Chapter 59: ◎Captain Zhou, Is This Your Wedding Candy with Yu Bai?◎

It was the wee hours of the morning.

A night that had once been lit by stars and moonlight now pattered with light rain. Yu Bai hadn’t changed into pajamas. She stayed in the temporary rest room on the top floor of the club with her eyes closed until 1:15 a.m.

In the dark room, she slowly opened her eyes. Borrowing the faint light from far off outside the window, she glanced down at the suitcase standing beside the single-seater sofa and let out a soft half-sigh.

She rose from the sofa, walked to the door to grab an umbrella from the coat rack, pulled open the door, took the elevator downstairs, and slipped silently into the rain.

Once she was sure no one was following, she quickened her pace. Twenty minutes later, she arrived at an abandoned building where no one lived.

She had just climbed to the rooftop when a woman’s voice rang out from the darkness. “Yu Bai, what happened? Why call me here in such a hurry?”

Yu Bai hurried over. The face of the woman hidden in the night gradually came into view—it was Zhao Min.

Her hair was a bit disheveled, and beneath her coat and long pants, she was still in her pajamas. Clearly, she had already been asleep and been roused on short notice.

Zhao Min held an umbrella in one hand and rubbed the top of her head with the other. Unable to hold back, she let out a yawn and raised a hand apologetically. “Sorry, I’m just so sleepy.”

At one in the morning, she had received Yu Bai’s message asking her to meet at the rooftop of an abandoned building.

Zhao Min had practically leaped out of bed right away, thrown on a coat, and rushed to the rendezvous point, terrified that something had gone wrong.

After anxiously waiting five minutes on the rooftop of the abandoned building, she finally spotted Yu Bai. Only then did her heart, which had been in her throat, slowly settle.

“The situation has changed. I didn’t have time to give you advance notice—my fault.” Yu Bai stopped in her tracks, pressed two fingers to the spot between her brows, took a deep breath, and said, “Long story short: tomorrow, I’m heading to Myanmar with Qin Hua to pick up Miao Deng from prison. I suspect Qin Hua will make some big moves soon.”

Her voice was low but steady. It mingled with the howling night wind whipping through the rain and poured straight into Zhao Min’s ears.

It was chilling.

Zhao Min’s heart jolted. She snapped fully awake, her fingers tightening on the umbrella handle. “So soon? Earlier than you predicted? What do you need me to do?”

Yu Bai loosely gripped the rooftop’s guardrail with one hand. Her slender, delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her unfathomably deep eyes darkened further, nothing visible in them now but an abyss of black.

After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly turned her head, met Zhao Min’s gaze, and shook her head. “Nothing. If you don’t hear from me soon, don’t reach out. Qin Hua is very invested in Miao Deng’s situation. The moment we arrive in Myanmar, there’s a high chance he’ll control our communication devices and freedom of movement.”

Zhao Min felt a chill crawl over her scalp. “What if you’re in danger?”

Yu Bai paused for a beat, her expression as nonchalant as ever, even a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her eye. “Then I’ll find a way to let you know. Don’t worry—in a real crisis, I know how to protect myself.”

Yu Bai was plenty professional when it came to matters like this, but Zhao Min still couldn’t shake her unease. “I’ll check with my superiors and coordinate with the Myanmar police to send someone to protect you.”

Yu Bai let out a wry chuckle and shook her head to stop her. “This time, I can’t even bring my own bodyguards, let alone police.”

Zhao Min understood. In an undercover operation, outside protection was next to useless.

She deflated a little, frustrated that there was nothing she could do.

Yu Bai took in her companion’s mood across from her and offered some reassurance. “Don’t worry too much. Qin Hua won’t keep us pinned down in Myanmar forever. Two weeks at most. Miao Deng will have just gotten out of prison—his status makes him too sensitive. Qin Hua won’t risk him causing a scene there. He’ll probably bring him back to the country.”

