"Why wouldn't I dare come back?"
"Am I some wanted criminal?"
Qin Ran smiled at the old inspector's anxious expression.
"You're not a criminal, but you are wanted... how have you been?"
The old inspector paused involuntarily as he spoke, an apologetic look appearing on his face.
He had always been grateful to Qin Ran for helping him, but that very gratitude made him feel all the more guilty now.
For an upright man, was there anything more painful than being unable to help someone who had once helped him?
No.
That profound sense of helplessness left the old inspector ill at ease.
He was deeply worried that Qin Ran would have bad news for him, but he asked anyway.
If he didn't even dare to ask...
The old inspector feared he would despise himself.
"Better than I imagined."
Qin Ran's words carried a double meaning, and his smile grew even brighter. He looked around and continued, "Got anything to eat?"
Although circumstances had forced him to "break into someone's home," Qin Ran would never touch the owner's belongings without permission.
"Of course."
The old inspector nodded and walked over to the refrigerator.
Naturally, no one could expect an old man living in a makeshift warehouse to have a refrigerator stocked with lavish ingredients.
Most of it was instant food.
Even the most appetizing thing in there was just a ready-made meal.
It only needed heating before it could be eaten.
But it was already a day past its expiration date.
The old inspector instinctively moved to throw it into the trash, but Qin Ran picked it up first and headed toward the microwave.
"It's perfectly fine."
Qin Ran spoke.
"Suit yourself."
The old inspector shrugged.
For a man like the old inspector, who was practically a bachelor, expiration dates