“I was just guessing, casually mentioning it.”
Gu Bin didn’t want to waste time and pulled her hand as they walked out. “There’s no need for you to overthink it. You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Taking this opportunity to expose those with ill intentions might not be a bad thing.”
“I hope so.”
Lin Xiyu sighed helplessly, feeling quite agitated.
The subtle, tender thoughts she had in the taxi were mercilessly shattered by harsh reality.
If it really was someone from the neighborhood who stole it, she didn’t dare imagine how Gu Bin would feel.
Would he think that “one takes on the color of their company,” and start doubting her and her family’s character as well?
The police station responded quickly after receiving the report. The piercing wail of the siren startled many people, and almost everyone in the entire alley came out, standing at their courtyard gates, craning their necks to look toward the phone booth.
Gu Bin calmed Lin Xiyu down and focused on communicating with the police.
Lin Xiyu stood relatively close to them, listening intently to their conversation.
Gu Bin analyzed the situation rationally and logically.
He said the thief might have come to buy noodles or make a phone call. Seeing no one at the phone booth, they might have come to the house to call someone, spotted the bicycle, became greedy, and took the opportunity to steal it.
Lin Xiyu couldn’t help but feel another wave of regret.
She had already asked at home: Uncle had been busy with Uncle Huang’s funeral arrangements and hadn’t returned all day. At noon, Aunt had come home to cook, so there was indeed a period when no one was at the phone booth.
The phone booth was located diagonally across from No. 9 Courtyard, not far away. Anyone coming in or out of the courtyard could be seen clearly.
If Aunt had been there at the time, the thief wouldn’t have had the chance to act, and this incident likely wouldn’t have happened.
The police agreed with Gu Bin’s assessment, believing they should immediately begin investigating and searching for suspects.
Conducting a door-to-door investigation required a lot of manpower, something the two officers on the scene alone couldn’t manage.
One of the officers called the police station to request backup. Gu Bin watched as the officer grew increasingly anxious, his voice growing louder but his confidence waning. Gu Bin guessed privately that things probably weren’t going well.
A police station’s jurisdiction covered a large area, and it was impossible to deploy all personnel to this location.
Although his mountain bike was quite valuable, it paled in comparison to serious incidents like fights or assaults.
As he pondered this, the officer hung up the phone and gave him an apologetic look.
Without needing to ask, Gu Bin understood what the officer meant. After a brief silence, he also picked up the public phone and dialed a familiar number.
Not long after he finished the call, something astonishing happened.
Sirens blared loudly in the alley as no fewer than ten police cars arrived. The officers stepping out of the cars wore plain clothes, exuding a sharp, capable demeanor entirely different from that of the local police officers.
This not only caused an uproar on Donghua Street but also alarmed residents from the two connected streets, Pangong Street and Lama Alley. They followed the noise, gathering from all directions.
“Xiao Bin, who had the nerve to steal your bike?”
A young man carrying a briefcase, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and looking quite refined, stood among the plainclothes officers. After getting out of the car, he was the first to approach Gu Bin.
“Secretary Li…”
Gu Bin rubbed his temples in frustration upon seeing the visitor. “Didn’t I just ask you to make a call to the police station chief and have him pay a bit more attention? Why such a grand production? This is far too much trouble.”
“This is a direct order from the municipal bureau chief himself,” Secretary Li replied nonchalantly. “They must fulfill their duties conscientiously and catch the thief as soon as possible. We can’t let our senior leader think public security is poor and embarrass the municipal bureau…”