Chapter 212: Parent

Chapter 212 Parents

"Captain Shen."

"Oh, Captain Shen!"

"Captain Shen's here!"

"Captain Shen looks like you're in great spirits today!"

By mid-December, the temperature in Pingjiang had already dropped below freezing, bone-chillingly cold.

During the short walk from the car to the office building, Shen Qingye, having forgotten her gloves, kept cupping her hands and blowing into them to warm her fingers. When greeted with playful banter, she could only respond with a helpless smile.

Half a month earlier, the nearly two-month-long 9·23 Child Trafficking Case had finally come to a close. The primary suspect, Liang Shiming, had attempted to flee via a chartered private jet to a small fishing village along the eastern coast, planning to board a luxury yacht he had purchased and sail to Vietnam before flying to the U.S.

Law enforcement detected his movements in time and arrested him just as he was about to cross China’s territorial waters, bringing him back to face justice.

Subsequent interrogations and sentencing proceeded just as they had for the other thirty individuals involved in the case. As for those responsible for abducting children across the country, they were also completely dismantled in a coordinated operation by the authorities.

Given the sheer number of people implicated—some of whom were also tied to other criminal or economic cases—the investigation and interrogations dragged on for a long time. Shen Qingye and Yue Lingchuan had assisted for over a month before finally being allowed to return.

The case had an enormous societal impact, sparking widespread discussion and even making it onto the CCTV News Broadcast. The Ministry of Public Security, aiming to set an example, insisted on a thorough investigation to the very end. In the aftermath, several provinces experienced significant upheaval, with numerous wealthy businessmen and high-ranking officials falling from grace, leaving many positions vacant and resulting in a sweeping purge across the region.

Once the case concluded, it was time for awards and promotions.

The details of how this played out were rather interesting.

Qin Hongshan, Director of the Provincial Public Security Department, was nearing retirement, with less than a year left in his term. As such, he generally adhered to the principle of avoiding trouble whenever possible. In this case, he had not been heavily involved until the very end, when all evidence was secured, at which point he ordered a full provincial police cooperation in the investigation. Later, he submitted a self-review, reflecting on his managerial shortcomings with a commendable attitude. As a result, he retained his position as Director.

However, a new Executive Deputy Director was abruptly assigned to the department.

This appointment wasn't without controversy. Half a year earlier, the previous Executive Deputy Director had been transferred, leaving the position vacant. Meng Wenhai had spent years colluding with the Liang family precisely to secure a promotion. Whether higher-ups had ever considered him for the role was unclear, but now that he was behind bars, a new Executive Deputy Director was appointed. The implications were obvious to everyone—it seemed this newcomer was being groomed to take over once Qin Hongshan retired.

Beyond these key figures, the political upheaval in the province left many positions vacant, leading to reshuffles in both the Provincial Department and the Pingjiang Municipal Bureau.

Gao Zhengming was promoted to Director of the Peian Municipal Public Security Bureau. Though still a municipal bureau director, Peian, as the provincial capital and a sub-provincial city (similar to a vice-ministerial level), carried a higher rank than Pingjiang. Deng Yi was transferred to serve as Director of another midsize city’s public security bureau within the province. Having risen through the ranks of the Criminal Investigation Detachment and being relatively younger than peers like Gao Zhengming, a stint in local leadership was essential for her career. Consequently, Yan Haifeng naturally ascended to become head of the Criminal Investigation Task Force.

After Gao Zhengming’s departure, the new Director of the Pingjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau was transferred from another province’s midsize city to take over his duties. The former detachment captain, Song Lianfeng, was promoted to Deputy Director of the Bureau, overseeing the Criminal Investigation Detachment while also taking on additional responsibilities.

As for the current captain of the Pingjiang Criminal Investigation Detachment, the role went to Yue Lingchuan, who had demonstrated exceptional performance and made outstanding contributions in the case.

And Shen Qingye?

Her role in the case had been indispensable. It was her keen attention to detail that led to the breakthrough—spotting a clue on Lin Xiaowei’s glass, which eventually broke his stubborn denials. She was also the one who identified Qin Zhongyu as a key source of critical leads. Most crucially, it was her suggestion to investigate the orphanage that led to the timely discovery of the children’s hiding place.

