Chapter 21: Junior Needs to Be Coaxed

21

Cheng Fei pondered for a moment, then looked at everyone and said, “Let’s proceed as originally assigned. Hui, you have someone keep close watch on Su Qixing—he’s a key suspect. Xiao Peng, Wenxuan, you two investigate Sheng Mingyi’s father, Sheng Tianming, and look into the financial situation at Shengmao Company.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

Everyone responded in unison.

Fang Wenxuan stood up and went to the break room to pour himself a cup of coffee, hoping to clear his head. Lin Hui, seeing he still had some time, watched Fang Wenxuan enter the break room and followed him in.

“Hey, feeling defeated so soon?” Lin Hui asked, noticing Fang Wenxuan’s somber expression.

Fang Wenxuan looked up at Lin Hui, thinking he was about to hear yet another lecture about unrealistic ideas—something he’d grown tired of. He wasn’t in the mood to listen, needing instead to analyze things thoroughly. So, he didn’t bother replying, simply took his cup and turned to leave.

“Hey, don’t rush off—let’s talk,” Lin Hui hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“Senior, I have things to do. Besides, we’re not on the same team anymore, so there’s nothing to discuss. I’ll get back to work,” Fang Wenxuan said, trying to pry Lin Hui’s hand off his arm.

Feeling Fang Wenxuan tugging at his hand, Lin Hui experienced a strange sensation throughout his body and cursed inwardly, “Damn, why does this young officer’s hand feel so comfortable?”

“But we’re working on the same case. There’s nothing wrong with exchanging ideas, right? Sharing thoughts might help us crack the case.” Sensing Fang Wenxuan pulling harder, Lin Hui quickly added.

Fang Wenxuan hesitated, then looked at Lin Hui. “You tell me what you think first.”

Lin Hui smiled. It seemed this young officer had been discouraged enough—not daring to voice his ideas anymore.

“Actually, I agree with your theory. It makes sense. The two victims, though killed in different ways, of different ages, and at different times, still had things in common. As you said, both died in a way most cruel to themselves, and both knew Su Qixing. So, even though we’re not on the same team, why don’t we work late together tonight? Let’s dig into Su Qixing’s past, and his wife’s as well. None of our investigators have met his wife yet.” Lin Hui looked at Fang Wenxuan, satisfied to see a spark light in his eyes.

Fang Wenxuan gazed at Lin Hui in disbelief; he hadn’t expected that, when no one else supported his ideas, Lin Hui would not only agree but also be willing to investigate with him after hours.

“Senior, you really believe me? You’d stay late with me to investigate?” Fang Wenxuan asked tentatively.

“Of course. When I say something, I mean it,” Lin Hui replied earnestly.

“Alright, it’s a deal then. See you tonight, Senior!” Fang Wenxuan said, his eyes bright with joy.

Lin Hui was momentarily dazed by Fang Wenxuan’s radiant smile. Damn, he’d seen his fair share of beautiful women, but never one who smiled so genuinely, so sweetly—it was enough to melt him.

Indeed, this junior of his deserved to be cherished, guided, coaxed gently. He’d been too strict before, and the boy had always kept his distance, his face stiff and unsmiling.

“Mm, see you tonight. Do your best—I have high hopes for you,” Lin Hui said cheerfully, reaching out to pat Fang Wenxuan’s shoulder in encouragement. But noticing his soft hair, he couldn’t resist ruffling it gently. The sensation was remarkable—his hair was so soft.

Fang Wenxuan looked a little uncomfortable as Lin Hui ruffled his hair; he imagined all the sweat from Lin Hui’s palm soaking into it.

Lin Hui watched Fang Wenxuan’s expression and recognized the telltale sign of his compulsive cleanliness—clearly, he found it distasteful.

“Junior, you really need to work on that cleanliness obsession of yours. As detectives, we deal with all sorts of grime, you know?” Lin Hui chided as he reached out to pinch Fang Wenxuan’s cheek. The touch surprised him—the boy’s skin was incredibly soft, so smooth he didn’t want to let go. Well, he was only twenty-two after all—of course his skin was still flawless.

Fang Wenxuan frowned, displeased by being touched like that. He could smell the faint odor of sweat, but recalling Lin Hui’s words, he knew he really did need to change. His senior was finally willing to work closely with him; he couldn’t let his quirks get in the way. So he endured Lin Hui’s touch, letting him ruffle his cheek as he pleased.

Lin Hui was reluctant to pull his hand away, but there was still work to do, and it would look odd if he lingered.

“I’ll get back to work,” Lin Hui said, finally letting go and leaving the break room.

Fang Wenxuan also walked out, this time with a clear smile at the corner of his lips, no longer as downcast as before.

