Subordinates naturally mirror their superiors. With a hot-tempered Vice Captain leading them, the members of the CID were naturally all quick and decisive in their actions.
Originally, Pan Xiaozhu said it would take an hour to report, but because Jiang Zhi and Wen Di returned to the detachment early, it only actually took forty minutes for Pan Xiaozhu to bring the two of them to the hotel front desk.
Of course, if Comrade Pan Xiaozhu wasn't incredibly directionally challenged, they probably would have arrived even faster.
Just as Shen Ting finished answering the front desk's call confirming the visitors' identities, his phone immediately rang again. —It was Lin Huo.
He glanced at the screen, then looked at Chen Cong, who was sitting properly in front of him.
Seeing Shen Ting staring at him without answering the phone, Chen Cong tactfully asked, "Should I excuse myself?"
Shen Ting shook his head, made a "shh" gesture, and lowered his eyes to think for a few seconds before answering the call.
And then, the serious and solemn Peach Wood suddenly vanished.
The Song Ci who answered the phone in front of Chen Cong sounded casual and lazy, exuding an air of frivolity even through the receiver: "President Lin, what's the occasion?"
Seeing him instantly act like a completely different person—a slight smirk hooking the corner of his lips, a loose, thuggish aura practically dripping from his eyes—Chen Cong, who was thoroughly impressed, couldn't help but sigh internally again: Our Captain Shen truly is a fucking badass!
"I've already sent the detailed information on the company's main operations and the core backbone personnel you need to familiarize yourself with to your email." Lin Huo did not like Song Ci's slouching, disrespectful "President Lin."
But if he could speak honestly and decently without being annoying, he wouldn't be Song Ci.
"Alright, I'll look at it when I have time. If I don't understand something, I'll ask you."
Lin Huo had originally wanted to arrange a meeting in the afternoon. He felt that if Song Ci was left alone to face that pile of dry, written information, this little bastard definitely wouldn't be able to grasp the key points.
If they met and chatted, he could thoroughly analyze the stakes and relationships for him and help him get his thoughts in order.
But before he could say this, he heard Song Ci speak in a slouching, mysteriously boastful tone: "Oh right, President Lin, I have some good news to report to you."
Did this little ancestor stir up some bizarre trouble again? Lin Huo couldn't help but think.
It wasn't that Lin Huo looked down on Song Ci, but from his perspective, Song Ci had never once brought "good news."
This brat, who relied on his wealth and looks to run amok everywhere, was the absolute embodiment of a troublemaker.
The moment he returned to the country and stepped off the plane, he managed to get himself escorted to the police station. It was so bad that people familiar with his temper immediately asked, "Oh, Brother Ci got locked up again? According to the law, how many years is he getting this time? It's not the death penalty, is it?"
This kind of divine being—whose life was an endless cycle of causing trouble, yet who still hadn't managed to rot in prison—was truly one of a kind. Even Lin Huo, who had navigated the underworld for years, only knew one Song Ci.
What kind of good news could someone like this possibly have?
Highly skeptical and incredibly vigilant, Lin Huo asked, "What news?"
Song Ci laughed: "I just met up in real life with a bro I met playing games online. Guess what he does for a living?"
"What does he do?"
Song Ci's deliberately mystifying laugh made Lin Huo uneasy. But this time, luckily, he guessed wrong.
When scholars are parted for three days, one must look at them with new eyes✦ translator's noteA famous idiom originating from the Records of the Three Kingdoms, meaning you shouldn't judge someone by how they were in the past because they can improve and change rapidly.. Song Ci, who had been away for six years, was indeed no longer the ignorant boy of the past.
"That bro is the Vice Captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Lu'an Sub-bureau in Jianghu City!"
Lin Huo frowned. Police?
The Song family started their empire in the entertainment industry. This was a highly mixed industry, filled with all sorts of people. Song Shi used to call some leaders within the system brothers and had good relationships with them.
Song Ci had just returned to the country. Building some local connections and interacting more with police officers working within the system wasn't a bad thing.
But an online friend met through video games turned out to be a Vice Captain? Lin Huo was a bit worried, terrified that the young Song Ci would be taken advantage of and deceived.
