After parting with Ding Baoshu, Yi Jiayi’s expression remained solemn on the return journey.
As night fell, a rare breeze flowed through the streets of Hong Kong, perhaps because the citizens had finally returned home, clearing the streets and allowing the wind to pass through.
Yi Jiayi could not answer Ding Baoshu’s questions.
In both her lives, she had been just an ordinary young woman, experiencing neither dramatic ups and downs nor intense joy or sorrow. Her philosophical contemplations were also quite limited.
Only during adolescence and the period before her graduate entrance exams did she feel melancholy and ponder the meaning of life, occasionally feeling that existence was bleak, consuming her spirit day after day.
But what seemed monumental to her only felt like a dull knife slicing through flesh, lacking any sharp sense of cutting.
Having boarded away from home since childhood, her parents were busy with work, leading to frequent separations from family. Her classmates and friends were merely playmates, so transitioning to this era to become Yi Jiayi, the young policewoman of Hong Kong, she didn’t carry much grief from parting with her past life.
Especially since her parents had busily had a second child three years ago, she didn’t need to worry about them struggling without her.
She couldn’t relate to Ding Baoshu’s current situation, nor could she imagine his feelings.
When he questioned her, she felt insignificant, her heart ached, yet she couldn’t utter a cool, inspiring, or comforting word to him.
How lame.
She wondered if Officer Fang were here, whether he would say something profoundly philosophical that could inspire admiration in Ding Baoshu, igniting hope and passion.
Passing a green mailbox, she noticed a shop with a glass window covered in postcards, one of which was a photo of Mount Fuji. She stared at it for several moments, then looked up and saw a neon tube shop.
Hong Kong is known as a cyberpunk city largely because of the densely packed neon signs over people’s heads, which form the city’s most dazzling scenery.
In this era, without LED lights, all neon signs were custom made by neon tube masters.
By this time, most shops were closed, but this one was still open.
Yi Jiayi unconsciously stepped inside, where the master sat amidst clutter, heating a tube in his hands and then bending it into the desired shape.
As he turned back, the neon lights lit up, and the bent tubes outlined dazzling cool text and patterns.
Yi Jiayi took a seat on an old stool at the neon tube master’s invitation, chatted for a bit, then bit the bullet and took out her wallet to order a large neon sign for “Yi’s Teahouse” with smaller sets of characters surrounding it: “Famous Near and Far,” “King of Curry,” and “Yi’s Iced Delight.”
“The sign should have a red border all around, and then wrapped in blue, that would look cool, right?” Yi Jiayi gestured with the neon tube master.
“No problem, so these four characters need to be this big, right?”
“Yes, that big!”
When Yi Jiayi left the shop, she felt much better.
When people are unhappy, the solution is to spend money.
Meandering around, it was almost 10 PM in a blink, and Yi Jiayi hurried, worried her older brother might be anxious.
Crossing a street, she passed a girl in uniform and noticed the drink cup in her hand.
When their eyes met again, Yi Jiayi couldn’t help but smile. The girl was holding their Yi Ji’s paper cup, drinking a milk tea called Yi’s Iced Delight.
A real customer, a discerning and good kid.
The girl was somewhat puzzled by Yi Jiayi’s smile but received the kindness and instinctively returned a sweet smile.
Crossing the street, the girl took another big sip of Yi’s Iced Delight, tasting the bitterness followed by sweetness, chewing the fine ice, feeling cool and refreshed. The ice cream melting in the milk tea brought a silky milky aroma.
Delicious.
Unable to resist, the girl took another big gulp, but the straw started making gurgling sounds as the drink was nearly finished.
Regretting a little, she thought about queuing up again tomorrow for this kind of snow-topped slush milk tea, and then she threw the paper cup into a trash bin.
Approaching was an old grandma dragging a mobile fruit stall. The neon lights briefly illuminated her face, highlighting the deep wrinkles for a moment before it sank back into the shadows, becoming indistinct.
The old grandma walked the streets daily, selling fruit year after year, so familiar that people often overlooked her. Only when craving fruit did they remember her mobile stall.
As the girl approached the stall, it suddenly jerked, as if stuck, jostling sharply.
Round oranges fell like spilling beans, scattering around.
The old grandma set down her stall, struggling to bend over and pick up the oranges with heavy breaths.
