Ch'en had not expected Bai Xiao to step in front of her at a moment like that.
He had secretly brought a Guard Department officer into the dock, and now they had been caught in the act... Shouldn't he have been trying to run, or at least explain himself? Why was he openly standing against Lin Yuhsia instead?
"Do you even know what you're saying?"
"Of course." Bai Xiao's voice was calm. "Winter is almost here. Cargo traffic through the docks is only going to increase, and sooner or later the Guard Department would take notice. Better to be proactive than leave room for suspicion. We have nothing to hide, do we?
"If the Guard Department comes to inspect during the busiest period, I'm afraid it might delay Mr. Lin's business."
At this point, Bai Xiao was simply improvising a reason on the spot. He did not care in the slightest about his position managing the dock. Ch'en was still his first priority.
Lin Yuhsia's expression darkened slightly. The moment Bai Xiao spoke up for Ch'en, the advantage she had been holding vanished.
Why had Father specifically chosen this man to manage the dock?
"You're quite something," Lin Yuhsia said flatly.
Then she turned to leave, but not before adding one last remark.
"Officer Ch'en, I don't want tonight's incident to happen again... And you as well—I will report exactly what you did to Mr. Lin."
Bai Xiao spread his hands. "As you wish, Miss Lin. I have no objections."
Lin Yuhsia gave Bai Xiao a long, unreadable look, then left without another word.
Watching her back retreat into the darkness, Bai Xiao finally let out a quiet breath of relief and returned to Ch'en's side.
"Let's call it a night here, Officer Ch'en?"
Ch'en said nothing more and merely nodded.
Since they had left the car near Lungmen's entrance checkpoint, the two of them could only walk back the way they had come. Their shadows stretched long beneath the streetlamps, then gradually blurred and vanished... like a couple out for an evening stroll after dinner.
Pah, pah, pah. What couple!
The moment she thought back to what had just happened—and the mocking look in Lin Yuhsia's eyes—Ch'en felt a fresh wave of humiliation and anger.
"You... Why did you speak up for me just now?"
"Hm?" Bai Xiao turned to look at her, only to find that she had turned her face away, revealing nothing but a small, delicate ear.
Maybe it was the streetlight, but it looked a little red.
Bai Xiao considered it for a moment. This would have been a perfect opportunity to deepen their connection, but for once, he found that he did not want to push things further.
"I'm your informant, aren't I? It's only natural for me to back you up."
"An informant..."
Ch'en said nothing more. Head lowered, she fell into silence, and Bai Xiao had no idea what she was thinking. He did not press the issue. Too much had happened tonight, and he needed time to sort through it himself.
Once they got back into the car, silence settled over them again. Ch'en returned to her usual cold, distant demeanor, driving as though nothing from earlier had ever happened.
"Officer Ch'en, do you know Miss Lin?"
"...Mm."
Ch'en gave a muffled little sound of agreement.
Seeing that she clearly had no desire to talk, Bai Xiao did not press the conversation any further. Tonight's progress had exceeded all expectations. Although Lin Yuhsia had shown up midway through, it had actually turned out to be a good thing.
The two drove back into Lungmen in silence.
But after arriving at Bai Xiao's rented room, Ch'en sat in the car looking at him and suddenly asked:
"Do you need me to apply for protection for you?"
Bai Xiao understood at once. She was probably worried Lin Yuhsia might come after him later to settle the score.
"It's alright. Lin—" He caught himself. "She said she'd report the matter to Mr. Lin. And with Uncle Dong around, nothing should happen."
"Don't call her Miss Lin!" Ch'en suddenly snapped, irritation flaring in her voice. "It's Lin Yuhsia. Why are you making it sound so intimate? You're my informant, not one of her people!"
Bai Xiao blinked, completely thrown by the sudden intensity of her reaction. Still, he answered obediently, "Alright. Then from now on, I'll just call her Lin Yuhsia."
Ch'en seemed to realize that her response had been a little too strong. Without saying anything else, she turned the car around and drove off.
