Chief of Security

A breeze slipped through the gap in the window, gently stirring the gauze curtains.

Xia Lun sat in a chair by the wall, listening to the conversation downstairs.

The man's voice was unfamiliar, yet after thinking it over, Xia Lun found it strangely familiar. He felt sure he had heard it somewhere before.

With nothing urgent to do lately, he decided to keep eavesdropping.

"Jiavette's ward is on the second floor, room three," the Doctor said downstairs. "But he has a visitor right now."

"Oh." The man sounded easygoing. "Would this be a bad time, then?"

"Hmph. It's a shared ward," the nurse said. "There's no such thing as a bad time. I'll take you up."

"Sorry for the trouble," the man said with a smile.

Soon, two sets of footsteps sounded in the corridor, one light and one heavy. They were accompanied by the nurse's steady breathing and the man's labored huffing.

"This is it," the nurse said. "I won't go in. I need to get back downstairs."

The man took a couple of breaths. "Sorry for the trouble."

"You're too polite. If only everyone had manners like yours."

Creak—

The door opened, and a plump man in the gray uniform of the Public Security Bureau entered the ward.

As soon as he stepped inside, he swept his gaze around the room out of habit. When he saw Xia Lun, his face broke into a clumsy but friendly smile.

"Mr. Xia Lun, I never expected to see you here." He hurried over, his smiling cheeks wobbling with every step. "Are you here to visit Jiavette too?"

Xia Lun paused, then put on his customary smile and rose to greet him.

He knew the man. This was Jiavette's direct superior, Whitewash City's Chief of Security, known for his amiable nature