"…"Bai Muchuan sent a glare over and couldn"t be bothered with him.
"Could it be…" gasped Quan Shaoteng, "she"s pregnant?"
Bai Muchuan pointed at the door. "Please get out of here—"
"I understand now." Quan Shaoteng got up slowly. "You got jilted by your Little Wanwan!"
"…"
"Thank you, brother! If you got jilted, that means I have a chance."
"…"
"You have a good rest, I"ll go chase after her for you."
This fellow chuckled happily, snapping his fingers then placed both hands into his pockets before leaving the office das.h.i.+ngly.
Bai Muchuan was so annoyed by that expression that he wanted to grab him back and give him a good thras.h.i.+ng.
Of course, he wouldn"t believe what Quan Shaoteng had said.
It was just that…
It was frustrating.
Bai Muchuan pulled a drawer and took out a packet of cigarettes.
There were only two cigarettes left.
He had smoked a bit too many cigarettes last night.
With a cough, he put the cigarettes back.
Two seconds later, he took it out again.
He lit a cigarette and puffed slowly. Then he opened the locked cabinet under his desk, took out an old, yellowish notebook, and began reading it on his desk…
After flipping a few pages, he suddenly closed the notebook, threw it angrily back to the drawer, and locked it up.
He was like a deflated balloon while he laid on his chair and closed his eyes slowly, allowing the cigarette clamped between his fingers to burn.
"If you have guts, just make me die right here.
"You have a change of heart and gave me the cold shoulder…
"Avoiding me, hiding from me.
"Treating me like an outsider…
"If so… if so… what"s the meaning of me being alive…
"Explain yourself, tell me, what do you have to say?
"Tell me, are you sick of me already? Do you want to find someone new?"
She said all these last night when she got agitated. These words p.r.i.c.ked his heart like a needle; it felt somewhat warm yet painful. The contradicted feeling directly affected his mood. He did not know what to do with her. His mood was like an over-inflated balloon, and with just a little strength, it could explode anytime…
When he closed his eyes, her image was even clearer within his head.
He wished he could go home right away and embrace her tightly in his arms.
Such a thought was too maddening!
He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.
A few seconds later, he closed his eyes again…
This was because Xiang Wan"s face actually appeared on the ceiling…
…
With the major cases on hand, Bai Muchuan did not have much free time to think about personal issues.
At 10 o"clock in the morning, he received news that to facilitate the cooperation against the drug crime, Cheng Weiji transferred a Vice Commissioner of the Narcotics Department to Serious Crime Division One especially to handle this urgent task.
His role was mainly to ensure a high degree of cooperation between the two departments.
Bai Muchuan received him warmly and held a closed-door meeting with him together with various stakeholders.
The "zombie" case this time differed greatly from the usual cases that the detectives had been handling since it also had something to do with drugs. However, it was different because it was not really about drug trafficking. The "zombie" case sparked off public panic, which was more serious than the usual drug-related crimes. With all eyes on the case, it felt as if there were knives hanging above everyone"s heads in Serious Crime Division One.
"From what we have gathered, this new drug is from somewhere outside the country…
"Both victims and perpetrators involved in the "zombie case" have no common social relations nor links. Going forward, there will be more victims and as to who they will be… the targets are too broad since they could be anyone. Nevertheless, there must be a drug trafficking route. Where do the drugs come from and where will they go to? This is the key. Hence, the next step will be to seize and crack down on the trafficking routes—seize and intercept the drug from its source…
"For the upcoming month, the Narcotics Department will carry out a nationwide effort to combat the smuggling of drugs…"
…
After the meeting, Bai Muchuan returned to his office.
He took out a mobile phone from a locked drawer and called Huang He.
There was only one number in this mobile phone.
After ringing three times, the other party did not respond. Bai Muchuan immediately hang up and put the phone on the table.
…
Ten minutes later, the mobile phone rang.
Bai Muchuan immediately picked it up after looking at the number but he said nothing.
"h.e.l.lo!" Huang He spoke first.
"h.e.l.lo," said Bai Muchuan in a soft tone, "it"s me."
"Say it."
Bai Muchuan recounted the main points of the meeting earlier. "Any clues?" he asked.
The police knew that the drugs had come from Dark Clan and they had something to do with Operation Heaven"s Wrath. However, it was difficult to figure out the Dark Clan"s drug trafficking route.
They were a group of outlaws after all.
They were not afraid of being interrogated and not afraid of death when they carried out Operation Heaven"s Wrath.
There was a pause from Huang He"s side. "Are the superiors chasing them?"
Bai Muchuan propped a hand on his forehead. "Nope."
Huang He understood that Bai Muchuan didn"t want to give him too much pressure. "An Ying is a very cunning person," he said after deliberating for a while, "he"s also very cautious and alert. Tian Danyue knows little about him… Give me more time."
"Mm." Unable to contain his frustrations within, Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes and lit another cigarette. "Did Tian Danyue suspect you?"
Huang He stayed silent for two seconds. "I don"t think she trusted me completely but she… most likely wouldn"t betray me."
Bai Muchuan replied, "Don"t let your guard down."
After a pause, he took a deep puff of his cigarette. "Women, no matter how much they like you, will still lie."
Huang He asked, "… Are you in a bad mood?"
He said that in a definite tone.
Bai Muchuan couldn"t refute that. "You need not worry about me, just take good care of yourself."
Thus, Huang He asked another question. "Is Yuanyuan, doing well?"
"From what Xiang Wan told me," answered Bai Muchuan, "She"s doing fine since she"s very optimistic, so you have to protect yourself."
Huang He puffed a sigh. "I will."
"Remember, your safety comes first." Before hanging up the phone, Bai Muchuan stressed to him again. "If need be, you can give up on the mission anytime to save your life!"
Huang He grunted a reply. "I understand."
…
Safety comes first.
Bai Muchuan said that, and Fang Yuanyuan had said that too. How would Huang He not know?
However, it was tough for him to arrive where he was today; how would it be easy for him to give it up?
Huang He closed his eyes for a moment. He was inside a toilet and opened the door after using it.
"…"
Tian Danyue was waiting outside.
She said nothing but her eyes were fixated on him. Her expression looked as if she had seen through everything.
Huang He furrowed his eyebrows. "What"s up?"
Tian Danyue smiled. "Who did you call? That sure took you a long time?"
Huang He did not reply. "…"
He didn"t reply to her, but Tian Danyue didn"t want to let him off.
Both of them stared at each other for a while before Tian Danyue suddenly let out a laugh. "You obviously don"t like living like a fugitive, yet when I asked you to leave the Capital with me and go far away from all of these, you"re actually unwilling…"
There was a moment of silence.
Tian Danyue enunciated every word. "Huang He, what are you trying to do?"
Huang He squeezed his mobile phone and glanced at her when he suddenly let out a sneer. He unlocked his phone and showed the phone to her.
"Look at this yourself. A woman called me. She"s my first love. I couldn"t bring myself to not take her call. After all, I"ve loved her before…"