Chapter 6: Gland Abnormality
A light drizzle fell, painting the maple forest in vibrant hues. In the distance, Crane Ascent Lake was shrouded in mist, the fleeting raindrops leaving autumnal traces on the tempered glass windows, quickly wiped away by miniature robots.
In the spacious office, Ming Zaozao’s voice was crystal clear, pulling Zhu Yiqiao’s memory back to the afternoon of their first encounter.
When they had disabled all the security locks with their equipment and blocked all electronic signals, a small figure appeared at the entrance.
Despite having seen Ming Zaozao’s file and photos beforehand, the moment their eyes met, Chief Justice Zhu Yiqiao, usually unflappable and in control, was momentarily at a loss.
“Who… who are you?”
Noticing the guns at their waists, Ming Zaozao seemed to understand and pulled out her own pink toy gun.
She approached them, the little buns on her head bobbing. “Aunties, are you police officers?”
Lan Lubai was the first to react. She removed her sidearm, crouched down to Ming Zaozao’s level, and explained in the gentlest voice possible, “Yes, we’re… something like police officers.”
Ming Zaozao accepted this without question. Her mother had told her that the security locks at home were very strong and would trap any bad guys trying to cause trouble. Only she, Mama, Aunt Wang, and Auntie Xingzi knew the password, and only the police could override the system.
Besides, Ming Zaozao thought she’d seen the auntie with blue eyes on the screen before. She seemed like an important auntie, honored by the monarch, possessing powerful magic, and who defeated bad guys.
“Wow, you’re so amazing!” Ming Zaozao exclaimed. “When Baby grows up, Baby also wants to be a police officer and protect Mama, protect puppies, kitties, lambs…”
She wanted to protect so many animals she could hardly count them all. “And protect everyone!”
“So impressive!” Lan Lubai patted her head. “Then, sweet girl, can you take us inside? We know your mother is still at school, so we’ll wait for her here.”
“Okay!”
Zhu Yiqiao, observing this entire scene, remained silent. She walked behind them, expressionless, her cape swirling around her. Her first instinct was to conceal her weapon. It wasn’t until they were all seated in the living room, and Ming Zaozao tripped over a toy on the carpet, that her expression changed.
Min Man quickly scooped up Ming Zaozao and patted her knee. While Ming Zaozao toddled off to fetch them something, Zhu Yiqiao bent down and picked up the toy gun, carefully placing it on the table.
When Ming Zaozao returned, she shyly but happily thanked her.
A while later—
Exhausted from playing with Min Man and Lan Lubai, Ming Zaozao was taken to her bedroom for a nap by Wei Lingyu.
Time slipped by with the sound of rain. Forty minutes later, when the smart security door opened again, Zhu Yiqiao saw, reflected in the balcony glass, the person who would throw her carefully ordered life into disarray.
—Ming Fei.
A completely unfamiliar name.
Someone who should have had no connection to her life whatsoever.
“Auntie.”
Ming Zaozao’s voice pulled Zhu Yiqiao out of her memory.
Ming Zaozao on the screen was pleading again, saying she wanted to see her mother. The tremor in her voice grew more pronounced, as if tears were about to spill.
“Baby really, really misses Mama.”
“Baby had a scary dream, dreamt that Mama was gone.”
Within seconds, the first crystal-clear teardrop rolled down Ming Zaozao’s perfectly round cheek, disappearing into the collar of her clothes, a precursor to many more.
Lan Lubai’s heart ached. “Sweetheart, don’t cry. Your Mama will be back soon.”
“Baby wants to see Mama now.”
Perhaps because the aloof and noble woman hadn’t responded, Ming Zaozao burst into tears, the tears she’d been holding back now streaming down her face. She pouted, wiping her eyes with her little hands, rubbing them until they were red.
Her muffled sobs echoed both in the car and Zhu Yiqiao’s office, like a small animal whimpering in distress after being bullied in the wilderness.
Just as Min Man couldn’t resist offering words of comfort, Zhu Yiqiao finally moved.
