Chapter 19: “Kids are the ones who seek praise. Why would I seek it? To trade a little red flower for some candy?”

It was early morning, eight o’clock.

In the City Bureau office.

Han Wei had breakfast on his desk. He sat at his workstation, eating while briefing Officer Zhou. “The Traffic Police Brigade’s investigation is in. The license plate was fake.”

Officer Zhou wasn’t too surprised. Late last night, the City Bureau had pulled an all-nighter, but Yan Mingchang had still vanished into a surveillance blind spot. It looked like tracking him down would take more time.

Sun Ye came in from outside, carrying soy milk and fried dough sticks. He gesticulated wildly as he gossiped with the others, brimming with energy like he’d downed two pounds of baijiu and hadn’t come down from it yet.

“…This morning, as soon as I stepped out of my complex, I heard a huge commotion at the Local Police Station across the street! What a scene—tons of uncles and aunties out for walks or back from the market had gathered in a circle right at the entrance.”

One of the interns let out a “Holy shit,” then asked curiously, “Making a racket at the police station first thing in the morning? Backing up who?”

“A bunch of punks from who-knows-where, hauled in by some bodyguards. They said the punks had caused a scene at their club. You know… hey! Deputy Han, it’s that club you guys raided a while back. Someone reported drug dealing there. What was it called again?” Sun Ye jabbed a finger at Han Wei, soy milk carton in hand.

With Sun Ye’s booming voice, his earlier words had carried through the entire office. The new interns, intrigued by the drama, craned their necks and crowded closer to listen.

Han Wei turned his head, package bun clamped between his teeth as he mumbled a reply. “Red Club.”

“Yeah, yeah, Red Club. They called the cops saying some punks showed up in the early hours and roughed up their boss. One of the punks got to the station doorway, still handcuffed, and kept right on cursing! Said the club treats the cops like daddy every day, stealing their business and…”

“Yu Bai?!”

“Yu Bai?!”

Officer Zhou and Zhao Min interrupted him in unison, then both snapped their mouths shut at the same time.

The atmosphere in the office turned awkward in an instant. The half-sentence stuck in Sun Ye’s throat hung there, undelivered. After a long daze, he asked weakly, “Uh… what’s going on here?”

Officer Zhou thought it over, then decided there was no point hiding it. “Yu Bai was the one who gave us the tip on Yan Mingchang and Wu Guojiang. Yan’s on the run now, and I suspect this is connected to him.”

Han Wei had gone to the Red Club with Officer Zhou back then. He had serious doubts about the place’s security. After all, she was the woman he’d once pursued. Even if things hadn’t worked out between them in the end, there were still feelings there that set her apart from others.

“How about… we head over to the Police Bureau and offer her some support? We could ask about Yan Mingchang while we’re at it.”

While they talked, Zhao Min slipped out of the office. She went downstairs to a quiet spot and dialed Yu Bai. “Hey? You okay?”

There was a brief pause on the other end before Yu Bai’s laughter came through. “What do you mean ‘okay’? What’d you hear this time?”

“Did some troublemakers show up at your place this morning?” Zhao Min was still a bit annoyed. Before Yu Bai could respond, she added, “Something this big, and you didn’t even tell me? Why didn’t you call?”

Yu Bai chuckled helplessly on her end. “It went down around four in the morning. I’ve got a ton to handle here, and I’m at the hospital right now. The Local Police Station’s been blowing up my phone one after another to come in for a statement. How could I think of anything else? Besides, it’s not a big deal—just a nuisance. You’re swamped with that case, right? No need to bother you over something small.”

“Yu Bai, you…”

Before Zhao Min could finish, Yu Bai cut her off swiftly. “Focus on work. I’ll handle my own stuff.”

Clearly, Zhao Min had no intention of dropping it. “Which hospital are you at? I’ll come by at noon to see you.”

The response came right away. “I’m fine. Don’t come.”

“I’m worried about you!” Zhao Min sighed, utterly helpless. Her rejections always came the quickest.

Sure enough, the line crackled back. “We should keep contact to a minimum. If it’s not urgent, better not even call. It’s not safe. Gotta go.”

Beep beep beep—

Zhao Min: “…”

Yu Bai leaned against the bed in her private hospital ward, arm in a bandage sling. She shook her head with a smile at the phone screen.

