A few days later at Beijing Police Bureau.
Jia and Huojin’s chief, Tang Haitao had his arms folded as he squinted his eyes at Jia. "Song Jia. May I know the reason for you being on duty today?"
Jia blinked. "Sir, I am reporting on duty as usual."
"Usual? Your knee is so badly injured that you have to use a crutch. How is this usual? I believe I had your leave approved."
"But I didn’t apply for any leave."
"You didn’t. I did because I knew you wouldn’t."
She scratched the top of her head. "I am bored at ho, Sir Tang. My hands can still work. I can help out with the desk tasks."
"No ans no. Rest ans full rest," he glared at her. "So turn around and go back ho."
She attempted to show a pitiful face. "Sir Tang you know-"
"No pity and no waterworks," he sternly said, "I cannot have my officers injuring themselves further. You will only co back to work when you are fully recovered."
She gasped. "That’s still a month away, Sir Tang!"
"Good. One month it is then."
"No, no. Please let help out with sothing. I can do easy stuff."
"And then you will eventually involve yourself in sothing very complicated. I know you very well, Song Jia," he scoffed. "Now go back."
"Yes, yes go back! Song Jia, go back. Song Jia, go back," Huojin cockily made a ’get-out’ signal.
Jia slowly turned her head, narrowing her eyes. "You seem very excited, Huojin."
Huojin smirked, leaning back on his chair. "Feeling like the king here feels so good~ Now I will rule here, ahahaha!"
Tang Haitao smiled. "If you are the king, then who am I, Mo Huojin?"
"Of course, my very loyal subjects-"
A pen ca flying and struck right on his head. "I didn’t hear you clearly. Can you repeat that?"
Huojin broke out into cold sweat. "I misspoke, Sir. Of course, it’s only your rule here."
"Much better. So since I rule here, you should get going for your patrolling rounds."
Huojin lost all his vigor. "Noooo, not the patrolling rounds please. That’s so boring."
"Service towards the civilians should never be boring. Buckle up!"
"Yes, Sir!" He stood straight on his feet and left the bureau but not without throwing a gaze filled with complaint and injustice at Jia.
"Song Jia, you also have nothing to do here. So get going."
So dejected, Jia also dragged her feet outside while also throwing a gaze filled with complaint and injustice at Tang Haitao.
Jia sighed as she limped outside.
"Want to join ?"
Huojin grinned at her, munching on so nuts from his palm. "I can drive. You do the patrolling."
Jia cocked her brow. "Are you dumping your job onto ?"
"You know how I find patrolling so boring and you insist on helping out anyway so it’s a win-win for both of us~ Obviously, we will keep this as a secret from Sir Tang," he winked.
Jia found that option to be very tempting.
"Shall we go, partners-in-cri?" He grinned.
"Please don’t say that. We are cops. Don’t use the word cri anywhere to associate us," she rolled her eyes.
"Tch. You are so uptight. Anyway, hop right in~"
—
"Did Hao Rongjun agree to confess?" Huojin asked as he drove.
"Not yet. But I think we are getting there. He seems more unnerved and unsure now that he won’t be getting any help. Soon, he would ask for us himself."
"That’s so good news at least."
Jia glanced at him. "But you don’t look so good."
He released a sigh. "I started a background check on those goons who held Zhang Luqi hostage. I wanted to know from where they saw her and started to stalk her. We would eventually have to tell Zhang Feiyue about the incident, and I would like to have so answers before I go to him."
She looked surprised. "I was about to start investigating the sa thing. That’s why I ca to the bureau today."
"Seriously?"
"Yes," Jia said while also eyeing and patrolling outside. "We didn’t get to talk much but from what I understood, they weren’t there to sexually assault her or anything. They weren’t sexual predators. When I fought them I, too, didn’t get that feeling from them."
"So why did they target her? Also, who are they? That’s where I am stuck. I have no information about them."
"How could that be? Did you run their photos in our system?"
"I didn’t get any photos."
"Huh?" Jia was taken aback.
Huojin said, "That’s the problem. The bureau didn’t receive any photos or fingerprints data of those goons from Yang Mingshen’s hospital. I have no starting point."
"How is that possible? They were taken to his hospital and from there, we should have gotten their reports, fingerprints, pictures, everything. It’s been days already."
"Negative on that. I did call the hospital but didn’t get any clear answer from the staff there."
She frowned. "Let talk to Bojing-...Wait, stop, stop. Stop the car."
Huojin took the car to the side and put on the brakes. "What happened?"
He found her staring at the tattoo parlor and teased. "You are thinking about getting a tattoo?"
She grimaced. "I don’t have any interest in tattoos. But I saw a familiar face through the glass door. A face that I never liked to see but now will have to."
—
Mingshen was seated on a custor’s chair with his right leg folded over his left. His arm perched upon the armrest as his palm supported his chin. His razor sharp gaze was focused on the tattoo artist before him.
"I am one of your custor’s bosses so that technically makes your Boss too?" He smiled.
"Every custor of mine works under so or the other person. I would have too many bosses, don’t you think?" The tattoo artist, Wen Luoyoang, said.
"Such is your fate..." he sighed.
"With due respect, I don’t think you are here to get a tattoo."
Mingshen chuckled. "My body is perfect as is. I don’t need to get inked for self-expression."
Wen Luoyoang squinted his eyes. "A tattoo is a lot more than that. For so it’s self-expression as you say. But for so it’s a commoration. For so, it’s a cultural expression. So feel empowered. So use it to rebel and so use it to heal. For so, a tattoo is their own storytelling."
Mingshen slid his phone to his side and asked, "Then what do you think is the story of this tattoo?"
The door opened with a chi as a bell attached to it softly tinkled followed by Jia’s voice.
"Which tattoo?"
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