As soon as Bian Ying returned to the Investigation Bureau, Zhou Haizhi practically dragged her into the medical wing.
Despite her repeated assurances that she was fine, Zhou Haizhi couldn’t put his mind at ease until she lay down in the medical pod.
The test results came out quickly.
The pollution level in her body was zero.
The moment this number appeared, a heavy silence fell not only over Zhou Haizhi, but also the medical department staff.
Zhou Haizhi was especially stunned.
He knew Bian Ying lived in the Lower District and was well aware of the conditions there.
How could she live in that place for so long and still maintain zero pollution?!
“Sister Liu, could there be an error with the data?” Zhou Haizhi asked, refusing to believe it as he double-checked.
Sister Liu glared at him in exasperation.
“Why don’t you lie down and test it yourself, then?”
Stubbornly, Zhou Haizhi went and tested himself.
The results showed no discrepancy—the machine was working fine.
So it wasn’t a malfunction with the medical pod.
The anomaly was Bian Ying herself.
Just as Zhou Haizhi was staring at Bian Ying’s profile, trying to make sense of it, the data on the screen suddenly blurred.
A second later, all of Bian Ying’s physical data was sealed, stamped with the distinct emblem of the Investigation Bureau, and locked under top-secret clearance.
This meant that in the entire Bureau, only the Chief had the authority to access her file.
“What…
what’s going on?” Zhou Haizhi was utterly bewildered.
Sister Liu, who was in charge of the testing, realized what was happening.
She let out a soft sigh.
“Old Zhou, we’re in trouble.”
Zhou Haizhi actually knew exactly what top-secret clearance meant, but the shock of Bian Ying’s zero pollution level was so immense that he hadn’t processed it immediately.
He wondered if the Chief had guessed it all along.
Bian Ying wasn’t just someone with strong mental fortitude.
One could boldly say…
she was immune to Deceit pollution.
What an unbelievable discovery.
To think that there was actually a human in this world who was immune to Deceit pollution.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Zhou Haizhi quickly warned, “Sister Liu, forget everything that just happened.”
“Don’t worry.
I would’ve done that even if you hadn’t said anything.” Sister Liu looked at Xu Hailin, who had just walked in from outside, and gave a bitter smile.
Although Xu Hailin was the head of the Operations Department, he acted as the proxy Chief whenever Huo Chiguang was out of the Bureau.
He looked at the two people in front of him.
Seeing that they seemed to already anticipate why he was there, he gave a helpless nod.
“Please cooperate, you two.”
Even though Sister Liu and Zhou Haizhi were veteran employees of the Investigation Bureau, Huo Chiguang was always cautious.
The necessary procedures still had to be followed.
After leaving the medical wing, Bian Ying returned to her cubicle.
She didn’t bother wondering why her superior was taking so long to come back. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Instead, she slacked off at her desk, keeping a close eye on her bank account notifications on her phone.
When a deposit alert popped up, a satisfied smirk touched her lips.
The moment her shift ended, she bolted out of the building.
An hour later, Bian Ying got off the subway, scanned a shared electric bike on the street, and rode toward the largest wet market in the Lower District.
Lately, Little Snail had been obsessed with studying the culinary arts and would throw a tantrum if not allowed to cook.
Plus, Bian Ying also wanted to eat a piping hot meal.
Now that her overtime pay had arrived, she had no intention of treating herself poorly.
After buying a few ingredients she used to purchase frequently, Bian Ying carried her bags and walked toward Ping’an District, where she currently lived.
Just as she arrived outside, she saw a few neighbors—who rarely came out for walks—chatting in the small garden by the entrance.
“Off work, Bian Ying?”
“Oh, you even bought groceries!
Did you finally learn how to cook?”
“Cooking your own meals is good!
It’s healthy!”
The neighbors greeted her warmly, and Bian Ying replied to them one by one.
She had moved here several years ago.
The apartment she lived in belonged to an older woman who regularly donated to the orphanage.
After the woman’s family moved to the Upper City District, she let Bian Ying live there.
The woman didn’t ask for rent, but Bian Ying always paid on time anyway.
Back then, she was still quite young, and the neighbors took great care of her, spontaneously taking turns inviting her over for meals.
Over the years, Bian Ying had watched familiar households move away or pass on.
Those who still remained in the complex were mostly the elderly—people who either had mobility issues or were simply too attached to their old home.
As for the young people…
she was the only one left.
“Oh, right, Bian Ying.
Grandma Shi’s grandson is back.
He owes you a massive favor, so make sure he repays you properly.”
“…Grandma Shi?” Bian Ying paused, momentarily stunned.
The neighbors chimed in one after another.
“Yeah, yeah!
Grandma Shi, the one who lived right across from you.
Don’t you remember?
When she passed away at home, you were the one who found her!”
“You ran all over the place to arrange her funeral during that time.
The rest of us will probably have to rely on you for ours too…”
“I told her grandson that you did the most for her.
Whatever he offers to compensate you, absolutely do not decline!”
They knew very well that Bian Ying had just started working and wasn’t making much money.
Whatever she did earn, she sent mostly to the orphanage.
She commuted between the Upper City District and the Lower District every day, preferring to walk extra miles rather than spend money on an electric scooter.
“Sister Shi’s grandson is tall and sturdy, quite good-looking too.
I’d say he’s a decent match for Bian Ying.
I just don’t know what he does for a living.”
“That’s right!
Bian Ying is in her twenties now…”
“Ahem, I’m heading home first,” Bian Ying hurriedly interrupted.
Under the neighbors’ teasing gazes, she helplessly stepped into the stairwell, feeling a tinge of curiosity about Grandma Shi’s grandson.
Grandma Shi used to live right across the hall and had taken the best care of her.
Her son and daughter-in-law had died in a Deceit incident, and her grandson had left Wuhai City right after that, remaining absent for over a decade.
As Bian Ying neared her floor, she acutely sensed someone else’s gaze.
Standing at the corner of the stairwell, she looked up to see a tall man standing in front of her door.
Beneath his black trench coat was a broad, muscular frame.
His aura was cold and composed.
He stood like the hardiest pine in a freezing tundra, silently enduring the biting, bone-chilling winds.
“…Are you Shi Yu?” Bian Ying asked, lifting her eyelids in surprise.
Shi Yu was observing her as well.
When he clearly saw her face, a flash of shock crossed his eyes.
This girl…
was the Investigation Bureau employee who had appeared at New Moon Port that morning.
Seeing that Shi Yu remained silent, Bian Ying took the initiative.
“Grandma Shi mentioned you to me.
I’m Bian Ying.”
However, she had only seen photos of Shi Yu from when he was younger.
He looked vastly different now compared to his youth.
At the very least, his demeanor was entirely different.
“Yeah.
There’s a photo of you in the house,” Shi Yu replied, snapping back to reality.
Bian Ying and Grandma Shi had taken a picture together, but the Bian Ying in the photo looked very young and immature, which was why Shi Yu hadn’t immediately recognized her.
He handed over the thank-you gift he had prepared.
“Thank you for being there to see my grandmother off on her final journey.”
Bian Ying looked at the thick envelope.
It seemed to hold a substantial amount of money.
Without any false modesty, she calmly accepted it.
“You’re welcome.” After saying that, she unlocked her door and went inside.
Shi Yu withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked into his own apartment.
Cui Zhaohe was lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed, examining the framed photo in his hands.
Seeing Shi Yu return, he raised an eyebrow.
“Looks like Miss Neighbor is back…
But why do I feel like she looks a bit familiar the more I look at her?”
“Yeah.
She’s the Investigation Bureau employee from this morning.” Shi Yu calmly dropped the bombshell.