"What's his name? I'll have someone look into him to make sure he's not a scammer."
"His name is Chen Cong. Chen as in the surname, Cong as in clever. Go ahead and check, I don't think he's a scammer. This guy even showed me his police badge!"
Song Ci happily continued showing off: "You and my brother always used to look down on me for hanging out with Xu Kai and that crowd every day, thinking I was just playing around and wasting my life, only making shady friends. Now you have to admit I'm capable, right!"
"Mm. More friends mean more paths✦ translator's noteA common Chinese saying emphasizing the importance of networking and social connections in business and life.." While perfunctorily agreeing with him, Lin Huo put the phone on speaker, switched the screen to his messaging app, and sent Chen Cong's name to an acquaintance within the police system. He asked the person to check if there really was a Vice Captain named Chen Cong in the CID.
"Of course! I gotta say, I actually get along pretty well with this elite cop! We're having lunch together this afternoon, and he's going to introduce me to a few of his close colleagues! I originally wanted to host them tonight and take them to Tiandihui to open a private room and have some fun, but his awareness is pretty high. He said things are strict right now, and public officials frequenting high-end entertainment venues might look bad..."
While Song Ci was talking, Lin Huo received a reply.
[There is a guy like that in the CID, quite capable. He's probably going to be promoted soon...]
Lin Huo replied [Thanks, brother], then brought the phone back to his ear: "Mm, your social skills have always been strong; I'm not worried about that. Once you get to know them better, bring them around so I can meet them."
This wasn't entirely just polite flattery.
This little bastard Song Ci, who committed all sorts of evil, did have his strong points. His social maneuvering was just as outstanding as his looks.
Otherwise, he wouldn't always be surrounded by Xu Kai and that gang of like-minded friends.
"Sure, I'll introduce you guys when the time comes."
A doorbell rang on the other end. Song Ci probably had visitors, so he hurriedly said, "Hey, gotta go, a friend is here." With that, he swiftly hung up the phone.
The visitors were none other than Pan Xiaozhu, Wen Di, and Jiang Zhi.
Under Shen Ting's signal, Chen Cong had already opened the door and brought the three of them inside. By the time he led them into the reception room, Shen Ting had finished his call.
"Holding an operations meeting at Yuehuai... this is way too luxurious and exaggerated!" The straightforward Wen Di voiced the thoughts of the other two.
Walking at the back of the group, Pan Xiaozhu had already silently snapped several photos along the way. She secretly sent them via WeChat to her close friends who shared her passion for celebrity gossip.
After sending the message, Pan Xiaozhu quickly exited the chat interface. No one noticed she had momentarily slacked off.
Before everyone could even find a place to stand, Chen Cong smilingly introduced them to Shen Ting: "These are the three I mentioned to you: Jiang Zhi, Wen Di, and Pan Xiaozhu. Among them, Wen Di has the least seniority, but he's been at the sub-bureau for over three years. We've cracked hundreds of large and small cases together. All three are highly capable young people!"
Self-proclaimed "Detachment Heartthrob" Wen Di smiled happily, enjoying the rare praise from his superior. But before he could revel in it for long... the moment Shen Ting put away his phone and turned his face around, he felt the devastating, dimensional-crushing blow of a true handsome man!
Always feeling very good about himself, he profoundly realized that his position as the "Detachment Heartthrob" was probably completely gone!
Wen Di thought to himself: With a face like this as capital, why not just go latch onto a rich sugar mommy! Why did he have to be so foolish and become a police officer!
Just as he was thinking this, Chen Cong suddenly called his name.
"Let's start the introductions with the youngest! Wen Di—"
Wen Di immediately put on a serious expression: "Hi Captain, I am the youngest, Wen Di!" He was the type who easily grew familiar with strangers, delivering an incredibly detailed self-introduction. The only thing he left out was his favorite flavor of spicy strips✦ translator's noteA highly popular, cheap Chinese snack made of wheat flour and chili oil. Mentioning it shows how casually and intimately Wen Di was introducing himself..
Standing next to him, Jiang Zhi, although quite open around acquaintances, was completely different from the "simple-minded" Wen Di. He was relatively slow to warm up and highly meticulous.
The Captain before him was far younger than he had imagined. Whether he could command the team's respect remained to be seen.
