Doubt
“Captain Song, you’re back.”
“Captain Song, is your body feeling better?”
“Captain Song…”
“Captain Song…”
……
Song Yuhang nodded in response, greeting colleagues who had greeted her along the way as she carried her bag into the office.
Despite not being reported in the news, the feat of her and Lin Yan’s lone battle against four criminals, after months of absence, had spread widely within the public security system, although no one knew who had initiated it.
“Attention, everyone! Stand at ease, attention, salute!”
The busy detectives all stopped what they were doing in unison, raising their hands to their temples in salute.
Song Yuhang was momentarily taken aback but soon curved her lips into a gentle smile and returned a standard salute. Looking at these familiar faces before her, she thought, it’s good to be alive.
“Dismissed!”
The office resumed its bustling activity. Song Yuhang set down her bag and walked over to the bulletin board at the front. At the very bottom of the column labeled ‘On Sick Leave,’ their nameplates were affixed, one for her and one for Lin Yan.
The individuals in the photo were dressed in police uniforms, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, fiery red lips, and a slightly raised chin that hinted at a touch of stubbornness.
Her fingertip casually brushed over the photo, and she gently peeled off her nameplate, placing it above for the duty personnel. She then turned around and immersed herself in the busy work of criminal investigation.
Before she could get too busy, Feng Jianguo sent someone to call her. Song Yuhang set aside her work and hurried over, knocking lightly on the door. “Reporting, Director Feng, did you need me?”
Feng Jianguo was reading the Legal Daily through his reading glasses and didn’t offer her a seat. “Yesterday, I sent Duan Cheng to pick you up. Where did you run off to?”
Song Yuhang remained composed and unaffected. “Reporting, it was a personal matter that needed my attention.”
Feng Jianguo rustled a page of the newspaper in his hand and let out a disdainful snort. “A personal matter? What kind of personal matter would make you abandon your colleagues and run off? I thought you weren’t coming back today!”
Song Yuhang maintained her composure and a sense of righteousness. “Reporting, I wouldn’t dare. According to the regulations, a detective’s failure to report to duty at the appointed time is not only considered absenteeism but also a violation of the law!”
Feng Jianguo closed the newspaper, and his sharp gaze reflected beneath his glasses. He looked at her, standing upright. “It’s good that you know…”
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One corner of the newspaper placed on the desk featured a news article about a theft at the Coastal Province Funeral Home.
Song Yuhang noticed it and calmly shifted her gaze back. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll return to work.”
Feng Jianguo lifted his teacup and took a sip, casually mentioning, “No rush. There haven’t been any major cases recently, so you can take a break. Let me ask you, how’s your health?”
“With the concern of leaders from the municipal bureau and the provincial headquarters, it’s nothing major. I can resume work as usual.”
After all, having spent so many years in the political arena, Song Yuhang knew how to exchange pleasantries.
Feng Jianguo blew away the foam on the surface of his tea and pushed aside the tea leaves. “So, what’s the deal with your hand? You’re still young; you shouldn’t end up with any disabilities.”
Song Yuhang lowered her gaze and glanced at her right hand, which was wrapped in gauze, hesitating to speak.
Feng Jianguo’s gaze remained unchanged, appearing benevolent but in reality, he scrutinized every subtle expression of hers without missing a thing.
“Well… I injured it while practicing on the punching bag.”
For about half a minute, no one spoke. In this silent moment, Song Yuhang couldn’t help but recall her conversation with Lin Yan from the previous night before going to bed.
She lay in bed with an IV drip, while Song Yuhang sat on the opposite hospital bed, looking at her.
Lin Yan tilted her head. “Your hand…”
Song Yuhang glanced at her hand, securely wrapped in gauze, and smiled. “It’s fine. If Director Feng asks, I’ll just say I injured it while practicing on the punching bag. I used to do it regularly.”
“Will he make you…”
Song Yuhang was firm in her response. “No, he won’t. If he asks me to unwrap the gauze and examine the injury in front of him, that’s when he’ll sow the seeds of doubt between us. Don’t underestimate Director Feng; he’s a smart man and won’t do something like that.”
As expected, Feng Jianguo furrowed his brows and set down his teacup. “Your injury isn’t fully healed yet, and you’re hitting punching bags. I must say, you young folks have a bit too much energy.”
Song Yuhang smiled. “It’s just a way to pass the time during confinement.”
“Alright, alright. Don’t be too resentful about this matter. While there may be understandable reasons, discipline is discipline,” Feng Jianguo remarked, putting on his reading glasses again to continue reading the newspaper. “By the way, what were you up to last night? Duan Cheng was looking for you all night, and you didn’t even bother to respond.”
