Stoic police captain × adorable, scatterbrained novelist
Secret mutual pining | rugged guy × sweet girl | healing story | small-town fiction
In her third year of college, Cheng Yan was forced by her mother to take a summer job at a breakfast shop. She only meant to do the bare minimum and pass the time, but as the start of term approached, she was still reluctant to leave the shop.
The owner asked whether she'd grown attached to the place. Cheng Yan nodded. She had grown attached, but not to the place. She'd developed feelings for someone who came to eat at the shop every day.
He came in at the same time every day, ordered the same set meal, never said much, and left as soon as he finished eating. Cheng Yan's conversations with him stuck to the same three lines every single day:
"What would you like?"
"Two buns and a cup of milk tea."
"Sure, just a moment."
After a while, it became:
"The usual today?"
"The usual."
A young girl's feelings are always short on courage. Even when the new term began, she couldn't bring herself to ask for his contact information.
During the next holiday, she went back to help out at the shop, but she never saw him again.
-
Years later, they met again when she became a complainant and saw him once more. He was there to investigate as a police captain, just as stern and hard-edged as he had been years ago, though now with an added air of composure.
When he questioned her, Cheng Yan lost focus several times. Thinking she was scared, he comforted her in a stiff voice: "Don't be afraid. I'm here. Just tell me what happened."
After the investigation, Cheng Yan didn't leave right away. She waited until the man came over, then took out her phone and asked tentatively, "Officer Jin, could I add you as a contact?"
Jin Ye was taken aback, then said, "Don't you already have my contact? I was the one who called you this morning."
-
Because of the case, Cheng Yan unexpectedly became Jin Ye's roommate. But they hardly ever saw each other. He always seemed busy, with endless assignments, shifts, and cases.
One rare time, Cheng Yan woke up to find Jin Ye still at home. She took the initiative and suggested they go out for breakfast together.
The breakfast shop downstairs was crowded. Jin Ye saved them a seat while Cheng Yan ordered. She turned and asked what he wanted. He glanced up and said calmly, "The usual."
Cheng Yan's heart skipped a beat. Looking at the man in front of her, she felt as if she'd returned to that summer in her third year of college.
Later, Cheng Yan asked him, "Don't you get tired of eating the same thing all the time?"
Jin Ye said, "I'm a pretty devoted person. Just like when I fall for someone: once I like them, that never changes, and I never get tired of it."
Blurb written on June 17, 2026. The inspiration has been saved on Weibo.
The blurb is provisional. The framework and setting won't change, but there may be some adjustments before I start posting.
Theme: Be a little braver, then a little braver still!
