Chapter 173 A Kind Person

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In the morning, Chen Mo had just gotten out of the car when Zhou Peiwen called out to him from a distance.

"This guy, he's always peeping out the window, doesn't he have anything better to do?"

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. Hmm, it was only half an hour late.

Indeed, hard work may not always be seen, but being late will definitely be.

"You're here? Have a seat."

Zhou Peiwen sat behind his desk and looked him up and down with the gaze of an elder looking at a junior.

The moment Chen Mo's bottom touched the edge of the armchair, he started to feel uneasy.

Were we talking about his lateness?

"Director Zhou, what do you want?" Chen Mo asked first, somewhat puzzled.

"It's nothing serious."

Zhou Peiwen put down his teacup, wiped his lips with his thumb, and said, "I just wanted to talk to you. It's been almost half a month since you arrived at the third team, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"To be honest with you, the bureau has been carefully considering the position of team leader for the third team."

"After Lao Zheng left, several people were watching him closely, and I was the one who put them on hold."

He raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't say anything.

"You're young and inexperienced, so you shouldn't be the one chosen," Zhou Peiwen's gaze turned serious. "But your two assignments, especially your quick thinking this time, have made me change my mind."

Chen Mo understood immediately; he guessed that the person had come to ask him for a favor.

He doesn't really care who becomes the captain.

Sure enough, Zhou Peiwen then changed the subject, his tone becoming casual, as if chatting about everyday matters: "So, when you can get rid of the 'acting' in your title as acting captain depends entirely on yourself."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement, "Director Zhou is right."

"You young man," Zhou Peiwen pointed at him, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment, "You have all sorts of flaws, but you're too dull. Just knowing how to work in silence won't do. You need to learn to report to your superiors more often."

His gaze was fixed on Chen Mo, almost a blatant declaration.

The leader is right in front of you, so you should visit him more often.

Chen Mo remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was already cursing.

You still complain that I didn't report it?

If I come to your room three times a day, will you find me annoying again?

But he spoke fluently, "Director Zhou is right. I really am not good at handling things. I will definitely come to him for advice more often in the future."

"Hey, what's with all this 'asking for advice'?" Zhou Peiwen waved his hand, but his smile deepened. "It's all for the public good. If you have any ideas or difficulties, come to me anytime. My door is always open for you."

Chen Mo nodded, at a loss for words.

Seeing his upright attitude, Zhou Peiwen took out a piece of floral stationery from the drawer and handed it to him with satisfaction.

"Your merit points for the case of the dead coming back to life last time were calculated based on the fact that you discovered the anomaly in advance. Among the dozen or so cases, your impact was the smallest, so the higher-ups awarded you the C-level merit points."

He took the letter and glanced at it.

Merit Point Allocation Slip.

Chen Mo (acting captain), 300 points

Fang Yingxia, 200 points

Liu Ruyan, 200 points

not bad.

The quota for Grade C is 500 points. The team leader takes the lion's share, and the remaining part is divided equally among the team members. This is an old rule of the Inspection Bureau.

Three hundred points isn't a lot, but for a case that was resolved in just half a day, it's a very good deal.

"Thank you, Director." Chen Mo folded the form and put it in his pocket.

It seems that this captain position isn't entirely without its merits.

"Okay, do your job well." Zhou Peiwen waved his hand and began to flip through the official documents on the table.

"Yes."

Chen Mo hadn't walked far from the office when he saw a bald man standing in the yard cursing.

"Who the hell is spreading rumors that I like wearing red bellybands?! Step forward!"

Three or five onlookers had already gathered in the courtyard, suppressing their laughter and whispering amongst themselves.

He paused, found an inconspicuous spot, put his hands on his hips, and watched the commotion.

The bald man was tall and burly, standing in the middle of the yard with his hands on his hips, veins throbbing on his forehead.

"Don't let me find out who spread this rumor!"

"I've lived for over twenty years, and I've always been upright and honest. When have I ever been treated like this?!"

"Captain Liu, what's wrong with you?" someone asked, mustering their courage.

"What's wrong?" The bald man whirled around, his eyes wide like saucers. "You're asking me what's wrong? Haven't you heard the rumors these past few days?"

