Mao Feixue had a five-year-old son of her own, so naturally, she was much more experienced in taking care of children than Zhong Jin. She asked Zhong Jin to step out and locked the office door. First, she took off the little girl's clothes and noticed that her underwear was on backward. Mao Feixue quickly corrected it. She used a garment steamer to smooth out the little T-shirt and shorts before putting them back on. The sandals that didn't fit quite right were adjusted by tightening the straps, making them much more comfortable.
Mao Feixue had short hair herself and couldn't find anything to tie the child's hair with, so she took her to find Rao Shishi. It was still about ten minutes before the official start of work, and Rao Shishi was hiding behind her desk eating breakfast. She had just taken a few bites of her noodles when she saw Mao Feixue approaching with a child. It took her a moment to recognize Zhong Yuntong.
"Hey, what happened to you?" she asked.
Yesterday, she had been a dignified little princess in traditional attire, but today her outfit was utterly plain. Fortunately, her looks still stood out, or else she wouldn't have been much different from the kids playing on the slide downstairs.
After a brief explanation from Mao Feixue, Rao Shishi pulled out a comb and hair ties from her drawer. She was skilled at styling hair and quickly divided the child's long hair into two sections, tying them into neat little buns. She then added a pink ribbon bow hairpin to one side.
"This child has such beautiful hair," Mao Feixue couldn't help but remark as she watched.
Rao Shishi sighed exaggeratedly, "It's thicker than mine. So unfair."
With her hair done, Zhong Yuntong looked much more presentable. Rao Shishi also dug out a small knitted crossbody bag that came as a free gift with yogurt, adjusted the strap, and slung it over the child's shoulder. She even stuffed a handful of flavored peanuts into the bag.
Once she was all dressed up, Zhong Yuntong walked out with her little bag, her plastic sandals clicking noisily as she followed the scent to her father's office. She pushed the door open, and Zhong Jin glanced up from behind his computer screen, his tone slightly impatient, "What do you want now?"
Zhong Yuntong reached up to touch the bow in her hair. "Look at this," she said.
Zhong Jin replied dismissively, "Nice, very pretty."
Not satisfied, Zhong Yuntong took a few steps forward and climbed onto his lap. She pulled a peanut from her bag, ate one herself, and then tried to stuff another into Zhong Jin's mouth.
"No, you eat it," Zhong Jin protested, but before he could finish, another peanut was shoved into his mouth.
"I don't want it," he said.
Another peanut followed.
Fine, whatever.
When Mao Feixue knocked and entered, she was greeted by the sight of her usually aloof boss cradling a little snowball of a child, typing on his computer while crunching on peanuts. She hesitated at the doorway, unsure whether to proceed.
Zhong Jin, feeling somewhat awkward himself, tried to maintain his dignity by putting on a cold expression. "What is it?" he asked.
"Director Zhong, the city's propaganda department is here to film a public service video. Would you like to go out and greet them?"
Zhong Jin looked back at his screen. "No, you handle it. Coordinate with them if there's anything."
Knowing Zhong Jin's aversion to small talk, Mao Feixue nodded. "Then I'll take Yuntong out with me. Maybe if someone recognizes her on the livestream, we can find her family."
Without hesitation, Zhong Jin lifted Zhong Yuntong off his lap and handed her over to Mao Feixue. "Take her away, quickly."
Mao Feixue chuckled as she cradled the child in her arms. "Our little Yuntong is so adorable. Come with Auntie, okay?"
Zhong Jin watched Mao Feixue's beaming face and couldn't help but ask, "Is she really that cute?"
"You've never raised a child, so you wouldn't know how wonderful daughters are. They're soft, sweet, and a parent's little treasure. I always wanted a daughter, but I ended up with a naughty boy instead."
Zhong Jin fell silent for a moment.
Mao Feixue immediately realized her words might have been inappropriate, especially in front of someone who had recently lost a loved one. Though unintentional, it felt cruel.
Zhong Jin, however, remained composed. He picked up an evidence bag from his desk and handed it to Mao Feixue. "These are her shoes. Have Little Wang check them to see if we can trace the buyer. We need to prepare for both possibilities—if the DNA comparison doesn't yield results, this could be another lead."
Mao Feixue took the evidence bag containing the small tiger-head shoes and examined them closely. She couldn't help but marvel inwardly—what kind of family did this child come from? Even her everyday shoes were so elegant and luxurious.
*
The city's propaganda department was working on a public service campaign, and recently, they had organized a team to visit various police stations within their jurisdiction. They were livestreaming the visits to introduce the public to the work of each station, with the footage later being edited into a promotional video. Today, they happened to be filming at the He'an District Police Station.
The camera panned across the entrance of the station, then moved inside to show the officers busily going about their duties in an orderly manner.
