◎Uncle Policeman, I’m an Adult◎
Zhong Yao touched her nose, wondering why these two were looking at her with such strange expressions. She hadn’t asked any bizarre questions, had she?
Xing Chu explained, “It’s done. The evil spirit has been eliminated.”
“You’re amazing.” No wonder even the usually arrogant Dou Dou would come to her for help.
Zhong Yao shook the stack of talismans in her hand. “I was thinking of using these for self-defense, but now there’s no need.”
So this is what it feels like to be carried by a big shot and win effortlessly? Awesome!
Xing Chu’s expression grew increasingly complicated. He had used nearly a hundred talismans just to barely contain the evil spirit. And Zhong Yao, without even lifting a finger, had completely obliterated it. Who was really the powerful one here?!
He felt humiliated, and he already had proof.
Qiu Zhan Bin cleared his throat and changed the subject: “Let’s first go check on Xiao Meng.”
With the evil spirit gone, the appliances it had damaged had all returned to normal. Qiu Zhan Bin turned on the living room light, finally allowing everyone to see properly instead of stumbling around in the dark.
Zhong Yao glanced around. The two-bedroom apartment wasn’t large. Its minimalist décor and tidy interior were a stark contrast to the messy, sock-strewn rooms she usually imagined boys lived in.
Xing Chu opened the bedroom door. Inside, it was pitch black, not a hint of light. Even with his good night vision, he could only barely make out a slight bulge on the bed.
He turned on the light and walked closer. Meng Yu lay stiffly on the bed, his face pale, lips devoid of any color.
Fortunately, they had arrived in time. The evil spirit hadn’t caused any permanent harm, Meng Yu had just lost some vitality and blood. A few days of rest and nourishment would suffice.
Zhong Yao, curious, leaned in for a closer look. Seeing his rigid sleeping posture, she couldn’t help but wonder if sleeping like that wasn’t exhausting.
The three of them stared at the person on the bed for a long moment. After confirming there was nothing else in the room that could threaten life, they were about to leave.
But just as they turned, the bed made a small movement. “Why are you here?”
Zhong Yao looked back and saw Meng Yu sitting up, clutching his head, his face still drowsy and bewildered.
Under the light, each of his long eyelashes was distinct. His pale skin softened the usual hardness of his features, giving him a fragile beauty. Zhong Yao’s gaze traveled along his well-shaped lips, down the clean, sharp jawline, and finally rested on the large stretch of skin revealed by his slightly open sleepwear.
Zhong Yao couldn’t help staring for a moment before forcing herself, with immense self-control, to look away.
Form is emptiness, a knife sits atop the character for “beauty.” All beauty is deceptive.
She silently repeated the words Si Ning Qing had taught her.
Xing Chu froze for a moment, not expecting him to suddenly wake. Just as he was about to explain, Meng Yu seemed to suddenly come to full awareness. “How did you get in here?”
“Xiao Meng, it’s like this,” Qiu Zhan Bin stepped forward. “An evil spirit entered your room. It was extremely dangerous. We came to protect you.”
Meng Yu pursed his lips. The left side of his face practically screamed “No,” the right side “Trust”: “Then what about the evil spirit?”
Qiu Zhan Bin and Xing Chu exchanged a glance, and Meng Yu continued, “Let me guess, you’re going to say it was killed and disappeared?”
Meng Yu lowered his brow slightly, his gaze seeming to say, “Do you take me for a three-year-old?”
“Xing Chu, how’s the Story of Science I gave you?”
Suddenly, Xing Chu felt like a student being called on by a teacher. He replied sheepishly, “I’ve been busy with work these past few days, haven’t finished it yet.”
Adult code: “haven’t finished” really means “haven’t even started, and I won’t read it even if you remind me now.”
Meng Yu’s pupils darkened, clearly displeased. He turned to Qiu Zhan Bin: “Uncle Qiu, a few days ago, Grandpa Qiu was asking when you’d be home. Don’t always just…”
As the younger one, Meng Yu hesitated, not sure how to phrase it, but Qiu Zhan Bin knew full well what his father would be like.
He’d surely be standing with hands on hips, scolding him for being frivolous and wasting his life.
Qiu Zhan Bin smiled awkwardly and hurriedly nodded. “I’ll come home next holiday.”
Adult code: “next holiday” really means “won’t come at all.”
He wasn’t naive, knowing his father disapproved of his career, he naturally didn’t want to go back and irritate him, or get scolded.
With the first two addressed, Meng Yu’s gaze shifted to Zhong Yao.
Her professional demeanor immediately triggered a memory, he’d seen this girl before.
“You’re the girl from the antique street?”
Perhaps intimidated by the way he had coldly confronted Xing Chu and Qiu Zhan Bin, Zhong Yao instinctively replied, “Yes! That’s me.”
Still worried he might think she wasn’t showing proper respect, Zhong Yao immediately stood at attention and saluted. “Uncle Policeman, at the antique street that day, I had some urgent matters and couldn’t stay to hear your guidance, that was my fault. Actually, I’m very grateful for everything you and your colleagues do for the people. Without the police, ordinary citizens like us wouldn’t have safe lives!”