In the end, had Shen Qingye not unlocked the entrance to the basement, further delays could have cost more lives.

By all accounts, her contributions to the case were extraordinary.

But here was the problem: she had been on the force for less than a year.

She lacked seniority.

Debates raged within the department over whether she should be promoted. Gao Zhengming, wary of appearing biased due to their relationship, remained largely silent. In the end, it was Deng Yi who staunchly advocated for her, insisting she take over as Captain of the Third Team:

"Talent has nothing to do with age—since when has our department become a place where seniority trumps merit? She has the skills and the ability. Though she’s only been an officer for a year, she’s solved more cases than some who’ve been in their posts for years. If someone of her caliber can’t be captain, who in the third team can? Or should we bring in another outsider?"

Deng Yi’s verbal sparring left the others speechless. In the end, Qin Hongshan seemed inclined to show her some respect and ultimately agreed.

The commendation ceremony for this case was held by the bureau just two days ago, and the captain’s appointment was only finalized then, so word got around.

That’s how they started calling Shen Qingye “Captain Shen.”

Lost in thought, she couldn’t help but recall what Deng Yi had said to her after yesterday’s ceremony, patting her shoulder:

“In my time, female officers had it much harder than male officers, especially women in criminal investigation. Those men believed women should stay at home, stick to desk work—what business did they have at crime scenes? But I refused! I carved my own path with sheer ability, proving to them that I wasn’t afraid of vicious criminals. When it came to solving cases and hunting down perpetrators, I was no worse than them.”

“Things are slightly better now than in our day, but not by much. As a female officer, you’ll always have to work twice as hard. But you’ve done well.”

The forty-something policewoman smiled, the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling with a determined spark: “I believe in you. You’ll definitely surpass those men in the future!”

At the time, Shen Qingye didn’t say much—just solemnly saluted her. And this renowned leader and senior in the force returned the salute.

·

Walking up to the third floor, she passed by the clerical office and saw Fang Yun leaning against the doorframe, cradling a mug and smiling at her: “Oh, Captain Shen’s here?”

Shen Qingye sighed. “Yun Jie, don’t tease me.”

Fang Yun chuckled. “I’m genuinely happy for you—how is that teasing?”

“Alright, alright, enough. It’s rare to see you here at this hour. What, case done and dusted?”

“Done.” Shen Qingye relaxed, the exhaustion that had shadowed her face for days now completely gone.

A week earlier, the team received a case kicked up from a local police station—a woman had allegedly drowned accidentally. But upon investigation, they found blunt-force trauma on the victim Nie Qunxiang’s head, and she had also taken out a massive life insurance policy before her death. Sensing something off, the station passed the case up to the Municipal Bureau.

Shen Qingye and Luo Kaiyang spent a week on it, eventually uncovering that the deceased wasn’t Nie Qunxiang at all, but her twin sister, Nie Qunfang. She hadn’t drowned either—she’d been murdered by her sister Nie Qunxiang and her brother-in-law.

It turned out Nie Qunxiang had stumbled upon an accidental death insurance policy with a high payout and got greedy. Unwilling to die herself, she conspired with her husband to target her twin sister, planning to make it look like she’d died instead. One night, they lured their sister to their home, killed her, and dumped the body into the river to fake a drowning.

Shen Qingye had pulled all-nighters for days chasing leads. Only yesterday, after finally closing the case, could she leave work early, go home, and get some proper sleep.

Fang Yun shot her a knowing look. “Why are you alone? Where’s your Captain Yue?”

Shen Qingye deflected. “Who knows? Probably still busy.”

Their relationship becoming public had been a total fluke.

After returning from the provincial assignment, Wei Zhengyi and the others started ribbing them about how long it had been since they’d gotten together—and since their boss had just brought back honors from the province, they insisted on being treated to dinner. Yue Lingchuan, never one to skimp, readily agreed. After everyone had eaten their fill and gone their separate ways, Shen Qingye and Yue Lingchuan lingered. Before leaving, they couldn’t resist a kiss in the car—only for Wei Zhengyi, who had forgotten something and doubled back, to catch them red-handed.

From there, things spiraled fast.

