Chapter 23

No matter how well the proposal ceremony is prepared, it's all for naught if the person involved isn't there. Ding Huihui is away in Europe and hasn't returned yet, and Inspector Zhan's most pressing task is to capture Du Tianyu. Therefore, after everything that needed to be ordered was completed, the dutiful Inspector Zhan temporarily postponed his own marriage until after catching the thief.

As if by divine intervention, just when the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) was at its wits' end after searching for the criminal for many days, they discovered a male corpse on the beach that was clearly murdered and abandoned. Upon examination, it was confirmed that the body was that of one of the robbers who had robbed the jewelry exhibition with Du Tianyu that day.

Zhuang Zhuohua remembered that when they fled that day, one of the thugs was shot during their pursuit. It seemed that Du Tianyu and his gang, fearing the height of the investigation, dared not seek medical help, so they simply killed their wounded accomplice without hesitation. Seeing the knife wound on the corpse's neck, similar to Luo Yongfu's, the group became even more certain of the connection between the police killing and the kingpin, and thus they were all determined to find the killer as quickly as possible.

Once the identities of the robbers were confirmed, and considering the circumstances of the body disposal site, the deduction became much easier. With the full cooperation of all departments, Du Tianyu's whereabouts were quickly discovered. It can only be said that the king of thieves truly lived up to his name; ruthless enough to kill his subordinate, he could still hide at someone's grandmother's house without batting an eye. As soon as Zhuang Zhuohua confirmed the location of the robbers, she immediately requested support from the Flying Tigers, striving to bring them to justice without fail.

In the movie theater, Zhuang Zhuoyuan abruptly left halfway through their date, leading Iris to guess that the whereabouts of the master thief had been discovered. With that, she couldn't bear to watch the rest of the movie. She returned home and waited anxiously, finally receiving a message from her boyfriend confirming his safety and that his mission was complete.

However, Zhuang Sir did not return home early. When asked about it later, he learned that it was because someone was being stubborn, which led Zhan Sir to give a long speech at the post-incident debriefing meeting. He advised the newcomers not to be impatient for quick success or short-sighted gains, but to stick to their posts and never cause trouble for their teammates or put them in danger.

Iris knew exactly who this person was without Zhuang Zhuoyuan needing to say it. Even including the two new members from Team B, of the four, only Yu Xueli could be considered reckless and impulsive. Only he would rush forward to finish off a teammate who had missed; and only he possessed the skill to quickly navigate various alleyways to pursue the enemy and successfully rescue the hostage. As for the one who dared not fire, who else could it be but Qiu Junxuan?

“Ah Xuan really…” Zhuang Zhuoyuan couldn’t help but shake his head when he mentioned him. Although it was inevitable for new team members to mess up during their first few missions, Zhuang Zhuoyuan had never seen anyone make such a big mistake before. Considering his status as the “son of a military family,” Zhuang Zhuoyuan suddenly felt that Daegu Sir’s polite “please take good care of me” must have weighed a ton on his shoulders.

“Relax,” Iris patted her boyfriend’s shoulder. “Take it slow. Ah Xuan is a good prospect. Once he gains confidence, things will fall into place naturally.”

Zhuang Zhuoyuan stared into her eyes and smiled: "Why do you talk as if you were there?"

Iris's eyes darted around: "Don't you think I understand Ah Xuan?"

She really wanted to see her boyfriend get jealous, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan cleverly replied, "I think you understand everyone."

A writer who can effortlessly portray various characters certainly possesses keen observation skills in real life. Iris couldn't deny it, and her darling boyfriend circled around to his side again, casually handing him the vegetables he had prepared, while fixing his large eyes on him intently. Seeing her like this, Zhuang Zhuoyuan naturally guessed that some whimsical idea was popping into her head again. Having lived together for so long, he could guess her intentions even without saying a word, so he simply put on an attentive listening posture.

Iris, unusually coy, gestured as she spoke: "Actually, what I was trying to say was, when everyone is in pairs, could we, perhaps, act as matchmakers?"

Finally, after waiting for her to speak for several days, Zhuang Zhuoyuan chuckled and playfully pinched his girlfriend's chin, asking, "Whose connection are you making? Chloe and the display pieces?" Apart from the two young people, he couldn't think of any other couple in Iris's circle of friends who desperately needed her help.

Iris shook her head hastily, half-disdainful of Zhuang Zhuoyuan's outdated information as a former CIB member: "They've been together for a long time!"

This was truly unexpected, Zhuang Zhuoyuan thought, even Yin Jincheng probably didn't know about this. A rich young lady and a young gangster from band 3—he guessed the Yin family probably wouldn't approve of their relationship. Sure enough, when pressed for details, Iris made a big X on her lips with her finger to seal her secret. If she wanted to keep it a secret, he really couldn't pry it out. So he could only ask something else: "Could it be A-Tao and Huihui? Do you want to help them get married quickly?"

She's nothing like him. Iris continued to shake her head. Three strikes and it's over; if it happens again, Zhuang Sir will fall out of the top three of the list of people who know her best. But then she thought, this was unpredictable, and she couldn't entirely blame Zhuang Zhuoyuan. So, after considering for three seconds, Iris, feeling incredibly considerate, decided to be direct: "What do you think about pairing Ah Ben and my sister together?"

