Chapter 612: Dark Under the Lamp and G Xiansheng

Haishan Shi.

Building 17 of the Municipal Party Committee compound, hidden behind a few lush old banyan trees. In the evening, off-duty officials exchanged nods and greetings; everything was calm as usual.

Huang Duoduo drove the mud‑spotted van into the underground garage under everyone's watch.

He led Wu Changsheng straight up to the sixth floor via the freight elevator.

He opened the door of a three‑bedroom apartment.

"This place, even a hornet flying in would have to clamp its butt—it definitely wouldn't dare sting anyone."

Huang Duoduo tossed the keys onto the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

After entering the house.

He continued instructing Wu Changsheng: "Food and drink are in the fridge; trash goes by the door for pickup. Remember, don't just stand by the window staring, and don't fiddle with the curtains. Treat yourself like a breathing corpse."

Wu Changsheng said nothing, then carefully surveyed the interior.

Overall, it was not bad.

The old‑style redwood furniture had a strong sense of age, yet its quality was genuinely good. A white dust cover lay on the sofa, and the air carried a faint scent of camphor balls.

At a glance you could tell the place had been vacant for Along time, yet every corner was spotless.

He walked to the living‑room window, peered through the slats of the blinds, and could see the armed police standing guard with guns at the gate of the Municipal Party Committee compound.

"G Xiansheng's arrangement is all about playing it safe." Huang Duoduo said via the intercom: "For now you'll stay here. Even if the police dig three feet deep, they won't find you. Once this blows over, Haishan Shi should lift the lockdown—it can't stay sealed forever—and then G Xiansheng will arrange your exit."

"Understood."

Wu Changsheng simply replied in a monosyllable, too lazy to say more.

Putting an A‑level wanted criminal in the heavily guarded Municipal Party Committee compound and taking the "dark under the lamp" route! Such a bold, off‑script move is very much in G Xiansheng's style.

Wu Changsheng felt the empty shell of a pistol in his pocket, and the panic from having killed someone oddly eased a bit.

Before leaving, Huang Duoduo added: "By the way, put your gun away. Life is precious—don't kill again. If you do, even G Xiansheng can't save you."

Having said that, she didn't wait for Wu Changsheng's reaction, slammed the door, and her heavy footsteps faded down the corridor.

The house fell completely silent.

Wu Changsheng lifted the white dust cover on the sofa, leaned his exhausted body against it, and faintly heard the theme of the News Broadcast drifting from upstairs—a familiar sound.

Suddenly he felt as if he'd come home, and that death seemed a little farther away.

……

A few days later, at dusk.

G Xiansheng Xu Jijun pushed his cousin Han Jinling, who sat in a wheelchair, out from a blessing at the Mazu Temple, then strolled slowly along the coastal boardwalk, slowly taking in the scenery.

The sea breeze brushed Han Jinling's slightly gaunt cheeks, tossing her hair into disarray.

She wore a plain chiffon dress, with a thin blanket over her knees.

Although she gazed at the gorgeous sunset over the sea—she had once read that the sunset is endlessly beautiful—she now resembled a soulless sculpture, her gaze vacant.

Xu Jijun, pushing the wheelchair from behind, was the very picture of a warm‑hearted man taking his lover out for a breather.

"Cousin, doesn't that cloud look like the cat you used to keep?" Xu Jijun gazed far at the horizon‑tinted cloud, as if recalling a lovely memory.

Han Jinling gave no response.

Xu Jijun had long grown accustomed to all of this and did not press her.

He kept pushing Han Jinling forward, then let out a soft "huh" and fixed his gaze on a figure standing not far away by the sea—Lin Dongfan.

"Dongfan."

Xu Jijun called out with a smile, and Lin Dongfan turned his head at the sound.

Upon seeing Xu Jijun and Han Jinling, Lin Dongfan blinked in surprise—what a coincidence to run into an old classmate here.

But at this moment, Fan Ye's mood was far from pleasant.

