Sixth Street in the afternoon.
Sunlight was diced into shimmering fragments by the uneven signboards, spilling lazily across an aging road. The air was a very Sixth Street blend—engine oil, coffee, and the warm, faintly greasy sweetness of freshly heated burgers.
Zhu Yuan stood at the roadside in her crisp Public Security uniform—tall, straight-backed, and unreasonably formal for a street that ran on vibes. Qingyi stood beside her, hands behind her back, posture relaxed like she was spectating a stage play.
Zhu Yuan cleared her throat and forced her smile a few degrees "friendlier," then raised her voice toward the shopfronts:
"Attention, citizens! Recently, illegal activity has been increasing. The Janus District Public Security Bureau is launching a Public Safety Patrol Awareness Month to promote security precautions."
Her voice was clean and official, the kind that could be printed onto a pamphlet verbatim.
She narrowed her sharp red eyes—trying to make them softer, failing in an oddly earnest way.
"Soon, the Guangying Sub-Branch will hold a dedicated security lecture. If you have time, we welcome everyone to attend."
Standard smile. Standard stance. Standard distance.
The first response came from the outdoor seating of a café: the New Eridu Coffee God himself—Master Tinman—sitting like a monument with a cup in hand.
His polished metal face showed no expression, but his morphing electronic eyes flickered.
He turned slightly toward Enzo, who had been visibly sweating until now, and spoke in a gentle, teasing synthesized tone:
"Mr. Enzo, it appears you may relax. This is merely a routine awareness event—rather than an operation targeting a specific proprietor with overdue fines."
Enzo slapped his chest with relief.
"Whew… scared me. I thought they were coming for those speeding tickets from last month…"
"How could they?" Tinman said calmly, joints whispering with faint mechanical friction.
"If it were that, given Ms. Qingyi's efficiency—and her… devotion to procedure—she would have visited you long before today. Not arrive now as an accompanying officer during a public campaign."
The wording was polite. The meaning was lethal.
Then Tinman's attention shifted back to Zhu Yuan—especially her perfect posture and perfectly regulated smile.
His eyes changed shape again, arc-light flowing like memory playback.
"A citizen event from the Bureau… how nostalgic."
"Officer Zhu Yuan, I won't hide it: years ago, I had the honor of participating in similar lectures."
His head tilted upward as if staring at a past that wasn't physically there.
"It was lively—almost like a quality coffee tasting in spirit. I remember providing free cups to the attendees…"
He paused. His eyes curved into a hook that almost resembled a smile.
"…They were the cheapest base beans at the time. But the intention—sharing, conversing—that sincerity was real."
Zhu Yuan's shoulders lifted slightly. She thought he was about to agree.
Then his tone shifted.
"Unfortunately…" His eyes returned to a calm dot, and something distant slipped into the sound.
"Today's Bureau is spotless. Too spotless. Filled with the overly strong scent of industrial air freshener."
"It's no longer a place where people can relax—savor a pour-over—and speak openly from the heart."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His metal fingers knocked lightly on the tabletop, crisp like punctuation.
Zhu Yuan's eyes widened in surprise. She caught the subtext immediately—yet couldn't find a safe reply.
"Ah… Mr. Tinman, are you saying…?"
"Wine matures with time," Tinman answered evenly, as if stating a simple truth, "but some things… spoil without notice."
"Oh—of course, I'm referring to coffee beans. Poor storage, and even the best loses its soul."
His gaze brushed past the badge on Zhu Yuan's chest.
The sarcasm was subtle only in form. Not in content.
Zhu Yuan's already fragile "friendly" smile stiffened further, the corners freezing.
"Though Ms. Qingyi is with you today," Tinman continued, calm but final, "and though I owe a small courtesy—due to Dr. Qianye—those are still insufficient for me to willingly risk letting my carefully roasted beans be… wasted by those who are not clean."
That was sharper. The polite veil thinned to gauze.
He stood with practiced elegance.
"So, to protect my 'delicate' beans from a regrettable fate, I must return to grinding them."
"Regarding participation—please forgive my refusal. Excuse me."
A slight nod. Then he turned and went back into his café. The bell on the glass door chimed—bright and indifferent.
Zhu Yuan stared at the closed door.
Her smile collapsed completely, leaving only uncertainty… and a sting of humiliation.
Qingyi's gaze slid toward Enzo, who was still planted there looking like his brain was trying to do mental accounting.
She narrowed her eyes, a playful glint in the dark green.
"Enzo," she asked sweetly, "are you interested in a lecture on preventing criminals and protecting your property?"
Enzo's hands moved instantly—rubbing palms, counting fingers, constructing lies at high speed.
"Uh… Qingyi, honestly, I really want to support your work."
