A few days later, I had already started to slowly forget about what had happened. One morning, I headed to the Director's office to deliver the quarterly report from Investigation Room One. At the elevator, I ran into Xiao Heshang, who appeared to be idling about. Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to come along to visit Gao Fatty.
As we entered the office, we were surprised to find an elderly woman, likely in her fifties or sixties, already seated inside.
When she saw me enter, the old woman stood up and said to Gao Liang, "I'll be counting on you for this matter. You're the only one I can rely on now—make sure to send your best men. Wait… Heshang, is that you?"
Xiao Heshang looked like he had turned to stone. His mouth hung open, but no words came out. It took him quite a while to collect himself before he finally said, "Moyan, it's been over thirty years… you haven't changed a bit." As he spoke, I noticed something odd—Xiao Heshang, the old woman named Moyan, and Gao Liang all had strange, unnatural expressions on their faces.
I think I was starting to get it… The relationship among these three was… complicated.
Just as my curiosity began to flare up, it was quickly extinguished again. Gao Liang coughed, glanced at me, then at the door. The meaning was crystal clear. I sensibly handed over the documents and quietly slipped out of the Director's office, even pulling the door shut behind me for good measure.
The next time I saw Xiao Heshang was over an hour later. He and Gao Fatty were escorting the old woman to the front gate of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, where a Lexus was waiting. The three of them chatted at the gate for a bit longer before the old woman reluctantly got into the car.
Sun Fatty and I were leaning over a windowsill, watching the sunset scene play out below. As he watched, Sun Fatty's expression became more and more animated, right up until the Lexus disappeared completely from view. Xiao Heshang and Gao Liang were still staring off in the direction the car had gone, and I could clearly see that both their eyes were red. Combined, the two of them were nearly a hundred and forty years old, and yet at that moment, they looked like two heartbroken young men who had just been dumped.
Sun Fatty couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Both Xiao Heshang and Gao Liang lifted their heads to glare in our direction. That bastard Sun Fatty suddenly jerked backward, leaving me hanging over the windowsill alone.
"Shen La, what are you laughing at?" Gao Liang shouted. Judging by his tone, he wasn't in the best mood.
"I… was doing vocal exercises," I said, spouting nonsense. Sun Fatty was crouched next to me, trying to stifle his laughter with a hand over his mouth. I was so angry I kicked him.
Xiao Heshang gave me a look—it seemed he had figured something out. "Little Lazi, you're by yourself? Where's Sun Fatty?"
"Who knows where that guy's wandered off to?" I replied grumpily.
"Alright, go find Sun Desheng. Once you've found him, both of you head to the meeting room. On the way, swing by the other six investigation rooms and round up anyone who's got nothing better to do." Gao Liang called out to me. When he mentioned Sun Desheng, he deliberately emphasized the name. Then he and Xiao Heshang walked back into the building one after the other.
Crouching on the ground, Sun Fatty looked worried. In a hushed voice, he said, "You think Old Gao recognized me?"
I shot him a glare. "Ask him yourself."
—
After making a round through the Bureau, I gathered up all the loafers—which basically meant Hao Wenming and Po Jun. When I found them, the two were deep in discussion about dinner plans. Coincidentally, there were still seven or eight people in Room Two who hadn't gone out on assignment. Sun Fatty and I herded them all into the meeting room.
When we entered, we found several people already seated. Besides the remaining investigators from other rooms, two directors who hadn't shown up in a while—Nicholas Hugo and Ouyang Pianzuo—were also present. What was different this time was that every seat had a tablet computer in front of it, and the purpose of the meeting had apparently already been preloaded into each device.
Once everyone was roughly in place, Gao Liang turned to Xiao Heshang and asked, "You want to explain it, or should I?"
"You're the boss. If you want to talk, go ahead. If you don't, I will." In the Bureau, there didn't seem to be anyone who could really put Xiao Heshang in his place—not even Gao Fatty, who could only force a wry smile.
"Alright, I'll explain then," said Director Gao, seemingly unfazed. After all, the two had known each other for decades. Ever since they had a falling-out with Xiao Sanda over thirty years ago, Xiao Heshang had never once given him a pleasant look.
"The Bureau just received a case of an unusual missing person. It's not a huge matter, but the negative impact is significant. Plus, the person involved has high social status, so I've bumped this case up to top priority. Any objections?"
