Chapter 141 Wang Yu led He Zhao into the conference hall, but Qiao Yanyu was not there. Instead, Wang Yu went straight...
Wang Yu led He Zhao into the conference hall, but Qiao Yanyu wasn't there. Instead, Wang Yu sat down next to He Zhao and muttered to her, "Boss, it's not that Senior Qiao isn't coming right now and insists I stay with you. I don't want to be a third wheel in your love story. It's just that Senior Qiao can't get away right now."
"Did something happen at the station?" He Zhao asked.
This isn't hard to guess; otherwise, Xiao Hei wouldn't have gone from a puppy to a big dog and been patrolling the hall like a territorial animal. Something must have happened for them to have Xiao Hei, who had been brought over through the back door, to be there.
Wang Yu didn't hide anything from He Zhao and nodded directly: "Yes, because the special investigation team sent from above just happened to come to our area, the director wanted to show off the competence of our bureau, so he released Xiao Hei directly. He also called over our bureau's VIP—Senior Qiao, who is currently having a meeting with the special investigation team."
"Is this similar to the last investigation into Hua Hua? Is this an investigation into the Tonghuan Club?"
"Boss, you're really smart."
Wang Yu made a couple of compliments, but her gaze remained fixed on the takeout bag. She stared at the bag, while He Zhao stared at the conference room door. After a long while, He Zhao grew impatient. Only then did Wang Yu remember Qiao Yanyu's instructions. The aroma emanating from the takeout bag was simply too tempting, which was why Wang Yu had forgotten her senior's instructions.
"By the way, Senior Qiao said it will be over around 5:30, and the investigation team needs to eat too. I bet the director will try to get Senior Qiao to come along, but Senior Qiao definitely won't want to, and will definitely come." She changed the subject, still focusing on the lunchbox He Zhao brought today: "There's so much here, is there one for Li Xia?"
While judging the weight by looking at the bag alone might lead to a misjudgment, Wang Yu had personally carried it and naturally knew its weight. This lunchbox alone was enough for at least three people. He Zhao nodded; having a definite timeframe, she became more patient.
"Li Xia is unlucky and won't get to eat. Since Senior Qiao isn't going, there will still be people to accompany him to dinner, and Li Xia's name will definitely be on the list."
He Zhao sighed, "Your Countermeasures Bureau, you're doing all this fancy stuff too?"
"Because we don't have a canteen here, we just give them meal allowances, so they're going to eat out anyway. Plus, it's their first time here, so we're the hosts, and we have to treat them to a meal. There's no way around it, investigators are human too. I'll tell you a secret, especially the older ones, they love playing these bureaucratic games."
Although Wang Yu said "secretly," her voice was quite loud. She didn't like this kind of thing either, and tried to avoid it when she went on business trips, but there was no way around it. Wherever there are people, there is a social dynamic, and social interaction is an essential part of adulthood, so you're bound to get involved in it to some extent.
People as pure and daring as Qiao Yanyu are ultimately a minority. However, most investigators are too eccentric; those sent out are at least reasonably normal in character, or at least capable of communication. Especially for tasks requiring collaboration, the director had no choice but to send Qiao Yanyu out.
Even Wang Yu is on the list, which shows that the bureau chief really doesn't have many cards to play.
Although Wang Yu is not very reliable, at least he can speak like a human being and can be communicated with.
Wang Yu joked with He Zhao about what happened with Xiao Hei earlier: "Boss, you really confused Xiao Hei just now. You smelled a lot like Senior Qiao and me... Ah, of course, Senior Qiao's smell must be especially strong." She muttered to herself, "After all, you two must kiss every day," and was glared at by He Zhao, who overheard her.
"But the ghostly smell on you is also very strong, which makes Xiao Hei a bit dumbfounded. It doesn't know what's going on with you. You smell like an ordinary person, but the ghostly smell is so strong, so it keeps hesitating between letting you in and not letting you in. If it were someone else, without any identification, and with such a strong ghostly smell, Xiao Hei would probably have attacked."
"...Then I really thank you, Xiao Hei."
Wang Yu is a chatterbox, but talking to her really makes time fly by. Before we knew it, it was 5:30, and footsteps could be heard outside. Not long after, the door opened, and He Zhaoyang greeted her with a smile, "Sister Qiao," before abruptly stopping.
Because—there was someone else following behind Qiao Yanyu.
She's quite a unique person. As an investigator, a civil servant-like profession, her attire is unusually extravagant. Her long, straight black hair is draped over her shoulders, and she's wearing a black gauze dress and a black long-sleeved shirt despite the weather not being fully warm yet. Most strikingly, she has many piercings in her face.
She had a ring near her brow bone, two on her nose, two on her lips, and her ears were quite exaggerated. He Zhao didn't really have a problem with this kind of outfit. After all, she used to hang out with her friends, and the lead singer of a heavy metal band there also dressed very extravagantly, in addition to the rings. Hers was considered relatively mild.