Zhong Yao grew more and more excited as she spoke, unable to help recalling her past speeches under the red flag with her red scarf, and her tone became increasingly passionate.
From the salute to the heartfelt words of thanks, her performance drew Qiu Zhan Bin and Xing Chu’s attention, they couldn’t help but glance over, trying not to smile at her earnestness.
Even Meng Yu was momentarily stunned by her display. He returned her salute with, “You’re welcome. It’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Then he realized something was wrong. He hadn’t intended to go off on all three of them at once, just to vent his anger at their middle-of-the-night intrusion into his home.
So why was he suddenly playing the role of the caring protector alongside Zhong Yao?
His face stiffened, and he redirected the remaining portion of his unspent anger toward the first two: “I used to think everyone had their own pursuits. You believed in supernatural powers and respected mysticism, I said nothing. But now, under the guise of fighting monsters and spirits, you break into my house in the middle of the night? That’s really criminal!”
He glanced at Zhong Yao. Seeing her in pink bear overalls, long hair tied neatly into a ponytail, her face without makeup, and calling him “Uncle” every other word, he estimated she was still in high school.
He pointed angrily at the two of them. “You two break in, fine, but bringing along an underage girl? Don’t you have any conscience?”
Qiu Zhan Bin and Xing Chu, being singled out like that, instinctively felt guilty for a moment, before realizing, wait, they had come to save him!
Zhong Yao quietly interjected, “I’m an adult.”
The three men looked at her in disbelief, as if she had said something incomprehensible.
Zhong Yao blinked and added, “I’m already 20.”
She wasn’t surprised at all. She looked young and had been constantly underestimated her whole life. In middle school, people thought she was in elementary school. In high school, when visiting her old middle school, she was mistaken for a current student.
But Qiu Zhan Bin and Xing Chu were genuinely shocked, 20? From her looks, they had thought she was sixteen or seventeen.
Meng Yu’s expression suddenly darkened. “You’re 20, and I’m only 26, yet you still call me ‘Uncle’?”
He had assumed she was a teenager, in which case calling him “Uncle” would be fine, but now that she was in her twenties, it felt excessive.
Zhong Yao paused, then explained, “Ever since I was little, people said you should call a policeman ‘Uncle.’ I got used to it. And besides, it’s about your status in the world, it reflects the respect and admiration ordinary people like us have for you.”
She glanced at Meng Yu’s expression, hesitated, and suggested, “Or… should I call you Policeman Brother?”
Meng Yu choked, feeling utterly exhausted. Being woken in the middle of the night and having to endure this kind of ‘sophisticated argument’ had drained all his energy.
He lay back on the bed, pulled the covers over himself, and closed his eyes peacefully. “Take care. No need to see you out.”
Xing Chu stifled a laugh as he stepped back. It was rare to see Meng Yu so flustered, and, surprisingly, it was somewhat amusing.
Qiu Zhan Bin, still uneasy, carefully checked every corner of the bedroom. Only after confirming that nothing was out of place did he leave.
It wasn’t until the three of them had left the Honeysuckle Garden and retrieved their ID cards from the fierce-looking guard that the night’s strange adventure finally came to an end.
The night was deep. Even though Zhong Yao wasn’t an ordinary girl in Xing Chu and Qiu Zhan Bin’s eyes, letting her return alone made them uneasy. Both immediately offered to escort her home.
Zhong Yao didn’t mind catching this free ride, but Dou Dou in her pocket kept fidgeting as if having a spasm, tugging at her fingers to signal that she shouldn’t go with them.
Annoyed, she pressed down on its little body firmly, stopping it from wriggling any further.
She looked up at the two men and followed Dou Dou’s lead: “It’s fine. I can go back by myself.”
Xing Chu frowned slightly, still worried. Just as he was about to say a few more words, Qiu Zhan Bin spoke first: “Alright, be careful on your way. We’ll head off now.”
It wasn’t until the two drove away and the small figure of Zhong Yao completely disappeared from view that Xing Chu couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you insist on escorting her?”
Qiu Zhan Bin leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed, not answering immediately.
“Master, we should have guessed it together, this girl is probably the mysterious figure who intervened in the Jianzhang Avenue explosion case. I didn’t expect she not only has precognition but is also skilled at dealing with evil spirits.”
Xing Chu pursed his lips, his expression serious. “Last time, when we asked Meng Yu to help investigate the white car that was supposed to be involved in an accident, the traffic police insisted they found it themselves and that it had nothing to do with anyone else.”
“Now that we’ve missed an earlier opportunity, the person has voluntarily placed herself in front of us. Why not take the initiative?”
Qiu Zhan Bin opened his eyes, a hint of a smile in them, and shook his head. “Xiao Chu, you’re still too hot-headed.”
“The last time, the traffic police provided the day’s surveillance footage. The records showed no one had any connection to that white car, not even in the dispatch records was there any information about it.”
“The reason it was intercepted before hitting the road was that the on-duty officers sensed something was wrong. But we both know that segment of surveillance footage had been tampered with. We tried to restore it, and failed each time.”