The Teacher on Duty

“May 9th, approximately 4:00 AM: A small fire broke out at Guangming Kindergarten. The alarm was raised by a security guard, Mr. Zhao, who extinguished the flames promptly. He was awarded a 10,000-yuan bonus for his vigilance.”

“June 30th, approximately 2:00 AM: A fire occurred at the Phoenix Elementary Affiliated Kindergarten in Penshan District. Teacher Du, the night educator on duty, discovered the fire, sounded the alarm, and organized an evacuation. Together with other staff, the fire was put out. Local reporters remind citizens: Stay vigilant during dry seasons; unplug appliances before bed and watch those mosquito coils.”

That was the end of the trail. May 9th—June 30th—July 28th.

The arsonist’s cycle was shrinking.

Zhao Yu stared at the digital reports, lost in thought for a full three minutes.

“Qin Song, take Xiao Yu and head to these two kindergartens. Get the details and try to recover any surveillance footage from those nights. The rest of you, pair up. You’re with me to the hospital to take statements from the teachers and children.”

“Understood!”

“You got it, Captain!”

“Let’s move out.”

*****************************************

The hospital was a war zone.

Regular emergency patients had been diverted elsewhere to clear beds specifically for the victims of the Greenlight Kindergarten disaster. Doctors, nurses, frantic parents, and traumatized children created a chaotic symphony of grief and shouting.

Xu Qin, the teacher on duty that night, had just wheeled out of orthopedic surgery. Before she could even attempt to stand, she was swarmed by a mob of desperate parents.

“You were the one on duty! What kind of teacher are you?!”

“How do you sleep that soundly while the kids are burning?! You’re an adult, for god’s sake!”

“I put my child in your hands! And what did you do? Ran for your life? Did you even look back once?!”

“How did it start?! Was it you?! Did you set it?!”

“Give me back my child! Just give them back—”

Nearly thirty parents surged forward, a human tide that the nurses couldn’t hold back. Xu Qin sat paralyzed in her wheelchair, her right leg encased in a heavy cast. The circle of people closed in like demons, a wall of boulders ready to crush her.

“I… I’m… I’m so sorry, I’m sorry… I didn’t do it, I didn’t set the fire… I don’t know what happened, I really don’t…”

“You don’t know?! You murderer!”

“You got off with minor injuries while my kid is in the ICU fighting for breath!”

“My daughter’s face is half-gone!”

“Scum! Why wasn’t it you who died?!”

CRASH!

In the scuffle, someone’s hand shoved the wheelchair over. Doctors and nurses tried to intervene, but they were drowned out by the mob.

“Calm down! Everyone, back away!”

“I don’t care if she’s a suspect! Right now, she’s, my patient!”

“Scum! Go to hell!”

“I hope you rot! Not even letting children go!”

“Give me back my baby!”

When Liu Huisheng stepped off the elevator, she saw the carnage unfolding near the surgery wing. Seeing the overwhelmed medical staff and the overturned wheelchair amidst a forest of angry legs, she didn’t hesitate. She ran toward the fray like a moth to a flame.

“Police! Stop!”

But she was one voice against a hurricane. Her shout was swallowed by the vitriol.

“Ah!”

Someone shoved her with brute force. Her body slammed into a medicine cart, sent several bottles of glucose crashing to the floor, and she landed hard. Shards of glass bit deep into the heel of her palm.

Zhao Yu emerged from the stairwell just in time to see the parents hounding the fallen Xu Qin. To the side, Liu Huisheng was on the ground, surrounded by broken glass, her blood beginning to stain the spilled glucose on the tiles.

An nameless fire ignited in Zhao Yu’s chest. She marched into the center of the storm, grabbed a stray bottle of glucose from the cart, and smashed it against the nurse’s station with everything she had.

K-BOOM—!!!!!!!!

The explosion of glass acted like a physical shockwave. The screaming stopped instantly.

The mob froze and turned. Standing by the nurse’s station was a tall, imposing woman. She slammed the jagged neck of the broken bottle onto the counter while flipping open her badge with her other hand. Her face was as cold as a glacier, her thin lips sharp as a scalpel.

