Shen Zhicheng hadn’t forgotten the two things he’d come to his sister’s office for.
“You won’t like Uncle’s family,” he said. “Honestly, even Grandfather rarely sees them. If you don’t want to go, he won’t force you. I’ll call and make up an excuse for you.”
In reality, over the years, Grandfather had had little contact with Uncle’s family either. Shen Zhicheng didn’t know the full history between the elders — only that his grandfather could never seem to get close to his second son.
But people were complicated, and so were feelings. After all, he was still his child. Without being certain that the car accident involving his eldest son wasn’t an accident, it was too much to expect Shen Chongnian to cut ties with them entirely.
“I want to go,” Li Heng said.
“You want to go? I thought you were only doing it for Grandfather—” Shen Zhicheng paused, then it clicked. “So it’s for me?”
“Shen Zhicheng — don’t flatter yourself.”
She didn’t say it outright, but she understood why Shen Zhicheng was so wary of their uncle’s family.
He’d suffered at their hands before — he didn’t want her to go through the same. Even if he was reluctant, he still stood by her without hesitation, agreeing to go with her.
He worried about her being put in an awkward position. But in truth, Li Heng never forced herself to do anything she didn’t want to.
Even if Grandfather hadn’t invited her, she would have found a chance to meet them sooner or later.
“Forget that — it’s too much trouble. Oh, the celebration banquet’s been finalized — it’s at Sir Pan’s place.” Shen Zhicheng changed the subject. “They say his estate has a public rooftop terrace — spacious enough for a BBQ.”
“I’m not going,” Li Heng said flatly.
Her relationship with the team had improved, but she still wasn’t that close with them.
It was a rare day off — staying home sounded much better than joining that kind of crowd.
“But I’ve already agreed to go,” Shen Zhicheng said, adding: “And Aunt’s coming too!”
“Aunt?”
“She and Sir Pan seem to be old friends — I don’t know the details. Don’t be a buzzkill — come relax with us.” Shen Zhicheng called out with mock seriousness: “Sis.”
The first time he’d called her “Sis,” it was to butter her up — his eyes full of sincerity, his eagerness almost too obvious.
This time, though, it came naturally, warm and coaxing. He kept at it until she finally gave in.
“It’s settled then.” Shen Zhicheng said immediately. “Don’t back out — that would make things really awkward for me.”
Li Heng had no idea what would be so awkward for him.
With those two matters settled, he circled back to his earlier topic.
Shen Zhicheng insisted that Dr. Tong was not to be trusted.
“He really isn’t,” Li Heng agreed.
She ran through Dr. Tong’s credentials in her head.
Tong Yi Wei was young but had an impressive resume. He served as the police force’s lead psychological consultant — his trauma cases had excellent outcomes, and every assessment report he produced was thorough, professional, and compassionate.
Shen Zhicheng was also thinking back to that butterfly of a man.
Showing up out of nowhere, remembering a girl’s preferences, going all the way to Wong Chuk Hang just to buy cocktail buns, cream horns, and kumquat honey — what else could his motive be?
“Think about those cocktail buns…” He trailed off, hesitating, then fell silent.
He kept the rest of his thoughts to himself, chewing on them quietly.
Some things were better left unsaid. His sister hadn’t noticed anything yet — if he tipped her off and her thick skull suddenly caught on, that’d be the end of it.
“The cocktail buns were really good, weren’t they?” Li Heng smacked her lips, already missing them. “The owner puts in so much coconut — creamy but not too sweet — just right.”
“Sis — that guy’s stingy — he only brought one bun!”
“The shop’s so busy you have to queue — there was only one left.” Li Heng frowned at him. “And you ate it — you owe me one.”
Shen Zhicheng let out a long sigh: “Either way, there’s something off about him.”
He wouldn’t say exactly what it was — he just wanted her to figure it out.
Li Heng wasn’t going to guess.
Thinking of how Tong Yi Wei had offered to help with psychological counseling privately, she grabbed a random file from her desk.
“Where are you going?” Shen Zhicheng asked.
“Dr. Tong’s office,” she said. “Delivering a file — very urgent.”
“I’ll do it.” Shen Zhicheng stood up without thinking, snatching the file. “A Major Crime Inspector shouldn’t have to run errands like this.”
Once he was gone, Li Heng picked up the phone on her desk.
After a few rings, Tong Yi Wei’s low, pleasant voice came through.
“Got a moment?” Li Heng said. “An officer from our team is coming over.”
“So sudden?” Tong Yi Wei let out a low chuckle. “No problem.”
“But he’s… not easy to handle.”
“I’ll manage.”
