Qingyi considered herself quite knowledgeable about Zhu Yuan. She could even say that regarding certain small details, she understood Zhu Yuan better than Zhu Yuan understood herself. For example, her three measurements!
Her three measurements were captured through the camera of her eyes and fed into her database. After a simple calculation, she could derive the data, accurate to two decimal places.
Simply put, this was Qingyi! Other than Zhu Yuan herself, she was the one who knew her best!
And for Zhu Yuan, Qingyi was the closest person to her besides her parents.
Qingyi could see very clearly that ever since Zhu Yuan had encountered this man named Ye Qingfeng, he had suddenly come to occupy a significant place in her heart.
Qingyi wouldn't go so far as to say who had been replaced by whom, but Ye Qingfeng's position in Zhu Yuan's heart had already become equal to her own, and at certain moments, had even edged slightly ahead.
Thinking this much wasn't purely out of jealousy. Of course... the main reason Ye Qingfeng had entered her field of attention, aside from jealousy, was intense curiosity.
Based on her understanding of Zhu Yuan, the likelihood of love at first sight was very low. This wasn't just a guess — she had evidence. Based on the types of movies and videos Zhu Yuan watched, Qingyi had calculated that the romantic archetype she was most drawn to was the childhood sweetheart type: a natural, gradual development over a long period of closeness.
As far as Qingyi knew, the one person Zhu Yuan had been close to since childhood and still kept in contact with was only one: the section chief of H.S.O.S.6 (Hollow Special Operations Section 6)! The daughter of the House of Hoshimi!
One of the Seven Void Hunters in the world! (The title of Void Hunter is awarded to seven individuals who stand at the absolute peak of combat power within the Hollows, or who have made exceptional contributions to combating them.)
Miss Hoshimi Miyabi!
As far as Qingyi knew, their relationship was that of ordinary friends. She had therefore already ruled out the childhood sweetheart possibility.
And there is a saying from a certain famous detective story: after eliminating all impossibilities, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
Zhu Yuan had fallen for Ye Qingfeng at first sight!!
Yet as far as Qingyi knew, every so often, men would actively seek Zhu Yuan out. Among them were sons of financial magnates and sons of high-ranking officials, and quite a few were good-looking.
They had all shown considerable interest in Zhu Yuan, but even so, she would politely turn every single one of them down.
Qingyi had initially watched all of this with the detached amusement of a spectator. Over time, she found that no matter who came, not one of them could make Zhu Yuan blush for even a moment.
She had grown accustomed to it. At one point, she had even privately wondered whether Zhu Yuan might, in a few years' time, end up with her name on a matchmaking website.
But the speed at which Ye Qingfeng had taken root in Zhu Yuan's heart was alarming. By the time Qingyi noticed, he had already secured a considerable place within it.
Perhaps it was because she had witnessed so many men who were drawn to Zhu Yuan simply vanish after her polite rejections. Among those she had helped over the years, there had even been a resident who pursued her relentlessly for half a year.
He came looking for Zhu Yuan every other day, either bringing gifts or inviting her out. Six months passed, and he still hadn't managed to get her contact information.
As for those with backgrounds and connections, they had all been drawn in by Zhu Yuan's looks and figure. Even when rejected, it was no great loss to them — they could simply find another woman.
And would the next woman, one without power or influence, have the same chance to say no?
Fortunately for Zhu Yuan, she had a friend named Hoshimi, and the higher-ups valued this rising star within the Public Security Bureau highly. Otherwise...
In short, the pursuit patterns of every man Qingyi had ever observed around Zhu Yuan followed the same formula: bring a gift, then extend an invitation; if the gift doesn't work, come back next time with something more expensive.
Some had even tried to hand Zhu Yuan Dennies directly...
Who in their right mind would accept that? Zhu Yuan wasn't just any young woman — she was also a Public Security Bureau officer. Accept Dennies in the morning, and she'd be gone by afternoon...
After witnessing countless incidents like this, Qingyi was no longer surprised by men suddenly appearing at Zhu Yuan's side. It had become entirely normal.
Because of her kind nature, most of the people Zhu Yuan helped would develop feelings for her and begin pursuing her. The only question was how long each one would hold out.
For a long time, Zhu Yuan had always placed her career first, and personal feelings a distant second.
And yet, this same Zhu Yuan would one day set aside two suspects entirely just to check whether a man was injured?!
It had successfully shattered everything Qingyi thought she knew about Zhu Yuan after all these years.
And the one responsible for all of it, Ye Qingfeng, made her even more curious. What on earth had he done to find his way into Zhu Yuan's heart?
It wasn't that she opposed Zhu Yuan finding a boyfriend, but...
In what way was she inferior to Zhu Yuan? Huh?!?!
Since becoming partners with Zhu Yuan, countless people had come to pursue her — yet not a single one had ever spared a glance in Qingyi's direction.
What, was she not good enough?
Being single alongside Zhu Yuan had never bothered her before, but now, in just one month's time, Zhu Yuan had apparently been charmed away?
If someone told her they were already together, she wouldn't even find it surprising at this point.
She understood it perfectly well! But why did no one ever notice her?
She knew she wasn't as attentive as Zhu Yuan, that her figure couldn't compare, and that her body was cold machinery on top of it all.
But her looks weren't that much worse than Zhu Yuan's, were they?!?!
That said, if someone actually did pursue her, she would probably respond with: Perverted lolicon?
And she would look at them like they were something scraped off the bottom of a shoe.
Qingyi's state of mind at this moment was something like: being happily, contentedly single alongside your best friend, then suddenly finding out she was on the verge of getting into a relationship.
And then, upon learning that news, realizing that absolutely no one wanted her in return?!?!
It wasn't exactly a warped way of thinking... she just felt like she'd bitten into a lemon.
So sour!
The more Qingyi thought about it, the more unsettled she felt. Finally, she let out a long sigh. The priority right now was to take these two suspects back to the bureau. She grabbed Passerby B by the back of his collar with one hand and dragged him all the way over to Passerby A.
She released his collar, took out a pair of handcuffs, and Passerby A cooperatively put them on himself without even needing to be told. He then grabbed his companion by the collar and looked at Qingyi with a fawning, flattering expression.
Qingyi didn't move to stop Passerby A. She was perfectly confident that at this distance, escape was impossible. Even so, she kept her guard up.
"Didn't expect suspects these days to have such a high level of civic awareness." Qingyi gestured for Passerby A to walk ahead and pointed towards the police car, saying calmly:
"A wise man knows when to yield. In your current situation, don't even think about trying anything clever. That will only add to your charges."
"Of course I understand, Officer Qingyi!"
Passerby A bowed as he spoke.
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