◎No Spirits Allowed After the Founding of the Nation◎
The largest portion was indeed huge. At first, Zhong Yao was so hungry she practically wanted to swallow the bowl itself, but after finishing more than half, she could already feel full.
Looking at the remaining noodles in the bowl, she felt too embarrassed to waste them, so she quietly slowed down, shifting from wolfing them down to chewing slowly and carefully.
The elderly man across from her ate his noodles at a leisurely pace and suddenly asked, “Young lady, do you know Shao Siming?”
Zhong Yao’s hand trembled, and her chopsticks clinked against the bowl with a crisp sound.
She lifted her eyes slightly to look at the stranger.
The term “Shao Siming” was not a common one, why would he suddenly ask her about this stranger?
Could he know something? Or was he simply looking to chat?
Zhong Yao feigned calm: “I’ve never heard of them. Shao Siming, is that a person?”
The old man seemed to have anticipated her answer and patiently explained, “She’s a recently popular user on Yu Yin. She entered the public eye after successfully predicting a heavy rainstorm on Changming Street in Dongchuan City and hail in Ling City.”
Since he wanted to chat, she decided to humor him.
Zhong Yao shifted her gaze, pretending to be hearing about this for the first time, looking up in disbelief: “Predictions? That sounds… kind of mystical.”
The man shook his head, a look of regret on his face. “It’s been over a hundred years since the Qing Dynasty fell. How can people still so brazenly indulge in feudal superstitions?” He clicked his tongue and added, “Science is the truth. How can one abandon science and promote superstition instead? And Yu Yin’s officials haven’t even banned this account?”
Zhong Yao, her face calm and expression neutral, quietly mocked herself. Her previous words were heartfelt, sincerely spoken, wasn’t that exactly the mindset she had when she first met Dou Dou?
She still remembered how she had gone through the whole routine of blocking, reporting, and blacklisting Dou Dou.
This was probably the mindset of most young people who grew up under the banner of science, and mocking herself was no big deal.
The old man was somewhat surprised, he didn’t expect her to speak like that.
He chuckled softly and lightly countered: “I think her predictions are actually quite accurate.”
Zhong Yao shook her head, brushing it off as petty online theatrics: “It’s all just showy jokes. She probably saw the meteorological forecasts and then tried to grab attention online to get traffic.”
She carried her “disapproval” of Shao Siming to the extreme, behaving like a detached observer, as if it really had nothing to do with her.
The old man shook his head. “It’s not like that. She really can predict things. After all, the meteorological bureau can forecast the weather, but it cannot predict danger to the police. Don’t you agree, young lady?”
Zhong Yao’s expression darkened. Sure enough, he hadn’t come here just to chat. All her evasive small talk and tangents hadn’t avoided the point.
This person had clearly come prepared, already uncovering her past.
Since Dou Dou had said it erased all traces, she naturally trusted its technology, but this old man could bypass Dou Dou’s concealment. That was not to be underestimated.
She set down her chopsticks, steadied her heart, and looked him directly in the eyes. “Sir, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“You understand perfectly,” the old man said. He finished the last bite of his noodles, pulled out a napkin to wipe his mouth, and continued, “Not only do you understand what I’m saying, you’ve personally experienced these events.”
Zhong Yao met the old man’s gaze and felt that his weathered eyes held a depth of mystery and wisdom she could not comprehend. Although his face carried a constant smile, warm and kind, she shivered for no reason.
The old man sighed. “Don’t be afraid, young lady. I only came to have a chat with you.”
“But I don’t know you,” Zhong Yao blurted out, her eyes full of caution.
The old man paused, then let out a soft laugh. “I was anxious and startled you. I apologize for my lack of consideration.”
Zhong Yao pressed her lips together and did not linger. She just wanted to leave quickly. “It’s fine. I have other matters, so I’ll go ahead.”
The old man did not stop her. He simply handed her a business card. “Young lady, if you ever need assistance, you can contact me anytime.”
Zhong Yao took the card, noting the last sentence but walked quickly out of the ramen shop.
It wasn’t until she had walked a good distance that she slowed, lifting the card to her eyes. Two simple lines were written on it:
“Chen Xue Liang, Director of the Dongchuan City Investigation Bureau.”
Zhong Yao’s eyes widened. Director of the Investigation Bureau?
Isn’t that where Xing Chu works? So the old man she had just met was Xing Chu’s superior.
He was the director, that explained how he knew her situation so thoroughly. And who knew how long he had been following her to make this seemingly coincidental encounter in the ramen shop.
But Zhong Yao had no idea why a director would be interested in her.
The last time she sought Xing Chu’s help, it was just to save someone. She hadn’t done anything immoral, so why was she being singled out?
Zhong Yao was utterly perplexed. Dou Dou appeared from her phone, climbing onto her shoulder. If one didn’t look closely, it could be mistaken for a cute little toy perched there.
