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Jiang Chijing and Luo Hai had known each other for many years. Even if it wasn’t to the extent of knowing each other inside out, they were still extremely familiar with each other’s ways.

The two of them were able to have a peaceful break-up and even remain friends after breaking up because they both knew that they weren’t romantically compatible.

Luo Hai was two years older than Jiang Chijing. He had a parental manner when dating and hoped that Jiang Chijing would depend on him. He would remind Jiang Chijing to drink warm water in the early mornings and to take a break if he had been doing visually strenuous activities like reading for too long.

Jiang Chijing found out from very early on that Luo Hai liked to treat his significant other similarly to watching over a little brother. Therefore, when he first transferred to the prison, he could immediately tell that the way Luo Hai treated a certain rascally brat in prison was special.

On the flip side, Luo Hai could also tell that Jiang Chijing didn’t like being taken care of.

He didn’t want to change his lifestyle habits and didn’t want to depend on anyone. His ideal relationship was for both parties to be on equal footing, with neither side looking up to the other.

There were no rights or wrongs in love, only whether or not the way of showing love matched.

But their love languages were completely at odds with each other. Even if they tried their best to compromise, their break-up was inevitable.

So, similar to how Jiang Chijing understood Luo Hai’s preferences, Luo Hai also understood Jiang Chijing’s preferences, not giving him leeway to refuse.

Jiang Chijing didn’t want Luo Hai to misunderstand that he was interested in Zheng Mingyi. As such, even if he was in every way reluctant on the inside, he could only make proper preparations for the blind date.

He still hadn’t opened the new bottle of cologne. After finishing his toast and keeping the strawberry jam in the refrigerator, he just happened to remember this.

This cologne lasted for quite a decent duration. As Jiang Chijing didn’t want to appear like he had put in too much effort, he sprayed some behind his ears and on his wrists before stepping out the door, so that the faint fragrance would be just nice by the time he gets off work later.

At nine in the morning, by the time Jiang Chijing was done delivering the mail, Zheng Mingyi was already waiting at the door to the library.

It was only then that Jiang Chijing learned the central bank would report a series of stats in the morning, which would affect the trend for the day’s market. Consequently, the warden had requested for him to be a ‘book boy’ for Zheng Mingyi all bright and early in the day.

“I’m saying this first.” Jiang Chijing went into his office area and turned on the computer. “If you get fresh with me again today, you’d better be ready for the consequences.”

“What consequences?” Zheng Mingyi walked into the office area as well, sitting next to Jiang Chijing. His legs were still casually spread like yesterday, not showing any intention of backing down.

Jiang Chijing didn’t deign him a response, only looking at the computer, making clear with his attitude that he couldn’t be arsed to bother with Zheng Mingyi.

The computer start-up sound soon played. Jiang Chijing moved the mouse in front of Zheng Mingyi to let him open the web pages himself, however at this moment, Zheng Mingyi suddenly pressed his hand down, catching him completely unawares, leaning in towards him.

Jiang Chijing unconsciously turned his head over and saw that Zheng Mingyi’s face was already startlingly close. He reflexively drew away, his back plastering tightly against his office chair.

The chair reclined back; Zheng Mingyi leaned in further still.

“1017!”

Jiang Chijing’s brows knit. He wanted to move his hand from the mouse but Zheng Mingyi was pressing it firmly down, caging him in the narrow space between his chest and the office chair.

For just a fleeting moment, Jiang Chijing felt as though Zheng Mingyi was going to kiss his neck.

His other hand was already on the baton, but before he could whip it out, the tip of Zheng Mingyi’s nose withdrew from the side of his face. Facing him, Zheng Mingyi said, “You sprayed cologne.”

The two of them were so near each other that Jiang Chijing could smell even the prison laundry detergent from Zheng Mingyi’s body. It was clearly a cool morning, yet he felt as though the area enclosed by the office desk was as hot as a sauna.

“Keep a distance from me.” Jiang Chijing suddenly pushed Zheng Mingyi away. The office chair clacked, returning to its usual vertical position.

“Have you always used this brand of cologne?” Holding the mouse, Zheng Mingyi adeptly opened the web pages, his eyes gazing at the screen, asking absently.

At this, Jiang Chijing finally found a problem.

To alert Zheng Mingyi in the past, he had smashed an entire bottle of cologne in Zheng Mingyi’s bedroom. When he went over with Guan Wei to Zheng Mingyi’s house, broken glass shards from the cologne bottle remained strewn across the ground.

This guy’s nose can’t be that sharp, right?

“It’s none of your business,” Jiang Chijing said frostily.

“This page, please.” Zheng Mingyi inclined his chin towards the information on the web page. “Officer Jiang.”

Jiang Chijing secretly sighed in relief when he saw that Zheng Mingyi wasn’t pursuing the matter. He tempered himself to start reading the information on the page aloud, but no more than two lines later, Zheng Mingyi looked at him and said, “Do you know, Officer Jiang, my entire bedroom smells of your cologne.”

“The consumer price index is…” Jiang Chijing almost bit his tongue off.

“It’s quite a unique fragrance,” Zheng Mingyi said. “Grapefruit?”

This guy’s nose was that sharp.

Pretending not to hear him, Jiang Chijing continued to read, “The producer price index is…”

“Aren’t you curious why my bedroom would smell of your cologne?”

Jiang Chijing knew that he couldn’t go on with the charade. He exhaled and, looking at Zheng Mingyi, asked, “Is it strange to use the same brand of cologne?”

Zheng Mingyi pondered this for a moment, then said, “Not really. Go on.”

By now, Jiang Chijing could tell that he couldn’t simply brush Zheng Mingyi off to deal with him. The more he tried to brush him off, the more Zheng Mingyi would probe. Only by meeting him squarely would no openings be exposed to Zheng Mingyi.