“Police,” she said, her voice dropping like a temperature gauge.

Behind her, the other officers caught up. One helped the injured Liu Huisheng up, while two others joined the doctor to right Xu Qin’s wheelchair.

“We are the Major Crimes Unit in charge of the arson case. What do you think you’re doing in a hospital?”

“Officer, you’re just in time!” A man at the front stepped forward. “This Xu Qin was on duty last night. She knows something! Maybe she even set it! Arrest her now!”

Zhao Yu tucked her badge back into her coat pocket. “Whether she set the fire will be determined by our investigation. The police will not shield a criminal. By the same token, we will not frame an innocent person. By rioting like this, you are only slowing us down.”

Her tone was accusatory, and a parent who had lost everything snapped back:

“We trusted them with our kids! They are responsible! we want answers—how is that slowing you down?!”

If Zhao Yu had a flaw in her work, it was that she was too clinical. She spoke to the facts, never to the feelings.

In this, Liu Huisheng was far more seasoned.

Clutching her bleeding hand, Huisheng took a step forward, her voice turning soft and melodic.

“Everyone, as police officers, our hearts ache for your children just as yours do. I promise you here and now: we will bring the real culprit to justice. But we need your cooperation. This teacher’s statement is vital to the case. We need to speak with her now. For the sake of the investigation—and for the sake of your children.”

Under her gentle persuasion, the parents finally began to disperse.

The medical staff and janitors moved in to clear the debris. Zhao Yu walked to the payment window to settle the bill for the bottle of glucose she had smashed.

The Major Crimes Unit had eight members.

Han Bing was out with a sprained ankle, Qin Song and Xiao Yu were at the other kindergartens, which left five.

Zhao Yu returned quickly. Seeing Liu Huisheng still standing there, she looked annoyed.

“Why haven’t you gone to get that patched up yet?”

Liu Huisheng covered the wound with her other hand, her expression vacant, as if she couldn’t even feel the pain.

“Oh, it’s fine. You usually take statements in pairs. Since Xiao Yu is out with the Vice-Captain, I’ll take his place and go with Brother Zhong?”

Zhao Yu shut that down instantly. “Unit 2 sent someone over to help; Zhong can handle it with him. You’re with me. We’re questioning Xu Qin.”

Liu Huisheng didn’t argue. She just looked at her and smiled. “Okay.”

“Then go get bandaged! Do you expect the witness to wait for you?”

“Going now.”

The other three officers moved out. “We’ll head to our assignments then, Captain.”

Zhao Yu nodded. “Go.”

As the three walked away and entered the elevator, young Chen Doudou sighed.

“Sheng-jie is hardcore. Her hand was gushing blood and she didn’t even flinch.”

Brother Zhong hummed. “Being a cop means bumps and bruises. Captain Zhao almost lost her life once just to make an arrest.”

“Huh?” Chen Doudou shivered. “That’s too much for me. I’m a coward; I’m just waiting to retire so I can enjoy my pension.”

Xiao Fei teased her, “Obviously. You act like your arm’s fallen off when you get a papercut.”

“Shut up!”

“Hahaha!”

Zhong shook his head at the bickering youngsters, but his mind drifted back to the moment Zhao Yu smashed that bottle. Even though she was known for her “iron fist” methods, he felt that, just for a second, she had lost her cool.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

“Maybe it’s professional respect,” he mused. “Seeing Liu Huisheng being so reckless probably reminded the Captain of herself. That’s why she wants to keep her close for the statement.”

Chen Doudou realized something. “Oh, right! I heard that whenever a newcomer joins, either the Vice-Captain or Brother Zhong trains them. This is the first time the Captain has taken someone under her wing personally.”

What they didn’t know was that, years ago, Liu Huisheng was the type of person whose eyes would turn red at the slightest bit of pain. And every single time, Zhao Yu would apply the medicine, blowing gently on the wound as if she were holding a priceless piece of jade, terrified it might break.

They didn’t know. But Zhao Yu knew.

And as she watched Liu Huisheng’s expressionless silhouette follow the nurse to the dressing room, her heart felt a weight she couldn’t name.

When did Liu Huisheng become so good at hiding her pain?