She paused, her gaze dropping as she pondered for a few seconds before continuing. “When that happens, per the original plan, I’ll gather evidence of Miao Deng’s next crime and tip off the police for a covert arrest. He’s carrying what you all want.”

With everything explained, Yu Bai said a quick goodbye and turned to leave.

“Yu Bai.” Zhao Min called after her.

She turned back. “Yeah?”

Zhao Min’s eyes swirled with complex emotions as she looked at Yu Bai, who stood some distance away under her umbrella. “Make sure you protect yourself.”

The corners of Yu Bai’s lips curved up slightly. A rare gentleness flickered in her eyes. She nodded and vanished down the stairwell.

~~~

Two days later, in the morning.

City Bureau office.

A crowd had gathered around Zhou Hui’s desk.

“Captain Zhou! Captain Zhou! Save some for me!” Sun Ye finally squeezed through from the back of the throng. He darted a quick hand into the metal tin on the desk and grabbed a handful of candies. A few strands of his hair stuck up wildly, forming a messy tuft on top of his head. He patted at it a couple of times, but it didn’t look any better. He gave up.

In a few quick motions, he tore off the wrappers and popped a chocolate candy into his mouth. His eyes lit up instantly.

Whoa! High-end stuff really was on another level.

He popped another candy into his mouth and flashed a cheeky grin at Zhou Hui, who was handing out sweets to their colleagues across the desk. Leaning in closer, he said, “Captain Zhou! Quite the big spender—these candies must’ve set you back at least a grand! Hit the jackpot lately?”

Zhou Hui eyed his punch-worthy smirk and instinctively took half a step back, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

She glanced down at the five tin boxes on the desk and thought to herself, Far more than a thousand, that’s for sure.

The previous afternoon, right after work, Zhou Boyan had called out of the blue, inviting her over for dinner. He’d been all mysterious, claiming someone had left a gift for her at his place.

Full of suspicion, Zhou Hui had shown up at his doorstep, racking her brain the whole way. She didn’t have many friends, and her bond with her dad wasn’t exactly close—who would drop off a gift for her there?

Third Aunt? Older Cousin Sister?

She shook her head, dismissing each possibility in turn.

Puzzled, she rang the doorbell.

For perhaps the first time in years, Zhou Boyan greeted her at the door with a kindly, benevolent smile. “Ah Hui’s home! Come on in—Dad’s got dinner ready.”

The sight of that smile on her father’s face startled Zhou Hui so much that a chill ran down her spine. She backed up a step, her mouth twitching. “Dad, quit staring at me like that. If you’ve got something to say, say it. Otherwise, I’m out.”

Zhou Boyan’s smile crumbled. He tugged at the corners of his mouth and looked her up and down with feigned heartbreak. “What’s this? Can’t a father show a little concern for his own daughter? With a temper like yours, I wonder who could ever put up with you.”

Zhou Hui nodded. Now that’s more like my dad.

She slipped off her shoes and changed into slippers, giving the room a quick once-over before turning back to him. “Dad, where’s this gift? You said someone left one for me.”

“Eat first.” Beaming, Zhou Boyan steered her toward the dining table and chair, plopping an extra chicken drumstick onto her plate. He didn’t touch his chopsticks, though, propping his elbows on the table to watch her instead.

Zhou Hui took a bite of the drumstick. Four dishes and a soup—all her favorites—stared back at her from the table. A creepy feeling settled in her gut. She looked up cautiously and gave him a dry laugh. “Dad, you eat some too!”

“You go ahead. Dad’s not hungry.”

Zhou Hui felt like crying.

Especially not with you staring me down like that!

She forced down two more bites, but her courage finally failed her. Setting the drumstick aside, she said earnestly, “Dad, if I’ve done anything wrong, just tell me straight. I’ll fix it. Please don’t scare your daughter like this.”

Zhou Boyan waved her off with a quick laugh. “No, no—you’re doing just fine. It’s Dad who’s never really looked after you all these years, never figured out what you like.”

