Stripped Bare, the Tough Guys' Images Shattered!
"Bang!"
The door to the archives was blocked by Sing Sing's back.
He gripped the doorframe with his back hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"This kid... he's incredibly ruthless when it comes to investigating dirty laundry."
Sing Sing muttered to himself as he pulled out the first round of follow-up visit record form from under his armpit.
He bit the end of his pen and wrote a line of large characters in the special notes section at the bottom.
[From weapon to corporate slave, the stench of the office is unbearable! This employee has adapted to the bureaucratic system of slacking off and categorization, but suffers from severe financial obsession! It is recommended that he/she be banned from entering within 50 meters of the bureau's finance office! Otherwise, the bureau chief's slush fund and my food expenses for the rest of my life will be completely ruined!]
The last period was drawn, its force penetrating the paper. I finally felt relieved.
He put away his pen and looked at the next name on the form.
Nina Stewart.
Alright, I should go check on that little devil in the security department who can see through the Grim Reaper's red line.
First floor, security department monitoring hall.
Sing Sing stood outside the half-open door, pondering how to appease the socially awkward little girl he'd pulled out of United States lab.
After all, that girl had been locked up so badly before, she trembles at the sight of people in uniform.
Before his hand even touched the door, a sound coming from under the door made him stop in his tracks.
A vibrant animation was playing on the giant screen that monitors the important entrance to the 749 Bureau.
A pink cartoon pig shaped like a hairdryer is jumping up and down in a mud puddle.
Upbeat background music played from the speakers.
"I'm Peppa, and this is my brother George..."
In front of the large screen, four or five security guards with muscular bodies and tattoos of tigers descending the mountain and dragons crossing the river on their arms were gathered around a small coffee table covered with a pink floral tablecloth.
Leading the group was Zhang Tiehan, the security captain.
This burly man was 1.9 meters tall, with a face full of scars, and he could take down a wild boar with his bare hands.
At this moment, this tough guy was speaking with his pinky finger raised in a delicate, almost effeminate tone, using a voice so sharp it could kill someone on the spot.
"Little Nina, Uncle cracked this Hawaii nut open for you with his Iron Sand Palm, and not a single crumb fell out!"
"Ah~ Open your mouth, Uncle will feed you."
A bald, burly man nearby became unhappy, holding a comb in his hand and stamping his feet in frustration.
"Old Zhang, get out of the way! Can't you see I'm braiding my little princess's hair into pigtails? Your hands are covered in calluses, don't scratch our precious baby's face!"
Another burly man was holding a thermos with Sailor Moon printed on it, pouting his thick lips and blowing air into the rim of the cup.
"The water temperature is 45 degrees Celsius, just right! I added some local honey, it's sweet and delicious, and it won't make you feel hot or bothered!"
Sing Sing, standing outside the door, nearly popped his eyes out of their sockets; he simply couldn't believe his eyes.
Damn it!
These rough, tough guys, who were always ready to fight anyone and practice their skills on the playground, have now all turned into mothers with lisp-like voices?
Sing Sing rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, pushed open the door, and walked in with a stern face.
"What are you doing? Gathering to slack off, huh? Is the bureau's surveillance system just for you to show cartoons? I think you're just asking for a pay cut."
The burly men were startled. Turning around and seeing who it was, they quickly put away their delicate hand gestures, stood up straight, and pressed their hands tightly against their trouser seams.
Zhang Tiehan coughed twice, trying to salvage his image as the fierce Zhang Fei.
"Well, Director Zhou, we are thoroughly implementing the bureau's care policies! We are providing comprehensive, multi-faceted, and immersive protection for the mental health of our valuable overseas talents!"
Nina, who was sitting in a pink beanbag chair, looked up at the sound.
Her heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one gold, lit up the moment she saw Sing Sing: "Uncle Chow, you're here!"
Just a second ago, Sing Sing had a stern face, but now he smiled and pulled a handful of White Rabbit candies from his pocket, stuffing them into Nina's hand.
"Hey, Nina, how have you been lately?"
"Come on, tell Uncle Zhou something. Did these burly guys bully you? If so, just say so, and Uncle will teach them a lesson!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tiehan became anxious and quickly came over.
"Director Zhou, your words are hurtful! Our security department is now doing everything Nina's bidding!"
"This child is very well-behaved, but he doesn't talk much and is a bit aloof."
"Your opinion doesn't count," Sing Sing patted Nina's head. "Nina, tell me, have you noticed anything these past two days? Or is there anything that's bothering you?"
Nina chewed on the candy, hesitantly asking, "Can I really say it...?"
"Speak freely, you can say anything. Speak boldly and confidently, I'll take care of anything for you!"
Nina nodded, staring at Zhang Tiehan with her big eyes for a while.
Then, she began to reveal her past.
"That Uncle Zhang has a pink thread attached to him, which connects him to Widow Li, who sells jianbing (Chinese crepes) at the food stall."
Widow Li was a woman in her thirties who still retained her charm, and her stall always did very well.
Several burly men turned to look at Zhang Tiehan, whose dark face was flushed red.
"I... I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"
"Holy crap! Old Zhang, you've been hiding this shrewd bachelor for ages!" the bald, burly man next to him exclaimed.
"So that's why you rush to buy pancakes every morning, without scallions or cilantro, and always insist on having two eggs. Turns out you've got your eye on the shop owner."
Before the bald man could finish laughing, Nina turned her head and pointed her little finger directly at him.
"Uncle Baldy, there's a gray thread on you that connects to the metal box behind the toilet tank on the second floor."
There was two thousand yuan inside.
The bald, burly man froze, nearly collapsing to the ground.
"Grandma! I'm begging you! Please stop! That's my secret stash of money that I've saved up for half a year! My wife will kill me if she finds out!"
The monitoring room was in complete chaos.
The security team members' secrets were all exposed, and cries of agony filled the air.
Sing Sing was overjoyed and slapped his thigh, laughing hysterically.
"Haha! Great! Excellent!"
"Our security department's early warning consultant, it turns out, is specifically there to warn you single guys about potential romantic troubles and hidden stashes of money!"
"Old Zhang, you haven't kept this a secret! They've seen right through you!"
This mutant ability is truly amazing!
It's practically the ultimate tool for gossiping in the workplace!
Sing Sing, engrossed in enjoying the gossip, stood up smugly and straightened his tie.
"Come, come, little Nina, help your uncle have this blessed too."
"Look at Uncle's grand life plan, is there any golden thread connecting it to promotions, wealth, and the pinnacle of life?"
Nina, chewing on a milk candy, looked up and stared at Sing Sing for a long time.
Her eyes turned strange.
"Uncle Zhou."
"The thread of financial loss has already been tied."
Sing Sing's smile vanished completely, but he still asked, clinging to a sliver of hope, "What do you mean?"
Nina pointed to Old Zhou's pocket. "There's a broken gold thread in your pocket, connected to the door of the finance office upstairs."
A broken gold thread?
Is it connected to the finance office?
Isn't this basically implying that his reimbursement is completely out of the question?!