Wei Zhengyi, stunned, promised he’d keep it under wraps—yet within two days, the whole unit was in the know.

Shen Qingye wasn’t surprised. Given his big mouth, expecting him to stay quiet was asking too much. Besides, theirs was a mutual relationship—you couldn’t blame people for talking, but neither of them cared.

She’d grown used to the occasional teasing anyway.

They exchanged a few more words before Shen Qingye went back to her office.

Jiang Cheng and Zhou Qiming hadn’t arrived yet; the room was empty. She had just sat down and turned Little Stone the turtle over to sunbathe when a knock came at the door. Looking up, she saw Yue Lingchuan standing there, deadpan expression: “Captain Shen, come to my office for a moment.”

Shen Qingye raised an eyebrow but followed.

The office door clicked shut, and the previously stern Captain Yue immediately melded into her like a limpet, draping over her and wheedling: “Qingye… when are we going to meet my parents…”

Here we go again.

Shen Qingye closed her eyes, equal parts amused and exasperated.

They hadn’t been together very long, but both families knew their personalities well—once they set their hearts on someone, they wouldn’t let go easily. So, both sides had been eager to meet each other.

Gao Zhengming had initially given Yue Lingchuan the cold shoulder, but deep down, he respected the young man. Objectively speaking, he had to admit Yue was good enough for his daughter. Before transferring to Pei’an, where work would keep him too busy to return to Pingjiang often, Gao Zhengming took Yue out for a meal. Throughout dinner, he vowed not to let it slide if Yue ever hurt Shen Qingye.

Shen Qingye’s mother and Bai Xiuyu were also there that night, and even Gao Ruiyang rushed back specially—these were the people closest to Shen Qingye. That dinner was basically their official meet-the-parents moment.

Beforehand, Yue had prepared for ages, picking out no fewer than five outfits. He bombarded Shen Qingye with calls after work, and even dragged her out during office hours to ask what he should wear.

Once they got past that hurdle, before Shen Qingye could even relax, Yue dropped the bomb: meeting *his* family next.

The Yues already knew of Shen Qingye—the two families had business ties. Plus, with her recent achievements gaining attention, even the patriarch had taken notice.

Yue Lingchuan’s mom had been nagging about him settling down forever. Now that marriage seemed possible, she couldn’t wait to meet the girl. At first, she’d held off, worried the relationship was too new. But now that Yue had met her parents, they’d look bad not returning the gesture.

Shen Qingye rubbed her nose, mumbling guiltily, “I’ve just… been really busy lately.”

Yue stared at her, drawing out his words sarcastically, “*So* busy.”

“But now you’re free…”

He wasn’t subtle.

Shen Qingye cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact.

It wasn’t that she objected. Their relationship was solid, and she already knew the Yues were easygoing.

It was just…

Meeting parents? First-time jitters. No matter how calm and rational she usually was, this made her uneasy. Hence the endless delays.

But then Yue laid it on thick: “Qingye, do you not actually want to meet my family?”

She blinked in surprise. “Why would you say that?”

He pouted. “Otherwise, I don’t get why you keep avoiding it. You *know* my folks—they’re harmless. My grandpa even speaks highly of you…”

He sighed dramatically. “Ah, but I guess I’m just too old. After the New Year, I’ll be twenty-seven—basically ancient. Can’t blame you for hesitating…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Shen Qingye cut him off, torn between laughing and facepalming. “Where did you learn to talk like this?”

Yue blinked innocently. She caved with a sigh. “Fine, fine. I agree.”

Still skeptical, he asked, “Really?”

She saw right through his act but indulged him anyway. “Yes, really.”

Yue hugged her, nuzzling into her shoulder. Then, as if unable to help himself, he mumbled, “Not trying to push you or anything. Just—”

“I know,” she said. “I understand how you feel.”

She cupped his face, her expression equal parts fond and fed up. “Why are you so jealous?”

Back when they were working a case at the provincial bureau, another detective from a municipal team had joined them. At first, it was all professional. But before leaving, the guy suddenly cornered Shen Qingye and confessed. Shocked, she politely declined, explaining she had a boyfriend. He insisted he knew—but still believed he was just as good as Yue, urging her to reconsider.

