Doctor will never die in a hellish situation.

boom!

The meteor hammer grazed his scalp, nearly activating the suppression mode.

"Doctor?" Swire pulled back her hood, revealing a face full of confusion.

We're all money-grubbers, the only difference is how much capital we have. So it's not surprising to run into each other in places where there's money to be made, and lots of money to be made.

"Are you that short of money? You actually organized (participated in) this kind of competition?" After a moment of silence, the two asked in unison, then gave awkward but polite smiles. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, their expressions changed instantly. "You're not going to tell Inspector Chen (Changfen Long) that you're watching the racing competition too, are you?"

Chapter 21, Section 300: Surprise!

The call Swire received earlier was naturally from Chen.

On the other end of the phone, Officer Long got straight to the point, saying that the information about the attack on the transport convoy was very important and that he wanted to come to his home to express his gratitude in person.

Normally, Swire would be thrilled to see this scene. He would not only happily agree, but he would probably also call his colleagues from the Guard Bureau and paparazzi to record this triumphant moment.

However, she was backstage at the underground racing competition at the time, and it was too late to get back. In addition, as a superintendent of the Guard Bureau and the head of the Major Crimes Unit, if Chen found out that she had organized such a low-class competition, she would definitely be ridiculed and even used as a trump card in future verbal battles.

Therefore, she instinctively did not want to reveal her identity, so she made an excuse that she was watching the game.

"Oh? I thought you were having dinner out with the Doctor."

"Eat shit, you're tired. If I were really on a date with the doctor, do you think I'd have time to answer your calls?"

Chen then inquired about the specific details of the competition, and Swire, who had been worrying about it all night, answered fluently, managing to get through to her.

After all, everything Swire said was true, but he concealed key information, making it difficult even for an outstanding superintendent like Chan to detect the flaws.

She had just hung up the phone and vented her frustration at being publicly humiliated by the vending machine when the Doctor appeared in front of her without any warning or hesitation.

After the initial surprise, she realized that Qin Duanyu was one of the contestants. However, she quickly came to terms with it. With such a generous prize for first place, it wasn't surprising that the professor would be thinking of making some extra money.

The only slightly awkward thing was that the doctor knew her secret identity. She was about to say a few words to ease the atmosphere when she suddenly realized a terrifying problem: Chen's phone call just now clearly showed suspicion towards her and the doctor, and the two of them happened to be at the competition site right now...

Damn it, even jumping into the river won't clear my name.

Fortunately, they were both intelligent people and didn't need much communication. Just by hearing each other ask the same question, they guessed the gist of the matter and couldn't help but sigh that they were really unlucky today, that they could run into such a coincidence.

The two practically rushed into the office and nervously discussed countermeasures.

"*Dragon Gate curse*, did you forget to check the almanac today? First, those contestants left one by one, almost ruining the competition's reputation, and then this unexpected disaster happened. I don't know where Changfenlong got the information. The most troublesome thing is that she got lucky!" Swire gritted her teeth and stomped her foot.

"Don't let me find out who that sluice is, or I'll stuff him into a cement bucket and send him to a private tea room at the bottom of the lake!"

If time could be reversed, Swire would definitely tell Chen the truth without reservation. Being ridiculed for revealing her identity was no big deal. Compared to being misunderstood by that rice noodle dragon as having run away and ending up being turned into char siu by the Crimson Sword, the former was obviously easier to accept.

“There’s no point in pursuing these matters anymore. The most urgent thing is to deal with Chen. She absolutely won’t listen to any explanations right now, and it will only make things worse.” A certain guy swallowed hard and said with difficulty.

He never expected that Longmen would be such a small place. He just wanted to participate in a competition to earn some money, but it turned out that everyone from the contestants to the staff and the bosses at the top were acquaintances.

If time could be reversed, Qin Duanyu would definitely not have used the trick of diverting the dragon from the mountain. Not winning the championship was no big deal. Compared to being misunderstood by Chen as having a secret affair with Swire, and ultimately having the Crimson Sword turn into Cheng Ge's appearance, the former is obviously easier to accept.

"What else can we do? Run! Let's hide for ten days or half a month!" Swire picked up her phone and prepared to ask the housekeeper to arrange a convoy overnight. At worst, she could take her annual leave and go to countries like Casimir or Colombia to avoid the storm and wait until Chen calmed down a bit before making any decisions.

As for the Doctor, Chen probably wouldn't be able to storm into Rhodes Island and kill their leader in public, right?

“But dragging this out isn’t a solution. It might just make her resentment grow deeper and deeper…” Qin Duanyu said, frowning, not quite agreeing with this approach.

You can dodge the first day of the month, but you can't dodge the fifteenth. If Chen is completely corrupted by this, then things will be serious.

“What else can we do…” Swire sighed, her face full of helplessness.

"Boss, two cops have come looking for us, and the guys can't stop them at all." Just then, a man's anxious voice came from the communicator on the desk.

