Chapter 637

Xu Si rubbed his temples; he felt his brain swelling at this moment, so some words came out of his mouth regardless of consequences.

Gu Yi watched Xu Si constantly rubbing his forehead, sighed lightly, and said, "To be honest, I simply cannot believe these words came from your mouth, but I now completely understand what you are thinking."

Xu Si's expression never changed from beginning to end; he listened to Gu Yi speaking as if listening to a story.

It felt as if his soul had left his body; at this moment, Xu Si seemed to be nothing but an empty shell.

484. Reaching an agreement with Hua Ping; a new cooperative relationship.

Gu Yi felt somewhat helpless too, but he clearly understood that a person in this state could not communicate as usual.

If one truly wanted to persuade the other party, one would probably have to find a professional psychological counselor.

But Gu Yi was confident.

Gu Yi said, "You do not have to listen to me, but I hope you will listen to me finish this story."

When he said this sentence, Xu Si finally showed a slight reaction.

Xu Si slowly raised his head; a moment of confusion flashed across his face, looking truly as if he were drunk.

But Gu Yi knew that Xu Si might only be slightly tipsy now, still far from truly drunk.

This meant that Xu Si in this state was able to understand what he was saying.

Gu Yi spoke no more and directly began to speak.

"Once upon a time, there was a childhood sweetheart pair; they grew up together from childhood, progressing from innocent love to the point of discussing marriage."

"But one day, the childhood sweetheart suddenly disappeared; she vanished extremely eerily, silently and without a trace from everyone's sight."

"And her childhood friend began to search for her frantically; he traveled the whole world for her, trying to find any clue whatsoever about her."

"But unfortunately, every time he reached a place, there was only a tiny clue; these clues only made this childhood friend continue his long journey, the farthest time being from the north of the Earth to the south of the Earth."

"So, not everyone can have their wishes fulfilled; you have your reasons, and I have my reasons; you grieve for the death of your companion, yet others will despair over the death of their loved ones. What do you need to do? What you need to do is ensure fewer people are like you are now."

When Gu Yi said these words, his expression was extremely calm, as if casually talking about something unrelated to himself.

But Xu Si was still somewhat dazed: "Why do the couple in your story have prototypes? Or is it you?"

Hearing this, Gu Yi looked steadily at Xu Si, and after a long while, slowly shook his head.

"No, rest assured, it is not me."

Xu Si let out a long sigh; his posture finally relaxed. Although his vision was somewhat dizzy, he spoke to Gu Yi very sincerely.

"Thank you for your consolation tonight; I should have memorized this content back in police academy. You are very right; our persistence is not completely useless; at least I can ensure fewer people are like I am now."

Seeing that Xu Si finally had an epiphany, Gu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and asked, "Do you know why I am the one consoling you?"

Xu Si slowly shook his head.

Gu Yi said, "This was Hua Ping's idea... but more importantly, I also had an experience exactly the same as yours. Hua Ping perhaps thought we had common topics, so he sent me here to provide you with psychological counseling."

Xu Si nodded; no wonder when the two of them were talking, no one around was disturbing them.

Gu Yi smiled and scratched his head: "However, my psychological counseling is not as qualified as a psychologist's; if you still feel sad, then go see a psychologist; that is more effective."

Hearing this, Xu Si immediately shook his head: "How fragile could I be? Actually, as long as I find a place to think by myself, I will figure it out very quickly."

Gu Yi remained noncommittal: "I know you are different; comforting you was never my intention; Hua Ping sent me here."

Xu Si did not expect it to be like this; he was stunned for a moment before nodding: "Then I must thank Hua Ping."

Hearing Xu Si finish this sentence, Gu Yi immediately leaned over: "By the way, what exactly is your relationship with Hua Ping? I saw the police going up and down, and you two were the most familiar."

Xu Si did not want to tell Gu Yi the truth, so after Gu Yi asked this question, he did not speak. Gu Yi also knew Xu Si probably did not want to answer him, so he smiled: "Since you do not want to say it, then forget it; take care of yourself; I will leave now."

Xu Si made an "Hmm" sound, then switched the beer can in his hand to the other hand; after watching Gu Yi leave his sight, Xu Si slowly stood up.

He was going to find Hua Ping.

Xu Si naturally still remembered how Ning Chen had spoken to him; Ning Chen had helped him a great deal, and as a return, Xu Si decided to speak well of him within the police station.

And within the police station, the one who could speak the most was Hua Ping; Xu Si was also familiar with Hua Ping, and the two communicated with almost no reservations.

Hua Ping was busy to the point of being overwhelmed for nearly half of his twenty-four hours a day; this was not only because of matters inside the police station, but various decrees transmitted from the court also left him somewhat caught off guard.

But today, Hua Ping inexplicably became free, so much so that when Xu Si pushed the door open, he actually saw the busy man brewing tea to drink.

Xu Si stood shocked at the door, hesitating to enter.

Hua Ping had already seen Xu Si; when he saw Xu Si standing at the door and hesitating to come in, he actively stood up.

Hua Ping walked to the door, looked at Xu Si, and said, "What's wrong? Either come in and talk."

Xu Si hesitated somewhat and slowly shook his head; Hua Ping, seeing him like this, knew that his reason for finding him must be related to the matter of Ren Xiaoping.

Hua Ping led Xu Si further inside and said, "Don't stand at the door; this matter is not only difficult for you; everyone feels very uncomfortable and very sorry. I hope you came to find me not to comfort you, but because there is indeed something important to say."

Xu Si said calmly: "Although my mood is indeed not good right now, I will not waste your time or mine; the matter I want to discuss with you is related to Ning Chen."

