Behind the one-way mirror, amid the embarrassing hush, everyone in the Special Affairs Department couldn't help but touch the guns at their waists, wanting to silence that humiliating thing before the news spread.
Only Ai Qing remained calm, simply picking up her coffee for a sip. Then, she took out a pair of thick sunglasses from the pouch of her wheelchair and put them on her face.
"Continue," she said.
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, sighed, and ordered through the microphone on the table, "Continue."
It took quite a while for Liu DongLi to snap out of such an awkward encounter. He brushed the hair hanging before his eyes and smiled warmly, extending his hand.
"Nice to meet you, little brother, my name is Liu DongLi..."
"Pshaw! Like hell I want to get to know you!"
Huai Shi furiously realized what was happening, his handcuffed fingers pointing at Liu DongLi as he yelled toward the door, "Officer, I want to report this man for engaging in illegal activities! He's practically the leading Cowherd... Don't be fooled by him!"
"..."
Liu DongLi sighed helplessly, then suddenly lifted a finger and placed it in front of Huai Shi. "Look at my finger."
"I won't!"
Even a fool like Huai Shi knew something was off and didn't want to fall into his trap. He lifted his head defiantly but accidentally... caught sight of his face.
The fair skin and slender neck, a pair of deep, sea-like eyes, strands of gold shimmering among the long hair like twinkling stars in the universe. A few strands fell across his eyebrows, hiding those eyes, as cold as stars on a winter night. His high and straight nose bridge manifested a masculine beauty.
"OH HO!"
Huai Shi was momentarily enchanted, but for some reason, he suddenly felt nauseous.
He inwardly berated himself, How could I feel so ugly at the sight of someone better looking than myself? He struggled to force a smile onto his wan face, but drool leaked from the corner of his mouth...
In an instant, he became stupefied.
He clutched Liu DongLi's hand, rubbing it back and forth without letting go, babbling familiarly, "Big Brother, where do you work? Oh, I am so sorry for being rude last time. Let me introduce myself, I'm Huai Shi, seventeen this year. You remember me, right?"
"..."
At this moment, not just Huai Shi, but everyone behind the one-way mirror, upon seeing Liu DongLi, involuntarily gasped, "OH HO!" Even the always-serious middle-aged man blushed and felt a flutter in his heart, turning his head to cough softly.
Only Ai Qing, still wearing her large sunglasses, sipped her coffee and remained composed as she pressed the talk button. "You're not here to flirt. Rein in your Soul Radiation and get on with the proper business."
"Okay, okay."
Liu DongLi adjusted the black-rimmed glasses on his nose with a finger, sat opposite Huai Shi, and with a smile as soft as autumn water, he asked, "Now that we know each other, little brother, could you answer a few questions for me?"
"Sure, sure."
Huai Shi kept hold of his hand, his face slack with drool. "Ask me anything, Big Brother, I'll tell you. My bank card's PIN is 18191..."
"COUGH, COUGH, that's not necessary."
Liu DongLi hurriedly waved his hand, then opened the file in his hand and cleared his throat. "Where were you last night?"
"At home, sleeping. I had several nightmares, scared me to death, let me tell you..."
"Just sleeping?" Liu DongLi wasn't interested in his nightmares and cut him off.
"Yeah."
Huai Shi nodded. "Who would run out in the middle of the night for fun? And it was raining so heavily last night, only a lunatic would go out. Let me tell you, our house may be shabby, but our ancestors at least..."
"COUGH, COUGH, next question." Liu DongLi cut him off again. "What exactly was in the box you delivered to the police station?"
"I don't know." Huai Shi shook his head promptly. "Who would casually open a box of unclear origin like that? It was terrifying! Let me tell you, that person suddenly pounced on me, vomiting blood crazily..."
For the next hour, Liu DongLi repeated the questions from the file in different orders, even throwing in irrelevant questions randomly.
Until Ai Qing's voice came from behind the one-way mirror, "That's enough."
He finally breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his wrist free from Huai Shi's grasp, which was now covered in red marks. Fortunately, he had pulled away quickly; otherwise, that brat would have nearly twisted it off.
Just as he heaved a sigh, Huai Shi suddenly snapped out of his stupor, staring blankly at him, not understanding what had happened.
It was as if I experienced a nightmare, one so vivid that I began to loathe myself...
"UGH!"
He lurched up from the chair, handcuffed and unable to stand properly. He hunched over and retched violently, disgusted by the memory of his recent behavior which felt so embarrassingly out of character, tears and snot nearly streaming down his face.
"You sick freak, what did you do to me! UGH!"
Before he could finish, he vomited again, eventually starting to cry.
"Damn it, I don't even have a girlfriend! How did I get bent by this freak? All my dignity's gone, all my dignity! I'll make you pay for this, you Wang Ba!"
"Sorry, this is something none of us wanted to happen."
Liu DongLi seemed accustomed to such a scene, sympathetically offering a cup of water. "The most important thing in life is to be happy. Are you hungry? I..."
"UGH!"
Before he could finish, Huai Shi vomited again.
Behind the one-way mirror at that moment, sounds of retching and nausea filled the room.
The middle-aged man's face was ashen, clutching his painfully churning stomach. Someone beside him handed him a pill for his stomach and a cup of perfectly warm water.
It was the female driver who had been silently following behind Ai Qing.