This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.
Amid the laughter of the entire class, Dou Bao was impressed by Xu Pingqiu’s demeanor and turned to Yu Zui, saying solemnly, “Yu’er, it seems the old man really knows his stuff, doesn’t he?”
“If he didn’t have real skills, how could he fool us?” Yu Zui replied with a smile.
“What do you mean by fooling? He guessed pretty well,” Dou Bao said, apparently won over by Xu Pingqiu.
“Are you silly? Just by looking at Jie Bing’s face-washing and perfume-spraying dandy appearance, anyone can tell he’s a rich official’s kid. Does that even need guessing?” Yu Zui dismissed the idea.
Yu Zui, with his typical aloof manner, never really believed in the organization. Dou Bao, not receiving agreement, ignored him and turned his attention back to Xu Pingqiu, who was speaking eloquently at the podium. Xu’s accurate assessment had subdued the usually arrogant Jie Bing, impressing the young, inexperienced students with his ability to read people.
Seeing Jie Bing a bit embarrassed, Xu Pingqiu smiled and explained, “Please sit down, Student Jie Bing. I’m not targeting you. In fact, having such an advantageous family background as yours is something most people would envy.”
Giving Jie Bing a way to save face, Xu Pingqiu then turned and continued, “In Sherlock Holmes’ investigations, what is most used is the judgment of a person’s behavior patterns through details. The reason Sherlock Holmes has become globally popular, I believe, is not because the cases are so fascinating, but because what he narrates are things an ordinary person can do – yet also things ordinary people overlook. If you pick up these details, one day, you’ll find that you too can be like Sherlock Holmes, or even better.”
His words, though not loud, seemed to resonate deeply with the novice students. An Jialu, first shocked then amazed, was truly impressed by the old policeman’s insight. She led the applause, followed by two, then three, until the whole classroom was clapping. Not just for those strange questions, but for his ability to see through Jie Bing at a glance, they felt he deserved a round of applause.
The only one not clapping, Xu Pingqiu noticed, was a student lounging in the back row, fiddling with a pen in his hand, twirling it around his thumb – a common student gesture indicating extreme boredom. Xu Pingqiu was slightly surprised and memorized that face, a face not easy to remember – not ugly, not handsome, like a common cabbage on the roadside, easy to overlook.
Then, turning back, he called out to his colleagues, encouraging them, “Next, those who aspire to join the elite competition, go to Chief Shi to sign up and get a form. Submit it before class this afternoon. We will be here for three to five days. When we leave, I will take with me all the elites of the police academy, to build a world-renowned iron police team.”
Amidst applause, such a special team was easily inspired by passionate words. As Chief Shi stepped forward, quite a few rushed to grab the forms. An Jialu in the third row turned her head and asked the somewhat disheartened Jie Bing, “Are you signing up?”
“If you sign up, I will too,” Jie Bing said, setting a condition.
“Of course, I’m signing up,” An Jialu got up, and Jie Bing hurriedly stood up to follow suit, naturally signing up as well.
Seeing such enthusiasm, Xu Pingqiu felt especially proud. Standing next to his old classmates and Principal Wang, Principal Wang casually said, “Pingqiu, you could have just selected from the profiles, why create such a big fuss? Isn’t this just setting up some kids for disappointment?”
“Profiles can’t reflect true quality,” Xu Pingqiu shook his head.
“What kind of person are you actually looking to select? Isn’t their instructor right here? Why not just ask him directly?” Director Jiang asked.
“I’m looking for someone with unlimited potential to be unearthed. Is there anyone like that?” Xu Pingqiu asked pointedly.
“I don’t know. You choose,” the instructor said with a smile.
The group left temporarily, laughing and chatting. As Xu Pingqiu turned around, he saw the students rushing to get the forms. He deliberately searched for the student who had been talking quietly earlier. Seeing him still talking, his indifferent manner seemed as if he had nothing to do with the situation.
“What’s the name of the one sitting in the back left corner?” Xu Pingqiu casually asked the instructor. The instructor looked back and casually replied, “His name is Yu Zui.”