Dou Dou spoke: 【If you understand what the Investigation Bureau really is, you’ll naturally understand why he’s looking for you.】
Zhong Yao was waiting at a bus stop for the direct route to the hospital. Hearing this, she asked, “So you know what the Investigation Bureau is?”
Dou Dou raised an eyebrow smugly: 【As long as I want to know, there’s nothing in the world I don’t know.】
【By human standards, the Investigation Bureau counts as a government-affiliated organization. But it’s not like ordinary government offices, it operates out of human sight and is specifically responsible for all sorts of unnatural events.】
【After the founding of the country, supernatural beings weren’t allowed to reach full sentience, but those that became conscious before the founding were off-limits, you couldn’t just revert them all. For that reason, the Investigation Bureau came into being. It’s directly under the state, at first there was only one in the capital, but now each provincial capital has one.】
Dou Dou scoffed, tone full of disdain: 【Originally, it only managed supernatural beings that became conscious before the founding. But by the late 1980s, one director proposed bringing all unnatural creatures under control. Since then, the Bureau’s scope widened and widened, what started as managing spirits and magical creatures has expanded to anything unnatural. Now, whether it’s supernatural powers, esoteric arts, or ghost-catching and fortune-telling, they get involved in everything.】
After Dou Dou’s explanation, Zhong Yao finally had a rough understanding of this previously unheard-of Investigation Bureau.
“So he came to find me because he thinks I have precognitive abilities?”
Dou Dou snorted coldly, giving no clear answer.
The bus slowly arrived. Zhong Yao scanned to pay, then walked to the last row where no one else was sitting and took the window seat.
Watching the scenery rush past outside, she suddenly thought of a question. Noticing there were other passengers, she put on her headphones, pretending to be on a call, and asked Dou Dou, “Were you conscious before the founding of the country?”
Dou Dou answered casually, “No, I’m not that old.”
Zhong Yao smiled mischievously. “So your existence actually violates the rules. But the Investigation Bureau is so powerful, they can’t possibly be unaware of you, right?”
Dou Dou fell silent, its little face twisting.
It clenched its tiny fists, eyes sparking with fire.
How could the Bureau not know about it? It had plenty of… “connections” with them!
Dou Dou muttered bitterly to itself through gritted teeth.
Just from its expressive face, Zhong Yao could guess the answer. She wisely shifted the topic, not wanting to provoke it further: “What does it mean that Director Chen Xue Liang suddenly contacted me? Does he want to control me because of my precognition?”
Dou Dou pouted, clearly annoyed, and replied sarcastically: 【No way. You humans are the worst, you always reject the abnormal and use unfriendly control methods, but you’re fine with your own kind. As for him coming, I guess he just wants to recruit you into the Bureau.】
Zhong Yao nodded, staying silent for a moment, but curiosity got the better of her. She asked, “Dou Dou, do you have some kind of grudge with the Investigation Bureau?”
If there really was bad blood between Dou Dou and the Bureau, she’d pretend she’d never met Chen Xue Liang and never received this business card.
Even though a Bureau director personally extended an olive branch, which sounded impressive, precognition was Dou Dou’s power. She was at most just a partner collecting the lion’s share of the credit.
Dou Dou glanced at her but said nothing.
It sat cross-legged on Zhong Yao’s shoulder, tilting its head to watch the scenery outside, breathing air its body didn’t even need. A flicker of confusion passed through its bright eyes.
Dou Dou’s brows lowered slightly, and its gaze fell on Zhong Yao’s face. From its angle, it could only see half of her profile, her skin pale and delicate, with tiny fine hairs that looked almost cute.
Compelled by some impulse, it reached out and touched her, then crooked its mouth into a mischievous grin, pinching a bit of flesh with its fingers: 【I only have a grudge with you, I’m just a huge unlucky soul.】
Not only was it forced to sign a contract with Zhong Yao, but it also had to give her seventy percent of its merits.
Thinking about that made Dou Dou’s hand tremble with anger.
The Investigation Bureau bullied it, Si Ning Qing bullied it, well, it couldn’t fight those two anyway. But Zhong Yao, this silly goof, also took pleasure in teasing it, was there no justice in the world?!
Dou Dou was small, its hands were small, so it could only pinch a little flesh.
But as everyone knows, the less flesh you pinch, the more it hurts.
Zhong Yao gasped in pain. She lifted Dou Dou, baring her teeth and ready to retaliate, when suddenly the bus made a sharp turn. Her body lost control and toppled onto the adjacent seat.
She managed to brace herself in time, avoiding a full crash into the chair.
But the sudden movement caused her phone to fly out of her pocket and hit the floor.
【Ow! It hurts, it hurts!】 Dou Dou cried out, its expression drooping.
Zhong Yao picked up her phone. Fortunately, it had a case, so the fall didn’t damage it. Dou Dou, however, looked like it had suffered some internal injury.