She’s a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist’s Halo

On Minor New Year's Eve, though all three of Yan's roommates were in Ning City, not a single one had time to come over for dinner at her place.

For the three families, Minor New Year's Eve already felt like an early celebration of the actual New Year.

With their parents usually busy with work, ever since they were little, Yan and Zhu Jue had grown accustomed to fetching meals from the canteen at Bin University. By their teens, the four kids had started ordering takeout, eating out, or even cooking for themselves.

Only during occasional holidays and the New Year would the three families gather together for lively feasts.

"My daughter's roommates are all here, yet not one came over. These kids are too polite," Madam Yu lamented, deeply disappointed that none of her daughter's roommates had visited despite being in town.

"Your father and I haven’t even met a single one of them yet."

When Yan and Zhu Jue had first arrived at Bin University for registration, their parents—both faculty members—had been too busy to accompany them. Though they’d seen photos of the kids, they still longed to get to know them better.

"We all registered ourselves, Mom. It’s fine. They’re just busy—Sui Sui might be heading back to Bin City tonight, and Yi Zhi came with her professor, so they couldn’t make it," Yan explained.

"That may be so, but they rarely visit. It’s a shame they didn’t even get a meal at home. If they’re too shy to come here, you could at least meet them outside," Madam Yu insisted.

"Got it, Mom," Yan replied.

"If they come back in a few days, we’ll meet at the Jiayuan apartment," Zhu Jue added.

After much enthusiastic persuasion from Yan and Zhu Jue, Chu Shen had finally been tempted into visiting Ning City for a trip. However, he claimed he needed to "inspect" a few high-end restaurants in the city and wouldn’t arrive until the next day. He had also declined their offer to stay at home, booking a hotel nearby instead.

The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.

As the New Year drew closer, Yan and Zhu Jue found themselves with more free time.

After all, children—even college students—had the least responsibilities during the holidays. Though there was house cleaning to be done, most of it was routine upkeep. With the help of robotic vacuums and mops, the house was generally spotless, leaving only the finer details—like the tiles behind the kitchen counter or the floor beneath the bathroom cabinets—to be scrubbed thoroughly.

In their parents’ eyes, they were still just kids, exempt from the obligations of visiting relatives or exchanging gifts. Their days were spent leisurely browsing shops and picking up New Year’s supplies.

In the nearby supermarket, the music had already switched to "Congratulations on Your Fortune." Yan and Zhu Jue stood in front of the bulk bins of pistachios, deliberating.

Though pre-packaged gift sets were convenient to order online, the ones they’d bought before never tasted as good as the loose snacks from the supermarket—nor were they necessarily cheaper.

They still had some dried fruits and nuts at home, but buying New Year’s goods was more about tradition and nostalgia than necessity.

"Where are we even going on New Year’s Day? Wait, should we be booking movie tickets already?"

Yan tossed a bag of wasabi-flavored macadamias into the cart before suddenly remembering.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment. "The problem is, we don’t know how many people are coming yet."

Yan nodded, rubbing her chin. That was the real issue. From the first to the eighth day of the New Year, neighbors and their parents’ colleagues—or even their students—could drop by unannounced.

If they stayed home, they’d be stuck making small talk. Since childhood, the four of them had always chosen to escape the house during this time.

Now that they were older—some already adults, others close to it—Yan especially didn’t want to endure the awkward back-and-forth over red envelopes.

"True. We’ll figure it out later," Yan sighed.

Chu Shen was definitely coming, but the others were uncertain. Buying movie tickets in advance was tricky.

Fortunately, as the capital, Ning City offered plenty of ways to pass the time, even on New Year’s Day.

"Jiaojiao might still hit me up. She mentioned shopping the other day but canceled again," Yan said.

With the New Year approaching, it seemed the reincarnated male leads in Jiaojiao’s life had suddenly freed up their schedules. She had made—and canceled—two shopping plans with Yan already. Over the phone, Yan could practically hear Jiaojiao’s frustration and gritted teeth.

"What’s Brother Xiao up to? Still at home with Pengpeng? I checked yesterday—his clinic isn’t open yet."

At the mention of this, Zhu Jue’s expression turned odd.

