Instantly, everyone turned into fans. They stood up and saluted Fang Zhenyue with clumsy poses, or leaned forward to shake his hand, while some were so nervous they couldn’t speak and just kept saying, “So handsome, so cool.”
Everyone who came to Yi Ji to eat felt a sense of pride and thrill.
My goodness, they were eating the same food as the super tough officer on TV, feeling as if they themselves had become just as formidable.
The butcher laughed and said to Yi Jiadong, “The sign should read: Eat at Yi Ji, and be as tough as that officer!”
As everyone was moved by the moment, they opened their mouths in shock when Fang Zhenyue and Sanfu charged into the bank amidst a hail of bullets, nearly biting their tongues in fright.
Just as everyone was straining their eyes to see the scene inside the bank, the camera suddenly switched to Yi Jiayi lying across from the bank entrance.
Although the detectives in the TV show were still unaware of the existence of a fourth robber, the viewers knew.
When they saw Ye Yongqian with his hand inside his coat, walking past Yi Jiayi and looking at her with his narrow, snake-like eyes, Jiaru was so frightened that she screamed and covered her eyes.
“It’s okay, he didn’t shoot.” Jiajun quickly grabbed his second sister’s arm. His face was pale with fear, but he kept reassuring Jiaru.
It was unclear if he was saying it for himself or for his sister.
It wasn’t until Ye Yongqian really walked past Yi Jiayi, no longer looking at her, that Jiaru finally let go of her hand, stood beside her big sister, and hugged her tightly, tears falling down her face, not sure if it was from fright or from feeling for her sister.
Yi Jiayi’s various emotions had been comforted and explained by many people afterward. Now, seeing the concern of her family, she felt only warmth in her heart, no longer feeling nauseous or afraid.
Yi Jiadong also reached out and gently held his sister’s hand.
Yi Jiayi felt her big brother’s hand was icy cold, seemingly even more afraid than she was at the moment. She then held his hand back with one arm and hugged Jiaru with the other, reaching out to pat Jiajun’s head.
At that moment, there was another scream in the hall of Yi Ji, as Ye Yongqian stood at the bank entrance and raised his gun towards Fang Zhenyue’s back.
This time, even those who had heard this story many times before, like Lin Wangjiu and others, started to breathe rapidly.
They had all experienced dangerous situations, but never had they stood so close to death’s door. Watching it now, they were sweating cold sweat.
Sanfu, sitting not far from Yi Jiayi, looked down at her after witnessing this scene, his emotions churning more than they had all afternoon.
When Jiayi panicked and stood up, shouting in fear towards the bank, her face pale as she returned to pick up the dropped service pistol of the uniformed officer 7512. Her slender figure stood like a pine tree outside the bank, quicker than Ye Yongqian to assume a shooting stance, which made Sanfu’s eyes involuntarily well up with tears.
He had joked before about being saved by a youngster, which was something extraordinary. Now, seeing this scene firsthand, feeling Jiayi’s fear and vulnerability, her strength and bravery, he was so moved that he wished he could devote his life to her.
Thinking this, Sanfu turned to look at Fang Zhenyue, whose expression was also very complex. His bushy eyebrows were furrowed deeply, and his eyes seemed to storm with emotion.
He could understand Sir Fang’s feelings, surely he also wished he could serve the young female officer, who was clearly petite but had to stand tall in that moment, for a lifetime.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the TV. Even though the filmer was far away, the sound was very loud.
Everyone shuddered at the gunshot, but the silhouette of Jiayi on the TV remained rigid, as if nothing could bend her waist.
“Wow, the policewoman is so cool!”
“Unflappable in the face of danger, her shooting is like that of a deity!”
“So impressive! So righteous!”
The neighbors in the shop began to exclaim loudly again.
Jiaru had started crying at some point, and now hearing everyone’s praises, she switched from tears to laughter, then back to tears again.
In the midst of it all, not forgetting to boast, she jumped up pointing at Jiayi sitting next to her, “She’s my sister! She’s my sister! Woo woo woo… my big sister, woo woo wah… big sister…”
Jiajun had been strong, not crying at all, but now he too felt his nose tingle as Jiaru cried.
He lunged from behind Jiayi and hugged her neck, burying his face in her nape, and even the tough little guy let a few tears fall, all wiped on Jiayi’s collar.
“Ah! Is she really Boss Yi’s older sister?” A newcomer, unaware of the situation, couldn’t help but be astonished.
“Yes, a child who grew up in our community! We’ve watched Jiayi grow up from a little girl! She’s the light of Yanjia Street!” Regular customers familiar with Jiayi also couldn’t resist boasting.
“What light of Yanjia Street, she’s the light of Hong Kong!” The neighboring auntie had squeezed into the Yi family’s shop at some point, munching on sunflower seeds and shouting loudly.
“Wow, Officer Yi, sign an autograph for me! Justice defeats evil! I want to frame it and hang it by the door.”
“Then I want one too! Boss Yi, do you have any good paper?”
Following this, the owner of the neighboring shop chimed in from where they were watching TV together: “I sell paper, you guys buy some!”
Since Yi Ji started selling Yi’s Ice Delight, the foot traffic on Yanjia Street had surged. Customers came for the Yi’s Ice Delight and new dishes, and occasionally patronized the shops of the neighbors, hence every store along the street next to Yi Ji had benefitted.