Though no one openly objected, there were murmurs of dissent. Since its inception, the Bureau had always followed strict protocols. Unless it was a major incident, no case would normally be prioritized.
There was also an unspoken rule within the Bureau: cases marked for priority handling were almost always extremely tough nuts to crack—usually assigned to the six directors and a select few elite investigators. So now, with another priority case being brought up, hesitation rippled through the room.
"Director Gao, if it's marked as a priority, we'll defer to your judgment," said our international comrade, Nicholas Hugo, unable to hold back. His fluent Mandarin even made Ouyang Pianzuo next to him look a little embarrassed. Hugo continued, "If possible, could you give us a rundown of the case?"
"Of course," Gao Fatty nodded. "You've all heard of Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy, right? Yes, that's the largest private school in the country. Starting last month, students began to go missing. At first, they thought it was just truancy or kids sneaking off. But after an exhaustive search inside and outside the campus, no trace was found. The first case hasn't been solved yet, and then on the first of this month, another student vanished…"
As Director Gao spoke, everyone began reviewing the Academy's data on their tablets.
During a pause, Hao Wenming said, "Director Gao, no offense, but this sounds like a regular missing person case. I don't see how it concerns us at the Bureau. Shouldn't this be handled by the police?"
Gao Liang shot him a look. "Why don't you let me finish first? After the first disappearance, the Academy installed surveillance cameras all over the place. But when the second student vanished, the school and police combed through all the footage—and found nothing."
Director Gao exhaled slowly and continued, "Due to the immense influence of Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy, and the high-profile backgrounds of many students, we've come to an agreement with the academy to avoid public speculation. You will enter the academy disguised as students and teachers to conduct the investigation."
"Director Gao, are you sure about that?" Sun Fatty, who had been silent all along, finally spoke after Gao Liang finished. "That's a girls' academy. As far as I know, at Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy, even the janitors and security guards are women. How are a bunch of grown men like us supposed to get in?"
"That was in the past," Gao Liang replied with a faint smile. "As of today, Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy has been renamed Vermilion Bird Business Academy. They'll temporarily admit male students and hire male staff until the case is resolved. Got it? Eighteen hundred female students, and just about twenty of you men as students and faculty."
Gao Liang's tone intentionally grew heavier toward the end of his sentence. The effect was immediate—regardless of marital status, everyone's face lit up with a strange excitement.
"All right, I'll now announce the personnel assigned to Vermilion Bird Business Academy along with their roles. Hao Wenming—Geography teacher. Nicholas Hugo—English teacher. Ouyang Pianzuo—History teacher…"
After assigning roles to the department heads, he moved on to the investigators. Just then, the conference room door opened and someone walked in. The room fell noticeably silent. Almost everyone who turned to look carried a trace of wariness in their gaze—especially those from Department Two, who looked as though they were ready to grind their teeth.
"Yang Xiao? What are you doing here?" Gao Liang looked surprised. According to Po Jun, Director Wu of Department Six never attended meetings like this, and since Yang Xiao had joined the Bureau, no one had ever seen him set foot in the conference room. Yet here he was, still wearing the meek and cautious expression from his days as a low-ranking police officer in Qilin City. If not for the fact that everyone in the room knew his background, no one would associate him with the notorious ghost incident at the fifteenth floor of Qilin Tower.
Yang Xiao was well aware he wasn't welcome. He walked to Gao Liang and whispered something into his ear.
Gao Liang froze for a moment, seemingly unsure of what he had just heard. He asked again, "Are you saying Wu Rendi is going to the girls' academy too?"
Yang Xiao nodded with the polite smile of a civil servant. "You could ask Director Wu yourself, if you'd like."
Gao Liang's expression turned odd. He couldn't think of any reason why Wu Rendi would want to go to the girls' academy, but knowing better than to offend him, Gao Liang hesitated for a second and then said, "Wu Rendi—Physical Education teacher." Yang Xiao nodded again, said nothing further, and left the room. Clearly, he was just there to deliver the message.
"All right, the remaining investigators will be disguised as students in the university division—except for Sun Desheng." Gao Liang announced the final batch of roles. I glanced around and noticed that all the assigned "students" were either quite young or had baby faces.
Sun Fatty grew anxious. "Director Gao, what about me? What am I supposed to do?"
