Chapter 5 Capture: Thank You, Police Uncle

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow when he saw the message Song Zhiyi sent him.

The little girl is working overtime again?

She’s just an intern reporter. Does she really have that much work to do?

Could it be that they’re bullying the interns…

If she ends up working late again, there’s no guarantee she won’t run into trouble. Feeling uneasy, Chen Mo replied to her message.

[Call me when you get off work. I’ll come pick you up.]

He waited a few minutes, but Song Zhiyi didn’t respond.

She’s probably busy and hasn’t seen it yet, he thought.

“Chen, what’s going on?”

Sun Yang noticed Chen Mo sitting in the driver’s seat of the patrol car, staring at his phone without moving.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

Chen Mo put his phone away, started the engine, and drove off.

At the foot of a mountain on the outskirts of the city, a half-naked female corpse had been discovered. Local officers had already cordoned off the area to keep bystanders away.

When Chen Mo arrived, the crowd was substantial—most of them curious onlookers.

“Chen, these rubberneckers aren’t afraid, huh?” Sun Yang commented. “All eager to see a dead body?”

“Help clear the area.”

“Got it.”

Sun Yang and the team began dispersing the crowd. Initially, the onlookers were reluctant, but a few stern-faced, tall officers looming behind them quickly discouraged any resistance.

“Fine, fine, we’ll leave! No need to be so scary about it!”

“Excuse me, can I pass through?”

“I have a press ID…”

A familiar voice suddenly stood out.

Chen Mo turned toward the voice and saw a girl with a high ponytail rummaging through her bag.

As she searched, the jostling crowd surged, and someone bumped into her, knocking her off balance.

“Ah…”

The commotion was sudden. Song Zhiyi let out a short cry and instinctively hugged her head to protect herself from being trampled.

But then—

A large hand appeared at her waist, steadying her.

“Thank you…” Song Zhiyi could feel that the hand belonged to a man. Alarmed, she remembered she was a married woman and shouldn’t let strangers touch her.

Just as she tried to stand, she looked up and caught sight of Chen Mo’s sharply defined jawline.

Chen Mo?

Not sure, she looked again.

Chen Mo stood protectively in front of her with his tall frame, shielding her from the crowd. Even when a few men bumped into him, he stood firm.

“This is the ‘overtime’ you mentioned?” Chen Mo asked, glancing at the press ID she’d pulled out.

“Yes.”

Song Zhiyi quickly straightened herself, brushing down her slightly disheveled clothes. She tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears, revealing her naturally radiant face, unadorned by makeup.

Feeling his hand leave her waist, Chen Mo’s eyes darkened slightly before he withdrew it fully.

The girl’s slim waist had been soft, fitting perfectly into his arm, as though it was meant to be held.

“So…” Chen Mo’s gaze settled on her. “Your editor sent a girl to cover a crime scene?”

“Oh, no, not just one girl.” Song Zhiyi shook her head, holding up two fingers. “Two of us came.”

She had been separated from her colleague, Lin Qiqi, amidst the crowd.

Chen Mo: “…”

That’s not the point.

His eyes dropped to her hands. Her slender fingers were pale and delicate, but bare.

She wasn’t wearing the ring he had given her.

Was it because she didn’t want to, or… was she still upset about the military-style punishment he’d given her last night?

“Chen, there were so many people…” Sun Yang, returning after clearing the crowd, looked around and noticed that Chen Mo was missing.

He spotted him a moment later, standing a little way off with a petite young woman.

“Oh, isn’t that the girl from last night?” Sun Yang exclaimed. With her distinctive features, it wasn’t hard to recognize her. “So the captain came over because of her, huh? I’m Sun Yang, by the way. I didn’t know you were a reporter.”

Seeing Song Zhiyi’s press ID, he extended a hand.

“Hello.”

Song Zhiyi also remembered Sun Yang—the overly enthusiastic young officer from the night before. She smiled at him. “I’m Song Zhiyi.”

Her voice was soft, soothing to the ear.

Sun Yang watched as her eyes curved into a warm smile, making his face suddenly flush red.

Chen Mo: “?”

Bro, what’s with this sudden bashfulness?

“Sun Yang.” Chen Mo, finding it hard to watch, reached out and pressed a hand to Sun Yang’s forehead, pushing him back. “Step aside.”

