“Hey Chief? Can we just quickly have a talk about it in the pantry?” 

 

“Talk about what? The decisions are final.” Chief inspector Gāo Bǐnggōng walks straight ahead undistracted. He does not bother to tilt his head to look at whoever is speaking to him.

 

“The fish! I really can not handle this case. I am allergic to fish!” a police officer who looks much more mature than he sounds shouts. He must haven’t shaved at all in a month. His hair, naturally dark and curly, does not appear to have the type of gloss that certifies proper care. Nonetheless, he is still an obviously handsome man. 

 

However, now,  he stands out more to many of his colleagues as a desperate loser. If he were in primary school, his classmates would surely give him a silly nickname like “Goldie Fishie,” seeing his eyes bulging out to such an exaggerated extent. 

 

“We just had Northern snakehead stew with pickled mustard greens at yesterday’s team bonding dinner. I recall I saw a decent man who looked just like you packing up the leftover soup home.” Putting his hand on the stair handle, Chief Inspector Gāo turns to lock his gaze on his subordinate’s mourned face, completing his act. 

 

“Please, Chief, I’m terrible with yaos. I’m being honest with you. I literally failed my yaology class in college three times. That’s once every single year until I had to get a pass to graduate! What if I messed up and caused a civil war between yaos and humans? Would you really trust the peace of the nation and the reputation of the Bái Dì Police Department with me? Come on. You must have a better candidate.”

 

“That’s why I appointed Junior Detective Zuǒqiū to be your partner on this case.”

 

“Good noon, sir.” A group of internal affairs officers take off their police caps and nod at the two moving in opposite directions as they come downstairs to go to lunch.

 

“That’s even worse! Can you imagine me and Miss. Zuǒqiū Mùxīn working together? She will be way much better off without me. I am terrible with girls. I am terrible with girls and fish! Do you know what girls plus fish are equal to? Mermaids! Then I even have to check their Visas before they drown me in the water!”

 

“That’s not how it works. Did you also fail your biology class?”

 

“I actually didn’t take biology in college since it’s an elective.”

 

Chief Gao does not laugh. He is determined to get back to his office to take a nap with his active noise-canceling headphones on.

 

“Chief, you know what? Why don’t we just have the people at Yao and Spirit Affairs Division take over this entire case? ”

 

“Ha! You are a smart ass, aren’t you?”

 

“I’m flattered.”

 

“This is a high-profile case. Yao and Spirit Affairs are understaffed. You are the only senior detective left who has both a black badge and a red badge.”

 

“You are making a fool out of me, sir. You know that’s not a compliment. I only made it to senior detective because I have served the station for ten years. I only have duo color badges because neither human nor yao division wants me.”

 

“Served ten years? It appears to me that you have been slacking off for ten years and are planning on sleeping through the last forty years of your life. You are a public service officer. Now it is time to pay those generously paid nap hours back.” 

 

“Oh, please forgive me, Chief. You really can’t trust me with a case as sensitive as this. I come into the station through the backdoor. It’s not a secret. I am used to the gossip, but what if people start to think you favor me? People will talk behind your back. If my involvement ends up tarnishing your reputation, guiltyness alone would get me a major depression. “

 

“Detective Shàn! Won’t you knock before you come in? This is my office!”

​

This dramatic senior detective is named Shàn Lí. He is otherwise known as one of the least police-like police officers at BDPD, and he hardly ever remembers workplace etiquette. 

 

“My apologies, sir. I’ll get out and knock this instance.” 

 

He takes a ninety-degree bow and walks backward to retreat to the hallway.

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

“May I come in, Chief?”

 

“No!”

 

“No? No. Please, sir! Please give me a chance to…”

 

The door is pulled open. 

 

“Enough! You are a pain in the ass. I have to get you out of this station, out of my sight, to ruin the peace of the nation so I can enjoy a moment of peace!”

 

The door gets slammed closed.

 

“You know. Principal Huàgǔ phoned in personally to recommend you for this mission. I honestly don't know what that piece of antique sees in you - whatever makes him especially fond of a human who failed Yaology three times. Don’t forget, the Balance comes first.”

 

Shàn Lí does not talk back this time. “Yes, sir. I’ll get to work right after the lunch break.”

​

“Come back to the chief meeting room at 2 p.m. sharp. Representatives from the River of Oblivion Alliances will be here.”

 

“Is he gone?” says a lighthearted female voice.

 

“I think so. I think he just went downstairs.” 

 

Chief Gāo presses his ears against the door, listening to the footsteps fading away.

​

Shàn Lí collapses in his seat. Some kind-hearted office novices have already got their jobs done ahead of time. Several piles of files now dominate his originally happily empty desk. They are mostly newspaper clips greedy for attention.

​

Shàn Lí picks up a folder on the top. The headline article of the day on Bai Di Twilights is “Illegal Fishing! A Fish Yao is Mistaken as a Regular Fish.”

 

On January 2nd, an old lady, Mrs.Mo, tripped over something in the snow when she surveyed YY Park as part of her morning walk routine. Thankfully, heavy snow covering the ground provided a buffer so Mrs.Mo did not get hurt after she fell. However, Mrs.Mo was, according to herself, “terrified to death” because when she tilted her head, she saw the face of a young man uncovered from the pile of snow right next to her. Mrs.Mo told BaiDi Twilights, “The poor young man’s eyes! You will never forget those pale eyes. He looked as lifeless as a dead fish.” 

 

When Mrs.Mo returned to the park with the police, “The man became a real fish!” Said Mrs.Mo. According to the first-hand information this sole witness provided, the fish had a hook pined through its jaw. 

 

“This is terrible. I don’t ever want to see fish in my kitchen anymore, not even fish tofu.” This is Mrs. Mo's final remark. 

 

Who is this man frozen in YY Park snow? Or should we ask who this fish is? The police have not yet disclosed any further details after the fish is taken away. Reporters from Bai Di Twilights will continue to keep a close eye on the development of the event.

 

Shàn Lí drops the newspaper on the side and lets out a heavy sigh. He picks up the next one: “Immortal fish yao committed suicide for mortal love.”

 

It has been brought to the public’s attention that last week, a fish was found dead in the middle of a park in YY District. This tragedy casts a melancholy shadow over the upcoming festival, adding a sorrowful tune to Bai Di citizens’ karaoke songs. 

 

This fish is the first yao found dead in Bai Di City ever. How could such an elegant, longevous, and magical creature die in one of the most adored dating sites in the city? In a city of peace and harmony, the only plausible answer is that our victim committed suicide for love. Only this explanation can resolve all the mysteries shielding the romantic truth. 

 

This article is astoundingly stupid that Shàn Lí feels he must refrain from arresting the rumor-writing specialist who fails to defend news integrity.

​

Fantasy novels featuring love stories between yaos and humans are trendy lately. Shàn Lí has collected a lot of those. He finds those novels much more convincing than this piece of news. Looking at the world from his position, lies are always more appealing than truths.

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You've reached the end of this excerpt.

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I hope you've enjoyed the read.