Chapter 15: The Schizophrenic Executioner – 4
“What are you trying to say?”
A black-painted nail lightly tapped a rose-colored lip. “Don’t misunderstand. You’re a good police officer. I’m just worried that this abnormal level of sympathy will have a negative impact on your career… It’s related to your childhood, isn’t it?”
It was as if a dark corner of her heart had been brutally pried open. Jinglin’s face stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about… Whose childhood?”
“Yours.”
The gaze behind the lenses was as sharp as a scalpel. “Do you remember when we went to the riverside park, you briefly fainted? I heard you then, muttering in a near-unconscious state.”
The riverside park!
So that’s why she said it when she stopped me from beating Su Yijie—
‘He is not the one who hurt you!’
The elevator doors opened. Jinglin’s right hand clenched into a fist, anger slowly building in her chest. Tang Yingli didn’t move, didn’t even look away. The elevator doors opened and then closed again, and they missed it.
It was Tang Yingli who broke the silence. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry into your privacy.”
She clenched her fist tighter. “Isn’t it a little too late for an apology?”
“Officer Zhou?” Tang Yingli stepped closer. “I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but I’ve noticed that you don’t seem to be able to control your emotions very well…”
“I thought we were friends,” Jinglin cut her off sharply.
She let out a small “Mm.” “And?”
“And? What you just did was like slapping me across the face, digging up a past I don’t want anyone to know, and then casually asking me if it hurts!” Jinglin’s face was flushed, and she laughed out of pure anger. “Yes! It’s because I was abused as a child that I care so, so much about these persecuted and abused little girls! Is that a problem for you?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just worried you’re being too emotional.”
“So what if I’m emotional? Does that make you better than me? Tang Yingli! You think you’re so calm, you think you know so much about the brain, you arbitrarily pry into and interpret other people’s minds, but you never once consider their feelings!”
“Don’t get agitated. Anger makes the brain secrete more serotonin…”
“Cold-blooded!”
Tang Yingli’s eyes widened. She was visibly shaken.
Jinglin gritted her teeth and retorted recklessly, “What criminal profiling! You, who can simulate a killer’s mindset without a second thought, not only can you communicate with criminals in their own language, but your expression is just like theirs! You call me emotional… you’re the cold-blooded psychopath!
“Forgive me for not being able to ride in the same car with someone like you. Goodbye!” With that, Jinglin strode toward the stairwell.
It wasn’t until her back had completely disappeared from view that Tang Yingli turned and stiffly pressed the elevator button.
Jinglin stormed out of the hospital like a hurricane. She slammed the car door shut and rested her forehead on the steering wheel, taking deep, shuddering breaths until the fire in her chest finally subsided.
As her heartbeat gradually returned to normal, just as she was about to start the engine, her phone rang.
It was Li Yuejiao again. Her finger hovered over the red icon. After a few rings, she finally swiped to answer. “Hello!” she blurted out, a hot, stinging sensation in her eyes.
‘Uh… Jinglin, are you busy?’
“I…” After a moment of silence, as if all her strength had drained away, she slumped over the steering wheel, her hand on her forehead. “No. I’m off work. What’s up? You keep calling me.”
‘Your chief called earlier to say your hand was injured… Is it serious?’
No wonder. No wonder she’s been calling so often these past few days. “I’m fine, it’s just a minor injury.”
‘Oh.’ The voice on the other end was still cautious. ‘Do you have time to come back home soon? You haven’t been home since you were transferred to your current unit. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up, and I was planning to make tofu pudding. You love that, right?’
“I’m busy. I have a lot of cases lately. I can’t come home.”
‘Then I’ll come up to see you…’
She refused decisively. “Don’t come. My place is small, and if you come, I’ll have to spend time with you.”
This time, her tone was tinged with a hint of disappointment. ‘That’s true. You are busy with your cases, after all…’
Jinglin bit her lip. That disappointed tone was unbearable. “I’ll find time to come back, okay? Before the Mid-Autumn Festival at the latest. That’s all for now, I’m going home.” She hung up.
She had once desperately wanted a normal mother.
