Chapter 18: I discriminate against bald heads.
Everything happened too quickly.
A milky white mist rose from Qin Ge’s body, billowing forward. He tried to release the power of his spirit animal to appease this enraged giant lizard. He didn’t know whose giant lizard it was, but he couldn’t recall anyone in the crisis management office with a spirit powerful enough to manifest to this extent.
At the same time, various spiritual forces surged from different parts of the crisis management office, all heading toward the massive lizard.
But the sticky, long tongue had already rolled up in front of Xie Zijing.
Xie Zijing rolled to the ground, and the Barbary lion that had been blocking in front of him disappeared instantly.
The giant lizard let out a strange cry, and a section of its tongue flew out of its mouth, spinning and landing behind Qin Ge, quickly turning into white mist.
—It was the lion.
The golden beast roared deafeningly, swinging its claws, and in an instant, it severed the long tongue of the giant lizard.
Its form disappeared amidst the lizard’s roar, and the next moment, it landed near the head of the giant lizard, its claws like sharp spikes, directly aiming for the lizard’s eyes and fiercely tearing them apart.
Qin Ge had only one thought: it must be skilled in hunting!
After one eye was injured, the pained giant lizard tumbled down from the building, smashing the nearby bike shed with a loud crash. In the rising dust and smoke, Cai Yi stood there, looking disheveled.
Before he could call on the giant lizard to regain its spirits, Xie Zijing had already jumped in front of him, grabbed his collar, and punched him in the nose with a heavy blow.
As Cai Yi fell to the ground, the giant lizard also turned into a thick white mist.
Several spirit animals that had leaped from the crisis management office building had just landed on the ground.
Seeing Qin Ge running over, Xie Zijing waved his wrist at him. A furry rabbit dashed over and jumped directly into his arms.
… It all happened too fast. In just a few seconds, Xie Zijing and his lion had completely taken control of the situation.
Cai Yi covered his nose, and a few drops of blood dripped from his fingers. He looked haggard and disheveled, leaning against a pillar in front of the crisis management office building to slowly stand up.
In the corner of the bike shed, Lei Chi stood in the dusty courtyard with his mountain bike.
His mountain bike had its front wheel knocked crooked.
“Is picking a fight and causing trouble here because your brain doesn’t work?” Lei Chi walked over to Cai Yi, pressed his knee against his back to make him kneel down, and immediately handcuffed him.
The whole set of actions flowed smoothly and were extremely skilled.
“Don’t, don’t, don’t!” Gao Tianyue rushed over from the parking lot, his sparse hair flying above his head, “He’s our own person! Lei Chi, let go!”
This was the first meeting between Qin Ge and Lei Chi. The two introduced themselves politely, shook hands politely, and then looked at the disheveled Cai Yi and the bewildered Gao Tianyue with politeness.
“Control your colleges!” Gao Tianyue pointed at Xie Zijing and said to Qin Ge, “Don’t you even recognize Vice Cai?”
Xie Zijing: “He attacked me first.”
Cai Yi used the handkerchief handed to him by Gao Tianyue to wipe the blood from under his nose. He was trembling with anger, and his voice was shaking as he spoke, “I remember you, surnamed Xie! Qin Ge, you said he’s your undercover partner, and you said he would uphold the confidentiality agreement. But your crisis management office really knows how to deceive people! If it weren’t for him, my mother—”
A crowd had gathered around, all waiting for Cai Yi’s next words. Cai Yi quickly scanned the surroundings, and even on the faces of the half-zombified humans, he seemed to see mocking expressions.
He had to shut his mouth, grit his teeth, and lower his head as he followed Gao Tianyue into the Crisis Management Office building. The secretary at the door watched the chaotic compound in confusion.
The head of the security department had just ridden his bike to work at this moment. When he saw the mess in the courtyard, he shouted loudly after a moment of shock, “Gao Tianyue! Is the maintenance fund approved or not?”
Lei Chi had only known that the Crisis Management Office had recently established a Psychological Adjustment Department, but he didn’t know that the department had been located in a small house near the side entrance, a concealed and hard-to-find location. Xie Zijing had mentioned that it was a great place, very convenient for slacking off.
Throughout the Tomb-sweeping Day holiday, the Criminal Investigation Department had been working overtime like crazy. This morning, Lei Chi had finally found a gap to go home, intending to take a shower and change his clothes, but unexpectedly, his bike had been smashed before he could leave the compound.
Upon learning that Qin Ge also knew about Cai Mingyue’s situation, Lei Chi briefly revealed some progress in the investigation to him and Xie Zijing.