She strode to her desk, pulled out an execution order bearing the Court’s insignia from the drawer, swiftly signed it with a few strokes of the pen, and finally looked up at Ming Zaozao, her tear-streaked face filling the display.
“I’ll have them deliver this to you. With this, you can come in. No one will stop you.”
She added softly, “Don’t cry.”
Ming Zaozao, who couldn’t read, peered at the document, her long eyelashes clumped together with tears, her eyes brimming. After confirming with Wei Lingyu beside her several times, Ming Zaozao finally broke into a smile.
Her smile was truly endearing, her dimples sweet, her words comforting.
“Thank you, pretty Auntie.”
“You’re so nice!” she sniffled. “Baby won’t forget Auntie. Next time we meet, Baby will give Auntie a present.”
Zhu Yiqiao: “Mm.”
Wei Lingyu seemed to want to say something, but Ming Zaozao’s little hand, waving excitedly at the screen, accidentally ended the video call.
Silence returned to the room. Lan Lubai and Min Man exchanged glances, silently urging each other to speak.
“Ahem…”
Lan Lubai broke the silence first. “Boss, it’ll take at least an hour for Secretary Wei to get here with Zaozao. We only have seven hours left before the detention limit expires. If we can’t find any evidence against Ms. Ming within those seven hours, we have to release her.”
“Understood.”
Min Man was the most perceptive of the three and the only one with connections within the Court.
She took off her uniform cap, revealing a scar on her forehead, her amber eyes giving her the look of an alert cheetah.
“The original victim list was broadcast internally during the meeting. Now everyone in the Court knows you’re on the list, and they’ll soon know you have a daughter. The Independent State mandates that in the first two years of the Chief Justice’s term, there are annual public opinion polls and internal performance reviews.”
“In these reviews, the Chief Justice’s family and personal life are important criteria.” Min Man paused. “Boss, congratulations on having a daughter. But this also means you now have a vulnerability. If this isn’t handled properly, it could create quite a stir in the year-end review.”
The electronic diffuser on the corner of the desk filled the room with the subtle scent of cedarwood.
Zhu Yiqiao offered no response, picking up her uniform jacket from the coat stand. “When Ming Yi arrives, bring her to my office first.”
“Alright.”
This was the second day of Ming Fei’s detention. She sat quietly on the edge of the bed, awaiting her next interrogation.
The walls of the detention cell were white as snow, spotless.
Since being brought in the evening before last, Ming Fei hadn’t slept well. Now, her thoughts were even more jumbled. When she woke up this morning, she noticed a slight stinging sensation in her gland.
For an inferior alpha, this was highly unusual. Ever since her injury during differentiation, her gland had been completely unresponsive.
Why… Why would she suddenly feel this strange stinging sensation now?
Ming Fei couldn’t understand it.
However, the faint stinging was fleeting. If she hadn’t distinctly felt it originating from her gland, she would have likely dismissed it.
The detention cell on the third floor was quiet, so quiet that she could hear the footsteps of the staff.
Ming Fei wondered if this meant another interrogation. Based on her calculations, she only had seven hours left until her release.
Her suspicion was quickly confirmed.
The dark security door opened. An officer walked briskly towards her and escorted her to the interrogation room. Ming Fei cooperated fully, calm and composed, confident that even the most advanced interrogation techniques wouldn’t extract any confession from her.
Because she hadn’t done anything wrong, let alone anything illegal.
The interrogation room was much larger than the detention cell. Ming Fei sat obediently on the metal chair, shivering in the cold.
She was very susceptible to the cold, her hands and feet turning icy in autumn and winter. But Ming Zaozao was a little furnace, radiating warmth, often cuddling a plushie and asking to sleep with her, sprawling out and turning Ming Fei into a heat source as well.
These thoughts intensified her worry for her daughter.
Although Ming Zaozao was usually well-behaved and easy to manage, obedient and understanding during every separation, Ming Fei still felt anxious.
