"The scene inside isn't suitable for a child to see."
The veteran officer gave a vague explanation.
The white-collar woman understood his meaning at once.
Her heart gave a hard thump.
She clapped her other hand over her mouth, stopping herself just before she cried out.
Could it be...
She looked at the veteran officer questioningly.
He gave a slight nod.
The white-collar woman sucked in a sharp breath.
A sense of dread welled up inside her.
"Mom?"
Feeling the coldness and trembling of the hand holding hers, the little girl turned to look at the white-collar woman.
Her face was full of childish innocence. "What's wrong?"
The white-collar woman took a deep breath. "Xiaoxiao."
She looked at the little girl.
The child's round, dark eyes reflected her solemn face, which was tinged with unease.
"...Let's go."
Without offering any explanation, she took the child by the hand and turned toward the door.
"Mom?"
The little girl began to struggle.
She didn't understand.
Weren't they looking for Pangpang?
There was only one room left.
Why were they leaving without checking it?
She turned to look behind them. "Officer..."
The policewoman, who had her back to the child, turned around.
The look on her face—mixed with shock and a trace of fear—made her familiar features seem strange to the little girl.
The child's pupils contracted.
Although the policewoman smiled and waved to her the very next second,
the expression she'd worn a moment earlier remained vivid in the child's mind.
The little girl fell quiet.
She let her mother lead her away.
Her small face was deathly pale, her expression dazed.
"You scared her."
The veteran officer sighed.
New police officers just didn't have the nerve for this kind of thing.
And given the various shortcomings she'd shown earlier—how