Chapter 14: Case in Orchid District Solved, System Rewards

At midnight, after sending Chief Zhou Weimin back to his place, Luo Fei finally returned home.

Wu Yan was still awake, stringing bracelets while watching TV. Luo Fei knew she was waiting for him; otherwise, she usually would have been in bed by ten.

“Why do you smell of alcohol? How much did you drink?” Wu Yan reproached with a hint of dissatisfaction as she noticed Luo Fei reeking of booze.

Luo Fei smiled and replied, “Not much, just had a little with my mentor and Chief Zhou. See, I’m not even drunk. How much could I have possibly had?”

Wu Yan’s stern expression softened at his response.

“You reek of alcohol. Do you want me to make some sour cabbage soup to help you sober up?”

Luo Fei shook his head. “Mom, I’m really not drunk. Don’t worry. You should go to bed soon. I’ll wash up and sleep. I have to work tomorrow.”

Finally, Wu Yan went to bed.

“Luo Hao, what time is it? Why aren’t you sleeping? Didn’t I tell you to go to bed at eleven and not play with your phone?” Luo Fei waited for Wu Yan to go to bed, then turned to look at Luo Hao, who was pretending to sleep, and reprimanded him.

This guy thought he had gotten away with it, but Luo Fei had caught sight of him playing with his phone under the covers as soon as he arrived at the door. When Luo Fei entered the room, he hastily put down the phone and pretended to sleep.

“From now on, you’re going to bed at eleven sharp. If I catch you using your phone after eleven again, we’ll see what I’ll do to you.” Luo Fei’s voice was stern. He knew Luo Hao could hear him, but being lenient was not an option.

High school is a crucial stage in life. In his previous life, Luo Fei had indulged himself during this stage, immersing himself in games, which led to failure in the college entrance examination. He ended up attending an ordinary university and faced job rejections after graduation. Later, he discovered his talent for writing suspense novels and decided to pursue writing full-time.

After washing up, Luo Fei was ready to go to bed.

“Ding! The murder case in Orchid District has been solved. Based on the host’s contribution to this murder case, the host receives a system reward of 1000 gold coins.” The system’s voice suddenly echoed in Luo Fei’s mind.

Luo Fei was stunned for a moment, but the next moment, excitement spread across his face.

Luo Fei thought that even if the case was solved, the system would at most give him a few hundred gold coins. After all, this time, it was the criminal investigation team that solved the case and apprehended the culprit. Luo Fei had only assisted briefly.

However, he had not expected the system to be so generous, granting him 1000 gold coins right away. This was an unexpected delight for Luo Fei. He believed that in no time, he would be able to accumulate enough gold coins to purchase the next gene for fusion.

With this in mind, Luo Fei’s consciousness entered the Gene Mall, ready to pre-select the gene he would need for the next fusion.

The next day, Luo Fei arrived at the police station punctually at half-past seven. Despite having drunk so much alcohol the previous night, it had little effect on him; he remained in high spirits.

Instead, Zhang Haiyang and Liu Haiquan, who had indulged in heavy drinking the day before, were having a tough time. Luo Fei noticed his mentor Zhang Haiyang had just arrived at the office without having breakfast; he was slumped over his desk, dozing off. Liu Haiquan, on the other hand, arrived almost at 8.30 a.m.

With nothing much happening in the morning, Luo Fei continued his readings to enrich his knowledge.

At 9 a.m., Zhou Weimin called for Luo Fei and Zhang Haiyang.

The first thing that came to Luo Fei’s mind was the case in Orchid District. Since the system had hinted at its resolution the night before, Luo Fei automatically assumed Zhou Weimin was calling them for this reason.

However, Luo Fei guessed wrong. Zhou Weimin called him and Zhang Haiyang for another purpose.

“Luo Fei, has your mentor ever mentioned to you that our police station also has its own rewards for achievements such as receiving a third-class merit or personal commendation?” Zhou Weimin asked with a smile.

Luo Fei looked at Zhang Haiyang beside him with confusion, completely unaware of this fact, and Zhang Haiyang had not mentioned it to him either.

Seeing Luo Fei staring at him, Zhang Haiyang earnestly explained, ” A surprise. If I had told you in advance, there wouldn’t be any surprise.”

As if I’ll believe you. He was certain that Zhang Haiyang had simply forgotten.

Nevertheless, it was indeed a pleasant surprise. He hadn’t expected the police station to offer monetary rewards. It was a truly unexpected delight, though he wondered how much it would be.

The next moment, Zhou Weimin provided an explanation: “Usually, the rewards we give out in the police station are the same as those given by the Ministry of Public Security. That is, if the Ministry of Public Security rewards three thousand for a third-class merit, we also give three thousand here. As your mentor achieved a third-class merit this time, the Ministry of Public Security will reward three thousand, and so will we.”

“Additionally, for your outstanding contribution to the Gu Youguo murder case, plus cracking the case when you’ve just joined the force and showing outstanding performance, we’ve discussed and decided to reward you with an additional one thousand as encouragement. So, like your mentor, you will also receive three thousand.”

Afterwards, Zhou Weimin reached into his desk drawer and pulled out two red packets, handing one to Luo Fei and the other to Zhang Haiyang. After distributing the red packets, Zhou Weimin encouraged them both with enthusiasm once again, urging them to continue striving for excellence.

Luo Fei nodded vigorously, displaying a determined attitude to work hard and not disappoint Chief Zhou’s care and affection. After all, having just received a red packet from his leader, Luo Fei felt obligated to show him respect. Zhou Weimin was very pleased with this sincere attitude.

Looking at Zhang Haiyang beside him, who was picking at his ears with a bored expression, his attitude was nowhere near as earnest and sincere as Luo Fei’s. In sharp contrast to Luo Fei’s dignified and sincere attitude, Zhou Weimin could not help but feel irritated as he watched.

As soon as he left Zhou Weimin’s office, Zhang Haiyang called Luo Fei over to the staircase.

“Luo Fei, didn’t you ask me about renting a place yesterday? I’ve asked about it. My wife’s classmate mentioned that there’s a decent house for rent near Hongtianba. It’s 120 square metres, with four bedrooms, one living room, one bathroom, and one kitchen, for a rent of 1200 RMB. If you’re interested in checking it out, I’ll give you the contact information. You can go take a look when you have time.”

“That’s fantastic, Mentor Zhang. Please send me the contact information. I plan to go this afternoon.” Luo Fei had been eager to move out of the cement factory, so finding a house and paying the rent as soon as possible sounded perfect to him.

Zhang Haiyang sent the contact information to Luo Fei. Then, Luo Fei contacted the landlord and arranged to visit the house at six o’clock in the evening.

Later, Luo Fei called his mother, Wu Yan, to inform her about his plan to visit Hongtianba to see the house in the evening and asked her to be at home by five o’clock.

In the afternoon, there was hardly anything happening in the police station except for a call from a girl reporting that an elderly man had molested her on the bus.

Zhang Da, along with his mentee, Wu Wei, went to handle the situation.

Luo Fei had been peacefully immersed in his reading, but around 4 p.m., thoughts of visiting the rental place started to occupy his mind, making it difficult for him to focus.

Once it was time to clock out, Luo Fei hurriedly packed up his things and headed home.

(End of chapter)