Because this time, they hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye, not even a single word.
“Beep—”
The silence in the interrogation room was broken by the sound of the door opening.
Ming Fei looked up, surprised to see Zhu Yiqiao enter.
She understood the gravity of the gene theft case, but did this Chief Justice need to personally handle a relatively minor matter like an interrogation?
While she pondered this, Zhu Yiqiao sat down and asked her first question.
“Name.”
“Ming Fei.”
“Age.”
“25.”
After confirming these basic details that had been previously recorded, Zhu Yiqiao suddenly changed her line of questioning.
“Your records indicate that you lived in a remote border region until the age of seventeen without legal citizenship. Then, at seventeen, you came to Xi He City alone to work and gained admission to Q University through independent enrollment.”
Zhu Yiqiao’s voice was cold. “Now, please recount your life before the age of seventeen.”
Ming Fei was prepared for this question. Or rather, ever since she transmigrated to this world and realized she couldn’t go back, she’d crafted a detailed backstory for herself.
Much of it was based on her real experiences.
“You may not believe me, but I’ve been an orphan since I was a child and have endured hardships you can’t imagine…” She recounted her fabricated past. “After leaving that place, I used the little money I had left to buy a ticket to Xi He City, worked part-time while studying, and only obtained legal citizenship before the entrance exam.”
Zhu Yiqiao was clearly not easily fooled. “Taoqiu Village? That sounds like a made-up name.”
“It’s not made up.” Ming Fei explained, “Taoqiu Village is located in a remote border area. It has a small population, and even locals are barely aware of its existence. It’s not even marked on the official Yi Meng Independent State map.”
If any of the previous interrogators were present, Ming Fei wouldn’t be nervous. But the fact that it was Zhu Yiqiao conducting this final interrogation made her tense, despite having rehearsed this story countless times.
“You claim you’ve been an orphan since childhood. Have you never searched for your biological mother?” Zhu Yiqiao’s tone was measured. “If no one can corroborate your story, I have every reason to believe you’re fabricating it.”
“Fabricating a false identity to garner sympathy and then using that identity to engage in gene theft.”
Ming Fei was indeed apprehensive about the lack of witnesses and Zhu Yiqiao’s sharp mind, but she maintained her composure.
“Chief Justice Zhu,” she said, biting her lip, “if you’re going to use my orphan status and my difficult upbringing to attack and question me, then allow me to raise similar doubts about you.”
“As far as I know, your official online profile reveals very little about your life before the age of twenty.”
She had no interest in the lives of these powerful politicians. But due to the recent gene theft scandal, Zhu Yiqiao’s name had become increasingly prominent in her life. A few nights ago, when the media bombarded her with related news, she’d visited the public network to look up Zhu Yiqiao’s profile.
Perhaps for protection, or some other reason, the information about Zhu Yiqiao’s life before twenty was scarce. Compared to the detailed profiles of other Court officials, the Chief Justice seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Realizing she had overstepped, Ming Fei quickly added, “I apologize, it wasn’t my intention to question you, nor to attack you with this. I just want to defend myself.”
Zhu Yiqiao looked at her, a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.
“You received a perfect score in the cultivation center’s assessment. How long did you prepare for that?”
The cultivation center’s assessment for matching candidates was rigorous, involving a comprehensive background check, personality evaluation, assessment of living conditions, and more. Candidates were also required to master all skills related to infant and child care and pass an exam based on thirteen professional parenting books.
Failure in any area meant disqualification from gene matching.
Ming Fei, unsure why she was being asked this, answered truthfully, “About three months.”
Zhu Yiqiao abruptly shifted gears. “What kind of tanks are the goldfish in Jing’an Gold Shop kept in?”
Ming Fei froze. “What… what tanks?”
“—What comes after ‘When people are still, then there is peace’?”
Ming Fei instinctively replied, “When things are still, then there is order; when the heart is still, then there is victory.”
“Where in the basement is the Saint-Fioraltar statue displayed?”
Ming Fei looked utterly bewildered.