After Xu Si mentioned the two characters "Ning Chen", Hua Ping's complexion obviously changed.

Hua Ping let Ning Chen sit on the sofa in front of him, his expression extremely serious: "Did you meet Ning Chen?"

Xu Si nodded, pressed his lips tightly, and his lips stretched into a straight line.

Hua Ping was somewhat unconvinced: "Given your current mental state, I perhaps cannot believe your words. But if what you say is true, it will be a useful clue for us."

Xu Si frowned, but he also anticipated that Hua Ping would not believe him, so he said: "Believe it or not, Ning Chen helped me a great deal; he assisted me in killing Zuo He; otherwise, relying on my own strength, I would have had no way to do anything to Zuo He."

This was indeed the truth for Xu Si, after all, Xu Si never lied about such matters; Hua Ping also understood Xu Si, so upon hearing this, he said: "After you met Ning Chen, what did he say, what did he do, how did he help you, where is his next destination, and why did you not arrest him on the spot?"

485. Tracking Ning Chen's whereabouts.

Hearing such a long string of questions, Xu Si was indeed somewhat impatient, but since Hua Ping was sitting opposite, Xu Si endured it and said.

"On the day Ren Xiaoping died, I met Ning Chen; to tell you the truth, it was not that I did not want to catch him; his strength was too formidable; if I had clashed with him head-on, only I would have died in the end."

Xu Si irritably scratched his hair: "Moreover, he helped me kill Zuo He after all; if not for him, whether I could avenge Ren Xiaoping remains unknown."

Hearing this, Hua Ping stiffened.

Indeed, as Xu Si said, Zuo He was a member of the Haiwan Family; according to Hua Ping's knowledge, the Haiwan Family never cultivated useless people.

Therefore, Zuo He's strength must have been top-tier; even Xu Si, the most outstanding graduate of the police academy, could not defeat him, yet he could be easily subdued by Ning Chen, showing how formidable Ning Chen's strength was.

"Alright, I can see he really helped you," Hearing Hua Ping said. "But after that, do you know where he went? This man is important to the police bureau—if we can bring him back, it's undoubtedly most advantageous for us."

Xu Si said: "You know as well as I do that Ning Chen took on an entire mercenary battalion alone. I won't even ask whether our small squad could defeat him—entire police bureau forces might still not be a match for him!"

Hearing Hua Ping let out a soft sigh.

Xu Si's judgment of people was always sharp; if he thought someone was strong, that person was undoubtedly among the elite.

If that's the case, the situation has become much more difficult.

Xu Si watched Hua Ping's expression and added: "Ning Chen has no intention of breaking laws or causing chaos. I suggest we stop sending people to capture him—it will only anger him, and we gain nothing."

Besides, at that time Ning Chen had asked Xu Si to speak on his behalf at the police bureau, and Xu Si naturally intended to keep his promise.

Hearing Hua Ping said nothing—he merely nodded, then picked up the tea on the desk and sipped slowly.

During this time, Xu Si's attention remained fixed on Hua Ping's face. Hua Ping sensed Xu Si's gaze and suddenly smiled.

"What? Are you worried I'll still send people to chase him?"

Hearing Hua Ping's words, Xu Si neither nodded nor shook his head—this was his tacit agreement.

Hua Ping slowly set down his teacup and said: "Relax—I'm not that foolish. Since you now understand his true strength, I'd rather cooperate than provoke him. If you have his contact, tell him on my behalf—we can move quickly toward cooperation."

Cooperation was undoubtedly the best way to establish mutual goodwill. Hua Ping had largely abandoned the idea of capturing him because he knew he couldn't stand against Ning Chen.

The gloom on Xu Si's face finally lifted slightly: "You've changed your mind quickly this time."

Hua Ping didn't find the remark offensive and nodded accordingly: "Naturally. I know our strength, and I know his. Compared to clashing head-on, I believe cooperating with Ning Chen is far better than making him an enemy. Besides, Ning Chen doesn't seem to have done anything threatening to us… don't you agree?"

Xu Si raised an eyebrow: "Not only did he do nothing threatening—he wiped out the entire mercenary battalion we found so troublesome," he paused, then added, "single-handedly."

Hearing this, Hua Ping suddenly laughed: "So he saved your life once, and now you've become his loyal supporter? By that logic, you're surprisingly easy to sway."

After hearing this, Xu Si looked at Hua Ping calmly and said: "I don't have the time for such things. Each of us should mind our own business."

After speaking, Xu Si stood up and left Hua Ping's office.

Hua Ping watched Xu Si's back disappear, poured out the tea in his cup, boiled a fresh pot, and prepared to savor it slowly.

After all, it was rare quiet time.

In the afternoon, Xu Si left the police bureau. He planned to first visit Ren Xiaoping's grave, then try to contact Ning Chen.

Ning Chen's whereabouts were always unpredictable, and according to Xu Si, Ning Chen was also a live-streamer.

That meant Ning Chen could appear anywhere in the world.

And it was very likely Xu Si wouldn't be able to reach Ning Chen during this time, especially since Ning Chen was far away.

Driving back to Ren Xiaoping's grave would take considerable time, so Xu Si bought a bouquet of flowers—he remembered he had promised Ren Xiaoping that every time he visited the grave after his death, he would bring a bouquet.

Xu Si spent nearly five hours returning to that grove. The burial site of Ren Xiaoping was already very familiar to him; he walked easily to the small mound, stood there for a long while, head bowed.

Then he slowly bent down and placed the flowers atop the mound.