Bai Xiao did not pay it much mind. For someone as proud as Ch'en, what had happened tonight must have been enough to leave a real crack in her composure.
Maybe she needed time to cool off too.
Bai Xiao went back to his room. Just as he was about to close the door, he heard her voice from outside.
"About today... thank you."
Before he could even look up, Ch'en floored the accelerator and drove off, not even giving him a chance to respond.
Bai Xiao could not help laughing.
Honestly, this inspector was kind of cute too.
...
Things turned out more or less the way Bai Xiao had expected.
After the incident at the dock, Lin Yuhsia never came looking for trouble. Bai Xiao continued going to the dock every day to oversee operations, and everything carried on as though nothing had happened.
Though Mr. Lin was known as Lungmen's underground emperor, Uncle Dong's attitude toward Ch'en had already made something clear: the underworld and the official side were, in reality, practically one family. That also explained why Ch'en knew Lin Yuhsia—and why Mr. Lin had chosen to elevate Bai Xiao in the first place.
The only reason Bai Xiao had been given the dock to manage was almost certainly because of Ch'en. Ch'en had wanted to investigate Mr. Lin's dock all along, and right after Bai Xiao became her informant, he was suddenly assigned there. There was no way that was just coincidence.
Mr. Lin had definitely guessed all of this long ago, which was why nothing had come of it. Even Uncle Dong had said nothing. Everything continued as usual, as though none of it had ever occurred.
None of that mattered right now, though.
What mattered was that someone was standing in front of Bai Xiao.
"Yo, you're Bai Xiao, right?"
"Yes. And you are...?"
In truth, Bai Xiao already knew exactly who she was.
Lungmen Horror was the first stage of the game, and it had three ways to clear it. The best route was helping Ch'en solve the smuggling case. The second-best was earning the favor of someone named Hoshiguma and then leaving Lungmen.
And now—
Hoshiguma was standing right in front of him.
So tall... and so huge!
Ch'en's chest was already far from small, but Hoshiguma's looked nearly twice her size. Yet despite her imposing build, her face was soft and elegant, with delicate oval features and strikingly beautiful looks. The only thing was that when she smiled, there was a slightly goofy, easygoing air to her.
"Hahaha, Old Ch'en sure knows how to pick people. You're pretty handsome, actually."
Completely unlike the cautious, stern Ch'en, Hoshiguma was naturally familiar and easy with people. The moment she entered the room, she flopped down onto a stool without ceremony and grabbed a bottle of water to drink.
"Let me introduce myself. My name's Hoshiguma. I work in the Guard Department—Ch'en's colleague."
"Officer Hoshiguma, hello."
"Ah, come on, don't call me Officer. I'll probably be relying on you from here on out too. Just call me Hoshi-sir."
"Alright then, Hoshi-sir. What brings you here...?"
Hoshiguma waved a hand. "Not my business. Old Ch'en wants to see you. Are you free now? Come with me to the Guard Department."
The Lungmen Guard Department?
Bai Xiao's guard went up immediately, though outwardly he only said, "I see. She could've just called me. You really went to the trouble of making the trip yourself, Hoshi-sir."
"You think the Guard Department is the kind of place anyone can just walk into? Of course I had to come get you personally." Hoshiguma clicked her tongue casually. "Old Ch'en treasures you like crazy. Sending some random officer would've been enough, but she insisted I come instead... Need time to get ready? We can leave now."
Bai Xiao did not really have anything to prepare. He had only been pretending to tidy up so he could buy himself time to think.
Ever since that incident at the dock, Ch'en had not contacted him once for several days, and that had honestly left Bai Xiao feeling a little uneasy.
Now that Hoshiguma had come to his door, it was only natural for him to be nervous.
But after thinking it through carefully, there was really nothing to be nervous about.
So what if it was the Guard Department?
He was sure Ch'en would not make a move against him. With her personality, if she really meant to arrest him, she would have come herself with a proper warrant and done it in broad daylight. She would never trick him into going over there like this.
Looks like it was finally time to go see the Guard Department for himself.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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