Xie Lin’s expression stiffened slightly, his demeanor a bit unnatural.
“Two major cases in a row, and Captain Xie still has the time to go up the mountain with me to catch snakes?”
Ruan Xingyao leaned a little closer to him, blinking her moist, bright eyes. “Could it be… you have ulterior motives?”
Xie Lin’s expression froze again.
Just as he was about to say something, Ruan Xingyao had already stepped back.
Waving her hand with a smile, she said, “Alright, just teasing you. Since I’ve already signed a contract with the bureau, I’ll give my all to contribute, even if it costs me my life. You don’t have to worry about my sincerity.”
Xie Lin was helpless.
Could it be this girl thought he had received orders from Shen Jiming to use any means necessary to make her devote herself fully to the bureau?
Couldn’t he have other motives?
Just as he was thinking that, he heard Ruan Xingyao say, “Let me think where I can find a little black snake…”
Ruan Xingyao rubbed her chin, her mind quickly running through places where she might find a pitiful, yet strongly survival-driven, little black snake.
“I’ve got it!” she exclaimed suddenly.
“What did you think of?” Xie Lin asked.
Ruan Xingyao smiled mischievously. “The circus!”
“Captain Xie, can you check if there are any abandoned circuses nearby? We can go take a look.”
Xie Lin quickly searched on his phone for circuses in the area and also reached out to his contacts to look into circuses in nearby cities.
After finishing that, he restarted the car and drove Ruan Xingyao to the front of her apartment building.
“Get a good rest tonight. If there’s news tomorrow, I’ll take you there,” Xie Lin said.
Ruan Xingyao nodded, then suddenly thought of something. “I might have something to do tomorrow. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
Xie Lin gave a short reply and watched her lead Baiyi upstairs.
The next morning.
It was only a little after nine when Ruan Xingyao’s phone started ringing.
Still half-asleep, she answered the call.
“Miss Ruan, I hope I’m not disturbing you at this hour?”
It took Ruan Xingyao a moment to remember who the caller was.
“Mr. Wen, you’re calling this early—what’s the matter?” she asked.
Wen Song replied, “We agreed to sign the contract today. Miss Ruan hasn’t forgotten, has she?”
Ruan Xingyao yawned and glanced at the time. “Mr. Wen, you sure are up early.”
She had only gotten back at three in the morning last night, and after washing up, had only slept for a few hours before being woken.
How could she be in a good mood?
Wen Song said, “I just got off the plane. Where would be convenient for you? Let’s meet and talk in detail.”
After thinking for a moment, Ruan Xingyao replied, “There’s a café next to the Ningcheng Police Bureau. Let’s meet there.”
Just after signing the contract, she could go ask Xie Lin if the little black snake had been found.
Wen Song didn’t know any of this.
After hearing the address Ruan Xingyao gave, he paused for a moment.
This young lady was truly cautious — clearly worried he might be some kind of bad guy.
Still, that was fine.
It would save a lot of unnecessary trouble.
An hour later, Ruan Xingyao arrived at the café.
Wen Song and a young man were already there.
The moment she stepped into the café, Wen Song recognized her.
The young lady was even more beautiful than she appeared on the livestream.
Her pair of clear, bright eyes swept around the café, searching.
That lively, exquisite demeanor truly made it hard to look away.
Wen Song stood up and walked toward her. “Miss Ruan, hello, I’m Wen Song. This is my assistant, Qi Nai.”
Ruan Xingyao greeted them politely.
No one would have guessed that this same young lady, over the phone, dared to talk back to anyone and drive a hard bargain without hesitation.
Qi Nai handed the contract to her. “Miss Ruan, please check if there’s anything wrong with the contract.”
Ruan Xingyao skimmed through it quickly.
Thanks to the original owner’s memories, she could easily spot the big and small traps hidden in such agreements.
“No major issues — just this contract term. I’d like it to be a bit shorter,” she said.
Wen Song had no objection.
Before coming to Ning City, they had already discussed and prepared for this possibility.
Seeing Wen Song agree so readily, Ruan Xingyao just as straightforwardly picked up the pen.
However, before signing her name, she added, “My livestreams may often have sudden events, so my streaming schedule won’t be fixed. Is that acceptable to you?”
Wen Song replied, “No problem, Miss Ruan. We’re already aware of this. The contract was drafted after weighing everything carefully. We fully understand your situation.”
With no further concerns, Ruan Xingyao signed her name decisively, then stood up and left first.
After watching her leave, Qi Nai organized the contract while asking, “President Wen, is Ruan Xingyao really worth the effort we put in to sign her?”
Wen Song glanced at him. “A completely unique niche across the entire internet, plus official endorsement — what do you think?”
Contract in hand, Ruan Xingyao walked into the police station.
As soon as she entered, she saw Wei Chuan with messy hair.
The moment he saw her, an awkward look crossed his face.
Scratching his head, Wei Chuan walked over and stopped in front of her.
“Sorry,” he said.
Ruan Xingyao froze for a moment, then thought about it and realized why he was apologizing.
She lifted her chin and said, “I heard from Captain Xie that he punished you by making you take care of the little mice. In that case, fine — I’ll be magnanimous and won’t hold it against you.”
With that, she turned and headed straight inside without looking back.
Just then, Zhou Zelu came out holding some documents.
Seeing her looking bright and refreshed, he said enviously, “Expert Ruan, you’re looking radiant—really makes people jealous.”
Ruan Xingyao deliberately flipped her hair and said, “Then Officer Zhou, you’d better work harder.”
Zhou Zelu: “You really are trying to drive us workhorses to death.”
Ruan Xingyao dashed to the door of Xie Lin’s office, knocked, and vaguely heard a voice responding from inside.
She pressed down on the handle and pushed the door open.
The next second, she froze at the doorway, the contract in her hand falling to the floor with a thud.
It really wasn’t her fault for being so uncomposed—Xie Lin’s male charm at that moment was simply too much.
He was in the middle of changing clothes.
Hearing the sound, he happened to turn around, his hands paused halfway through buttoning his shirt, revealing his honey-toned chest.
Sunlight streamed in from the window, spilling over his strong, sculpted muscles, making it impossible for Ruan Xingyao to look away.
Xie Lin continued buttoning his shirt as he walked toward the doorway.
By the time he stopped in front of her, the top button had just been fastened.
“Had a good look?” Xie Lin bent down, picked up her contract, and handed it back to her.
Taking it, Ruan Xingyao raised her chin in mock pride and said, “Not enough. Will you let me see more?”
Xie Lin clicked his tongue. “Keep dreaming!”
Ruan Xingyao muttered, “Well, I’m good-looking too!”
He let out a low chuckle, turned, and picked up a document from his desk, handing it to her.
“This just came in. There’s an abandoned circus out in the western suburbs—we can go take a look there first.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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