A series of knocks interrupted the deep contemplation of the female officer.
"Come in!" Tie Wan set aside the case file in her hands, massaging her temples.
"Chief Tie, here's your lunch." A young female officer, around 24 or 25 years old, entered with a white plastic lunchbox.
"Thank you." Tie Wan nodded. "Just leave it on the desk."
"Yes." The officer responded softly, placing the meal on the desk before turning to leave. Just as she was about to step out, Tie Wan called her back, "Xiao Qing, please bring Xiao Wu to me."
The officer, named Xiao Qing, hesitated for a moment before quickly stepping out.
Soon after, a young officer, clearly nervous, appeared at the door.
"Chief Tie, did you call for me?" Xiao Wu, already apprehensive, was even more uneasy, particularly after the recent, somewhat dubious credit he had received. His heart raced as he entered, knowing that if he wasn't trembling with fear, he would be lying.
"Xiao Wu, I need you to answer me truthfully." Tie Wan's expression turned serious.
Xiao Wu's heart sank. His worst fear had come to pass. Despite the nervousness bubbling inside him, he maintained a respectful tone, "Of course, Chief Tie. What would you like to know?"
"Was the criminal we apprehended yesterday really captured by you?"
"Yes... no!" At the last moment, Xiao Wu finally spoke the truth. The pressure from the female officer was too great. Although she had asked the question casually, her sharp gaze made him feel as if his every word was being weighed, leaving no room for deceit.
Initially fearing the wrath of his superior upon learning the truth, Xiao Wu was surprised to find that Tie Wan showed no anger. Instead, she simply remarked, "It was Mr. Xiang who helped you, wasn't it?"
In truth, Tie Wan had already suspected as much. Given the difficulty in capturing such a dangerous criminal, and recalling that Mr. Xiang had been on the scene, combined with the forensic report, it seemed clear to her that only someone with extraordinary strength—someone like him—could have incapacitated a specially trained, armed assailant with a single kick.
"Yes!" Xiao Wu let out a relieved sigh. Though he didn't understand how Tie Wan had deduced the truth, her expression reassured him that she wouldn't pursue the matter further. If she had intended to reprimand him, she wouldn't have asked so calmly.
At that moment, Xiao Wu felt a deep gratitude for the one who had helped him. He truly believed that it was Chief Tie's magnanimity that spared him, for under her usual "unyielding" approach, he would have never been allowed to remain a part of the "sacred" police force with such dishonesty.
Tie Wan, unaware that Xiao Wu had attributed her leniency to a certain man, continued with an unintentional air of curiosity, "Xiao Wu, when you saw Mr. Xiang yesterday, was he alone?"
Xiao Wu was taken aback. Why was the Chief asking about this? As he pondered his response, he noticed a shift in her usual composed demeanor—there was a subtle softness, almost human-like warmth. Realizing the possible implication, he quickly understood what was at play.
No wonder Chief Tie had stayed in her office all day, with lunch brought to her. She had spoken earlier in a tone that hinted she was not particularly happy. It all made sense now—this wasn't just about work. It seemed that the Chief was suspecting that her superior had another woman in his life.
Indeed, Xiao Wu had seen a woman with Mr. Xiang the day before, a lady wearing sunglasses. Though her face was mostly concealed, he had quickly recognized her as the famous rising star, the one everyone was talking about. But how did Chief Tie know? Xiao Wu was unaware that, after he had left, his superior had entered the building, unaware of what had transpired afterward.
Although uncertain, Xiao Wu, having received such a great favor from a certain superior, still knew how to "repay" the favor. He answered firmly, "When I saw Mr. Xiang yesterday, he was alone!"
"Is that so?" Tie Wan fixed her gaze on him, as though searching for some hidden truth in his face.
"Yes, Mr. Xiang was definitely alone!" Xiao Wu was resolute in his response, having already made up his mind that no matter what, he would not retract his words. He owed too much to the one who had given him such an immense credit.
Tie Wan studied him for a while, but seeing no signs of deception, she pressed on, "Then who was the girl wearing sunglasses with him?"
"Oh, you're talking about her?" Xiao Wu feigned realization, though his heart was conflicted with a mixture of anxiety and relief. By now, he had deduced that the female officer had most likely been to the scene yesterday, and she had probably arrived after he and the others had left. He could only hope she hadn't witnessed the worst of it.
But having decided to hold his ground, Xiao Wu now displayed an expression of great excitement. "She's the famous actress Luo Feizi! Mr. Xiang recognized her and even went up to ask for her autograph. They started talking, and they hit it off. I wanted to ask her for an autograph too, but I didn't want to make a scene, so I didn't."
"Luo Feizi?" Tie Wan murmured to herself, now fully convinced of Xiao Wu's account.
She remembered wondering why the woman had worn such large sunglasses—clearly to avoid being recognized. It seemed, after all, that the scoundrel had truly only wanted an autograph when he approached her.
But then, what about the woman with such a voluptuous figure? Tie Wan's keen eyes could never be mistaken—when she had left, her provocative demeanor had been unmistakably flirtatious, nothing like the innocent charm one might feign. No, this woman was definitely attempting to seduce her man! She couldn't let this go; she had to get to the bottom of it.
"Xiao Wu, aside from the girl with the sunglasses, did you see any other strange (or unusually large-breasted) women with Mr. Xiang?"
"No..." Xiao Wu was now genuinely startled. He had thought that once he explained about the sunglasses-wearing woman, everything would be cleared up. He hadn't expected his superior to ask such a difficult question. Had there really been another "strange woman" after he left, one that Chief Tie might have seen?
This was disastrous! Realizing this, Xiao Wu decided to feign ignorance, of course, slanting the narrative in favor of the superior: "I remember Mr. Xiang being alone. After recognizing the celebrity, there was no one else. Mr. Xiang was there to help us, so how could he have brought anyone else along?"
"Hmm?" Tie Wan paused for a moment, then suddenly realized something. She understood that she had been making a grave mistake all along. From the time she arrived at the scene of the gunfight to when she chased the suspect to the building across the street, it hadn't taken much time at all. In such a short span, it was impossible for Mr. Xiang to have arranged to meet another woman there. Everything, in fact, was a coincidence!
The reason the busty woman had acted so provocatively in front of her was likely, no, certainly, an attempt to seduce her man! Perhaps she had seen her arrival and sought to provoke a misunderstanding.
The more Tie Wan thought about it, the more she felt certain of this possibility. And in fact, her suspicions were not far from the truth. The so-called "voluptuous woman" was indeed trying to create such a scenario, though not out of attraction, but from a deep loathing and hatred for him.
Just then, there was another series of knocks at the door.
"Who is it? Come in!" Tie Wan quickly shook off her thoughts and regained her composure.
"Chief Tie, you have a letter!" The female officer who had delivered lunch earlier entered again, holding a letter bound in blue.
"My letter?" Tie Wan asked in surprise. She hadn't received a handwritten letter since graduating from the police academy. Who would be so bored as to send her a letter?