…
The moment Shen Zhicheng stepped into Tong Yi Wei’s office in the Psychological Support Unit, he couldn’t leave.
He was thoroughly annoyed.
He’d only come to deliver a simple file for Li Heng — but Dr. Tong had stopped him and insisted he stay for a psychological evaluation.
“This is a routine mental health screening for all officers — everyone has to do it.” Tong Yi Wei pointed to the materials on the desk.
“I’m not doing this.” Shen Zhicheng frowned immediately and turned to leave. “Madam never mentioned anything about this.”
“Wait.” Tong Yi Wei’s long fingers rested on the phone receiver. “Shall I confirm with her right now?”
Shen Zhicheng stopped halfway, turned around, and sat back down with a sour expression.
On the desk lay a neatly arranged assessment questionnaire — just a few pages, stapled together.
Tong Yi Wei handed him a pen: “Stay calm — don’t approach it with resistance, or the results will be skewed.”
His gaze rested on Shen Zhicheng.
He’d known Li Heng for years — he knew she never went out of her way for anyone. The fact that she’d made such careful arrangements showed just how much this person meant to her.
Tong Yi Wei didn’t know the exact nature of the relationship between Li Heng and this new officer, but since she’d entrusted him with this responsibility, he would see it through.
The office fell quiet.
Shen Zhicheng’s gaze fell on the questionnaire.
He didn’t deny that he might have some psychological issues. But they were minor — they didn’t affect his work or burden his family. He could handle all his emotions on his own.
He’d worked hard to get into the force, to become an auxiliary officer on Team A.
This job hadn’t come easily. His biggest fear was that an abnormal assessment result would leave a mark on his file — and he’d be transferred off the team.
His pen touched the paper. Dark ink bled heavily across the page — stark against the white.
“This report won’t be submitted — it’ll be filed internally here,” Tong Yi Wei said at just the right moment. “Just answer honestly. Half-hearted answers will only waste both our time.”
Shen Zhicheng looked up, his expression sharp and impatient: “Why should I trust you?”
“I’m a professional psychologist.” Tong Yi Wei’s tone was gentle. “You can trust me.”
Shen Zhicheng leaned back in his chair. After a long silence, he finally gripped the pen and put it to paper.
While he filled it out seriously, Tong Yi Wei stepped out.
The questions seemed simple but required careful thought.
By the time he reached the last page, the sky outside had darkened — well past quitting time. Psychiatrists in the unit rarely worked overtime, but Tong Yi Wei had stayed. He stepped out of the spare consultation room, which served as a waiting area, and immediately spotted Li Heng leaning against the wall in the corridor.
She stood with her hands braced behind her, her toes lightly tapping the floor — waiting quietly for a long time.
Just as he started walking toward her, the office door clicked open.
Shen Zhicheng stepped out.
Li Heng gave Tong Yi Wei a slight nod in farewell: “We’re heading off.”
She gave Shen Zhicheng a nudge: “Thank Dr. Tong.”
Shen Zhicheng wasn’t so cooperative — his face contorted with an elaborate mix of glares, squints, and narrowed eyes.
“I’ll have the evaluation results ready soon,” Tong Yi Wei said with a smile.
Shen Zhicheng’s internal alarm bells rang loud and clear.
What was he smiling about!
…
Ever since the case closed, Team A’s daily atmosphere had been relaxed and easy.
The afternoon tea they’d once craved had become a near-daily ritual. Everyone looked forward to the post-lunch delivery — the carefully selected pastries chosen by the young master.
Li Heng was still the same — she rarely chatted with her teammates.
Only the observant Fang Zhishan noticed a subtle change. Before, at lunch, she’d grab a sandwich and retreat to her office, or eat alone in a corner with a simple meal. But now, she sometimes joined them for lunch, and the afternoon teas — she accepted them too, no longer pushing people away.
Shen Zhicheng skillfully opened the afternoon tea box, picking out the pastries his sister liked and arranging them on a tray, ready to bring to her office.
Lin Jiacong stared at that all-too-familiar tray: “Where did that come from?”
“Auntie Kuk from the canteen gave it to me.” Shen Zhicheng also pointed to a drink on his desk. “And there’s a new yin-yang coffee drink — who wants it?”
After lunch, he’d gone to the canteen to borrow the tray. Auntie Kuk had waved her hand with a big smile, telling him to just take it, and handed him a new drink as a bonus.
The others were stunned.
“You mean Auntie Kuk? The Auntie Kuk we know?”
“I don’t believe it — how can she be so biased?”
Everyone in the station knew Auntie Kuk was famously stingy — one scoop would shake three times, and she’d barely give an extra fish ball.
Now she was actually giving things away!
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