Xia Hang was afraid that if he said even one more word, Han Huaixiao would add another thousand words to his self-criticism, so he quickly headed outside. Just as he reached the door, Han Huaixiao called after him: “Wait.”
Afraid his Captain Han was going to add to the word count again, Xia Hang slowly turned around. “What is it?”
“You saw the person who rammed into you.” Han Huaixiao pointed at the chair, indicating that he should sit. “Who do you think he is? Do you think he’s from the organization that left you that note?”
Xia Hang walked back and sat down, answering, “Probably not.”
Han Huaixiao: “Are you sure?”
“At first, I thought it was them too, but their style of doing things is different. If it were that organization, once they made a move, I wouldn’t have been able to get away so easily. But the person who rammed into me this time didn’t seem intent on killing me. It felt more like a warning. I think he was either from Taiyi Shipping or Wang Cang’s people.”
“It probably wasn’t Taiyi. Liao Yongqing, Bao Qinglong, and Mo Xuan have all died, and they were all connected to Taiyi. If it launched an attack on a police officer at a time like this, it would be practically announcing that they intended to openly oppose the police. They wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“Then it was either Wang Cang’s people or He Qi’s.”
The masked man knew Xia Hang’s codename from his undercover days, which clearly meant he wasn’t one of Sheng Jun’s people. Xia Hang thought about the new type of drug detected in the bodies of Ju Jiezhen, Xin Rong, and Li Cheng. He Qi couldn’t develop a new type of drug. But before Sheng Jun’s downfall, he had been in frequent contact with a research facility in North America, so the new drug should have been developed there. Sheng Jun had probably used it to strike a deal with He Qi, relying on He Qi’s protection to buy himself time to consolidate his resources and make a comeback.
If Sheng Jun and He Qi had reached an agreement, and the masked man was one of Wang Cang or He Qi’s people, then it wasn’t surprising that he knew Xia Hang and his codename.
Thinking of this, Xia Hang’s heart sank.
Sheng Jun had already been relatively easy to deal with. But if he had reached an agreement with He Qi and gained He Qi’s support, capturing Sheng Jun and bringing him to justice would become much more difficult.
Han Huaixiao’s expression also darkened. If it really was Wang Cang or He Qi behind this, then they must have had a purpose. They were Burmese, and what they were doing violated China’s laws. As long as they retained even a shred of rationality, they wouldn’t openly provoke Chinese police.
Yet now, they had openly rammed into Xia Hang.
Wait.
Xia Hang had been driving Xia Ling’s car. It was also possible that the person they were targeting was Xia Ling.
“You were driving Xia Ling’s car. Do you think they were targeting you or Xia Ling?”
“After I got back, I checked the surveillance footage from when I left the city bureau. A shop diagonally across from the bureau had a camera that showed another car leaving shortly after I drove out. I had Wen Yu pull the surveillance footage along my route. That car only followed me for a short distance before leaving, and then another car picked up.They kept changing cars, and each one only followed me for a short distance, so I didn’t notice anything. It wasn’t until I left the hospital that my instincts told me something was wrong.”
“I asked the shop owner. The first car that followed me was parked there for about an hour, and the people inside never got out. It only left after I drove out of the city bureau in Sister Ling’s car. Several other cars had left the bureau before me, but they didn’t follow any of them.”
“So their target wasn’t necessarily you or Xia Ling. As long as the person was from the Major Crimes Unit, they would do it? What is their purpose in doing this?”
Exactly. What was their purpose?
They clearly knew that the Major Crimes Unit had already started watching them and Taiyi Shipping, yet they had openly attacked someone from the unit.
Were they trying to warn them? But the police had never been afraid of threats from criminals.
“Are they deliberately provoking us? Trying to make us speed up our investigation into their cooperation with Taiyi Shipping? Are they really that confident we can’t do anything to them?”
Xia Hang thought of the possibility that He Qi had already reached an agreement with Sheng Jun, answering, “There’s another possibility. They want to keep our attention focused on their cooperation with Taiyi, so that we won’t have the time or energy to pay attention to their other activities.”
“The new drug?” Han Huaixiao immediately understood.
“Yeah.” Xia Hang was once again amazed by his sharp instincts, so he nodded.
At that, Han Huaixiao pondered for a while before ordering, “You can go out first.”
Seeing that he seemed less angry now, Xia Hang cautiously asked, “About the number of words for the self-criticism…”
“Ten thousand words. Not a single word less. Punctuation marks don’t count.”