After finishing his introduction, Wen Di nudged the adjacent Jiang Zhi with his elbow, giving him an "it's your turn" look.
Jiang Zhi pushed up his glasses and spoke, treating his words like gold: "I am Jiang Zhi. Hello, Captain."
Wen Di, who had just delivered a long-winded speech, immediately felt Jiang Zhi's introduction was too brief and enthusiastically supplemented it: "This guy is slow to warm up, Captain, please don't mind him. His hometown is in the Sichuan-Chongqing area. He's our detachment's academic overachiever! Back during the college entrance exams, he scored high in every subject except math. If he hadn't failed math, this guy was absolutely Tsinghua or Peking University material!"
The fact that "academic overachiever" Jiang Zhi was terrible at math was no secret in the detachment. Although he looked gentle and refined, there are no weak soldiers under a strong general✦ translator's noteA Chinese idiom meaning an excellent leader will produce excellent subordinates.. This seemingly introverted Jiang Zhi was not someone to be trifled with.
Having grown up in Sichuan-Chongqing, he had a heavily accented catchphrase: "Don't push me! If you push me too far, I'm capable of anything!"
Usually, whenever this golden phrase dropped, his colleagues knew this lord was furious and shouldn't be disturbed.
Only his death-defying "golden partner," Wen Di, would always quietly add from behind: "Capable of anything? Probably not a math problem..."
This single sentence was enough to render the "academic overachiever" Jiang Zhi entirely speechless.
Having been roasted so many times, Jiang Zhi eventually learned his lesson. His dedicated threat-phrase was upgraded to: "Don't push me! If you push me too far, except for math problems, I'm capable of anything!"
With one having a loose mouth and the other a sharp tongue, the two were a widely renowned, officially certified comedic duo within the Municipal Bureau!
Despite Jiang Zhi repeatedly shooting him "keep a low profile" looks, the highly excited Wen Di completely ignored him, happily airing all his partner's dirty laundry.
Jiang Zhi's eyes hurt from winking so much. Seeing that the other party was still chattering away endlessly, and unable to slap him in public, he could only smile speechlessly.
Only after Wen Di finished his stand-up comedy-style introduction did Pan Xiaozhu, who had been standing quietly to the side, take a small step forward.
Girls possess a natural radar for good-looking guys.
The moment she walked in the door, she realized that the Captain leading this "national-level" mission wasn't some bald middle-aged uncle, but an incredibly handsome young man.
She adjusted her hair in a ladylike manner, finally finding the idol baggage✦ translator's noteInternet slang referring to someone acting overly conscious of their image or trying too hard to look perfect, like an idol. expected of a "Police Flower": "Hello, Captain. I am Pan Xiaozhu. Please take care of me." That sparkling, slightly shy look in her eyes was a limited edition reserved exclusively for handsome men!
Watching them take turns introducing themselves to Shen Ting, Chen Cong felt like a parent watching their children perform talents in public.
Two clowns and one boy-crazy fan... what a family tragedy...
Shen Ting hadn't casually chatted with peers of his age in a long time.
Looking at the three new colleagues with vastly different but highly interesting personalities, he felt he had gained a bit more vitality himself.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Shen Ting."
Shen... Shen Ting?!
Hearing this name, Jiang Zhi, who had just been internally questioning the Captain's leadership abilities, instantly got bright-eyed.
The blunt and straightforward Wen Di hurriedly asked, "Which Shen and which Ting?"
He thought to himself: It couldn't possibly be the Shen Ting I'm thinking of, right?!
"Shen as in Shen Congwen, Ting as in listening with ears."
"Ears!!" Catching the keyword, Pan Xiaozhu shrieked in shock and awe. Her ladylike image couldn't even be maintained for half a minute before her true colors were exposed.
"You wouldn't happen to be 'Ears' from Yanjing Public Security University, would you?!"
Within the public security system, there might be many people named Shen Ting, but there was only one who had the nickname "Ears" and graduated from Yanjing Public Security University!
In the minds of police academy students, "Ears" from Yanjing Public Security was a legendary figure.
During his four years at the academy, he single-handedly swept first place in every single subject for his grade. It was also said he was remarkably handsome.