The man shrank back, not daring to reply.

He took a deep breath, his voice tinged with grief and indignation, "Now the whole East District Inspection Bureau is talking about how I like to wear red bellybands! Red bellybands!!"

"Why would a rough, old man like me wear that stuff?!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than someone in the corner couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly covered their mouth.

The bald man's gaze swept across the area like a knife, but he couldn't find the culprit. He could only angrily look away and continue cursing.

"No wonder the female teammates have been looking at me strangely these past few days; I thought my luck with women had finally turned!"

He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, his voice even carrying a hint of grievance, "If this rumor spreads, how am I ever going to find a wife? I'll fucking kill you."

Chen Mo stood at the back of the crowd, his face calm and composed; this matter had nothing to do with him.

The bald man walked around the yard cursing and swearing, his eyes scanning the crowd of onlookers like searchlights.

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

Chen Mo was standing at the back of the crowd, looking relaxed and watching the show.

His eyes narrowed as he recalled that someone had mentioned it to him while he was eating in the cafeteria that morning, possibly coming from the third team.

The man standing before us is none other than the captain of Team Three.

"Chen Mo!"

The bald man rushed over in three quick steps, and the crowd automatically made way for him.

Chen Mo didn't even raise an eyebrow. "Captain Liu, is something the matter?"

"What's up?" The bald man's voice rose three octaves. "Tell me the truth, were those rumors circulating outside spread by your team, Team Three?"

The courtyard fell silent.

Several onlookers exchanged excited glances; it seemed a face-to-face confrontation was about to take place.

Chen Mo slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket and stood up straight.

"Nonsense! Our three teams are all tight-lipped. How could we possibly spread rumors about you, Captain Liu?"

"Our team would never do something like orchestrating something behind someone's back."

Seeing that he was serious, the bald man's anger eased a bit, but he was still somewhat skeptical.

Seeing this, Chen Mo took half a step forward, his tone becoming even more sincere.

"Besides, Captain Liu, think about it. Those words sound like someone is deliberately trying to disgust you."

"What red bellyband or whatever, it sounds outrageous to me, isn't this just insulting people?"

The bald man's eyes immediately turned red.

These words struck a chord with him!

"Exactly!" He slapped his thigh. "Why would a grown man like me wear that stuff?! How despicable must the person who spread this rumor be to make up something like that!"

"That's right." Chen Mo nodded, a hint of indignation on his face. "Captain Liu, you're a respected figure in the Inspection Bureau. To be slandered like this, anyone would find it hard to swallow."

"However, Lao Liu, you usually..." He hesitated, then added, "Have you ever offended anyone?"

The bald man was stunned.

He scratched his head, his expression gradually becoming complicated.

Someone in the crowd muttered quietly, "Has Captain Liu offended enough people with that mouth of his?"

Although the sound was soft, it was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

The bald man's face flushed red and then turned pale.

He looked at Chen Mo, his expression changing from anger to embarrassment.

"Um... Captain Chen," the bald man scratched his head, his voice suddenly lowering, "I... I was reckless just now, I shouldn't have gotten angry at you right away."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Chen Mo waved his hand, his smile frank. "Captain Liu, you were just confused by anger, I understand."

"You're a kind man!" The bald man patted him heavily on the shoulder. "Let me tell you, I owe you a favor for what happened today. I'll treat you to drinks another day to make it up to you!"

"You're too kind, Captain Liu."

Chen Mo calmly broke free, saying, "We're colleagues, it's only right."

The bald man cursed the despicable rumor-monger a few more times before turning and leaving.

He took a few steps, then stopped, turned around, and shouted to Chen Mo, "Captain Chen, you're a kind man! If you ever need anything, just tell me, and I, Liu Dali, will never hesitate to help!"

In the third team office, Liu Ruyan and the others came out at some point and leaned against the door, watching the scene in the courtyard.

Standing next to her was Fang Yingxia, a young girl holding a handful of sunflower seeds, which she was cracking open with gusto.

"Like smoke," Fang Yingxia whispered, sunflower seed shells drifting from the corner of her mouth, "Look at Chen Mo's expression..."

Liu Ruyan stared blankly for a moment, then her lips moved slightly: "Shameless."