Kill Me In The Last Minute (GL) - Chapter 6

As night faded, the morning sun rose and bathed the entire city of Huayu in its light. A light mist, illuminated by the sun, lingered in the air, peeking through a clear window at a sleeping girl inside. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her expression was tense. The mist swirled with a soft sigh, then slowly drifted up and disappeared into the air.

Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes.

In the kitchen, Su Zhaoyin was making breakfast when she heard crying from the bedroom. She quickly stopped what she was doing and rushed over. Opening the door, she saw the girl sitting on the bed, crying uncontrollably.

“Don’t cry, Mu Bai. It’s okay,” Su Zhaoyin said gently as she sat by the bed in her Minions apron. She reached out and patted the girl’s round little head to comfort her.

“There was a monster!” Mu Bai said, her eyes full of tears. She clutched the blanket, looked around the room, and finally fixed her gaze on Su Zhaoyin. “The monster wanted to eat me!”

Su Zhaoyin held her cool little hand and gently smoothed her messy hair. Smiling, she said, “There are no bad guys here. It’s just me—your big sister.”

“Then don’t leave me, okay?” Mu Bai grabbed her hand tightly with a pleading look that melted hearts.

“I won’t go anywhere,” Su Zhaoyin said, hugging her close and gently patting her back. “Did Mu Bai have another nightmare?”

Mu Bai nodded in her arms and said, “It was that clown again…”

Su Zhaoyin continued to comfort her, rubbing her back softly. “Shhh, it was just a dream. Maybe it’s because we watched that scary movie last night. But even if there’s a clown, a puppet, or any monster, your sister will chase them away.”

Mu Bai peeked her fuzzy head out of the hug and looked up at her. “Really?” she asked, blinking.

Su Zhaoyin playfully pinched her soft cheeks, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Of course. I’d never lie to you.”

“Then I won’t lie to you either! I snuck a candy last night,” Mu Bai said, wiping away her tears.

“Be careful, or you’ll get cavities,” Su Zhaoyin teased, gently pinching her nose.

Mu Bai giggled.

Su Zhaoyin pulled her up from the bed. “Come on, let’s go eat breakfast. I made your favorite—Mu Bai Sandwich.”

Mu Bai’s eyes sparkled at the mention of sandwiches. Her sudden excitement startled the birds resting downstairs, making them flap their wings and fly into the sky. A few feathers drifted down near the plainclothes patrol post.

Chen Yuanzheng was still holding the small black box from last night, lost in thought about whatever was inside.

Bang! The office door was suddenly flung open, slamming against the wall and knocking off a bit of plaster.

Chen Yuanzheng calmly closed the box and looked up to see Fu Bin storming in, full of anger.

“Why did you agree to withdraw the stationed officers from the dock?!” Fu Bin demanded.

“The task force is short on people. We need reinforcements,” Chen Yuanzheng replied evenly.

“You know that’s just an excuse! The task force already has enough manpower to search all of Huayu thoroughly. If we pull the officers from the dock now, who’s going to deal with the He Lian Gang?” Fu Bin was clearly upset. “The guys stationed there told me a cargo ship is arriving this morning. They suspect it’s carrying drugs.”

Chen Yuanzheng frowned and looked at her seriously. “Send people to keep a close watch on the dock. Take a team and check it out. If there’s any truth to it, report back to me immediately.”

“If it turns out to be real, I’ll handle it myself,” Fu Bin said, turning to leave.

“Wait! About the signed order—I had no choice either. Don’t act recklessly. We’re short-staffed, so don’t do anything rash. Once you report back, I’ll apply to bring in the criminal police right away,” Chen Yuanzheng said, getting up.

Fu Bin scoffed. “By the time they get here, the criminals will already be long gone.”

She walked out without looking back.

Not long after she left, Luo Qiying peeked her head around the doorframe and cleared her throat to get Chen Yuanzheng’s attention.

“Oh, it’s Qiqi. What is it?” he asked.

“Shen Peng and I are going to visit that family to thank them,” Luo Qiying said, straightening up and pulling out a basket of fruit she had been hiding behind her back. Shen Peng appeared next to her with a silly grin, a far cry from the cool-headed officer who had arrested Kang Ming last night.