But the "handsome appearance" part had always been just a legend. Because if you looked through Shen Ting's files, you would find that he hadn't left behind a single photographic or video record during his time at the academy; he didn't even appear in his graduating class's group photo.
Yet this didn't stop "Ears" from becoming a "police legend"; instead, it only added a layer of mystery to the tale.
It was said that he earned his first merit citation when he was only twenty-three. That day, he went to Xicheng as a municipal representative to attend a learning exchange conference with outstanding cybersecurity and technical investigation talents selected from dozens of provinces and cities.
At noon that day, Shen Ting went to eat lunch near the financial street. After finishing his meal, he encountered a "lone wolf operation."
A "lone wolf operation" refers to an extreme act of violence—typically a suicide bombing—carried out independently by a single terrorist without any organizational support.
That deranged thug held a firearm and fired three consecutive shots in the crowded financial street. Fortunately, all three shots missed, and no one was injured.
Upon noticing the riot, the unarmed Shen Ting only took half a minute to subdue the thug who had caused the chaos.
Later, the police discovered that the man had fifteen kilograms of TNT strapped to his body. If that amount of TNT had detonated in the city center, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
And "Ears" Shen Ting, who had easily strangled this riot in its cradle, only took thirty seconds to earn the first First-Class Merit of his life.
Not many years after graduating, at the age of twenty-seven, he was exceptionally promoted to First-Class Police Inspector by the Ministry of Public Security due to his outstanding contributions in multiple major missions.
This divine being nicknamed "Ears" had received more commendations and honors than all the active personnel in certain detachments combined!
Under everyone's awestruck gaze, Shen Ting nodded slightly: "I graduated from Yanjing Public Security."
Over the past few years, he had held many mission codenames—"Joker," "Peach Wood"—but none felt as intimate as "Ears."
This nickname was given to him by a foul-mouthed roommate while studying at Yanjing Public Security. Later, without him even realizing it, the whole school knew it.
Even after he graduated, the nickname was rarely mentioned to his face again.
But in the casual chatter of many police officers, "Ears" from Yanjing Public Security remained a proper noun used specifically to refer to Shen Ting.
This young man standing before them—looking pampered and privileged, like some rich second-generation heir of the elite class—was actually Shen Ting?!
Jiang Zhi felt he really needed to correct his bad habit of judging books by their covers.
My Captain is the legendary, dazzlingly handsome First-Class Police Inspector Shen Ting!!!
Pan Xiaozhu's heart was boiling over!!!
As the police flower who was best at gossiping with outsiders in the police system, Pan Xiaozhu had once thoroughly explained to her friends outside the system exactly what level it was to become a First-Class Police Inspector at twenty-seven.
Excluding the old veterans who just loafed around waiting for retirement, an ordinarily outstanding police officer would have to work for at least twenty-four years to be promoted to this rank.
This meant that Shen Ting, who was a First-Class Police Inspector at twenty-seven, had climbed through ranks in four years that took others twenty-four years to achieve, earning merits N times over that others couldn't even earn once in their entire lives.
There should be two updates today! ~Another wave is coming at 3:00 PM! See you in the comments section, cuties!~
Title: In reality, reaching this rank usually takes 15–20 years of service. Most officers at age 27 are still Second or Third-Class Inspectors (警司). A 27-year-old reaching this rank is virtually impossible without extraordinary merit. Thus, questioning how high his rank is than usual.
When scholars are parted for three days, one must look at them with new eyes (士别三日当刮目相待): A famous idiom originating from the Records of the Three Kingdoms, meaning you shouldn't judge someone by how they were in the past because they can improve and change rapidly.
More friends mean more paths (多个朋友多条路): A common Chinese saying emphasizing the importance of networking and social connections in business and life.
Idol baggage (偶像包袱): Internet slang referring to someone acting overly conscious of their image or trying too hard to look perfect, like an idol.
There are no weak soldiers under a strong general (强将麾下无弱兵): A Chinese idiom meaning an excellent leader will produce excellent subordinates.
Spicy strips (辣条 - Latiao): A highly popular, cheap Chinese snack made of wheat flour and chili oil. Mentioning it shows how casually and intimately Wen Di was introducing himself.