Chapter 8
Catching a Thief

Chai Yu also stood up, “She’s just a young girl. It’s good to be cautious.”

Tan Yi nodded and silently took a few steps towards Xie Qing.

Chai Yu was about to move forward but was stopped by a young man, “Secretary Chai, what if that man isn’t a thief? It could get out of hand. Let’s wait and see.”

Chai Yu nodded towards Tan Yi, “Don’t worry, as long as he’s here, we can handle it.”

While they were still discussing, the burly man had already swung his fist towards Li Ke’s head.

“Ah!” The onlookers gasped.

“Still bullying a young girl!” Li Ji was prepared. He grabbed the burly man’s arm with one hand, stepped forward with his right foot, and threw the man over his shoulder, “Are you even a man?”

“Ah!” The burly man screamed as he hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Li Ji pressed his knee on the man, took out his badge, and showed it to the burly man and the other three, “Attempting to cause trouble, come with me.”

The three men who were about to act were startled and turned to flee.

Li Ke stepped forward, caught one of them by the shoulder, and pulled him back, “No one is leaving.”

With a guilty conscience, the man tried to grab Li Ke and fight back.

However, Li Ke reacted faster, let go, and dodged to the side. The man followed, and Li Ke slapped him hard across the face.

Two of the four men were caught, and the remaining two returned to help.

Xie Qing released the girl and was about to step forward when Tan Yi and Chai Yu arrived.

With the police present, the onlookers became bolder and surrounded the four men.

One of the men, realizing he couldn’t win, shouted, “The police are beating people! The police are beating people!”

Another man echoed, “Yes, we’re being falsely accused and beaten by the police. Is there no law?”

The burly man, pinned down, struggled, “I didn’t steal anything. Why are you arresting me?”

“Behave!” Li Ji pressed harder with his foot, “I don’t care if you stole anything. You attacked my colleague, and that’s not allowed. Assaulting a police officer, understand?”

The burly man protested, “I didn’t know you were police officers. Besides, that brat falsely accused me. Why don’t you arrest her?”

Li Ji said, “Whether you’re falsely accused or not, we’ll discuss it at the police station. Get up!”

At the mention of the police station, the remaining two men hesitated and took a few steps back.

“Hey, you haven’t paid for the barbecue,” Tan Yi blocked their way.

“Who are you? Mind your own business!” The man on the left reached into his pocket.

Chai Yu noticed and warned, “He might have a knife.”

Before he finished speaking, the man had already pulled out a knife, causing the crowd to scatter.

Tan Yi sneered, kicked the man’s wrist, causing him to drop the knife, and then twisted his arm and kicked him behind the knee, making him kneel.

The last man, seeing this, tried to run but was kicked back by Chai Yu. He laughed, “Since the police are handling this, no one is escaping.”

Tan Yi searched the man he had subdued and found a leather wallet, “Whose is this?”

After a few seconds, a middle-aged man cursed, “Damn, I think it’s mine.”

At this point, the owner brought some ropes at Xie Qing’s request. They quickly tied up the four thieves and found a mobile phone, two pagers, and three wallets on them. The local police usually handled such petty crimes, so although they caught the thieves, they had to hand them over to the police station.

Li Ke and Li Ji took the four men aside to avoid disrupting the barbecue restaurant.

Chai Yu greeted Xie Qing, “Xie Qing.”

Xie Qing replied, “Hello, Brother Chai. Hello, Brother Tan.”

Tan Yi nodded in acknowledgment.

Chai Yu asked, “Are those two your friends?”

Xie Qing said, “They’re colleagues.”

Chai Yu was surprised, “You’re a police officer?”

Xie Qing smiled, “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Chai Yu glanced at Tan Yi, who signaled him to stop asking, “Alright, you have the demeanor of a police officer.”

Xie Qing thought: This Mayor’s secretary isn’t as perceptive as the detective captain. Is it because the old pickled vegetables are too cunning, or is the Shiba Inu too simple?

She planned to tell the truth, “Actually, I…”

“Ring ring ring…” Chai Yu’s bag rang.

Chai Yu opened the bag, answered the call, and walked away to talk.

Seeing that Tan Yi didn’t want to chat, Xie Qing continued talking to the girl, “Many thieves work in groups. You can’t just act recklessly. It’s good to be brave, but you must prioritize your safety, understand?”

The girl didn’t care, “Sister, it’s fine. We caught them, didn’t we?”

Xie Qing said, “These petty thieves won’t be locked up for long. What if they retaliate when they get out?”

The girl finally felt scared, “What should I do?”

Xie Qing said, “Go home and stay there for a while. The city is big, and it’s not easy to find someone.”

The girl’s face turned pale. One of her male companions said, “It’s not a big deal. The university is starting soon. It’ll be over after a few months.”

Xie Qing sighed in relief, “That’s good. Go home after eating and be careful in the future.”

The group of boys and girls thanked her and continued eating.

Tan Yi asked, “As a police officer, shouldn’t you encourage bravery?”

Xie Qing looked up at him. He was really tall, even taller than Gu Ling. She was 1.7 meters tall, and her head barely reached his chin.