“By the way, Captain Chen, I heard there was another incident last night near the crossroads…” Luo Qiying probed.

“I saw the news. Officer Zuo from the special task force already took a team over. You two stay out of it,” Chen Yuanzheng warned.

“Yes, sir…” Luo Qiying mumbled.

Back in the residential area—

Mu Bai followed Su Zhaoyin obediently, still in her cartoon pajamas. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and took the delicate breakfast tray. The sandwich on it was clearly made with love.

As she sat down at the table, Mu Bai pointed at the words “Mu Bai” written in ketchup on her sandwich and beamed. “That’s my name! So it’s called the Mu Bai Sandwich!”

Su Zhaoyin sat across from her, smiling brightly. “That’s right. Mu Bai’s very own sandwich. So you have to finish it all.”

“I’ll eat every last bite!” Mu Bai said, her eyes almost squinting shut from smiling so hard.

As they began to eat, Su Zhaoyin looked at Mu Bai, who was happily munching away, and her expression softened. She put down her utensils and asked gently, “Mu Bai, did you wait too long for me last night?”

Mu Bai nodded honestly.

“I’m really sorry, Mu Bai. Something came up and I got held back,” Su Zhaoyin explained.

“Was it your students again?” Mu Bai blinked her pretty eyes.

Su Zhaoyin chuckled. “Yeah. Since graduation night is coming soon, they came to ask me some questions.”

“I know about graduation night!” Mu Bai suddenly jumped up, as if touched by a magic wand in a cartoon. She joyfully ran to her bedroom, pulled out a blanket, draped it over her shoulders, and turned on the living room speaker. A lively girl group dance song started playing. Mu Bai began dancing along, but her moves looked more like a clumsy zombie than a graceful idol, which made Su Zhaoyin burst out laughing.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Su Zhaoyin got up to answer it. Standing outside was the downstairs neighbor, an older woman.

The woman glanced past her into the apartment. The loud, youthful girl group music clearly made her uncomfortable. She looked Su Zhaoyin up and down and said grumpily, “You’re Su Zhaoyin, right?”

“Hello, can I help you?” Su Zhaoyin greeted politely.

The older woman downstairs spoke Mandarin with a heavy regional accent. “Then I’ve found the right person. Such a pretty little girl like you, all clean and neat—why are you always throwing garbage downstairs? The day before yesterday, someone threw a banana peel that landed on my daughter’s head, and she couldn’t see where she was going and fell into the drainage ditch. We had to pay two thousand yuan in hospital bills. So, tell me, what are you going to do about it?”

Su Zhaoyin gave an awkward smile. “You might be mistaken…”

Just then, Mu Bai ran around waving a blanket like a superhero cape, proudly shouting, “Sis, yesterday I threw a grenade and hit a female spy!” That smug look on her face made Su Zhaoyin feel like pulling her hair out.

The woman downstairs jumped at the chance. “See? Your little sister just admitted it.”

Su Zhaoyin turned and walked to her room to get some money. On the way, she glanced at Mu Bai, who had already gone back to the dining table, happily biting into a sandwich. Su Zhaoyin helplessly returned to the door with the money and handed it to the older woman. “I’m sorry.”

The woman licked her finger to count the cash, then said, “Keep a better eye on your sister, or she’s going to keep causing you trouble.”

After closing the door, Su Zhaoyin turned off the music. She had just sat back at the table when Mu Bai gave her an innocent smile. “Sis…”

Looking at that sweet, harmless face, Su Zhaoyin couldn’t even stay mad.

She brushed her hair back and sighed. “Mu Bai, promise me—don’t throw things downstairs again.”

“But the spy’s son threw a rock up here and broke your favorite glass…” Mu Bai looked up at her, feeling wronged. Su Zhaoyin suddenly remembered seeing the broken glass in the trash the other day. She’d felt sad, thinking Mu Bai had broken it.

Just as she was about to apologize, another knock came at the door.