Xia Hang: …I would’ve been better off not bringing it up.
After leaving Han Huaixiao’s office, Xia Hang thought about it and decided to contact his informant, Mu Zhan, while avoiding the others. He reported the possibility that Sheng Jun had reached a deal with He Qi. Mu Zhan didn’t say much, only telling him to stay safe.
Meanwhile, after Guo Gangyi left, Wang Cang called He Qi.
“Dad.”
“Is everything arranged?”
“Don’t worry, Dad. There won’t be any problems.”
“This is our first major deal. If we can’t deliver successfully, no one will trust our ability to fulfill an order. Make absolutely sure there are no mistakes.”
“Dad, I know how important this deal is.”
“Mm.”
“I called her. We talk every day…”
“Mm. Contact her more when you have time.”
After hanging up with He Qi, Ah Tai came over, asking, “Brother Cang, did he… did he really mean that he no longer has any reservations about you?”
Wang Cang gave a cold laugh. “He doesn’t have any reservations about me, but he…”
“What do you mean?” Ah Tai didn’t understand, but Wang Cang stopped talking and didn’t explain further. Instead, he looked toward the map. Since he didn’t say anything, Ah Tai wisely didn’t press him. Instead, he brought up the matter of the deal.
“Brother Cang, where are you planning to set the meeting place?”
Wang Cang studied the map for a while before pointing at a particular location. Ah Tai looked at it and was shocked, wondering, “Brother Cang, isn’t this a little too risky?”
But Wang Cang didn’t seem concerned. “There’s an old Chinese saying…” he continued, “The most dangerous place is the safest one.”
“…Brother Cang really has guts like no one else.”
“Go.” Wang Cang tossed the map aside. “Bring two people in.”
Ah Tai went out. A few minutes later, he returned with two beautiful women. After watching them enter, he stood guard outside the door.
Before long, the sounds of uninhibited cries came from inside.
Night fell, and the city’s nightlife began.
Everyone had gone home after work. Only Xia Hang remained in front of his computer, racking his brains over his self-criticism. He had been staring at the computer for an hour, and in ten thousand words, he had managed to write only 165.
No… 156 words.
Nine of those were punctuation marks.
However, he wasn’t in any hurry to go home. Half an hour earlier, Han Huaixiao had said he had something to take care of and told him to ride back with Kong Qinmao.
With Han Huaixiao not at home, there was no point in going back anyway. So Xia Hang simply stayed in the office to write his self-criticism and let Kong Qinmao leave first.
Just as he opened the browser for the fifteenth time and searched the keywords “self-criticism for disobeying orders,”he received a call from Xiang Kaicheng.
“Xia Hang, where are you?”
“At the city bureau. What’s up?”
“Didn’t you say this morning that you were going to treat me to a meal? Does that offer still stand?”
Han Huaixiao had only said that he had to write ten thousand words. He hadn’t said when it was due, so… Xia Hang decisively shut down his computer.
“It does. I’m coming to find you now.”
Xiang Kaicheng: “No need. I’m right outside the city bureau. Come out.”
Xia Hang went outside and, sure enough, saw Xiang Kaicheng leaning against his car door, waiting for him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? What if you came all this way for nothing?”
“I was afraid you’d go back on your word, so I came here to catch you in person.”
“Where are we going to eat?” Xia Hang laughed.
“A newly opened restaurant. I heard the food is pretty good. Let’s go try it.”
Half an hour later, they arrived at the newly opened restaurant, and Xiang Kaicheng said to Xia Hang, “I don’t know if it’ll be crowded. Go upstairs and grab us a table first. I’ll park the car.”
Xia Hang went up to the restaurant and found that it wasn’t particularly crowded. There were still several empty tables, but none of them were by the window. The server led him to a table near the middle and handed him a menu.
“I’ll order after my friend gets here.”
After the server left, Xia Hang casually looked around at the restaurant’s decor. It was simple without being lacking in style, with an elegant and quiet atmosphere. Judging from the surroundings, it was clearly not a cheap place.
But when he saw the back of someone sitting at a window table diagonally ahead of him, Xia Hang’s gaze froze.
Just one glance at that back was enough for him to know it was Han Huaixiao.
Xia Hang looked at the person sitting opposite him. With his exceptional memory, he immediately recognized him as the man who had gone to the cafeteria with Captain Han at the hospital that day. He remembered Xiang Kaicheng saying his name was Zhong Boxuan.
