Never Doubt Qing Jie

by Cookiesauces

Summary:

“Oh, by the way, me and Shen Yi are dating now,” Du Qing dropped the bomb during their next shared dinner.

Du Cheng, who doesn't share a lick of gracefulness that of Shen Yi, immediately choked on his wine.

Meanwhile, Shen Yi looked at Du Qing incredulously.

Really, this was her plan?

---

For the sake of the greater good, Du Qing meddles.

Notes:

I've only watched season 1, so take this as maybe 1 year after season 1 ends?

Actually, I've started 2 eps on season 2 but gave up cos of dailymotion ads. I forgot how melancholic the actual show is haha, so here's my once again unhinged and light-hearted take to cure all the hurt souls <3.

Due to many love for Du Qing in my previous fic, I've given her her rightful place in the spotlight this time. Also starring Du Cheng as Chief Clown. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

“So, when are you going to tell my brother that you want to have his babies?” Du Qing asked over lunch in the tone one talks about the weather.

Because Shen Yi is used to her bluntness, he doesn't combust on the spot but instead just coughed once delicately.

“I don't want to have his—” She raised a very pointed eyebrow that silenced all the protests he had prepared. “..Not telling.” He amended his answer.

“Why not?” She took a bite of her fry and pointed it at him. “He talks about you like the sun shines out of your ass, you've got a good chance.”

Shen Yi chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck abashedly. “Things are.. good now, I don't want to complicate it.”

Du Qing clucked her tongue in annoyance. “Tsk, that brother of mine is simply not in touch with his emotions.”

Shen Yi hummed, thinking about mystery movie nights when he had teared up at tragedies while Du Cheng suggested how the murderer should better hide his tracks. Sounds about right.

“If you're waiting for him to realise it on his own, I'm afraid that your hair will turn white,” She sighed deeply.

“I don't mind.” It took a lot of time and effort to prove his place at the police station beside Du Cheng. He's happy with their current relationship and frankly, he's a little afraid to upset that balance.

“A policeman’s life is unpredictable, I don't want either of you to have any regrets,” Du Qing sighed again before offering, “Tell you what, let Qing Jie get the ball rolling for you, okay?”

Shen Yi blinked at her warily with an apprehensive, “..Huh?”

“Don't worry your pretty little head about it,” She snorted and ruffled his hair indulgently — he's just too cute with that wide-eyed look! She wishes she could swap him with her stinky-faced brother. Although, she guess being her brother-in-law is fine as well..

She gave a reassuring smile. “You just have to sit tight and nod along to whatever I say.”

 

***

 

It turned out Shen Yi should have been a little more worried about it.

Especially during their next shared dinner when Du Qing dropped the bomb of, “Oh, by the way, me and Shen Yi are dating now.”

Du Cheng, who doesn't share a lick of gracefulness that of Shen Yi, immediately choked on his wine.

Meanwhile, Shen Yi looked at Du Qing incredulously. 

Really, this was her plan?

“What the hell?” Du Cheng commented when he finally recovered from his coughing fit. “Since when did you two—”

“Yesterday,” She answered flippantly, hooking her arm through Shen Yi’s. “Why do you think we spend so much time together without you?”

Du Cheng scowled dubiously. He turned to the artist. “Is this true?”

“Um,” Shen Yi hesitated, but felt a warning pinch on his arm. He nodded once stiffly.

 

The confirmation from him made Du Cheng feel even worse. His sister getting together with his partner? Even though he was happy that they got along well, something just didn't sit right with him. Appetite instantly lost, he excused himself from dinner and escaped to the toilet with a churning stomach.

“Du Che—” Shen Yi called out but was answered with the toilet door slamming shut. He looked at Du Qing unrepentantly digging into her meal with gusto. “You..”

“It’s already working, don't worry,” She waved off his concerns. She swallowed her food before continuing, “His gut knows that something is wrong. Literally. We'll just see how long it takes for his brain to catch up.”

She transferred dishes from Du Cheng's bowl to Shen Yi’s with her chopsticks like the awesome future sister-in-law she is.

“Here, eat more.”

Chapter 2

“Shen Yi is dating my sister,” Du Cheng confessed suddenly.

He Rongyue paused in flipping through the blood test report. 

“That’s..” Impossible, she thought, but settled on, “Unexpected.”

“Right? Exactly!” Du Cheng agreed with a snap of his fingers. “It's so… random.”

