Sun Lei had pointed out that janitor uncle earlier, and Bai Yiyi had spotted him too. But precisely because he’d seen the man, something felt off about him—nothing like Aunt Huang’s brisk, efficient cleaning style.
The guy had graying hair and a scrawny build. Deep wrinkles etched across his face seemed to spell out the word “worry.”
Once inside the office, he shut the door and showed no interest in cleaning. Instead, he rummaged through the bookshelf and even tried yanking open the desk drawers, though they were locked. Later, he pulled out that stack of sketches of the serial killer suspects clipped together and stared at them intently for a good long while.
This didn’t look like standard janitor behavior at all. He seemed more like some undercover agent from a TV show with ulterior motives.
Suspicion stirred in Bai Yiyi’s heart. When the man stepped out without closing the door, Bai Yiyi meant to tail him and see what shady business he was up to. But the guy vanished into the storage room after just a few steps and never emerged.
Bai Yiyi hid in the shadows of the hallway, lying in wait like a mantis stalking a cicada. He couldn’t hold back a sniff, though, and that’s when Sun Lei’s instant noodles betrayed him.
Speaking of those instant noodles—they smelled downright heavenly.
How long had it been since he’d tasted real human food? The snacks the female officers offered up as tribute sat untouched by his owner, piled by the birdcage like actual offerings. He could see them, smell them, but never touch them. It was maddening.
Sure, he’d flown a bit farther than usual today for official business, but he was still inside the city bureau. His owner was making a mountain out of a molehill. This bird felt downright aggrieved.
Yan Tuo gave the bird a good scolding. Seeing the little guy fall silent, apparently hanging his head in remorse, Yan Tuo magnanimously forgave him. He went back to carrying the cage to and from work as usual, and it was fast becoming a fixture at the bureau.
That morning, as soon as Yan Tuo arrived, Cao Yiman slipped in and plopped onto the sofa without a word. Before he could open his mouth, someone knocked at the office door. “Deputy Detachment Captain Yan.”
Yan Tuo didn’t even need to look up to know who it was.
In the entire bureau, only one person addressed him so rigidly and formally by his full title: his old rival, Zhao Guangren, captain of the second squad handling smuggling and narcotics.
Zhao was just a year older than him. By normal promotion standards, a thirty-one-year-old criminal investigation captain in a major city’s bureau was a prodigy—a one-in-a-thousand talent.
But everything was relative. Compared to Yan Tuo, Zhao was older, less experienced, and lower in both rank and insignia.
When Yan Tuo had been captain of the first squad, they were equals and got along fine. But after Yan Tuo’s promotion to deputy detachment captain put him ahead, Zhao started turning sour. You could see it in his eyes. To Yan Tuo’s face and behind his back, he was excessively polite and deferential, but he lingered on that “deputy” in deputy detachment captain like he wanted to chew it to pieces.
Yan Tuo didn’t even need to investigate to know who had spread the word about his distant family ties to Detachment Captain Li half a year ago, making it common knowledge throughout the bureau. It had to be this guy.
Still, they had to keep up appearances. Yan Tuo said politely, “Back already? Good work out there.”
Zhao Guangren unconsciously tugged at his collar button and nodded to Cao Yiman nearby. “All in a day’s work. This trip to G Province wrapped up the 420 major smuggling case. I’m ready to close the net.”
Yan Tuo asked, “Is the evidence chain solid?”
Zhao Guangren hesitated. “It’s not airtight, but it’s close enough. Once we nab them, we can hammer out the testimony, and it’ll be fine.”
Yan Tuo’s thick brows furrowed slightly. He didn’t mince words. “You can’t count on suspects to fill in the gaps for you—especially in a massive smuggling case like this. The ringleaders aren’t your average crooks; their smarts and connections run deep. Once the operation kicks off, the pressure will be immense from every angle. If they’re cool-headed and tough, and we can’t find a weak spot, failure’s just one step away.”
His words hit like a hammer. Even bystander Cao Yiman winced on Zhao’s behalf. But Zhao showed no reaction, just nodded properly. “You’re right, Deputy Detachment Captain Yan. I’ll make sure everything’s prepared as best as possible.”
“Mm. Good.”
“Then I’ll get back to it.” Zhao Guangren smiled at Yan Tuo and turned to leave the office.
Cao Yiman slouched deeper into the sofa, leaning closer to Yan Tuo, and muttered under his breath, “Tch, you… You know what kind of guy he is. Why lay it on so thick? You’re just making the bad blood worse. In our line of work, don’t we often roll the dice with seventy or eighty percent certainty?”
Yan Tuo shot him a glance. “What, we hold back the truth just to avoid conflict? Tactics are tactics, attitude is attitude. ‘Close enough’—is that what a detective should say? An incomplete evidence chain is the norm, sure, but you can’t get complacent. From the outset, your mindset has to aim for perfection.”
He paused, then gave Cao Yiman a pointed reminder of his own. “Slacking on attitude from the start is a killer in our job.”
