Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Mountain Blaze (02)

02

Hai Shu asked, “Special forces? Have they already arrived in Huiyong City? Can I meet...?”

“Special forces are easy to meet, huh?” Qiao Heng interrupted with a smile, his tone a bit mysterious. “They’ve arrived in Huiyong, but when they arrived, how many of them are here, even I don’t know.”

Hai Shu poured herself another cup of osmanthus tea and smiled. “So, I can’t see them, but they might be watching our work at any time?”

Qiao Heng said, “Isn’t it unfair?”

Hai Shu stood up to leave. “I understand. There’s always a price to pay for special forces.”

Qiao Heng escorted Hai Shu to the door, and as he opened it, he said, “Just believe, they are a reliable force.”

After leaving the team leader’s office, Hai Shu initially planned to complete the remaining parts of her onboarding process, like picking up her house keys. Before she arrived in Huiyong City, the city bureau had already arranged accommodation for her—a one-bedroom apartment, just two stops from the bureau. But she had been so busy lately that she hadn’t had time to settle in and had been staying in the bureau’s dormitory.

However, as she was walking down the corridor, her phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number, and the location showed Bincun City.

She had just been talking about Bincun City with Qiao Heng, and now a call from Bincun City was coming in. Who could it be? Hai Shu stared at the phone, hesitating.

After coming to Huiyong City, she had used a new phone number, but as a criminal investigator, she didn’t want to easily change her old number. There might be case-related matters that would still reach her.

After a moment of hesitation, Hai Shu answered the phone, but didn’t speak first.

On the other end, there was silence, but she could hear soft breathing.

“Who is this?” Hai Shu asked.

“Is this... Hai Shu Jie?” A strange and youthful female voice asked.

Hai Shu was slightly taken aback, quickly trying to recall who it could be, but she still couldn’t remember in that moment.

“It’s me. Who are you?”

“I... I’m Qi Xueyuan. We’ve met before. I’m Qi Bin’s daughter. Hai Shu Jie, do you remember me?”

Hai Shu suddenly remembered, Qi Xueyuan, Qi Bin’s daughter, if she wasn’t mistaken, was currently in her first year of high school. But she couldn’t understand why Qi Xueyuan was calling her out of the blue. They hadn’t exchanged contact information, and the only time they had met was at Qi Xueyuan’s graduation banquet last summer.

Even then, they had only exchanged a few words. Hai Shu remembered her as a shy, innocent-looking girl who didn’t resemble her rough father, Qi Bin, at all.

Curious about the purpose of Qi Xueyuan’s call, Hai Shu asked, “Xueyuan, is there something going on?”

“Hmm...” Qi Xueyuan was silent for a while before hesitantly saying, “Sister, when did you decide to become a police officer?”

The question was so sudden that Hai Shu leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. “Why do you ask?”

Is this really Qi Xueyuan? Hai Shu couldn’t help but become more cautious.

Noticing Hai Shu’s change in tone, Qi Xueyuan hurriedly apologized, “Sister, I’m not trying to pry into your personal matters, it’s just... I also want to be a police officer, to help my father, but he always says I’m a girl, so how could I be a police officer? So I wanted to know, if you were me, how would you convince him?”

So that’s why.

Hai Shu suddenly felt a bit helpless, because this was a question she couldn’t answer for Qi Xueyuan. Qi Bin was her former superior, and one of the best criminal investigators in Bincun City, with impeccable professional skills, but when it came to female officers, he could be said to be the epitome of “favoring men over women.”

From the first day she arrived in Bincun City, Qi Bin didn’t like her. Despite her exceptional performance, she had always been stationed at the Guiyun substation, partly because Qi Bin didn’t want to transfer her to the city bureau’s criminal investigation team.

She had once been full of passion, hoping to win over Qi Bin, but failed. Before leaving Bincun City, she finally admitted that some people were just like that, no matter how much effort you put in, you could never match up to the male officers.

But what did Qi Bin’s attitude have to do with Qi Xueyuan? Qi Xueyuan was just a 16-year-old high school girl. Hai Shu didn’t want to complain about her father to her. After thinking for a moment, she only said, “I was luckier than you.”

“Huh?”

“When I was your age, I was already living on my own. My parents didn’t care what I wanted to become in the future.”

“Right, I’m sorry!” Qi Xueyuan’s voice was filled with regret.

Hai Shu said, “Xueyuan, don’t apologize all the time, you didn’t say anything wrong. I didn’t live with my parents, and for me, that wasn’t a bad thing.”

