The recent “accident” had finally come to a close. Jiao Jin wasn’t sure if she counted as someone who could just “pull out and leave” without a second thought. After dropping Cui Yu off at home, she drove alone to the site of the General Election. As a Junior Bureau Chief, she was responsible for overseeing the entire operation of the voting process.
“Xiao Jiao, over here.”
Called over by Chief Cui’s beckoning hand, Jiao Jin felt an inexplicable sense of unease. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her uniform, creases formed from a night of intense pressure and asked, “Chief, is something wrong?”
The elder woman stared at her intently for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “I don’t plan on participating in this election. When you announce the roster later, leave my name out.”
Jiao Jin’s brow furrowed as she met the woman’s gaze. “Are you certain?”
“Yes. Status means nothing compared to Peining’s safety.”
Jiao Jin nodded. Just then, a subordinate informed her that it was time to host the election. Jiao Jin took one last look at Chief Cui before turning to leave.
The Chief stood there watching her for a long time. Once the silhouette had completely vanished, she tightened her fists, her gaze darkening as she looked toward the distance, where Bai Wen stood surrounded by a crowd of friendly officials.
“Hello everyone, the quadrennial General Election is about to begin. I am your host, Jiao Jin.”
Standing gracefully on the stage in her crisp military uniform with her dignified features, Jiao Jin had no idea that in this live broadcast, the external comment section had already gone wild. Messages like “All the good-looking ones are given to the state” and “Ahhh, Mom, I want to have her babies” were flying across the screen.
Meanwhile, back in the guest room that still lingered with the scent of Jiao Jin, Cui Yu sat cross-legged with her elbows on her knees. Her pout was deep enough to hang two bunches of sour grapes from. “Honestly… always out there attracting butterflies and bees.”
The election speeches concluded in the afternoon. Just as Jiao Jin stepped off the stage, she saw Chief Cui waiting for her. She walked over and asked, “Chief, what happened? Is there news regarding Cui Peining?”
“Don’t call me Chief anymore. If you’re willing, call me Auntie Cui. I just received word at midnight tonight, ‘they’ will deliver Peining to a specific teleportation point. But the demand is that we shut down surveillance at all teleportation points. If we don’t, ‘they’ cannot guarantee Pei Ning’s safety.”
“Shut down the surveillance?”
Jiao Jin frowned in confusion. Previous investigations into all surveillance equipment had failed to capture any footage of the person kidnapping Cui Peining, why demand a shutdown now? Was this person actually unable to evade the cameras?
“Auntie Cui, can this person really know if we’ve turned them off? Why don’t we try to catch a rat in a jar?”
Chief Cui, whose given name was Cui You, shook her head. “No. If that person truly has a way of knowing, what happens to Peining’s safety?”
It was true, the primary standard of any case was always the victim’s safety. Jiao Jin pondered for a moment before lowering her head. “You are still technically the Chief and have the authority to close the teleportation point surveillance. I can write the application now, you just need to sign off on it.”
The two finished discussing their strategy and went their separate ways. Bai Wen, who had just finished his speech, glanced toward them, specifically at the young Alpha with the straight spine and poised demeanor, his eyes flashing with scrutiny.
Jiao Jin went to the Detention Bureau to finish the application. Upon leaving, she was once again surrounded by the media. Her furrowed brow never relaxed, she maintained a cold expression, ignoring the barrage of questions from reporters.
The questions were mostly the same, asking why Cui You, who was highly likely to be re-elected, had withdrawn from the race.
Since she couldn’t reveal specific details of the case, Jiao Jin remained silent and retreated back into the Bureau. Due to regulations, the media had no right to enter.
“Junior Chief, they’ve been surrounding us since you arrived. I have no idea where they got the news from.”
A subordinate complained, appearing equally frustrated by the sensation seeking media.
Jiao Jin felt exhausted. It seemed that ever since Cui Yu lost her memory, her once peaceful life had suddenly become a whirlwind of activity centered entirely around that family. Jiao Jin covered her eyes, seeking a temporary escape. Seeing this, her subordinate sighed and left to give her some breathing room.
She moved her hand from her eyes to her forehead. Her gaze fell upon the application on the desk. Her sixth sense told her that after tonight, the clues regarding Cui Peining’s kidnapping would likely vanish again, just like Cui Yu’s previous kidnapping case, which still remained unsolved.
Jiao Jin took a deep breath. She planned to order takeout to the Bureau, as she couldn’t leave for the time being anyway.
Right then, Cui Yu called. Unaware of the situation, her voice was soft and clingy, possessing the lazy daintiness of a pampered cat. “A-Jin, when are you coming back? I saw the election broadcast ended.”
Inexplicably, the irritation in Jiao Jin’s heart faded slightly. Her lips curled upward, though her voice remained steady, masking her fatigue. “I can’t get back for now. Since your mother withdrew from the election, the media found out and they’re currently blocking the Bureau entrance.”
“Eh? So you’re still at the Detention Bureau?”
“Mhm. Not sure when they’ll leave.”
“Then… have you had dinner?”
The domestic small talk allowed Jiao Jin’s tense nerves to finally relax. She smiled and said, “Not yet. I’m planning to order takeout. How about you? Have you eaten?”
“I haven’t either. I was planning to wait for you so we could eat together.”
Jiao Jin could hear the disappointment in Cui Yu’s voice, a light, delicate sound that acted like a hook to the soul, baiting you into saying exactly what she hoped to hear.
Jiao Jin knew she was walking into a trap, but she did so willingly. “Do you want to come over? We can eat together.”
“Okay!”
Jiao Jin could almost see Cui Yu’s beaming face through the phone, like a fox that had successfully pulled off a prank, both cute and cunning. Hanging up, Jiao Jin looked helpless. She realized she found it very difficult to be firm with this “little white rabbit”, she was on the verge of softening completely to satisfy her every whim.
She didn’t have to wait long. Cui Yu must have come directly via the teleportation point. She had dressed up specifically, a fluffy ivory-white hoodie with pink rabbit ears drooping from the hood, and her long hair tied into twin tails. She looked incredibly young, if one didn’t know better, they might mistake her for an underage high school student.
Because of this look, she managed to dodge the media; no one would have guessed this was the cold, arrogant, and aloof Cui Yu.
Having never seen the woman look so childish and innocent, Jiao Jin froze on the spot. Cui Yu grabbed her hand, her palm, slightly smaller than Jiao Jin’s, was soft, delicate, and full of warmth.
“Still standing at the door? Let’s go inside. If they recognize me like this, where would I hide my face?”
Thump-thump. The sound from the left side of Jiao Jin’s chest was becoming undeniably clear.