The girl, arriving just then, did not hesitate for even a second, placing her backpack on the stall and bending down to help. She gathered a handful of oranges, put them back on the cart, and then jogged to pick up more.
Slim-waisted, with a light and youthful silhouette, charming as a blooming flower.
In the end, only a few oranges rolled into the narrow alley beside them. The young girl smoothed her long hair and turned her head to see her elderly grandmother, trembling and laboring like a rusty machine, struggling to pick up the oranges that had rolled onto the road.
Without hesitation, the girl approached like a fawn drawn to the bait left by hunters, slowly nearing the trap. She picked up the oranges one by one, slowly making her way into the alley where the light couldn’t reach.
One step forward, then another. As even her skirt’s hem was drawn into the shadows, a massive pile of cardboard boxes suddenly unfolded into a monstrous shape. From an angle, it pounced out, covering the girl’s mouth and nose, and easily dragged her into the opaque, dense darkness behind the boxes.
At the entrance of the alley, the old grandmother retrieved the last two oranges that had rolled away and placed them back on the mobile stall.
Then, with effort, she reached out slowly, pinched the backpack resting on the oranges, silently stuffed it under the stall, and then continued pushing the stall forward.
Her steps were still slow, her back still hunched, and the wrinkles on her face continued to swallow the neon light shining down from above.
The quiet streets at night were sparsely populated, with the occasional car driving by, whistling past. A couple turned the corner, whispering secrets as they crossed the intersection and entered another street.
The street remained the same, and so did the night, as if nothing strange had happened.
As if that young girl had never existed.
…
…
The next morning, Detective Yi Jiayi started her first day on the job in the Major Case Unit, incredibly excited and having woken up early.
Yi Jiadong had just come out of the boys’ room when he saw Jiayi sitting under the morning light, reading a book.
She obediently accompanied her brother to buy groceries, jogging while he walked:
“This counts as an early morning run too.”
After handling many ingredients at Yi’s, they returned home to find that Jiayi’s other brothers had also woken up.
Apparently, a fight between stray cats outside had been so fierce that it woke many people up.
While Jiadong was making breakfast, Jiayi ran back to her room, picked her best-looking, most respectable casual pants and a loose shirt, making sure they were perfectly neat, then tied her hair in a ponytail as she walked out of the girls’ room.
“Big sister, the hem of your shirt is coming undone.” Jiaru set the tableware and turned back to her.
Jiayi immediately turned to tug at her hem, noticing it was not only undone but also frayed, though she didn’t know how it had happened. Tucking it into her pants, she smiled and said:
“No worries, it won’t show once it’s tucked in. I’ll buy new clothes on my day off, and get some for you guys too.”
“We wear uniforms every day, when would we wear them?” Jiaru shrugged. “Big sister, you might as well save your money for a dowry.”
“Then I’ll buy you new shoes instead.”
Feeling good, they ate a bit more for breakfast than usual and, despite it still being early, set off on their bike energetically.
Yi Jiaru looked at the closed door and sighed, “My eldest sister might be the first one to get to the police station every day.”
Indeed, as Jiaru said, when Jiayi arrived, all the offices were still empty.
She placed the red roses and yellow sunflowers she bought along the way into a vase, set up the morning tea and snacks she brought from home on the desk, bowed to the statue of Guan Gong in the office, burned incense, organized her new desk, filled her cup with cool boiled water, and only then did people start trickling into the station.
Seeing some uniformed police officers going to the changing room to switch into their uniforms, Yi Jiayi suddenly remembered she still had some items in her locker.
As she walked to the door, she suddenly overheard people chatting in the changing room.
Usually, she would have been at work by 8:40 AM, sitting in the administrative support office by almost 9:00 AM, rarely encountering this period’s female officers in uniform.
They probably felt safe too, thinking she must have already changed into her uniform and started working, so they casually talked about her in the changing room without any caution.
“What did I say? Don’t think just because Yi Jiayi just joined, she’s making the headlines. That’s all Inspector Guo trying to rack up achievements. She’s just lucky, in a few days everyone will forget, and she’ll still be doing miscellaneous tasks. Sister Yin is the laziest, she ends up having to do all the dirty and tiring work. We’re more comfortable, just stroll around shopping, and if we’re tired, just sit in a tea restaurant. Why be jealous of her? She’s probably jealous of us.”