Xie Qing took a step back to look him in the eye, “A little money isn’t worth risking a girl’s safety, and…”

“Xie Qing, sorry about today.” Chai Yu finished his call and came over with his bag, “I have to go back to work. Let’s get together with your brother another day.”

Xie Qing said, “Alright, take care, Brother Chai.”

“Goodbye.” Chai Yu glanced at Tan Yi, “What about you?”

Tan Yi said, “I’ll go with you.”

The two said goodbye to the others and walked towards the Santana parked in the alley.

Chai Yu said, “I didn’t expect the little girl to be a police officer.”

The alley was dark, and Tan Yi looked around cautiously, “She’s probably a 110 operator or a household registration officer at the police station.”

“Why?” Chai Yu asked, “Xie Chen and his sister never mentioned it. Turns out she’s a police officer. She’s quite interesting.”

Tan Yi said, “That explains it.”

Chai Yu was puzzled, “What?”

Tan Yi said, “On Xie Chen’s birthday, Xie Qing arrived early but was the last to join the party. She left early, using work as an excuse, even though the elders were still there. The Xie family doesn’t approve of her job, so she’s avoiding them.”

Chai Yu said, “Why analyze such trivial matters? Isn’t it tiring?”

Tan Yi got into the car, “Don’t you think when you work for the leader?”

Chai Yu started the car, “Alright, I can’t argue with you.”

Shortly after Chai Yu and Tan Yi left, the local police arrived. They thanked them, took statements from the victims, and took the thieves away.

The three of them sat back at the table. The boss enthusiastically reheated the cold barbecue and brought three large mugs of draft beer.

Li Ji asked, “Xiao Xie, who are those people? They seem quite impressive.”

Xie Qing thought for a moment, “The one with the mobile phone is the mayor’s secretary, and the one who acted might be a police officer. They’re all friends of my brother. I’ve only met them once, so I don’t know them well.”

Li Ji was startled, “The mayor’s secretary from our city?”

Xie Qing replied, “Yes, from our city.”

Li Ji then asked, “What does your brother do?”

Xie Qing smiled, “Don’t get the wrong idea. Except for me, no one in my family works for the government. He just has a lot of classmates.”

Li Ji responded with an “oh,” his expression darkening.

Xie Qing understood that someone like Li Ji, with limited experience and connections, often felt isolated when facing problems alone without anyone to consult. That’s why he was so eager to team up with her and Li Ke.

Li Ke’s parents were both civil servants, and her brother knew the mayor’s secretary, which made Li Ji feel inferior.

Xie Qing said, “My family is firmly against me being a forensic doctor. They’ve given me a month to reconsider and are pressuring me to resign.”

Li Ke and Li Ji were not surprised and exchanged a knowing glance.
Li Ke took a sip of draft beer and said with a mischievous smile, “You probably don’t know, but we made a bet…”

“Everyone was just joking,” Li Ji interrupted, trying to stop Li Ke from continuing. “Don’t say anything.”

Li Ke was dissatisfied, “Xie Qing isn’t that petty. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Xie Qing asked, “Did you bet on when I would voluntarily resign?”

“See, she knows,” Li Ke said proudly.

Xie Qing asked Li Ke, “What did you bet on?”

Li Ke put her arm around Xie Qing’s shoulder, “Of course, I bet that you would stay. Ji Ge said you would last at most three months.”

Li Ji blushed and stammered, “That’s actually quite a long time. Old Du said you wouldn’t last more than a month…”

Realizing he might have said too much, he quickly covered his mouth.

Just as Xie Qing was about to tease him, her pager beeped again. It was a message from Xie Chen, with the same three words: “Call back.”

“Does the secretary have to be so talkative?” Xie Qing muttered in dissatisfaction as she got up to find a phone in the store.

“Big brother, what’s up?”

“Did you tell Chai Yu that you’re a police officer?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Is being a police officer something to be proud of?” Chen Yuehua’s sarcastic voice came from the side.

“Of course, it’s something to be proud of,” Xie Qing replied coldly. “Did you call just to scold me? I didn’t have time today, but next time, I’ll make sure they don’t misunderstand. I’ll tell them I’m not a police officer but forensic doctor.”

Xie Chen tried to persuade her, “Qing Qing, why are you doing this? Our family is in business. We can’t help you in the future.”

Xie Qing said, “Big brother, forensic science is a technical job, and I really like it. Don’t you think dealing with the dead is less stressful than dealing with the living? People have hidden motives, even among siblings, but with the dead, I can find out what the body can tell me and seek justice for them.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

Xie Qing clearly heard Xie Jun’s cold snort and Chen Yuehua’s table slap. She smiled and said, “I know you mean well, but please respect my choice. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now. My colleagues are waiting for me to return to the dormitory.”

“Alright, I’ll have Dad refuse the Qin family’s proposal. Don’t regret it.” Xie Chen hung up with a click.

Qin Jie acted quickly, but he was just a scumbag. Whoever wants to marry him can, but she won’t.

Xie Qing settled the bill with the boss and returned to the small table with a spring in her step.