An Ruo brushed the dust off her clothes. The man was being dragged by the collar by Han Chong, his face beaten black and blue like a pig's head, lying on the ground groaning in pain.
"Lift your head."
The light here was too dim, so she turned on her phone's flashlight and shone it on the man's bruised face.
Han Chong grabbed the man's hair. "Didn't you hear her telling you to lift your head!?"
The man whimpered as he was forced to look up. An Ruo frowned slightly—this was clearly a stranger's face, she didn't recognize him!
"I have no grudge against you. Why are you trying to harm me?"
Han Chong kicked him in the backside and cursed, "Deaf? Speak!"
"Someone wants your life. I'm just doing a job for money..."
Han Chong's temper flared, and he started punching and kicking him again until the man lay motionless on the ground. An Ruo quickly stopped him.
"Enough. If you keep this up, someone's going to die."
Han Chong spat, "He dared to lay a hand on you—death wouldn't be enough!"
An Ruo looked stunned, feeling that his explosive temper was a match for Shen Xiaoxing's.
She said calmly, "Send him to the police station. I want to know who wants me dead so badly."
Han Chong opened the car door for her, then tied the man up and threw him into the trunk to prevent him from escaping midway.
An Ruo sat in the back seat, her mind racing as she tried to recall who she'd offended recently.
But thinking carefully, aside from being busy with competition matters, she hadn't interacted with anyone else. Could it be someone from the company?
The person who tried to harm her was likely the same one who framed Song Weiwei during the competition. Was it because she reported it to the police, touching a nerve, that they wanted her dead?
Han Chong glanced at her through the rearview mirror. Seeing her nose red and her head down in silence, he thought she was scared by what had happened and desperately wanted to find some funny joke to cheer her up.
"Madam."
An Ruo looked up. "Hmm?"
"Want me to tell you a joke?" Han Chong grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Forgive me if it's not funny."
An Ruo pursed her lips and smiled. "Sure, go ahead."
"A young soldier received a letter from home. When he opened the envelope, all that came out was a blank piece of paper. His friend asked what was wrong. The soldier said, 'Well, before I left home, I had a fight with my fiancée. Since then, we haven't spoken to each other.'" After saying this, Han Chong burst into laughter, his low threshold for humor kicking in.
"..." An Ruo blinked. After a few seconds, she forced a couple of laughs to go along. "Pretty funny."
So cold.
That joke was so dry, she couldn't help shivering a couple of times.
...
Tang Beiqiu was busy investigating the case, having a quick dinner of instant noodles while flipping through case files. He was eating happily when an officer informed him that Han Chong and An Ruo had brought in a suspect.
Coming twice in one day, Tang Beiqiu was baffled. "Miss An, have you eaten?"
An Ruo gave an awkward smile.
"If you haven't, I'll make you a bowl of instant noodles."
"Officer Tang, you work so hard and just eat instant noodles for dinner?"
"I live rough—just grabbing whatever to get by." Tang Beiqiu stopped joking with her. "If you really haven't eaten, I'll find a nearby restaurant..."
"No need. Someone's waiting for me at home."
Waiting for that old man Shen Xiaoxing, right?
Got it. He understood.
Tang Beiqiu wiped his mouth, glanced at the burly man Han Chong was holding, and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
An Ruo explained the whole story. Tang Beiqiu thought for a moment and told them to go to the back room to give a statement.
The burly man refused to reveal who was behind it. Tang Beiqiu only advised An Ruo to be more cautious lately, not to wander the streets at night, and to stick to crowded places after work.
It was already 8:30 PM when they left the police station. An Ruo quickly told Han Chong to get the car out—Shen Xiaoxing must be getting impatient waiting for her!
Tang Beiqiu smiled and waved at the two getting into the car. "Take it slow."
An Ruo rolled up the window and laughed. "Officer Tang is really warm. I thought people in his line of work were supposed to be stern-faced, grumpy from interrogating suspects all day. I never expected him to be so friendly."
Han Chong looked at the rearview mirror and gave a faint smile. He wanted to say that Tang Beiqiu was only sucking up to her because of the favor the young master had done him.
Seaside Villa.
Butler Xu saw them return and immediately came over to take her bag. "Madam, why are you back so late today?"
"I got held up with something on the way."
"The young master has been waiting in his room for you to come back for dinner."
An Ruo turned and headed upstairs. "Bring the dishes to the table. I'll go call him to eat."
"Got it."
In the room, the man was sitting in his wheelchair listening to a radio news program.
An Ruo entered quietly. Seeing him leaning back with his eyes closed, she reached out, took the radio from his lap, and turned it off.
"You're back."
His voice was certain.
The girl paused for a moment, set the radio on the table, and pulled a blanket over his legs. "Sorry, I'm late again today."
"What time is it now?"
"Nine thirteen."
She had promised him faithfully that she'd be back before nine.
"Only a few minutes late." The man raised his hand, and An Ruo instinctively placed her small hand in his. He held it tight and breathed warm air onto it. "Was it cold on the road?"
"No."
"I've been waiting for you."
A strange feeling washed over An Ruo's heart. She bit her lip slightly. "I'm sorry..."
"Why do you keep apologizing?"
"I keep making you wait so late..."
Suddenly, the man pulled her, and An Ruo tumbled into his arms, startling her so much she jolted. Just as she tried to get up, a pair of arms firmly locked around her. "Isn't it only right that I wait for you?"