Chapter 29: Officer Zhou, Are You Angry?

Zhou Hui opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Something indescribable flickered in the depths of Yu Bai’s eyes. She said to Zhou Hui, “Officer Zhou, let me tell you a story.” Without waiting for Zhou Hui’s response, she paused for just a few seconds before continuing. “When I was in elementary school, a classmate lost ten bucks. Later, someone said my deskmate Little Red had stolen it. I didn’t believe them because, in my mind, Little Red had always been an honest, well-behaved kid. I went to argue with those people, but they figured that since I was defending Little Red, I must be in on the theft too.”

Zhou Hui fell silent for a moment, staring into Yu Bai’s eyes. “Did she steal the money?”

Yu Bai replied, “I don’t know. She transferred schools. And from that point on, I was branded a ‘thief’ until I graduated.”

“You never considered transferring yourself?”

Yu Bai glanced out the window before her gaze returned to Zhou Hui. “The moment I chose to stand by her side, I knew I’d be painted with the same brush—and I was ready to face whatever came with that.”

Zhou Hui listened, her brows knitting tightly as she studied Yu Bai. “So what do you actually care about?”

“What do I care about?” Yu Bai narrowed her eyes, as if pondering the question. A moment later, realization dawned, and she curved her lips in a sly, foxlike grin that neatly sidestepped it. Then she rapped her knuckles on the desk to remind Zhou Hui, “Meeting first, Officer Zhou.”

Zhou Hui had a reputation for working herself to the bone, her mind consumed solely by the case—but not this time. She caught up to Yu Bai as she turned to leave the office and slapped her hand against the door.

“What’s the rush? We’ve got half an hour till the meeting.”

Yu Bai felt deeply uncomfortable with the way Zhou Hui loomed over her, pinning her against the door—especially since she was wearing flats today. Zhou Hui had insisted on these shoes that morning before they headed out, claiming high heels were a tripping hazard. What nonsense.

The memory flashed through Yu Bai’s mind: that time at Zhou Boyan’s place, when Zhou Hui had backed her against the fridge. Time to switch tactics and seize the initiative. She dipped her head, lips hooking into a wicked smile, then looked up. One hand snaked around Zhou Hui’s shoulder as she rose on tiptoe and murmured hotly into her ear, “I care about you.”

An electric jolt coursed through Zhou Hui’s body, freezing her in place. It took ages for her to snap out of it, grasp Yu Bai’s intent—and then a surge of inexplicable fury rushed to her head. Face cold as ice, she hauled Yu Bai off her.

Yu Bai looked utterly pleased with Zhou Hui’s reaction. She leaned lazily against the door, eyes alight with brazen amusement as she ogled her shamelessly.

Zhou Hui stood in heavy silence for a beat, then jabbed a finger at the door and commanded, “Out.”

Grinning like a cheeky rascal, Yu Bai shoved the door open. She tossed a parting shot over her shoulder. “Sure thing, Officer Zhou—no need to walk me out.”

As if she’d totally forgotten about the meeting in thirty minutes.

Kicked out by Zhou Hui, Yu Bai bore no grudge. She sauntered downstairs at a leisurely pace, paused at the Police Bureau’s entrance, and lit a cigarette. She exhaled ring after lazy ring of smoke, savoring the moment.

Over the past few days in the hospital, she’d held off smoking around Zhou Hui out of consideration. Now that Zhou Hui had booted her from the office, though, Yu Bai figured it was high time to treat herself.

The thought brought an involuntary smile to her lips.

“Yu Bai?”

Her name rang out, snapping her back. She turned toward the voice, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Han Wei?”

“What are you doing out here alone? Where’s Captain Zhou?”

“In the office.” Yu Bai jerked her chin lazily toward Zhou Hui’s window, the cigarette dangling from her fingers. She added casually, “Want one?”

Without waiting for an answer, she fished out a cigarette and lighter and chucked them into his chest.

Han Wei lit up, took a drag, slipped the lighter back into the pack, and handed it over. “You seem different since you got back—like you’ve changed a lot. What happened these past two years?”

Yu Bai’s hand stilled mid-motion. She finally brought the cigarette to her lips, inhaled deeply with a furrowed brow, then turned to meet his gaze, all smiles. “Is this your student side kicking in, worrying about his teacher? Or is there something else?”

Han Wei blinked, taken aback, then replied, “Let’s call it a student worrying about his teacher, then!”

