236 Daizhuo's daughter

As Wang Reiji entered the place she dreaded, numerous eyes pierced every bit of her skin. It was exactly what she did not want to happen, but the gazes were upon her for a different reason than she initially thought. In the distance, she could make out the sound of ceramic being dropped when she set foot on the police headquarters.

Not to be overwhelmed by the fixated stares she was receiving, Wang Reiji held her head up and approached the nearest officer at the front desk. Before she could spout a single word, the policeman, who was now smirking, cleared his throat and asked, "What brings you here, Miss? I believe that there are no pageants in this part of town." His voice was brimming with flirtatious undertones, one that Wang Reiji does not fully appreciate. Instead, she remained civil and directed the conversation to her goal.

"Actually, I'm here for someone. Do you know anyone na--"

"Maybe it's me that you're looking for," another thick voice from behind interrupted her. When she turned around, she was face-to-face with another cop with a bushy moustache. The man winked at her, which Wang Reiji blatantly ignored. Suffocated by the masculine aura of the two men pretending to help her, Wang Reiji politely removed herself between them and faced them.

"His name is Inspector Li. I was informed that he may be stationed here," she told the policemen. Both of the uniformed men looked at each other, then returned their eyes on Wang Reiji. 

"Yes, I think he's at his office right now. What's your name, sunshine?," the mustached bastard asked her. At the back of her head, Wang Reiji knew that the guy just wanted to cleverly obtain her name. Of course, she would not give the real one given that she was currently undercover, but even if she was not in disguise, Wang Reiji deduced that she still won't give her name to someone who catcalls.

"Tell him that Daizhuo's daughter is looking for him," she told the cops. "That should be enough for Brother Li to know it's me," Wang Reiji decided in her mind. 

"Alright, I shall notify him. Please wait a moment over there," said the policeman while motioning to a row of metal benches at the other side of the room. It was a lie; the man had no intention of letting this eye candy out of the police anytime soon. "Would you like anything, something to eat, perhaps?," the other officer said.

"No sir, but thank you," she declined. Wang Reiji then went to sit on the bench where the man pointed to her. As she walked, the eyes on her grew sharper, piercing with what she can only sense as something with passionate intentions. As Wang Reiji sat down with her legs crossed, murmurs from the other policemen in the station reached her ears.

Wang Reiji courteously refused the advances one by one. She rhythmically glanced at her watch. "What is taking so long?," she questioned herself. Her appearance seemed to have caused a great deal of commotion in the area, and she couldn't ignore how uncomfortable it made her feel. If she knew something like this would happen, she would probably have opted to disguise herself as a crone. It would have been less embarrassing.

Meanwhile, Inspector Li was at his office, signing paperwork. The ruckus outside aroused his anger. "What the hell are those people up to?," he loudly said to himself. He hastily straightened his badge and tie in an effort to look authoritative before proceeding to check out the cause of the noise. Outside his office, there was a small crowd compacted near the entrance. When he approached them, he almost stepped on a puddle of spilled coffee and a few broken pieces of a mug. 

"What is happening?" Much to his surprise, his boys ignored his query and continued to attend to someone seated on the bench. "Is it someone famous?," Inspector Li thought. He repeated the same question to a different officer, but was again ignored. 

This time, Inspector Li had enough. He was about to burst in anger when he heard a silky, familiar voice calling out to him. 

"Brother Li!"

All heads were turned from the source of the voice to the head officer, who was now equally petrified as his negligent staff. Every single one of the cops had the same notion, "Did the goddess just call the ape brother?" Inspector Li, as soon as he caught sight of Wang Reiji, immediately knew what was going on. Of course she would attract a lot of male attention.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea when Inspector Li started marching towards the goddess they half-worshipped/half-desired. Confused, everyone was silent as their eyes darted between Wang Reiji and Inspector Li, snatching glances to see what would happen next. 

Inspector Li felt the weight of their eyes, and immediately released the displeasure he had held back a moment ago. "What are you retards staring at us for?! Get back to work!," he barked at his staff. Like chased squirrels, all of the officers snapped back to reality and scurried to their rightful posts.

"And mop that coffee muck off the floor before it starts to smell, you sloppy weasels," he added viciously.

Wang Reiji witnessed the authoritative aura that the now Inspector Li has radiated throughout the police station. She almost couldn't believe that one of the most gentle people she knew was now leading a whole division dedicated to the law. Yet a big part of Wang Reiji was reminded of the strength that she always saw in him. 'He was meant to do this,' she inferred to herself.

The roar of Inspector Li died down when he turned to his long-time ally. "Greetings Lady Rei-," he began. Wang Reiji's pointing finger was quick to shut down his next utters, signalling him to keep his lips quiet. Inspector Li nodded in understanding.

"It's been a while, Brother Li." Wang Reiji said, smiling warmly at the officer.

"Yes it has been, Ma'am," he chuckled, then switched into an apologetic tone. "I am extremely sorry for the actions of my people," he said while bowing sturdily low.

"Oh no, don't," Wang Reiji told him, motioning him to raise his head. "It's not your fault that other men have no sense of respect towards ladies."

Touched by the implied sentiment, the inspector thought of a chivalrous idea. "Can I interest you with breakfast? There's a fine cafe at the next block serving better caffeine than here." 

Wang Reiji grinned, but refused. "It's fine, I really have no intention of taking up too much of your time."

However, Inspector Li was a tad adamant. "It's really no trouble, especially if it's you Ma'am. Please do me the honor."

The CEO admired the inspector's determination, but she knew that it will not look good for her friend. "Thank you, but no. You're not obligated to serve me anymore," she reasoned out firmly. 

"Besides, I don't think that would be good for the reputation you're trying to build here, Inspector," she added.

Upon hearing these words, Inspector Li blushed and smiled. She may look completely different and mature, but it's still the same substance underneath. The lady he looked after for when he was still a nobody was still there: compassionate towards the people who served her and strong-willed towards getting what she wants.

"I'm glad that you have not changed, Miss Wang. What brings you here, anyway?"