After several days of continuous rain, the next day, the sky finally cleared up. The whole city felt damp yet fresh, bathed in a thin layer of golden light.

At six-thirty in the morning, still before working hours, the hallway in the office area was quiet, with only the steady sound of footsteps echoing clearly.

Si Hang, holding car keys, walked towards the Criminal Investigation Department office with his hands in his pockets.

As he passed the reception room opposite the large office, he suddenly noticed something unusual out of the corner of his eye. He frowned slightly, paused his steps, and turned to look.

The gentle dawn light wrapped around the quiet room, casting a faint warm hue on every corner.

In the room, lying quietly on the sofa directly opposite the door, was a woman.

He glanced at the woman’s clean and serene face as she slept and immediately recognized who she was.

Zhuang Zi, in a protective posture, was curled up, with a beige overcoat slightly slipping off her body, half on the floor and half loosely draped over her shoulders.

This scene suddenly reminded Si Hang of that morning when he lifted the thin blanket off the woman—her slender figure, soft body lines, and skin as white as milk. The thin silk nightgown she wore barely covered her, revealing much of her ample chest and her long, slender legs beneath.

With this thought, he instinctively glanced at her again.

At the same time, Zhuang Zi seemed to sense something and suddenly opened her eyes wide, meeting his clear, cold, deep gaze.

Si Hang didn’t avoid her gaze, staring back at her eyes with a scrutinizing look for two seconds.

Her pupils were not a clear black but a faint amber. Various emotions—panic, vigilance, fear, and confusion—mixed in her eyes.

After two seconds, he indifferently moved his gaze away from her.

Zhuang Zi immediately sat up from the sofa, noticing the coat slipping off onto the ground. She instinctively checked her clothes for tidiness and then warily looked at the man in front of her.

As if tacitly understood, her face suddenly felt a bit warm.

…

An awkward and silent atmosphere slowly spread between them, making the air feel thin.

At this moment, Xie Kui’s hearty voice came from the hallway, “Good morning, boss.”

Si Hang stood still with his hands in his pockets and slowly turned to glance at him.

Xie Kui knew perfectly well what Si Hang was looking at in the doorway. It was he who had let Zhuang Zi rest here last night.

He walked over, glanced past Si Hang into the room, and explained before Si Hang could ask, “Miss Zhuang had nowhere to go last night and was sitting in the lobby alone, so I let her rest here.”

Si Hang frowned unhappily and succinctly said, “This won’t happen again!”

It’s against the rules for unauthorized persons to enter the office area freely, and Xie Kui knew this. But considering she was a woman in distress with nowhere to go, it didn’t seem right to kick her out after she came to the police station at night. Out of compassion, he let her rest in the reception room for the night. Besides, since Si Hang knew her, it shouldn’t be a big problem, or so he thought.

“Yesterday was a special case. I’ll explain it to you later.”

Si Hang withdrew his gaze indifferently, turned, and pushed open the office door beside him, walking in without a word.

Xie Kui looked at Zhuang Zi and smiled.

…

Zhuang Zi went to the restroom to freshen up briefly, planning to go straight to work afterward.

Passing by the Criminal Investigation Department, she glanced at the office. The door to the private office was tightly shut, and she wasn’t sure if anyone was inside.

She hesitated for a few seconds before turning around and walking over.

She knocked on the door, but there was no response for a while.

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Feeling inexplicably nervous, she turned around and saw Xiao Meng, who was looking at her curiously.

“Are you looking for Team Leader Si, Miss Zhuang?” Xiao Meng asked.

Zhuang Zi nodded, “But he’s not here.”

“He might be working out or having breakfast,” Xiao Meng said. “Do you need something from him?”

“It’s a personal matter,” she replied. “Since he’s not here, I’ll leave.”

Personal matter? What personal matter?

Could there be personal matters between the boss and a woman?

Xiao Meng watched her tall and slender figure with great interest. Her temperament was extraordinary.

No wonder. She was indeed different from those other girls.

When Xiao Meng, full of curiosity, found Si Hang and Xie Kui in the canteen, Xie Kui was explaining the reason for Zhuang Zi staying overnight in the office last night.

“Something happened, and she had no relatives to take her in. She had no choice but to take refuge at the police station in the middle of the night. It’s quite pitiable, isn’t it, boss?”

Si Hang commented indifferently, “There are many innocent and pitiable victims. We can only do our duty to find the truth. We can’t help with everything else.”

Xie Kui paused and nodded.

Having seen all sorts of tragic cases, they weren’t numb or cold-hearted. Even if they wanted to help more, the limited resources made it impossible to be thorough in every aspect. From an objective standpoint, their work itself was an act of dedication and sacrifice. Compared to sympathy and pity, using their limited energy to complete tasks with high quality and catching the perpetrators was the greatest comfort to the victims.

“However, one must always think positively. Compared to some victims, she is luckier.” Xie Kui remarked casually, “She managed to escape with her life. That’s already fortunate in her misfortune.”

Xiao Meng sat down beside Xie Kui with his meal tray and asked with a smile, “What’s fortunate in misfortune?”