Eating Melons in the Police Station-Chapter 101

Zhong Jin tied the teddy dog back to the gate and led Little Tong toward the office. After taking a few steps, he glanced back at the dog. Whether it was his imagination or not, he could swear he saw a look of "relief" on the dog's face.

After bringing Little Tong back to the director's office, Zhong Jin closed the door and took out some snacks from the drawer for her, letting her sit on the sofa to eat.

He fastened a "No Feeding" tag around her neck—not that she couldn't eat any snacks at all, but to prevent her from overeating. Outsiders weren't allowed to feed her, but Dad certainly could.

Leaning back on the sofa, Little Tong slurped her yogurt while clutching a cheese stick and a hawthorn roll in her other hand, not forgetting to flatter her snack sponsor:

"Dad, I love you. You're the only one who gives me snacks."

Zhong Jin, the unshakable director, remained utterly unbothered by such childish antics. Without a hint of guilt, he nodded shamelessly. "Mhm."

Before long, Zhong Jin finished his work and decided to take Little Tong out for dinner.

A new all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant had recently opened in Haishan. When he and Qiu Sheng first saw the advertisement, they had talked about going together. Today, he decided to scout it out with Little Tong first—if it was good, he’d bring Qiu Sheng next time.

They arrived early and chose the best seat on the second floor by the window.

The newly opened restaurant was bright and clean, with a view of the city’s twinkling nightscape outside. After a busy day of work, enjoying dinner with his beloved daughter in such a place was pure bliss.

It would’ve been even more perfect if her mother were here too.

At a buffet-style restaurant, guests had to fetch their own food. Zhong Jin soon noticed the delivery robots—diners could place their selections on the robot’s tray, input their table number, and the little machine would bring the food right to them.

The moment she spotted the robots, Little Tong lost all interest in eating. Waddling after them on her short legs, she made "beep boop" noises under her breath.

As more customers began filling the restaurant, Zhong Jin worried she might disturb others and called her back to their table.

This was Little Tong’s first time seeing a delivery robot, and she bombarded him with excited questions:

"So, is it like a working employee?"

"Does the robot boss pay it a salary?"

"Can I work here too?"

"Dad, don’t robots have to go to school?"

Zhong Jin patiently answered her wild, imaginative questions while shelling a grilled prawn for her. He dipped it lightly in soy sauce and placed it on her plate. "Blow on it ten times before eating."

Little Tong started counting on her fingers, finally pausing her chatterbox mode. By the sixth blow, her drool overflowed and trickled down her chin.

Zhong Jin chuckled as he wiped it away with a napkin.

Luckily, they had arrived early. By the time they’d been eating for a while, the restaurant was completely full. Peering down from the second-floor window, Zhong Jin saw a crowd of people waiting outside.

Among them, he spotted a familiar figure.

Qiu Sheng stood near the entrance in a trench coat, her tall frame making her stand out. Zhong Jin noticed her immediately.

He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, watching through the window as she answered.

"Look up at the second floor," he said.

Qiu Sheng turned, momentarily surprised, then smiled and waved at him.

Soon after, Qiu Sheng and her three new colleagues came upstairs.

They had also chosen this restaurant for their team dinner but arrived slightly later. With no tables available and a long wait ahead, they had been debating whether to go elsewhere—until Zhong Jin called.

Their table was originally set for four, but it was spacious enough to accommodate two extra chairs. Five adults and one child fit comfortably.

Qiu Sheng rarely talked about her personal life, and during her time as a celebrity, her marriage had never been publicized. So when Little Tong called her "Mom," her colleagues were visibly shocked.

Qiu Sheng introduced them warmly, "This is my daughter, Zhong Yuntong, and this is my—"

Before she could utter the word "ex-husband," Zhong Jin smoothly cut in, "I’m Little Tong’s father. You all look younger than Qiu Sheng, right? Just call me ‘brother-in-law.’"

The two assistants, Tian Er and Wen Shuya, chirped sweetly, "Brother-in-law!"