After hearing the shop owner’s words, people actually went to buy paper.
The shop owner couldn’t stop smiling and generously shared a large bag of sunflower seeds he brought with his customers.
“Let’s eat together, let’s eat~”
As Jiayi dashed into the bank on TV and the police assault vehicle finally arrived, Fang Zhenyue, sitting at the round table, heard his BB-call suddenly beep at his waist.
After silencing it, he borrowed a phone from Yi Jiadong and went to the front desk to dial a number.
As soon as the person on the other end picked up, they couldn’t wait to say, “Ah Yue, why didn’t you call home about such a big incident?”
It was his mother’s voice.
“I’m not hurt, it’s all exaggerated on TV,” Fang Zhenyue responded, somewhat distractedly looking up at the TV.
“How can you say that? Even if it’s just an exaggeration by the TV, your father and I are still very worried. It’s been almost a month since you’ve been home, when will you come visit us? That villain was aiming a gun at you, I saw it, my heart stopped beating. I didn’t want you to be a detective, but you wouldn’t listen…” His mother’s voice choked up as she spoke.
“…” Fang Zhenyue looked down slightly. He just sighed softly and did not reply.
“That female officer who saved you, she really is amazing! Fortunately, she was there, otherwise…” His mother choked up again, struggled to continue, and then asked:
“Could you come home this weekend? And bring that female officer too, I want to thank her in person. Should we prepare some jewelry, or just give a red envelope directly?” While sighing, his mother began to talk to herself.
“She’s very busy, she needs to spend time with her family on weekends. I’ll prepare a red envelope to thank her myself,” Fang Zhenyue said, his gaze shifting to Yi Jiayi sitting at the round table in the hall.
Everyone was focused on the TV, some tense, some in heated discussion, but she was still managing to sneak a chicken leg and nibble on it when others weren’t looking.
His gaze was inadvertently drawn to her sleeve. The white shirt underneath looked like the new shirt he bought for her, while the plaid shirt she wore over it was old, with frayed cuffs. She didn’t mind at all, worried about getting her sleeves dirty while eating, she pushed up her sleeves to her elbows before happily continuing to eat.
Working in his B team and wearing an old, frayed shirt made it seem like they weren’t well-off in team B. It looked like he needed to give her a sizable red envelope.
“I’ll try to make time to come back, you and dad take care of yourselves,” he said, cutting off his mother before she could speak again. After a few more pleasantries, he hurriedly hung up the phone.
At that moment, the TV happened to show him protecting Jiayi as they left the bank. The little girl in the camera had just cried, and even though the camera was far away, one could still see her red, swollen eyes.
So cool, so handsome, and yet so prone to tears.
Such a creature, really is marvelous.
He leaned on the counter, and couldn’t help but smile again.
For the first time, after answering a call from his mother, his mood was still quite good.
The entire Yi Ji restaurant was bustling and full of laughter and tears.
The crowd’s emotions rose and fell dramatically. It was just a meal out, yet everyone ended up sweaty and flushed with excitement, as if they had personally experienced a major heist.
A group of friends and family gathered together, having drinks after their meal, and desserts after their drinks. Hosting an event in a tea restaurant is truly enjoyable; food and drink are plentiful.
Everyone watched the heist footage together, listened to pundits’ commentary, and watched the broadcast…
It seemed like all channels were airing this incident, and everyone was concerned about the shooting and robbery that occurred on the bustling streets of Mong Kok in Hong Kong.
Customers came and went, and the bustling street atmosphere brewed and spread throughout the tea restaurant.
That phrase, “That female officer is so cool! So beautiful!”, spread like a yawn throughout the city.
Until the entire city seemed to be echoing that sentiment.
…
…
On the other side of the city, Nie Weiyan, a reporter from the Qingcheng Daily, sat in front of the TV, scribbling in his notebook.
On the desk were photos he took during a previous KTV murder case, including shots of Fang Zhenyue, Yi Jiayi, and Tan Sanfu, along with pictures of Fang Zhenyue and Tan Sanfu…
At that time, the focus was on the victims and the perpetrator, so there was no opportunity to publish these photos. Now, they became rare and valuable material for publication.
His finger tapped on the three photos several times, finally resting on a photo he took of Yi Jiayi.
The young policewoman stood in front of Joe, righteously scolding him for his dismissive attitude. Fresh from handling a case, her eyes still held a hint of sorrow, yet because she was infuriated by Joe’s remarks, her heroic spirit was evident.
This solo photo was particularly well captured, filled with complex emotions, intelligence, and a humane touch, beautiful yet stern.
Nie Weiyan suddenly remembered a phrase Officer Yi said to Joe:
“Please remember my name too: I am Yi Jiayi, the new detective of the major case squad!”
Nie Weiyan’s lips curved into a smile, just as she had said, Joe would definitely remember her name.
And not just him, now perhaps all the citizens of Hong Kong might remember the name ‘Officer Yi’.
Placing the solo photo of Officer Yi Jiayi on top of a stack of documents, he wrote down the headline for his intended feature column:
《“Silhouettes of Justice and Courage in Hong Kong”》
Reading newspaper decades ago is the vibe that current time cant compare