She put the report down and crossed her arms. “And you're telling me this because..?”

As much as she respected her captain, she doesn't think that they are on gossiping terms. Usually, he only comes to her office for the colder air conditioning or some peace and quiet from the team. They do not do small talk, which is the only reason she lets him stay.

“You're the only one who can keep a secret around here.”

She made a noise of understanding. Their coworkers were one of the most competent she had ever worked with, but they cannot keep a secret to save their life. One time, someone had hemorrhoid, and the next day, everyone was debating the best cure to piles over lunch. 

When she noticed that her captain had remained lurking around her space, she decided to take one for the team and reluctantly asked, “What's wrong?”

“Don't you think it's weird?” He immediately blurted, like he'd been waiting for someone to discuss this with. “For your sibling to be dating your colleague?”

It is weird, mostly because she's pretty sure that Shen Yi is as straight as a boiled noodle. But that's not really her place to say.

Also, anyone with two eyes could see the unquestioned devotion between Shen Yi and their captain. How did he end up with the wrong Du sibling?

Living things are so hard to understand , He Rongyue lamented to herself with a sigh. Forget it, it's best to stick to corpses.

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “If both sides are consenting adults, why not?”

“Consenting..” Du Cheng narrowed his eyes in consideration before it lit up in enlightenment. “That’s right, Da Jie could be consenting, but Shen Yi might not!”

He perked up before rushing out of the room, not forgetting to throw a hasty, “Thanks!” at the door.

He Rongyue shook her head in exasperation. Men.

 

***

 

It made sense! Du Cheng loves his sister, but calling her overbearing is an understatement. With her sharp tongue and oppressive aura, he wholeheartedly believes that she could coerce even the president into doing anything if she wants to. Everyone should be glad that she isn't into world domination.

But back to the point. Technically speaking, he's Shen Yi’s boss, so maybe the artist didn't want to offend him by rejecting his sister's advances. Or offend Du Qing herself, because she can be pretty scary when offended. The last guy who had cheated on her was still in prison…

Du Cheng made sure that the office door was locked before putting a reassuring hand on Shen Yi's shoulder.

“There’s only you and me here.” He licked his lips and looked Shen Yi in the eye. “Tell me honestly, do you like my sister?”

Shen Yi’s gaze darted down for a beat before he replied, “I do like your sister.”

Du Cheng frowned as he felt the knot in his stomach twist, making him nauseous.

Shen Yi assessed his reaction and decided to let him off easy. He couldn't bear making the other man look like an overgrown, kicked puppy any longer. “But not like that. We're not dating, she was just joking.”

The pain in Du Cheng's stomach instantly released. The clouds part and the skies were clear again. His expression flipped like a switch.

“I just knew you two were lying!” He crowed gleefully. It felt like it's the first time he'd smiled since the unfortunate dinner where he didn't even finish eating his favourite steak.

“Why?” Shen Yi challenged, “Is it a problem if we got together?”

Du Cheng's smile abruptly dropped. “Huh? No..” 

To be honest, he's not too sure why he'd been so affected either. Theoretically, he knows both of them are good people. But so what? That didn't mean that they will be good for each other.

“It's just.. it's just that you two aren't compatible with each other!” He said with sudden conviction. That must be why he had been so upset — he didn't want two of his closest people to get hurt by each other!

“Why not?” He probed.

“Da Jie, she's very.. strong-headed. Whereas, you.. you’re too nice, you'll end up serving her for the rest of your life!”

As if I wasn't already , Shen Yi thought with a snort. He scratched his cheek. “Then.. what kind of person do you think will be suitable for me?” He asked imploringly.

“Let’s see..” Du Cheng pondered seriously while rubbing his chin. “You should find someone who shares your passion so that they can understand your drive and actions. Someone strong and firm to keep you from running headfirst into trouble.” 

He thought about how Shen Yi's growing talent might attract dangerous attention and added, “Preferably someone who can handle a gun.”

Shen Yi looked at him flatly. “I can handle a gun.”

Du Cheng nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you can. But it's still better to have someone to have your back.”

Shen Yi held his gaze, wondering if his captain would realise that he practically just described himself. After blinking at each other silently for a few seconds, he accepted with a sigh that there was really nothing much else going on in that big, empty skull.

“So.. who do you think fits your description?” He prompted slowly, like coaxing a small child.