But the photographer, Ming Yan, corrected, "Actually, I’m two years older than Qiu Sheng."

Zhong Jin had already noticed him earlier—tall as a lamppost, with an annoyingly pretty-boy face that rubbed him the wrong way. And now, hearing him speak only made it worse.

Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng were the same age. If Ming Yan was older than her, that meant he was older than Zhong Jin too.

Was he expecting to be called "big bro"?

Zhong Jin placed his hand lightly over Qiu Sheng’s, leaning forward in a blatant display of territoriality. "And your name is?"

Ming Yan produced an elegant cardholder and handed over a sleekly designed business card. "Nice to meet you. I’m Ming Yan."

While Zhong Jin took the card, Qiu Sheng subtly slid her hand away, thinking, This jealous fool is at it again.

Ming Yan’s card listed his credentials:

Official ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍Photographer, IFFG Film Festival

Cultural Heritage Inheritor, Cloisonné Master, Chief Videographer for Shao Fangyan’s Official Channel

Documentaries: Crossing the African Savannah, Ice & Snow Expedition, The Magic of the Himalayas (Official Photographer)

Ming Yan added, "Qiu Sheng’s studio is still in preparation, so her name isn’t on the card yet. The new batch is being printed now."

He tapped a blank spot on the card with his long, well-defined fingers. "Soon, Qiu Sheng’s name will be right here."

The thought of her name appearing on his business card made Zhong Jin want to tear it to shreds on the spot.

Suppressing his irritation, Zhong Jin pocketed the card and said flatly, "Old Ming, pleasure meeting you."

Ming Yan: "..." Old Ming? Was thirty-something considered old now?

Little Tong, cheeks stuffed with chewy squid, lifted her chubby face and pointed out, "You should call him ‘Brother Ming.’"

Zhong Jin: "...Just eat."

The rest of the meal wasn’t exactly pleasant—well, at least not for Zhong Jin. He sat stiffly with his arms crossed, radiating displeasure.

Meanwhile, his socially fearless daughter was having the time of her life—singing off-key, performing a chicken dance she learned in kindergarten, and even biting into a candied hawthorn stick while urging everyone to push her cheeks.

Tian Er poked her face, and Little Tong giggled, asking, "Does it feel bouncy? Nice to touch, right?"

Though it was their first group dinner, with Little Tong around, there was no awkwardness at all. Tian Er, who loved to laugh, was especially amused by the chubby kid, crouching under the table in fits of laughter.

Ming Yan recorded a video of Little Tong on his phone and edited it briefly with an app. Before everyone left, he shared it in the studio group chat.

Tian Er and the others gasped in admiration upon seeing it. "Ming Yan’s such a great videographer!"

Qiu Sheng smiled and added, "Ming Yan’s really talented."

Zhong Jin crossed his arms, pursed his lips, and silently mocked in his head: Ming~ Yan~ is~ so~ tal~ent~ed~!

Since Qiu Sheng hadn’t driven that day, he naturally rode home in Zhong Jin’s car. Their car pulled out of the parking lot first, while Tian Er and Wen Shuya stood by the roadside, waiting for Ming Yan to drive out.

Little Tong waved enthusiastically from the window, shouting, "Bye-bye, sisters! Let’s hang out again next time!"

Even as the car drove off, she was still buzzing with excitement. "Today was so much fun, right? Everyone got along so well."

Zhong Jin glared at her through the rearview mirror. "You’re such a social butterfly—you’d even chat up a stray dog on the street."

Qiu Sheng, aware that the green-eyed monster had struck again, pulled Little Tong into his arms and mouthed, Ignore him.

Zhong Jin caught it in the mirror and grumbled, "Oh, don’t mind me, just go fawn over Ming Yan." Then, dragging out his words sarcastically, he mimicked, "Ming~ Yan~ is~ so~ tal~ent~ed~!"

Little Tong clutched her stomach, laughing hysterically. "You’re such a Loopy!"

