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Vignettes

Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen were somber as they drove away from the pier. As private investigators, they had seen a lot things that weren't pleasant but nothing compared to the long term vindictive hatred those battered toys represented.

Song Lan reached over and held Xiao Xingchen's hand.

"I have a way to ditch this funk. Let's go shopping!"

Xiao Xingchen looked at him. "You want to grocery shop now?"

A laugh burst from A'Lan. "Of course not! For Wang Hao Xuan!"

"That sounds much better. What do you want to get him?" Xingchen replied.

Song Lan grinned at him and pulled into the mall.

Two hours later, the two smiling men got back into their car and headed to the park where they met the boy.
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Wang Hao Xuan was a little disappointed. He had hoped the two men might show up. Lurking at the edge of the park, he had watched the area he had seen them at yesterday. So far nothing. A big sigh escaped him. This was boring but he liked them. They weren't scary.

Feeling a bit bolder, he sat on a swing. In no time, he was swinging as high as he could giggling to himself.

That was how the two men found him. Carefree and happy. Swinging like any other child. Xingchen took out his phone and snapped a picture of Hao Xuan. Sun on his face, hair flying and all smiles.

As he started the backward arc, he saw the two men in front of him smiling. Somehow, his grin got even bigger.

"You came!" he yelled in exuberance.

Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen felt like their odds of success just went up drastically.
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Liu Tingyu knocked on Jiang Cheng's office door.

"Enter!" It was the typical bark of distracted annoyance which she found oddly comforting.

"Sir, may I talk to you?"

She closed the door behind her.

"Of course, Sergeant."

"I just helped Nie Huaisang smuggle a seventeen year old homicide witness out of the police station to keep him out of the hands of child protective services and insure his safety." She stared resolutely at the desk and waited for the explosion.

"Why didn't you tell me first?" Jiang Cheng asked. It was definitely his 'inspector voice'.

"I didn't feel there was time, sir. Especially once I found out he was ill and needed to be cared for."

"Mmm... let me know first next time otherwise Nie Huaisang will take over my department." he grumbled. "Did you get him safely out?"

"Yes, sir. He's with Nie Huaisang."

"Don't tell him I said it but, well done, Sergeant."

If it had been anyone but the Sergeant, their mouth would have fallen open.

Without thinking, he went back to his computer and again began typing out the report he had been working on.

"Sir?"

"Mmm?"

"Stop typing, sir."

He looked at his hands. Blood was beginning to appear through the bandage on his right hand.

"Damn!" he growled. "This is fucking annoying! I have work to do!"

The last sentence was a bellow.

Anyone who had questions whether Jiang Cheng was himself after the events of the past several days nodded and smiled. Inspector Jiang Cheng was in fine form.
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