“……”

Chen Team Leader, this is too much!

You’re sending me away so you can have a private conversation, huh?

Don’t forget she’s married, Captain!

“We’ll head home together later.” It was almost 4 PM already, and by the time they wrapped up here, it’d be late at night. Chen Mo wasn’t comfortable letting her go home alone.

Especially after what happened last night.

“Alright.” Song Zhiyi obediently agreed.

“Zhiyi!” Lin Qiqi waved at her from behind the police tape, raising her voice to yell, “Come quick, I caught someone with insider information!”

Journalists—most of them are social terror machines.

To get the first scoop, grab clicks, and draw attention, there’s almost nothing they wouldn’t do.

Song Zhiyi quickly grabbed her press credentials and dashed over with a “tap tap tap.”

Chen Mo watched her walk up to a male college student, taking notes earnestly with pen and paper, before turning and heading toward the body.

The deceased’s outline was marked with fixed lines, then covered with a white sheet and carried away.

“Team Leader Chen.” Sun Yang approached with a large bag full of drinks and bottled water. “We’ve got some initial information: the victim is a young woman, around 20 years old, a student at Border Town University. The body was dismembered, so this likely isn’t the primary crime scene. Right now, we’re still missing both hands.”

The mountain was so vast that finding two hands would take significant time. It looked like getting home early today was out of the question.

“Seal off this mountain for now and call in more personnel.”

“Yes.” Sun Yang nodded and opened the plastic bag in his hands. “We’ll be here late tonight for sure. I grabbed some drinks—there’s Xipeng Energy Drink. Youth is all about staying awake and grinding!”

Chen Mo glanced at the bag’s contents, paused briefly, then pulled out a bottle of mineral water and a peach-flavored soda.

Sun Yang: “?”

Team Leader, are you sure you don’t want a Black Bull energy drink?

Peach flavor doesn’t seem like your style…

…

Song Zhiyi had just finished talking to the male college students. After comparing the notes in her notebook with Lin Qiqi’s, the two exchanged some information.

The male students, meanwhile, unabashedly ogled the stunningly beautiful Song Zhiyi.

Hiss~

What a gorgeous woman with such a sweet voice! First time seeing someone dressed so conservatively yet so alluring!

“Sister, can I add you on WeChat? In case I remember something later, I can let you know.” One of the college boys was already reaching for his phone, eager to act.

“Sorry, I don’t add strangers.” Song Zhiyi declined firmly.

“Aw, don’t be so stingy, sis~”

Lin Qiqi: “…”

This was clearly just lust at first sight!

If you remember something, shouldn’t you be telling the police?

“Don’t even bother. I’m not into little puppy types.” Song Zhiyi remained unmoved by the boy’s playful tone.

“Oh, so you like it rough, huh? You should’ve said so earlier!” The boy smirked crookedly and stepped closer to Song Zhiyi. “Woman, give me your WeChat!”

Song Zhiyi’s face twisted into a subway uncle meme look of disbelief: “…”

Where did this wannabe edgy teen come from?

Before she could respond, a bottle of mineral water suddenly appeared and shoved the boy back by the face.

“Do you want to add the police’s WeChat instead?” Chen Mo’s expressionless face stared the boy down.

“…”

Dressed in his all-black police uniform, Chen Mo radiated an aura that extended ten meters around him. The boy immediately shrank into a quail.

“N-no! No need! We’ll leave now, right away…” The boy frantically waved his hands, retreating with his friends in a hurry.

Looks like getting this pretty lady’s WeChat wasn’t happening today.

As the group of boys slunk away, Lin Qiqi let out a soft snort. These frivolous boys, so skilled at flirting—they weren’t just playboys. More like sea lions… no, sea wolves!

After watching the boys leave, Chen Mo turned and handed the water bottle he had just used to push the boy away to Lin Qiqi.

“Journalists work hard too.”

“Ah…” Lin Qiqi reflexively took the bottle, blushing slightly as she stammered, “Th-thank you.”

Chen Mo handed the other peach-flavored soda to Song Zhiyi.

Peach soda—her favorite.

Song Zhiyi took the soda and instinctively said, “Thank you, Officer Uncle.”

Chen Mo: “…?”

What did his wife just call him?