Zheng Shiyong

"You're really not curious?" Monkey probed. "Not really. What I should know, I'll naturally find out. What I shouldn't know isn't worth knowing anyway," Chen Ping'an replied calmly. *What the hell! I was supposed to have him eating out of my hand, so why am I the one being played?!* Chen Ping'an's utter indifference left Monkey stifled with frustration. "Ping'an, this temperament of yours is really..." At a loss for words, Monkey wracked his brain for quite a while without finding a fitting term. In the end, he squeezed out just two words: "Truly impressive!" Seeing that Chen Ping'an still showed no reaction, the thoroughly exasperated Monkey could only honestly spill the story. It turned out that the reason things were so lively and the mood was so buzzing this morning was that a new runner had arrived at the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. Like them, he was an unregistered temporary runner. Normally, that would be nothing special. The Nanquan Lane Suppression Office took in temporary runners from time to time. However, this newcomer held a special background—he hadn't pulled just any ordinary strings to get in. His name was Zheng Shiyong, and he was the nephew of Head Runner Zheng of their Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. And not some distant relative or nominal nephew, either. A real, bona fide biological nephew. And who was Head Runner Zheng?! He was the most prestigious and powerful of all five head runners in the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office! With that kind of backing, naturally many of the runners in Nanquan Lane flocked over, eager to curry favor and make a good impression. "Monkey, if this Zheng Shiyong has such powerful backing, why is he still an unregistered temporary runner?" While Monkey was explaining things to Chen Ping'an, Dashan chimed in from the side. "What's this? Dashan, you're interested too? That's a rare sight," Monkey teased before explaining the reason. Among the three of them, Monkey had served at the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office the longest and knew the most about its inner workings and regulations. As it turned out, unless someone possessed extraordinary talent or reached the level of Qi and Blood Second Layer, qualifying for special recruitment to become a registered runner right upon entry, anyone wishing to join the Suppression Office had to start from the bottom as an unregistered temporary runner. Such were the rules of the Suppression Office; no one was exempt. Well, whether absolutely no one was exempt remained up in the air—whether the office chief could bend the rules was unclear, but at the level of a head runner like Zheng, it was impossible. "I see," Dashan said, nodding. "Monkey, you sure know a lot," Dashan added at the end. Even though Dashan was praising him, Monkey couldn't bring himself to feel pleased. Looking at Chen Ping'an's calm expression, his urge to show off had been completely thwarted, and the feeling was damned suffocating. Only someone who had lived through it would understand! As the few of them chatted, time slipped by. At last, several heavyweight figures entered one after another. Head Runner Zheng, Head Runner Huang, Head Runner Yan, and Head Runner Li. Of the five head runners in the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office, four had actually showed up today. This was truly a rare sight. As the head runners arrived, the runners who had gathered in clusters gradually dispersed, each moving to their assigned positions. Only then did Chen Ping'an get a clear look at the newcomer, Zheng Shiyong. Zheng Shiyong looked young, estimated to be around sixteen or seventeen. He had a sturdy build, and a faint hint of arrogance lingered on his face. To the other runners, this Zheng Shiyong was a second-generation runner in the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office! With Head Runner Zheng shielding him from above, his path forward would likely be exceptionally smooth. After sticking around for a few years and biding his time to build up sufficient seniority, he could easily become a registered runner—a position that most people could only dream of. Small wonder so many had rushed to flatter him beforehand and forge a goodwill connection. Even the registered runners treated Zheng Shiyong with immense courtesy. Indeed, no matter where one went, having someone above made duty easy—that saying was an eternal truth. The speaker at today's roll call was still Head Runner Zheng. His remarks were filled with broad, empty generalities—roughly touching on the situation at the Nancheng Suppression Office, the state of affairs in the neighboring suppression jurisdictions, and their key focus moving forward. Unexpectedly, Head Runner Zheng spoke for less than half a quarter of an hour today, not even half as long as usual. "We're about to be set free!" Monkey whispered under his breath. Just when everyone thought the pre-duty roll call was over, who would have guessed that Head Runner Yan would step forward to add a few words. As he spoke, he specifically mentioned their newly joined colleague, Zheng Shiyong. "Come on, Shiyong. Step up here and let everyone get to know you!" The habitually stern Head Runner Yan appeared warm and genial at this moment. Zheng Shiyong didn't show any stage fright. Hearing Head Runner Yan's words, he stepped onto the platform without hesitation. "Greetings, fellow colleagues. I'm Zheng Shiyong, newly joined to our Nanquan Lane Suppression Office today. I hope everyone will look out for me in the days ahead." "Good!" "Welcome, welcome!" ...... When Zheng Shiyong finished speaking, the runners below shouted in agreement, giving him plenty of face. "Good, very well done. Shiyong, I hope in the days ahead we'll hear news of your meritorious service. All right, head down for now and get familiar with your colleagues." Head Runner Yan patted Zheng Shiyong on the shoulder by way of encouragement. "Thank you, Head Runner Yan," Zheng Shiyong responded, stepping down from the stage with an air of complete self-satisfaction. With that concluded, Head Runner Yan spoke a couple of casual remarks and brought the pre-duty roll call to an end. Once the meeting was over, each group received their assignments and set out on their daily street patrols. Today, the task for Chen Ping'an, Monkey, and Dashan was to patrol Baishi Lane in Nanquan Lane. Baishi Lane was mostly residential, without many shops or street vendors, and the number of ruffians was correspondingly much lower. The patrol pressure wouldn't be nearly as heavy as the past two days. Of course, truth be told, the pressure over the past two days hadn't been that great either! For Suppression Office runners, as long as there were no thorny cases or raids, life for the most part was fairly comfortable. "Let's go, Monkey, Dashan." Chen Ping'an had been the one to sign for today's patrol duty. After collecting his saber and waist token, he called out to Monkey and Dashan. He noticed that both of them were staring blankly toward a spot not far away. Chen Ping'an followed their gaze and saw a dense crowd gathered over there. "What is it?" he asked the two of them. "Sigh, comparing yourself to others will only make you die of envy!" Monkey muttered. "I'm so jealous," Dashan added, an unusual admission for him. It turned out that just moments ago, several head runners had specifically walked over to offer Zheng Shiyong words of encouragement. That in itself would have been fine, but Zheng Shiyong was clearly a newly joined temporary runner—according to past experience, newcomers were supposed to start with the most grueling chores. Yet unexpectedly, Zheng Shiyong didn't even have to walk a patrol today. He only needed to stay by Head Runner Yan's side as a personal attendant. Listening to Monkey's explanation, Chen Ping'an understood. It seemed that among the head runners, Head Runner Yan and Head Runner Zheng had a close relationship. What Head Runner Zheng found inconvenient to do himself, Head Runner Yan took care of on his behalf—whether it was the introduction just now or the practical assignment of duties.