"But! What a coincidence! That day is my aunt's second cousin's grandfather's son's cousin's… sister's… wedding!"
He nodded rapidly, like momentum could substitute for logic.
"Family's important, right?"
"I see." Qingyi nodded with complete sincerity.
"That is indeed… extremely close."
"Then I wish your—was it 'great-aunt-in-law'—a joyful wedding, and a hundred years of harmony."
Enzo's smile twitched.
"Haha… thanks… thanks…"
Then he abruptly found an emergency.
"Ah! A customer is coming to pick up a modified bike—can't be late! I'll go first! You two work hard!"
He bolted like a rabbit, speed completely inconsistent with his age and lifestyle.
Qingyi watched him go, amused, then turned to Zhu Yuan—whose posture was still straight, but whose mood had visibly sunk.
"Zhu Yuan," Qingyi said lightly, "today's really been one of those days. Nothing goes our way."
"…Yeah." Zhu Yuan exhaled, shoulders dipping by a fraction. Her red eyes reflected a rare haze of uncertainty.
"Earlier we went to Random Play to confirm the commission, and Belle and Wise agreed they'd attend the lecture."
"But… it's only two people."
Her voice grew smaller, and with it, her confidence.
"Senior… are we… too stiff? Too serious? Is that why everyone here keeps their distance?"
She instinctively straightened again, checking herself—uniform neat, badge aligned—like correct presentation could fix human distance.
"Zhu Yuan, you're overthinking it." Qingyi shook her head with the air of an elder imparting worldly wisdom.
"Society isn't about fighting. It's about relationships."
Zhu Yuan pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Senior… those movie lines are outdated…"
"Are they?" Qingyi tilted her head.
"No, Zhu Yuan—you missed the key point."
She pointed her finger—small, precise—toward the direction Tinman and Enzo had left.
"They both refused, yes."
"But did you notice how they refused? Especially Tinman: he spent time reminiscing and explaining."
"Some of that is my 'face.'"
"But more importantly—"
She paused, watching Zhu Yuan's eyes sharpen again.
"They didn't reject us coldly and directly. That means they left us room. A return route. A reason to come again."
"That is what people mean by human feelings."
Zhu Yuan's breath hitched, a faint blush rising where discouragement had sat.
"You mean…?"
Qingyi nodded, approving—good, you're catching up.
"Exactly. 'Not for the monk's face, then for the Buddha's.'"
"We can't convince them."
"But it doesn't mean…" Qingyi let the implication hang for a half-beat, savoring it.
"…that the intermediary who has good relations with both sides can't."
Zhu Yuan's lips parted as if to agree—
Then she inserted a carefully rehearsed tone of "oh, right, logistics," like she wasn't about to reveal anything.
"But… earlier when we came to Sixth Street, didn't we stop by Dr. Qianye's door on the way?"
"We knocked several times. No response…"
"So he should be out, right?"
Her eyes drifted—just a little—toward the street corner, too practiced to be natural.
Qingyi raised her eyes slowly and stared at Zhu Yuan without blinking.
It was the kind of stare that didn't accuse you directly—because it didn't need to.
Come on, Zhu Bird.
You already placed a camera. You don't know whether he left?
Women, Qingyi thought, could be very strange creatures.
Their minds changed like June weather. Even for the thing they cared about most, they still insisted on speaking from the opposite side of their mouths.
The "calm" sigh that grew deeper the more it was suppressed.
The "casual" glance that became sweeter precisely because it was stolen.
Even the slight temperature rise—detectable by any precision thermal sensor—despite being nothing to feel guilty about.
What a shame.
Zhu Yuan… you're still not honest enough.
Qingyi's tone turned light, almost kind.
"If that's the case… I'll try contacting him."
"After all," she added smoothly, "I've dealt with him longer. I know him better, don't I?"
And far away—
Outer Ring, Wildfire Town.
"YOU DUMB, STUPID, FOOLISH—TEA EGG!" Lucy's voice detonated like a grenade.
"Qianye! Just because of a 'reasonable' excuse like that, you gave a whole company to that woman?!"
Qianye shrank back, trying to soothe the oncoming disaster.
"Um… Lucy… calm down—"
"How am I supposed to calm down?!"
"I don't doubt that woman's feelings for you!"
"That's exactly why I can't tolerate it!"
"Qianye, you're hopeless!"
"…Anyway, you have to compensate me!"
"Ah—okay—then can I at least check my phone and reply to a message—"
"No!"
Lucy leaned in, eyes blazing.
"Right now your world can only contain me. Understand?!"
"…Ugh…"
And somewhere in Sixth Street, Qingyi's call was about to connect—
while Zhu Yuan stood rigidly beside her, pretending her heartbeat was perfectly professional.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 139)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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