Half an hour later.

Si Hang came out of the interrogation room and walked into his office, where Xiao Mi was lying on the sofa, asleep.

He carefully closed the door, walked quietly, returned to his desk, and lit a cigarette, continuing to study the case files.

However, the child, having lost her sense of security due to previous terrifying experiences of brutal violence by her own mother, was highly alert. At the slightest sound—the rustling of paper as he turned a page—she immediately woke up.

Xiao Meng was out on duty today, and lately, whenever Xiao Meng wasn’t at the police station, Xiao Mi would run to Si Hang’s office.

Si Hang initially thought she was just playing around, casually wandering. Unexpectedly, the child inexplicably clung to him.

When he went to the office hall to ask his subordinates about their progress, her small footsteps followed behind him. When he reviewed case files in his office, she would sit quietly on the sofa all day. Wherever he went, she followed, like a little tail trailing behind him.

Si Hang asked her, “Why are you following me?”

Xiao Mi pursed her lips, her eyes fixed on him, and after a moment, she quietly replied, “Uncle Meng said you’re the captain, the most capable person at the Public Security Bureau, and it’s safest to stay with you.”

“……”

She remembered Uncle Meng’s advice well: as long as she stayed quiet and didn’t disturb the captain, he wouldn’t get angry and drive her away. Uncle Meng was right; as long as she obediently sat on the office sofa reading comics, without running around or speaking out of turn to disturb him, not only did he not mind her, but he also lent her his iPad at noon to watch cartoons.

Though Si Hang was much more serious and stern compared to Xiao Meng, the strength and reassurance he exuded came naturally, a quality ingrained in his very being. Unconsciously, it gave others the illusion of wanting to rely on him.

This might also be why female victims often brought flowers to the police station, finding various reasonable excuses to invite him to meals to express their gratitude.

Even young children were the same; despite Si Hang not fitting the image of a gentle, warm uncle, she still preferred to stay with him.

However, the air of nonchalance and aloofness he emanated seemed to carry its own pressure, causing people to instinctively keep their distance—the female officers called this an “austere charm.”

So, although Xiao Mi liked being around him, she was always careful, never daring to approach him proactively. Unlike the cheerful and lively Uncle Meng, who always joked and laughed with her.

Upon waking and seeing him return, Xiao Mi said brightly, “A pretty lady came to see you just now.”

Si Hang glanced at her, thinking it was a female colleague from another department, “What did she say?”

Xiao Mi shook her head, “She didn’t say anything.”

Si Hang didn’t ask further.

He spent the entire afternoon in his office reading documents. It wasn’t until Xiao Meng came in to take Xiao Mi home that he realized it was already time to clock out.

After having dinner outside, he returned to the office to work overtime. Apart from regular visits to his parents’ old house, he was almost always the last to leave after work.

Finally, at around ten o’clock, he turned off the lights, locked the door, and left.

…

The dimly lit, open-air parking lot of the police station was quiet and empty.

Si Hang pulled out his keys from his pocket and walked straight to a black Toyota SUV. He unlocked it and opened the door.

In the deep night, the entire city was silent, and the parking lot was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

At that moment, a soft, delicate voice, mingling with the clear night air, drifted into his ears.

“Captain Si.”

His movement paused slightly, and he turned around.

Across a lane, in a diagonally opposite parking spot, there was a white BMW. In the dim light, a woman stepped out, closed the car door, and walked towards him.

She was wearing a light brown cashmere coat, with her hands in her pockets. She was tall and slender.

She stopped a few steps away from him, the pale light casting onto her thin face, revealing obvious fatigue in her delicate features.

He was tall, so Zhuang Zi had to slightly raise her head. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Si Hang’s handsome face was clean and sharp, his dark eyes fixed on her, his voice slightly cold. “Go ahead.”

Zhuang Zi looked back at him seriously. “If I don’t mind what happened two years ago, will you continue handling my case?”

There was a moment of silence.

Si Hang did not answer.

His dark eyes stared at her, the emotions within them hard to read.

Zhuang Zi waited quietly, looking at him openly, a hint of faint expectation in her eyes. After a while, she saw a slight, distant smile appear in his eyes.

This smile made Zhuang Zi feel a complex pressure, as if she already knew his answer.

Sure enough, he lazily rested his arm on the car door and spoke in an official tone, “It doesn’t matter who handles your case. We all follow the procedures.”

“It’s definitely not the same!” Zhuang Zi was exceptionally certain, even raising her voice a little.

The parking lot fell into a sudden silence.

Si Hang stared at her, saying nothing.

Zhuang Zi then faintly realized that her attitude had been too direct, giving the impression of a child talking back to a parent. After a moment of consideration, she decided to explain, “From what I know, Captain Si is the fastest and most successful detective in solving cases in Yicheng. You are also the fastest-promoted and youngest detective captain in the Beiyan district. These facts alone prove that you are more efficient and outstanding compared to others.”

Si Hang’s dark eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her. He had heard such flattering words many times before, to the point of being numb to them. However, she was the first to deliver such praise with such straightforward seriousness.

“As a victim, of course I want the perpetrator to be caught as quickly as possible. Compared to Officer Xie, I believe Captain Si would solve the case faster.”

“So,” she looked into his dark eyes again, concluding slowly, “if it’s you, it is definitely different.”