Chief Lee is not happy about this. His expression turns serious as he looks at Yuan Ge and asks, " How are you two related? What kind of relationship do you have? You come to our police station at this late hour … Is it just to practice your movie lines? Are you trying to make fun of us? What kind of 'show business' are you in? Look at his looks and voice, is he really a man?"
"How is he not!" Yuan Ge feels that Chief Lee's questions lacks basic respect for Qiuchen and can't help but be a little annoyed, "What are all these questions about? I just want to help him find his family, but you have no record of his fingerprints and can't find any information about him. Your database system isn't well set up, is it?"
"That's impossible. The population database is a centralised system and we've never had a problem with it. If a person can't be found in this system, there are usually only two possibilities - either the person you brought in has a criminal record and is deliberately withholding identifying information, or, the person is underage, has never applied for an ID card and has never had his fingerprints recorded in the system."
The suspicion on the old policeman's face deepens as he thinks about the possibility of a minor being involved.
Only then did Yuan Ge realise that he had been calling Rong Qiuchen a little loony all this time, but hadn't really asked him his age. Could this guy really be underage?! He hurriedly turns around and asks, "How old are you?" Then on second thought, he quickly adds in ancient Chinese, "The officer asked if you are over 18." Just in case this little loony replies that he was born during the reign of Xianfeng, the police would then hear and charge him with the crime of attempting to restore a deposed monarch.
Rong Qiuchen blinked at his words, "Childe Yuan has really underestimated me this time. I am twenty two years old, already over the age for the capping ceremony[1]."
Yuan Ge looks back at Chief Lee: "You heard him. He's 22 years old. How can he be underage."
"He doesn't have any papers, so he could be lying about his age. We have to do further investigation. In my opinion, the boy should stay with us for tonight; after all, he looks like a minor and seems to have mental health issues. This is as much for your safety as it is for his. You can leave us your phone number and we will inform you if we find his family."
When Yuan Ge heard this, it finally occurred to him that they meant to let him go but leave Qiuchen behind. He had brought Qiuchen to the police station on impulse, but he only wanted to find out his identity, not expecting to leave him here alone. Wouldn't leaving him at the police station be equivalent to being detained? And -
"For his safety? What do you mean by that!"
Yuan Ge can feel his anger rising. He has helped this boy out of his own kindness, and as a promising law-abiding young man with a good education and a respectable job, how can he end up being viewed as a bad guy in the eyes of these policemen for no reason at all? Did people nowadays have a prejudice against directors and a misconception of the entertainment industry?!
"Forget it. I don't want to find out his identity or family any more. Sorry to have troubled you! Qiuchen, let's go!" Yuan Ge feels that the situation is getting out of hand and pulls Qiuchen to leave, but is stopped by Chief Lee.
"Comrade, we have our procedures. This is a police station, not an amusement park where you can just come and go as you please. You need to cooperate with our investigation - what's your address? How did you meet him? Who else have you brought him in contact with so far? What activities have you taken him home for? If you are not his guardian, we are not going to allow you to take him away today."
Chief Lee pulls down his face, turns around and shouts to the back, "Lily, you take this one with the long plait to the back and check him out. I want to know if he has any papers on him and if he's a man or a woman."
"No problem, Chief!" An energetic female voice answered, followed by a round-faced female officer who weighed at least 200 pounds coming from the back. Looking at Rong Qiuchen's cool, handsome face, her eyes lights up and she reaches out without a second thought to grab him for a body search.
"You're going too far! You're violating our rights! We're not suspects, why do we need to be searched? I've already said he's a man, so why don't you have any basic trust!"
Yuan Ge can't let Rong Qiuchen be bullied, so he tries to reason with Chief Lee, but is surrounded by several police officers with batons in their hands, while the female police officer twists Qiuchen's arm and tries to pull him inside.
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[1] The capping ceremony, or Guan Li in Pinyin, is the Confucian coming of age ceremony. According to the Book of Rites, it is only after the coming of age ceremonies that young people could call themselves adults and could share social responsibilities. The capping ceremony typically occurs when a man reaches 20 years old.