“Yu Zui? Oh, he’s Yu Zui. When I saw the list, I couldn’t believe it was a person’s name,” Xu Pingqiu remarked. “Yu Zui” is a legal term, meaning undisclosed or unconfessed crimes.
“That’s correct, his surname is Yu, and his name is Zui. Please, Chief Xu,” the instructor said politely, gesturing with his hand. Xu Pingqiu then left.
Chief Shi was left to distribute the forms. Almost everyone had received one. When he looked up, he was surprised to see An Jialu standing beside him. He asked curiously, “What’s the matter, Student An?”
“Is Chief Xu really as legendary as they say? I’ve read his reports and internal information. We call him the ‘Police King’ in private,” An Jialu said, her tone not without admiration. Young women are often easily influenced by the deeds of great heroes, especially when they are in the same profession. As she spoke, a group of male and female students gathered around, gossiping and asking about the cases Xu Pingqiu had handled – the psychopathic murderer, the cross-provincial drug trafficking, and the explosion in the Changgang Workers’ District. They showed great interest in these cases, which sounded almost like tall tales.
“Hey, hey, students, students, remember the discipline. Case details should not be disclosed randomly. Wait until you become criminal police, then you can check the internal network. Alright… anyone else signing up?” Chief Shi was a bit bewildered by the students’ enthusiasm and tried to fend them off, but An Jialu was not done yet and continued to press, “What about just now?”
“What about just now?”
“How did Chief Xu immediately notice Jie Bing’s special interest in painting and art appreciation?”
“Yeah, Chief Shi, his dad runs an auction house, and they deal with art auctions.”
“Exactly. And how could one tell he doesn’t have smoking or drinking habits?”
“We can see other things, but how could anyone tell he hasn’t succeeded in pursuing Jialu?”
The students surrounded Chief Shi, talking all at once, causing quite a commotion. A few girls seemed to be teasing An Jialu deliberately. However, from their conversation, it was clear that these novices were indeed awestruck by Xu Pingqiu’s insights. At that moment, Jie Bing stood next to Chief Shi, seemingly proud in the face of the students’ curiosity. He did indeed look like someone from a well-off family. Chief Shi, smiling, said, “So, you all think this is amazing?”
“Yes, it is really quite impressive,” An Jialu said with a smile.
“Do you believe I can be that impressive too?” Chief Shi said, pointing at Jie Bing with a smile. “Look, Student Jie Bing’s shirt collar is very clean, and his fingernails are well-groomed. You can tell a lot about his lifestyle habits from that.”
“What about smoking and drinking habits?” a boy asked.
“Do you think a person who pays so much attention to their lifestyle would have bad habits like smoking or drinking?”
“And the artistic taste? How can you tell that?” a girl asked.
“Look at his iPad on the desk. Even the cover is carefully selected, with artistic illustrations. You wouldn’t pay attention to such a detail without some artistic appreciation,” Chief Shi said, pointing at Jie Bing’s tablet, laughing. Turning back to see Jie Bing’s mix of embarrassment and pride, he added, “Look at the watch he’s wearing – a high-end sports watch. Then look at the brand of his shirt. If we can’t guess his family background from that, then we’re too dumb to be detectives. I’m just an administrative officer; the real detectives can even analyze your personality traits just by looking at you… Anyone else signing up?”
Chief Shi provided an impressive answer. Observing the slightly disappointed expressions of the students, he laughed. Once the miraculous process was explained, the answer seemed trivial. He shouted about the few remaining forms, and someone who had been wrestling with the decision finally made up their mind – a somewhat chubby boy, looking a bit confused, raised his hand and rushed to grab one. It was the last form distributed. As Chief Shi laughed and left the classroom, the room erupted into noise. The clearest thing he heard was:
“Mouse, can you even run five kilometers? What elite are you trying to be?”
This was followed by a burst of laughter and shouts, a scene that reminded Chief Shi of his days at the police academy, where they used all kinds of strange nicknames for each other, creating a sense of camaraderie. He closed the door, shutting in the boisterous noise of the classroom.
Last Edit: December 21, 2023 at 3:36 PM
This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.