Her smile hadn’t faded when the screen lit up again, vibrating along with it. The caller ID read “Officer Zhou.” Her lips stiffened into a forced grin as she hit accept.

“Officer Zhou?”

Officer Zhou acknowledged her, then got straight to it. “I heard some guys caused a ruckus at your place this morning. What happened?”

“…” Yu Bai felt a deep wave of exasperation. She rolled her eyes inwardly. Do these cops have nothing better to do all day? Snooping around for gossip everywhere.

Zhou Hui waited ages for a reply before continuing. “Which hospital are you in? I’ll head over right now.”

“……?” Yu Bai felt even more depressed, her mind filled with question marks. Had this cop memorized her lines too? She brushed her off just like she’d done with Zhao Min. “No need, Officer Zhou.”

Zhou Hui fell silent for a stretch. Just as Yu Bai was about to hang up, the officer spoke again. “I’m almost at the City Hospital entrance. Which ward?”

“……You……” Yu Bai had been about to ask how she knew, but it hit her midway. The City Hospital was the closest to the club, and the City Bureau shared tight ties with every local precinct like one big family. A single call from Zhou Hui would’ve revealed her whereabouts. With a sigh, she gave in. “Ward 315.”

“Got it. I’ll park and come up shortly.”

Yu Bai tossed her phone aside and collapsed onto the bed after hanging up. She still couldn’t make heads or tails of this feel-good operation from the City Bureau.

Not even ten minutes passed before Zhou Hui knocked on the door to Ward 315. Two bodyguards stood guard outside. “Who are you?”

Yu Bai sat up in bed and waved the bodyguards aside. “Let her in.”

She watched as Zhou Hui entered, one hand clutching a bag of oranges and the other cradling a bouquet of flowers. The officer wore her usual black T-shirt paired with dark blue police trousers. As Zhou Hui set the oranges and flowers on the table, Yu Bai couldn’t help wondering whether she owned a closet full of identical shirts or if this was truly her only one.

Zhou Hui noticed Yu Bai staring and casually looked away after a moment. She glanced down to make sure her uniform was straight, then stood beside the bed. “You……”

“I’m fine. Just a minor fracture.”

Zhou Hui eyed the cast on her arm and the bulky bandages. Fine? She didn’t take her own safety seriously at all?

Yu Bai seemed to read the officer’s thoughts. Her clear, bright eyes fixed on Zhou Hui for a couple of seconds before she added, “Those guys probably weren’t out to kill me. They just wanted to teach me a lesson.” She lifted her arm with a casual smile playing on her lips.

“You can still smile about it?” Zhou Hui marveled at—and despaired over—Yu Bai’s nonchalance. With a helpless shake of her head, she said, “Can’t you take better care of yourself for once?”

Yu Bai blinked up at her, then burst out laughing. “Come on, Officer Zhou, don’t act like such an old fogey. How old are you, anyway?”

Zhou Hui sighed and grabbed a paper cup. She picked up the kettle from the table, only to find it empty. She filled it at the sink and set it to boil, then nodded toward Yu Bai’s arm. “In your condition, you haven’t hired anyone to look after you?”

“Not yet.” At the mention, Yu Bai’s expression soured, as if dredging up bad memories. The last time she’d been hospitalized, she’d hired a caregiver—though whether it was the worker’s negligence or her own exacting standards, that one had quit after three days. She’d cycled through several more, but none broke the three-day curse. By the seventh, Yu Bai had apparently had enough of the hassle. She kept only the daily meal service and cleaning help, handling everything else herself. Her self-reliance was impressive, to say the least.

Zhou Hui handed her the boiled water. “You can’t manage without help. Surely hiring a caregiver is no big deal for you.”

Yu Bai accepted the cup, her head throbbing faintly from the officer’s mothering. In a pleading tone, she said, “Okay, Officer Zhou, it’s my problem. I’ll sort it out myself!”

She took a couple of sips and set the cup down—only for a perfectly peeled orange to appear before her.

Yu Bai popped a segment into her mouth. It was so sour her teeth ached. She glanced up at Zhou Hui. Where on earth had she gotten these?

“Officer Zhou, you have some too.” She slid the rest back toward her. Zhou Hui hadn’t planned on eating any; it was a gift for the patient, after all—what kind of impression would that give? But Yu Bai’s enthusiasm was relentless, and Zhou Hui wasn’t one for empty polite refusals. There was no point dithering over a single orange.

