Chapter 36: PAST-THREE
The low hum of fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a dim, yellowish glow over the small police station. The place smelled of stale coffee and ink, a mix of exhaustion and paperwork that never seemed to end. A few officers sat at their desks, flipping through reports, their expressions blank from long hours of routine cases.
Hua Rong stood in front of a desk, her fingers clenched tightly around her phone. Her face was set, frustration clear in her narrowed eyes. She tapped the screen with controlled urgency, turning it toward the officer sitting across from her.
"He's the one," she said, her voice firm as she pointed at the grainy image on her phone. "He's been watching Lady Hua Yuxi—the woman who works in the cafeteria."
The officer, a man in his late forties with a tired face and graying hair, leaned forward, squinting at the screen. His uniform was wrinkled, his badge slightly dulled from wear. He looked as if he had heard too many complaints like this before, his patience worn thin from long shifts.
"Did you take this secretly?" he asked, his voice neutral.
Hua Rong huffed, shifting to her feet. "Obviously. Now I want you to do something before it's too late."
Before the officer could respond, the heavy sound of boots against the tiled floor signaled the arrival of another policeman. This one was younger, taller, with sharp features and neatly combed black hair. His uniform was crisp, the buttons polished, exuding the kind of presence that demanded attention. His name tag read Officer Wen.
He stopped beside his colleague, arms crossed as he glanced at the phone screen. "Do you have proof?"
Hua Rong frowned. "What proof?"
"Proof that he harassed that woman."
Her frustration flared. "He hasn't yet, but he will! I know it."