Chapter 1

"Hey, hey, hey—! You bloody hell, how can you even fall asleep while on patrol?" A big-nosed patrol officer raised his hand and gave his companion in front a heavy pat on the back of the head.

"Who are you, big brother?" Li Er turned his head back, looking dazed.

Chen Jiaju and Zhang Dazui were taken aback for a moment. They exchanged glances and finally couldn't hold back, bursting into loud laughter.

"Hahaha, Jiaju, Li Er must be half-asleep!" Zhang Dazui slapped Chen Jiaju's shoulder hard, almost crying from laughter.

A few passersby heard the laughter and looked over. Chen Jiaju and Zhang Dazui quickly straightened their backs, hands on their belts, and stared straight ahead, instantly resuming their serious patrol posture.

Wave Restaurant.

Li Er was certain that he hadn't been struck by lightning, hit by a car, burned, or drowned. He was just too tired from overtime and had dozed off on the table. In his daze, Li Er felt as if his boss had patted him on the back of the head. Was this a穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time travel" or "穿越" in English, but it's a term often used in Chinese literature for stories where characters travel to different times or worlds, so I'll use "time travel" here for clarity.)?

Uh... it seems a bit exaggerated.

Li Er's mind was in turmoil, so when he saw Long Shu sitting across from him, he didn't find it particularly surprising.

"Who cares, even if Bruce Lee were here, I wouldn't flinch." Although Li Er thought this, he still secretly pinched the inside of his thigh under the table.

"Ouch! Damn, it hurts so much—!" After the self-check, it wasn't a dream. Li Er's eyes were a bit moist, not from emotion, but from real pain. Who the hell came up with the standard for distinguishing dreams? What a moron.

"Hey, one egg and a double egg, a cup of salty lemonade, and a pineapple bun." Chen Jiaju waved to the waiter and said.

"What about these two sirs?" The waiter asked as he approached.

Zhang Dazui didn't even look at the menu and said, "Pork chop rice, with a fried egg. What's the soup of the day?"

The waiter: "Pig head bone stewed with carrots!"

Zhang Dazui: "I'll have a bowl!"

The waiter looked at Li Er.

Li Er stared at the menu for a long time, noticing that it was written in traditional Chinese.

"Who's paying, AA or someone else?" Although Li Er's head was a bit foggy, he still needed to clarify this important issue.

Chen Jiaju glanced at Li Er, "If you want to treat us, I and Dazui don't mind."

"Damn! Then it's AA." Li Er's hand in his pocket touched a few banknotes, and he felt relieved: "Stir-fried beef noodles, iced lemon tea."

"Li Er, Dazui and I are thinking of applying to transfer to the CID. Do you want to join us?" Chen Jiaju asked.

"I don't want to!" Li Er felt that as a newcomer, it was best to speak as little as possible to avoid mistakes. This was the best way to avoid errors.

Chen Jiaju nodded understandingly. The salary for CID and patrol officers wasn't much different. Although patrol officers had to endure the sun and rain, they had a stable 9-to-5 schedule.

CID officers didn't have to patrol the streets, but if there was a case, they might have to work overtime for an indefinite period. Of course, CID offered more opportunities for promotion. Chen Jiaju, at 21, naturally didn't want to be a patrol officer for life.

The restaurant served the food quickly. Li Er, worried that Chen Jiaju and Zhang Dazui would talk to him, just kept his head down and ate, trying to keep his mouth busy.

Chen Jiaju and Zhang Dazui noticed that Li Er seemed a bit absent-minded today and didn't talk to him much. They just whispered about which police district's CID would be more promising.

After lunch, it was exactly 2 PM. According to their usual patrol route, they would finish at 5 PM.

They passed the time in silence until the end of their shift. Chen Jiaju handed Li Er his work report to sign.

It was another uneventful day. Li Er glanced at Chen Jiaju's work report and marked the options on his own, then signed it.

"Let's go home! Come on!" Chen Jiaju said to Li Er after changing out of his uniform.

"You go ahead! My stomach feels a bit uncomfortable, I might need to use the bathroom." Li Er waved his hand.

Chen Jiaju: "Then I won't wait for you. Ah Mei invited me to go shopping! I need to go home and take a shower, change into some nice clothes."

Li Er wasn't unwilling to go; he just didn't know where to go. Things had happened too suddenly, and Li Er didn't even know where he lived.

"Jiaju, don't you think Li Er is acting strange today?" Zhang Dazui couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Chen Jiaju rubbed his chin, which had no beard, looking like a detective: "I suspect Li Er is heartbroken again. Keep your wallet safe; this time, no more loans to him."

"I'm not worried. It's the end of the month, my wallet is cleaner than my face." Zhang Dazui said proudly.

Chen Jiaju: "......"

He really didn't understand why Zhang Dazui, the idiot, was so proud of being broke.

Li Er sat on the chair, lost in thought. Long Shu called Chen Jiaju, and he was a police officer. Li Er must have time-traveled into a movie world. His head suddenly throbbed, and a part of the scene flashed in his mind. He closed his eyes and followed the feeling, trying to recall the memories. After a long time, Li Er finally remembered some family memories.

Tsim Sha Tsui.

Public housing estate.

The building had seven floors, and Li Er's home was on the seventh floor. The roof had no insulation, and as Li Er climbed the stairs to the seventh floor, he felt a wave of heat pressing down, making the air very stuffy and smelly.