Here it comes.
She had discussed this issue with Lin Yan last night and was somewhat troubled. “I have a few old classmates in the provincial capital. Maybe I could…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Yan quickly dismissed the idea, “Is that reliable? Are you sure that neither threats nor enticement would reveal your whereabouts?”
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Song Yuhang fell silent, but her eyes sparkled with a mischievous smile. “I do have an idea, but it might require sacrificing Captain Song’s reputation…”
Song Yuhang looked at her, a faint hint of amusement playing on her lips, her gaze lingering on Lin Yan. “Oh?”
Lin Yan was infuriated and nearly lunged at her from the bed, “What are you thinking? It’s not me; it’s Lin Ge!!!”
Following Lin Yan’s lead, Song Yuhang smiled somewhat shyly, “Do you really want me to spill the beans?”
Feng Jianguo glanced at her and, with an unusual seriousness, asked, “Could there be some hidden difficulty?”
Song Yuhang stuck to the story, her face slightly flushed. “I, uh… had a date.”
Feng Jianguo choked on his tea, spraying it all over the newspaper. He never expected her to come up with such an answer. He looked at her with a bewildered expression, which carried a hint of complexity.
Song Yuhang, seeing him coughing, took a few steps forward, intending to take the cup from his hand, but Feng Jianguo waved her off.
“Is it with that blind date prospect?”
Song Yuhang, in an unusual display of shyness, touched her nose and nodded apologetically. “Uh, yes.”
Feng Jianguo’s expression became even more complex. There was a trace of paternal pride that his daughter had grown up, mixed with a sense of not wanting to see precious vegetables being devoured by pigs.
As for who was the vegetable and who was the pig, that was a bit hard to say at the moment.
“Alright, alright, you can go now.”
Song Yuhang turned to leave but was stopped by him. “I’m warning you, work is work, and family is family. Don’t mix too closely with Lin Yan! If she gets into any trouble, make sure to report it to the organization in a timely manner, understood?!”
Song Yuhang turned around, stood at attention, and saluted with her fingers brushing against her trouser seam. “Yes, Director!”
As Song Yuhang exited the office, she took out her phone from her pocket and sent a text message.
At the moment when Lin Yan received Song Yuhang’s message, she was in the process of rolling up her sleeves for a blood test at the doctor’s office. It was the same bespectacled male doctor, holding a medical report and reciting the prescribed instructions. “Miss, your various health indicators are on the low side. The new medication has had some effect, but you must continue taking it regularly. Try to avoid any non-medical injuries, as it will significantly lower your immune levels…”
Lin Yan’s phone lit up with the message “Done.” She was about to reply with one hand when the bespectacled doctor paused.
It seemed as though she had just snapped out of her thoughts. “Ah? What did you say?”
“Your immune levels are no longer suitable for sustaining injuries, especially bleeding injuries.”
Lin Yan pondered over this statement for a moment, feeling somewhat disheartened. She then put her phone aside with a sigh. “Okay, I understand. You can go now.”
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* * *
During the period when Lin Yan was recuperating, Song Yuhang stayed busy. Although there were relatively fewer major cases in her jurisdiction, petty crimes such as thefts and minor disturbances continued to occur regularly.
She spent her days patrolling the streets and alleys of Jiangcheng City, catching thieves and dealing with troublemakers. At night, if there was a need for stakeouts, she would make do with spending the night in her car. On rare days off, she would occasionally go out for a meal with Lin Ge as part of their charade. Surprisingly, the two of them had become genuine friends over time.
The rest of her time was devoted to working on Lin Yan’s mechanical rod. Following the instructions of her old classmate, she first procured the materials from a steel factory. After three days, she received three intact sections of aerospace-grade aluminum tubing. She followed the blueprints to begin her own process of sanding, repairing, and welding. While she had disassembled firearms during her police academy days, she had never worked with this kind of equipment before. Initially, she developed blisters on her fingertips and had many injuries on her hands. However, as time went on, she began to grasp the techniques better, becoming more skilled with each attempt.
Everything was getting back on track, including Lin Yan’s recovery.
She took her medication on time, had the bandages removed from her leg to begin rehabilitation, engaged in sparring sessions with her Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, worked up a sweat at the gym, and also spent quiet hours in the pathology laboratory, wearing a white coat.
Time flowed slowly, with several more rain showers and a chilling change in the mountain air as the leaves gradually turned yellow. Summer was coming to an end.
Song Yuhang parked her electric scooter in front of the city bureau, tossed her keys, and headed inside. Just as she arrived, she noticed someone delivering a bouquet of vibrant roses at the entrance of the city bureau. The roses were handed directly to a female officer.