That night, Yi Jiayi brought home a bunch of super fresh tomatoes.
Everyone ate some as fruit, and her elder brother saved some to use as ingredients for the next day. As he stored them in the refrigerator, he asked Yi Jiayi:
“Do police stations also give out vegetables as overtime benefits now?”
“It was given by the elderly parents of a baby abduction case victim. Officer Fang said they are all rough men who can’t even wash vegetables properly, so he let me take them all home.” After washing her hands, Yi Jiayi returned to her room and took out all her old books from police academy, arranging them neatly by the window.
After setting up a study plan for herself, she began reading one book after another.
In the living room outside her small room, Yi Jiadong was happily watching a gunfight drama with his younger sister.
Whenever Yi Jiayi took a break and spaced out, she could hear the voices of her siblings chatting in the living room:
“Jiayi is so amazing too, she might not handle weapons, but she discovered the weapon and the murderer, and was a key figure in solving the case within 24 hours.”
“I know, our big sister is sharp-eyed.”
“Our big sister solves cases with her intelligence.”
“But isn’t big sister in a clerical role?”
“If Jiayi could join the Major Crime unit, she would definitely be an amazing detective.”
“It would be great if big sister could join the Major Crime unit…”
Yi Jiayi propped her chin and looked at the old books illuminated by the small desk lamp, studying each lesson and question seriously, which were marked by her predecessor.
Did her predecessor dream of being a brave female detective while studying?
Although for a policewoman, taking a clerical, peaceful, and safe role is the best option.
But if one is naturally rebellious and stubborn, and once in their adolescent years felt they were utterly unique in the world… Then settling for a clerical job might feel regrettable.
She wouldn’t be able to hold up her badge with authority and declare, “Major Crime unit, on the case!”
She wouldn’t be able to draw her gun dramatically and command, “Drop your weapon, surrender now!”
Nor could she stylishly snap handcuffs on a criminal’s wrists and say emotionlessly, “You have the right to remain silent, but everything you say will be used in court.”
Yi Jiayi imagined herself in those classic and cool scenarios, couldn’t help but snicker.
A few minutes later, she suddenly sighed, gently patted her face, sat up straight, and continued reading.
…
The next day, Yi Jiayi had just arrived at the police station and was immediately busy to the point of distraction—
She helped Team A organize the mountain of paperwork they had accumulated from working overtime, and had the cleaning staff thoroughly clean Team A’s office, throwing away the mountains of trash and hidden rubbish in the corners.
Then, she chose fresh flowers to purify the air and uplift the spirits of the Team A members.
She sent the clothes and trousers changed by Team A’s colleagues to the laundry, and on the way back, she picked up some bottles of juice to replenish the vitamins for these detectives who had been staying up late, feeling anxious and suppressed.
She felt like a major housekeeper.
She never expected that working as a civilian police officer would involve handling so many miscellaneous tasks.
This was not mentioned during the job orientation.
Work indeed requires adapting on the fly; there’s always work to be done and someone has to do it if they want to earn their keep, and there’s no escaping it.
With these minor complaints in mind, she massaged her shoulders as she walked back to the administrative team’s office, only to be immediately called to the forensic science department.
After signing and collecting all the lab reports and documents, Yi Jiayi went downstairs to deliver them to the Major Crime Team B.
The reports confirmed that the deceased’s child was indeed biologically related to the husband, Zhang Zhao, and this information was promptly communicated to him.
The man who had been accusing his wife of infidelity and even claimed she deserved her death suddenly fell silent.
Zhang Zhao stood in the middle of the corridor, dazed, losing the ability to organize his expressions and speech.
Liu Jiaming took back the lab report shown to Zhang Zhao, gave him a look, and then turned back to the office of Major Crime Team B.
Yi Jiayi had to wait for the detectives to draft the investigation report based on the reports and documents from the coroner and forensic science department; she would come back in a few days to collect all the documents.
After confirming the number of documents with Liu Jiaming and having him sign for confirmation, she left with the documents in hand.