After days of pursuit, after laying a net of heaven and earth, they still hadn't caught Wu Changsheng—it was as if the guy had vanished into thin air!

This case weighed heavily on his shoulders, the pressure still considerable.

After these days of turmoil, his whole being was mired in fatigue—he hadn't even shaved properly.

Lin Dongfan stepped forward to meet Xu Jijun, forcing a smile: "Old classmate, when did you get to Haishan? What a coincidence."

Actually, there aren't that many coincidences.

The so‑called chance meeting was merely Xu Jijun's careful arrangement—Fan Ye didn't know. Even the military‑big‑shot Xu Chuping had no idea his own son was the mysterious G Xiansheng.

Xu Jijun, ever cautious, would naturally not reveal his other identity in front of Lin Dongfan.

Xu Jijun chatted easily: "I just arrived in Haishan this morning. The doctor said getting close to nature would help Jinling, so I brought her out for a walk—and stopped by the Mazu Temple to pray for blessings."

Hearing that, Lin Dongfan glanced at Han Jinling in her wheelchair, and his mood grew more complicated.

Such a lovely young lady—how could she have wanted to jump? She didn't die, but her legs were ruined. Counting on my fingers, from 2007 to now she's spent seven years in a wheelchair.

All her prime youth went to waste in that wheelchair—a real shame.

Xu Jijun is also deeply devoted; back in school, despite countless pretty girls chasing after him, this wealthy young master wouldn't even glance at them.

He had always held his cousin Han Jinling close in his heart; even after she became paralyzed, he never left her side.

Lin Dongfan set aside his myriad feelings and admiration.

He took out a cigarette case, offered one to Xu Jijun, lit one for himself, then glanced at the vacant‑eyed, expressionless Han Jinling: "Her mind… is probably all right, huh?"

"Her mind is fine; she just suffers from depression and doesn't like to talk."

Xu Jijun held the cigarette between his lips, leaned forward to check whether the wheelchair's brake pads were loose, lest he let go and cause a slip.

Once he confirmed everything was safe, he felt at ease chatting with Lin Dongfan.

He sized up Lin Dongfan's complexion, then naturally shifted the talk to anti‑corruption: "You look awful—are you still worrying about the Wu Changsheng case?"

"You know about this too? Your sources are spot‑on." Lin Dongfan gave a light smile.

Xu Jijun returned a relaxed smile: "The nationwide manhunt, the bounty's gone from 100,000 to 200,000. Even street vendors know about it—I'm not deaf or blind." This eased Lin Dongfan's skeptical mind.

Lin Dongfan slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his face helpless: "Wu Changsheng that guy is too slippery; we turned the whole Haishan upside down, yet we still managed to catch him."

"No clues at all?" Xu Jijun asked tentatively.

Upon hearing that, Lin Dongfan smiled without saying a word.

This made Xu Jijun immediately realize that he had ultimately still underestimated Lin Dongfan's professional integrity. For the investigation progress of such a major case, how could Lin Dongfan possibly bring it out as gossip?

To prevent Lin Dongfan from becoming suspicious.

Xu Jijun then smiled and apologized: "Sorry, I was just a bit curious earlier and asked a question I shouldn't have."

"It's fine."

Lin Dongfan turned to gaze at the sea, puffing his cigarette into the wind.

Xu Jijun also looked out at the sea and casually joked: "Now you're a renowned Anti-corruption Bureau Director; as my old classmate, I can't keep up with your pace in this lifetime—I can only look up to you."

"Don't be so embarrassing."

Lin Dongfan smiled as he recalled: "Back when I was studying at Politics and Law University, I was so poor I couldn't even afford meals. Among our classmates, only you and Yang Qing treated me as a friend. I don't discuss work matters with you not because I don't trust you—don't overthink it. It's purely because I have a condition, suffering from professional integrity syndrome."

"Haha, you're still the same, rich or poor you love to show off." In the midst of laughter and chat, Xu Jijun set up another game: "How about we meet up and get together tonight?"