My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Luo Ning still couldn't get used to the fact that he was living together with Qin Weizhe now—uh, no, not living together. He was only a tenant. Yes! It was a tenant and landlord relationship. The journey home was unsurprisingly quiet and Qin Weizhe deliberately put on some soothing piano music. Luo Ning looked at his own reflection through the glass window and couldn't help asking. "When did you first chance upon this kind of gruesome crime scene?"

Qin Weizhe calmly shifted the gearstick, his gait leisurely. "Let me think…has it been four or five years? At that time, I was even younger than you, only twenty years old and I was completely a newbie. You might have heard that a few years ago, the police had a mentor and mentee program for each rookie officer but now, it's been terminated because more and more cases of nepotism were dug out."

Luo Ning groaned in annoyance. "It's such a pity! If the program was still here, I would definitely apply to have you as my mentor!"

"Will you?" Qin Weizhe gave him a teasing glance. "I don't think I can."

"What?" Surprised, he asked. "Why?"

"Because I'm sure I will keep opening the back door for you."

Luo Ning blinked, slowly digesting his words. A few seconds later, he burst out laughing. "You? Nepotism? Hahaha…Somehow, I can't imagine it!"

"Why can't I?" He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Even today, when I saw you all scared and shivering like that, I wished to hide you behind my back and shielded you from the terrifying and brutal sight. If this isn't nepotism and favoritism, what is?"

Luo Ning's mouth gaped in shock, his face flushed dark crimson. "You…You…" Even until a while, he couldn't get anything past 'you'.

Qin Weizhe finally cut him some slack and continued, "Of course, you definitely can't find another mentor like me. Take me as an example, even when I was half dying with tears and snots all over my face, guess what my mentor did?"

LUo Ning blinked. "…Comfort you?"

"Nah." Qin Weizhe sneered. "He just looked at my face in disgust and told me to wash as soon as possible before reporting to him. It has taken all of his patience not to beat me up and toss me away. Thanks to him, I gathered my shit together way faster than the officers in my batch."

The gears turned in Luo Ning's head. Why did this sound kind of familiar? An incredulous idea popped up in his mind and he blurted out. "It can't be? Your mentor…was it Captain Jin?!"

The twisted expression in Qin Weizhe's face told Luo Ning that he had guessed it right. He gasped. It's no wonder that Jin Renguang and Qin Weizhe always had that kind of weird atmosphere around them. So they had this kind of history!

Qin Weizhe gently pressed on the brake and the car stopped at the red light. He couldn't resist pinching Luo Ning's cheek and savoring the soft, tender sensation between his fingers. "What's up with that gleeful look of yours? Are you thinking of some weird stuff in that little head of yours?"

"W—What weird stuff! It's just…" He peeked at Qin Weizhe carefully. "I have heard some gossip about you and him. Do you…truly hate him?"

"Hate…?" Qin Weizhe hummed vaguely. "I guess not. In fact, he's one of the police officers I admire the most." The traffic light flipped to green and Qin Weizhe refocused his sight on the road. 

Sensing Luo Ning's gaze transfixed on him, he chuckled. "Is it that shocking? I guess it's because our bad history is spread all over that people like you often got it wrong. I don't hate him at all, but it's…hmm, how do I say it? It's just my sense of inferiority kicking in. Captain Jin is the kind of police officer I strive to be but no matter how hard I try to reach him, I can't seem to do that."

"What?" Luo Ning was flabbergasted. Qin Weizhe, one of the most accomplished and experienced officers, had an inferiority complex?! What kind of joke was this? "How…? I don't understand. You're smart, observational, have a sharp intuition, loaded, handsome, funny, attractive…how can you feel inferior?" He frowned. "To me, you're even more amazing than Captain Jin, two times—no, a hundred times more amazing akh!"

Qin Weizhe suddenly beat the steering wheel to the side. The car tyres made a sharp, screeching sound as it halted sharply on the side of the road. Fortunately, it was wee hours in the morning so there weren't any cars around them.

Luo Ning grabbed the handlebar tightly, his face pale. "D—Detective Qin, are you okay?! Why did you suddenly brake?!"