“Well, the people I know who can handle guns are just those in this office.” Du Cheng listed out using his fingers, “Li Han is too soft, she'll be a pushover. He Rongyue doesn't talk much like you, so.. there might be a communication gap. The other ladies.. seemed to be already attached.”

Shen Yi dropped his gaze and rubbed his nose in a nervous gesture. “It doesn't have to be a girl..”

“Huh?” Du Cheng whipped his head towards him so fast he's surprised he didn't sprain his neck. “Wha- You mean like.. guys?”

“Mn.” Shen Yi nodded and glanced at him with confidence he doesn't really have. “Is that a problem?”

“No. N-No problem at all,” Du Cheng stuttered, suddenly feeling nervous for no reason and overcompensating with a, “If anyone has a problem, they can come and find me!”

Shen Yi smiled at that, feeling his tensed shoulders relax. What to do, he's such a dork.

Du Cheng froze for a moment before clearing his throat. “I just remembered I have, uh, something. I'll just..” He jabbed a thumb at the door before abruptly escaping with a tail between his legs.

Chapter 3

Notes:

> Text Message

Shen Yi > I think..

Shen Yi > I screwed up

Du Qing > What happened?

Du Qing > Just tell me, Qing Jie will help you settle it

Shen Yi > I came out to Du Cheng

Shen Yi > he seemed a little off the next few days

Du Qing > off as in?

Shen Yi > …Grumpy

Du Qing > Darling, I'm so sorry, but he was born with a face like that

Shen Yi > He yelled at people for “breathing too loudly”

Du Qing > …

Du Qing > Let me go talk to him 

Shen Yi > No, don't! 

Shen Yi > I don't want to spook him more than he already is..

Du Qing > Don't worry, I'll be discreet.

 

***

 

Du Qing burst into Du Cheng’s office with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.

“I heard you have a fully-grown tree up your ass these days,” She slammed a palm on his desk. “Speak, what's wrong?”

Her brother bristled. “Who the hell said that?!” He snarled, “I'm gonna kill—”

“I just said it casually but now you’ve proven me right.” She clucked her tongue. “You know, I personally birthed you—”

Du Cheng immediately scrunched his nose in disdain. “Hell no you didn't!"

“—And I can smell your distress from a mile away. Come on, just tell your Da Jie, I won't tell anyone,” She cajoled gently as she always did when he was young and got into trouble.

“Nothing's wrong, go away, go away.” He shooed with a brusque wave.

Definitely extra grumpy . 

“You said that nothing's wrong? Fine, then I'll go ask Shen Yi—”

“Wait! It's just..” Du Cheng exhaled and cleared his throat. “I just feel.. that there's too many young people in this office. We should get older, more experienced people in instead.”

Which was totally not what she expected him to say. She looked at him like he had grown another head.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

 

“I meant- hold on—” He stood up abruptly and stalked to the door, opening it to holler, “Hey, Jiang Feng! Where are you going?”

“Huh?” The man who had walked past his office backtracked and jabbed a finger behind him. “I’m going to ask if Teacher Shen is done with the portrait.”

Du Cheng crossed his arms with a frown. “Didn't you find him two hours ago? When he’s done, he'll let you know. Don't keep pestering others.”

“It's not like Teacher Shen minds anyway! I just want to check out his progress, it's pretty cool,” Jiang Feng retorted.

“Do you feel like you've eaten your fill, and now you have nothing to do? Are you getting paid to watch people draw! Should I give you more work to do, hm?”

“N-No. I say, captain, recently you've been a little unreason—” He was dragged away urgently by Li Han before he could finish.

 

Du Cheng slammed the door close and turned around with a black face. He gestured towards the outside.

“See? Youngsters these days,” He grumbled like a grouchy old man as he sat back down into his chair.

“Uh..huh,” Du Qing said slowly, still trying to connect the dots. She kind of feels like she got it, but at the same time, she didn't think that her brother would be that ridiculous.

“So that's your problem? Young people having too much spunk?”

“My problem is young people not minding their own businesses!” He threw his hands up in the air.

 

Du Cheng inhaled deeply and tapped his fingers on the table impatiently in thought.

Finally, he cupped his hands like he's holding a ball. “Imagine you have this.. this rare cabbage.” 

“Rare cabbage,” She repeated slowly, making sure to inject skepticism in each word.

“And one day you realised,” He paused, his face darkening several shades, “that it's growing right in the middle of a pig farm*.”

Forget it, her brother was just that ridiculous.

He glanced at her gravely. “What do you do?”