Gao Liang looked him up and down. "Sun Desheng, you tell me. Do you think you're better suited to be a teacher or a student?" Gao had a point. Sun Fatty might've been in his twenties, but his mature face made him look at least thirty-five. Too old to be a student, and too unrefined to pass for a teacher.
Blinking thoughtfully, Sun Fatty said, "There's gotta be something I can do, right?"
Gao Liang replied, "Not necessarily nothing. Vermilion Bird Business Academy is still short a male janitor. Interested?"
"Did I hear you right?" Sun Fatty exaggeratedly perked up his ears. "They're all going in as teachers or students, and you're sending me in as a janitor?"
Gao Liang tilted his chin, "Well, take it or leave it."
Sun Fatty glanced at a certain student's profile on the computer, clenched his jaw, and said, "Fine, I'll do it!"
Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy was the largest all-girls school in the country. It originated from the Zhuque City Business College. In the 1990s, it was converted into the nation's only exclusive institution for girls. The academy included primary, secondary, and university divisions. Most girls entered in primary school and stayed for sixteen years.
It was called the only one of its kind because it truly was—every student was female, and even the entire faculty and staff were all women. In short, aside from rodents, there wasn't a single male creature on campus.
From the day it was established, Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy upheld a singular ideal: All women who are both beautiful and intelligent shall come from Vermilion Bird. To achieve this, their admissions process was famously stringent—aside from rigorous written and oral exams, they also investigated the family background of applicants for three generations. Any applicant with a direct relative who had a criminal record or mental illness was automatically disqualified.
As a result, for a long time, high-ranking officials and private entrepreneurs considered it a great honor if their daughters were accepted into Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy.
The elderly woman I had seen in the Director's office that day was named Su Moyan, the principal of the academy. Rumor had it she was an old acquaintance of Director Gao (and, according to some, an old flame of Xiao Heshang).
Years ago, when Principal Su had first heard rumors about the Investigation Bureau from Gao Liang (or Xiao Heshang), his response was vague and noncommittal. It wasn't until recently—after a series of bizarre disappearances—that Principal Su remembered her old friends. She reached out to Gao Liang and explained the situation. One look and Gao knew it was within their jurisdiction. He immediately agreed and, perhaps hoping to earn some points with Su Moyan, sent a sizable team.
Once we packed our things, Director Gao and Xiao Heshang led the team personally, flying with Principal Su on the Bureau's private plane to Zhuque City. Upon landing, two large buses were already waiting.
To my surprise, the buses didn't head straight for the academy. Instead, we were taken to Liyuan Grand Hotel in Zhuque City, where Gao Liang booked half a floor at the top level—clearly intending to use it as a base of operations.
After a short break, Gao gathered us in a suite, handed out uniforms to each investigator—even Sun Fatty received a janitor's uniform—and laid out the ground rules for the academy. In truth, there was only one rule: Do not, under any circumstances, touch the female students.
Xiao Heshang added, "Whatever part you use to touch them, I'll cut off that part." Though, judging by his weak tone, he seemed to be saying it more for Principal Su's benefit. Everyone in the Bureau knew that Xiao Heshang, boss of Lingyun Entertainment, had a habit of handing out business cards and inviting any halfway decent-looking woman to "audition."
Once we were dressed, all of us boarded the bus again. About twenty minutes later, we arrived at Vermilion Bird Girls' Academy. They had been informed ahead of time and prepared a welcome ceremony for the "new students."
Hundreds of beautiful, youthful girls lined both sides of the gate, clapping in unison. The Bureau had no female investigators, and our yang energy had been unbalanced for ages. Now, suddenly surrounded by hundreds of young, attractive girls in their prime, clapping and smiling at us—it was hard not to get overwhelmed.
We finally made it through the crowd when a student council member came over and led us to the school's auditorium. Gao's group, accompanied by Principal Su, entered the hall through another route and went straight to the stage.
Sun Fatty had wanted to enter with us, but a girl stopped him. "Janitors don't attend the welcome ceremony. Go find Supervisor Xia-jie. The restrooms in the main building need their drains unclogged. That'll be your job."
Sun Fatty could hardly believe it. "You want me to fix drains? Don't you hire plumbers for that?"
The girl gave him a look. "Our policy forbids outside men from entering the school. If anything needs doing, we either hire female professionals or our in-house janitors handle it. Things like this were always dealt with by our own janitors before."