Qi Xueyuan seemed unsure of what to say next, and after a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke. “Sister, sorry to bother you. Recently, I’ve encountered something, and if I were a criminal investigator, it would have been easier. My dad doesn’t support me, and after thinking it over, I decided to call you.”

Hai Shu smiled. “How did you find my phone number?”

“Before, I sneaked and peeked at it on my dad’s phone.”

Hai Shu’s impression of Qi Xueyuan changed slightly. It turned out that this seemingly studious and well-behaved girl also had a mischievous side.

“I might not be able to give you any advice.” Hai Shu said truthfully. “After all, we’ve only met once, and I don’t really know you. But I think, girls should be a little braver and tougher. Your future is yours, not your parents’. If you want to do something, as long as it’s legitimate, go for it.”

Qi Xueyuan was clearly encouraged, and her voice became brighter as she quickly said, “Okay! I understand! Thank you, Sister! You’re working, right? Sorry to bother you! I’ll hang up now! Goodbye, Sister!”

Hai Shu looked at her phone and shook her head with a smile before going to complete her onboarding process.

The administrative police officer was very enthusiastic, showing Hai Shu nearby maps and introducing where the supermarkets were, where it was easy to park, and even offering to accompany her to buy some daily necessities. Hai Shu quickly stopped her, saying, “You’re busy, I don’t have much to buy.”

The administrative officer waved her hand, “If you need anything, just let me know.”

Back in the corridor, Hai Shu let out a breath. The atmosphere in the human resources department was much more relaxed than the criminal investigation team, but she felt more uneasy here. In the team, everyone cared about clues and points of suspicion, things that weren’t a concern for her. But in the human resources department, her colleagues were concerned with her life, focusing on her as a "person" rather than as a "criminal investigator," and she found it hard to handle.

After taking a moment to collect herself, Hai Shu walked toward the elevator at the end of the corridor. Halfway there, the elevator doors opened, and three men who didn’t look like police officers walked out, the last one still wearing sunglasses.

They were tall, their well-fitted shirts and trousers subtly outlining their muscular frames. In an instant, Hai Shu’s attention was drawn to the last man’s face. He wasn’t the tallest of the three, but his short hair, sharp nose, and his distinct jawline, combined with his clean, refined features, caught her eye.

As they came closer, the man in the lead glanced at Hai Shu, and the one wearing sunglasses turned toward her as well. But the sunglasses were so dark that Hai Shu couldn’t see his eyes. Even so, she was certain they were making eye contact.

The man’s neck turned slightly, his face angled in another direction, and the light reflecting off his Adam's apple curved slightly beneath the shadow of his jaw.

Hai Shu passed by him, and a thought crossed her mind: Why is he wearing sunglasses indoors? Does he have some kind of eye condition?

Just as she was exiting the criminal investigation team building, Hai Shu heard a horn. Looking in the direction of the sound, Sui Xing was waving at her from inside a car. “Get in!”

Hai Shu walked over. “Where are we going?”

“You’re moving to Swan Mountain, right?” Sui Xing said. “You’re new here, and you don’t know your way around, so I’ll take you to buy some essentials.”

Hai Shu: “...”

Why is everyone so concerned about her essentials today?

Sui Xing urged, “Get in the car.”

Hai Shu opened the car door, but before getting in, she instinctively looked up at the building. No one was standing by the windows.

“I don’t live in Swan Mountain, I live at Swan Lake.” Hai Shu corrected him.

Sui Xing laughed. “Both names are equally ridiculous. What’s wrong with these developers? Naming everything like this—‘Swan Lake’...”

The shopping mall Sui Xing mentioned was next to the Swan Lake neighborhood. Sui Xing grabbed a shopping cart and started loading rice, flour, and oil into it.

Hai Shu quickly stopped him. “Wait, wait! Put that back, I don’t need it!”

Sui Xing was surprised. “Are you going to practice immortality?”

Hai Shu said, “I rely on the unit for my meals, I can’t cook.”

“Not even fried rice?”

“…”

“Not even noodles?”

“…”

Sui Xing reluctantly put the rice, flour, and oil back, then headed to the instant food section. “You should stock up on some of this, in case the cafeteria doesn’t have food.”

Hai Shu wasn’t particularly fond of instant food. She preferred to go out for a nice meal on her rare days off, but since Sui Xing had already put it in the cart, she decided to go along with it.

While they were shopping, Hai Shu noticed that Sui Xing was quite a spender. This supermarket didn’t even have a shelf for hairpins or small accessories, but they had one, filled with necklaces, earrings, and other small items, glittering under the lights, looking beautiful, though not so special when taken out individually.