As she passed through the corridor, brushing past Zhang Zhao, the man, brought back to reality by her movement, suddenly clutched his head and began to weep uncontrollably, squatting down.
Being close, Yi Jiayi heard the broken phrases from his muffled roar:
“Yuping… Yuping… It’s all my fault… I’m not a human… I have no wife anymore, our child was born without a mother…”
At this moment, the grief of losing a loved one, which he had tried to suppress with hatred, finally burst forth like a dam breaking.
He could no longer lie to himself that she was a bad woman; he had to face the pain of losing her, the guilt of having neglected her, and confront the harm his constant suspicions and erratic behaviors had caused her.
Perhaps he had always known he was a cowardly bastard but had never ripped off the cover. As long as the veil remained, he could rely on crafting lies like ‘it’s always someone else’s fault’ to escape.
Escaping is not only shameful but also futile.
Yi Jiayi watched the man, whose face was flushed red, almost suffocating with grief, biting her back teeth as she walked past him in the corridor.
Fang Zhenyue was just turning in from the opposite side. His tall figure momentarily blocked most of the light coming from the other side of the hallway. Having just heard from the forensic department, he merely glanced disdainfully at Zhang Zhao before withdrawing his gaze, unwilling to give more attention to the thing curled up on the floor like a murmur.
Yi Jiayi smiled politely in greeting and then passed by him.
Suddenly, Fang Zhenyue turned around and asked her, “Did you already know that the child was Zhang Zhao’s?”
Caught off guard, Yi Jiayi responded:
“Weren’t the investigations all indicating that Zhang Zhao was fickle and overly suspicious?”
Fang Zhenyue’s question scared her, making her feel as if her supernatural abilities had been exposed, and she felt particularly guilty, prompting her to explain further:
“Also, didn’t the murderer say that the victim wanted to commit suicide because she was heartbroken over her husband’s suspicions? How could a woman who cheats so blatantly feel such intense emotions of betrayal…”
Fang Zhenyue stared intently at Yi Jiayi, who looked back with a somewhat stiff expression, her mouth dry and even showing signs of tinnitus from the nervousness.
After a few dozen seconds, Fang Zhenyue, who had been torturing her with his silence, finally spoke:
“It’s also possible that what the public saw was just an illusion deliberately created by the victim. The victim claimed she wanted to commit suicide, maybe just because her husband discovered that the child wasn’t his. In her guilt, she might have resorted to crying, making a scene, and attempting suicide, trying to abort the child in the process and cover up her affair…”
“What?” Yi Jiayi was stunned, lowering her gaze to ponder his words, like a child caught in a mistake.
“In this world, all clues and testimonies might be lies. Sometimes, even a murderer’s confession can’t be trusted. The truth lies only in the evidence.” Fang Zhenyue tapped Yi Jiayi’s forehead, “Truth can also be here, but one must always keep a skeptical mind, be vigilant, persistent, and thorough.”
Stirred by his earnest advice, Yi Jiayi’s eyes sparkled brilliantly like the Milky Way, fixing her gaze on Fang Zhenyue without blinking.
“When you’re not busy, you can come by the Major Crime Team B more often, help us prepare afternoon tea, order some meals and such,” Fang Zhenyue said, noting the elation on the young policewoman’s face. If she had a tail, it probably would have been wagging like a propeller. Then he cooled her enthusiasm like a stern father:
“We’re in a meeting. You can listen, but not speak. Remember the signature you signed and the oath you took when you stepped into the police station, understood?”
“Yes, sir!” Yi Jiayi snapped to attention, responding loudly.
Fang Zhenyue shook his head with a smile, turned around, and walked down the long corridor, heading straight to the office of his direct superior, Inspector Qiu Sushan, with the report in hand.
Yi Jiayi, having successfully integrated into Major Crime Team B, was so thrilled she jumped up on the spot.
Though just in a logistic support role, she could now attend meetings in Sir Fang’s office when not busy, directly observe their fieldwork, and learn from their experience!
ahead, step by step