Eight months had passed, and in a few days, the traditional Chinese festival—Spring Festival—would arrive.
During those eight months, Rui Xiaodan had not received a single call from Ding Yuanying. She was busy every day with her teammates from the Criminal Police Team, constantly engaged in arrests and interrogations, gradually forgetting about Ding Yuanying.
That morning, the special task force for the "12.7 Major (Prohibited) Murder Case" finished interrogating the suspects. Rui Xiaodan, along with her teammates Zhou Wei and Wang Futian, left the detention center and drove back to the Criminal Police Team.
The sky was overcast, and the howling north wind swept tiny snowflakes across the sky. The melted snow on the road had refrozen into hard ice, covered with a layer of snow particles, forcing vehicles to drive slowly.
The festive atmosphere was everywhere along the road. Bare branches were adorned with colorful lights and flags. Crowds thronged in front of supermarkets, with eye-catching, provocative advertisements everywhere. People with large bags hurriedly passed by, their shopping desires almost tangible in the air on this special day.
The Public Security Bureau of the ancient city was located on the broadest avenue in the city center. The road was so wide that it never felt crowded, even during rush hour. The entrance opened onto a spacious area with a parking lot beside it. Under the eaves of the bureau building hung four large red lanterns, spelling out "Celebrate Spring Festival," swaying in the biting cold wind.
In the office of the Criminal Police Team, the heating kept the room at around 20 degrees Celsius. Several large-leaf ornamental plants remained lush and vibrant, unaffected by the severe cold outside.
Back at the team, they had just taken off their coats and sat down at their desks when Captain Lei Jianfeng walked in and pinned a duty roster for the Spring Festival on the bulletin board. Everyone gathered around to take a look.
Captain Lei, in his forties, was strong and exuded decisiveness and competence. He cleared his throat and said, "As usual, we prioritize those with wives and children, then those who are married, and so on, especially for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. You can switch shifts freely, but you must inform the team in advance."
After speaking, the captain left.
Rui Xiaodan didn't look; she knew which days she would be on duty without checking. She focused intently on an interrogation record at her desk, reading slowly and carefully, occasionally pausing to think deeply. One of her tasks was to extract valuable information from the words.
Zhou Wei, whose desk faced Rui Xiaodan's, quickly returned after checking the duty roster. Seeing her engrossed in the interrogation record, he lightly tapped the table.
Rui Xiaodan looked up.
Zhou Wei smiled and said, "You didn't even look. You really know yourself well."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Which shift are you on?"
Zhou Wei said, "You and Fatty have the day shift on New Year's Day. The captain and I have the night shift on New Year's Eve."
Zhao Guoqiang, nicknamed "Fatty," wasn't actually very fat but appeared heavier compared to the rest of the team. Still looking at the duty roster, he chimed in, "Don't even think about swapping with me. I'm only switching with the captain, no one else. And it's not sucking up; the man has a wife and kids and hasn't had a proper Spring Festival in ages."
"Who's thinking about swapping with you?" Zhou Wei retorted, then turned to Rui Xiaodan, "My girlfriend wants me to spend New Year's Eve at her place. I'm not getting any younger. Could you do me a favor?"
"No problem," Rui Xiaodan agreed readily.
Zhou Wei, delighted, cupped his hands in thanks, "You're a real pal!"
Rui Xiaodan said, "I'm fine alone. Just get the captain's approval."
Zhou Wei immediately stood up and went to find the captain.
Suddenly, Rui Xiaodan remembered something. She put down the interrogation record, looked out at the swirling snow through the window, and after a moment, took out her phone book. She dialed Ding Yuanying's number, thinking it was appropriate to call and check on him, at least during the Spring Festival.
When the call connected, she asked, "Is this Mr. Ding? Hello, this is Rui Xiaodan."
On the other end, Ding Yuanying politely replied, "Hello, Miss Rui. Do you need something?"
Rui Xiaodan, slightly annoyed, said, "Not really. Do you need anything? With the Spring Festival coming up, I thought I'd see if you needed someone to watch your house."
Ding Yuanying said, "I'm not going back for the festival. Everything's fine. Thank you for your concern."
Rui Xiaodan said, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."
Ding Yuanying said, "Thank you. Goodbye."
Rui Xiaodan hung up, a trace of bewilderment crossing her mind. It seemed odd that Ding Yuanying, alone and without a job, would not go home for the Spring Festival.
Zhao Guoqiang, grinning, asked, "Xiaodan, who's this Mr. Ding? Never heard you mention him."
Wang Futian also smiled and asked, "Yeah, what does he do?"
Rui Xiaodan laughed and said, "Sorry to disappoint you."
Zhao Guoqiang quickly said, "Don't disappoint us. A different form of compensation would do. I'm not as greedy as the others; half a bottle of good wine and four dishes would suffice."
Wang Futian laughed heartily, "That's not greedy?"
Rui Xiaodan said, "I haven't treated you guys for months. It's about time. Set a date."
At that moment, Zhou Wei returned with a broad smile, muttering, "Heaven's gate opens, earth's gate opens, demons and ghosts step aside, let me enjoy my New Year's Eve dinner."
Zhao Guoqiang joked, "Looks like a wedding gift is in the near future."