The only problem is that her eyes are really annoying.
Her gaze wasn't offensive, nor was it the kind that scrutinizes or looks down on others; rather, it was lifeless. Truly lifeless, giving the impression of someone blind, with eyes that lacked focus, seemingly unaware of where they were looking.
If she were truly blind, no one would find her repulsive. It's just that when her eyes move, there's a certain quality to them that doesn't seem like that of a blind person. Her eyes do move, and they do stare at a certain spot, but when she looks over, they seem like the eyes of a dead fish.
It's definitely not the kind of feeling that the living would like; it's the living's innate dislike and hatred for the dead.
But her eyes were a little different from a ghost's. He Zhao had seen ghosts before, quite a few times, and spent her days interacting with them. She knew exactly what a ghost's eyes should look like. This woman's aura—neither living nor dead—was just incredibly annoying.
And most importantly, when she looked over, He Zhao felt as if she had been completely seen through. It was as if her eyes could penetrate her clothes and see into the deepest, most essential part of her soul.
In short, I just hate it.
He Zhao subconsciously took two steps toward Qiao Yanyu, who immediately shielded him behind her. She looked up at the woman with long, straight black hair and dead fish eyes, and bluntly said, "Don't look at her like that, it's annoying."
Wow, this is Sister Qiao! She used the word "annoying" so directly.
The woman didn't react much, only shifting her gaze slightly to the side, no longer looking directly at He Zhao. This relieved He Zhao, who whispered, "Sister Qiao, that was scary." She didn't directly say "I'm so scared," but the subtle, manipulative undertones of her words were already subtly present.
Wang Yu was a rather oblivious person, so at this moment she didn't seem to notice anything amiss. She even greeted the guy with long, straight black hair and dead fish eyes: "Investigator Jiu Qing, come, come, please sit down. Why didn't you come to eat with us?"
The investigator named Jiuqing opened his mouth, his voice indifferent and devoid of any emotion, sounding more like a machine than the system itself: "I still have some things to say to Qiao Yanyu."
They chatted briefly, and when Wang Yu changed the subject, He Zhao pulled Qiao Yanyu to sit on the other side of the conference table, trying to stay away from Jiu Qing. She casually grabbed the takeout bag and took it with her. Wang Yu, who had been chatting with Jiu Qing, couldn't stand it and immediately followed her.
Jiuqing was confused, but since everyone had already gone over, it would be too strange for her to stand still, so she slowly followed. This left He Zhao, who had originally wanted to stay away from this guy, speechless for a moment. They had all come running over; what was the point of her stepping aside in the first place?
Having no other choice, He Zhao ignored Jiu Qing, opened the takeout bag, and took out the takeout boxes, placing them one by one in front of Qiao Yanyu. Wang Yu, on the other hand, didn't need He Zhao's service at all; she simply opened a package and took out the lunchboxes He Zhao had prepared.
Qiao Yanyu looked at Wang Yu for a while, clearly not satisfied with her eating the dishes He Zhao had prepared.
He Zhao explained, "I made a lot, and I figured you were all busy together, so I brought two extra portions. There was also one for Li Xia, but Wang Yu just said she went out to eat, so there was an extra one. I'll take this one back later."
Qiao Yanyu nodded, indicating she understood, and then opened the takeout box in front of her, revealing the dishes He Zhao had prepared. Wang Yu's keen nose had spotted one dish: spicy chicken. Qiao Yanyu also saw it immediately. She blinked and couldn't help but ask, "Did you just learn how to make it today?"
"Yes, Sister Qiao really likes this kind of spicy food. You should try it."
Qiao Yanyu liked it, but she also remembered that He Zhao didn't like it, and that she couldn't help but sneeze when she made spicy food, so she added, "There's no need to make it especially for me next time..."
"What are you saying, Sister Qiao? I cooked for you in the first place."
Qiao Yanyu smiled, a smile of pure happiness. Their interaction wasn't noticed by Wang Yu, who suddenly felt a little too full for the delicious food she was about to eat. These days, you have to eat dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection) before you can even have a meal, and it's the kind that makes you feel stuffed.
However, this was a couple she personally shipped, so the "dog food" (romantic scenes) was still enjoyable. Especially with an even tastier takeout box in front of her, Wang Yu was even happier. Unlike He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu, she didn't have any extra entertainment; her eyes were full of love for food. She opened the takeout box, and without even opening anything other than the spicy chicken, she reached out her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of spicy chicken.
The moment she put the spicy chicken in her mouth, an expression of pure enjoyment appeared on her face. Facial expressions don't lie; she genuinely loved He Zhao's cooking. Perhaps her expression was too obvious, because Jiu Qing across from her looked at her and couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that delicious?"
Even Jiu Qing's human-machine-like voice carried a hint of confusion, demonstrating just how infectious Wang Yu's expression was.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com