She gave him the most judgemental look ever before rolling her eyes hard. “I’ll just eat the goddamned cabbage!”

“You can't eat the cabbage!” Her idiot brother cried out defensively, hugging the imaginary cabbage close to his chest. “You're not a pig , you're a.. a cabbage farmer! ”

 

He has got to be kidding her. 

“What kind of cabbage farmer doesn't eat their own cabbages?” She threw her hands up in the air impatiently and demanded, “If I didn't want this cabbage for myself, why the hell would I care if any other pigs ate it?!”

“It’s just, I- well,” Du Cheng swallowed and seemed to be working that one brain cell really hard. Then, he continued in a small voice while drawing circles on the table with one finger, “But.. the farmer never really liked eating cabbages before.”

Du Qing softened at the hesitance in his tone. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before delicately suggesting, “Maybe, this juicy and tender cabbage will change his mind.”

“T-Tender?” Du Cheng mouthed, red creeping up on his cheeks. He swallowed. “But.. what if the cabbage doesn't want to be eaten by the farmer?”

 

Du Qing screamed internally. She was two seconds away from ripping all her hair out. She inhaled deeply and reminded herself that fratricide is illegal. Although.. she probably could get away with it if she weren't already at the police station.

Finally, she relented with a sigh.

“There's only one simple way to find out.”

 

 

*白菜被豬拱了 Painstakingly-grown cabbages being ruined by pigs — chinese saying that parents usually use when their children are dating someone they don't approve of

Notes:

Du Qing to Shen Yi: My sweet, summer child
Du Qing to Du Cheng: *wrangles him like a gremlin*

Chapter 4

Notes:

I had to make this fic multi-chaptered purely due to the Du Cheng POV word vomit and relationship development speedrun ahead

Enjoy the train wreck!

The moment his sister had left, Du Cheng glanced at the clock and allocated the next 15 minutes for a quick mental breakdown. He made sure to lock his door before slumping in his seat and questioning his entire existence.

Du Cheng initially thought that he had gotten rid of his ability to Feel Things a long time ago, back when he was resigned to never getting his dad's attention. He had come to terms with it after a particular case where a father had repeatedly extorted his son for money and when was finally denied, murdered him in cold blood.

In comparison, his relationship with his dad suddenly seemed pretty okay.

Anyway, after being exposed to the worse side of humanity and many close comrades’ deaths, Du Cheng had cut off all sense of attachments by numbing himself with work.

So imagine his shock to find out that he actually had feelings for someone, least of all a man!

He hasn't really felt attracted to anyone physically for a long time, probably due to all that repressed emotions and trust issues. But with his compassion and soft smiles, Shen Yi had somehow managed to unravel all that mess and reach straight into his heart.

When did that happen?

A year ago, he was ready to wring the other by his neck when he first dared to move into captain Lei’s old office. But through their shared trauma and solving many cases, he guessed they had gotten closer as partners.

For some reason, they just click and work better together.

Du Cheng trusted Shen Yi to catch whatever clues he had missed and used his niche knowledge to fill in the gaps, while Shen Yi trusted Du Cheng's honed instincts and ability to lead others to get the job done.

During life-threatening situations, they both knew that they had each others' back.

 

Outside of work, their lives became entangled as well.

It started when Du Cheng didn't trust the artist riding home on his flimsy bike after pulling all-nighters and had thus offered to send him home on his Wrangler. In turn, Shen Yi didn't trust Du Cheng driving himself home afterwards because those all-nighters included the captain as well, and offered for him to sleep over.

However, since Du Cheng was built too long for regular couches and also they were too tired to think much about it, they both just shared Shen Yi’s bed. And in the next morning, they will be awoken by Xiaoxuan’s hungry demands, eat breakfast and head back to work together.

Rinse and repeat.

It was… a nice routine. It felt right . 

Somewhere along the road, during the weekends, mystery movie nights, grocery runs and dinner with Du Qing were included.

There was this one time he had asked Shen Yi to teach him how to paint. The artist had guided his hand to paint the strokes in a way that made him feel a little warmer than usual.

And another time when he had managed to convince Shen Yi to play badminton with him and was subsequently trashed. Granted, he was a little off his game after seeing the other man in a sleeveless tank top that exposed his usually hidden pale and toned arms.

Now thinking back about it, Du Cheng has to admit, maybe it wasn't that big of a surprise to fall for his partner after all.