"Apparently, Yi Lude invited him somewhere recently."

Yan blinked. "Ah, that’s why he’s been posting less about Pengpeng lately."

Originally, they had considered inviting Brother Xiao for Minor New Year’s Eve if the roommates came over, but since he had his own family in Ning City, it wouldn’t make sense for him to celebrate elsewhere.

"He just left for their research institute today," Zhu Jue added.

Yan nodded. So Sui Sui had left last night, and Brother Xiao had gone today.

"I kind of miss the chaos," Yan admitted, tossing a bag of rice crackers into the cart.

With everyone doing their own thing and no unexpected incidents dragging them in, the unusual calm left Yan feeling almost restless.

After counting heads, Yan and Zhu Jue headed home with their haul.

Meanwhile, at the Ning City Garden Hotel.

Chu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍Bingbing hadn’t booked a courtyard suite this time. With winter stripping the trees bare and no snow yet to soften the bleakness, the open spaces felt too desolate.

Instead, she chose a business suite—a hasty decision made in her rushed arrival.

Even after Minor New Year’s Eve, the hotel’s service remained impeccable.

After a spa session, she lay in her room, deep in thought.

This sudden forced spending task had appeared on the night of the 21st. She had rushed to Ning City the next morning and completed it by noon, with the system settling the results the night before last.

But… Chu Bingbing stared at the system interface before her.

The mandatory spending task was done. The five million quota had been doubled and refunded. Yet what puzzled her was that such tasks usually came with extra rewards.

This time, however, over a day had passed, and the screen still displayed: [Additional rewards pending settlement.]

Last year’s 360-million-yuan splurge had earned her fame, along with a luxury penthouse in Bin City and a high-end sports car.

So this time, with only five million at stake, she hadn’t thought much of it. Sudden, time-limited spending tasks usually just meant a bit of extra cash from the refund.

But… the doubled refund—ten million—had already hit her account. What was this "pending settlement" about?

Chu Bingbing didn’t understand. Worried the system might stir up trouble again, she decided to lay low in the hotel for now.

She prayed silently that the damn system wouldn’t ruin her New Year’s Eve or the first day of the year.

Something about this unresolved notification left her uneasy.

Was the system… about to upgrade?

Staying in Ning City these past few days, the hotel was comfortably warm, while outside the temperature often plunged below minus ten degrees. Chu Bingbing had no desire to venture out—in such freezing weather, she had zero interest in sightseeing.

The weather forecast predicted no snow in the coming days, otherwise she could have admired the snow-covered scenery of the Forbidden City.

The hotel was well-equipped, boasting everything from gyms and spas to a variety of gourmet restaurants. Spending her days lounging in the hotel, binge-watching dramas and scrolling through her phone, time slipped away unnoticed.

Recently, Chu Bingbing’s main focus was the hot topic everyone was discussing—the scandal involving the wealthy Xie family of Bin City.

When it came to gossip, as long as it wasn’t about oneself, everyone was a curious onlooker, hopping from one juicy tidbit to another like a melon-stealing hedgehog.

"Why hasn’t there been an official announcement yet? This is driving me crazy."

Chu Bingbing scoured various platforms for updates, but there was still no black-and-white police statement. However, more bloggers had joined the frenzy of speculation about the Xie family.

"Breaking news!!! According to frontline sources at Mingxie Group’s headquarters in Bin City, Lan Ruo has been overseeing operations these past few days and is staying at a nearby hotel. [photo.jpg]"

"So the Madam is safe, and it was someone from the Xie family who got arrested? What exactly did they do?"

"Could it really be about that car accident case? Wasn’t it already ruled an accident back then?"

"I think the previous commenter is onto something. Lan Ruo married into the family after that incident, so she’s definitely clean. Damn, we’ve all been fooled by Second Xie—what an actor."

Opinions online were all over the place. Some residents claimed it was an out-of-town police team that made the arrest, leading to speculation that the Xie family had committed crimes elsewhere or were involved in financial misconduct.

But the most widely discussed theory remained the car accident involving Xie Jin five years ago. Buried fragments of online history resurfaced, with many netizens from back then now stepping forward to share their accounts.

