The two found a secluded corner, and Qin Xiuran spoke first, "I apologize for intruding today. It's truly inconvenient."
Coming after knowing it was inconvenient felt rather thoughtless.
"It's nothing. Mr. Qin, please speak your mind if you have something to say."
"Miss Yan, are you Jiang Chongyan's girlfriend?"
This was what he had found out, but considering the strangeness surrounding Jiang Chongyan, he wasn't entirely sure.
However, he had always believed in the principle of better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one go.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Does Miss Yan know his identity?"
Zhuo Lin knitted her brows, feigning confusion. "Identity? What aspect are you referring to, Mr. Qin?"
Qin Xiuran forced a smile, but the injuries on his face were too conspicuous. Pulling at them caused pain, making him look less imposing and more disheveled.
"Three years ago, there was a fall accident at this academy. The person who died in that accident was named Jiang Chongyan, the exact same name as your boyfriend. Have you never suspected anything, Miss Yan?"
Zhuo Lin's lips curled upwards, her smile deepening. "Are you here to remind me that the direct murderer who killed him is dead, but you who supported him and indirectly caused his death are still alive and well?"
Qin Xiuran's smile stiffened.
"Actually, I haven't forgotten. It's just that I've been busy accompanying him these past two days and haven't had the time. But since you're so eager to come looking for me, perhaps I should start with an appetizer?"
Qin Xiuran suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of crisis, instinctively wanting to flee, but his body moved before he could.
His throat was gripped tightly by something, and the woman before him had merely raised her hand, looking at him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"He hit you, didn't he? He's too kind. He didn't even go all out when teaching a beast a lesson before. It seems he didn't do much to you, but I will get it all back for him. The blood of one person could stain the stairs of three floors. Your Qin family has... seventy-nine people? Guess how many floors that can stain."
Qin Xiuran's face turned red with suffocation, his hands grasping at the nonexistent force in the air. The threat of death made him regret why he ever came to find this woman.
The Mu family had provided some information, like how formidable this woman was, but he thought no matter how formidable she was, she was just an ordinary person and couldn't possibly contend with him.
Yet, he hadn't even had a chance to make a move...
"What are you doing?"
Zhuo Lin released her grip, and Qin Xiuran fell directly to the ground. He collapsed, clutching his throat and gasping for air, looking even more disheveled than before.
Zhou Qingbie had noticed the two people acting strangely earlier and hurried over, only to witness this scene. She walked over to help Qin Xiuran up and looked at Zhuo Lin. The question she was about to ask died on her lips, replaced by an exclamation, "It's you?"
After that day, she hadn't been able to find anyone and thought she had seen wrong.
Zhuo Lin looked innocent. "Do I know you?"
Zhou Qingbie had previously attributed her mistaken impression to not finding the person. Now that she saw her, she was sure it was the same person from that day. Seeing her pretend not to recognize her, she knew this was a tough nut to crack.
But now was not the time for inquiries.
"I'm here to investigate a case. Do you two have any conflict?"
Qin Xiuran was still unable to speak. Zhuo Lin smiled and said, "We don't really have any conflict. He hit my boyfriend before, and now he's come to me to cause trouble. I couldn't help but teach him a lesson."
Standing up for her boyfriend seemed to be a reasonable excuse.
Zhou Qingbie didn't know what else to say. "If you have a conflict, you can explain it clearly. Don't resort to violence. Considering this... gentleman seems to be alright, I won't arrest you. If you encounter anything in the future, you can call the police. Don't handle it yourself."
She thought that with her words, Zhuo Lin, if smart, would quickly leave. Instead, Zhuo Lin turned her words back on her. "Are you telling the truth? If I encounter something, I can call the police? Then, Officer, will you handle the matter where the younger sister of the young master of the Mu family ran someone over with her car, and her family tried to make me a scapegoat?"
Zhou Qingbie froze.
After a while, she mumbled, "That matter is already being handled by specialized personnel. I'm not in charge of that area."
"Oh." Zhuo Lin scoffed twice. "I see. Officer, you're in charge of resolving verbal disputes, right?"
Zhou Qingbie was so choked up she couldn't speak.
As a woman from a prominent family, her family background was on par with the male lead's. She herself had benefited from her family's influence. At the same time, as a police officer, even one from a special affairs unit, she wanted to punish criminals across the land and bring peace and prosperity to the country.
But she couldn't.
Let alone the entire country, even in this city, there were many people she either couldn't afford to offend or didn't want to. In the end, she was just a hypocrite.
Thinking of this, Zhou Qingbie let go of the person she was half-supporting, letting Qin Xiuran fall heavily back to the ground.
Qin Xiuran: "..."
"I apologize, I can't help you with this matter right now. But if you have any evidence, you can give it to me, and I will do my best."
"No need." Zhuo Lin hadn't expected anything from her. "I just hope Officer Zhou can always remember your words today and continue to walk your path with your sense of fairness and justice."
This way, she would have completed her task of dismantling the CP.
Zhou Qingbie stood ramrod straight and gave a sharp salute. "I will."