He had always known that he treated Shen Yi differently from his other male buddies, he just haven't really considered why.

He had assumed that the other man was from the more refined world of the arts, and wouldn't appreciate the usual roughhousing and rowdy behaviour. 

Although Du Cheng himself was born into money, he had never fitted into the high life. At his core, he was just a street dog that captain Lei had saved from destroying himself.

Nonetheless, he had also witnessed Shen Yi during his rebellious punk days, so at the end of the day, they weren't actually too different.

Perhaps.. that's what drew Du Cheng to him. 

They were both two sides of the same coin, able to understand each other's thoughts with one look. 

...And it's not like Shen Yi’s attractiveness helped either!

Du Cheng usually isn't one to appreciate beauty unless it came in the form of a 270 horsepowered jeep, but one of Shen Yi's many lectures probably got to him. His descriptions of ratios, colours and contrasts compelled Du Cheng to analyse the world around him with a little more scrutiny.

He would often find himself staring at the artist while he painted, tracing his doe eyes, the high slope of his nose to the delicate curve of his lips. They all come together to perfectly form Shen Yi - the embodiment of strength within kindness.

And, okay fine, Du Cheng had also casually taken a glance at the other's ass - and it's equally perfect. Da Vinci would weep.

Imagining those fair, rounded cheeks unhidden by cloth are what ultimately made him realise that yeah, he definitely wants a non-platonic bite of that tender cabbage.

 

But.. What about Shen Yi?

Was Du Cheng his special cabbage too? Or was he just some.. some wilted and forsaken bok choy?

Shen Yi could have anyone he wanted, literally. Du Cheng has seen him charm people of all ages from young to old, female or male within minutes of meeting them.

He personally could relate, really. If there was a Shen Yi fan club, Du Cheng would no doubt be the president, fully donned in fan merch.

But would Shen Yi do the same? If Du Cheng held his hand and kissed those lips - would he let him, or aggressively wash his mouth with soap? 

It's not like they have ever really talked about stuff like emotions and feelings before..

When Shen Yi was in a low mood, Du Cheng would either drape a blanket over him while he painted dull colours, or whip him up a warm and hearty meal. If Du Cheng was frustrated about a case, the artist would leave him post-its with cute Xiaoxuan doodles, along with some cube candy(his favourite blue ones).

Thinking back.. he could somewhat recall that Shen Yi had once asked, “What are your thoughts on relationships?” and Du Cheng had then stupidly scoffed, “Not for me.”

 

His banged his forehead on the table with a loud thud. He vaguely wished that he could turn back time and shoot himself in the head.

Why had he even said that?! 

But wait.. although Du Cheng had instantly blown his shot then, Shen Yi asking him that question might have meant that he was interested!

Du Cheng just needed a way to confirm if that still stands true! What was it again that Qing Jie had advised him to do?

He supposed he could inconspicuously put out feelers about the possibility of Shen Yi returning his feelings.

 

He drummed his fingers on the table, and his eyes caught on the headline of one of his emails. 

The police captain smiled triumphantly as he grabbed his mouse and set to work.

Notes:

Du Cheng: Since when did I like men?
Also Du Cheng: *thirsting after Shen Yi*

Chapter 5

Shen Yi was adding the finishing touches on his portrait when there was a knock on his office door.

He put down his pencil and blew away the eraser dust from the paper. “Come in.”

He was expecting it to be Jiang Feng checking in on the portrait, as he does often, but was surprised to see his captain instead.

“What's wrong?” Shen Yi immediately stood up to address him. Du Cheng never used to knock — something was up.

“N-Nothing’s wrong. Just checking in,” Du Cheng replied unconvincingly as he closed the door carefully behind him. Shen Yi’s eyes immediately zeroed on the thin file he was clutching with both hands.

Du Cheng ignored his questioning gaze to go around his desk and look at the portrait. “Done with it?”

Shen Yi nodded. “Mn.” 

“You did a good job, looks accurate,” He complimented with a small smile.

“Thank you,” Shen Yi secretly preened. Although he had heard many praises on his work before, he never really took them to heart. But Du Cheng's words were different — although they sounded vague and perfunctory, he knew that the man didn't say things he didn't mean. He had never cared about being polite.

The contrast between having cursed his drawing ability 8 years ago and now reminded him of how much Shen Yi had changed as a person. He was no longer the aimless and wandering genius who indirectly aided a crime, but a dedicated policeman who utilised his skills to help others.