After she finally managed to become a police officer, that wish had suddenly come true. Li Yuejiao had quietly left her job at the hostess club, moved to the countryside in Taoyuan, and was living comfortably on the money she had saved, occasionally taking on odd jobs as a hobby.
But the distance between mother and daughter had already grown too wide.
They could never go back to the way things were.
**
The next day, in the Criminal Investigation Division office—
“Little Zhou!” Lu Tingfeng called out to Zhou Jinglin from a distance. “Can you take care of this… huh? Where is she?” He held out a folder, but her seat was empty. “Is she in the restroom?”
Cai Yuwei, at the next desk, stood up and took the folder. “No, she grabbed her boxing gloves and ran out half an hour ago. She must have gone to hit the punching bag.”
“Again? Isn’t her right hand sprain still not healed?”
“Yeah, it’s still bandaged. But I didn’t dare to stop her. She looked really scary today…”
Lu Tingfeng’s mouth hung open. “Could it be that time of the…”
“Senior, don’t say that. You’ll get accused of workplace sexism.”
He covered his mouth and gave a dry laugh. “Just kidding, just kidding…”
Meanwhile, just as Cai Yuwei had said, after a light warm-up, Jinglin was furiously attacking the punching bag in the station’s gym.
She had changed into a sports tank top, and her ponytail swung like a rhythmic dance as her upper body swayed and her feet shifted.
She wasn’t doing cardio boxing, but real Muay Thai, mixing punches with elbow strikes, kicks, and knee jabs. This rigorous training had made her body even stronger.
After a right straight punch— “Ugh!” Her expression changed slightly.
Even with the protection of the gloves, she could feel a sharp pain in her sprained knuckles.
She took off the gloves to check and found that she had even knocked the bandage loose. She rubbed the injured area, changed into clean clothes, and ran back to the office.
Her bento box was untouched, while Cai Yuwei was halfway through his, holding chopsticks in his right hand, his eyes darting between a folder and the screen as he typed with his left. His ability to multitask was truly impressive.
“Ah, you’re back?”
“Yeah, sorry for dumping all the work on you.” She gave an apologetic smile, putting down her gloves to grab the folder.
He pressed his hand on it. “Eat first. We can talk after you’ve eaten.”
She gave him a grateful look and finally picked up her chopsticks.
“Jinglin, are you… in a bad mood?”
She raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
“No reason, just… a feeling.”
She stopped chewing, her eyes drifting to Tang Yingli, who was engrossed in her files in a corner seat that Fang Zijun had specially set up for her.
Yingli had her chin in her hand, her index finger touching her lip—her usual thinking pose. She was wearing black nail polish today, too.
‘Cold-blooded!’
What was supposed to be a simple visit to an injured person had turned into an unexpected argument after an old man fell down the stairs.
She and Tang Yingli had parted on bad terms, not to mention the call from her mother before she went home. Last night wasn’t just a bad mood; it was a disaster.
She forced a smile and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
“Is it related to the brainy teacher?” he asked, taking a wild guess.
He had unexpectedly hit the bullseye. “N-No! Why would you ask that?”
“Because you were looking at her!” He waved his chopsticks, a gossipy look on his face. “Hey, let me tell you! The brainy teacher went to find the medical examiner first thing this morning. The two of them were whispering for a long time. I don’t know if they were discussing a case or what… Ah, you’re a woman, so you probably don’t feel it.”
“Feel what?”
“You know, the Criminal Investigation Division is seriously male-dominated. Even though the brainy teacher is just helping with cases, she’s single and a great beauty. A lot of the seniors are secretly checking her out.”
Whether it was her family background, her talent, or her looks, Tang Yingli was undoubtedly top-tier. “Mm, and?”
“But it’s just looking from afar. Most of them don’t even dare to talk to her, except for the medical examiner.” You couldn’t blame the others for being timid; the aura Tang Yingli exuded was indeed intimidating. “After my observation, do you know what I told the seniors?”
Don’t tell me he thinks she and Tao Qianya are a couple. “What?”
“A talented woman like her, there are very few men who are worthy of her. She’s either already married, or she’s never even been in a relationship before!” He crossed his legs, making his confident prediction. “And the latter is far more likely than the former!”
“How can you be so sure?”
He held up his left hand. “Haven’t you noticed?”
