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When Zhan entered the office, he noticed that it was crowded than usual. Some were laughing at the jokes someone played, some were just watching their friends laugh.
But that was not what made Zhan stop at the door without joining them. It's the three unfamiliar faces between them.
One of them was sitting near his senior Cheng-ge while laughing, while the other two were discussing something seriously with his boss Zoey Meng, the only woman in the office.
"Cheng-ge, am I really late?"
After a few minutes, Zhan finally decided to approach his senior Wang Zhuo Cheng. The said man startled by the sudden voice behind him and turned his head to see Zhan staring at him.
"Since when are you standing there? Why isn't there any sound at all?" Zhuo Cheng laughed awkwardly.
Zhan frowned. After all his effort to reach the office in time, it are went vain as his senior didn't even notice him. Seeing Zhan upset, his junior Paul Yu, the younger brother of Zoey Meng, approached Zhan embracing his shoulders.
"Zhan Xiong, don't be angry. We are aware of your presence, only because it's rare to see Cheng-ge joking, we are afraid he will lose the mood to laugh again" Paul Yu said in a comforting tone.
(Xiong means brother, in a polite tone.
Ge means the same but leans towards informal tone. )
"Ah, right. Of course. I have heard that these days your division is so busy that Cheng-ge has lost his mood to smile, even I have heard that he is so sensitive lately that his gaze can make a lion run away in fear."
It's one of the 3 strangers from earlier who seemed younger than him but so bold to make the statement directed to Zhuo Cheng.
Hearing that, Zhuo Cheng's happy face immediately became sour as his laughter changed into a frown.
"Of course Cheng-ge is very upset. How not!!This is the first time he has been made dizzy with one case which many professional detective groups cannot solve it. And now this case is all handed over to our team without exception" Said Ji Li, one of Zhan's classmate.
"Huh... The case is indeed difficult, moreover the victims are of high-class. No, the whale class is the appropriate term. This case is really complicated. Almost like the 'Jake The Ripper' case which no one could solve it until now" Zhuo Cheng said while massaging his head .
"We can definitely handle this problem, Cheng ah. Nothing is impossible when we all work together persistently"
Another one from the 3 unfamiliar faces spoke up, Zhan was sure he had seen him somewhere before.
"Hai Kuan ge?" Zhan almost shouted in a surprised tone. How not!! He is one of the all-rounder detective with many awards and that made Hai Kuan so famous in the field.
"Hi, you are Xiao Zhan, right? It's nice to meet a talented detective like you" Hai Kuan smiled politely. Zhan who heard the compliment from one of the top detectives, who is also his idol, almost melted down.
"Hello, senior Zhan. I am very happy to meet you, I am one of your fans, I heard that you have solved many cases with senior Zuo Cheng"
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zheng Fan Xing, a junior first year, please guide me senior Zhan, I hope to be like you" He continued with a radiant face.
Zhan who heard the young man, was truly at a loss of words. He was so happy and at the same time afraid that he would be complacent and not develop after someone praise him.
But however, he did not want to disappoint the young man. Zhan smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Thank you, but I'm not as great as what you heard. Cheng-ge was the one who solved the problem. I just helped him execute and it's our solid teamwork"
Zhan got a warm welcome with a chair cushion right into his face by none other than Zhou Cheng.
"You little.. You're really talented in icing!!"
Zhuo Cheng's words immediately got laughter from everyone in the room.
"I know right!! Zhan Xiong really fits in the field of distracting the enemy"
Paul said immediately earning a smooth smack on his head from Xiao Zhan.
"I think it's time for Xiao Zhan to get ready to prepare extra energy for our case this time"
The words came from the only woman in the room who remained silent, hearing sweet debates among her juniors, yes, it's Zoey Meng.
"Wow, it looks like serious conversation will begin" Paul Yu moved away from Zhan to occupy his seat.
"Xiao Zhan, how long are you planning to stand in front of the door blocking his way, go to your seat."
Hearing his boss, Zhan stepped aside to see a tall man who appeared so cold without a sound and walked towards Hai Kuan then sat near him.
How could Zhan not realize that someone was standing behind him without a slightest sound!! He is the one who can feel even the slightest presence. And the man in front of him seems to have no presence at all. Just like thin air!!
Zhan felt dejavu. He still remembers when he felt this kind of atmosphere before. At that time he was forced to handover a case he had worked on for months to a junior in his first year as a detective.
He is really not a suitable person to talk to, especially when it comes to cooperation.
Moreover, his father was one of the famous detectives.
Of course Zhan never wanted to hand over the case out of the blue, fearing that the case he was dealing with would get worse no matter who the boy's father was, so he almost beat up the junior, if not separated by his seniors in time. In the end he had to compromise and give up the case.
Zhan was never that annoyed with someone, especially to want to beat up just for trivial reasons. Although, in the end, the resentment was a little relieved upon hearing that, the case that had been taken over was finally completed with extraordinary results.
A first-year Junior with extraordinary talent. Zhan couldn't help but envy. The junior who defeated his enemy without a sound and presence, awarded with the title 'Silent Boy'.
It has been 2 years since that incident, but for some reason there is still a bit of resentment and jealousy in Zhan's heart. He felt that this child was really beyond his expectations.