Sui Xing stopped in front of the display and picked up a pair of earrings, holding them up in front of Hai Shu. “I’ll buy these for you!”

Hai Shu quickly said, “No! I don’t even have my ears pierced!”

Sui Xing leaned in closer. “Who are you kidding? I’ve already noticed, isn’t that a hole in your ear?” He reached out and poked the earlobe of her right ear.

Hai Shu reflexively grabbed her earlobe and widened her eyes.

Sui Xing laughed. “Still not admitting it!”

Hai Shu wasn’t denying it, it was just that she hadn’t thought about the earring in many years and had forgotten about it. The story behind this earring was also something she didn’t feel comfortable sharing with Sui Xing.

Sui Xing picked out a pair of earrings, deep blue starfish, and insisted on giving them to Hai Shu. “Look, this is a starfish, and you have a ‘hai’ in your name.”

Reluctantly accepting, Hai Shu took them and looked at them for a while, then suddenly started laughing.

Sui Xing, suspicious, asked, “What’s so funny?”

Hai Shu held up the starfish earrings. “You also have a ‘xing’ in your name.”

Sui Xing had really not noticed that detail and suddenly turned red, trying to grab the earrings back. “Then I’ll pick another one!”

But Hai Shu wouldn’t let go. “I want the starfish, it looks the best.”

Sui Xing became embarrassed. “Ah, this makes me seem domineering, forcing my new colleague to wear my name.”

Hai Shu smiled. “If you think like that, Sui Xing, we two women are the indispensable starfish combo in the criminal investigation team.”

Sui Xing laughed and stretched out her arm. “I’ll form the stars!”

Hai Shu: “…”

Passersby looked over, and Hai Shu quickly swatted Sui Xing’s hand down.

Half an hour later, the two had finished paying, mainly buying various types of paper. Sui Xing was still worried. “You really don’t have much of a homey vibe.”

Hai Shu asked, “What is a homey vibe?”

Sui Xing replied, “At least make some fried rice or something.”

Hai Shu laughed and used a soda bottle to cool her neck.

To add some life to Hai Shu’s new home, Sui Xing grabbed a big white goose from a street stall outside the mall.

At home, Sui Xing helped move things and placed the big goose on the sofa. After a quick tour, she pointed at the boxes on the floor. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help?”

Hai Shu replied, “Really don’t need it. I’ll play some music and think about the case while tidying up.”

Sui Xing tossed the keys in the air. “You don’t want me to disturb your thinking, huh? Fine, I’m leaving.”

She said it jokingly, and Hai Shu escorted her to the elevator. “Next time, I’ll come to your place for fried rice and add some warmth to the place.”

Sui Xing laughed. “Go ahead and think about your case.”

When Hai Shu closed the door, the world became suddenly quiet. She didn’t rush to tidy up but instead lifted the dust cover off the sofa, stretched out, and let her thoughts drift aimlessly.

She was so tired. She had thought that after solving the Zhou Ping Town case and the missing university student case, she could finally take a proper rest. But this was only the beginning, her ticket to dive deeper into the darkness of Grey Surge City. She closed her eyes, and the image of Xun Susu suddenly flashed through her mind, causing her to sit up excitedly. The feeling of excitement seemed to have a time lag, and it only now began to stir in her blood.

She couldn’t figure out when Xun Susu had started paying attention to her. They had never communicated, and compared to Xun Susu’s many achievements, she felt like a little girl just learning to walk.

The apartment provided by the city bureau wasn’t big, and there were few pieces of furniture, but that was just what she wanted. She started making the bed and doing some simple cleaning. She had planned to turn on some music and analyze the case, but her mind was occupied with thoughts of Xun Susu.

When did she start seeing Xun Susu as her goal? When did she want to become a criminal investigator?

It was funny when she thought about it. Actually, when she was little, her dream was to become an international superstar, dragging a long skirt like the Milky Way and singing her heart out on a stage lit up by flashing lights.

Thinking about that scene, she couldn’t help but laugh.

A little girl’s dreams were always colorful, and they firmly believed that they could achieve them in the future. During those years, foreign culture was blooming in China. Cinemas showed Hollywood blockbusters, TV stations aired Japanese anime, and the streets were filled with stores selling music and movies in English. Hai Shu, a porcelain doll, had her hair curled by her mom and dressed in a princess dress, posing like the stars on TV. She loved beauty and performing, and whenever there were cultural activities at school, she would always go up to sing.

