The next day at the station was chaos. Reports regarding the looming protests against the Dawn Horizon project piled up on Zhu Yuan's desk like a mountain of paperwork that seemed intent on toppling over. And, predictably, Seth was late again.
Typical, Zhu Yuan thought with a sigh, absently flipping through a file. I wonder what excuse he'll come up with this time—lost in thought, misread the patrol map, or maybe he got sidetracked by some sort of dessert-related dilemma?
Meanwhile, somewhere across town, Seth was in full panic mode, pacing in front of a mirror like a bad actor rehearsing for an audition."I can't just tell Captain that I've been moonlighting as a dessert-sending investigator."
She'll flip. Or worse, she'll give me that look." He shuddered at the thought of Zhu Yuan's disapproving gaze—the kind that made you question every life decision, including the decision to skip patrol for sweets.
"Why am I still at the cover of this chapter?"
Finally, when he dashed into the office, the atmosphere turned electric. Zhu Yuan greeted him with a tone so formal it could've been used at a disciplinary hearing. "Officer Seth?"
The use of his full title sent a shiver of dread down his spine.Uh-oh, that can't be good. He straightened up, expecting the worst, unaware that she was simply about to give him an errand.
"Captain?" He gulped, hovering awkwardly by his desk as every pair of eyes in the room locked onto him. Even Amy and Qingyi looked like they were ready to pop popcorn for whatever was about to unfold. His anxiety wrapped around him like a cold, clammy fog, prickling his skin.
"Uh, Captain, I... uh... didn't do my patrol last night," Seth stammered, the words tumbling out before he could stop them. "Bad lunch.Reallybad. Spent half the patrol duty in the bathroom."
He paused, then quickly added, "But I handed over the reports to the café owner by afternoon, so I—uh—kind of covered it?"
Zhu Yuan blinked, mid-motion as she held out a folder, caught between disbelief and mild amusement. "Wait, you're telling me... you skipped your patrol on 8th Street?" She raised an eyebrow. "Seth,you could've just told me."
She rubbed her temple, half-annoyed, trying to process his latest hilarious excuse. Why does everything with Seth involve food, bathrooms, or both?
Qingyi, never one to miss an opportunity, leaned in with a smirk. "You're a terrible liar, Seth." Seth looked at the floor, feeling the burn of Qingyi's teasing. "It wasn't a lie, just... selective truth."
Zhu Yuan, choosing mercy over dragging it out, handed him a folder. "Here, give these files to the Chief, and get back to me as soon as possible. We'll talk about your 'selective truth' later."
Seth hurriedly handed over the files to the precinct chief, eager to return to the office and sort out the mess he had dug himself into. Just as he reached the door, there was Qingyi—leaning casually against the frame, arms crossed, eyes narrowing with that sharp look that made Seth immediately reconsider all his life choices.
"Hey, Seth," she greeted, her voice dripping with suspicion. "Amy said she spotted you at the café last night. Now, I'm no detective—oh wait, I am—but something tells me you weren't exactly being honest with Captain earlier."
Seth felt the guilt rise like a bad lunch. "Qingyi... I was telling the truth," he hissed like a cornered cat, attempting to sidestep her without meeting those piercing eyes. Why do I feel like I'm on trial here?
How did I end up playing dessert detective? His mind spun in frustration. Now, not only was he stuck defending his bad-lunch lie, but he was also somehow entangled in a covert dessert investigation to clear his name on rumors. I should've just done the patrol!
"Captain?" he called out tentatively as he approached Zhu Yuan, who was absorbed in reading case files on her tablet, exuding that aura of someone who knew exactly when things were about to go wrong.
His gaze flicked to her desk, where a delicious caramel lava cake sat, clearly sent by the Random Play Video Store guy. Of course she gets the good stuff, he thought, envy flaring for a moment .Without looking up, Zhu Yuan's voice took on a sarcastic edge. "Seth, since you're apparently being so honest about your... unfortunate stomach incident..."
He froze. Yep, Captain's definitely not buying it.
She glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "I'll be assigning you to patrol—western city."
"Uh, just me?" Seth's voice cracked, betraying his rising panic.
"Yeah, just you. Seems fair, right?" Zhu Yuan replied with unsettling calmness. "There've been reports of biker gangs from the outer ring hanging out in that area. I figured you'd appreciate the challenge."
Seth's concern kicked into overdrive. "Wait, biker gangs? Alone?" his voice almost shrieking. Zhu Yuan's eyes twinkled slightly, though her voice remained serious. "Unless your stomach acts up again, of course."
Seth swallowed hard and glanced around, hoping for an escape. Where's Qingyi when I need her? If only he'd entertained her with stories of Zhu Yuan's secret admirer earlier, maybe he wouldn't be in this mess.
"Can I bring Qingyi along, Captain?" he asked, his voice finally squeaking in hopes of lifting the patrol task. "Biker gangs are dangerous, you know."
Zhu Yuan leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the armrest in mock consideration. "Come on, Seth. You handled the Mountain Lion case accidentally—with Jane, sure—but still! You're more than capable." She gave him a thin smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Don't worry this is just a normal patrol. -Just coordinate with the response team if something came up suspiciously."
Before he could muster another excuse, she reached into her drawer, grabbed a set of keys, and tossed them his way. "Take my assigned mobile. Try not to wreck it."
Seth fumbled the keys but managed to catch them with a clumsy flourish. "Uh... okay, Captain." He gave an awkward snappy salute, internally cringing. Great, Captain's really mad at me. His thoughts screamed, How did I go from dessert duty to biker-gang babysitting?
In the locker room, Seth gathered his gear, feeling the weight of impending doom. As he suited up, Qingyi walked by, casting him a quick glance.
"Qingyi, I've been assigned to patrol the western city. Want to join me?" he asked, guilt written all over his face.
Qingyi didn't even break stride, simply flicking her head in the other direction in a gesture that screamed not a chance.
Seth groaned to himself as he packed his things. "So this is what it feels like to be snubbed."
Zhu Yuan sat at her desk, her tension no longer focused on Seth's missed patrol but on the case with Elias. Her eyes scanned the case file he had provided on the Crimson Veil, the lines of text blurring in front of her as her thoughts churned. The more she studied it, the more complicated it seemed—too many loose threads, too many unanswered questions.
Still, something didn't sit right. Whatever Elias was involved in, it felt bigger than what she could see on the surface.