After he narrated the important financial news of the morning, Zheng Mingyi started to study the stock trends.

Jiang Chijing originally thought that he could rest for a while, but what actually happened was that Zheng Mingyi put the book, Strawberry Planting Techniques, in front of him. “If you may, Officer Jiang.”

Jiang Chijing really couldn’t restrain himself, asking, “Can you actually hear me when you’re studying the stock trends?”

He deeply suspected that his words went in one ear and out the other, that Zheng Mingyi was simply using his voice as background music while studying the market.

However, Zheng Mingyi instead showed quizzical expression. He looked at Jiang Chijing and asked, “Can’t you multitask?”

Nope.

Reading books and studying the market were two separate things. Jiang Chijing didn’t believe that normal people could juggle two things that needed brainpower at the same time. He asked out of the blue, “What is the flowering period of strawberries?”

Zheng Mingyi immediately responded, “April to May.”

“Fruiting period?”

“June to July. Each plant can bear six or seven fruits.”

Fine, I’ll give it to you.

Jiang Chijing was choked speechless. He picked up the book anew, but Zheng Mingyi suddenly asked him, “Officer Jiang, do you stir-fry stocks?”

“No,” said Jiang Chijing.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to be turned into a leek.”

“If you follow me, your leeks won’t be cut.”

- ‘Stir-frying stocks’Basically, trading stocks. Describes the volatile nature of speculation in stock trading, the quick buying and selling of stocks to ‘keep them hot’- ‘Cutting leeks’Refer to the pump-and-dump scheme; in broad terms, it's taking advantage of or scamming people. Similar to how leeks are cut and keep growing back after each harvest, leeks describe gullible retail investors who have lost their money, cut down by big players- Retail investorsAn individual or non-professional investor who buys and sells securities/stocks through brokerage firms or savings accounts.

Zheng Mingyi looked at Jiang Chijing earnestly, as if he genuinely wanted to bring Jiang Chijing to do stocks. But Jiang Chijing didn’t want to owe him anything.

“Are you certain?” Jiang Chijing arched his brows, saying without any scruple, “Have you forgotten how you ended up in prison?”

Zheng Mingyi was incarcenated for malicious short-selling, which refers to naked shorting (making false transactions), spreading misinformation, market manipulation, and insider trading. It was a truth of life the same way wool came from sheep—for capitalists to make their profits, ordinary retail investors could only be cut like leeks.

Put in layman‘s terms, even if Zheng Mingyi wasn’t maliciously short-selling but doing it normally, there were bound to be silly leeks harvested by him.

Jiang Chijing’s words were uncalled for. After all, Zheng Mingyi was having a normal chat with him, yet he insisted on using this to taunt him.

Uncharacteristically, Zheng Mingyi didn’t respond, as if Jiang Chijing had spoiled his mood and he no longer wished to talk about this. He indifferently looked at the stock trends, like the conversation a moment ago had never happened, but seeing his expression, Jiang Chijing suddenly grew curious.

“Hey, let me ask you something.” Jiang Chijing deliberately bumped his knee against Zheng Mingyi.

“Hm?” Zheng Mingyi turned his head over.

“About malicious short-selling,” Jiang Chijing paused. “Did you do it?”

Jiang Chijing had never poked his nose into inmates’ business. There were too many people who didn’t have pure intentions in prison, everyone could make up stories to embellish themselves.

The reason he asked Zheng Mingyi this—he swore he wasn’t trying to be nosy—at most, was that he wanted to offer a little help to Guan Wei.

Zheng Mingyi didn’t give a direct answer. Instead, he asked back, “What do you think, Officer Jiang?”

Without considering it, Jiang Chijing blurted out, “I don’t know.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Chijing saw the corners of Zheng Mingyi’s lips quirk up slightly, as if all the gloom from being dissed just now was swept clean.

“You don’t know.”

Zheng Mingyi repeated with a smile, and only then did Jiang Chijing react in hindsight that his tongue slipped.

How could he say that he didn’t know?

He was a prison officer. Zheng Mingyi was a convict. Naturally, he should unconditionally believe the judge’s verdict and tell Zheng Mingyi—I think you did it.

That was the normal logic.

Yet, he had clearly wavered, implying that there was a part of him that believed in Zheng Mingyi’s innocence. No matter how significant that part actually was, it wasn’t zero in any case, or he wouldn’t have answered that he didn’t know.

Jiang Chijing couldn’t help but feel vexed. Zheng Mingyi was a damned logic monster; how else could he react so promptly and pick at his openings so precisely?

Zheng Mingyi’s mood visibly became much better. He looked at the computer screen, then changed the subject, “Officer Jiang, you dressed up so nicely today, are you going into the city to have fun?”

Jiang Chijing tossed back again, “None of your business.”

Zheng Mingyi turned his head over, giving Jiang Chijing a once-over, asking, “Meeting an online friend?”

Not bothering to go into detail, Jiang Chijing perfunctory said, “Yes.”

“Is that so?” Zheng Mingyi nodded thoughtfully. “A male internet friend.”

Jiang Chijing couldn’t help but find it strange. “How do you know it’s a guy?”

Zheng Mingyi’s tone was calm, without the faintest billow. “You like men.”

Jiang Chijing’s had never publicly come out of the closet. In Southside Prison, apart from Luo Hai, no one knew his sexual orientation. He frowned slightly and emphasised, “I don’t like men.”

Jiang Chijing didn’t know what he was hiding, as if somewhere in his subconscious, a voice kept reminding him not to expose himself to Zheng Mingyi, else he would be treated as prey.

And here, Zheng Mingyi didn’t insist on the topic. Looking at the time, he stood up. “Have a good date, Officer Jiang.”