The Borderland Bullies' Beloved [90s]

In the 1990s, Ninglan, a country bordering Huaguo's southwestern frontier, was a hotbed of crime with terrible law and order.

A tiny land surrounded by mountains,

full of criminals wherever you looked,

a hub for smuggling and trafficking contraband.

Pingxiang Street in Longxinggang City, Ninglan, was the worst of the worst.

Good news: Sang Baiyu has arrived in Pingxiang Street.

Even better news: She has four "thuggish" relatives and friends.

*

The four "thugs" had lived on Pingxiang Street for years, and no one dared cross them. They were the biggest headache for Ninglan's detectives.

They decided they'd had enough of putting up with this. They would root out crime! They would protect the people!

Their first step was to clean up Pingxiang Street!

The detectives picked the softest target, the one who looked the least threatening: Sang Baiyu.

When they caught her, she was happily eating grilled skewers.

Sang Baiyu sneaked a bite. "Officer, a criminal touched your hand."

Sang Baiyu chewed away. "There's a bomb at the scene, too."

Sang Baiyu swallowed her skewer. "The culprit's already long gone. Have another skewer!"

The detectives: "... Huh?"

*

Other kids' daily routine: playing, playing, and more playing.

Sang Baiyu's daily routine: intelligence, codes, tactics, and explosives.

Her eldest brother taught her to fight: "Be kind to everyone, and use your fists on everyone."

Her second sister taught her how to create all kinds of codes: "Don't try to hide secrets with codes from smart people, but nobody's smarter than us."

Her third sister taught her about all kinds of weapons: "Be a good person, and learn to use a gun properly."

Her eldest sister was the most sensible of them all: "Don't listen to their nonsense. We're ordinary people, and we must never break the law... Who threw water on me? Get down here and fight me!!"

Sang Baiyu: My family really are good people!

*

The Ninglan police discovered a sharp new weapon.

Whenever she showed up at a crime scene, the culprit had nowhere to run.

But what gave them an even bigger headache was her unusual background and her four thuggish relatives and friends.

One day, Sang Baiyu was brought into the interrogation room. The chief happened to be making his rounds and saw Sang Baiyu sitting with her legs crossed, eating skewers, while the suspect swallowed hard--

Just as they were about to be found out, the forensic examiner put away the huge cleaver Sang Baiyu carried with her. "I've been thinking of changing my dissection tools."

Detective No. 1 quietly took away the skewers. "The suspect says he's hungry."

Detective No. 2 took away the seasoning. "I already told him he can't eat."

The suspect: "..."

He hadn't gotten even one skewer!

This is torture! Torture! He wants to confess!

A crowd of detectives rushed forward to shield Sang Baiyu. "If you want to arrest her, arrest me first!"

The chief: "..."

Maybe I should call an ambulance and have them check your heads first.

A year later, the chief stared silently at the crime rate, which had plummeted.

"Should we grill her a few more skewers?"

Bonus scene

Sang Baiyu's sense of smell was unmatched. She could sniff out a culprit, and her ability kept evolving.

One day, Sang Baiyu suddenly turned solemn and strode forward as if something major had happened.

Detective No. 1 followed.

Detective No. 2 followed.

Detective No. 3...

Oh no! Something terrible had happened! It had to be a serial killer!

Ten minutes later, Sang Baiyu stopped at a barbecue stall and happily placed her order.

The detectives: "..."

Smells amazing.

*

Please add my new story, The Neighborhood Committee's Gossip Guardians [The 1980s], to your reading list~

Wei Yan transmigrates to the 1980s and becomes a mediator on a neighborhood committee.

The committee's work is varied and colorful. Anything the police station won't deal with gets sent their way.

People in the apartment compound fight over a stove, then steal their neighbors' soy sauce when they lose;

people in line for the public toilet fight because someone is taking too long;

someone hangs laundry and gets a neighbor's quilt wet;

And one sixty-year-old man falls in love with a pen pal, only to discover when they meet that his beloved is a fifty-year-old man.

The chaos never ends, and Wei Yan says: I can't take this anymore!

*

Wei Yan is a wicked supporting female character in an era novel set in a remote county town in The 1980s, and she's the kind who actually succeeds in doing evil.

Everyone despises her, and she's forced to get engaged to a fickle male supporting character.

Wei Yan: What? I haven't even had a chance to enjoy being a villain, and now I have to atone?

Luckily, she's bound to a System that rewards her with a lucky spin for uncovering bizarre happenings.

As long as she gets the gossip, she can spin the lucky wheel. The grand prize is ten courtyard houses in the capital!

Wei Yan believes that after years of spinning wheels on Pinduoduo, she's bound to win the jackpot!

But after Wei Yan wins a few times, things start to seem off...

"Congratulations, you've won a roast chicken! The chicken from Siberia is especially delicious~"

"Congratulations, you've won a fully touchscreen phone! Please provide your own charger~"

"Congratulations, you've won..."

Wei Yan: "..."

This is a scam!! You promised I'd unlock the grand prize after just two hacks!!

*

To unlock the grand prize, Wei Yan decides to stay at the neighborhood committee and enjoy the gossip in peace.

Other mediators: "A harmonious family brings success in all things."

Wei Yan: "I didn't catch that part. Could you say it again?"

She uses the System to lower her presence. As long as she stays quiet, she can listen in on gossip anywhere.

She shows up at the scene of her fiance's date with his side pieces, and the group lets slip juicy secrets about the factory director and accountant. She turns around and reports them, earning a commendation, then brings her fiance a gift the next day to thank him.

She "attends" a gang meeting, records everything that happens, and sums up the meeting's successes and shortcomings. The next day, every gang member is arrested, leaving the gang boss baffled.

She hides under a table and witnesses her former fiance's older brother being flirted with in every way. But just as she starts to snicker, he catches her himself...

Wei Yan: "How did you find me?!"

Older Brother: "I'm the new male lead, thanks."

That night, Wei Yan protests to the System: No male lead aura, please!!

Theme: Catch the bad guys