“I thought about what you said too, we shouldn’t be jealous of others, nor should we wallow in self-pity because of someone else’s good fortune. Hey, did you see Sir Fang from the Major Crime Team B wearing a suit the other day? So handsome!”
“I heard Sir Fang is super rich, treating his team to lavish meals daily, and even meetings are accompanied by mango pomelo sago and ginger milk from Shek Kip Mei. Yesterday, I saw Liu Jiaming strolling in the station, holding a soufflé.”
“Really, I remember last month after overtime, Sir Fang drove the detectives from Team B to eat all-you-can-eat typhoon shelter crab.”
“That’s so expensive!”
“Once when the station’s air conditioning was under repair, he took everyone to his Clear Water Bay villa for a meeting. I heard just the house alone is over 2000 square feet! Three stories! With a rooftop and a big yard!”
“I really want to join the Major Crime Team B, to work with Sir Fang.”
“That’s hard, keep dreaming.”
“I heard Yi Jiayi often places orders for Sir Fang, it seems like Sir Fang gives her a lot of money each month. If it’s not enough, he tops it up for her, and if there’s any left, it all goes to her as a bonus. How lucky!”
“What’s there to be happy about? Being sent here and there to do all sorts of menial tasks, would you want that?”
“I would…”
“No ambition!”
“Last time Yi Jiayi helped Sir Fang deliver something, she luckily discovered a weapon and made the newspapers. She must think she’ll hang around Sir Fang and his team more and might make it to the papers again.”
“Get real! Even the most celebrated detectives barely make the papers a few times a year. Does she think she’s a superstar or something?”
“But never mind, she’s pretty nice. Always all smiles when I see her. I’m just envious of her, a bit sour really, but I don’t actually dislike her.”
“Who said anything about disliking her? She’s so conspicuous, just talking about her doesn’t cost us anything.”
Yi Jiayi heard movement inside, indicating that they were almost done changing into their uniforms.
Entering now would be really awkward, so she hurriedly tiptoed and quickened her pace, pretending to be crossing from the opposite corridor to avoid suspicion of eavesdropping.
Sure enough, as she reached the corner of the corridor, two female officers in military attire politely stepped out.
Yi Jiayi pretended not to notice and didn’t turn her head their way. She thought it best that everyone go their separate ways without incident, but then unexpectedly, a man in a white lab coat came down from upstairs—it was the forensic officer, Xu Junhao.
“Officer Xu.”
“Good morning, Officer Xu.”
The two female officers greeted him politely, and as Xu Junhao returned the greeting, he also spotted Yi Jiayi. Before the young officer could dart into the other side of the corridor, he called out:
“Jiayi, good morning~”
With no choice, Yi Jiayi stomped her foot and turned around under the watchful eyes of the two officers and Doctor Xu, smiling and greeting everyone.
Xu Junhao seemed in a good mood, apparently not too busy, casually strolling over to Yi Jiayi and chatting while he stroked his hair:
“You won’t need to wear a uniform anymore, buy some pretty clothes to wear.”
The two female officers, already walking away, caught the key phrase and suddenly stopped.
Everyone in Hong Kong knew that only plainclothes officers in the police station could avoid wearing uniforms.
So, why didn’t Yi Jiayi have to wear a uniform???
“Only on days off,” Yi Jiayi smoothed her loose shirt, “These are all old clothes from school days when I mostly wore uniforms too; I barely have two casual outfits.”
“Haha, right, you do look rather like a student. Going out with Officer Fang and others to catch criminals, you might be underestimated, which actually suits the Criminal Intelligence Division well. Facing the bad guys, they wouldn’t suspect you.” Xu Junhao walked up to Yi Jiayi, patted her on the shoulder encouragingly:
“But I’ve heard from Officer Fang, you have a knack for criminal investigation, stick with the Major Crime Team B, I believe in you.”
The two female officers, slowly moving away, heard this and their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
Shocked, they couldn’t yell out; they could only walk away in silence, turning their backs to Yi Jiayi and Xu Junhao as their facial features gradually twisted.
Jealousy distorted the faces of the female officers in uniform.
After saying goodbye to the forensic officer, Sir Xu, Yi Jiayi turned back to the changing room to collect her belongings and clear out her locker. She then headed downstairs carrying a pair of spare socks, a light jacket, and a few miscellaneous items.