Yu Bai shook her head with a chuckle. “In that case… no comment. A student shouldn’t pry into his teacher’s private life.”

“And if it’s as a friend? I mean, I didn’t win you over back then, but we can at least be friends, right?”

Yu Bai ducked her head, mulling it over, lips parting to respond—when a voice cut in from behind.

“Yu Bai, why are you wandering off like this? Your wounds aren’t healed—don’t you have any sense? Get back to the office.” Zhou Hui hadn’t been able to shake her worry. She’d chased after Yu Bai, scoured the building, and now found her here, smoking with Han Wei.

Yu Bai turned her head for no apparent reason, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She shot Zhou Hui a questioning look, slowly forming a question mark with her gaze. It had only been a few minutes since someone chased her out of the office.

Zhou Hui appeared oblivious to the silent message, her expression still stern. With an unwavering look, she silently commanded, “Come here.”

Yu Bai flashed Han Wei an apologetic smile before walking over to Zhou Hui. Though she didn’t agree with Zhou Hui’s reasoning, she had no desire to continue that topic with Han Wei.

She stubbed out her cigarette and followed Zhou Hui back into the office. The atmosphere in the room instantly grew a touch awkward.

Yu Bai figured it was that earlier remark that had startled her. Zhou Hui now seemed reluctant to speak to her.

Reflecting on their history—from their first meal together, to solemnly buying her medicine for bruises and sprains, to insisting on staying at the hospital to care for her, and now that deliberate flirtation—Yu Bai reached a conclusion: Zhou Hui had never been in a relationship.

The only exception was that fleeting glimpse of Zhou Hui in Zhou Boyan’s kitchen, dressed in her police uniform and seemingly eager to engage in some intimate activity with her. That had given Yu Bai the mistaken impression that Zhou Hui was an old hand at romance.

But now, Yu Bai chalked it up to the unique sentiment Zhou Hui had developed from years in criminal investigation.

With that thought, Yu Bai realized she hadn’t really lost out that day at Zhou Boyan’s place. At most, she’d paid the price of a sore back.

Of course, that soreness paled in comparison to what she felt now—there was no contest.

Yu Bai watched as Zhou Hui sat primly at her desk, flipping through files with a sharp rustle.

A smile crept onto Yu Bai’s lips. She sat across from Zhou Hui at the desk—too sore in the waist to stand—and leaned in close to her face. “Officer Zhou, are you mad?”

Yu Bai was deliberately teasing her. Zhou Hui gritted her teeth and ignored her, continuing to flip through the documents without absorbing a single page.

Not one to let it go, Yu Bai pressed on with a mischievous grin. “Really mad, huh? What are you mad about?”

Zhou Hui slammed the folder shut with a “thwack,” lifting a pair of eyes tinged with irritation. “Yu Bai, what are you trying to do? This is the Police Bureau. If you keep spouting nonsense, get out!”

Seeing that Zhou Hui might actually be angry, Yu Bai decided she’d had her fun and reined it in. She pointed to her watch. “It’s time for the meeting. Let’s head to the conference room and talk business.”

“…”

Zhou Hui swallowed her frustration, holding it back with effort.

The two entered the conference room one after the other. Nearly all the officers involved in the case were already there, including the leaders Zhang Yunan and Xu Zhixin.

The moment Yu Bai stepped through the door, Xu Zhixin shot her a hostile glare.

Yu Bai paid it no mind. After taking an empty seat, she noticed Xu Zhixin was directly across from her. Out of politeness, she returned a smile—but it carried a blatant air of indifference and brazen disregard, stoking the flames of Xu Zhixin’s anger.

Yu Bai knew exactly where his animosity came from. Two years ago, during the internal investigation of the 725 Case, she had crossed paths with the captain of the Narcotics Squad. Ji Shen’s betrayal had convinced him that she and Ji Shen were cut from the same cloth—neither of them any good.

Yu Bai still remembered how, after the internal inquiry, Xu Zhixin had blocked her at the Police Bureau entrance and refused to let her leave. If not for Zhang Yunan’s intervention, he might have laid hands on a woman right there at the gate.

Ignoring Xu Zhixin’s enmity, Yu Bai had just skimmed two pages of material when Zhang Yunan’s voice filled the room. “Everyone’s here, Little Yu. Shall we get started?”

Yu Bai nodded, about to reply, “Sure…”

Xu Zhixin abruptly shoved back his chair and stood, cutting her off loudly. “No. She can’t be involved in the case investigation.”