Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 72

“Lu Ge, how did you know I was hungry? You’re a lifesaver!”

Xiao Zheng’s eyes lit up when he saw the late-night snacks in Lu Cheng’s hands, and he jokingly lowered his tone of respect.

Xiao Hu smacked Xiao Zheng on the head.
“You deserve to be starving! These are for Captain Su, not you!”

Ah, having a partner really had its perks—no more starving during overtime.

Poor Xiao Zheng and Xiao Hu, the two single dogs, were envious to the point of tears.

Lu Cheng said simply,
“Everyone gets a share.”

The two were over the moon again.

“I’ll do it,” Xiao Hu said, taking the plastic bag from Lu Cheng and placing it on the table before opening it.

When they saw the seafood inside, their eyes practically popped out!

“Wow, Lu Ge, seafood! So fancy!”

“Riding Captain Su’s coattails!”

Lu Cheng took out a box of peeled seafood and placed it in front of Su Qingwu.

Xiao Zheng and Xiao Hu glanced over, letting out knowing “ohs.”

Su Qingwu’s face remained calm; she paused her work and started eating.

Inside the box were peeled red prawns, flower crabs, mantis shrimp, whelks—plenty of variety.

Lu Cheng had peeled them himself earlier, saving her the trouble. He’d also requested sauces—slightly sweet, slightly salty, with a hint of spice, just how she liked it.

Su Qingwu’s eyes brightened as she tasted it, picking up her chopsticks to continue.

Lu Cheng added a few golden pan-fried dumplings for her, dipping them in chili oil—the flavor was perfect.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zheng and Xiao Hu happily devoured their free late-night snacks, grumbling, Damn, why mix seafood with dog food?

Hmph! No wonder this little pup of Captain Su was so thoughtful.

Su Qingwu finished all the seafood Lu Cheng had peeled, ate a portion of dumplings, and a leek pancake, her appetite double the usual.

She took the tissue Lu Cheng handed her, wiped her mouth, and looked thoroughly satisfied.

Lu Cheng, too, felt the joy of feeding someone.

Su Qingwu still had over an hour of work left. Lu Cheng wanted to wait and go home with her, offering a ride.

She shooed him off, insisting he rest at home. Their neighborhoods weren’t even on the same route.

Later, before bed, Lu Cheng received a message from Su Qingwu.

“I’m home. Go to bed early. I’ll shower and sleep soon too. Good night.”

Lu Cheng replied simply,
“Good night!”

The next day.

9:30 a.m.

After the routine meeting at Sanliqiao Precinct, Chen Weimin asked everyone to stay behind. He looked around the room, his expression suddenly serious.

“Our police team is an organized and disciplined unit, yet there are individuals who act recklessly, ignoring personal safety and causing negative consequences.”

“Everyone should know who I’m talking about!”

The younger officers were confused. Who could he mean? Everyone’s been performing well lately, especially the new recruits—they’ve been showing off like crazy.

Chen Weimin’s gaze landed on Lu Cheng.
“Come on, Officer Lu, step up and give your self-criticism!”

The young officers froze, disbelief written all over their faces. He’s joking, right? Special Catch has to give a self-criticism?

The guy who could storm criminal dens and capture gangs had to give a lecture? What about the rest of them?

Only the veteran officers like Song Chengfeng and Zhao Han smiled knowingly, watching the show unfold.

Lu Cheng held two sheets of paper, each containing a 2,000-word self-criticism.

He walked onto the stage with a calm, confident expression.

From the others’ perspective, it looked like a student being forced to write a self-criticism.

Lu Cheng began reading:

“Respected leaders and colleagues, greetings! With a heart full of heaviness, guilt, and remorse, I…”

“…At this moment, I am filled with self-blame and regret. My actions violated discipline and brought negative effects to the precinct…”

The team listened as Lu Cheng monotonously read the text, their expressions turning strange.

Chen Weimin frowned. Why does this self-criticism sound so… off?

Lin Wenbin touched his chin and muttered,
“Lu Ge’s self-criticism… smells like AI.”

Of course—it wasn’t Lu Cheng’s strongest subject. Chinese was his weakest. A 2,000-word self-criticism? He’d have spent all day just writing the title.

Thankfully, technology existed. Lu Cheng had used AI to generate it.

He read one full piece elegantly and had another ready.

Chen Weimin groaned, stopping him.
“Enough, it’s long and boring.”

The young officers struggled not to laugh.

Just as Lu Cheng was about to leave, Chen Weimin called him back.
“Wait, there’s more!”

And then the unexpected happened.

One moment he was giving a self-criticism, the next he received a Third-Class Merit Award.

In front of everyone, Chen Weimin presented the certificate and medal.

Lu Cheng’s personal Third-Class Merit!

The medal was a ten-pointed star, edges adorned with artistic peony petals symbolizing honor. The attached plaque was rectangular, copper-colored, with the words “Third-Class Merit” in red.

The medal came in a wood-finish display box, and the certificate had a red leather cover embossed with a golden national emblem.

Together, medal and certificate shone brilliantly. Even Chen Weimin felt a twinge of envy—let alone the younger officers.

Lin Wenbin practically drooled.

Chen Weimin cleared his throat.
“We uphold both rewards and punishments. Lu Cheng has acted impulsively at times—reckless yet lucky not to have caused accidents. This is unacceptable; don’t follow his example. Lu Cheng, you must think twice in the future.

“As for his outstanding achievements since joining, they’re visible to all. I won’t list them. Personal Third-Class Merit, with a bonus of twenty thousand yuan. Everyone, give him a round of applause!”

Twenty thousand yuan—a fortune to a new recruit whose monthly base salary was only 2,500.

Applause erupted.

This was Sanliqiao Precinct’s first Third-Class Merit in two years—a heavy honor.

Even Song Chengfeng’s eyes glistened.
“Not easy, huh…”

Chen Weimin smiled.
“It’ll get easier, now that we have Lu Cheng.”

With him leading by example, the younger officers would work even harder.

High-achiever Yuan Jie was a prime example. Upon joining, he was arrogant, but gradually, he channeled that energy, aiming to surpass Lu Cheng and working diligently in everything.

As Yuan Jie’s mentor, Chen Weimin noticed every detail.

Zhao Han and Lin Wenbin clapped Lu Cheng on the shoulder proudly, sharing in his glory.

No escaping a dinner invitation from Lu Cheng tonight.

After the meeting, Chen Weimin called Lu Cheng into his office alone.

Lu Cheng was a hot commodity now; everyone wanted a piece of him.

Before leaving for the precinct, Chen Weimin had discussed his situation with Yang Zheng at the bureau.

Normally, probation lasted a year before a recruit could be confirmed.

Lu Cheng’s performance was far above others—he could be confirmed early.

Yet his impulsiveness was a concern. A young tree standing out in the forest is sometimes a double-edged sword.

If he were given more responsibility too soon, the worry wasn’t that he’d underperform, but that he might act rashly.

After much consideration, it was decided he needed more time to mature.

But the probation period wouldn’t need the full year—just three months.

In three months, Lu Cheng would leave Sanliqiao Precinct.

Water flows downward; people move upward.

Chen Weimin felt reluctant but knew he couldn’t hinder Lu Cheng’s future—that would be selfish.

Lu Cheng remained silent upon learning this.

Farewell brought pain, but also a new beginning.

He saluted Chen Weimin and left the office.

Chen Weimin stared out the window, smoking.