Fang Zhenyue’s jeep had a very high chassis, and Yi Jiayi almost had to jump to get on it.
She had never ridden in such a high seat and admired the cityscape of the town at such a late hour.
The jeep sped through the streets, passing through Waterloo Street and turning into Bi Street to pick up her bicycle. At the traffic lights, it slowed down, allowing her to clearly see every neon tube light on the streets around.
The signs, unevenly distributed, almost formed a bridge over the street, floating above the alleys and set between the buildings in a cyberpunk style.
Although later generations would have domestic and foreign cyberpunk films shot in Hong Kong, none of them could match the vivid shock of the old harbor streets from the ’90s.
The lights and layered 3D scenes reflected in her retina also brightened her excited smile.
At that moment, Yi Jiayi was neither a policewoman nor a sister in the public housing estates; she was simply a fortunate time traveler, enthralled by the mesmerizing views, joyfully lost in the moment.
Every now and then, Fang Zhenyue glanced back and saw the young girl unreservedly pressing her palm against the window, her lips slightly parted, focused and happy.
Taking advantage of a red light, he quietly peeked outside her window, seeing ordinary streetscapes, pedestrians, and vehicles—even a double-decker bus blocking their view on the left, yet the policewoman seemed to enjoy watching the bus as if it carried not ordinary Hong Kong people, but monsters with three eyes and two noses.
She looked just like a child.
During this time, the road was somewhat congested. At each red light, Fang Zhenyue would rest his right elbow on the window, supporting his forehead with his fist, and briefly space out.
After Yi Jiayi’s enthusiasm for the scenery waned, she turned back to see a weary Fang Zhenyue.
The carriage suddenly became quiet, isolating the noise from the outside world.
Twenty minutes later, the jeep drove into Oak Street and stopped in front of a cluster of unevenly built buildings.
Old people sitting under the wall, fanning themselves and chatting, dressed in tank tops and shorts, seemed like elements frozen in a painting of an era.
Suddenly, they looked over and spoke, “Jiayi, you’re off work?”
…
Yi Jiadong was sitting under a street lamp at the street corner, not very bright, reading the ongoing comic “Feng Yun.”
The slanting neon lights haphazardly rendered the black-and-white comic, dressing Kong Ci in colorful robes.
Hearing voices, Yi Jiadong looked up to see a particularly imposing figure enveloping his sister, making the girl who had grown to 166 cm look petite.
He stood up, gazing intently at the person.
The man didn’t linger; after moving his sister’s bicycle out of the trunk, he folded himself back into the driver’s seat and drove off into the night in his jeep.
Jiayi had only been working for two months, and already someone was picking her up and dropping her off from work?
…
The Yi family, having students and government workers, went to bed early.
After the family fell asleep, Yi Jiayi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Too much had happened today. She was incredibly tired, and her body was weary, yet her mind was buzzing with excitement.
Too many complex emotions swirled around, and she found it hard to summarize them into words.
A strange power had fallen upon an ordinary girl; she didn’t know if she could use it well, or if she could handle it.
Holding the quilt, Yi Jiayi reminisced about her modern school life before traveling through time and her life in less than a month, the more she thought, the more details emerged, and the more confused she became.
Choices, responsibilities, life, future, justice, truth… these words were too harsh and too heavy for her, who had not yet entered society before her time travel.
Lying with her eyes open for who knows how long, Yi Jiayi suddenly thought of something, and a smile appeared on her face.
A sound of a rolling bottle came from outside the window, seemingly kicked by a late-returning passerby.
Suddenly, Yi Jiayi stared at the bunk bed above and spoke:
“Jiaru.”
“Mm?” Her sister mumbled from above, not knowing if she was awake or responding in her sleep.
“Your sister caught a murderer today, pretty impressive.” Yi Jiayi hugged the quilt, burying half her face into the old but freshly fragrant soft quilt.
“…Mm.” The voice of Yi Jiaru was muffled, as if she had responded but it seemed more like sleep talking.
“It’s a secret, just between us.” Yi Jiayi reached out and gently touched her sister’s hand hanging down from the top bunk.
“…”
“…Your sister is really amazing!”
“…”
“Hehe.”
…
At nightfall, the reports from the Major Crime Team B and the Forensic Science Department had just been submitted, and the brief on the case reached the desk of Inspector Guo Yongyao from the Public Relations Department.
The Hong Kong police have a close relationship with the media, and proper reporting on murder cases can enhance the reputation of the Hong Kong police. Sometimes, when needing public assistance to locate a murderer, the police would appeal through newspapers.
On the other hand, if the media reported recklessly, it could result in the murderer learning too much about the police investigation and potentially escaping justice.
Therefore, the Hong Kong police had specifically established a Public Relations Department to negotiate with the media about what content could be broadcasted and what should not be reported, among other cooperative matters.
Tomorrow, all major newspapers will definitely report on the Bi Street murder case. Even if it’s not on the front pages, every news-loving citizen will see it.
Inspector Guo Yongyao of the Public Relations Department certainly hopes for more good news about solving the case to be published, preferring to avoid negative news about poor public security.
