Chapter 51

Xu Yan was a bit hesitant: The other party had just politely said, "Feel free to contact me if you need anything," and he was already climbing the pole to ask for a favor. This seemed a bit too presumptuous, like a mason demanding his wages right after finishing a wall. He felt a bit embarrassed.

Seeing Xu Yan's hesitation, Zheng Qiuyi, who was skilled at reading people's expressions as a detective, immediately noticed. "Xu Yan, do you have something you want to say?"

"Uh, Senior Sister, there is something. It's about your police department. I'm not sure if it's convenient to ask."

"About our bureau? Just ask."

"It's like this. I often see small ads on street poles or websites offering to help with household registration, citizenship, and ID cards. Are these ads real? Can they be trusted?"

Zheng Qiuyi pursed her lips. "These? Most of them are scams. After you pay, they give you a fake household registration book and a fake ID card. These are all made by fraud gangs and are not registered in the system. The police will catch you if they check. Don't fall for it."

Xu Yan hesitated. "Then, Senior Sister, do you know of any intermediaries who can help with genuine household registration and ID cards? I need a reliable one, and it's fine if they charge more."

Zheng Qiuyi frowned. "Why are you asking this?" She looked at Xu Yan. "Is there a relative or friend of yours who wants to register and get an ID card?"

"Yes, I have a friend..."

"Where does he want to register? In Jincheng?"

"Exactly in Jincheng."

"In that case, you don't need to find an intermediary. Give me his documents, and I'll help you. By the way, if it's for a school district or a demolition area, it's stricter now and harder to handle. But if it's for the new district, it shouldn't be a problem. I can talk to the chief of the local police station. How old is your friend? Why does he want to move here? For marriage, education, work, or buying a house?"

Xu Yan grimaced. "Well, how to put it... I don't really understand why she came to Jincheng."

Zheng Qiuyi was taken aback. She patiently said, "What? Why don't you ask him first? Tomorrow, have him prepare his documents, including the household registration book, ID card, proof of migration, property deed, or school enrollment certificate, and work certificate. Bring them to me, and I'll review the documents and help him register."

"This... I think she won't have any documents."

Zheng Qiuyi was surprised. "No documents? What do you mean? He doesn't have a work certificate?"

Xu Yan struggled to say, "Not only does she not have a work certificate, but she also doesn't have a school enrollment certificate, household registration book, ID card, or any proof of migration."

"Where was her previous household registration? We can check her records there..."

"This... She seems to have no previous household registration."

"Ah, so she has no documents at all?"

"Not exactly... At least, she remembers her own name."

Zheng Qiuyi opened her lips and stared for a while, then smiled bitterly. "My dear junior, you've really given me a tough job. What's the deal with your friend? Did she fall from the sky? How can she have no documents at all? Is she even a Chinese citizen?"

Xu Yan assured her, "Absolutely a pure Chinese, black hair, black eyes, speaks Chinese! It's just that her situation is special, with no documents. She wants to re-register and get a household registration."

Zheng Qiuyi glanced at Xu Yan, her eyes filled with suspicion. People without identity, background, or records were often wanted criminals who had to create a new identity to hide. She thought Xu Yan's request for household registration was a normal matter, and with her help, the local police station wouldn't be difficult. She didn't expect it to be such a complicated case.

Her junior was still a college student, naive and kind, easily influenced by people in society.

"Junior, how old is your friend? Where is she from, what does she do, and what is her family situation? How long have you known her?"

Zheng Qiuyi asked in detail, and Xu Yan smiled. "Senior Sister, are you worried she might be a wanted criminal?"

Zheng Qiuyi also smiled, neither confirming nor denying. "Under normal circumstances, every Chinese citizen has a household registration, even refugees and immigrants have refugee or immigrant certificates. But your friend has no documents at all, which is... very unusual. I'm worried she might be in trouble."

"Senior Sister, you can rest assured. I guarantee she has no criminal record and no trouble—maybe not in the future, but right now, her identity is absolutely clean."

Zheng Qiuyi smiled bitterly, thinking that his friend's identity was indeed clean because she had no identity at all. She asked, "So, who is she? How did you meet her? What does she do?"

Xu Yan bit his lip and finally made up his mind. Given Zheng Qiuyi's straightforward nature, even if she refused to help, she probably wouldn't betray him.

He said, "Senior Sister, I'll be honest. My friend is a girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old. You met her that day in the mall. She was carrying a decorative sword, and you even checked her sword—do you remember?"

Hearing that it was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, Zheng Qiuyi immediately relaxed. If it were a man in his twenties or thirties, she wouldn't have dared to take on the task. A girl of that age was much less concerning. Even if she were a troubled teen, the worst she could do was run away, take drugs, or steal, which wasn't a big problem.

Moreover, although they only had a brief encounter that day, Zheng Qiuyi could clearly see that the girl was tall and slender, with a straight nose and clear eyes, and a beautiful face. She exuded a dignified aura and met Zheng Qiuyi's gaze without fear or hesitation—Zheng Qiuyi, with years of experience as a detective, could tell that the girl was well-bred and had nothing to hide.

