revealing a probing gaze.

Shu Yao's eyes suddenly stung as he pinched her chin.

She's not the kind of person who's coy; if she's uncomfortable, she never hides it.

"I feel like an outsider," she said frankly, her voice slightly muffled. "I don't understand a word of what you're saying. She can shield you from scalding water; she knows what you were like in the past."

She lowered her eyes, avoiding his burning gaze.

"He Zheng, I'm not jealous of her as a person, I'm just... a little jealous of that world. I can't enter your world."

*

The carriage fell silent again. He Zheng stared at her slightly reddened eyes, without saying anything useless like "You're overthinking it" or "She's just a classmate."

He knew all too well the bonds between soldiers, and he completely understood Shu Yao's disappointment at this moment.

He released his grip on her chin, sat up straight, and took out his phone from his pocket in front of her. He unlocked it, opened his contacts, and dialed Lin Wei's number, whom he had just hung up with.

The phone rang twice before being answered. "Old He? What's wrong? Did you leave something behind?"

Lin Wei's voice came from the speaker.

He Zheng's eyes were cold and deep.

"Lin Wei, for that project, take the documents directly to the Municipal Bureau tomorrow morning and find Old Li from the Second Brigade. From now on, Old Li will be fully responsible for all coordination and data."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "Why? Old Li doesn't understand the underlying logic of that equipment, so the progress will be much slower. You are the most suitable candidate."

"My current position is not suitable for me to overstep my authority privately. Following the proper procedures is the right thing to do for the bureau." He Zheng looked straight ahead, his tone businesslike and unyielding.

He paused, then turned his gaze to Shu Yao, his dark eyes revealing a deep emotion, but his tone was extremely frank: "Besides, I'm already married. From now on, I'll have to spend my free time with my wife, and I won't have the energy to take on any work outside my job description. If anything comes up, contact me during work hours according to the established procedure."

He spoke frankly and decisively, clearly drawing a line between his private life and work, leaving no room for speculation.

Lin Wei remained silent for a full five seconds on the other end of the phone, then let out a relieved chuckle.

"Okay, I understand, Lao He. You're actively avoiding any appearance of impropriety. Don't worry, I'll ask Lao Li for all my work from now on. I won't cause you any trouble. Please give my regards to your wife."

"Beep." The call ended.

He Zheng tossed his phone into the storage compartment and turned to look at Shu Yao, who was slightly taken aback.

"Satisfied?" He raised an eyebrow.

Shu Yao stared at him blankly: "You don't need to... postpone important matters for my sake."

"Don't take on unnecessary responsibility. I'm shirking it because it wasn't my job to get involved in the first place."

He Zheng snorted coldly and rubbed the back of her head hard with his large hand.

"Besides, there's nothing more important in this world than you."

He looked at her, his gaze becoming incredibly deep: "You don't need to delve into my past. There's nothing interesting about my past. You just need to know that right now, my eyes and heart are filled with you; you are my world."

A domineering, vulgar, and bandit-like declaration of love.

The disappointment in Shu Yao's heart evaporated instantly, like dew baked by the scorching sun.

She sniffed, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a wide smile.

"You're smart to know what's good for you," she muttered, shifting gears again and stepping on the gas.