Hearing this, Liu Ergou couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed. After a quick cough, he changed the subject.

"Ahem, about that, Jia Jia," he began. "Did you call me for something specific? It's awfully early. If I hadn't gotten up early today, I'd still be fast asleep!"

Now it was Han Jiajia's turn to feel awkward. As a police officer, she had long since developed the habit of waking up early.

"Ah, that… I'm just used to it!" Han Jiajia said sheepishly. "Anyway, let's get down to business! Are you free, Er Gou? I'd like to treat you to a meal. If you have time, just come into the city and find me! I'll be waiting at home. Once you arrive, I'll send you my address, and you can come pick me up directly."

Liu Ergou didn't immediately agree. Instead, he asked, "Treat me to a meal? I have time, but do you? If I remember correctly, today isn't Sunday, and you're not on a day off. Surely you wouldn't take a day off just to treat me to a meal. That would be too much trouble!"

Han Jiajia quickly replied, "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. Because of the last incident, I received a small commendation. I also got a bit injured, so my superiors granted me a two-week leave to rest up. Today is my first day off. I was thinking that if it weren't for you back there, I probably would've been done for. So, I want to treat you to a meal as a token of my gratitude."

This time, Liu Ergou didn't hesitate at all and readily agreed.

"I see. All right then," he said. "I'm in my village right now. I'll head to the city immediately. I should arrive this afternoon, and we can get in touch then."

On the other end of the line, Han Jiajia agreed before hanging up.

After the call, Liu Ergou made breakfast for Xu Yulan and then set out. He first took a bus to town, where he hailed a taxi straight to the city. It only took him the morning to get there.

Upon arriving in the city, Liu Ergou called Han Jiajia and got her address. He then headed directly to her home and arrived shortly after.

Han Jiajia lived in an apartment in the city center. Standing outside and looking up at the building, Liu Ergou couldn't help but smack his lips.

Looks like this Han Jiajia is a secret heiress. I have some idea of what these downtown apartments cost. Lu Shuangyue told me that the units here aren't for sale, only for rent, and the monthly fee is as high as seven to eight thousand. A police officer's salary couldn't possibly cover that. For Han Jiajia to be living here, even if she isn't super rich, she's far better off than the average person.

At the apartment entrance, Liu Ergou gave Han Jiajia a call. Soon, she came down from the building.

When Han Jiajia appeared before him, Liu Ergou's eyes lit up. She was wearing jeans and a white shirt. Though it was a simple outfit, on her, it looked remarkably youthful and vibrant. Her long, slender legs only added to the effect. The sight made Liu Ergou nearly drool.

"Over here, Jia Jia!" Liu Ergou shouted.

Hearing his voice, Han Jiajia hurried over to him.

"Er Gou, I didn't expect you to get here so fast!" she said, surprised. "Didn't you say this afternoon? I can't believe you made it by noon!"

Liu Ergou let out a laugh. "Hahaha, when a beautiful woman invites me to dinner, I have to hurry, right? It wouldn't be right to make a beauty wait!"

Han Jiajia rolled her eyes at his remark. "You're such a smart-mouth. I think you've forgotten what I do for a living!"

She said nothing more, pulling out her phone and starting to browse. "Er Gou, what should we eat today? You decide. It's my treat!" she asked while looking at the screen.

Liu Ergou hesitated for a moment before replying, "Anything is fine. I'm not picky. As long as it's filling, I'm happy!"

Han Jiajia didn't respond. After five or six minutes passed in the blink of an eye, she looked up at him.

"In that case, I'll take you for hot pot. I haven't had it in a while, so today's the perfect day for it!"

Liu Ergou had no objection to hot pot. The two of them hailed a taxi by the roadside and headed straight for the restaurant.

A short while later, they arrived. Familiar with the place, Han Jiajia led Liu Ergou directly toward a private room. Just as she placed her hand on the door, someone blocked her path.

Han Jiajia frowned at the figure obstructing her and looked up. Two gaudily dressed women were standing in her way.

Upon seeing her, one of the women put on a look of mock surprise. "Oh my, who do we have here? If it isn't Officer Han! What brings you here for a meal all of a sudden?"

Hearing the woman's words, Han Jiajia's frown deepened. "Zhou Na, what's with the sarcastic tone?" she said. "What's wrong with me eating here? Is there a problem? Or does my presence simply offend you?"

With that, Han Jiajia slapped Zhou Na's hand away and reached to push the door open.

But just then, the other woman also stepped forward to block her. Before Han Jiajia could speak, the woman chimed in with a mocking sneer, "My, my, Officer Han has quite a temper, doesn't she? Are you going to hit us common citizens now? Calm down, Officer. What could possibly be wrong with you eating here? You're a police officer. Who would dare have an opinion about where you choose to dine?"

The spiteful words made even Liu Ergou, who was standing to the side, frown.

Are these two women nuts? Who comes out for a meal just to start mocking people? I can't even imagine running into them at a cosmetics store. They'd probably drown you in their venomous slander.

Thinking this, he glanced at Han Jiajia. It was obvious she was enraged by the woman's comments.

"Are you sick, or just blind?" she snapped. "Can't you see I'm not in uniform? I'm on leave!"

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