Su Zhaoyin went to answer it. Standing there was a slim and very pretty woman. Her sharp gaze swept over Su Zhaoyin like an ultrasound scan. When she spotted Mu Bai eating happily at the table, she said, “My perfume is missing. I checked the security footage, and only your sister Mu Bai went up to the tenth floor. That was a custom perfume my friend brought all the way from Hanming City. You’d be shocked if I told you the price.”

Su Zhaoyin gave a soft snort through her nose in response.

And more people kept coming to her door. A middle-aged man on his way to work said, “My car was parked just fine. Then your sister was playing in the garage, and suddenly my side mirror was smashed. How am I supposed to get to work?”

Then there was a bald man who had just moved in after living under a bridge. With a creepy smile, he told her, “Honestly, you’re the prettiest woman in this whole building. If you want, we could go out to dinner tonight. Just lock your sister up or something.”

Different people, but all with the same reason for showing up.

The pretty woman held out her hand, looking smug. “Three thousand eight hundred!”

The working man snorted. “One thousand four!”

The bald guy grinned creepily. “Six hundred! I’ll give it to you if you come with me.”

Slamming the door shut, Su Zhaoyin held back her frustration and tossed her thin wallet aside. Then she turned to the dining table with a smile still on her face.

Mu Bai looked nervous. “Sis, what’s wrong?”

Su Zhaoyin gave her a gentle smile. “The neighbors want to hang out with me, but I have to go to work later. No time to deal with them.”

Mu Bai looked upset. “They’re mean. They must be bullying you.”

“Don’t worry, your sister has superpowers…” Su Zhaoyin stroked her head and smiled. “If anyone bullies me, I just have to give them a look and I’ll blast them into the Snow River!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang again.

Sighing, Su Zhaoyin picked up her wallet and opened the door. This time, she was met with a big fruit basket. Before she could react, a cute head popped out from behind the basket—followed by a friendly face. Who else could it be but Luo Qiying and Shen Peng?

“Are you Miss Su?” Luo Qiying smiled, showing her dimples.

“I am. How much?” Su Zhaoyin didn’t recognize them and pulled out some cash. “Is five hundred enough?”

“Huh?” Luo Qiying and Shen Peng were completely confused.

Without letting them explain, Su Zhaoyin pushed the bills into Luo Qiying’s hand and said seriously, “If my sister did something wrong, I apologize on her behalf. Please, just don’t knock on our door again, I’m begging you.” She was about to close the door when—

Shen Peng quickly blocked the door with his body. “Miss Su, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. We’re the ones who called last night to borrow your apartment.”

“What?” Su Zhaoyin was a little stunned.

“We’re here to thank you,” Luo Qiying explained. “If it weren’t for your help, we wouldn’t have caught Kang Ming so quickly.”

Now understanding, Su Zhaoyin apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were officers.”

Inside the apartment, Mu Bai was listening curiously.

Su Zhaoyin said to them, “Please, don’t just stand there. Come in and have a seat.”

Luo Qiying waved her hand. “No need, Miss Su. We’re really just here to thank you. We brought you some fruit—nothing fancy. Enjoy it with your family.” She handed over the fruit basket.

Su Zhaoyin took it, smiling a bit embarrassed. “That’s very kind of you. I’m just glad I could help.”

Shen Peng scratched his head. “Well, we’ll be going now, then.”

“Take care, officers,” Su Zhaoyin said politely.

Just as Luo Qiying and Shen Peng were about to leave, someone suddenly ran out from inside and threw their arms around Luo Qiying, who was still waving goodbye at the door. Startled, Luo Qiying almost flipped the person over on reflex—

“Mu Bai!” Su Zhaoyin shouted.

Luo Qiying, being quite petite herself, was held in a tight hug. It only made her more determined to grow taller. But when the face hugging her came into view, Luo Qiying was surprised.

It was a pale-skinned girl with a lovely face—but thick, serious eyebrows gave her a fierce look.

“Officer uncle! Don’t go! There’s a monster!” came the soft baby voice, completely at odds with her appearance. Luo Qiying and Shen Peng were momentarily speechless.

Luo Qiying: “…”

Shen Peng: “…”

Su Zhaoyin: “Mu Bai…”