Back home that night, Qiu Sheng remembered the herbal foot soak prescribed for Little Tong by the TCM doctor. With the weather turning chilly, he wanted to dig it out for her. Casually, he asked Zhong Jin, "Where’s Little Tong’s herbal foot soak?"

Zhong Jin lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, peering over his book. "Dunno. Ask Ming Yan." Then he covered his face with the book and sing-songed, "Ming~ Yan~ is~ so~ tal~ent~ed~!"

Qiu Sheng clenched his fists and fake-punched in Zhong Jin’s direction.

Little Tong pedaled over on her tricycle, twisted around, and pulled out an inflatable mallet from the back. "Mom, use this! Whack him good!"

Qiu Sheng swung the mallet, pummeling Zhong Jin, while Little Tong pedaled furiously to the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

She then dug out her kid’s smartwatch from the nightstand and called Qiu Chen. Crouching by the bed, she whispered conspiratorially, "Guess what? Mom’s beating up Dad. It’s brutal."

Soon after, Qiu Sheng got a call from Qiu Chen, who sternly lectured him about the evils of domestic violence, putting an end to the "assault."

After the drama, Zhong Jin—the walking vinegar jar—finally simmered down.

Little Tong sat on a stool, her chubby feet soaking in the foot bath, while Qiu Sheng kneaded one plump foot like it was the most satisfying stress ball.

Zhong Jin suddenly emerged from the bathroom, toothbrush in mouth, and stopped in front of Qiu Sheng. Dead serious, he said, "Don’t ever praise another man in front of me again. I hate it." Then he strolled off, still brushing his teeth.

Qiu Sheng watched him leave, then resumed massaging the adorable foot, shaking his head and mimicking in a singsong voice, "I~ ha~te~ it~!"

Little Tong held up two fingers. "Two Loopys now."

A few days after the dinner, the family ran into Ming Yan while jogging by the beach.

Ming Yan usually wore muted vintage suits, so seeing him in bright athletic wear almost made Qiu Sheng do a double take.

Zhong Jin recognized him first and jogged back to Qiu Sheng, whispering, "Mr. Talented’s over there."

Ming Yan soon spotted them too and waved as he ran toward them.

At first, it was just a normal jog.

Little Tong, now upgraded with a tiny helmet, stood on her electric skateboard, effortlessly keeping pace with the adults, enjoying the sea breeze.

Somehow, Zhong Jin and Ming Yan slipped into a silent competition—one sped up, the other chased, and soon they were racing like it was the Olympics.

Qiu Sheng, unable to keep up, gave up and watched the two men vanish into the distance.

Little Tong’s skateboard initially kept up but eventually surrendered. She circled back to her mom, and they hit a roadside kiosk for ice cream, sitting on a bench to eat.

By the time they finished, the men still hadn’t returned. Qiu Sheng, too lazy to keep jogging, lazily strolled with Little Tong, occasionally swapping places on the skateboard.

Normally, they’d head back by 8 p.m., but today, it was almost 10 when Zhong Jin finally reappeared—alone.

Qiu Sheng: "What took so long?"

"Mr. Talented couldn’t keep up. He took a cab from the next exit."

Qiu Sheng frowned. "Are your legs sore?"

Zhong Jin: "Mr. Talented’s stamina is weak."

The impromptu race left Zhong Jin wrecked. Without proper warm-up or cooldown, his muscles staged a full-blown mutiny by afternoon—especially his legs, which felt like overcooked noodles.

Qiu Sheng made him lie on the rug for a massage.

Gripping a foam roller, she pressed down with all her might and rolled it over his thighs. Zhong Jin hissed through clenched teeth.

Aunt Liang walked out of the kitchen, apron on and green beans in hand. Peering at the scene, she asked, "Who beat him up?"

Little Tong, hugging her stuffed toy nearby, piped up, "He raced against Mr. Talented."

Zhong Jin, despite the agony, gritted out, "I won."

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Aunt Liang snapped the beans’ stems off and casually asked, "So when are you two remarrying?"

Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng stayed silent—but unlike before, they didn’t deny it either. Aunt Liang smiled knowingly and returned to the kitchen.