Xia Hang saw Zhong Boxuan looking at Han Huaixiao and happily talking about something. After he finished speaking, he laughed. Han Huaixiao said something in response, then even poured him a glass of water, and Zhong Boxuan’s smile grew even wider.
The two of them were clearly mature men who had both achieved success in their careers. Their looks and bearing were outstanding, and sitting together, they were an exceptionally pleasing sight. Xia Hang noticed that quite a few people in the restaurant were secretly glancing toward their table.
So Han Huaixiao rushed out to have dinner with Zhong Boxuan as soon as he got off work. He had even chosen a restaurant suitable for couples to dine in, and the two of them were also clearly enjoying themselves.
It seemed Han Huaixiao had a very favorable impression of Zhong Boxuan. He was someone with a strong sense of purpose, and at this rate, the two of them would probably officially start dating soon.
Xiang Kaicheng parked the car and was just about to go upstairs to find Xia Hang when he saw him coming down.
“What’s wrong? There weren’t any seats?”
“Can we eat somewhere else?” Xia Hang shook his head.
Xiang Kaicheng noticed that something was off with his mood, but seeing that he didn’t want to explain, he didn’t press him.
“Sure. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere else.”
In the end, they went to a hotpot restaurant. Xiang Kaicheng ordered a whole pile of dishes, but when he handed the menu to Xia Hang, Xia Hang only ordered a pitcher of beer.
“You want to drink?”
“…Yeah.”
Hearing that, Xiang Kaicheng crossed the beer off the order, coaxing, “If you want to drink, I’ll take you to a bar afterward. Eat first. We’ll go after dinner.”
After finishing their hotpot, they moved on to a bar. Xiang Kaicheng ordered more than a dozen drinks and placed them in front of Xia Hang, saying, “Drink. Even if you get drunk, it’s fine. I know the owner of this bar, so there won’t be any safety issues.”
Xia Hang rarely drank alcohol. He picked up one of the glasses and downed it in two or three gulps before looking at Xiang Kaicheng.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I didn’t eat at that restaurant?”
Xiang Kaicheng guessed, “Did you run into someone you didn’t want to see?”
“I saw Han Huaixiao and Zhong Boxuan.” Xia Hang stared at the glass in his hand.
“What a coincidence?!” Xiang Kaicheng nearly spat out his drink.
“They seemed to be having a really good time. Han Huaixiao usually barely talks when he eats, but just now he talked a lot with Zhong Boxuan. Brother Cheng, are they about to officially start dating?”
Xiang Kaicheng thought it was impossible.
Han Huaixiao’s feelings are for you. How could he possibly get together with Zhong Boxuan?!
But looking at Xia Hang’s miserable, dispirited appearance, he didn’t explain things on Han Huaixiao’s behalf either. These two clearly still had feelings for each other, yet neither of them was willing to say it out loud. Even watching them was making him anxious. Maybe this was an opportunity to make them see their own feelings clearly.
So Xiang Kaicheng added fuel to the fire.
“Probably. If he didn’t have those kinds of feelings, Han Huaixiao wouldn’t have dinner alone with him. Normally, whenever someone shows interest in him, he never gives them any opportunity.”
Xia Hang knew he was right. Han Huaixiao was exactly that kind of person. So the fact that he was having dinner with Zhong Boxuan meant Zhong Boxuan was different from all those other people who had shown an interest in him.
Xia Hang imagined Han Huaixiao and Zhong Boxuan holding hands, embracing, and kissing, to the point where the jealousy and sadness in his heart nearly drowned him.
Seeing that the corners of Xia Hang’s eyes had turned red, Xiang Kaicheng couldn’t tell whether it was because he had drunk too much or because he was crying. Looking at him like this, he began to regret misleading him. So after thinking for a moment, he still sent Han Huaixiao a message.
…………………….
Before Han Huaixiao got off work, he received a call from his grandma.
“There’s a newly opened restaurant that’s quite good. Why don’t you ask Boxuan to go have dinner with you?”
“Grandma, stop trying to play matchmaker. I don’t have any feelings for him.”
“Do you think you’re still sixteen or seventeen, at the age when you’re first discovering romance? You’re already in your thirties. Your heart has long since become calm and still. Even if someone better comes along, you won’t fall in love at first sight. Whether you have feelings for someone is something you only know after spending time with them.”
“Oh? Grandma, have you stopped studying Buddhism and switched to studying relationships?”
