Inferior A After Having a Baby with the Top Boss 98

Chapter 98: “Ah Fei, You Did Very Well.”

There were three days left until the Trial Court’s annual leave, but because of the latest pension embezzlement case, Zhu Yiqiao guessed that it would probably be postponed.

When she returned home in the evening, the phone call she received confirmed her premonition.

Lan Lubai’s voice on the other end was slightly hurried: “Yiqiao, there’s been a change. The investigation team found clues related to the research institute at Deputy Director Yang of the Civil Affairs Bureau’s house.”

Zhu Yiqiao’s expression remained unchanged: “Mm, I’ll be right there.”

After hanging up the phone, she kissed Ming Zaozao on the cheek and explained that she had to go to the Trial Court and couldn’t watch “Flying Kitty” with her tonight.

Zaozao the Great was very understanding, giving her mommy a hug with her short arms, although a little reluctant, it was just a brief hug.

“Mommy is busy, Baby will wait for Mommy’s holiday, and we’ll watch it together then.”

Zhu Yiqiao promised: “Okay, I won’t break my promise next time.”

The cartoon had already started playing on the display screen in the living room. Ming Zaozao stuffed her favorite soft candies, marshmallows, and chocolates into her mommy’s pockets, kissed her mommy again, waved goodbye, and then watched as her mommy walked towards the kitchen.

The display cabinet in the corner blocked her view, and Ming Zaozao quickly looked away, focusing on the cartoon.

In the kitchen, after learning that Zhu Yiqiao had to go to work, Ming Fei reacted the same way as Zaozao the Great, first hugging Zhu Yiqiao, then kissing her on the cheek.

However, the moment she turned her cheek, Zhu Yiqiao turned the cheek kiss into a deep, soft, minute-long kiss.

Ming Fei kissed her back, gently, and when it ended, she looked into Zhu Yiqiao’s eyes tenderly.

“Will you be back tonight?”

Zhu Yiqiao pursed her lips: “I’m not sure yet.”

Ming Fei kissed her between the eyes: “Jiejie, all the best.”

The rare crystal ornament in the display cabinet in the living room, symbolizing good luck and safety, continued to operate as usual. The hovercar sped away, quickly arriving at its destination.

Getting out of the car and entering the brightly lit Trial Court, the coldness around Zhu Yiqiao intensified, her brisk steps as if hiding a sharp blade. She took the dedicated elevator to the tenth floor, and the two investigators waiting outside the interrogation room greeted her respectfully.

“Chief Judge Zhu.”

“Chief Judge Zhu.”

Zhu Yiqiao nodded in acknowledgment and pushed the door open.

In the monitoring room next to the interrogation room, Lan Lubai was sitting in front of the monitors. Seeing that she had arrived so quickly, she pulled out the chair on the right for her and explained the situation.

“It was originally just an investigation into the embezzlement of public funds for bribery, but Yang Yu’s dog kept barking. The investigation team had already scanned her entire house with a detector, but just as they were leaving, the injured dog barked fiercely, and they felt something was wrong. Finally, they found Yang Yu’s basement next to the dog house.”

“There’s a lot of evidence of bribery in the basement, and also the spade symbol used for regular contact with the research institute.”

Lan Lubai summarized, “Yiqiao, your guess was correct. Diamond symbolizes wealth, club symbolizes luck, and spade symbolizes peace. The Civil Affairs Bureau always emphasizes serving the people, convenience for the people, loving the people, and that the people are the foundation of the country. Only when the people are happy and content will there be peace and tranquility. Yang Yu, Yang Yu, I didn’t expect her to be so dishonest behind that seemingly honest facade.”

Even though Yang Yu’s usual image was peaceful, and even in this year’s public opinion poll, her satisfaction rating was as high as 90%, ranking tenth, Zhu Yiqiao didn’t have any particular feelings about it.

Whether as Princess Eloris, Colonel Zhu, or Chief Judge Zhu, she had seen such things countless times. The unpredictability of human nature could be summed up in four words, yet it was a lifelong lesson for humanity.

