Chapter 54: The Slap Came Too Quickly

Seeing how respectfully Li Ye treated the young Miss Shen, Deng Ping dared not be negligent either.

“Hello, Miss Shen. My name is Deng Ping.”

“Hello, my name is Shen Qing.” Shen Qing slipped into the car, sitting face to face with Deng Ping.

“Have you tracked down the IP address?” Shen Qing glanced at the laptop on the small table.

Deng Ping shook his head, looking somewhat dispirited.

He’d been searching for two hours, but just couldn’t crack it.

Shen Qing frowned. “Let me try.”

Deng Ping was slightly surprised, sizing her up—she looked no more than seventeen or eighteen.

“Miss Shen, you know IT?” Li Ye was also surprised, voicing Deng Ping’s curiosity.

“My skills are average,” Shen Qing replied, eyes lowered as she began typing.

“This computer is pretty slow.”

Deng Ping was taken aback. The computers in the tech department were the fastest in the city. Did this Miss Shen not know quality when she saw it?

“Miss Shen, are you sure you can handle this?” Deng Ping couldn’t help but ask. He was a computer science graduate from Capital University, and even he couldn’t solve it—could she?

“Shen Qing? What are you doing here?” Zhang Fan pushed open the car door, astonished to see her sitting inside.

“Miss Shen is an external expert invited by Li Ye,” Deng Ping explained, silently calculating—if Zhang Fan knew Shen Qing too, she must be reliable.

Zhang Fan’s face clouded over. He got in the car and snatched the laptop away. Immediately, the screen was filled with gibberish and countless red exclamation marks.

“What’s wrong with you?” Shen Qing placed her hand on the table, glaring coldly at Zhang Fan.

Li Ye grew flustered. Now Zhang Fan had truly offended Miss Shen.

“Zhang Fan, you’re going too far.”

“Hah!” Zhang Fan sneered at Li Ye. “This Shen Qing is just a regular high school student. She knows computers? IT isn’t like binge-watching dramas online.”

Deng Ping was dumbfounded. He’d just seen how deftly Shen Qing’s fingers danced over the keys—he thought she only looked young. She was still in high school?

“The last case was solved thanks to Miss Shen. Zhang Fan, how can you—”

“That last case was just a coincidence. This time, lives are at stake. Besides, we have a top graduate from Capital University here, and you want to trust a high schooler over him?”

Zhang Fan was unconvinced. He attributed the last case’s resolution to the city’s lack of advanced equipment. Shen Qing just happened to be a bit more imaginative, thinking of things they hadn’t. He couldn’t understand why the head office valued her so much.

Shen Qing’s brow furrowed; she hadn’t slept well, and now this argument only worsened her mood.

“If you’re so capable, do it yourself. Otherwise, get lost.” She shot Zhang Fan a cold glance.

Deng Ping listened from the side, unable to get a word in.

Li Ye was indignant on Shen Qing’s behalf. Was it really so hard to admit someone else’s talent?

Besides, the things Shen Qing mentioned last time—D90 and such—he’d never even heard of them! He didn’t believe Zhang Fan knew, either.

“Li Ye, please escort unrelated personnel out. Don’t interfere with the investigation,” Zhang Fan said, clearly displeased with Shen Qing.

“Ridiculous.” Shen Qing stood slightly, grabbed the corner of the laptop, and yanked it over. Zhang Fan nearly lost his balance.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Zhang Fan tried to grab the laptop back.

“Get out.” Shen Qing suddenly glared at him, her eyes icy and filled with a chilling intent.

Zhang Fan was startled by her look, suddenly uneasy and too intimidated to move.

Shen Qing’s fingers flew over the keyboard, moving so fast they left afterimages.

Li Ye and Deng Ping were utterly astonished.

Even Zhang Fan was dumbstruck—did she actually know computers?

Two minutes later, Shen Qing pinpointed an address. “235 Donghua Street.”

“Huh?” The others were still in a daze, unable to react.

“The suspect’s address,” Shen Qing replied in a low, impatient voice.

Li Ye snapped back to attention. “I’ll send people over right away.”

“Wait! No.” Zhang Fan stopped Li Ye as he was about to get out.

“How do we know she’s not making it up for credit? If we act before confirming the information and something goes wrong, we’ll be held responsible. Besides, our job is to help locate the bomb, we can’t abandon our post.”

“You—” Li Ye was at a loss for words. With no way to verify Shen Qing’s information, no one would join him in apprehending the suspect.

Shen Qing glanced at them with cold indifference. “Cowards.”

“Miss Shen, where are you going?” Li Ye saw Shen Qing getting out of the car, pushed past Zhang Fan, and followed her.

Shen Qing shot a look at Zhang Fan. “To catch the suspect.”

Li Ye steeled himself. “Miss Shen, I’ll go with you.”

If Shen Qing, a young woman, dared to walk into danger, how could he, as a man, stand by and do nothing?

Zhang Fan was furious. “Li Ye, how dare you leave your post to follow Shen Qing on some wild chase!”

Li Ye glanced back at him. “I trust her.”

Even the head office’s proudest figure treated Shen Qing with such respect. He might not fully trust Shen Qing yet, but he trusted the head office.

Zhang Fan, fuming, called Captain Long to report on Li Ye’s actions.

Not long after he hung up, Deng Ping tugged on Zhang Fan’s sleeve, his voice trembling slightly. “She really found it. Miss Shen is incredible!”

Zhang Fan froze. “What did you just say?”