“Isn’t this because you forced me to?”
“If you have that much free time, worry about Cousin. As for me, don’t worry about me. There’s someone in my heart.”
“Who? Who’s in your heart?”
“Don’t ask for now. If I get the chance, I’ll bring them to meet you.”
“You should’ve said so earlier! I already told Boxuan. Look what a mess this has become!”
Han Huaixiao pressed his fingers against his brow.
“Fine. Don’t worry about it anymore. I’ll explain everything to him in person.”
But when he arrived at the restaurant, the first thing Zhong Boxuan said upon seeing him was, “Grandma Deng forced you to come too, didn’t she?”
Han Huaixiao studied his expression for a moment and understood.
“You too?”
“You don’t actually think I like you, do you?” Zhong Boxuan raised an eyebrow.
“No.”
“Whenever I think about all the outrageous things you did when we were kids, there’s no way I could develop feelings for you.”
“What did I do?”
“You forgot? When we were a little over six, we went with our respective grandmothers to a farm to escape the summer heat. You were always running up mountains and playing in the water. One day, you caught a snake and brought it back, putting it in a box.”
“At the time, you and I were sleeping in the same room. In the middle of the night, that snake crawled out of the box and onto my bed. I woke up because I needed to pee, opened my eyes, and came face-to-face with a snake with its head half-raised beside my pillow. I was so scared that my scream woke up everyone at the entire farm, and I even wet my pants.”
Hearing him say this, Han Huaixiao… vaguely remembered it. Somewhat awkwardly, he picked up the water pitcher and poured Zhong Boxuan a glass.
“I really was pretty mischievous when I was little.”
“Is this your long-overdue apology?” Zhong Boxuan joked. “I was scared half to death back then. Grandma Deng wanted to hit you, but you actually argued back and said that as a man, I was too cowardly if I was even afraid of a snake.”
“…Children can say anything without thinking.”
Zhong Boxuan: “I’d completely forgotten. I only remembered when I saw you at the hospital that day. So, what now? Do we eat, or do we each go home?”
Since Zhong Boxuan had already made it clear that he didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him, Han Huaixiao didn’t rush to leave. Their families had been close for years, so having a meal together was nothing unusual.
“We’re already here. Let’s eat before we go.”
After dinner, Han Huaixiao immediately headed home. But when he got there, Xia Hang still wasn’t home. He called him, but no one answered. He then called Kong Qinmao, who said Xia Hang had told him to leave first, and he had no idea where Xia Hang was now.
Thinking about the person who had threatened Xia Hang, Han Huaixiao began to feel uneasy. He was just about to ask Wen Yu to locate Xia Hang when he received a message from Xiang Kaicheng.
So by the time Han Huaixiao arrived at the bar, Xia Hang was already drunk, curled up in a booth seat. Han Huaixiao glanced at the empty glasses on the table and frowned at Xiang Kaicheng.
“Why did you let him drink so much?”
“I didn’t force him to drink.” Xiang Kaicheng spread his hands. “Xia Hang drank it himself. I couldn’t stop him.”
Han Huaixiao knew Xia Hang wasn’t someone who drank excessively, so he asked, “What happened to him?”
“That’s something you need to tell me. What were you and Zhong Boxuan doing at the restaurant?”
Han Huaixiao realized something, asking, “You went to that restaurant tonight too?”
“Technically, Xia Hang did. I hadn’t even finished parking when he came downstairs and said he wanted to eat somewhere else.”
Han Huaixiao didn’t even need to think about it to know that he hadn’t done anything inappropriate or ambiguous with Zhong Boxuan. Even if Xia Hang had seen them, there was no reason for him to drown his sorrows over it.
So he stared at Xiang Kaicheng.
“What did you say to him?”
Damn. As expected of someone in criminal investigations.
“…Nothing much.” Xiang Kaicheng guiltily avoided his gaze.
“Tell me. Stop wasting time.”
“I just told him that if you didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Zhong Boxuan, you probably wouldn’t have dinner with him alone.” Under the pressure of Han Huaixiao’s stare, Xiang Kaicheng confessed. “I only said it to help you two. You clearly still have feelings for each other, and you both want to get back together. Why won’t you just make things clear?”
“He told you he still has feelings for me and wants to get back together?” Han Huaixiao’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah. Last time, he even asked me whether you’d accept him if he pursued you.”
“When did he tell you that?”
“When you brought him to see me the second time.”
“…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Han Huaixiao glared at him.