Meanwhile, on the screen monitoring the main gate not far away, two figures, one tall and one short, could be seen charging towards them menacingly.

……

The bodyguards Swire hired were generally of similar skill level to those in Siesta. They could handle ordinary street thugs causing trouble without any problem, remaining as stable as a mountain. However, when faced with two top-tier Royal Guards, they were as fragile as paper.

"Old Chen, now that we've confirmed that the Doctor and Miss are together, why don't we just go to the audience seats to arrest them instead of coming backstage?" Hoshiguma carefully controlled her strength as she slapped a bodyguard against the wall like swatting a fly.

"Although that 'barbecued cat' isn't some pampered young lady, she certainly won't mistreat herself when she can enjoy herself. Besides, who knows what shameful things she might do with that scumbag? She definitely won't choose the regular audience seats," Chen said calmly and coldly.

"Oh, so you want to find a VIP room, right?" Hoshiguma nodded in sudden realization, but her heart was filled with sympathy.

Doctor, now the evidence is conclusive that Old Chen is determined to cause trouble, and I can't help you anymore. Besides, even if Old Chen goes all out, I don't know if I can stop him. You and Chashao Cat should pray for your own good fortune.

“That’s right, but go directly to their boss’s office and give me the job of that scumbag couple,” Chen continued.

Although he wasn't afraid of the race's behind-the-scenes boss and had no intention of explaining his purpose to them, there should be surveillance equipment in their office monitoring the entire venue. Having Hoshiguma go over and keep an eye on things would effectively prevent Qin Duanyu and Swire from sneaking away.

Soon, Hoshiguma rushed into the empty office and, following the map on the wall, searched room by room.

"Old Chen, this is the last private room. They're definitely hiding inside!" Hoshiguma's affirmative voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Chen, burning with intense rage, kicked open the tightly closed door.

The room was pitch black, with no sign of any living creature, but Chen still went in relentlessly, ready to conduct a thorough search.

boom!

Golden rain began to fall from the sky, and the sudden brightness of the room made Chen close her eyes uncomfortably. She retreated and assumed a fighting stance, but then she heard Qin Duanyu's cheers.

"Inspector Chen, surprise!"

Chapter 22, Section 301: Thank you, Doctor

"What... what's going on?" Chen looked around, his expression one of astonishment, after regaining his sight.

The bright room was decorated with ribbons and balloons, and a banner on the wall that read "HAPPY" was particularly eye-catching. On the coffee table not far away, there were drinks, snacks, and a large cake in the center.

If there were no photos of her on the banner and no birthday candles on the cake, it would be perfectly acceptable to call it a birthday party.

"Changfen Long, I'll give you three chances. Guess what we're celebrating. If you're wrong, you'll have to drink a penalty shot." Swire smiled as she handed Chen a can of soda, while kicking a bundle of unopened birthday candles under the sofa.

"Birthday? Promotion?... No, stop with the nonsense. What have you two been doing behind my back?" After confirming several times that he had already celebrated his birthday a few months ago and that there was nothing worth celebrating recently, Chen frowned and asked sharply.

"You're really boring. If you don't want to drink, just say so. Tch, you should explain it to her, Doctor." Swire nudged Qin Duanyu with her elbow, signaling him to continue making things up.

"Today marks your fourth anniversary of joining the Guard Bureau. Although it's not as important as a birthday, it's still very meaningful!" Qin Duanyu took out a pointed hat that looked like something you'd use at a birthday party and was about to put it on Chen's head.

"This is outrageous! What's there to celebrate? And with such a hasty arrangement, it's obvious that you came up with this idea on the spur of the moment!" Chen blushed and took a few steps back, trying to avoid the accusation that was about to be slapped on his head.

What's so great about celebrating an anniversary? But the fact that Dr. Ke and Chashao Cat prepared a party for it shows their thoughtfulness. Will saying this make them sad?

Looking at the enthusiastic Swire, who showed no panic at being caught in the act, and the calm and attentive Qin Duanyu, Chen had forgotten his initial purpose for rushing in. Instead, he began to regret whether his arrogant remarks would disappoint the two of them.

Although Chen only casually uttered a few words out of habitual arrogance, Qin Duanyu still broke out in a cold sweat, awkwardly twisting the green and blue striped pointed hat in her hand, almost causing the glued joint to crack on the spot.

Chen guessed correctly; these things had just been moved out of the warehouse.

After all, underground racing is very popular among young people, and many people like to party while watching the races. Swire is happy to take the opportunity to fleece a bunch of suckers, so it stores a lot of festive items.

As for the photo on the banner, it was printed out to cover the word "birthday".

"There's nothing we can do. We originally planned to set up the venue while you were playing, but you and Hoshiguma suddenly left and then came back without warning. We didn't have time to prepare properly," Qin Duanyu said, spreading her hands with a hint of grievance.

"That's because I found out about the two of you... never mind, it's nothing." Chen Gang was about to retort, but then he thought that if it was to help her prepare a surprise party, meeting in private seemed quite normal. It was her being so suspicious that it was really inappropriate, so he changed the subject, "Wait, so you mean that Hoshiguma's sudden insistence on dragging me here was all your doing?"