The hospital records at the 267th Hospital were kept for a total of thirty years, and coincidentally, they had recently started the electronic entry of paper records. There were still many records in the underground warehouse of the inpatient building waiting to be entered and not yet destroyed.
After obtaining permission to investigate, the Criminal Investigation Department set up a presence at the 267th Hospital and found 63 infants who had died shortly after birth due to reasons like “umbilical cord around the neck” and “underdeveloped lungs.” Without exception, their attending physician was Cai Mingyue.
“The nurses and anesthetists from that time are also on the list.” Lei Chi said, “Some of them have already passed away, and we are looking for those who are still alive. With Cai Mingyue gone, things have become more complicated. We need to find more of the people involved at the time. The parents of the children will take longer to locate, and relying solely on headquarters’ resources won’t be enough. I estimate that crisis management offices from all over the country will work together.”
He only touched on some superficial details, but it was enough to make Qin Ge and Xie Zijing breathe a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t expect Director Gao to really convince the Special Management Committee to allow you to handle this case,” Qin Ge said. “I thought he would hesitate; you know, there have been rumors in the department that he has connections with the Special Management Committee.”
Lei Chi said with a serious tone, “Director Gao is very responsible, and I respect him greatly.”
He spoke in a calm tone with a solemn expression, as if he was not stating a fact but making a judgment.
The three of them fell silent for a moment, and Lei Chi broke the awkward silence by picking up his bag and saying, “Well, goodbye for now. I’m going to take a break.”
His gaze swept across the small office and landed on the desk closest to the door. The desk was piled with several files, and a palm-sized lying cat figurine served as a paperweight. Next to the figurine was a small glass jar containing beautifully packaged candies.
As he left the Psychological Adjustment Department, Bai Xiaoyuan ran over from the side door. She looked excited and waved to greet him, “Captain Lei, what’s going on outside?”
“Just call me Lei Chi,” Lei Chi said. “It’s a long story; you can ask your colleagues. I’m leaving for now.”
Bai Xiaoyuan said, “Oh, okay. Take care. Goodbye.”
Lei Chi took out a bag of candies from his bag and handed it to her.
“Thank you for the candies,” Lei Chi said. “It’s a token of appreciation. I’ve tried several kinds, and these peach-flavored gummies are the best.”
Bai Xiaoyuan accepted them in a daze.
“Goodbye,” Lei Chi nodded. “Say hello to your little cat for me.”
He walked away briskly, passing by Tang Cuo on his way.
“Isn’t that Lei Chi?” Tang Cuo wondered. “What’s he doing in our department?”
“He’s delivering candies to you.” Bai Xiaoyuan handed the bag of gummies to Tang Cuo. “Tang Cuo, don’t you think Captain Lei is a good person? Tall and strong, wealthy, and not talkative. Do you like him?”
“No.” Tang Cuo waved his hand. “I don’t consider inter-species marriages; the paperwork is too troublesome, and adopting children in the future would be an issue.”
Bai Xiaoyuan said, “…You’re thinking too far ahead.”
Because Cai Mingyue’s case had been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department, after Qin Ge and Bai Xiaoyuan finished organizing the files in their department, they found that the Psychological Adjustment Department had temporarily run out of work.
“Our department will officially be established next Monday,” Bai Xiaoyuan said. “Should we have a celebration and enjoy a good meal?”
At that moment, Tang Cuo’s phone rang twice. He glanced at it and immediately waved his arms in excitement. “Xie Zijing! I’ve found a place for you to live!”
Xie Zijing asked, “…What?”
“It’s a single room with a small loft, about fifteen minutes away from the subway station, and the monthly rent is only 2,500 yuan. Isn’t it a good deal? Are you going to see it tonight?”
Xie Zijing: “No.”
Tang Cuo asked, “Do you plan to keep sleeping on Qin Ge’s couch?”
Xie Zijing: “Qin Ge likes it when I sleep on his couch.”
The living creature he was holding in his arms had changed to Bai Xiaoyuan’s sand cat. Xie Zijing rubbed the sand cat’s large ears, occasionally locking eyes with the cat’s round, shiny eyes. He was so idle that he even began to daydream while holding the cat’s paw.
“Go take a look,” Qin Ge said. “You can’t keep sleeping on the couch.”
Xie Zijing remained silent for a moment, seemingly not very pleased. He released the sand cat back to Bai Xiaoyuan, got up, and walked out. However, in less than half a minute, he returned, with another person following behind him.
It was Dr. Peng Hu.
Peng Hu had come to bid farewell. He had already resigned from the 267th Hospital, and in a few days, he would be leaving with his family. He planned to open a clinic in his hometown, and since his wife was a nurse, they could work together to manage their lives well.
