Ark, Just Tell Me Whether the Mission Was Completed

Chen Huijie denied it somewhat excitedly.

She had now realized that Luo Chen was truly a genius when it came to messing with people's heads.

"People only irrationally deny something when their inner thoughts have been exposed. In other words, Superintendent Chen's real meaning is that I'm incredibly accurate at reading people and hit her right where it hurt."

Luo Chen smiled gently, like a kindergarten teacher explaining psychology to everyone.

Swire's expression had completely softened, and if one looked closely, her face was even slightly flushed.

"Hmph! Flop Dragon, even if you say nice things, I still won't help you do the books again."

Anyone who watched anime regularly knew that tsunderes had fallen out of fashion.

The reason was that the stubborn part was always the same. Things that could clearly be explained in one sentence were deliberately left unsaid.

In the end, all sorts of misunderstandings arose, making people sick to their stomachs.

Some victims even stayed stubborn until they became losers, which was truly lamentable.

As a positive and upright police officer, it was only natural to help Lungmen citizens with their troubles and maintain good relationships among colleagues.

With Luo Chen around, he would never allow such a tragedy to happen.

"Superintendent Chen, Chief Swire means that if you praise her a little more, she'll help you do the books."

This time, Chen Huijie's heart clenched, and the sour expression on her face immediately softened. "Sigh... Is that so? Char Siu Cat, was that what you meant?"

"Of course not!"

Swire firmly denied it with her eyes closed.

"I wasn't thinking that at all. You make it sound like I was eagerly waiting for Chen to beg me!"

"Of course, if she can say a few more nice things, it's not like this superintendent can't consider it."

Seeing that Swire was still being stubborn, Luo Chen kindly helped her further express her true thoughts.

"Superintendent Chen, Chief Swire means that you should hurry up and say a few nice things, and she'll help you. She has a very soft heart."

"What is wrong with you? I never said that! How can you spout such nonsense?"

Although Swire said that, her cheeks suddenly turned as red as ripe apples.

Her normally bright eyes now flickered with embarrassment and shyness. It was as though some secret had been exposed, and she did not dare meet Luo Chen's gaze. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes, as if searching for a bit of comfort or concealment.

"See, Superintendent Chen? Do you remember what I just told everyone? People only irrationally deny things when their inner thoughts have been exposed."

Watching Swire's little movements, Chen Huijie had no choice but to believe Luo Chen's words.

"Swire, so that's what you... were thinking. I thought you were just picking on me."

"Hmph! I was picking on you!" Swire crossed her arms.

"She wasn't picking on you at all," Luo Chen translated simultaneously.

"Y-You've really had enough. What kind of joke is that? Hehe!" Swire tried to hide her unease with a smile, but it looked even worse than crying.

Seeing Swire's aggrieved expression, Chen Huijie's mood only improved further.

"So that's how it is. I didn't expect your mouth to be so stubborn, stinky cat. Since you've put it that way, I'll reluctantly ask for your help."

Anyone who had ever mediated an argument knew this.

Some stubborn people loved refusing to let things go whenever someone tried to reason with them.

Chief Chen was exactly that kind of person.

If she kept this up, not only would the misunderstanding remain unresolved, it would reignite the conflict.

And Swire was exactly the same. Hearing Chen Huijie's smug words, she immediately flew into a rage. "What did you say? If you want someone else's help, shouldn't you beg a little? Flop Dragon, do you even understand social interaction?"

If they allowed this argument to continue, they would surely repeat the same mistake and return to their earlier cycle of fighting.

Fortunately, Luo Chen was here today.

He hurriedly stopped Swire, who was rolling up her sleeves to trade insults with Chen Huijie, and advised, "Chief Swire, you misunderstood. Superintendent Chen means that although she really wants to ask you, she cares too much about saving face to bring herself to do it."

"Chief Swire, you know what Superintendent Chen is like, right? She's the type who would rather suffer than lose face. You can only take half of what she says seriously."

"Oh... Now that you put it that way, that does seem right. Hmph..." Swire curled her lips, preparing to mock Chen Huijie a little.

But before she could say anything, Luo Chen beat her to it.

"Chief Swire wants to say, 'I didn't expect you to be this stubborn, Flop Dragon. Who did you learn that from?' But what she's really thinking is, 'Chen, you're actually pretty cute. It makes me want to tease you.'"

Having had her answer stolen, Swire wilted like a flower. She pursed her lips without saying anything and turned to look out the window.

"Ah... Char Siu Cat!" Chen Huijie had just begun to speak when Luo Chen beat her to it as well.

"Chief Chen wants to say, 'Char Siu Cat, I didn't expect you to be such a hypocrite. Tsk, tsk, tsk!' But what Chief Chen is really thinking is, 'Swire, you're still as kindhearted as ever. I'm happy to have a friend like you.'"

Chen Huijie silently lowered her head, not daring to meet Luo Chen's eyes for fear that he would see even more of her thoughts. Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, revealing her inner tension and unease.

Just like that, neither Swire nor Chen Huijie spoke again. The office, which had been full of gunpowder, fell completely silent.

It was so quiet that it became eerie.

The Lungmen Guard Department officers watching nearby were already stunned by Luo Chen's actions.

After their shock, they also felt deep sympathy for Chiefs Chen Huijie and Swire.

Having one's inner thoughts displayed so openly would make anyone want to find a rope and hang themselves from embarrassment, even if their skin were thicker than a blast door.

