She had spent most of yesterday buried in paperwork, sifting through case files and holding endless meetings. There was the looming headache of the Advanced Arms Convention at Golden Eridu, not to mention the current mess with public order due to the Dawn Horizon project. The chaos never stopped in this city.

Now, as the morning light streamed through the precinct's windows, Zhu Yuan braced herself for another day of reports and updates. If only my inbox had a self-destruct button, she thought grimly, imagining the pile of paperwork that awaited her. She hadn't even bothered turning on the news that morning—she already knew things were bound to spiral out of control in the streets.

As she approached the precinct's entrance, Seth appeared, looking like he'd just seen a ghost."No slip-ups on yesterday's patrol, Captain," he said, but there was a hint of tension in his voice, his usual cheerfulness dimmed.

Zhu narrowed her eyes. "Great, Seth. You're not late, that's already a win for us. Just keep an eye out for anything suspicious on your next patrol, okay?" She moved to walk past him.Seth shifted awkwardly, glancing at her with those nervous eyes of his. "Uhm, Captain... we have a visitor. He arrived earlier this morning."

Zhu paused mid-step, her brow furrowing. "He? Who's he?" She was instantly suspicious—vague pronouns never meant anything good.

"You'll... find out inside, Captain," Seth mumbled, clearly trying to hide something.

Great, Zhu thought. Nothing like starting the day with a cryptic message from a rookie.

Her eyes shot to the door as she stepped inside, and her breath caught for a second. Leaning casually against the hallway wall, as if he had all the time in the world, was Elias. Of course. Her grip tightened around her handbag.

"Elias?" she blurted, feeling a mix of shock and annoyance all at once. Why is he here? She hadn't seen him in a couple of days, and the last thing she expected was him casually waiting in her precinct.

"Captain," he replied smoothly, standing upright and snapping a salute. The overly formal gesture made her eye twitch. Is he trying to be funny?

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady, though she felt the heat creeping up her neck. She could feel Qingyi's eyes on them from her desk, her partner undoubtedly amused by the whole situation.

Great, an audience. "I thought you'd be off for a few days. And how exactly did you get into this precinct?"

Her gaze shifted to the glass window of their office, avoiding Elias's direct stare. Don't look at him, she told herself. Her face felt warmer by the second, and she mentally cursed herself for it. He's just here for work. It's not like this is personal.

"Captain," Elias said with a smirk, "I'm an agent. I've got clearance for any quarters."

That smirk made her want to either roll her eyes or throw something. She wasn't sure which yet.

"You didn't answer my first question... Agent," she retorted, putting extra emphasis on his title with a touch of sarcasm. Two could play this game.

Someone approached from across the hallway, interrupting the charged atmosphere between them. "Sir," the officer greeted, catching Elias's attention.

The officer then looked at Zhu Yuan, "Captain," he added with a respectful nod.

Zhu shot a glance back, nodding in return. It was the custodial officer—aka, the one guy who always had impeccable timing for awkward moments.

"Uh, sir," the officer began hesitantly, clearly uneasy. "The suspect denied your request." He glanced at Zhu again, this time with an expression that seemed to say, Should I be worried about what's happening here? "Mr. Li told us he was already interrogated by the Captain earlier this week." he added.

Zhu Yuan's heart did a somersault. Oh no, oh no, oh no. She stole a look at Qingyi, who was conveniently staring at the ceiling, as if she had suddenly discovered a fascinating new constellation pattern up there. Zhu could feel her own face heat up.

She tugged at her handbag nervously, guilt and shyness warring for dominance. Of course, everyone behind that mirror was probably having a field day with this. Fantastic. The rumor mill's going to churn this one out by lunch.

But that wasn't even the real problem. Why didn't I tell Elias about that interrogation? Oh right, because I was busy trying to do things my way without explaining. I was going to tell him, okay?! Her inner monologue flailed about defensively.

Elias stood there, blinking in shock. "Earlier this week?" he repeated, his eyes flicking between the officer and Zhu Yuan. Oh no, he's blinking... this is bad. That's the "I'm calculating something very concerning" blink.

She tried to look anywhere but at him, standing there like a deer in spotlights. The reddening of her cheeks was undeniable at this point, and she felt like a tomato left out in the sun for way too long. Behind the window, the officers were definitely watching this play out like it was their favorite soap opera.

"Captain?" Elias asked lightly, dragging her back into reality. Zhu Yuan twitched, snapping to attention as if she had just been caught sneaking snacks during a briefing.