If she had to describe how she felt, she would only say that she felt she had failed in her duty. An important member of the research institute was in the Independent State, in the government building she frequently visited, and they had been completely unaware.

She sat down, her blue eyes like the most dangerous sea, watching Yang Yu in the interrogation room, who was avoiding their questions. When Min Man asked another question, she told Min Man through the dedicated audio transmitter,

“Ask her about the other ‘heart’ matter.”

Min Man cooperated, her tone casual.

The lights in the interrogation room suddenly became dazzlingly bright. Hearing the word “heart,” Yang Yu’s eyes darted around, her pale face showing a sickly hue.

She asked dazedly, “What ‘heart’?”

Lan Lubai in the monitoring room clicked her tongue.

Thinking of the symbolic meaning of the heart suit, and Yang Yu’s connections and resources, Zhu Yiqiao said coldly, “Continue to use the Civil Affairs Bureau and the Justice Bureau to test her.”

“Hi! Wake up, there are no human laws in the forest, Little Panda is the smartest detective, it can discover…”

A cartoon was playing on the display screen in the living room. Ming Zaozao, eating small strawberries, watched with relish. Ming Fei, wearing her black-framed glasses, stared intently at the translated symbol in the picture.

…Where had she seen it before?

She felt that it was a little familiar.

Besides Ming Zaozao’s fruit platter, apple milk, and toy gun, there was also Ming Zaozao’s drawing album on the coffee table.

After returning from the children’s art exhibition, Ming Zaozao would occasionally learn to draw with 0619 after playing with her toys. The two-and-a-half-year-old’s drawings were quite good, but she always used various colors to turn herself into a little kitten.

“Flower, Baby wants water!”

008, receiving the command, immediately went to the water dispenser, filled a glass, and as it brought it over, Tuan Tuan, the puppy, suddenly appeared from somewhere and knocked Ming Zaozao’s drawing album off the table.

Ming Fei picked up the album, flipping through it with a smile, her gaze pausing on the latest puzzle drawing.

…Puzzle, piecing together, flipping, patterns, disorder…

These related words flooded her mind, and Ming Fei suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

She projected the pattern in the picture onto her reader, separating the six patterns into six individual parts. After carefully examining them again, she keenly noticed that although each pattern seemed unrelated, they actually followed the Amdula principle, using disorder to create new patterns, using chaos to create order.

She opened the book Amdula. This obscure book from the last century took her a full hour to fully understand the Amdula principle.

The power of knowledge was infinite; this was a principle recognized by all countries in every century.

After Ming Fei mastered it, she quickly deciphered the combination rules of the six patterns. She pushed up her glasses and started the final step.

The cartoon had long since ended. Seeing that her mommy was busy, Ming Zaozao didn’t disturb her, sitting quietly and drawing. It wasn’t until her mommy took off her glasses and smiled that Ming Zaozao put down her drawing album, rushed over, and asked with sparkling eyes,

“What did Mommy do?”

The combined pattern resembled a strange creature, which intensified the familiarity in Ming Fei’s heart. She picked up Ming Zaozao, pinched her cheek, and replied in a good mood,

“I solved a puzzle, although it’s not complete yet.”

Ming Zaozao always praised her with a smile: “Mommy is so amazing! Mommy is the best!”

After saying that, she gave Ming Fei another kiss.

It was already 10:40 pm, past Ming Zaozao’s bedtime. Ming Fei looked away from the pattern, kissed Ming Zaozao, and carried her upstairs to wash up.

Ming Zaozao didn’t listen to a bedtime story tonight because she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

With her daughter sleeping soundly beside her, Ming Fei still wasn’t sleepy at 11:30 pm.

She felt that she was a bit clingy, because she was thinking about Zhu Yiqiao, who had been away for a few hours.

A few minutes later, Ming Fei silently admitted defeat.

Okay.

Not “a bit.”

She was truly clingy.

But she still didn’t send a message to Zhu Yiqiao. She didn’t want to disturb Zhu Yiqiao’s work and distract the ever-victorious Chief Judge.

However, perhaps her longing was sensed.

Soon, Zhu Yiqiao sent her a message.

[Ah Fei, look outside the window.]