Zhan shook his head slowly while walking to his chair. There are only two chairs between him and the boy, they are almost facing each other. Zoey Meng and Zhou Cheng occupied the seats between them.
Zhan noticed, the boy's appearance did not change for better. It's more of casual than the first time he saw him.
His hair which was once jet black now is bright blue. What used to be a white formal suit is now a white t-shirt with a blue jacket and a black jeans that wrap around his legs. He can say every piece is a high-priced branded item.
Zhan can see that the boy's body was not too big or small, quite slim but well built. The milky skin looks very well maintained.
'What a rich kid' Zhan thought to himself.
While thinking, Zhan didn't notice that he was staring at the young man unconsciously who in turn stared at him with a deadpan. The two stare at each other for a few seconds.
Zhan's friends, who saw Zhan look at the young man with an intense gaze like he was eager to kill him, remembered what happened in their past. Afraid that they would fight again, Paul Yu who was sitting right next to Zhan poked into his ribs hard enough, making him scream out loud.
"AW... It hurts. What's wrong with you?"
Zhan rubbed his stomach his ribs where he was poked. The activity of staring and being stared coldly is stopped as Zhan was busy with his pained ribs, while the young man turned to the screen in front of them.
"Can we begin?"
Zoey Meng asked in a commanding tone making everyone in that room become serious except Zhan.
"Of course Meng-jie. I don't really want to interrupt if your dear brother doesn't hurt me," Xiao Zhan said in a not so serious tone.
"Shhh .." Zhuo Cheng glared at him.
"Yes, yes, can you start Meng-jie?" Zhan smiled unwillingly letting Zoey Meng know it's a fake smile. Everyone in the room shook their heads except for the young man.
"Fine. Today I will begin our meeting in order to work together to handle the case of Mr.X which has not been resolved. Since the incident of the first case that occurred, Mr.X has always moved so randomly that the crime is not recorded by police traces" Zoey Meng played a slideshow on the screen.
"With random movements like this it is not easy to catch him, especially the pattern of Mr.X is really random and he is very smart in finding the enemies that are after him" She continued while striking a laser beam into a black circle.
"So Meng-jie, what should we do if he's so sensitive like that?" Zhan asked with a serious face, this time really serious.
"Sensitive? Your description fits right, Xiao Zhan. He is so sensitive that even the slightest movement when careless will make him realize us, but ..." Zoey Meng stopped for a moment, her face became more serious.
"Do you guys know how an insect-eating plant can eat flies that even humans have trouble catching?" Her question now made the whole room think.
"Doesn't a fly have a sensitive sense of movement in the air, but how can insect-eating plants eat it? I think because it can't recognize the plant's presence when it prepares a trap so the fly enters the trap." Zhuo Cheng answered getting a nod from the juniors.
"But I guess, the skill of eliminating existence alone will not be useful to set the trap if it is not accompanied by higher sensitivity skill than the insects, so that it can catch flies at the right time." Zhan immediately got the agreement of the whole room.
"Both of you are very precise. We need 3 things to be strengthened this time and you know what they are.." said Hai Kuan, smiling.
"I think the Eastern division already has two of them. The sensitivity skill of Xiao Zhan and the trap expertise of Paul Yu. Then who has the absentee ability?" Ji Li asked curiously.
"Hey hey, you forgot about our senior? Who else is has the ability other than Yibo-ge from the Western division! You think our presence here is useless!!" Scoffed the young man named Guo Cheng.
"Exactly. This time we will work together with the Western division to strengthen the team and resolve this case quickly." Zoey Meng stated
"This time, we from the Western division will help the Eastern division to speed up the closure of this case, I hope we can work well together," Fan Xing greeted politely, bowing his body.
"Don't tell me that..." Zhan's words were interrupted by his boss.
"We have decided with the superiors, so no one can refuse this decision. Zhuo Cheng you are responsible for overseeing and guiding this team, Xiao Zhan you are responsible for part 1 ie., Sensitivity, A'Bin you are responsible with part 2 is., the trap that must be prepared, and finally, one of the best members of the Western division, Wang Yibo himself, will help us by taking responsibility for part 3, namely the absentee ability, while the 2 first year Junior members from the Western division can help in the hacking and surveillance department, while the rest of the Eastern division will support them, got it everyone?"
Everyone in to room nodded in agreement except Zhan who was thinking hard about what was happening.
He looked back at the blue haired young man Wang Yibo who had been silent without speaking. It seems like he agreed with the decision of boss Zoey. But how could Zhan deal with such a quiet person. He couldn't even make him talk about ordinary problems. Then this case is especially complicated. This is a huge problem!!
Zhan wondered whose face he saw in the early morning, that really he had to deal with things like this. Very unexpected!!!
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Translator's ramble:
About the last expression, it's said that our mood of the day depends who we see first after we wake up.
This saying was born when there were joint families everywhere and the house is full of people that we always get to see someone else's face before our own face.
Though, if we live alone, we have to see our own face. So we have to blame ourselves for our mood that day!!
╮(＾▽＾)╭
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If you wonder how our Zhan and Yibo look like, here is a pic.
Thank you for reading (*＾∇＾*)
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