With Yu Bai watching expectantly, Zhou Hui took a segment and bit into it. Then……

Zhou Hui: “……”

Yu Bai: “……”

They stared at each other, wide-eyed, for what felt like ages before dissolving into laughter.

Zhou Hui chucked the orange in the trash. “Never mind. Let’s skip these. I’ll grab some other fruit.” She shook her head, unsure if she was talking to Yu Bai or herself. “The fruit vendor swore they were super sweet……”

Yu Bai grinned. “It’s business! You can’t expect a shopkeeper to shoot straight.”

“Fair enough.” Zhou Hui smiled back and asked offhandedly, “You got to the hospital so early—did you even have breakfast?”

Yu Bai chose to skip right over Officer Zhou’s concern, abruptly changing the subject to Yan Mingchang.

“Has Yan Mingchang been found?”

Officer Zhou was caught off guard by Yu Bai’s sudden leap in conversation and struggled to keep up. She paused for a moment before replying, “…No.”

“As expected.” Yu Bai showed little reaction to the news. If they had a lead on Yan Mingchang’s whereabouts, she probably wouldn’t still be stuck in the hospital.

That wasn’t what Officer Zhou was getting at, though. She asked, “Why didn’t you call me when it happened?”

Yu Bai remembered Zhao Min asking the exact same question over the phone earlier and let out a sigh. “I didn’t think to.” Realizing those three words sounded too curt, she added, “But the first thing I did was call the police. I didn’t try to handle it on my own or get revenge—an eye for an eye, breaking two bones apiece. Pretty rational, right?”

As Yu Bai leaned in with a smug grin to brag about her restraint, Officer Zhou gave her a tight-lipped smile and said deadpan, “So, you want a pat on the back?”

Yu Bai reconsidered, deciding it was unwise to sound so cocky in front of a cop. She flashed Officer Zhou a smile. “No, it’s just what any good citizen would do. I wasn’t fishing for praise.” She smoothed out her suit jacket afterward, trying to reclaim her image as a respectable person.

Officer Zhou gave her a knowing look. Yu Bai’s facade was crumbling fast. She turned away with a haughty pout, feigning indifference as she muttered, “Only kids beg for praise. What would I even do with it? Trade a gold star for candy?”

“Pfft!” Officer Zhou burst out laughing at Yu Bai’s childish tsundere act. Did she really carry that much of an idol image? It made sense—Officer Zhou had never seen Yu Bai let her guard down. No matter the situation, she was always camera-ready, her expressions and emotions managed with the precision of a top-tier actor, always projecting perfection. Even her outfits seemed governed by strict personal rules. Officer Zhou figured Yu Bai could never relate to someone like her, whose closet was full of identical shirts, grabbed at random before heading out.

Sure enough, while Yu Bai treated her own life like it was disposable, she guarded her image fiercely. She was clearly miffed that Officer Zhou had called her bluff. Turning her back, she silently clung to the shreds of her dignity.

The back of her head faced Officer Zhou squarely: No talking!

Since Yu Bai was a patient, Officer Zhou decided to cut her some slack and tossed her a lifeline by changing the subject. “Who were the guys who did this? Any idea?”

Grateful for the out but still prickly about it, Yu Bai grumbled, “Just some street punks—who knows where they crawled out from. In business, you step on toes, you get fights, disturbances, smashed-up shops. It happens all the time. I just didn’t expect Yan Mingchang to level up, ditching petty tricks like fake reports for this brute-force approach.”

Officer Zhou could tell she was still fuming. Who wouldn’t be, after getting clocked first thing in the morning and waking up in a hospital bed?

Most people, though, would feel more fear than fury in her shoes. Yu Bai wasn’t most people. Set against her past ordeals, this was small potatoes. Whatever terror she might have felt had been ground down long ago. To her, a street brawl was kids’ play: you punch me, I punch back.

Her dulled nerves registered only irritation and hassle from the whole mess.

Composing herself, Yu Bai said, “The local police station will let me know as soon as they have anything. I’ve got people looking into it too—should have answers soon.”

Officer Zhou nodded, then glanced warily at the bodyguards outside the door. “You sure it’s safe staying here at the hospital? Why not crash at my place for now?”