“…You were so cold to Xia Hang those few times you brought him to see me. I thought you were just being tsundere, that you couldn’t let go of your pride after Xia Hang dumped you and were waiting for him to pursue you again.”
“…”
Han Huaixiao didn’t want to talk to him anymore. If he had known Xia Hang felt this way, he wouldn’t have deliberately let him misunderstand the situation with Zhong Boxuan.
“Feeling sorry for him?” Xiang Kaicheng looked at him and grinned.
Han Huaixiao pushed away his gloating face, picked Xia Hang up, and headed outside.
“Call yourself a designated driver.”
Xiang Kaicheng: “Talk about crossing the bridge and kicking away the ladder! Can’t you at least give me a ride first?”
Han Huaixiao: “No.”
Xia Hang was thoroughly drunk. Han Huaixiao put him in the back seat, and when they got home, carried him upstairs. Only after they entered the house did Xia Hang begin to mumble groggily. Han Huaixiao listened carefully and realized he was saying, “I feel sick. I want to throw up,” so he hurriedly carried him to the bathroom.
As soon as they entered, Xia Hang opened his eyes in discomfort. After finding the toilet, he began vomiting. But once he finished, he fell asleep again. Han Huaixiao washed his face for him, then held his chin and had him rinse his mouth before carrying him back to his room.
Xia Hang handled his alcohol fairly well. Even when drunk, he neither made a fuss nor caused trouble. Once he was lying in bed, he only tugged uncomfortably at his clothes, so Han Huaixiao helped him change.
All that activity had made him break out in a sweat. After making sure Xia Hang was asleep, Han Huaixiao went to take a shower. When he came out, he heard his phone vibrating. It was Wen Yu calling.
“Captain Han, I just found out that the grandfather of the decryption expert Ji He is in Lang City. I’m taking the note we found at Liao Yongqing’s house to him now. Do you want to come over too?”
The information on the note was extremely important, so Han Huaixiao immediately said, “Send me the address.”
“Okay.”
So after changing clothes, Han Huaixiao went to check on Xia Hang. He found him hugging the quilt, lying face down and curled into a ball. The pillow beneath his head was slightly damp, and he was mumbling something under his breath.
Han Huaixiao leaned closer to listen, but when he heard what Xia Hang was saying, his heart ached.
Xia Hang was murmuring, “Han Huaixiao, my heart hurts so much.”
At that, Han Huaixiao could only rub his head and gently kiss away the tear stains at the corners of his eyes, coaxing, “As long as you still have feelings for me, no matter how many difficulties lie ahead, I’m confident I can overcome them. Stay home and wait for me.”
But before leaving, he still called Han Mingxiao, his cousin.
“Are you still in Lang City?”
“What is it?”
“Come to my house and take care of someone for me.”
Xia Hang was drunk, and Han Huaixiao didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone. He was worried Xia Hang might vomit and accidentally choke, or become confused while drunk and leave the house. He was also worried he might develop a fever after drinking.
“Who?”
“…Your future sister-in-law.”
Han Mingxiao took the opportunity to negotiate, saying, “Fine. In October, you handle my work for me. I want a month off.”
“Get over here.”
Han Mingxiao knew that meant he had agreed, so he hung up. But as soon as he did that, he went to find Deng Shu’an with a smile.
“Grandma, come on! I’ll take you to meet your future granddaughter-in-law!”
After confirming that Han Mingxiao would come over, Han Huaixiao drove away, passing through the bustling streets that remained lively even late at night, heading toward the address Wen Yu had sent him.
………………………..
On a certain island twelve hours behind China, the sun was shining brightly.
Sheng Jun smiled as he put an arm around a young man and got out of the car. He walked toward the entrance of the villa and saw his trusted subordinate, Rui Wen, waiting to one side.
“Go inside and wait for me.”
The young man kissed him on the cheek, then lightly touched his lower abdomen, whispering, “Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
Sheng Jun laughed and slapped him lightly on the butt before heading toward a lounge chair beside the swimming pool. As soon as he sat down, someone brought over a glass of freshly squeezed juice.
After the person had walked away, Sheng Jun took a sip, asking, “How is it?”
“The bait is ready,” Rui Wen said. “We’re just waiting for the fish to take it.”
“The greatest pleasure of fishing is the moment you jerk the rod after the fish takes the bait,” Sheng Jun smiled. “We can’t miss it.”
“Go make the preparations. We’re returning to Myanmar.”
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