At the first notification of the case being solved, he called the major newspapers he knew.
It’s important to note that solving a case within 24 hours is an extraordinary and rare feat for the Hong Kong police. In the past decade or so, only a handful of such cases can be counted on one hand.
With such a rare stroke of good fortune, combining the right time, place, and people, how could he let it go unpublicized? He must promote it widely, boosting the prestige of the CID and enhancing the public trust in the Hong Kong police, as well as securing a significant accomplishment for his Public Relations Department.
He negotiated seriously, repeatedly stressing that this news must be given a large space in the newspaper the following day.
However, newspaper managers were always evasive—
“Doing business, we have to consider newspaper sales. Just solving a case in 24 hours, although it boosts your police station’s prestige, doesn’t attract public interest, Inspector Guo.”
“You want to attract public interest, huh?” Guo Yongyao flipped through the report in front of him several times.
The victim was just an ordinary female worker, with neither a notorious nor a tragic family background.
Her death might be devastating to a family, but to others, it might just be an ordinary, unnoticed everyday occurrence.
The perpetrator, who had killed in a drunken error and fled in fear, had neither robbed nor assaulted.
The murder weapon was a rusty foldable fruit knife, not as fierce as a chainsaw, nor as bizarre as a poison needle.
Though cold-blooded, from the newspaper’s perspective, the case was indeed unremarkable.
Guo Yongyao ground his teeth and sighed; the difficulty of solving this case in 24 hours was enormous, and in the hands of the reporters, it would probably be briefly mentioned, hardly drawing any attention.
Listening to the evasive words from the other end, he suddenly noticed a detail in the report of Fang Zhenyue:
【The murder weapon was accidentally discovered by Yi Jiayi, a new clerical police officer who had been working for two months, when she delivered items to the crime scene.
The murderer returned to the crime scene to retrieve the lost murder weapon and was spotted acting suspiciously by the same clerical officer, Yi Jiayi. After she raised the alarm and bravely chased the murderer, a fierce struggle ensued, and she was injured on her shoulder. Eventually, the murderer was subdued and taken back to the police station, where he confessed to the crime during interrogation…】
“Wait a second.” Guo Yongyao suddenly turned on his computer and, holding the microphone, gestured to the officer at the door.
A few minutes later, Guo Yongyao sent a brief 200-word introduction to the newspaper manager via email.
The recipient opened it, glanced at it, and immediately responded over the phone: “Inspector Guo, don’t worry, I will definitely help you promote this case. It will at least make the front-page news articles, wouldn’t it be loyal?”
The fascinating news of a female officer playing a key role in solving the case naturally made the newspapers eager to report extensively on it.
In recent years, Hong Kong has promoted the slogan “New Era, New Women,” yet has hardly had any newsworthy achievements to show. Now, a female officer has made a significant mark in the police force, giving any capable journalist material to write a blockbuster article that could shake up the era in Hong Kong.
Are you talking about loyalty? Hmph.
Guo Yongyao internally cursed but maintained a polite smile on his face as he conversed. He then looked over a few documents from Yi Jiayi’s file that the police officer had pulled up for him, including photos from her time at the police academy, her entry into service, and her ID photos. He chose one and sent an additional email.
“Editor Qiao, how about it, a bit more loyalty and give it a top news headline with a photo? What do you say?” Guo Yongyao laughed heartily, “What details do you need? I’ll stay late tonight to help you out, supplement whatever you need. Will it make for a strong exclusive headline tomorrow morning?”
Qiao Tianyou opened the email and looked at the attached photo, zooming in for a closer look.
Wow, the key officer in a case solved within 24 hours is not only a policewoman but a young and beautiful one at that.
She’s so photogenic, she could compete in the TVB Miss Hong Kong pageant. The public loves seeing beautiful things, of course, it’s sensational.
In his mind, he could already see seven or eight attention-grabbing headlines that would spread widely, and he said with a chuckle:
“Sir Guo is truly impressive. We Hong Kong police really work hard. It’s a blessing for us citizens.
“No more talk, I’m going to get someone to rewrite the headline.
“I’ll have Ah Jie personally go to the police station to get the original photos from you, thanks for staying late to help me out.”
“As it should be, we police are here to serve and strive for perfection,” Guo Yongyao ended the call, then turned to make another call to a different newspaper.
He held the phone, waiting for the other party to answer, while flipping through the case report in his other hand. He also called a police officer to get more reports on Yi Jiayi, look for Yi Jiayi’s superior to see if there were any more photos, and arrange to take more photos of Yi Jiayi saluting in front of the police station or busy at work tomorrow.
After more than half an hour of busy work and several phone calls, three top news headlines, two third-page feature columns, and five regular text reports on page three were secured.
With such an intense promotional effort, he was set to be the most celebrated inspector this quarter.
Guo Yongyao, as if he could already see the commendations and promotions coming his way, couldn’t help but tap on Yi Jiayi’s photo with his finger, chuckling to himself:
“Not only are you the lucky goddess of the Major Crime Unit, but you’re also Guo Yongyao’s little lucky star.”