At that moment, Xiao Wang stood respectfully behind the deputy director and introduced, "This is Deputy Director Zhang of the Nanyang Police Bureau."
So he was the deputy director.
Li Qiao lowered her lashes in understanding, and a faint, cool smile curved her crimson lips.
Deputy Director Zhang puffed out his chest in satisfaction, thinking she would obediently step forward in deference. But to his surprise, the girl remained unmoved, still composed and indifferent.
Feeling humiliated, he slammed the table and stormed toward the door, barking an order at Xiao Wang: "Go bring her out. I'll question her myself."
Xiao Wang stepped forward with a look of sympathy as he opened the gate. He sighed, "He just wants to ask a few questions. No need to go against him."
As a junior officer, Xiao Wang had his own helplessness to contend with.
Li Qiao stood up unhurriedly, her lips curling lazily. "Your Director Fei isn't around today, is he?"
With that, she stepped forward. Seeing Xiao Wang still dazed, she jerked her chin toward the door. "Lead the way."
Xiao Wang snapped back to his senses and stiffly walked ahead, increasingly puzzled.
How does she know the director's surname is Fei?
Something felt off.
Earlier, when pulling up her file from the police database, everything except her name, gender, and age was completely blank.
Xiao Wang hadn't been at the bureau long, but he'd heard old-timers mention such cases before.
When a file in the system shows a blank slate, there are only two possibilities:
Either the information truly doesn't exist—or it's been deliberately hidden by a system with higher-level clearance.
Leading Li Qiao out of the holding room, Xiao Wang glanced at her calm expression and couldn't help feeling that the latter possibility seemed far more likely.
At the interrogation room, he opened the door and motioned for her to enter first.
He was just about to sneak off to the restroom to ease his nerves when a sudden commotion erupted from the front hall of the station.
Someone shouted, "Director, weren't you away on official business? Why are you back?"
…
Fei Zhihong, age fifty, Director of the Nanyang Police Bureau.
Upright and stern with a no-nonsense, iron-blooded demeanor, he strode into the hall in civilian clothes, his face solemn and windblown from travel.
Beside him was a tall man in a sleek black suit—his posture cool and aloof, his gaze sharp and intense.
Fei Zhihong looked around the hall. "Where's Old Zhang?"
"Director, the deputy's in the interrogation room," replied Xiao Wang, who had come running from the corridor.
In the Nanyang bureau, whenever the director was present, no one ever gave Deputy Zhang any real authority.
To Xiao Wang, Fei Zhihong was like a savior. He rushed over and quickly explained the situation with Deputy Zhang taking Li Qiao for questioning.
At the end, he leaned in and whispered, "Director, I think there's something off about Li Qiao's blank profile. It might be intentionally hidden, but the deputy insisted on questioning her personally. We couldn't stop him…"
At that moment, the cold and refined man beside Fei Zhihong finally spoke. "Director Fei, Miss Li is the person we came for. Where is she?"
This man was Liuyun.
Fei Zhihong didn't respond right away. Instead, his thick brows furrowed, and his expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes at Xiao Wang.
"Who did you say he took?"
Xiao Wang nearly jumped out of his skin. Stammering, he replied, "L-Li Qiao…"
"Tell Zhang Leshan to get the hell out here!"