Chen Xuanqiu was burning with anxiety. Yet, she found herself unable to directly voice her questions, feeling like an ant scurrying on a hot pan.
Before long, Captain Kong Jialong returned to her bedside. “Miss Chen,” he reassured her, “please rest here without worry. I’ll head back to the police station now to report on your situation.”
“Thank you,” Chen Xuanqiu murmured, her words tinged with unvoiced hesitation.
“Xiaobo, come out with me for a moment.” Captain Kong Jialong beckoned to Fang Jianbo, who had been staring blankly at Chen Xuanqiu.
“Oh? Oh!” Fang Jianbo finally registered the command, then followed his captain out.
Preoccupied with her own worries, Chen Xuanqiu naturally failed to notice the young officer’s lovestruck gaze.
Once outside the ward, Fang Jianbo immediately asked, “Captain, what exactly happened?”
“So you *do* care about important matters?” Captain Kong Jialong teased. “I thought your mind was solely on that young lady; your eyes were practically glued to her.”
“I’m sorry, Captain!” Fang Jianbo rubbed his head sheepishly. “But she’s truly beautiful. I’ve never seen such a pretty girl before.”
“Just look, but don’t get any wild ideas,” Captain Kong Jialong warned. “She’s a minor.” He offered the reminder with leniency, knowing he wasn’t much better himself.
“What kind of person do you take me for?” Fang Jianbo retorted, suddenly displeased. “I’m an upright police officer!”
“Good, just remember that,” Captain Kong Jialong replied. “You stay here and look after her. I need to return to the station to handle an urgent incident. Last night, a fire broke out at an abandoned factory in the western suburbs. The firefighters worked through the night to extinguish it, but to our surprise, they discovered over a dozen charred bodies inside.”
“What? An abandoned factory?” Fang Jianbo fired off a volley of questions. “Where did so many people come from? Was this an accident or deliberate murder?”
“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Captain Kong Jialong stated, making a keen observation. “Otherwise, why would over a dozen people, perfectly fine, be burned to death inside? Don’t they have arms and legs? Didn’t they know to run when they saw the fire?”
“That makes sense. I agree,” Fang Jianbo said, stroking his chin as he fell into thought.
“Captain Obvious,” Captain Kong Jialong grumbled with a hint of exasperation, then walked away.
Watching his captain leave, Fang Jianbo rushed back to the ward. ‘A beautiful girl is much more pleasing to the eye,’ he thought to himself.
“Little sister, have some water.” Without asking if she was thirsty, Fang Jianbo poured Chen Xuanqiu a glass.
“Thank you, Officer Brother.” Chen Xuanqiu politely thanked him, her jade-like eyes subtly shifting.
“It’s nothing. Just tell me if you need anything at all.” Fang Jianbo enthusiastically sat down by her bed, like a dragon guarding its most cherished treasure in a fairytale.
“Um… Officer Brother, I just heard Captain Kong Jialong mention something about an abandoned factory in the western suburbs? Did something happen?” Chen Xuanqiu took a polite sip of water, then cautiously probed for information.
“Something did happen, yes, but it has nothing to do with you. It’s better if you don’t know,” Fang Jianbo answered vaguely. It wasn’t that he wanted to keep secrets, but rather that he didn’t wish to frighten the delicate girl before him.
“I’m so bored just lying here like this. Could you tell me about it? Please!” A flicker of longing appeared on Chen Xuanqiu’s pretty face, her eyes sparkling like a starry night, resembling an infant eagerly awaiting nourishment.
“Alright.” Fang Jianbo’s mental defenses crumbled in less than a second. He then briefly recounted what his captain had just told him.
“Why did this happen? It was perfectly fine when I left!” Chen Xuanqiu’s ominous premonition had become reality. It felt as if a heavy hammer had struck her, leaving her dazed and unable to recover for a long time.
“Little sister, what’s wrong?” Fang Jianbo asked with concern.
“N-nothing… I just feel so terrible for those people. Their families must be heartbroken.” Chen Xuanqiu offered a facile response, but at the thought of the Wei family grandfather and grandson, tears like scattered pearls began to trickle from her eyes.
“Please don’t cry, okay? It’s all my fault; I shouldn’t have told you any of this.” Fang Jianbo quickly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Chen Xuanqiu, his face etched with regret.
‘Why didn’t you even give me a chance to repay you?’ Chen Xuanqiu silently questioned, her heart aching with spasms of pain. After two months together, the Wei family grandfather and grandson were no longer just her saviors; they had become like family.
“My dear little ancestor, please stop crying, alright?” Fang Jianbo, acutely aware of the strange glances from around them, was mortified. He awkwardly pleaded with her.
“I’m sorry… I really don’t want to cry… but for some reason, I just can’t stop.” Chen Xuanqiu struggled to control her emotions, yet her tears flowed like a breached dam, impossible to hold back. It seemed she had lost this ability after becoming a girl.