"Back then, some people questioned whether the crash was really an accident, but they were dismissed as conspiracy theorists."

"I also commented back then, suspecting Second Xie, but all my posts vanished within a month."

"Could it be that a witness, unable to bear their guilt, turned themselves in to authorities in another city? Is that why out-of-town police were involved?"

Chu Bingbing devoured the gossip, watching as threads in the discussion forums grew taller by the minute. Some users even listed Second Xie’s past girlfriends, mixing real and fake revelations. In short, while no one knew the full story, the Xie family scandal had everyone hooked.

Meanwhile, the official social media accounts of Mingxie Group and its subsidiaries were flooded with curious onlookers. The company’s pages weren’t silent—they continued posting promotional content as usual—but they offered no response to the rumors.

The Bin City Police’s official account was also besieged, leaving them with no choice but to endure the storm. On the other side, Zheng Yi’s expression remained unreadable as she observed the interrogation room.

She was in Ning City, having detained Xie Zhen there, while simultaneous arrests were made in Bin City to separate and apprehend Xie Zhen and Mother Xie.

By conducting arrests in two locations and interrogating them separately, they eliminated any chance for the suspects to coordinate their stories.

What Zheng Yi hadn’t anticipated, however, was the involvement of another task force—a covert unit under the Ministry of Public Security known as the Special Cases Investigation Team.

Compared to her own cold case team, this Special Cases team was truly "special," handling cases of an entirely different nature.

As someone with a unique ability—since her youth, Zheng Yi had been able to see a "morality radar" that revealed people's good and evil—she wasn’t one to rigidly adhere to conventional logic.

Though aware of the Special Cases Team’s existence due to her clearance level, she wasn’t familiar with their operations. Running into them during this investigation, however, left her momentarily stunned.

The two teams quickly verified each other’s identities upon meeting and immediately collaborated to secure the Xie family. Higher-ups then initiated communication to share intelligence.

Inside the interrogation room, Xie Zhen remained silent, his head bowed. After his initial resistance, two days had reduced the once-arrogant playboy to a shadow of his former self, devoid of the bluster he’d displayed during his arrest.

His current silence, in Zheng Yi’s eyes, didn’t even qualify as a last-ditch struggle.

With irrefutable evidence—and now an "esoteric" element introduced by the Special Cases Team—the case was airtight. The specialists had provided a comprehensive report, and the document in Zheng Yi’s hands still carried the warmth of freshly printed paper.

As she reviewed the file and casually scanned the case progress, her confidence grew.

Zheng Yi sat quietly, absorbing the reports from both teams—one grounded in science, the other in the metaphysical. Her fingers tapped lightly against the desk.

The idea that Xie Zhen and Lan Ruo had undergone a "soul swap" sounded like something out of a soap opera—had it not been an official report from the Special Cases Team, she would’ve dismissed it as absurd.

Yet this was the only explanation for why Xie Zhen’s previously blackened "morality radar" had vanished when she returned to Bin City after her mission.

Because at that time, "Xie Zhen" had actually been Lan Ruo.

Even after reading the Special Cases Team’s report multiple times—filled with references to mystical formations and rituals—Zheng Yi still found it surreal.

Flipping through the records of people the Xie-Lan couple had met recently, she paused at a photo of a young couple and turned to the investigator beside her.

"These two haven’t been questioned, right?"

"No, Sister Zheng. As per your instructions, they’ve been exempted from investigation."

Zheng Yi nodded. "Good."

"All other persons of interest in Ning City have already cooperated with the investigation."

Zheng Yi memorized the faces of the strikingly handsome young man and the beautiful girl. In fact, she’d crossed paths with them the night she followed Xie Zhen and Lan Ruo to a courtyard residence in Ning City.

The next day, just before the arrests, the young couple had met with Xie Zhen and Lan Ruo again—and with her as well.

What stood out to Zheng Yi was that during their first encounter in the alley, the girl had glanced at her twice. The following day, outside the clubhouse, amid a crowd of people taking photos, the two had immediately spotted her again.

To this day, even colleagues she’d worked with often struggled to recognize her. "Justice" had become something of a legend in certain circles, shrouded in mystery. Yet these two youngsters had not only noticed her during a brief encounter but clearly remembered her the next day.