“That’s right, I specifically asked Miss Hoshiguma to call you out and drag you into the competition, all to prepare for the party!” Qin Duanyu nodded and waved to the door. “Hoshiguma Sir, you’ve had a hard night, have a drink to relax.”

"I'm sorry, Doctor, I should have notified you in advance, but Old Chen was keeping a close eye on things." Hoshiguma smiled awkwardly, subconsciously putting her hand into her bulging pocket, feeling for the lottery tickets inside, and said something against her will.

She originally thought that after Old Chen's meddling tonight, she would not only fail to get her beloved rare electric scooter, but might also witness a bloody disaster. Unexpectedly, after entering the office of the behind-the-scenes boss, things took a turn for the better.

On the table was the voucher for the electric scooter and a note left by the doctor, which read: "Cooperate with us, and this scooter will be your reward."

Oh, Doctor, you're too kind. My sister used to be involved in the underworld; do you think she's the kind of person who's so materialistic? Forget about cars; I'm a staunch supporter of Chen Bo, and of course I don't want to see any petty people using photos to affect their relationship.

So, Hoshiguma deliberately led Chen on a long walk around backstage, giving Qin Duanyu and Swire enough time. Only after confirming that Chen had entered the room did she happily run over to continue cooperating.

"What's the deal with the photos?" Even with his old partner's words, Chen still felt something was off. "And why did you choose this place? I have a feeling you just made up an excuse on the spur of the moment, picked a random spot, and then gave me a flimsy excuse!"

"Photos? I guess it was Miss Bai Xue who did it. You know she's always had a problem with me." Qin Duanyu shifted the blame to Bai Xue without even thinking.

“Have you forgotten? We first met here when we were just junior officers,” Swire said with a smile, her tone full of emotion. “We had a real argument back then, and we even got into a fight.”

"Hmph, I still don't agree with your ideas. Don't bring your business practices to other places. Police officers should act like police officers." Chen also seemed to realize something, and his expression softened slightly, but he still refused to admit defeat and said with a hint of provocation.

"However, the facts have proven that my idea was more beneficial to Lungmen. Look at the mastermind behind this competition; he controlled and guided these shady things through various means, which not only solved the security problem but also allowed nearby industries to develop." Swire didn't follow her lead and shamelessly praised himself.

She felt incredibly fortunate. A few years ago, she bought this land to use as the main venue for the competition because it was dilapidated and had poor security. She hadn't thought much about it at all. Now, she could use it as an excuse to get rid of Chen.

"Alright, alright, it's a rare occasion to celebrate today, so both of you should say less. Besides, MISS put so much effort into preparing the party, Old Chen must be very happy, he just doesn't know how to express it, right?" Hoshiguma smiled and smoothed things over when she saw the two were about to start arguing again.

“Yes, no matter what your ideologies are, aren’t they all for the development of Longmen?” Qin Duanyu chimed in. “Don’t be fooled by how fiercely you argue. If one of you were really gone, you would feel a sense of loss, wouldn’t you? Actually, this is just a way for good friends to get along.”

"Who's gotten along well with this rice noodle roll dragon (barbecued pork cat)!?"

Although Yi Long and Yi Hu said those words, after Qin Duanyu took their hands, their bodies betrayed them by sitting on the same sofa and opening two bottles of beer to drink together.

Before long, the room was filled with the two of them bantering, occasionally interspersed with classic Lungmen dialect phrases. Hoshiguma, who had gained quite a bit, downed her drink in one gulp and took on the task of livening up the atmosphere.

Seeing that the crisis was over and everyone was happy again, Qin Duanyu breathed a sigh of relief. Estimating that the awards ceremony at Shining was almost over, she made an excuse to go back and rest and left the room.

"Rice noodle roll dragon, why are you running away? Are you chickening out?"

"*Longmen swear words*, I'll go to the toilet and come back to fight later."

Chen ran out of the private room, quickly caught up with Qin Duanyu, and gently hugged him from behind for a moment.

"Thank you, Doctor, I'm very happy today."

I fell asleep while writing yesterday, and I have a bit of a cold today, so there will only be one update. I will resume normal updates tomorrow.

Chapter 23, Section 302: The Doctor Actually Has a Taste for This?

"Doctor, we've kept you waiting. We can return to Rhodes Island now..."

When the occasional awards ceremony finally ended, Shining returned to the lounge carrying bags of free gifts, only to find Qin Duanyu leaning against the wall with her head tilted to the side, snoring softly, seemingly fast asleep.

Seeing this, Shining quickly slowed her pace and walked slowly to Qin Duanyu, looking at him somewhat absentmindedly.

The ram's horn mask is different from a full-coverage mask. Because of the ram's horns on the top of his head, the mask is just going through the motions at this moment, barely hanging on Qin Duanyu's face, vaguely revealing most of his face.