Chapter 134: The Internet Swindler in the Rotisserie!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
When it came to barbecue, it was best to go for the buffet option. Especially for people like them, who trained every day and had big appetites due to their high physical activity levels, an all-you-can-eat buffet was the way to go.
Zhang Chenglong took Su Xuan to a barbecue restaurant in the city. It seemed like he was a regular here. He greeted the staff like an old friend and then introduced the place to Su Xuan.
“Su Xuan, 1’11 tell you, even though this place is a buffet, the food is really fresh.”
“They also have a wide variety of options.”
“We can even get a little hotpot later if you want.”
“But let me be clear, I’m not a fan of fishy stuff. So if you want seafood, we can have it a bit later. I can handle it when it’s grilled, but not in the hotpot.”
Zhang Chenglong often dined out with others and, to avoid any misunderstandings, he would discuss his dietary preferences with his dining companions beforehand. That way, no one would accidentally serve him something he didn’t like, and everyone could enjoy the meal without any issues.
Su Xuan nodded in response to Zhang Chenglong’s explanation.
The two of them hung up their coats and Zhang Chenglong led Su Xuan to get the dipping sauces.
Su Xuan had eaten at a buffet barbecue before, so even though this was a new restaurant, he quickly got the hang of it after a brief look around.
Due to their police background, both Su Xuan and Zhang Chenglong subconsciously surveyed the people around them as they moved around the restaurant.
When they reached their seats and looked at each other, they both understood each other’s actions and shared a knowing smile.
“There’s no way around it, we cops tend to be a bit paranoid.”
“But 1 never expected that you, who were just assigned to our anti-theft team, would adapt to this professional paranoia so quickly.”
Zhang Chenglong genuinely marveled.
“No wonder you can catch criminals.”
Hearing this, Su Xuan couldn’t help but sigh.
“Zhang Bro, it’s just something I’ve gotten used to recently.”
“Whenever I go to a new place, I always like to take a look around to see if anything seems off.”
“I understand, I’m the same way!”
Zhang Chenglong said as he checked the hotpot and started putting food into it.
Eating and not talking was impossible, and since they were both naturally cautious, even though they weren’t from the same unit, they still found plenty to talk about.
They discussed topics from all over the map, from past experiences to embarrassing moments on the job.
Zhang Chenglong’s attitude towards Su Xuan became even more friendly. He could tell from Su Xuan’s remarkable actions that he was an experienced officer in the police world. Su Xuan’s methods in several previous cases were incredibly skilled. It was such a waste for him to stay in a small city’s police station.
“I heard that the Criminal Investigation Division wanted you to join them,” Zhang Chenglong remarked, unable to contain his admiration. “You’d be missing out if you didn’t!”
“Us cops, who doesn’t dream of joining the CID?” he continued. “And those criminal investigation cases, even if 1 were involved in just one, I could brag about it for a lifetime!”
Su Xuan flipped a slice of meat with his tongs, sighing in resignation. “It’s not as easy as it sounds. Even if there were such a great opportunity, I couldn’t just abandon my current unit. What would my superiors think if they saw me being poached?”
Zhang Chenglong pondered this for a moment. “You’ve got a point!”
“Come on, let’s eat and stop thinking about this stuff,” Su Xuan suggested. “1 hope that when we go to the airport tomorrow, we can catch another wave of criminals. Today’s events were just too coincidental.”
He continued, “Not to mention those guys on the road; even the ones we caught at the airport, you should also thank yourself for that.”
Zhang Chenglong genuinely thanked Su Xuan. Without the criminal Su Xuan helped him apprehend, he wouldn’t be in the mood for barbecue right now.
Su Xuan waved off the thanks. “What’s there to thank? We’re partners, aren’t we? I just hope we can catch all the thieves in the world!”
“Indeed, that would be great!” Zhang Chenglong said as he stood up. “You keep eating; I’ll go grab more meat. By the time I’m back, it should be about ready.”
Watching Zhang Chenglong go to get more meat, Su Xuan promptly removed the cooked barbecue from the grill and replaced it with fresh cuts. He then glanced at the dipping sauce in his bowl and felt like it was running low.
Setting down his chopsticks, he headed over to the condiment counter. Standing at the condiment counter was a young man dressed in all black with light-colored pants, appearing quite clean and ordinary to anyone who looked at him, and Su Xuan shared the same impression.
That was until he approached, and his system alerted him.
[Ding! Criminal detected, please apprehend immediately!]
[Name: Zhou Zibo, Age: 25, Crime: Online fraud…]
As he drew near, the system’s voice sounded in his ears. Su Xuan had initially been about to walk past the man but instinctively turned to look him over.
The man quickly sensed his gaze and turned to face him. Su Xuan, however, didn’t flinch and even smiled at him.
“Excuse me, could you move aside? I’d like to get some cilantro,” he said.
Hearing this, the man hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head, only to discover that he had blocked the cilantro bowl in front of him.
His face turned a bit embarrassed. He wondered why he suddenly felt someone’s eyes on him while preparing his dipping sauce. It turned out someone had indeed been watching him because he was in the way of cilantro.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he stammered. “Please, go ahead.”
“I’m finished here.”
Even though he hadn’t finished preparing his sauce, the situation had become too awkward. The man quickly moved aside, allowing Su Xuan to access the cilantro.
Su Xuan, with the corner of his eye still on the man, proceeded without missing a beat. He walked over, added cilantro to his dipping sauce, followed by a few drops of sesame sauce, and finished it off with a generous spoonful of chili sauce.
Seeing his actions, the man couldn’t help but grit his teeth.
That was too spicy!
“Buddy, I didn’t expect…”
“You can handle spice so well!”
Perhaps because he had already embarrassed himself in front of Su Xuan, the man didn’t feel awkward about talking to him at all. He had initially thought about stepping aside.
But he considered that if he moved away now, he’d have to come back to finish seasoning his food, which seemed troublesome.
So, he just stood to the side and waited for Su Xuan to finish his own sauce. When he saw Su Xuan’s actions and heard his words, he couldn’t help but react.
In response, Su Xuan looked at him curiously, and his gaze shifted to the man’s sauce dish, which appeared completely mild. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
“To be honest, mine isn’t that spicy either,” he said. “I just added fermented bean curd sauce to make it look red!”
The man:…
Did he think he was so blind to miss his big scoop of chili just now?