Of course, Captain Harris would never say such discouraging words out loud. He glanced helplessly at Ethan Brooks, shook his head, and said, “Little Ethan, when will you ever learn to be a bit more mature? Just because you don’t like someone, you dare to arrest them? And last time, you only suspected that street punk of stealing a wallet, yet you went and broke his ribs?”

At this point, Captain Harris’s tone grew heavier: “I really want to ask you, do you feel any guilt toward your father who died in the line of duty? In the two years since you joined the police force, you haven’t solved a single major case, but you’ve caused plenty of minor trouble. Living like this, don’t you feel unworthy of the sacred police badge on our hats? If it weren’t for your late father’s sake, I’d really want to suspend you right now! Sigh, sometimes I really don’t know what to say to you… Go write a self-criticism and hand it in to me tomorrow!”

A layer of tears welled up in Ethan Brooks’s stubborn eyes, her heart filled with endless grievance.

Captain Harris turned his head to look at Frank King and barked, “And you, Little Frank, you write a self-criticism and hand it in too!”

“Boss, what did I do now?” Frank King cried out in grievance, unable to figure out what he’d done wrong.

Captain Harris’s face turned cold, his authority evident even without anger: “You still have the nerve to ask? During work hours, you neglect your duties and go investigate some online novel violation case—do you think that’s your job? You’ve been on the force for over a year now, always searching for criminals on websites plastered with pornographic images. Let me ask you, have you found any solid cybercrime cases? If you have, show me. If not, go write your self-criticism immediately!”

Frank King let out a wail and, full of reluctance, went off to write his self-criticism.

Inside the interrogation room, after listening to Charles Bennett recount the whole story, Ryan Clark was clutching his stomach with laughter. “Hahaha, I have to say, your luck is just unbelievable. You actually ran into something like this. Seriously, I think that policewoman is pretty great in every way—at least a 90 out of 100. Why not just go with the flow and turn this virtual online story into reality? Who knows, maybe it’ll become a great tale in the future.”

Charles Bennett replied irritably, “Come on, I ended up in the station—how is that good luck? That girl, even if the two of us teamed up, we might not be able to take her. You’d better introduce her to a tough guy like Steele Jr..”

“What are you afraid of? Aren’t you researching how to ‘train’ girls? I think it’s doable—if you manage to train this one, she’ll be the flower of C City! As for Steele Jr., don’t even mention him. If there were no such thing as ‘ladies of the night’ in this world, I bet that guy would die from pent-up hormones. Asking him to pick up girls is like asking him to commit suicide—it’d be less painful.”

“You’ve got a point. Steele Jr. can’t even get a word out when he sees a woman, so we can’t count on him. As for this girl named Gan, I really need to find a way to get my dignity back…”

The two of them paid no mind to their current surroundings, discussing their tips for picking up girls right there in the police station, as if they were relaxing in a bar—only missing a drink in hand. It wasn’t until Captain Harris knocked and entered that they finally stopped their wild conversation.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Bennett, for the grievance you’ve suffered. On behalf of the police force, I apologize to you.” Captain Harris personally unlocked Charles Bennett’s handcuffs, his face full of apology.

“Not at all, you’re too kind.” Charles Bennett didn’t push his luck, but he wasn’t willing to just swallow the loss either. He smiled and said, “If possible, I’d prefer that Officer Brooks apologize to me in person.”

“No problem, that’s only right.” Captain Harris agreed readily, then called to Ethan Brooks, who was waiting outside the door: “Little Ethan, come in. Whoever tied the knot must untie it—don’t shirk your responsibility. Apologize to Mr. Bennett yourself.”

If looks could kill, Charles Bennett would have been riddled with holes by Ethan Brooks’s glare. Forcing down her grievance, unwillingness, anger, and resentment, Ethan Brooks chose to obey orders. Facing Charles Bennett, her fingers seemed to tremble slightly, and she managed to squeeze out three words with great difficulty: “I’m sorry…”

Chapter 004: Indecency

Although Charles Bennett never had the luck to count money until his hands cramped, he could at least sleep until he woke up naturally.

When the sun had already shone past his butt and down to his ankles, Charles Bennett ate a breakfast that was later than lunch, then opened up his shop at No. 99 Xizhao Street and began his day’s work. This shop, less than 50 square meters, was grandly named “Disc in Disc Audio-Visual Store”—in simple terms, it was just a place to rent and sell discs.

As the internet became more and more widespread, Charles Bennett’s business got harder and harder. Whenever a new movie came out, people just downloaded it online, and there weren’t many customers coming to rent or buy discs anymore. If it weren’t for the stash of adult films in the small loft at the back of the shop, which could attract some middle-aged and elderly customers, Charles Bennett would probably be running at a loss.

Fortunately, Charles Bennett never had any grand ambitions in life—he was content as long as he could get by.

While typing away at the old computer in his shop and bantering with readers in his book club group, Charles Bennett was quite proud of his multitasking skills. To him, this was a simple kind of happiness. In fact, he couldn’t really describe what this happiness felt like—he just knew that every time he finished a new chapter, he felt a special sense of accomplishment.