All day, Fang Wenxuan looked forward to the end of his shift. He’d spent the day investigating Shengmao Machinery, but found nothing out of the ordinary. So he was eager to discuss the case with Lin Hui that evening.

At five-thirty, Lin Hui returned from outside.

Cheng Fei emerged from his office and addressed everyone. “Let’s hear what you’ve learned today.”

“We followed Su Qixing all day, but found nothing. He didn’t go to work—visited Luo Xi’s parents’ house in the morning, stayed until noon, then went straight home and didn’t leave all afternoon,” Lin Hui reported first.

“Wenxuan, Xiao Peng, what about your end?” Cheng Fei looked at Fang Wenxuan and He Xiaopeng.

“Captain, we checked Shengmao’s finances—nothing unusual. Everything seems normal,” He Xiaopeng replied.

“I looked into Sheng Tianming’s personal relationships. His subordinates and partners speak very highly of him—he’s known for being gentle, tolerant with his staff, and friendly with his business associates,” Fang Wenxuan added.

After listening to the reports, Cheng Fei frowned deeply. “It seems this perpetrator isn’t acting at random. There’s planning, preparation—even experience. He left no trace at the scene. We’ll have to be even more diligent and meticulous. Hui, keep monitoring Su Qixing. Wenxuan, Xiao Peng, tomorrow you’ll look into Sheng Mingyi and Luo Xi’s social circles.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright, everyone, go home and rest. Get some sleep and come back refreshed,” Cheng Fei said.

Once Cheng Fei left, the others gradually dispersed.

“Wenxuan, aren’t you heading home? You were up all night yesterday,” He Xiaopeng asked Fang Wenxuan, who was still sitting at his desk, poring over files.

“You go ahead—I’ll wait a bit,” Fang Wenxuan replied with a smile.

Sitting across from him, Lin Hui smirked quietly—it seemed his young junior hadn’t forgotten their agreement.

When the office was empty, Lin Hui asked, “Hungry? Want to eat something before we get to work?”

Fang Wenxuan nodded and stood up. “Senior, should I go buy something?”

Lin Hui also stood and looked at him. “Sit down. Tell me what you want—I’ll go.”

Fang Wenxuan grinned. “You’re the senior, I’m the junior—I should be the one buying food for you. Besides, I still have so much to learn from you.”

Lin Hui chuckled, truly pleased—this was the first time Fang Wenxuan had been so polite to him, actually treating him as a senior. “I said I’ll go, so I’ll go. You barely slept last night and worked in the field all day—aren’t you tired?”

“A bit, but I still feel energetic,” Fang Wenxuan replied.

“So, what do you want to eat?” Lin Hui pressed.

“Spicy hotpot,” Fang Wenxuan said.

“Didn’t expect you to like spicy food!” Lin Hui laughed. “Alright, I’ll go get it. Be good and wait here for me.”

With that, Lin Hui hurried out.

About twenty minutes later, Lin Hui returned to the office carrying two boxes of spicy hotpot.

“That smells amazing,” Fang Wenxuan said, looking up from his files as Lin Hui walked in.

“Come eat over here.” Lin Hui placed the boxes on the table in the adjoining meeting room.

Fang Wenxuan joined him, and Lin Hui opened the boxes, handed him a pair of chopsticks, and a bottle of milk.

“Why not soda? Spicy hotpot goes best with a cold soda,” Fang Wenxuan said with a frown, looking at the milk.

“You should drink milk to help digest this kind of food, not soda. Hurry up and eat—we’ll finish with a banana for digestion,” Lin Hui replied.

“Senior, you always seem so rough and casual—I didn’t expect you to be so particular about food,” Fang Wenxuan said, amused by Lin Hui’s seriousness.

“You can’t eat too much of this stuff. I rarely eat it myself—it’s bad for the stomach. I’m just eating with you. And by the way, throw out those snacks in your drawer—chips and the like are just junk food,” Lin Hui said.

“What’s it to you what I eat?” Fang Wenxuan grumbled, then lowered his head to eat.

“Hey, I’m only looking out for you. As a detective, you need to maintain good physical condition, and that starts with a healthy diet. Too much junk food will affect your fitness, and your brainpower too. If you get dumber, how will you do this job?” Lin Hui said, seeing Fang Wenxuan had no intention of listening to him.

Fang Wenxuan grew annoyed, wiped his mouth, and looked at Lin Hui. “Senior, how come I never realized how nagging you are? If you keep this up, I’ll just go home on time tomorrow. I’m not staying late to listen to you lecture me about my private life.”

Lin Hui was stunned, and tempted to smack this ungrateful junior, but restrained himself—he was still young, after all, and disliked nagging. So he relented, “Alright, alright, if you throw out that junk, I’ll bring you something better tomorrow.”