"What's wrong? Not in the mood?"
That evening, aside from Xia Jie, Wang Yan and the other three were off duty. When Wang Yan returned at his usual time, close to eleven, he found Li Dawei, Zhao Jiwei, and Yang Shu gathered around the table, eating hot pot and drinking. The broth was covered in foam, and the crown daisy had been cooked to the point of falling apart.
"You're back, Brother Yan." Zhao Jiwei, the good little brother, greeted his good big brother. "There's still plenty of meat. Have some more."
Li Dawei sighed. "Yang Shu is going back to the city bureau. They said the bureau is launching some major special research project and needs people transferred in from various police stations. Yang Shu was originally on the city bureau's payroll anyway, so isn't this the perfect chance to send him back?"
"I thought it was something serious." Wang Yan washed his hands and sat down at the table. He cracked open a beer and gulped it down before speaking as he mixed his dipping sauce. "He's going to the city bureau. It's not that far from Balihe. It's only a little over forty minutes by subway. If he doesn't mind the trouble, he can keep living with us just fine. His commute will just be longer. It's not like you'll never see him again. Why are you all so depressed?"
"But we won't be together every day anymore. Thinking that I might not get to see Yang Shu in the future... my heart is freezing over..."
Yang Shu looked utterly speechless. "Enough already. You're talking like I died."
He had been speechless for quite a while now. Ever since they learned he was being transferred to the city bureau, Li Dawei and Zhao Jiwei had been acting