‘Are all girls this kind-hearted?’ Fang Jianbo wondered, feeling a genuine admiration despite his confusion.
“Officer Brother, can you tell me why that factory caught fire?” Chen Xuanqiu asked again, her face still tear-streaked. She urgently wanted to know the cause of death for the Wei family grandfather and grandson. Moreover, she hoped to use this opportunity to inquire about the specific situation inside the factory, as her secret of becoming a girl was hidden there, and it would be disastrous if it hadn’t been completely consumed by the fire.
“Captain Kong Jialong just headed over there, so we probably won’t have any results until later,” Fang Jianbo honestly “confessed.”
“Then please, you *must* tell me when you find out,” Chen Xuanqiu pleaded.
“Alright, alright, anything, as long as you don’t keep crying,” Fang Jianbo quickly surrendered.
Afterward, Chen Xuanqiu lay on the hospital bed as if her soul had departed, the figures of the Wei family grandfather and grandson flashing continuously through her mind. She truly couldn’t comprehend what had happened at the factory. Even if there was a fire, it shouldn’t have been so severe that not a single person escaped, should it? Over a dozen bodies—that was practically everyone in the entire basement.
‘But why did it catch fire?’ she wondered. ‘Was it because I escaped, and CEO Hai feared his crimes would be exposed, so he wanted to destroy the evidence?’ Chen Xuanqiu hypothesized, but quickly dismissed the idea. Even if CEO Hai genuinely wanted to do that, he wouldn’t burn people along with it. Wouldn’t that be counterproductive? Using over a dozen lives to cover up his crimes—that fat man wouldn’t be *that* foolish.
‘Or perhaps Wei Shoutai’s act of releasing me was discovered, leading to a conflict with others?’ Chen Xuanqiu mused. However, this seemed even less realistic than her previous thought; no matter how brave Wei Shoutai was, he couldn’t possibly possess such immense capability.
A faint worry gnawed at Chen Xuanqiu. She felt certain that something strange had occurred at the abandoned factory after her departure. Lost in these wild thoughts, Chen Xuanqiu drifted back into a hazy sleep.
After an unknown period, Chen Xuanqiu vaguely heard the woman’s voice again.
“Get up, you wretched girl! You’re not allowed to sleep in my bed.” The woman’s voice was close, filled with viciousness.
Chen Xuanqiu jolted awake, instinctively glancing around, but still saw no one.
‘How strange,’ Chen Xuanqiu wondered, guessing, ‘Could I be hallucinating?’
“You’re awake?” Fang Jianbo, who had been guarding her side, quickly asked. “How do you feel? Do you have strength now?”
Chen Xuanqiu shifted her body, discovering she could finally sit up. It seemed the IV drip was indeed effective.
“Who was just talking to me?” Chen Xuanqiu asked, tidying her disheveled long hair.
“Talking? No, there wasn’t anyone. I’ve been the only one with you this whole time.” Fang Jianbo looked utterly bewildered.
“That’s impossible, though? I distinctly heard a woman’s voice. It was the same when I woke up before.” Chen Xuanqiu furrowed her delicate brows deeply, a sense of confusion swirling within her.
“Maybe it was a nurse,” Fang Jianbo speculated. “Look, besides you, there are no other women in this ward.”
Chen Xuanqiu, however, didn’t believe him, knowing that a nurse would never utter such words.
As it was already noon, Fang Jianbo thoughtfully brought Chen Xuanqiu a bowl of millet porridge. Chen Xuanqiu was indeed very hungry and ate with gusto.
Not long after, Captain Kong Jialong arrived at the hospital in a rush.
“We’ve already reported your situation to the police in Donghui City. Your parents will know soon enough. Would you like to call them first?” Captain Kong Jialong suggested.
“No need to trouble yourselves. I’ll just wait for them to pick me up,” Chen Xuanqiu replied after a moment’s thought, politely declining. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but she didn’t even know the phone number of her parents in this world.
Captain Kong Jialong and Fang Jianbo exchanged a puzzled glance, wondering, ‘Is this young girl on bad terms with her family? How can she be so calm after being away for two months?’
Knowing she couldn’t stay much longer, Chen Xuanqiu quickly gave Fang Jianbo a meaningful look. However, due to her beautiful appearance, it looked more like she was flirting.
“Captain, what exactly happened at that abandoned factory?” Fang Jianbo, instantly losing his ability to think clearly, tentatively asked.
For the first time, Chen Xuanqiu recognized the advantage of her looks. It was no wonder people said that being pretty allowed one to do anything they wanted. She now felt as though this young officer had become her puppet, easily manipulated.
“Come with me,” Captain Kong Jialong instructed, beckoning Fang Jianbo out of the ward.
A moment later, Fang Jianbo hurried back.
“The true cause of death for those people wasn’t the fire,” he informed Chen Xuanqiu, relaying the information he had just learned. “It was gunshots.”