These items could now be stored in the small cabinet under her desk.
As she walked, her mind wandered back to the conversation she had overheard between two military policewomen—gossip about herself and about Officer Fang. She habitually processed the information, lost in thought.
When Jiayi pushed open the door to the Major Crime Team B, the thought “Why is the door closed today?” briefly flashed through her mind, but her guard was down.
Suddenly, a bouquet of flowers was thrust in front of her face, catching her completely off-guard.
Jiayi screamed in fright and nearly hit the person holding the bouquet with the items in her hand.
Liu Jiaming greeted her with a tilted head and a big smile, saying, “Welcome to the Major Crime Team B family, Jiayi! Once you step through this door, we’re all family!”
Jiayi, slightly embarrassed, happily accepted the flowers and sniffed them, grinning broadly.
However, the flowers seemed to be the same ones she had bought that morning and put in a vase.
Gary banged on a whiteboard with a clang, as if he were drumming, then raised his hands and danced from side to side, before saying with a laugh, “Just now, I was welcoming you by ringing gongs and dancing the lion dance!”
“That’s a bit perfunctory!” Sanfu laughed heartily as he approached, handing her a cup of milk tea. “Here, have some tea, Jiayi.”
After Jiayi took the cup, he handed another to both Liu Jiaming and Gary. They clinked cups in a showy manner, and then Sanfu patted Jiayi on the shoulder, saying, “We’ve already drunk the blood oath of brotherhood. From now on, we’re in this together, through thick and thin!”
With that, he turned his cup upside down to show it was empty—not a drop of milk tea left.
The milk tea, too, had been prepared by Jiayi that morning and left on her desk.
“Come over here, Jiayi, and pay your respects to the Second Master. From now on, you’ll be the lucky star of Team B, helping us all to solve cases safely and successfully,” Lin Wangjiu called out to Jiayi, handing her some incense that was ready early.
The young policewoman obediently took it, listened to Uncle Jiu’s words, and solemnly offered the incense to the Second Master.
She had actually done this ritual earlier that morning—the evidence was in the incense burner, where three sticks of incense were already half burnt.
Lin Wangjiu patted her on the shoulder, pleased. He was still a bit uneasy about being outsmarted by her previously, but then he remembered her uncanny ability to ‘always hit the mark’ and felt a twinge of wariness.
He sighed and held back any complaints.
After a series of quirky welcomes, Jiayi finally approached Fang Zhenyue like a bride leaping over a fire pot on a long path.
“They’ve used every conceivable welcome—flowers, milk tea, incense, lion dancing…” Fang Zhenyue mused as he sat sideways on a desk. He slid off, his long legs steadying on the floor.
He straightened his clothes, shook out the wrinkles in his pants, then looked down at himself before standing tall, lifting his head, and smiling as he opened his arms to Jiayi, “Then I can only offer you a hug.”
“Mr. Fang, you’re too cunning!”
“It’s only her first day at work!”
“When I first joined the team, Brother Yue, you didn’t welcome me like this!” Liu Jiaming still remembered the kick he got from Fang Zhenyue on his butt, and how the dust from Yue’s shoes had completely rubbed onto his pants.
“Hahahaha…”
Yi Jiayi’s face turned red, being teased for the first time at such a young age, she completely didn’t know how to handle it with finesse, blaming her lack of experience.
Fang Zhenyue chuckled lightly, withdrew his arms, and patted Yi Jiayi’s shoulder, his deep voice containing a chuckle:
“If these people order you around or bully you, don’t be polite, hit them, or even kick them.”
“Hey! Brother Yue!” Liu Jiaming was the first to protest.
Fang Zhenyue ignored the monkeys’ protests, pulled something out of his pocket, and handed it to Yi Jiayi:
“Also, you don’t need to secretly draw circles anymore. This is your office now, draw whenever you want.”
Yi Jiayi took it and unfolded it in her palm.
It was a brand-new red marker.
…
The day after she moved into the Major Crime B team office and received the new red pen, a murder occurred again.
While going out on a police call with Mr. Fang, Yi Jiayi quietly slipped the new red pen into her trouser pocket.
Sitting in the police car, the nervous young policewoman stretched her hand into her pocket, gripped the new red pen tightly, and quietly muttered:
“Red pen, red pen, fulfill my intentions, punish the evil and promote the good, and solve the case smoothly~”