On the other hand, his sense of satisfaction might also have something to do with his big, fat crush on the other man.

Speaking of which..

 

“What’s that?” Shen Yi nodded towards the file after several seconds of Du Cheng standing there with a constipated look on his face.

“This is, uh.. staff survey,” He took a deep breath before holding it out to Shen Yi, who took it dubiously. 

“D-Don’t tell anyone — it's anonymous,” Du Cheng added and quickly excused himself with a curious blush that made Shen Yi immediately flip open the file.

 

He took one look and had to cover his mouth to muffle his laughter.

 

***

 

Shen Yi > Did you ask Du Cheng to do this???

Shen Yi > [image attached]

On first look, it's an ordinary feedback form on fellow employees and how they can do better. But at the very bottom, there's an additional section where you can rate the staff’s “Dateability” from 1-10. And there was only one staff member to review in the file — Du Cheng.

Du Qing > HAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT MY BROTHER GAVE YOU THIS??

Du Qing > I just told him to ask the cabbage goddammit

Shen Yi > Cabbage?

Du Qing > Apparently my dear brother was very annoyed at all of the young, robust men in the police office that he was convinced were out to eat his precious cabbage 

Shen Yi > … he called me a cabbage?

Du Qing > The rarest and tenderest cabbage.

Shen Yi > I really can't tell if you're lying to me right now

Du Qing > I couldn't make this up even if I wanted to!!!

Shen Yi > so how did this translate to this staff survey?

Du Qing > HAHA OH GOD don't remind me

Du Qing > I told him he should just eat the cabbage

Du Qing > But he was all like, “Oh, I'm just a cabbage farmer” and “I don't know if the cabbage wants to be eaten by a farmer” I SHIT YOU NOT

Du Qing > so I told him to just ask the cabbage himself!

Du Qing > I can't believe he really asked you via a feedback form omg he's so embarrassing

Shen Yi > I think it's.. cute

Du Qing > urgh ofc you do, you two are made for each other

Du Qing > I, on the other hand, don't want to share the same surname as him anymore, call me Mu Qing(sounds like 母亲, Mother) from now on

Shen Yi > …Perhaps not

Du Qing > Ungrateful child

 

***

 

Meanwhile in his own office, Du Cheng had his head in his hands, deep in thought.

He was very seriously planning his future course of actions based on three possible scenarios:

1. If Shen Yi rates his Dateability above 5, Du Cheng has a good chance. He just has to somehow seduce Shen Yi and give him monthly staff feedback forms to fill until he scores a 10. Then, he'll move his things bit by bit to Shen Yi's house secretly. By the time the artist had noticed that he's been staying over daily, Du Cheng has integrated already so deeply into his lifestyle, it's too late to back out. 
   
   The police captain will then hand over a document among the many criminal cases for his signature — it's actually their marriage certificate — and boom, they'll live happily ever after with Xiaoxuan. Absolutely foolproof.
   
   
2. Anything below a 5, he is fucked . The world is a dark and cruel place. Shen Yi hates his face and only tolerates him for the (admittedly meagre)salary. He has no chance, and can be found heartbroken for the foreseeable future. He'll probably die a lonely death with his sister waving an angry arm over his coffin saying, “Serves you right for being a policeman!”.
   
   
3. But.. what if it's 5 though? Like, what would that even mean? Was Shen Yi just being nice like the nice and polite man that he is? Or would he be testing the waters like Du Cheng was?

Du Cheng clutched his hair with a groan. In hindsight, he probably should have provided feedback forms for other staff as well to use as a baseline. If they all got 0 and he got 5, that'll be a different matter.

But then again, he didn't want to end up treating the rest according to how well Shen Yi rates them. If someone else has gotten a full 10, he might actually have to fire them.

Go eat cabbages somewhere else!

He grinded his teeth at that thought, but was momentarily broken out of his musings by a sharp knock on his door.

 

It opened to reveal Shen Yi, and Du Cheng immediately straightened up in his seat, patting down his hair that was wild from the whole crisis.

Shen Yi turned to shut the door behind him and Du Cheng spotted him holding the file wherein his fate lies.

He wiped his clammy hands on his pants under the desk.

Shen Yi then walked towards him and held out the file to him wordlessly.

“Y-You're done with it already?”

“Mn.”

Du Cheng accepted it and placed it on top of the document pile on his desk in faux casualness.

“Alright, I'll submit it later,” He said lightly.