Qin Weizhe had his forehead against the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

"Detective Qin?" Luo Ning reached out worriedly, trying to help him up. "Are you dizzy? Headache? Nauseous?"

Qin Weizhe grabbed Luo Ning's hand, taking him off guard. 

Slowly, Qin Weizhe lifted his head and gave him a smiling glance, one that made Luo Ning's heart skip a beat. Under the dim light from the streetlamp outside, Qin Weizhe's eyes were half obscured in the shadows; half lidded, striking and luminous. It was both soul sucking and heart stirring.

Click.

He took off the seat belt and under Luo Ning's dazed look, leaned forward and cupped his cheek. His thumb rubbing the faint traces of mud over the skin. "Why are you so adorable? It makes me want to…" Qin Weizhe's presence overwhelmed him and the last few words he said disappeared into their mingled breath and locking lips.

Luo Ning's eyes widened as Qin Weizhe pushed him into the seat. The man's presence overwhelmed his senses, painting the corner of his eyes with red. "Um…ha...Detective Qin…" He gradually closed his eyes shut and immersed himself in the fervent kiss. Wet licking sounds and sharp gasps echoed in the car.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Weizhe finally pulled away, not without giving Luo Ning's lips one last peck. Luo Ning sprawled on his seat, panting for breath. His eyes glistened with unshed tears and lips coated in saliva. He couldn't seem to feel his tongue anymore.

"Are you okay?" Qin Weizhe asked hoarsely, his eyes hooded with desire.

Luo Ning's blood seared, especially after he found the other man's body changes. The knowledge that Qin Weizhe was reacting to him, Luo Ning of all people, filled him with unprecedented delight and euphoria. He covered his lips with one hand, mumbling in accusation. "You…You kissed me again…"

Qin Weizhe stroked his eyelashes, feeling it fluttering against his thumb. "It's your fault for saying such cute things."

He glared, the water in his eyes made them look even more luminous and moving. They used to be such pure eyes, filled with nothing but energy, determination and vitality. Yet those eyes were currently tainted with the color of lust and desire, courtesy to Qin Weizhe. It caused him to feel that the temperature in the car had risen sharply.

Luo Ning couldn't hold himself in check anymore. He liked Qin Weizhe, liked him so much that it went beyond the liking one had for his colleague, senior or friend. He wanted to be Qin Weizhe's one and only. He wanted to be the only one who could kiss those lips and receive those ravenous eyes.

"Why did you kiss me?" His voice trembled yet his heart was adamant to get a clear answer. "Qin Weizhe, answer me. You clearly have someone you like so are you kissing me because of…pity? Because you found me amusing?"

"No...!" Qin Weizhe rebuked anxiously. "It's not like that. Little Ning, don't cry…"

Eh? Luo Ning felt Qin Weizhe's thumb caressing his cheek. It was damp there. He didn't even realize when he started crying. Once he knew it, he couldn't stop. His nose started to feel sour and tears pooled up his eyes even more, threatening to fall even with one single blink.

Qin Weizhe rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Sorry…"

Luo Ning's throat constricted and he hung his head low, fists clenched above his knees.

"Look at me." Qin Weizhe clasped his chin and lifted his head up. Luo Ning was stunned, because this was the first time he had seen…Qin Weizhe blushing. Although the environment was dim, he couldn't have mistaken it. Faint tinge of pink spread across the man's cheeks and he averted his gaze…nervously? "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you misunderstand. I thought…" He sighed in frustration. "I thought that you would get my signal when I did this."

Luo Ning blinked and a large teardrop fell directly onto Qin Weizhe's palm. His heart trembled violently, beating faster and faster by each second. "S—Signal? What do you mean…"

Qin Weizhe revealed a half-embarrassed and half-exasperated face. "You still don't get it? Do you think I will casually kiss someone I don't even like?"

"Like…?" Luo Ning almost choked on his breath. "But—But the person you like is Miss Ru, right?"

"Seems like I forgot to tell you." He showed a perfectly innocent grin. "I was rejected already a long time ago."

Luo Ning: "…" Could you even forget to say this kind of thing?!

His fists trembled and for the first time in his life, Luo Ning had the urge to abandon peaceful path and chose violence to solve problems instead.

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A/N: 

Mass release [6/7]