Yue, who had been standing right there, nearly saw red. Had Shen Qingye not firmly rejected the guy, he might’ve started a fight. Even afterward, the incident stuck with him. That’s why since returning, he’d been pushing to bring her home—to make things official. That way, next time some guy came sniffing around, he could wave them off as her *fiancé*.

Hearing this, he muttered, "That punk was making moves on you right in front of me. If I don’t act fast, what am I supposed to do when more people like him show up in the future?"

Shen Qingye shook her head. "What crazy ideas are you cooking up now?"

Shen Qingye was quite attractive, and she’d had her fair share of admirers growing up, yet she had never shown any interest.

Yue Lingchuan gave a disgruntled snort but ultimately said nothing more.

She loved him. Those other people were just teasing material—nothing worth taking seriously.

"Really? You’re agreeing?" Yue Lingchuan looked at her again, speaking carefully, "If you’re not ready yet, we can wait. I just thought I’d check."

He acted quite reserved, but Shen Qingye raised an eyebrow at his words. "Oh? In that case, maybe we should wait—"

Before she could finish, her mouth was covered, and Yue Lingchuan’s expression instantly fell. His chiseled features took on a puppy-dog look as he gazed at her. Shen Qingye couldn’t hold back—she broke into giggles.

·

The closer the day of meeting his family got, the more nervous Shen Qingye became, finally understanding Yue Lingchuan’s constant fretting during that time.

But as the car slowly entered the city, she gradually calmed down.

That’s just how she rolled. The bigger the situation, the steadier her mindset. After all, nervousness was useless. Only by staying calm could she think clearly about what came next.

Fortunately, the Yues turned out pretty much as expected.

She had met Yue’s mother once before, and this time she welcomed her warmly. Yue’s father also made an effort to be kind, his words full of quick wit. Meeting him, Shen Qingye finally understood where Yue Lingchuan got that laid-back streak of his. Yue’s elder brother and sister-in-law were also cheerful and easy to get along with. As for Grandpa Yue, though he appeared stern, his gaze was gentle, filled with unmistakable admiration and affection for her.

The dinner went smoothly—everyone hit it off.

On the way back, Yue Lingchuan glanced at her. "All good now?"

Shen Qingye looked up, smirking. "Isn't that my line?"

Yue Lingchuan raised an eyebrow but said, "I'd like to feel relieved."

But his girl was just too much of a catch—always drawing attention.

All he could do was step up his game.

As the car drove on, a perfect snowflake slowly landed on the windshield.

"It’s snowing?" Shen Qingye perked up, rolling down the window to catch one in her palm. The cold flake dissolved instantly against her skin.

"It really is snowing."

Pingjiang sat right between north and south. Some years saw heavy snowfall, while others were dry with no snow at all. This year, however, it had come early.

Yue Lingchuan also glanced outside. "Good call leaving when we did. If we’d waited any longer, the snow might’ve gotten worse, and we’d have been stuck."

The car gradually picked up speed, getting home before the roads got bad.

·

Snow always messed things up.

The snowfall lasted a full day and night. When Shen Qingye woke up the next morning, everything outside was buried in white.

It was a rare heavy snowfall. Stepping outside, she saw many children—and even adults—having snowball wars.

It's nice to look at and interesting to explore, but not very convenient for anyone who needs to go out.

Carefully driving up to the detachment building, she followed others' footprints cautiously along the path toward the office door. Suddenly, Zhou Qiming pushed it open, his expression serious.

Shen Qingye looked surprised: "What's going on, Brother Qiming?"

"Qingye, you're here." He noticed her only then, his face softening slightly. "This morning, one of our local precincts reported a case—a sanitation worker found a middle-aged man's body in an alley off Jianshe Road."

"Homicide?" she asked, frowning.

Zhou Qiming shook his head. "Not homicide, but not suicide either."

She was taken aback. Zhou Qiming continued, "The guy froze to death."

Shen Qingye frowned harder. "Froze to death? Then why's it our case? Can't the local station handle it?"

Zhou Qiming shook his head again, his expression dead serious. "After they brought the body back, they found a knife wound about ten centimeters long on the left side of his waist."

"Captain Qin's autopsy also revealed something else—the deceased was missing a kidney."