"What did you say?" Fortunately, before he could speak, Miss Zhou had already placed the dangerous cleaver on the board, preventing Zhuang Zhuoyuan from cutting his finger. However, the latter was still shocked and asked Iris again to confirm: "Which Ben are you referring to?"

Who else could it be? Iris winked, and Chong Cheuk-yuen found it even more unbelievable. Chong Cheuk-wah and Fong Wing-bin had been partners for so many years, and he had never considered linking the two together. Yes, without a doubt, within the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB), Ben was undoubtedly Chong Cheuk-wah's best subordinate and most compatible partner, but in their private lives, probably no one had ever considered that sparks of love might fly between them: "BB, are you serious?"

"Of course!" As if Zhuang Zhuoyuan's reaction was within her expectations, Iris's gossipy expression was tinged with a hint of smugness, "Zhuang Zhuoyuan, haven't you noticed that our Fang Sir actually has a secret crush on my older sister? He cares about her far more than anyone else. In some ways, even you, his own brother, might not do as well as him. Just like…emmm…ah! Like a knight! A knight who silently watches over you!"

No matter how much Iris described it, Zhuang Zhuoyuan still couldn't put the words "Ben," "crush," and "older sister" together. Even after finally accepting the fact, he couldn't imagine what it would be like for the two of them to be dating. It was as if, subconsciously, he had already decided that Fang Yongbin was not the best candidate to be his brother-in-law.

"Then who's the right person?" Iris protested. In terms of ability, financial resources, and appearance, Fang Yongbin was quite a catch. What's more, he and Zhuang Zhuohua were in the same department, so they wouldn't lack common topics. And if they encountered any sensitive matters that couldn't be known to outsiders, they could discuss them privately—it couldn't be better.

"Achoo!" Fang Yongbin suddenly sneezed in front of the printer. He rubbed his itchy nose, thinking it was because the air conditioning in the interrogation room was too cold. He didn't pay much attention to it, hurriedly grabbed the documents, bound them, and went into the room to hand them to Zhuang Zhuohua.

Madam Zhuang was ordering flowers from the florist—white chrysanthemums, clearly for Luo Yongfu. Since the bombing years ago, everyone said Madam Zhuang had become increasingly cool, but only Fang Yongbin, who had followed her for many years, knew that a tenderness still remained deep within her. Looking at this strong woman, both tough and gentle, whose face couldn't hide her fatigue after a long interrogation, yet whose eyes still shone brightly, Ben felt a pang in his heart. A slight smile played on his lips. After putting down the documents, he didn't sit down again, only saying a few necessary words before turning and leaving, as always, giving Zhuang Zhuohua ample time and space to rest.

At Haoyuan Garden, Zhan Hantao stood solemnly before Luo Yongfu's tombstone for a long time. The case was solved, the culprit arrested, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of comfort. But having known Fu for so many years, Zhan Hantao's indescribable emotions were filled with a lingering grief and regret, unlike others.

When Chong Cheuk-wa arrived at the scene and saw the figure standing alone in the wind, she sighed inwardly. After pausing for a couple of seconds, she took another step and slowly walked to the tombstone to lay flowers.

“Yao Meiling has agreed to become a witness for the prosecution and will testify against Du Tianyu for murder in court.” She stepped back a few steps until she was next to Zhan Hantao before speaking. Her words were addressed to both Luo Yongfu and Zhan Hantao: “Although we cannot make Yao Meiling receive the punishment she deserves, at least we can truly seek justice for Fuzai through Du Tianyu.”

On the cold stone tablet, Luo Yongfu smiled in the black and white photograph, his eyes filled with the clarity and vigor of youth. It was a pity that he could no longer see the future, making the numbers "1991-2011" on the tablet all the more glaring. Zhan Hantao couldn't bear to look anymore, but he also couldn't bear to turn his head away: "Fu-zai aspired to be a policeman since he was a child. I never thought that a promising young policeman would sacrifice himself on his first day of patrol."

As fellow police officers, Zhuang Zhuohua understood Zhan Hantao's feelings. She took out a notebook from her handbag. Zhan Hantao recognized it; it was the notebook Luo Yongfu always carried with him. Before Luo Yongfu graduated from school, he had signed it with the six words "Where there's a will, there's a way" to encourage future police officers. Zhuang Zhuohua handed the notebook to him: "We've already reviewed it, and this notebook isn't considered evidence in court, so I brought it back to you. A-Yuan told me you were here."

"Thank you." Zhan Hantao opened the cover, and the old words were still there. He was silent for a few seconds before finally responding to Zhuang Zhuohua's first words: "Nothing in this world is perfect. If you can do this and put Du Tianyu in prison, Fuzai can finally rest in peace."

"Iris and A-Yuan are going to visit Fu-zai's parents tomorrow. Are you going?"

"I was originally planning to go over tonight, but it's fine to go with you tomorrow."

"Iris said that once the case is closed, Luo's parents plan to go back to the mainland to live for a while."

"Yes, for them, leaving this place of sorrow for the time being might not be a bad choice. As for Fu-zai, he has so many seniors and us watching over him, he won't be alone."

White doves took flight, the sun sank in the west, and quietly accompanied Luo Yongfu for a while longer. In the afterglow, Zhan Hantao and Zhuang Zhuohua finally left together.

If there is an afterlife, or another world, Fu-zai will continue to strive for his ideals; if these are all illusions, then his legacy will be inherited by them. Though old, he remains vigorous, his heart unwavering; though poor, he remains steadfast, his lofty ambitions undiminished.