"Ah yes, agent?" she stammered, trying to clear her throat in a way that didn't sound as guilty as she felt. "Y-yes, we got the info, and... uh... we didn't tell you because you were off for a few days, right?" Nailed it.

Of course, it wasn't the truth. She had asked Phaethon to trace the device first before giving any information to Elias. And okay, maybe I just wanted a head start on solving it myself. Sue me.

Zhu Yuan prayed that Elias wouldn't dig too deep into her excuse, avoiding eye contact like her life depended on it. She gave him a weak smile, hoping it was enough to get her off the hook.

"Oh, I see. So... can we discuss this today, then?" Elias replied calmly, his tone almost too gentle.Why is he so calm? Zhu Yuan screamed internally. He's supposed to be mad! You know, something like "WHY DID YOU HIDE THE INFORMATION FROM ME?!" But nope, nothing. He was just standing there, all chill and composed, while she was having an internal meltdown.

Why are you like this?! her brain demanded. This was Elias. The cool-under-pressure, emotionally-unflappable Elias. How dare he not react dramatically? Did he not get the memo?"Please excuse us, officer," Zhu Yuan said, dismissing the custodial officer with a polite nod.

She waited until he left before addressing Elias again, still unable to meet his eyes. "Okay... probably dinner?" she muttered, her voice sounding way too casual for someone currently avoiding all eye contact like it was an Olympic sport. Her cheeks were still flushed as she nervously brushed her arms, refusing to let her gaze linger on him for more than a second.

"How about lunch?" Elias responded, sounding entirely too composed for the chaos she was internally experiencing.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zhu Yuan spotted Amy whispering something to Qingyi. Oh no. It didn't take a genius to guess what was happening. Gossip at the speed of light. She could already feel the rumor brewing. By this afternoon, they'll probably have us planning a wedding. She tried not to think about how fast word would spread around the station.

With a deep sigh, she pushed her embarrassment down. "No dinner. With my team," she said, crossing her arms in a way that was supposed to look professional but probably just made her look defensive. "I've got a lot to do, so I'll probably spend lunch at my desk. You know... reports, stuff like that. The streets are chaotic nowadays." Which is true, but mostly I just need an excuse to avoid being gossiped into a relationship.

Elias scratched his chin, looking like he was about to negotiate his way around her "no" with the ease of a seasoned agent. But before he could make his next move, she cut him off.

"Come on, Elias. If you need the info, you'll have to wait for it," she said, throwing in a teasing tone, though it sounded suspiciously like she was playing hard to get. Wait, am I playing hard to get? What is this, a chick lit novel?!

"...Yes, of course. Just message me," he replied, all calm and reasonable again.

Great. So why do I feel like I just lost a battle I didn't know I was fighting? Zhu Yuan thought as she watched him leave, already dreading the inevitable office whispers. Oh well, time to get back to pretending I'm not completely flustered.

Zhu Yuan finally made it inside their office, sinking into her chair like she'd just run a marathon—except this race was against embarrassment and she was losing spectacularly. Her eyes locked onto the dessert box sitting innocently on her desk. She could feel her hands shaking slightly as she stared at it, her mind racing. Everyone is looking at me. Oh my god, I'm gonna cry out of embarrassment!

Before she could even gather her thoughts, Amy slid her chair over like a mischievous kid on a sugar high, spinning dramatically as she stopped right next to Zhu. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned in.

"GOSH, Captain, he was handsome!" Amy teased in that oh-so-obnoxious tone, grinning like she'd just discovered the latest office scandal (which, let's be honest, she probably had).

Zhu Yuan snapped, swinging her handbag at Amy, who barely dodged it with a squeal. "NO, HE'S A CONSULTANT OFFICER!" she barked back, but even she could hear how defensive she sounded. Great, now I sound like a middle schooler denying her crush. Could this get any worse?

Amy giggled, unfazed by the near-bag attack. "Uh-huh, sure, Captain. Whatever you say. He saluted you and everything!"

Zhu Yuan groaned, burying her face in her hands for a second. Why does everyone think this is a rom-com? We're professionals! Serious officers! This isn't some silly office romance—oh god, it sounds like an office romance. She peeked through her fingers and saw the rest of the team trying very hard to look busy, but she knew they were eavesdropping. I swear, if I hear even one rumor about me and Elias, I'm going to—

"Captain, you should really open that dessert box. Maybe there's a love note in there!" Qingyi teased, her face deadpan.

Zhu Yuan shot her a death glare. "Qingyi. not you."

Maybe I'll just move to another quarters. Start fresh. Change my name. That seems reasonable at this point.