The door wasn't locked, and Li Er pulled open the iron gate.

The security in the housing estate wasn't good, so almost every household had an additional side-opening iron gate.

"Big brother, why are you so late today?" A girl of about 14 or 15 in the small living room looked up and asked when she saw Li Er.

Li Er remembered this was his fourth sister, Li Shiyi, who was in her third year of secondary school. She was currently writing her homework on the coffee table.

"Overtime today!" Li Er replied casually. His body's memory hadn't fully recovered, so he didn't dare to talk much for safety.

Li Shiyi mumbled a few words and continued her homework.

Li Er walked to his room, which had a bunk bed.

Li Er slept on the bottom bunk, and the top bunk was Li Shan's, who hadn't returned yet. At this time, Li Shan should be helping at Li Yi's food stall.

The Li family had four members: the eldest brother Li Yi, the third brother Li Shan, the fourth sister Li Shiyi, and Li Er, who was the second. As for their parents, Li Er had no related memories, so they might be gone.

Li Er's head still throbbed, and despite the stifling heat, he fell into a daze and fell asleep.

"Big brother, it's time to eat!"

Li Er didn't know how long he had slept. A teenager of about 17 or 18 woke him up. It was his third brother, Li Shan, who had a few red pimples on his face during puberty.

The small living room was also the dining room. Li Shiyi had already washed the bowls and chopsticks and cleaned the coffee table, which had been used for homework and was now a small dining table. The eldest brother, Li Yi, hadn't returned; it was the busy time for his food stall. Li Shan brought the food back from the stall, and after eating, if they had no homework, they would also go to help.

As for Li Er, he was proud and rarely helped at the food stall since he became a police officer.

"Why are you here?" Li Er was surprised to see Chen Jiaju, and Chen Jiaju was also taken aback by Li Er's question.

Li Er suddenly remembered that Chen Jiaju lived downstairs, and they were not only colleagues but also neighbors. Chen Jiaju lived alone and often shamelessly came to Li Er's house for meals, almost making it a habit. Li Er's unexpected question naturally left Chen Jiaju stunned.

"Jiaju, that's not what I meant!" Li Er quickly explained.

Chen Jiaju thought Li Er was asking why he hadn't eaten dinner after going shopping with Ah Mei.

"Ah Mei's school had a teachers' meeting, and I waited for two hours at her school for nothing!" Chen Jiaju looked dejected after his failed date.

"Damn—!" Li Er saw Chen Jiaju's misunderstanding and didn't bother to explain, which conveniently covered up the situation.

"Let's eat, let's eat!"

The living room was small, with no extra chairs. Li Shan and Li Shiyi sat on the small sofa, while Li Er and Chen Jiaju sat on the floor, cross-legged. The food was good, with four dishes and a soup on the coffee table. Li Er had an extra salted duck egg. This coffee table served as a desk, a dining table, and would later be combined with the sofa to form Li Yi's bed after he returned from the food stall.

"Li Er, if you have nothing to do tonight, come with me to get a haircut!" Chen Jiaju asked during dinner.

"AA or you treat?" Li Er asked out of habit. He had already checked his pockets and found only 86 dollars, so he wanted to save where he could.

"I can treat, but if you really want to cut off your long hair, I'll pay for the wash, cut, and blow-dry tonight!" Chen Jiaju said generously, confident that Li Er wouldn't cut his beloved long hair.

Li Shan and Li Shiyi stopped eating and looked at Li Er.

Li Er's friends had long been fed up with his long, stylish hair.

"Jiaju, since you're being generous, I can't let you down! I'll make you spend tonight!" Li Er quickly blocked Chen Jiaju's chance to back out.

On the way home, Li Er had already decided to cut off his long, flowing hair. As a man, neither an artist nor a movie star, he had a long, annoying ponytail that made his head feel like it was about to explode when squeezed under the police cap. It was also strange that the police station allowed officers to have such hair.

Chen Jiaju, Li Shan, and Li Shiyi all looked at Li Er in surprise.

"Big brother, are you serious?" Li Shiyi looked at Li Er, disbelieving.

Li Shan also looked at his second brother, incredulous.

They all knew how much Li Er cherished his long, flowing hair.

"Is this a joke? It's just a haircut!" Li Er's heart skipped a beat, wondering if he had overacted.

"Li Er, did you suffer some kind of blow?" Chen Jiaju asked seriously.

Li Shan and Li Shiyi looked at Li Er with concern.

Li Er's eyes lit up, and he said with a pained expression, "Yes, I admit it. Please don't ask anymore; I won't answer."

Chen Jiaju: "......"

After dinner, Li Er went to his room and changed into a pair of shorts and a gray tank top, wearing flip-flops. He followed Chen Jiaju out. The weather in Hong Kong was hot, and most men on the street dressed like this, all looking like the Fire Cloud Evil God.

As a time traveler, Li Er didn't want to draw attention, so it was safer to blend in with the majority. He had already decided that when others laughed, he would also drool, and when others cried, he would rub mustard in his eyes.

Barber shop.

Li Er rubbed his freshly cut short hair, looking at his clean-cut face in the mirror, feeling very satisfied. Indeed, a haircut could directly affect a person's appearance. Li Er found that with his new haircut, he looked a bit handsome.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how can there be such a handsome guy? If his forehead were a bit higher, his cheeks a bit slimmer, and his eyes a bit