At that time, she truly believed that she would be the next international superstar.

The Hai family wasn’t the wealthiest in Qiyun City, but they lived quite comfortably. Her mom had studied abroad and held an important position in a foreign company, and her dad taught at a university. The family was very respectable. When Hai Shu told her dad she wanted to be a star, he frowned, but her mom fully supported her.

The change came suddenly that year, and with it, her dream of being an international superstar came to an abrupt end.

Her mom had always looked down on her dad’s poor relatives, thinking they were unambitious, hiding in the old factory area, living a stagnant life for decades, thinking it was a “solid job.” During the holidays, when they would visit relatives, her mom often skipped out, claiming work was too busy. Hai Shu heard her aunt talk about interesting things from the factory and wanted to spend her summer holidays there, but her mom wouldn’t allow it.

But that summer, when Hai Shu was 8, her mom unusually asked, “Shu Shu, do you want to go spend the summer at your aunt’s house?”

She was so happy that she immediately took out her little suitcase. While her mom packed the clothes she would take, Hai Shu ran to the study and threw herself on her dad. “Mom’s letting me go to Aunt’s house!”

She thought her dad would be happy, but his expression was unreadable.

During the summer vacation in Wandu Street, it started out a bit boring, but after becoming friends with Xiao Yu, she no longer minded the boredom. Xiao Yu was her most loyal audience. They found a big rock by the riverbank and used it as a stage. She sang the songs she had just learned in the glow of the evening sky, while Xiao Yu sat on a small stone, clapping expressionlessly.

The applause was even controlled by her. “Xiao Yu, it’s time to clap now.”

Xiao Yu’s applause was louder than the river’s sound.

“Xiao Yu, cheer a little.”

“Woof—”

She burst into laughter. “Xiao Yu, that’s a dog’s bark! Did you learn that from Da Huang?”

Xiao Yu made a face but switched to another way of cheering.

She laughed even harder. “This is Tarzan!”

“…”

Xiao Yu stopped playing along and turned to pack up the props—those beautiful masks he had drawn on cardboard. Hai Shu ran after him and took the golden staff. The two children walked by the river, kicking the water against the evening glow. The sunset was generous, and under its sky, everything was radiant. Even the plain river water, which seemed so ordinary during the day, turned into gold, priceless and gleaming.

The children’s topics bounced all over the place. Just a minute ago, Hai Shu was coaxing the sulking Xiao Yu, and the next minute, she was talking about her grand dreams.

“Xiao Yu, do you think I can become an international superstar?”

Before Xiao Yu could answer, she continued, “We’re good friends, so if you discourage me, you’ll lose your only friend.”

After saying that, she regretted it a little and secretly glanced at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu was an oddball in Wandu Street. While the other kids in the factory gathered in groups, Xiao Yu always played alone. Hai Shu saw similar children at school, but they either weren’t good-looking or were dirty, so no one wanted to be close to them.

Xiao Yu, on the other hand, was a fair-skinned little boy with no friends.

Hai Shu had asked her aunt, who said that Xiao Yu had never played with others since he was young but was very smart, better than all the other kids at the school. Hai Shu felt her aunt hadn’t really answered her question.

“You can make it,” Xiao Yu said.

Hai Shu had zoned out for a moment. “Huh?”

Xiao Yu stopped and looked at her seriously. “You can become an international superstar.”

Hai Shu was very happy and a little excited. She chased after Xiao Yu and asked, “Why?”

Xiao Yu answered, “Because I need a friend.”

She didn’t expect that answer. Hai Shu laughed and tapped him on the head with the golden staff. “Then what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Xiao Yu didn’t say anything, and the sound of other children playing in the distance was carried by the river.

Hai Shu talked to herself. “Xiao Yu, you draw so well, don’t you want to be a painter?”

Xiao Yu replied, “Just scribbles.”

Hai Shu was great at complimenting others. “Wow, even your scribbles look so good. If you actually tried, you could become an international master painter.”

International superstar and international master painter.

Finally, Xiao Yu was amused by her, lowering his head and laughing.

Hai Shu walked ahead with a big swagger, then suddenly turned around and stretched out her right hand. “Let’s hook fingers.”

Xiao Yu was stunned. “Hook fingers?”

“In the future, I’ll be a big star, and you’ll be the King of the Monkeys!”

“…Wasn’t I supposed to be a master painter?”

“Hahahahaha!”

At first, Xiao Yu stood still, but after Hai Shu’s pinky wiggled in front of him for a while, he slowly raised his hand. The two pinkies hooked together, and Hai Shu pulled hard, swinging it. “Woof—”

Xiao Yu said, “Tarzan.”

