Chapter 20: A Figure of Importance

"I feel... you’re a good cop?" Little Ma hesitated.

Zhang Jing was taken aback. "And then?"

"I have a major case to report, but I’m hesitating, not sure who to go to..." Little Ma stammered.

Zhang Jing, looking exasperated, turned to leave. "Forget it, you’ve already delayed long enough, and I’m not handling your case. If you need to report something, follow the proper procedure."

A few black lines seemed to appear on Little Ma's face, but she still hesitated. This matter was complicated, and a case of this magnitude would definitely require the informant’s identity to be verified. Little Ma had a name, but if she entered "Ma Weimin" into the police system, the face that would come up wouldn’t match hers, which would raise suspicions. Besides, large amounts of cash were involved, which were difficult to explain. In the end, Little Ma could only watch Zhang Jing’s beautiful figure swiftly disappear into the distance—she was walking fast, clearly in a hurry. Otherwise, today might have ended badly. Several times she had opened the police system, only to be distracted by trivial matters, and never got around to verifying the name Ma Weimin.

"I’ll have to think of another way, get Xiaoxiao and the money out."

Muttering to herself, Little Ma left, but not before taking a business card from Zhang Jing’s desk. It had the anti-terrorist officer’s number on it...

Coming down from the elevator, Little Ma nearly collapsed at the sight in the lobby.

There was Wang Xiao’ai, brandishing a broom like a bandit invading a village, squaring off against the anti-terrorist woman, while Zhang Jing looked like she was about to explode in frustration.

Little Ma’s mouth fell half open; she genuinely couldn’t fathom why such a bizarre scene was unfolding.

"You little brat, have you lost your mind? Drop the weapon—no, I mean, put the state property down! That broom belongs to the government," Zhang Jing scolded, trying to rush forward and apprehend the little troublemaker, but the girl was too quick, wielding the filthy broom like a mischievous imp.

Zhang Jing’s clothes were pristine white—she didn’t want to get them dirty. So every time she moved, Xiao’ai jabbed with the broom. Reluctant to damage her own image, Zhang Jing had no choice but to maintain a stalemate with the little girl.

At one point, Zhang Jing saw an opening and lunged, but Wang Xiao’ai dodged nimbly and, instead, drove Zhang Jing into a corner with her broom, like a bandit pushing forward.

Zhang Jing could have cried. Stamping her foot, she said, "You little brat, don’t come any closer! What did I ever do to you? I told you to put it down, that broom is state property!"

Having cornered the anti-terror officer, Wang Xiao’ai smirked and said, "Big talk. How do you prove this broom is state property?"

Zhang Jing was left speechless, mouth half open.

Wang Xiao’ai pressed on, relentless: "Can’t answer, can you? Isn’t this just how you messed with Da Min earlier?"

Stars danced before Zhang Jing’s eyes. "And just who the hell is Da Min? Do I know him?"

"The guy you just invited for tea—Little Ma. He’s my friend, Da Min. If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me; bullying a shut-in doesn’t make you a hero," said Xiao’ai.

Officer Zhang stomped her foot. "Alright, you little brat, so you’re in cahoots with him, just here to mess with me?"

Wang Xiao’ai, still holding her ground, pulled out her phone and flashed it. "Not only did I see everything, but I secretly recorded your misdeeds. You, a police officer, bullying two harmless nerds. You think you can pick on shut-ins, but you think I’m not tough enough?"

At that, Zhang Jing’s mouth hung open in genuine anxiety; sweat broke out on her forehead.

The commotion in the lobby, with people coming and going, attracted a crowd. If it had been anyone else, they’d have been tackled and thrown into a holding cell in no time. But a little girl facing off with a policewoman over a broom? Most of the officers just took it as a joke.

This was the most embarrassing moment of Zhang Jing’s life; she almost wished she could disappear on the spot. If it had been those two nerds from earlier, she would have brazenly snatched the phone and destroyed the evidence, beating them up in front of everyone if necessary.

But she couldn’t do the same to a little girl.

Seeing this, even though Little Ma found it all surreal, she felt she had to step in before Wang Xiao’ai went too far.

Wang Xiao’ai, seeing her, laughed, "Da Min, you’re here! I’ve got this demon woman under control."

