Xu Lan temples pulsed and his brows furrowed. With a twinkle in his eyes, he stared at Wang Hao until the latter’s body was drenched in cold sweat.

“S…sorry, Sergeant Xu! I drank too much!” Alcohol numbed his mental state, and he even spoke with a slur. It took him quite some effort to blurt out a sentence.

“Well, we’re done here. Thanks for the treat, we’ll get going now.” Xu Lan said sternly as he placed the chopsticks down.

“Okay! I think I really had a bit too much today.” Wang Hao put a hand to his head and staggered to foot the bill. After sending the man off in a taxi, Xu Lan rushed back to Bai Wu and waved, signaling that it was time to go home.

“Papa, why are you unhappy?” Bai Wu clasped his hands behind his back then leaned forward and asked Xu Lan.

“Bai Wu, how long will we be able to stay here?” Xu Lan ignored his question and asked with his hand on Bai Wu’s head.

If Xu Lan returned, how would he get along with Meng Chengjun in the future? Furthermore, there was the task force. If Xu Lan were to return after so long and be assigned with work, surely he would need some time to get to know them. That would only delay the progress in the case.

“I don’t know. Sometimes a few days, sometimes a few years. I’ve experienced both situations before.” Bai Wu replied pensively.

“How about I send you to school?” The night breeze blew off some of the heatiness brought upon by the wine.

“Will papa be going too?” Bai Wu pouted and asked. ‘Would going to school be fun?’

“Eh, I’ve already finished school.” At such an age and with absolutely no foundation in learning, Xu Lan could only send Bai Wu to a special school. Still, at least he might be able to learn something. The school would teach him many new things, in addition to some general knowledge.

“No! I want to be together with papa!” Bai Wu’s smile turned rapidly into a frown, causing him to look just like Mashimaro.

“But we are together!” At that moment, both of them walked into a park. Xu Lan pulled on Bai Wu’s hand and sat down. “Bai Wu, being together doesn’t mean that we have to be around each other all the time. Every night, I’ll pick you up and we’ll go home. I’ll tell you stories and we’ll have a nice dinner. As long as we always think about each other, it’s considered being together. Do you understand?”

Bai Wu’s pouted lips protruded so severely that one might be able to hang an oil can from it. He fiddled with Xu Lan’s palm and remained silent.

“Bai Wu, you’re all grown up now. You can’t keep clinging to me wherever I go, do you understand? Everyone needs to learn, which is a lifelong process, but they all learn at different places. You should be studying at school now. Papa will study outside of school.” Xu Lan held Bai Wu’s hand and said solemnly.

When his hand was held, Bai Wu stopped fiddling and simply pouted. Anyone who had eyes could see that he was unhappy.

“Say something!” All of a sudden, Xu Lan shouted. His voice resonated across the park and drew the attention of everyone there. It even startled a couple who were kissing, causing them to accidentally bite each other’s lips.

Bai Wu continued to pout. His reddened eyes stared at Xu Lan and appeared to be on the verge of tears.

“Give it a go. If you can’t adjust to it, then we’ll come back, how’s that?” the man suggested helplessly as he shook his head in distress. Bai Wu got Xu Lan eating out of the palm of his hand.

“I…”

“You can’t say that you don’t want to go. There’re a lot of students in school, and they’re all just like you. Go and try it out. Maybe you’ll like it.” Without saying more, Xu Lan brought Bai Wu out of the park. Their depressed state affected the mood of the sweethearts who gathered there.

Not long after Xu Lan got home, Xiao Zhang sent the certificate over. As usual, the landlady downstairs complained about the noise, but to Xu Lan, it was all a familiar feeling. His lips curled into a smile.

Upon receiving the certificate, Xu Lan immediately contacted a special school in Whitehorse, he wanted to send Bai Wu over to have a look, otherwise, the boy would never grow up. Even at that moment, Bai Wu had a fed-up expression. He sat down on Xu Lan’s thighs and asked for a kiss.