Their observational skills were extraordinary—as was their memory.

Zheng Yi had already looked into their backgrounds. They came from highly educated families and, aside from studying in Bin City and a chance encounter with the Xie couple at a temple, had no discernible connection to the case.

Still, given their frequent interactions with the suspects, Zheng Yi had initially placed them on the priority list for further investigation—until a late-night call from the Special Cases Team prompted her to remove them.

Especially after noticing how sparse their records were in the Special Cases Team’s report, coupled with that confidential phone call, Zheng Yi understood: these two were undercover operatives.

Like her, the Special Cases Team must have had Xie Zhen in their sights long before.

The two young individuals had initially arranged to meet the Xie couple at Fayan Temple in Bin City—partly to tail them, partly to investigate, and also to establish contact by "accidentally" leaving behind some belongings. Later, during their two encounters in Ning City, they used their identities as members of the metaphysical community to facilitate the body swap between Xie Zhen and Lan Ruo. If Zheng Yi hadn’t detained Xie Zhen that very afternoon, the Special Case Unit would’ve taken down the entire Xie family that night.

At this thought, Zheng Yi couldn’t help but shake her head.

What a mess. They’d almost ended up fighting among their own.

No wonder those two youngsters had looked so stunned when she flashed her police badge back then. They must’ve been cursing inwardly.

The duck they’d worked so hard to catch had been snatched away by her first.

At the time, especially in front of Lan Ruo, the two couldn’t possibly reveal their true identities and had no choice but to watch as Zheng Yi took Xie Zhen away.

Still, the current situation wasn’t bad. Working together on the case, especially sharing intel with this special department, gave Zheng Yi a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

Perhaps in the future, collaboration between the Cold Case Unit and the Special Case Unit could continue.

Thinking about the background check she’d run on the young couple, Zheng Yi flexed her fingers. She had no idea how the Special Case Unit had managed to recruit them—such promising talents working as undercover operatives. Just a month after meeting them, they’d already gotten the wealthy Xie couple to invite them to dinner.

Young, capable, with sharp insight and memory, quick-witted and emotionally intelligent—such skilled operatives were absolute top-tier talent. It made her itch with envy.

In this world, there was no place Zheng Yi’s metaphorical shovel couldn’t reach. As the saying goes, "If you swing the shovel well enough, no wall remains unshaken." Wherever Zheng Yi went, after dispensing justice, she’d always take some "local specialties" with her—namely, talented individuals.

Her Cold Case Unit was now filled with members from all corners of the country, all "plucked" by her.

She just couldn’t help it. When she saw something good, she couldn’t resist adding it to her collection.

That night, at their home in Ning City.

Yan, nibbling on pistachios like a little hamster, suddenly saw her phone light up and leaped from the floor onto the bed in one bounce.

The projector in the bedroom, which had been playing a comedy, paused abruptly as Zhu Jue turned on the lights.

The couple stared at their phones, where a notification read: "Zheng Yi requests to add you as a friend." They exchanged baffled glances.

Yan’s face scrunched up. "It’s Officer Zheng Yi! It’s been two days since everything happened. Why is she adding us now? Are we being summoned for a statement? And during the New Year, too?"

It wasn’t just about bad luck—they were more worried about their parents finding out and subjecting them to endless questioning.

Zhu Jue held her hand reassuringly. "Don’t worry. If it were urgent, she would’ve contacted us directly. Maybe it’s just a follow-up statement or something."

Yan nodded. "That’s true. But I still feel a little uneasy."

The thought of Officer Zheng Yi’s self-proclaimed title—"Justice Incarnate"—made them tense up, even though they’d done nothing wrong and were merely innocent bystanders caught up in the operation.

After all, this was the woman who represented justice itself!

With hesitant taps, Yan and Zhu Jue accepted Zheng Yi’s friend request.

Just as Yan debated whether to message first, a notification popped up—a sticker of a short-haired female officer saluting.

[Zheng Yi]: [Saluting hello.jpg]

[Zheng Yi]: Recruitment for part-time civilian positions. Directly under the ministry. Professional colleagues. Excellent benefits…

Yan and Zhu Jue: ?!!!

Was this a scam?