Ma Weimin sighed, "Stop talking nonsense. Officer Zhang is actually a decent person. Does your dad know how outrageous you’re being?"

"My dad knows. He got caught dancing the '摸摸' dance and is locked up here. I’m here to bail him out," Wang Xiao’ai replied.

Distracted by the conversation, she let go of the broom. Strangely, even then Zhang Jing didn’t come over to snatch her phone.

"Oops," the little girl quickly grabbed the broom again.

But then, a hand landed on the back of her head. Little Ma confiscated both her broom and her phone.

He walked over and handed Wang Xiao’ai’s phone to Zhang Jing. "Officer Zhang, delete whatever you don’t want to see."

But Zhang Jing shook her head, her expression complicated. She whispered, "I can’t do it. You do it for me. Consider it a personal favor."

So Little Ma decisively deleted the video the little girl had shot.

Before deleting, Little Ma and Zhang Jing watched it together. Sure enough, Wang Xiao’ai had captured Zhang Jing disciplining Little Ma and the other nerd—not too clearly, but enough to reveal the gist.

At this, Zhang Jing blushed, a mix of embarrassment and unspoken emotion. Without a word of thanks, she nodded at Little Ma, handed her a business card, and said, "That’s that. Call me if you need anything. If I can help, I will."

"I already took one from your desk," Little Ma grinned.

Zhang Jing ignored this and pressed another card into her hand.

As she was leaving, Little Ma called out, "Actually, I want to ask for your help right now..."

Zhang Jing replied, "Is it about getting her father out? That’s no problem, but think carefully before you ask. After this, we’re even."

Little Ma shook her head. "No. I think her dad deserves to be locked up for a few days. He’s got no job, no shame, no money, and you’re not about to confiscate his deed or lock him up for life. So let things be."

Zhang Jing was momentarily stunned. Wang Xiao’ai covered her face with her hands.

Zhang Jing thought about it and had to admit it was funny. "You’re right, in this situation he won’t be held long. So, what do you want from me?"

"It’s still about that big case. I want to talk to you," Little Ma said.

Zhang Jing frowned, checked her watch, and said, "We can talk, but call me later. I really have to go. If it’s urgent, you should file a report through proper channels. If there’s anything shady, coming to me won’t help—you’ll just end up in custody instead."

With that, she left.

Little Ma was left at a loss, unsure what to do next.

At that moment, Wang Xiao’ai poked her in the side. Little Ma, annoyed, asked, "What is it now?"

Wang Xiao’ai pointed to the vending machine. "Da Min, I’m thirsty. I want iced tea."

Little Ma chuckled, patted her head, and handed her a hundred yuan. "Buy plenty. I’m thirsty too."

The silly girl went and spent the entire hundred on drinks, struggling to carry them all back.

That was just her style. Once, Little Ma gave her a hundred yuan to buy some cake—she spent three on drinks and the remaining ninety-seven on cakes, nearly making Little Ma sick from overeating.

They sat in the lobby, clinking their bottles like drunks and toasting, "Cheers!"

After two bottles, Little Ma surrendered. "Xiao’ai, why did you come here?"

"Really, to get my dad out," Wang Xiao’ai answered.

"Was it because nobody was helping you, so you just wandered around and ended up on our floor?" Little Ma asked.

Wang Xiao’ai shook her head. "People were helping, but I didn’t have money for the fine. It just happened to be on the same floor. I saw you and the other nerd getting called in for questioning, and since I couldn’t bail out my dad, I decided to record what happened to you two. I thought I could use it to blackmail her into letting my dad go, but you deleted it."

Ma Weimin pinched her nose. "You called it blackmail yourself. Blackmailing a police officer is out of the question—that’s the bottom line. If your dad didn’t teach you, haven’t I?"

"But she was in the wrong..." Wang Xiao’ai protested.

"I’m not saying she was right, but you can’t make one mistake on top of another. If you want to report her, that’s fine. But if you don’t, using it to blackmail her into releasing your drunk of a dad is wrong. Officer Zhang is a bit clueless, but she’s not a bad person. She’s not much different from me, just an ordinary person going with the flow. Would you dare blackmail me?"

Wang Xiao’ai shook her head without hesitation. "You’re my friend. Xiao’ai doesn’t blackmail friends."