Chapter 95: Special Consultant

The cases of the "Fortune Cat" fraud and the human meat soup buns were officially closed. Chief Sun held a grand ceremony to commend everyone involved in cracking the cases. Wang Dali and I each received a bonus of 20,000 yuan. Huang Xiaotao, as the task force leader, was specially awarded a Second-Class Merit Medal from the Ministry of Public Security, and Wang Yuanchao was promoted one rank from the lower-tier officers.

Director Cheng highly praised my investigative methods. He asked Chief Sun to pass me a message — if I ever ran into any difficulties in the province, I could reach out to him anytime! He even gave me his private phone number — one known to fewer than twenty people in the entire province.

Huang Xiaotao told me that technically, the medal should have been mine, but unfortunately, since I'm not officially on the police roster, I wasn't eligible. I didn't mind though — being a small-time consultant suits me just fine.

To make future investigations easier, Chief Sun got me an official ID card. The cover looked exactly like Huang Xiaotao's police ID, and inside it read: "Nanjing City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Technical Consultant, Song Yang." It looked so official it could easily intimidate the average person!

Chief Sun joked that if I wanted to look even more impressive, I should just buy a toy gun from the store and tuck it in my waistband.

For now, I had returned to my uneventful campus life. The sudden drop in excitement was so boring that I found myself yawning through classes every day. Well, no murder cases at least meant the city's security was good — but it was just plain dull.

Huang Xiaotao was still busy every day. We occasionally texted each other — sometimes even flirting a little. By "flirting," I mean things like, "Miss me?" or "Little cutie, won't you come keep me company tonight?" I felt like we were slowly growing closer, but no one dared to break the silence. Maybe she was just too busy for a relationship, and I was a hopeless romantic who didn't know how to take the next step. Still, I kind of liked where we were at.

One day, Wang Dali borrowed my phone and accidentally saw our flirty texts. His eyes went wide, and he blurted out, "Damn, Yangzi, you sly dog! Since when did you start sneaking around with Sister Xiaotao?"

I quickly snatched the phone back. "Hey, don't invade people's privacy like that."

"Don't change the subject, bro. I thought you were still single. Turns out you've been off the market for a while. Spill it, or I'm calling the whole dorm squad for an interrogation!"

"Please don't! I already told you everything," I pleaded. The dorm leaders were two clowns; if they found out I was dating a cop, the entire school would probably know by tomorrow.

After I finished explaining, Wang Dali clapped my shoulder and said, "Not bad, Yangzi. I always saw you all nervous around girls, sometimes I worried about your love life. Didn't expect you to stumble into dating Sister Xiaotao. Honestly, I'm happy for you."

"Did I hurt your feelings? I thought you liked Xiaotao too," I asked hesitantly.

He laughed heartily. "You don't know my strategy? Cast a wide net, focus on a few. If this spot's taken, no point messing around. Time to switch gears. But you're a real jerk for keeping it from me — I was making a fool of myself in front of Sister Xiaotao!"

"Alright, alright, I'll buy you a drink tonight to make up for it," I said sheepishly.

"Not tonight, got plans," he shook his head.

I noticed he was dressed sharp, hair slicked back with gel. Definitely not a guy he was meeting, so I asked, "Wait, you say I sneaked around, but when did you betray the cause? Who's the girl? Which class?"

"Honestly, I don't know!" Wang Dali looked puzzled.

Turns out, one of his hometown friends had arranged a small get-together in the girls' dorm. The plan was to have hot pot afterwards, but one guy left, so Wang Dali was called in to fill the spot — and maybe get a matchmaker assist.

The four girls were all seniors like us, and single too. I frowned, "Seniors still single — can they be any good?"

"That's casting the net wide. Gotta take chances or you never catch any fish. You wanna come? It's all split the bill."

"No thanks, I'm not good with groups of girls," I declined quickly.

"Then wait for good news," he gave me a victory sign.

Later that night, Wang Dali texted, "Dude, there's this super cute girl, can't believe she's a senior."

I replied, "Good luck!"

"Send me your energy!!!"

I sent back the two words: "Energy."

"Got it! Feeling pumped now," he replied. When Wang Dali's in a good mood, he's a total goofball. Looks like he had a shot. As his bro, I was happy for him.

His dinner ran late — still no sign of him at 8 PM. I figured he might be taking a stroll with the girls. Then he texted: "There's this annoying guy, keeps stealing my chances to impress the goddess. I can't get a word in, and I'm pissed."

"Need backup?" I asked.

"Sunshine Bar, hurry! Enemy fire is heavy, requesting support!"

I changed and headed out. On the way, I wondered how I could help — seduce that guy away? Nah, just play it by ear.

The bar was outside campus — more like a cafe selling milkshakes and juices. Prices were student-friendly, perfect for couples. I'd never been there before.

Inside was nicely decorated. A lot of students were hanging out after dinner, sipping drinks. Soft music played from the speakers.

After looking around, I spotted Wang Dali in a corner. He stood up and waved, "Song Yang, fancy meeting you here!"

I played along, "Just grabbing a drink after dinner. What are you doing here?"

Three people sat at his table: a pure-looking girl with an oval face and big eyes, wearing a pale yellow sweater; a heavily made-up girl in a bright pink dress with a flawless white face; and a guy in a casual suit and glasses, puffing on a cigarette to look mature. I wasn't a fan of students smoking.

The heavily made-up girl cooed, "Dali, is this handsome guy your classmate?"

Wang Dali patted my shoulder, "Meet my best bro, Song Yang!"

I smiled at them. The pure girl smiled politely back; the makeup girl gave me a lovestruck gaze; the smoking guy scoffed dismissively.

Wang Dali introduced them as Xiaomengmeng, Zhang Yan, and Ye Shiwen.

I whispered to Wang Dali to ask which one was his hometown friend — didn't want to accidentally mess with an ally. He said his friend got too drunk and was helped home, and the others all went their own ways.

Wang Dali pulled me down to sit and ordered me a drink. As soon as I sat, Zhang Yan showed strong interest in me — asking about my major, hometown, and relationship status. I answered politely. When she heard I had a girlfriend, she lost interest and went back to chatting about Korean dramas with Wang Dali.

Ye Shiwen ignored me, continuing to chat animatedly with Xiaomengmeng about poetry from the Two Jin Dynasties. Xiaomengmeng listened silently, smiling.

Everyone was talking, but I noticed the dynamics: Ye Shiwen was focused on Xiaomengmeng; Zhang Yan was clinging to Wang Dali, leaving him no chance to talk to his crush.

As a bro, it was my time to step up!