Chapter 57

Emma remained silent; Zoey was still as annoying as ever.

John glanced at the two of them and smiled subtly, then asked, "Who's coming with me on patrol tonight?"

Zoey immediately sensed trouble and quickly said, "I have an appointment with Officer Davis tonight. I need to wrap up that case over there."

John nodded at her response, "Alright, you handle your business." Then he looked at Emma, "Remember to get ready."

Emma hadn't even said a word yet, and now she was suddenly forced to work overtime.

Feeling annoyed, she glared at Zoey resentfully and returned to her workstation.

Zoey was really lucky, using the case to escape patrol duty. Poor Emma, she wouldn't be able to get her beauty sleep tonight.

When it was time to get off work, Zoey left right on time.

Emma's gaze was like daggers, sweeping over her constantly! But Zoey pretended not to see it, packed her things, and left the police station.

Robert had arranged to meet her at the place where he had dropped her off.

Zoey walked through the crowd and immediately spotted Robert's private car.

Robert was curled up in the driver's seat, sleeping. In their line of work, they often had to switch between day and night shifts, so they slept whenever they could. It had become a habit for everyone in the criminal investigation department.

Hearing the car door open, he woke up instantly.

Yawning, Robert glanced at Zoey as she got in the car, started the engine, and asked with concern, "How was your day at the police station?"

Thinking about earning Emma's money, Zoey felt a bit smug as she answered, "Same as usual."

"You seem pretty happy. Is it because our criminal investigation department's workload is too high, and you feel relaxed when you come back?"

Zoey knew Robert misunderstood her, but she didn't explain further and simply replied, "No."

"That's good. You should know hard work leads to progress!" Robert looked at her seriously, then smiled, clearly teasing her.

But Zoey remained expressionless, always giving off a cold vibe.

This made Robert feel a bit awkward, but since it was just the two of them in the car, he didn't mind too much. After all, he genuinely liked Zoey.

"Let's go, I'll take you out for some beef tonight!"

"Okay." Zoey loved eating beef.

But she didn't expect Robert to take her to a restaurant for beef; she thought they were going to his house for Tenley's cooking.

Robert took her to a well-known restaurant in the city, and from a distance, they could see Alexander and the others already waiting.

Their conversations often revolved around corpses and case details, which could make other diners uncomfortable.

To speak more freely, they had booked a private room.

Charles was thrilled to see Robert bring Zoey along, "Zoey! Officer Davis said you were still working today."

"Yeah." Although she had returned from the criminal investigation department, she still had to work at the police station until her day off, which was at least four days away.

Robert and Dennis sat further inside, leaving the seat by the door for Zoey, who sat down next to Alexander.

Alexander smiled and said, "We've already ordered some dishes. Take a look and see if there's anything else you want."

He handed the menu to Zoey like a gentleman.

Zoey took it but didn't look at it.

She replied indifferently, "I'm not picky."

Everyone at the table knew about Zoey's appetite, and the atmosphere became tense for a second. Dennis broke the awkwardness first, "What do you usually do at the police station?"

"Not much, just mediating some civil disputes. The cases aren't complicated, just a bit time-consuming."

Alexander added, "Isn't that completely unrelated to your expertise? I remember you being quite good at creating disputes." He smirked and took a sip of water.

His words made Zoey dislike him even more. "Yeah, Mr. Williams never takes me on patrols. I just idle around at the police station and leave when it's time. It's quite nice."

This statement drew a lot of 'envy' from the others.

In the criminal investigation team, leaving on time was a luxury; they felt lucky if they didn't have to pull an all-nighter.

Seeing everyone looking at Zoey with envy, Robert cleared his throat, trying to change the subject.

He wasn't just treating everyone to dinner to reward them; he had other plans. "Hasn't it been half an hour since we ordered? Why hasn't any dish arrived yet? I'm starving."

Dennis went out to check, and within a few minutes, various dishes were brought in.

Robert started eating first, and the others followed.

Zoey was the one enjoying the food the most.

Robert watched everyone chatting and laughing, but his eyes were always on Zoey's every move.

When she seemed about four or five bites away from being full, he casually asked, "Zoey, you've been with our team for a while now. How do you find the work environment here?"

"It's good." Except for Alexander who was a bit annoying, the others were tolerable.

"Right, I also think our team's atmosphere is great. But we're a bit short-handed. Sometimes, we men can't come up with everything, mainly because we lack a meticulous girl."

After saying this, Robert stopped eating to show his sincerity, waiting for Zoey's response.

Zoey continued eating, responding casually and perfunctorily.

Robert was puzzled. Was he not being clear enough?

Robert was getting anxious, but Zoey kept eating.

Dennis couldn't stand it anymore, "Zoey, stop eating for a moment. You're driving Officer Davis crazy!" He glanced at Robert, feeling speechless, "Officer Davis, if you have something to say, just say it directly!"

He turned to Zoey and explained Robert's intention straightforwardly, "Officer Davis hopes you can join the criminal investigation team. If you agree, he'll apply to transfer you immediately. How about it?"

Zoey's expression remained indifferent, and no one knew what she was thinking.

She kept eating.

Seeing this, Alexander added, "I think it's a good idea. Zoey's personality suits our team better than mediating disputes."

Charles also cautiously observed Zoey's expression, "Our work isn't as easy as the police station, and we face brutal criminals every day, with the risk of encountering extremists, it could be life-threatening."