"Hmph—who's joking with you! Stop making excuses. This is clearly your fault. Not only did you interfere with police work, but you also assaulted an officer! You definitely had ulterior motives and planned this!" Sergeant Mandy Chung immediately shouted in protest when Shawn Young tried to brush off his actions so lightly.
"Oh, Officer Chung, use your brain for a second—if I really wanted to attack the police, would I have let you meet Rainie and her team? I would've—bam bam—taken you all out! Would I be stupid enough to wait for you to call for backup? So, of course, I'm just messing with you!" Shawn Young teased her, loosening his grip on Mandy Chung.
Freed from his hold, Mandy Chung quickly retreated to Rainie Cheng's side, rubbing her sore arms and shoulders. She glared at Shawn Young suspiciously and asked coldly, "You—what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Heh—like I said, I'm just here in Hong Kong for some fun, and to visit Rainie!" Shawn Young replied with a grin.
"Uh—Rainie, are you really close with this guy?" Mandy Chung suddenly turned and asked Rainie Cheng.
A shy blush spread across Rainie Cheng's pretty face. She nodded and said, "Mm-hmm, that's right. He's my—my boyfriend!"
"Ah! No way? Oh my god! Rainie, I—I never heard you mention him before!" Mandy Chung exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief as she covered her mouth.
The officers Rainie Cheng had brought along were all stunned by her words. After all, Rainie was a legendary beauty in the force, and plenty of male officers secretly admired her. Yet, they'd never heard any rumors about the usually icy Rainie Cheng having a boyfriend. And everyone knew what 'boyfriend' meant these days—it signified that Rainie and Shawn Young had moved far beyond mere friendship to a very intimate relationship.
"Uh—about that, I just don't think it's necessary to tell everyone!" Rainie Cheng replied, blushing.
"I'm your best cousin—we tell each other everything!" Mandy Chung complained again, sounding frustrated.
"Oh, Mandy, I just felt this was kind of personal, so I didn't mention it to you!" Rainie Cheng explained.
"But—but how did this guy become your boyfriend? He's just good-looking, that's all! Why should he be your boyfriend? I don't like him at all, Rainie. I think you should dump him and find someone better!" Mandy Chung said, glaring fiercely at Shawn Young, clearly still upset about his earlier roughness.
Hearing Mandy Chung's words, Rainie Cheng's expression turned cold. She replied, "Sergeant Chung, I'm here on official duty today, not to discuss my personal life! Please don't bring this up again."
"Uh—I was just, just making a suggestion—" Mandy Chung realized she'd gone too far when she saw Rainie's displeasure, and quickly stuck out her tongue and muttered quietly.
"Heh—since we're all friends here, there's no need to keep arguing. I've got things to do, so here, take your gun back. And next time, don't go waving it at people—it's easy to cause misunderstandings, you know?" Shawn Young said as he handed Mandy Chung her sidearm. Seeing this, Rachel Sasaki and her father returned the police guns to the three PTU officers as well.
Mandy Chung took her gun back and shot another glare at Shawn Young. Feeling a surge of courage, she gripped the weapon tightly. Though she didn't point it at him again, her eyes hardened as she said coldly, "Hmph—who says we're friends? I never agreed to that! And I bet my colleagues don't either!"
"Mm-hmm—she's right!" Mandy's words fired everyone up, and several male officers immediately chimed in. Most of them were secretly crushing on Rainie Cheng.
"Oh—well, there's nothing I can do about that!" Shawn Young shrugged, realizing Mandy still had a grudge against him, and just let her words slide.
Sensing the awkward tension, Rainie Cheng quickly changed the subject and pointed to the kimono-clad father and daughter. "Shawn, what are you doing here? And who are these two Japanese people?"
"Oh—I'm here because I have a job to do. There's something weird about this place, so I need to look for more clues. And these two are my—assistants!" Shawn Young explained simply.
Rainie Cheng knew about Shawn Young's special identity. Hearing he had a mission, she understood he was serious. She nodded, glanced at the beautiful Rachel Sasaki, and asked, "I see. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Hearing how easily Rainie Cheng sided with Shawn Young, Mandy Chung got annoyed again and shouted, "Cousin—oh, I mean—Officer Cheng! This guy is still a suspect, so why are you working with him?!"
"Sergeant Chung—he's definitely not a suspect. His identity just isn't convenient to reveal. So stop jumping to conclusions—I've got my reasons for doing this!" Rainie Cheng said, shooting Mandy a slightly angry look.
Shawn Young smiled and said to Rainie Cheng, "Rainie, it looks like your cousin, Sergeant Chung, really has it out for me!"
"Hmph—it's not just a little, it's a lot!" Mandy Chung snapped, clearly annoyed by Shawn Young's cheeky grin.
"Alright—enough arguing. I'm in charge here now. Sergeant Chung, you and your team can leave!" Rainie Cheng said coldly, unwilling to let anyone mistreat Shawn Young, especially family.
"What? Officer Cheng—this has always been our PTU's patrol zone! And even if you know this guy, the whole situation is suspicious. The three of them are still suspects, you can't just take over!" Mandy Chung protested.
"I know, but I'm officially declaring that this scene is now under the jurisdiction of the International Narcotics Division. If I need PTU's help, I'll ask for it! But right now, it's not necessary." Rainie Cheng said.
"You—Officer Cheng! That's abuse of power! Do you realize that?!" Mandy Chung exploded, her fiery temper getting the best of her after Rainie's declaration.
Rainie Cheng just shot her a cold look, flashed her badge, and said, "Take a good look—I have every right to take over this case. When I get back, I'll file a full report to the higher-ups and give PTU headquarters a detailed explanation. Now, Sergeant Chung, please take your team and leave! We're starting the investigation!"
"You—you—hmph—I'm so mad! Let's go!!" Mandy Chung fumed, her pretty face turning pale with anger. She stomped her foot and pointed at Shawn Young, "Hmph, don't think you can act cocky just because my cousin's protecting you today. Next time I see you, you're in for it!"
With that, Mandy Chung reluctantly led the three PTU officers away.
Once Mandy and her group left, Rainie Cheng immediately ordered her team, "Zhang, Chen, Shen, Liu—you four each take a squad and seal off every exit in this building. Nobody leaves without my permission! Also, you guys have more experience, so search the building carefully for anything suspicious!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The officers with Rainie Cheng knew she was all business, so they dropped their own opinions and rushed off to carry out her orders.