After that, Hai Shu didn’t press Xiao Yu on why he didn’t have friends. She selfishly thought, it was better that Xiao Yu didn’t have any friends. That way, whenever she wanted to play with him, Xiao Yu would always accompany her.

But Hai Shu had something on her mind. She wanted to invite Xiao Yu to her home during the winter vacation—she went to Xiao Yu’s house every day, but Xiao Yu had never been to her home. But she had to get her parents' permission. She called home several times, but either the call didn’t go through, or her mom was always busy, saying a few words of concern before hanging up.

She vaguely felt that something had happened between her father and mother. She was usually outspoken, but this time, she couldn't ask about it and didn't dare to have her aunt ask either. Her aunt comforted her, "Adults have their own troubles. You're still young and can be happy without worries."

Without getting her parents' permission, Hai Shu didn't bring up the idea of inviting Xiao Yu to her house during the winter vacation. She spent more and more time in Wucun, but it wasn't always at Xiao Yu's house. Sometimes, she also went to the cattle farm to help Uncle Xiao Long with work.

Aside from Xiao Yu, she liked Uncle Xiao Long the most among the new people she met. Uncle Xiao Long knew a lot of things and seemed to have been to many places. He often had Hai Shu and Xiao Yu stunned with his stories.

She went to the cattle farm as if attending a storytelling session, and the foul smell was just the price she paid to hear those stories.

The children in Wucun were not friendly to Xiao Yu, but before, they just ignored him. Hai Shu's arrival broke the balance. Although they were just a group of kids, there was still competition among them. Hai Shu, a beautiful girl from the city center, didn't play with them, and every day she hung out with Xiao Yu. They inevitably felt unsettled. After thinking it over, they decided to give Xiao Yu some trouble.

A small stone hit Xiao Yu's door, and the boys loudly called Xiao Yu a wild child. They specifically came to cause trouble when Uncle Xiao Long was at work. Xiao Yu stayed inside making masks, seemingly uninterested in the foolishness outside.

Hai Shu was furious. She had been sitting on the ground, taking pictures of paper drawings—first her own, then helping Xiao Yu with his. Winning or losing, it was her own thing. When the commotion started outside, she couldn't focus on her paper drawing anymore. She grabbed the golden staff and rushed out. "Who threw the stone? Come out!"

The outside turned into chaos. Xiao Yu couldn't continue drawing either. The two sides started fighting. Hai Shu wasn’t good at fighting, but her shouting was loud enough to scare the troublemakers away.

The story spread, and somehow, it turned into, "The girl from the city center, Hai Shu, scared off more than ten boys by herself."

Her aunt and uncle tried to advise her, "Girls should be more gentle. What if you get hurt? How are we going to explain it to your parents?"

Hai Shu was almost unharmed, but one of the boys had gotten angry and tugged at her ear. Xiao Yu rushed over to push the boy away, but a stone thrown by the boy hit him and broke his skin.

Xiao Yu was a child that Uncle Xiao Long had picked up, and everyone in the factory area knew that. In the children's world, not having parents was a big deal. Hai Shu always acted casually in front of Xiao Yu, but this matter, she had never asked him about.

After the fight, Xiao Yu said on his own, "I wasn’t sad."

Hai Shu didn’t understand for a moment. "What?"

Xiao Yu handed her the new mask he had made. It was a small white cat, with eyes drawn like sapphires, looking beautiful. "What I meant was, I wasn’t sad about them saying I don’t have parents, that I’m a wild child."

"Xiao Yu..."

"I used to wander alone, it was much harder than now. Later, Uncle Long picked me up, and he raised me. I have food, clothes, and a home. He’s better than those people’s parents. Why would I be sad?"

Hai Shu thought for a moment and then understood. "Uncle Xiao Long really is a good person."

"So don’t fight because of what they say," Xiao Yu squatted down with her. "I can’t be bothered with them."

Hai Shu smiled and put on the little white cat mask, showing her claws, "Meow!"

Xiao Yu, however, looked at her ear, which had turned red from being tugged, with a fingernail mark still visible. Luckily, it wasn’t broken.

Hai Shu touched her ear. "Xiao Yu, what’s wrong?"

Xiao Yu turned his face away, looking unhappy. He muttered, "Nothing."

Hai Shu pounced on him. "If you’re unhappy, just say it!"

Xiao Yu glanced at her ear again. "Your ear looks like a big Buddha now, so ugly."