Old Cao was thick-skinned. He grinned. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. You should be the instructor too, with heights like that.”
Yan Tuo wasn’t sure how much sank in. This was his old subordinate of many years; they’d cracked countless cases together. He had his careless streak, but he was enthusiastic, diligent, and full of drive.
Fine. Nobody was perfect. Yan Tuo would just keep a closer eye on him.
He let Cao Yiman’s ears off the hook and turned to discuss the new case they’d taken on.
Bai Yiyi, perched on the bookshelf and eavesdropping the whole time, felt like a total fangirl on the verge of drooling. His idol in serious mode was devastatingly handsome.
To him, those resounding words of caution were gospel for any underling—worthy of tearful gratitude and endless recitation like a mantra. Yet this “Old Cao” lout on the sofa just grinned it off like white noise. What a waste of their god’s good looks… er, earnest intentions.
Sigh. If only he’d been braver back then, skipping art school for the police academy. Someday he could’ve transferred under his idol, serving by his side day in and day out, following in his footsteps, surrounded by the bustle, commanding and conquering… Pure bliss. Heh heh heh.
Lost in his daydreams, Bai Yiyi barely noticed the office’s comings and goings. Then a sharp, unfamiliar stench yanked him back to reality—something irritating he’d never smelled before.
He glanced around, drawn closer to the source: a steaming cup of coffee on the desk.
Peering closely, it had a faint almond-like scent. Had the dimpled girl switched coffee brands for his idol today? Added almond flavor, maybe?
He peeked out the open office door. At the nearest workstation, a familiar male officer stood by the water dispenser. “The dispenser’s always been in the east corner. Why’s it here now? Took me forever to find it.”
Sun Lei replied, “No idea. The janitor uncle moved it this morning, I guess? Maybe… to make it more convenient for the bosses?”
The male officer scoffed. “Heh, real bootlicker. Wasted as a janitor.”
Janitor uncle?
Bai Yiyi shot out, landing at the dispenser’s spout and sniffing. Same pungent smell.
This was purified water. No almond coffee excuse here.
He whipped back around. Yan Tuo was staring at his monitor, lifting the coffee to his lips for a sip.
Lightning struck in Bai Yiyi’s mind. His feathers bristled; he was seized by terror. With a mighty kick of his talons, he launched into the air, flapping with all his might. Like an arrow, he hurtled straight at Yan Tuo—barreling into his wrist like a cannonball.
Clang! The cup flipped onto the keyboard, spilling thick coffee across the desk.
“…Tangyuan!”
Bai Yiyi tumbled onto the table, head spinning and feathers damp with coffee. But he flashed back to that male officer about to fill his cup and ignored his owner’s roar. He righted himself with a spin and rocketed toward the dispenser.
Sure enough, the male officer was staring in shock at the commotion from the deputy captain’s office, but he kept filling his cup. Water gushed from the spout into the black mug below, already half full.
Too drained to crash again, Bai Yiyi landed on the man’s hand. He dipped his head and hammered away beak-first like a woodpecker. Caught off guard, the officer yelped, “Ow!” and dropped the mug.
Yan Tuo chased out, his face dark with anger. But at the sight outside, he froze.
Even if his little fluffy ball was spoiled rotten and messing with him was one thing, unprovoked attacks on others were inexcusable…
The male officer eyed his boss’s coffee-stained clothes and asked awkwardly, “Captain Yan, did… did your Tangyuan go nuts or something?”
Yan Tuo stood there a moment, watching his pet planted under the spout like it was ready to take on anyone who dared drink. Then he asked the same question the officer had: “Why’s the dispenser here? Who moved it?”
Sun Lei answered again. “…The janitor uncle, I think. Surname Qin or something?”
Yan Tuo ordered, “Grab a disposable cup, fill it, and send it to the Technical Group for Fang Ping to test. No one drinks from this barrel until the results come back.”
Sun Lei blinked in confusion, totally lost. “…Okay, but… but Tangyuan’s still blocking it…”
Before she finished, the little king of the hill had sheathed his weapons. His ruffled crest smoothed instantly as he flew to his owner’s shoulder. Wings loosely draped around Yan Tuo’s neck, head nuzzled close, he cooed soft “cheeps.”
Had he realized his mistake and was begging forgiveness with cuteness?
Sun Lei knew she shouldn’t excuse the little rascal, but she melted anyway—and shot him a worried glance.
Captain Yan treated him like treasure, taking him everywhere without even caging him most days. Now that he’d caused trouble, what if he ended up locked up from here on out? That’d be so heartbreaking…
She just couldn’t figure the water-testing bit. Who’d be crazy enough to poison a police station?
Never mind the grumbling this gorgeous policewoman was doing in her head—the boss’s orders had to be carried out without delay.
She filled a cup with water from the dispenser, carried it carefully over to the neighboring office building, and before she left, thoughtfully taped a note to the machine: “Water temporarily unavailable for drinking.”
Twenty minutes later, the entire J City Police Bureau had erupted into pandemonium.