So, Zheng Qiuyi agreed readily. "Oh, that girl... Why didn't you say so earlier? Is she your girlfriend? She's so beautiful, you're really lucky."

Zhu Yuxiang as my girlfriend?

Hearing this, Xu Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly. As a young man, it was impossible for him to have no feelings for a beautiful girl like Zhu Yuxiang. However, the more he got to know her, the more he realized the vast gap between them. She was like an unscalable mountain, intimidating and awe-inspiring.

Zhu Yuxiang was beautiful, capable, and wealthy—these were not the main issues. What really set her apart was her character. She was polite and gentle on the surface, but her resolve was firm, and her decisions were decisive. Despite being a few years younger than him, her thoughts were far deeper than his.

Xu Yan felt ashamed: Compared to Zhu Yuxiang, he felt weak and lazy. As a man, he often felt inferior in her presence.

Zheng Qiuyi was straightforward. "Alright, since she's your girlfriend, I have nothing to worry about. Have her prepare ten one-inch passport photos, and bring them to me tomorrow."

Xu Yan was overjoyed. "Senior Sister, I know this isn't a regular procedure, and it will cost a lot. Please tell me the amount, and I'll prepare it. I don't want to burden you."

Zheng Qiuyi smiled. "Junior, you know these things at your age? Here's what I suggest: Bring two good cartons of cigarettes with the photos tomorrow, and I'll pass them on. How does that sound?"

Xu Yan was delighted and nodded repeatedly. He knew that because Zhu Yuxiang had no identity, she couldn't move around freely, which had been a constant worry for both of them. He had even prepared to sell her gold ingots, willing to spend tens of thousands if necessary.

"Senior Sister, just two cartons of cigarettes? Isn't that a bit too little?"

Zheng Qiuyi waved her hand. "Junior, in matters like this, it's not about money but about connections. If you don't know the right people, even a million won't help—bringing in a wanted criminal would land the chief and the household registration officer in jail. But with us, they trust us because they know we follow the rules and won't cause trouble. The cigarettes are just a token of appreciation. However, your girlfriend might need to visit the police station for verification."

With this worry resolved, Xu Yan felt much better. Zheng Qiuyi then proposed to take a statement from him as a witness to the incident, asking if he agreed. Xu Yan immediately agreed without hesitation. "No problem, Senior Sister, go ahead! Write whatever you need, and I'll sign it."

Zheng Qiuyi rolled her eyes. "Junior, you make it sound like I'm conspiring with you to frame someone."

Zheng Qiuyi called a police officer to take the statement while she asked the questions. Since the murderer was already dead, there was no need to investigate further. The statement was just to document the scene and confirm the police's actions, with Xu Yan as a witness to the police's lawful use of force.

Without the need for detailed evidence, and with Xu Yan's cooperation, the statement was completed in less than half an hour.

Xu Yan quickly read through the statement, which accurately described the situation, and immediately signed and fingerprinted it. The detectives left with the documents, and Zheng Qiuyi then told Xu Yan, "Junior, do you know that the National Security Agency is looking for you?"

Hearing this, Xu Yan's hair stood on end. He stammered, "National... National Security Agency? Why are they looking for me?"

Zheng Qiuyi gave him an annoyed look. "Don't be nervous. The National Security Agency isn't a tiger; they won't eat you. They just think it's strange that you blocked the murderer's knife and scared him away. They want to know why you could do that. In my opinion, they're just overthinking it. The murderer ran because he saw us and the police drew their guns. Running was normal; staying would be suicide. We don't know if they'll find you, but if they do, just say you don't know. They... are very troublesome."

Xu Yan nodded, but he was extremely nervous. To an ordinary person, scaring away the murderer seemed normal. The police had already reacted and drawn their guns, so the murderer running was a natural response. Even Zheng Qiuyi, a seasoned detective, didn't find anything unusual. However, the National Security Agency had noticed something amiss and wanted to investigate him. Xu Yan suspected that the National Security Agency had more information and knew that this seemingly ordinary murder case was not so simple.

Xu Yan was terrified. The National Security Agency, known for its vast power and resources, might have already detected Zhu Yuxiang's presence. If they discovered she was from another world, what would they do to her and him?

Xu Yan couldn't bear to think about it.

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"National Security Agency?" Zhu Yuxiang turned her gaze from the TV screen and looked at the anxious Xu Yan calmly. "Xu Gongzi, what kind of department is that? Is it more powerful than the Public Security Bureau?"

Xu Yan didn't really understand the National Security Agency. His knowledge came from street literature and military websites, but he couldn't show his ignorance to Zhu Yuxiang. "The Public Security Bureau handles general criminal cases, like murders and robberies. The National Security Agency deals with major cases, such as preventing foreign espionage and investigating major threats to national security... something like that."

"Specializing in major cases, tracking down thieves, maintaining order, and investigating spies? Oh, so this is your country's version of the Jinyiwei and Dongchang?"

Zhu Yuxiang turned her gaze back to the TV screen and picked up a sunflower seed. "If that's the case, this department is indeed formidable. You must be very careful, Xu Gongzi!"

As Zhu Yuxiang watched TV and cracked sunflower seeds, she spoke casually. Xu Yan was almost furious: This girl made it sound like it had nothing to do with her!

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