Ming Fei got out of bed and looked out the window. Under the hazy garden lights stood Zhu Yiqiao, who had returned late at night.

The moment their eyes met, it was as if the window no longer existed. She was looking at her, and she was looking at her.

Ming Fei’s lips curved upwards.

She glanced back, confirming that Ming Zaozao was sound asleep, then put on her coat and hurried downstairs, towards her heart’s desire.

When she saw Zhu Yiqiao, Ming Fei didn’t slow down. The smile in her eyes deepened, her dimples filled with joy, especially after seeing the bag Zhu Yiqiao was carrying.

She hugged Zhu Yiqiao and said, “…It’s not Jiejie.”

Zhu Yiqiao was a little curious: “Then what is it?”

Ming Fei let go of her and looked at her: “It’s a wish-granting cat, always bringing gifts.”

When she returned home in the evening, she had casually mentioned that she suddenly wanted to eat the coconut and peach crisp from the South District, but unfortunately, that pastry shop was closed tomorrow and didn’t offer delivery. Now, the bag Zhu Yiqiao was carrying was the usual packaging of that old pastry shop, and she could even smell the coconut and peach crisp.

Zhu Yiqiao replied, “It can be that too.”

Just as she finished speaking, Ming Fei took the initiative and kissed her.

Then, perfectly imitating Zhu Yiqiao’s teasing, she asked, “Is this payment method acceptable?”

After saying that, she became shy, her ears feeling a little hot, because these words didn’t sound like something she would usually say.

Zhu Yiqiao seemed to think seriously for a few seconds: “Acceptable.”

Then, in the dewy night, beside the roses and tuberoses, they exchanged another kiss.

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Zhu Yiqiao opened the bag for her. Besides the coconut and peach crisp Ming Fei liked, there were also many other signature pastries, all looking delicious and beautifully made.

Zhu Yiqiao watched her with her chin resting on one hand, thinking that Ming Fei was the one who resembled a cat, her tail almost wagging up a small hurricane.

After tasting a coconut and peach crisp, Ming Fei asked, “Jiejie, do you have to get up early tomorrow?”

Zhu Yiqiao nodded: “Mm, there are new developments in both the pension fund and research institute cases.”

…Research institute?

Pension fund, elderly care home…

In a flash, the combined pattern she had put aside after Ming Zaozao’s bedtime routine connected in Ming Fei’s mind with the Collection of Ancient Creatures she had borrowed from the Abisaro Library.

She hurriedly said, “Jiejie, wait for me for a moment.”

She brought up the pattern she had pieced together according to the Amdula principle, spending ten minutes analyzing the pattern on the right side of the mural at the elderly care home, and overlaying it with the strange creature after flipping and inverting it.

Then, she placed the two overlapping patterns, along with the crown shape of the nursing home’s map, according to the Amdula principle, in the lower right corner of the overlapping image, upside down.

The answer was about to be revealed.

Ming Fei looked at the pattern. Finally, she rotated the entire image, following the map of the elderly care home, but instead of 180 degrees, she found the base point and rotated it thirty degrees east.

The reason for this was that the sun had come out for a while today at the elderly care home, and she happened to be free at the time. Through the changes in light and shadow, she noticed that both the east and west buildings seemed to be tilted thirty degrees east.

This wasn’t surprising.

But after connecting the clues, a small detail was often the crucial link.

And that was indeed the case. After rotating it thirty degrees east, all the fragmented and complex clues came together, forming an image identical to W1215304 in the Collection of Ancient Creatures.

“Jiejie—”

Before Ming Fei could speak, Zhu Yiqiao silenced her with a kiss. As if sharing a mind, when this W1215304 image formed, Zhu Yiqiao also deduced everything based on the location of Ming Fei’s new charity project.

The kiss was brief but lingering. After the kiss, a smile finally appeared on Zhu Yiqiao’s beautiful face.

—The same words as before.

“Ah Fei, you did very well.”

Just like their “meeting” in the old warehouse many years ago, when Ming Fei had held a gun for the first time and helped Zhu Yiqiao capture the criminals, years later, the clues she discovered had once again hit the mastermind behind the scenes.