This Luo Chen was truly outrageous. Nobody knew whether he was genuinely trying to help or deliberately torturing the two chiefs without leaving them any dignity at all.

After today, it would not be long before the entire Lungmen Guard Department knew that Swire and Chief Chen were both softhearted people with stubborn mouths.

However, they had clearly underestimated Luo Chen's lack of limits.

When it came to torturing people... no, doing good deeds, Luo Chen either did nothing or went all the way.

He forcibly took Chen Huijie's hand and pulled her over to Swire, then used his other hand to take Swire's hand as well.

Then Luo Chen held their hands and stacked them together.

Under Luo Chen's lead, Chen Huijie and Swire tightly clasped hands like warriors about to march to their deaths.

"Chief Chen, Chief Swire, everyone here is a colleague working wholeheartedly for the Lungmen Guard Department. If there are any conflicts in the future, you can speak openly with each other, right?"

"I may be nobody important, but today I am willing to bear witness together with all the colleagues present."

"Let's applaud the friendship between Chief Chen and Chief Swire."

As he spoke, Luo Chen released their hands and returned control to the two of them. Then he took the lead in applauding. "Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Following Luo Chen's lead, the watching colleagues gradually began to applaud as well. Before long, the entire office was filled with enthusiastic applause.

Some people even took out their phones to commemorate this epic moment.

As for Swire and Chen Huijie, their minds had gone completely blank by then.

Who am I?

What am I doing?

I want to die...

Please vote with monthly tickets and recommendations.

This Question Is Too Easy!

Half an hour later.

Thinking back on that public execution, Swire still felt her scalp tingle, as if she had suffered through a nightmare.

And the culprit behind that nightmare was standing right in front of her.

"Luo Chen!" Swire gritted her teeth as she said Luo Chen's name, wishing she could fire him on the spot.

"Present! Chief, do you have any instructions for me?"

"I..." Swire clenched her fists, looking as though she wanted to speak but held herself back. Her mouth opened and closed as if she were struggling with herself.

"You want to fire me?" Luo Chen once again thoughtfully voiced Swire's inner thoughts.

"Hmph!"

Swire snorted, stood up, took out an appointment letter for an acting brigade captain from her filing cabinet, and tossed it in front of Luo Chen.

However, the appointment letter had not been stamped, so it held no legal effect.

"Chief? Is this appointment for me?"

Swire held her palm upward. Resting on her small palm was the official seal of a Lungmen Guard Department superintendent, while she stared at Luo Chen with a rather hostile expression.

"Chief, are you unhappy with how I mediated that argument earlier?"

"You want to pick on me and vent your anger?"

Luo Chen once again spoke Swire's inner thoughts. It was not that he could read minds; tsunderes were simply too easy to understand.

"You're fairly self-aware, aren't you?" Although Swire did not want to admit it, Luo Chen had indeed guessed what she was thinking.

"Then Chief, how are you planning to pick on me?"

"Fire you!"

"If you were going to fire me, you wouldn't have given me this appointment letter. Besides, Chief Swire is a perfect woman who understands reason and fairness. Although my behavior earlier may have been somewhat inappropriate, I truly helped ease the conflict between you and Superintendent Chen. Even if it wasn't a great achievement, it was still a good deed."

Swire's ears twitched, but her face remained full of displeasure. "Even if you praise this superintendent, this superintendent will not forgive you."

"So Chief isn't actually angry. Then it seems you want to test my abilities."

"Hmph..." Swire gave another cold snort.

Luo Chen immediately understood what she meant. "Please give me a question, Chief."

Swire nodded.

"You said yourself that you wanted to accept a test. Don't go around saying later that this superintendent deliberately made things difficult for you."

"I looked over your résumé. How should I put it? It was absolutely dreadful. Although the entire Public Security Management Brigade recommended you as acting brigade captain, I don't believe in your abilities."

"So I'll ask you a few questions first. Answer quickly."

Swire rested both hands under her chin, closed her eyes, and pondered for a moment before bringing up the first case she had encountered after starting work.

"If the owner of a construction crew deliberately withholds workers' wages, and before withholding their wages, he transfers away all his assets, leaving nothing under his name, while the project he was responsible for has been abandoned halfway through construction, so that even a court auction would be far from enough to cover the workers' wages..."

"As an ordinary police officer who receives the report, what would you do?"

"Let me emphasize that you are an ordinary police officer. You have no connections, no background, and even less money. No money at all, not a single cent."

Swire seemed obsessed as she repeated the word "money" three times in a row.

But in truth, this case was indeed a thorn in Swire's heart.

When she had first entered the Lungmen Guard Department full of passion, she had wanted to start as an ordinary officer and use the investigative skills she had learned to gradually become an outstanding police officer.

But right after Swire started work, someone taught her a harsh lesson.

That damned construction crew owner had played every kind of dirty trick and refused to pay no matter what.

In the end, Swire had been pushed too far. She directly used her family connections and hired a hundred lawyers and two hundred detectives, thoroughly investigating every one of the man's accounts.

They ultimately found evidence that he had transferred his assets away, seized those assets, and settled the workers' wages.

Although the case had been successfully closed, the legal fees she paid were greater than the workers' total unpaid wages.

Chen Huijie had seized on that matter and mocked her for a full five years. It was only after Swire took charge of all the Lungmen Guard Department's finances that Chen Huijie finally shut her rotten mouth.

Even now, Swire could not think of any other way to handle it.

So she wanted to see how Luo Chen, this newcomer, would deal with the difficult problem she had faced back then.

"That's the question?"