Shen Yi nodded. 

“You can check on it now,” He suggested.

Du Cheng felt his heart stop for a moment. “Hah? N-Now?”

Shen Yi nodded and blinked at him with those wide, guileless eyes.

“Alright.. Okay..” Du Cheng relented nervously as he slowly opened the file.

He held his breath as he scanned through the words on the form.

 

Name: Shen Yi

Staff for review: Du Cheng [with Picture]

Rate this staff’s competency in handling their work (1-5): 5

This staff's strengths: upright, fit and smart 

This staff's area for improvement: could have more faith in others and himself

Staff's Dateability (1-10): 

 

Du Cheng flipped the paper to the back just in case. Still empty.

Empty!

Was he not even worth writing a zero? 

This was not within his plans. He stared at the words forlornly, like some invisible ink would show up if he had waited long enough.

 

As if sensing his thoughts, Shen Yi pointed out, “I didn't fill in the last part because I thought it was quite an unprofessional question.”

“U-Unprofessional.. yes.. I'll feedback to Chief Zhang,” Du Cheng agreed weakly as he snapped the file close.

Shen Yi hid his smile with a cough. If his captain had dog ears, they definitely would've been drooping.

“But.. if you really want to know the answer, you could just ask me.”

Du Cheng’s gaze immediately snapped to him before looking away shyly, but not before catching a glimpse of the light blush on his face.

Did this mean that Shen Yi had a good answer for him?

Du Cheng felt his pulse start to race.

He thought back to ‘could have more faith in others and himself’ and mustered up the courage to ask, “So on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate me as a d-dating prospect?”

Shen Yi hummed.

“Captain Du possesses many good qualities. If he were to date anyone, they should consider themselves very lucky,” He replied with a playful smile. “Eleven.”

 

Du Cheng inhaled sharply.

11!!!!!

Shen Yi gave him an 11!!!! He felt like he had won the lottery. This was the best damn day of Du Cheng's damn life! If Shen Yi wasn't in the room right now, he would have performed a victory dance.

What should he do right now, should he get down on one knee? But he didn't prepare a ring.

He looked at the still smiling Shen Yi and was compelled with the intense urge to correct his previous foolish statement.

With a pounding heart, he found himself abruptly announcing, “I am opened to relationships.”

Shen Yi’s eyes widened for a second before he broke into a laugh.

“That's.. nice to know.”

“I-I mean, I said I didn't want it the last time you asked, but now I do.”

“Oh,” Shen Yi licked his lips. “What made you change your mind?”

 

Du Cheng suddenly stood up and went over to lock the door. He surreptitiously looked out the window — fortunately the hallway is empty — before shutting the blinds close.

He turned around to face the other man and admitted to his feet, “You.. You changed my mind.” 

Come on, he cheered himself on, Shen Yi gave you an eleven!

He swallowed, feeling his face flaming hot, “Since I'm such a catch, do you think.. you'll consider d-dating me?”

Shen Yi took three big strides towards him, forcing himself into Du Cheng's view. He held the other's cheeks in his palms and leaned in close with a gentle smile. 

“I've always been yours.”

 

If Du Cheng was a weaker man, he would have instantly swooned onto the floor. Thank god for leg days as he made the better decision of reeling the other in by his waist and finally getting a taste of that sweet, sweet cabbage.

Shen Yi's lips immediately opened to fit his perfectly and it felt so right.

Du Cheng could vaguely hear the blood rushing through his ears and maybe some outburst of noises from next door, but he could not care less even if the whole building was burning down.

Every slide of their tongues against each other set his nerves on fire. Du Cheng can't believe he hadn't thought to do this sooner. Was he blind or dumb? If they had to part right now, he'll literally die. Oxygen was optional but Shen Yi was mandatory.

He's glad for his foresight to lock the door and prevent any possible disturbances. He cannot guarantee that he wouldn't shoot at whoever knocks next.

Du Cheng felt the hands clutching onto his shirt exert a pushing pressure, and he stepped backwards obediently. Shen Yi could tell him to jump off a building right now and he'll just ask, “how high?”.

The back of his knees hit the office sofa, and their lips finally separated as they both panted heavily.

Shen Yi shoved him down onto the seat before climbing on and resuming their passionate kiss.

Notes:

Writing Du Cheng's dramatic spiraling actually brings me such joy.