Observing the interrogation through the one-way mirror, Lan Lubai commented, “Her reaction doesn’t seem fake. If she really had other connections to Jing’an Gold Shop, she would know these things.”
Min Man nodded. “Or she’s an incredibly good liar.”
“Oh, the little one should be arriving soon. Let’s go pick her up.”
“Let’s go.”
Meanwhile, Ming Fei, completely flustered by the questions, suddenly felt another stinging sensation in her gland, coming and going, like an ant bite. And like before, it was fleeting, lasting less than thirty seconds.
Her expression didn’t change, but her knuckles turned white, her worry about this sensation overriding her fear of Zhu Yiqiao.
Fortunately, Zhu Yiqiao didn’t continue the interrogation.
She stood up, looking down at Ming Fei, her deep blue eyes like a vast ocean, easily drawing one in.
“—This interrogation is concluded.”
Half an hour later.
When the security door of the detention cell opened again, Ming Fei felt lightheaded and slightly feverish, suspecting she might be coming down with a cold.
Just as she was about to ask for assistance, the officer who had been patrolling the third floor unlocked her handcuffs and gave her a kind smile.
“You’re free to go.”
Ming Fei was stunned.
Delayed joy surged through her. She politely thanked the officer.
Following the officer, she took the elevator down and exited the building. Reaching the flowerbed outside, she took a deep breath of fresh air and heard a voice calling out.
“—Mama! Mama!”
Ming Fei turned and saw Ming Zaozao and Li Xing running towards her. Ming Zaozao, in her pale yellow penguin outfit, her round face beaming, rushed into her arms, her voice choked with emotion.
“Mama, Baby missed you.”
“Zaozao.” Ming Fei held her tightly. “Mama missed you too.”
Ming Zaozao looked up at her. “Baby missed you super much.”
“Alright, Zaozao missed Mama super-duper much.” Ming Fei smiled tenderly. “What are you doing here, Zaozao?”
“The aunties brought Baby here, Baby came to find Mama.”
Ming Fei looked over and saw the two executive officers, the Secretary-General, and the enigmatic Chief Justice standing beneath a golden ginkgo tree.
She figured she might interact with Secretary-General Wei Lingyu again, but she likely wouldn’t cross paths with the other three.
To express her gratitude for being released and her respect for the Court’s work, Ming Fei handed Ming Zaozao to Li Xing and walked towards the four figures.
The drizzle had stopped long ago, and ginkgo leaves carpeted the ground.
Ming Fei, not naturally sociable, had learned some polite formalities over the years at her job. She mentally rehearsed what she wanted to say and then thanked the four officials with a smile. Just as she was about to leave, the imposing Chief Justice suddenly called her name.
“—Ming Fei.”
When Ming Fei turned around, the other three were walking away. She and Zhu Yiqiao were now alone under the ginkgo tree.
“Chief Justice Zhu, is there something else?”
The autumn wind rustled, billowing Zhu Yiqiao’s cape. Her tone was cryptic.
“Starting Friday, I’ll be moving into Huifu Gardens.”
Ming Fei didn’t think much of it, assuming Zhu Yiqiao was simply relocating.
“Congratulations, Chief Justice Zhu.”
“I’ll need a clean and tidy bedroom, and a study.”
A question mark slowly formed above Ming Fei’s head. She was certainly intimidated by, even afraid of, Zhu Yiqiao. But faced with such a straightforward yet strange request, she couldn’t help but ask, “Chief Justice Zhu, are you telling me this because you need my help with something?”
Zhu Yiqiao explained slowly, “You do meet the conditions for release, but until this matter is fully resolved, the Court will continue to monitor your activities. And I need to ensure the safety of my daughter.”
Ming Fei understood the first part, but the last sentence left her completely baffled. She clearly remembered that the young Chief Justice’s official profile stated that she was unmarried and had no children.
She asked, “Your daughter?”
Zhu Yiqiao’s lips parted slightly. “Ming Yi.”
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