The livestream's comment section was peaceful, with only a few occasional remarks.
["What kind of livestream is this? No one's talking."]
["It's a public service video by the city police, showcasing the daily operations of each station. Today, it's our He'an District Police Station. It's right across from my house."]
["This kind of livestream is pretty boring."]
["Then don't watch it."]
The comments died down again as the camera continued its steady progression.
Suddenly, a child with two little buns in her hair appeared on screen. She was carrying a knitted bag with the words "Berry Yogurt" printed on it and held out a flavored peanut to the camera. "Want one?"
The camera shook from side to side, indicating a decline.
The child popped the peanut into her own mouth, chewing noisily as she stared intently at the camera. "What kind of monster are you?"
The camera: "..."
Rao Shishi rushed into the frame, scooping up Zhong Yuntong and tucking her under her arm. "Sorry about that. This is a lost child, and we're currently trying to locate her family. If anyone recognizes her, please contact the He'an District Police Station in Haishan City."
Zhong Yuntong, now held horizontally under Rao Shishi's arm, clung to her waist for balance and shouted, "Don't contact anyone!"
["Hahaha, what an adorable little girl! How did she get lost? Her parents must be so worried!"]
["Can I have this child? With the country encouraging people to have kids, I'll take this one."]
["Hahaha, stop joking. Let's all take screenshots and share this to help find her family quickly."]
Rao Shishi carried Zhong Yuntong away, and just then, the station's phone rang. She answered it, putting it on speaker since they were live. The caller's voice was altered for privacy.
A man's voice came through, "Officer, my child is missing."
Rao Shishi instinctively glanced at Zhong Yuntong. What a coincidence—right after the broadcast, her parent calls?
"When did she go missing? How did it happen? Can you describe her?"
"I don't know how she got out. We just noticed she wasn't home. She's a little girl, wearing a green T-shirt and matching shorts, carrying a small bag. She has fair skin, black hair, and two little buns."
Hearing this description, Rao Shishi almost laughed. A scammer calling the police station? Bold move. But this scammer was too clueless—he didn't realize Zhong Yuntong's outfit had been hastily put together by Rao Shishi and the others. His very first sentence gave him away.
"We happen to have a lost child here who matches your description. Why don't you come to the station?" Rao Shishi said.
Perhaps things were going too smoothly, or maybe the scammer got cold feet and didn't dare show up at the station. After a moment of silence, the call abruptly ended.
Rao Shishi waved the phone at Little Wang. "Little Wang, check this number."
"Got it," Little Wang replied, chuckling at the clumsy scammer.
Just then, Rao Shishi's phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw a message from Zhong Jin: ["Don't reveal Yuntong's real name or any other personal information on the livestream."]
Zhong Jin was always cautious, even in his messages. He only referred to her as "Yuntong," avoiding her full name in case the camera caught a glimpse of the screen.
Rao Shishi settled Zhong Yuntong on a chair in the lobby and borrowed a tablet from a colleague to let her watch cartoons, reminding her not to wander off. After making sure Yuntong was settled, she hurried off with her colleagues to handle another case.
Yuntong was indeed very well-behaved, sitting there with the tablet, engrossed in the cartoons, occasionally popping a few peanuts into her mouth. As she got more absorbed in the show, her head leaned forward, her eyes almost glued to the screen.
Zhong Jin, standing at the entrance chatting with someone, caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye. After excusing himself, he strode over to Zhong Yuntong, grabbed the back of her collar, and pulled her head away from the screen.
“No more watching. You’ll ruin your eyes,” Zhong Jin said as he confiscated the tablet.
With the tablet gone, Yuntong felt a bit bored. She slid off the chair, her small satchel slung over her shoulder, munching on peanuts as she wandered around, curious about everything.
An officer she didn’t recognize was mediating a family dispute. A couple had been fighting, and instead of trying to calm them down, the mother-in-law had handed her son a knife. The wife had called the police, and now the whole family was at the station. The adults were arguing loudly, while their infant, not even a year old, wailed at the top of its lungs.
Yuntong pulled a peanut from her satchel and tried to pop it into the baby’s mouth, but a quick-thinking female officer intercepted her hand. “Babies can’t eat peanuts,” she said gently.
Yuntong popped the peanut into her own mouth instead, chewing thoughtfully. “Then what do babies eat?”
“Babies only drink milk,” the officer replied.
Yuntong turned and ran off, darting down the hallway and pushing open the door to the station chief’s office. She poked her round little head inside and asked, “Excuse me, Dad, do you have any milk? I kind of need some.”
“...No. Get out.”
“Okay, okay.”
Yuntong ran back to the scene of the family dispute, spreading her hands apologetically. “No luck. I couldn’t get any milk.”