Chapter 6

“Pass me the popcorn.” Du Qing reached blindly out to the side and was handed a bag of it as her eyes remained glued to the screen. She popped one into her mouth.

“Don't you think that this is a little… invasion of their privacy?” Jiang Feng asked beside her with an uneasy frown.

“I've worked hard for this, so I'm just reaping the fruits of my labour,” Du Qing replied nonchalantly as she chewed, “Besides, they're on mute. If you're so uncomfortable, nobody's forcing you to watch.”

“Yeah, get out or keep quiet!” Came from one of the many officers behind them.

“Hush, something's happening,” Chief Zhang pointed excitedly at the computer screen on her desk.

 

They watched as their captain went to lock the door and shut the office blinds suspiciously. He turned around to say something, gaze stuck to the floor.

The suspense was finally broken when Du Cheng grabbed Shen Yi’s hips and pulled him into a deep kiss.

“Woo!” “Go get it, Captain!” The room full of officers broke out in claps and cheers.

On screen, Shen Yi continued to walk Du Cheng back onto the sofa without even parting for breath. The artist then straddled the captain’s lap and wolf whistles rang from the crowd. Li Han squealed.

“Aaand there's enough of that,” Du Qing abruptly exited the surveillance window, to the disappointment of many.

She had reached the maximum limit of her brother's love life she had ever wanted to see.

 

She stretched her palm up towards the rest. “Alright, pay up, pay up!”

A chorus of groans was heard across the room as they patted their pockets to pull out their wallets.

“Aren't you rich? Why are you taking small money from peasants like us?” Jiang Feng complained as he thrusted a $10 bill onto her hand.

Du Qing returned a smug smirk. “Earning money from being right just hits different.”

“Qing Jie, you are really too awesome! We've been trying to get them together for months but you did it within a week!” Li Han gushed as she happily handed over her cash.

“Hah!” She flipped her hair over her shoulder with flair and wagged her finger. “Never doubt Qing Jie.”

There were collective nods and noises of agreement.

She pocketed her gains and beckoned them towards the door, “Alright, today's a good day. Let's go celebrate, drinks are on me!”

Everybody cheered.

 

END ---

 

***BONUS***

 

Du Cheng sat down beside Shen Yi during their weekly dinner with Du Qing and decisively held their intertwined hand up.

“Da Jie, we are dating.”

His sister barely gave them a glance before her attention was brought back to the fish she had been trying to debone. 

“Oh,” She replied indifferently.

Du Cheng was taken aback by the lackluster response. He had been deliberating all day on how to tell his sister before deciding to just wing it.

“Oh? That’s all you have to say?” He demanded with a scowl.

He turned to Shen Yi, who promptly avoided his gaze. That spot on the wall suddenly seemed so fascinating.

“What, am I supposed to be surprised?” She scoffed dryly. “Do you see me having weekly family dinners with you and Jiang Feng?”

Shen Yi bit his lip to stop his smile.

Du Cheng shot him a look of betrayal, which only made it harder to contain his mirth. Shen Yi disguised his laugh as a cough.

“If it helps, everyone at the station knows, too. So you don't have to worry about it,” She waved her chopsticks dismissively.

Du Cheng's jaw dropped. “What?! How does that help?”

“And how did they find out?” He eyed his partner again, who shook his head innocently.

“Please, you guys aren't exactly subtle,” Du Qing snorted as she continued picking at her food. “Who are the ones gripping onto each others’ hand whenever the other is lying unconscious on the hospital bed?”.

In fact, their colleagues were so fed up with all the UST they practically begged her to meddle and spare everyone their mutual pining. But Du Qing magnimously decided to keep that to herself, otherwise she thinks that her winnings will be forfeited by her stick-in-the-mud brother.

She finally looked up from her plate to see the two of them blushing and smiling stupidly at each other.

Urgh, gross, spare a thought for the unattached, she thought to herself, half pleased and half salty.

 

Eventually, enough is enough and she decided to drop the next bomb.

“So, when's the wedding?”

“Jie!”

 

***BONUS FANART***

Pictured: Cabbage farmer Du Cheng hard at work protecting his precious, tender cabbage from thieving pigs.

Notes:

I thought this will just be a short 3k funny one-shot but somehow it evolved into this. But no regrets, I had so much fun writing it!

Do leave a kudo or comment if you have enjoyed it as well! They go a long way to encourage me to keep writing! <3

Feel free to check out my other Cheng Yi fic, Mr. Tall, Dark & Handsome!