Chapter 26: The Filial Son of Bamboo

"I get it now!" Li Kang said with a wry smile, tapping his temple. "As expected of you, Mr. Zhu. You really are like a sow wearing a brassiere—you’ve got layers upon layers!"

As he spoke, Li Kang inexplicably recalled the description he had heard whenever he inquired about Chu Zhu in the past: "Calculated, leaving nothing to chance."

"I'll go back and ask Old Lu. Maybe I can pull some strings for you in that regard!" Li Kang was halfway through his sentence when the wail of police sirens echoed in the distance.

"The patrol officers are here!" Ning Linglong let out a sigh of relief, then added indignantly, "They’re so slow! How long have we been here? Are they just like in the movies, always showing up to clean up the mess only after everything is finished?"

"Big sister," Bi Xuan said, having endured as much as he could, "we are patrol officers too!"

Even if they were a bit special, they were still officers.

"Oh... is, is that so?" Ning Linglong looked blank.

Bi Xuan felt his jaw twitch with irritation and could only nurse his resentment while continuing his work.

Li Kang watched with a subtle expression as Bi Xuan dragged the unconscious robbers toward the arriving patrol officers to handle the hand-over.

Li Kang actually wanted to interrogate them himself, but the sensitivity of the Metropolitan Guard Bureau meant he couldn't just drag them back. At most, when the Police Commissioner’s office interrogated them, they could send someone to supervise and perhaps add a few methods of their own...

Satisfied that things were under control, Li Kang turned away. His gaze drifted between Chu Zhu and Lu Muxue, his words laden with meaning: "Although there’s still much I’d like to discuss with you... it seems you have some urgent matters to attend to!"

With that, he took his leave.

The scene fell silent.

"You..." Lu Muxue opened her mouth several times. What was she supposed to say?

This was Lu Muxue’s first time encountering such a situation—usually, it was high-quality men popping up from nowhere, using all sorts of excuses to strike up a conversation with her.

"Go back, find your father, and get him to hear you out! Do some ideological work on that stubborn old man of yours," Chu Zhu said, gesturing pointedly. "I’m not just saying this—if your old man didn’t insist on such feudal, patriarchal ways, causing you to run away from home, would you have needed to sneak around, meeting your mother to unlock a black card and grab a large sum of money? And would you have ended up in this mess?"

"From that perspective, this trouble you’re in was caused by your father! You really should go back and argue the point with him, shouldn't you?"

Chu Zhu understood Lu Muxue quite well. Despite her being older than him, perhaps due to being overly coddled by her family, she retained a kind of naivety and ignorance akin to a college student from his previous life. She was even currently in her rebellious phase.

Yes... the classic, naive mindset of: "I’m going to run away from home, and if something happens to me, my father will surely regret treating me with such cold violence!"

"...That makes sense!" Lu Muxue clenched her left hand and slapped her palm, a look of sudden realization dawning on her. She then looked at Chu Zhu with approval. This little tangent had dispelled her embarrassment and reserve, revealing her naturally dorky and cute side. She walked up and slapped Chu Zhu on the shoulder in a carefree manner. "I didn't expect you to understand my heart so well!"

"Hmm, do you want to come work for me... er, no, I mean, like in those popular martial arts novels, you know, like *The Female CEO's Personal Peerless Master*! Although I'm not exactly a female CEO yet, I probably will be in the future, do you want to..."

"*The Female CEO's Personal Peerless Master* isn't as good as *The Dragon King's Son-in-Law*!" Chu Zhu recommended with a serious expression. Internally, he was frantically mocking himself—while both were technically martial arts novels, they were actually a sub-genre... a very niche one.

Moreover, among the middle and upper classes of this era, this type of literature was at the very bottom of the cultural consumption food chain... akin to anime subculture around 2010? It wasn't exactly something everyone hated, but it certainly was...

"You're a fellow reader?" Lu Muxue’s eyes lit up, even more excited. "Wow, I thought I was the only one who liked these kinds of books... Every time I go to buy one, I have to be so sneaky..."

Chu Zhu: "..."

No, no, no, there are actually plenty of people who like them! But given your status, position, and gender—among the people you meet, those who enjoy such books are, if not rare, then truly one in a million.

Given your situation, you must have been a man for several lifetimes before reincarnated as a girl! How else could you have such a hobby?

"Deputy Captain Ning!" Li Kang, watching from the sidelines, was thoroughly entertained. His hearing was naturally sharp, but he had consciously decided not to listen closely, treating it like a silent film while narrating his own commentary. "I may have retreated, but why did you? Why don't you go over there? That’s the blind-date candidate your father prepared for you. Seeing this scene, don't you feel even a little bit bitter?"

"..." Ning Linglong kept a blank expression, suppressing the urge to curse. Have you been watching too many eight-o'clock soap operas, old man?

"He’s too strong!" Bi Xuan looked at Chu Zhu, his lip curling in envy. "It makes no sense! How did he close the distance so quickly with just a few sentences? No, why on earth..."

"Shut up!" Guan Fei’s expression changed instantly. He balled his fists and pressed them against both sides of Bi Xuan's temples, performing a double "poison dragon drill" while roaring in fury, "I will not allow you to speak ill of my Father Zhu!"

"Ah? Hng-ow-ow-ow, Brother Guan, have mercy, Brother Guan, have mercy!!!"

Li Kang laughed, but then his face fell; he couldn't keep it together anymore. This team was truly difficult to lead.

In the squad, there were either the fiercely loyal "Zhu-devotees," the "Ning Fengxian" who wanted to overthrow him and become captain, and a clueless newbie who was always out of the loop, asking every day, "What happened?" and "Why did you leave me behind again?"

Suddenly, an alarm sounded on Li Kang. His expression shifted slightly, and he shouted toward the distant Chu Zhu: "I have urgent business and must leave! If you need anything, just go to the Third District Police Commissioner’s office! We should be returning in a while... you can wait for us there..."

Ning Linglong was even faster; the moment the alarm rang, she dove into the steam-powered car and slammed her foot on the throttle.

Li Kang moved with lightning speed, and although Guan Fei was large, he showed a nimbleness completely at odds with his massive frame. In the end, only...

"Wait for me! I haven't gotten in yet!" Bi Xuan only managed to grab the door handle before the steam car roared to life. He screamed as he was dragged along behind it.

"Pfft!" Lu Muxue watched them disappear into the distance, and despite her best efforts to hold it back, she burst into laughter. "Are these guys... are they trying to be funny?"