Zhou Hui swallowed hard, her scalp still prickling. As he clipped another helping of vegetables onto her plate, she bowed her head and ate.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, “You like Yu Bai, don’t you?”

Zhou Hui choked, her pupils dilating in shock as she stared at him. “You… don’t go saying things like that.”

Zhou Boyan took one look at her expression and felt even more certain. “Dad’s pretty open-minded, you know. Like who you want, hate who you want—I won’t stand in your way or object. As long as you can take responsibility for yourself. Not even gonna tell your old man about it?”

Zhou Hui opened her mouth to protest, but an image flashed through her mind: Yu Bai wandering the apartment in nothing but one of her shirts. Her face flushed red, and she fell silent.

“You silly girl. You’ve already let her crash at your place for ten whole days, and now you’re getting all shy?”

“Dad—”

“All right, all right. No more questions. Let me grab your gift.” Chuckling, Zhou Boyan left the table and headed to the next room.

Moments later, he returned lugging eight tin boxes, a larger one stacked on top.

He dumped them all on the table and handed her the top one. “Here—this is the one Yu Bai picked up when she visited a couple days ago. Said it’s something you like. See how thoughtful she is? Even Dad doesn’t know what you go for!”

Before Zhou Hui could respond, he shoved the eight smaller boxes toward her. “And take these candies home too! You know Dad’s got the three highs—no sweets for me. Share ’em with your colleagues.”

Zhou Hui tamped down her excitement, keeping her face neutral in front of him.

After dinner, the moment she stepped out of Zhou Boyan’s place, she hugged the stack of boxes all the way to the parking lot. She stashed the eight candy boxes in the back seat and tore into the special one from Yu Bai right away.

Inside was a talking Peppa Pig. Press its belly, and it sang a tune.

Zhou Hui turned it this way and that, then discovered it could even record voices.

Overjoyed, she hugged Peppa all the way home.

That morning, Zhou Hui arrived at the City Bureau carrying several boxes of candy. She had barely settled into her office chair when a pack of ravenous bureau wolves swarmed her, snatching up the treats in a frenzy.

By now, Sun Ye had already scarfed down two rounds. He licked the chocolate from the corners of his mouth, still savoring the taste, and reached greedily for a third handful—only for Little Liu from the Technical Department to slap his hand away.

“Hey? Sun Zi, you’re hogging them all! Leave some for our Technical Department. Captain Zhou just said two boxes were ours, and you’ve gobbled them up, you pig.”

Sun Ye withdrew his hand in disappointment and muttered softly, “I haven’t eaten that much…”

Zhou Hui finally fished two more candies out of the tin for him, pursing her lips. “The last two. Eat up and get back to work. Leave some for the Technical Department.”

Sun Ye popped them into his mouth with satisfaction, smacking his lips noisily. With a sleazy grin, he sidled up to Zhou Hui and bared his teeth. “Captain Zhou, did you really buy these candies yourself? Does your salary stretch to stuff like this?”

Zhou Hui shoved him back with two fingers, her expression utterly serious. “Actually, someone gave them to me.”

The office exploded into a chorus of hoots and teasing shouts.

“Ooh! Who from? Captain Zhou, is the eternal bachelor finally off the market? Someone’s gifting you candy this pricey?”

“Huh? Looks like a German brand. Let me check… Holy hell, 3888! Per box!”

Han Wei, who had been standing off to the side quietly munching his own candy, suddenly remembered Yu Bai—the genuine article of a wealthy heiress who had been crashing at Zhou Hui’s place ever since that hotpot dinner.

He glanced down at the candy in his hand, and realization dawned. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he bellowed loud enough for the entire office to hear: “Captain Zhou, is this your wedding candy with Yu Bai?”

The crowd surged forward in a rush, all clamoring for a piece of the supposed wedding sweets.

Meng Liansu materialized out of nowhere, still in her white lab coat, her face the picture of solemnity. “Captain Zhou, the Forensic Department wants to bask in the joy too! Could you spare us a couple extra? We’ve got a lot of people—too few won’t go around evenly.”