Because he hadn’t been drinking, he looked very alert, and there was no sign of intoxication on his face.
“Do you like to drink?” Qin Ge asked.
“I like it, but I can’t get drunk.” Peng Hu chuckled. “I haven’t drunk since I graduated, afraid it might affect me. Back then, I needed some courage to come find you guys. I pretended to be drunk, or else I wouldn’t have had the courage to say those things.”
Qin Ge nodded, “After all, she was your benefactor.”
Peng Hu fell silent for a long time.
“I don’t know if what I did was right or wrong,” he said softly. “But I can’t stay at the 267th Hospital anymore; I have no face to continue working there.”
Qin Ge escorted Peng Hu to the door of the Crisis Management Office, and coincidentally, Cai Yi also walked out of the Crisis Management Office building with his secretary. He immediately recognized Peng Hu and was about to rush over, but he was immediately stopped by his secretary. Peng Hu hurriedly left, unable to find anyone to vent his anger, and Cai Yi gave his secretary a slap in frustration.
Qin Ge remembered what Lei Chi had casually mentioned earlier: Cai Yi’s position in the Special Management Committee might undergo some changes due to this incident.
Back in the office, Bai Xiaoyuan was explaining the complex relationships within the Special Management Committee to Xie Zijing and Tang Cuo. Xie Zijing listened with frequent yawns: “Stop, I don’t want to understand.”
Tang Cuo: “Xie Zijing, I’ve scheduled a house viewing for you at 7 p.m.”
Xie Zijing: “I’m not going.”
Whether it was because he genuinely had nothing to do or because he wanted to help Xie Zijing once again, Qin Ge advised: “Don’t waste Tang Cuo’s kind gesture.”
Xie Zijing turned to glare at him, “You don’t want me anymore.”
Qin Ge said, “…”
Bai Xiaoyuan and Tang Cuo were both shocked, and all four eyes were fixed on Qin Ge.
Xie Zijing said, “I’m not familiar with this place, and I don’t know how to view houses.”
Qin Ge: “Stop pretending to be pitiful; I’ll go with you.”
Reluctantly, Xie Zijing agreed, “Fine.”
The journey from the crisis management office to the house Tang Cuo had found took about forty minutes. Qin Ge drove, with Xie Zijing accompanying him. After the landlord checked Xie Zijing’s work ID, he eagerly inquired about gossip and anecdotes regarding special humans, to which Xie Zijing gave vague responses.
The house wasn’t large; upon entering, there was a kitchen, living room, and fully enclosed floor-to-ceiling windows, which cleverly separated a small duplex loft in this not-so-large space. The loft served as the bedroom, and on the wall, there was a window that could accommodate one person leaning out, leading to a narrow balcony outside.
Xie Zijing leaned out of the window, stood on the platform, and squinted while feeling the breeze. The landlord stuck his head out from the window and said, “From this angle, you can see it, right? It’s Houhai!”
Xie Zijing replied, “Thank you. Now, shift your elbow twelve degrees to the right, and you’ll see Houhai over there.”
The landlord said, “So picky? Do you still want the house? There are other clients coming to view it at 7:30; my place is quite popular.”
Xie Zijing crawled back in through the window, glanced at Qin Ge, and then looked at the landlord. Qin Ge thought the location, price, and quality of the house were all good and nodded secretly.
The landlord had sharp eyes: “It’s okay to live with your boyfriend too; I don’t discriminate against special humans or same-sex couples.”
Xie Zijing looked at his bald head: “I discriminate against bald heads.”
The landlord chuckled: “Oh, you special humans are so humorous.”
Out of the corner of Xie Zijing’s eye, he saw Qin Ge descending from the loft. He was feeling irritated and paced around the loft twice before saying, “Alright, I’ll rent it. We can sign the contract now.”
The landlord swiftly left, saying he’d go downstairs to print the contract. Xie Zijing bit a cigarette but didn’t light it. He walked all the way to Qin Ge’s side and used the cigarette to poke Qin Ge’s face.
The floor-to-ceiling windows almost covered an entire wall, with the darkening twilight outside and the gradually lighting city lights. Qin Ge dodged his hand, his face devoid of any expression. “Remember to thank Tang Cuo.”
Xie Zijing felt like Qin Ge was determined to drive him away. He was so irritated that he couldn’t accurately sort out his emotions. He simply grabbed Qin Ge’s collar and pulled him toward himself.
But once the two got too close, Xie Zijing forgot about being angry with the person in front of him. In his mind, there was only one thought: to kiss him.
