Chapter 647: Ghost Letter You Don

All the doubts surrounding Xu Jijun's sea‑fall case completely dissipated with Chen Shaokang's silence; no one in officialdom raised any further objection.

Whether Xu Jijun died or not, he was to be treated as already dead.

The case was closed only a few days later.

Haishan Shi convened a commendation conference.

On the flower‑decked podium, Chen Xiaoyu wore a brand‑new fashionable dress, a large red flower pinned to her chest, making the scene especially conspicuous.

Below the stage sat representatives of the city's public security system, with flashbulbs popping one after another.

「……Comrade Chen Xiaoyu kept her composure and did not panic while held hostage, even assisting police in subduing the nationally Class‑A wanted criminal Wu Changsheng. To honor Comrade Chen Xiaoyu's brave deeds, we hereby confer on her the title of 'Heroic Model' and award her 200,000 yuan。」

After the host finished reading, Municipal Party Committee Secretary Yu Huacheng personally presented the award to Chen Xiaoyu, handing her a gilt‑edged certificate.

The venue rang with thunderous applause.

The giant check for the 200,000‑yuan prize was lifted onto the stage by two etiquette girls, the zeros after the number so many they made one's eyes swim.

If the villagers saw that giant check, they would most likely click their tongues in astonishment and envy, saying, 'How many fish would one have to catch to make 200,000?' But the Chen Xiaoyu on stage was no longer the naïve little fishergirl who had never seen the world; she was like a peach branch in early spring, brimming with a bright smile.

Chen Xiaoyu stood before the microphone, gazing at the sea of heads below.

She recalled the bloody night on the ship, the tragedy of Xu Jijun being shot and falling into the sea, and Han Jinling's heart‑rending silence……

Yet now she was being honored as a model hero.

Her heart was filled with endless feeling.

"Thank you, leaders, for your recognition—I don't even know what to say…" She had no script, and her gaze unconsciously drifted to Lin Dongfan in the front row below.

The person she most wanted to thank was Lin Dongfan.

Without Lin Dongfan, she would still be an unsophisticated little fishergirl.

But at this very moment she didn't know how to thank Lin Dongfan.

Seeing Lin Dongfan smile, as if he were happy for her, she returned a faint smile, while thousands of words lay hidden deep in her heart.

After the commendation ceremony ended, Chen Xiaoyu wanted to ask Lin Dongfan to go aboard the ship to guide work.

She waited at the doorway for a while, but Lin Dongfan didn't show up; asking Zhang Yinlan, she learned that Lin Dongfan had already left to report to the provincial authorities.

Chen Xiaoyu took off running, chasing all the way to the parking lot: 'Fan Ge, wait a moment.'

Just as Lin Dongfan grabbed the car door handle, he turned at the sound and nearly popped his eyes out—there was Chen Xiaoyu, one hand holding her high heels, the other lifting the long hem of her skirt, barefoot and sprinting toward him.

She was drenched in sweat from exhaustion.

In an instant, the first words that sprang to Lin Dongfan's mind were 'stupid'.

It's not like he didn't have a phone in his pocket.

It's not like his phone didn't have my number.

Couldn't she have called to ask me to wait? Was it necessary to chase after me barefoot? I don't know what happened to the smart brain cells she used to subdue Wu Changsheng—today she's acted this foolish.

When Chen Xiaoyu ran up to him,

Lin Dongfan sighed, shook his head, glanced at his watch, and said, 'I'll give you ten minutes to confess—come on, are you trying to dig a hole under my wife's wall?'

His words had just fallen.

Chen Xiaoyu, who had been propping her knees and panting, lifted her head in utter horror; seeing Lin Dongfan's dead‑serious expression, she was instantly overcome with shame and wished she could disappear.

As for digging under the wall, she had indeed fantasized about it.

Which girl wouldn't want to marry Fan Ge?

Fantasy is harmless!

But, fantasy aside, the harsh reality of life had never given her even a chance to dig under the wall—mainly because she felt her station was too low to deserve being Lin's wife.

Chen Xiaoyu laughed embarrassedly: 'Fan Ge, I just wanted… to see you off…'

"You're a thief‑hearted but gutless silly fishergirl—want to give it a try? Actually, my wife's wall is easy to dig, not the slightest bit of effort." Lin Dongfan gave a slight smile, making Chen Xiaoyu's face flush red.

Chen Xiaoyu lowered her head in shame.

Like a child who's made a mistake, she muttered weakly, 'You're teasing me again… I never even dared to think about digging under the wall…'

"All right, look at your timid self—I'm done teasing you." Lin Dongfan chuckled, "Today the city awarded you 200,000 yuan—what are you planning to splurge on?"

"Buy a car."

Owning a personal commuter car had always been Chen Xiaoyu's dream. With a car, she wouldn't have to crowd onto public buses when going to Haishan Shi Transportation Vocational Technical College for classes.

Study, systematically learning maritime skills.

That was the task Lin Dongfan assigned her, and also a prerequisite for becoming a ship captain. She had already studied for one semester, and in these past days she had never dared to slack off.

She gathered her courage, lifted her head to gauge Lin Dongfan's reaction, and said, 'If I have the money I'll buy a car—you won't think I'm lacking ambition, will you?'

"This money is yours, earned with your life—spend it however you wish; no one has the right to tell you what to do." Lin Dongfan said.

Chen Xiaoyu silently breathed a sigh of relief and finally relaxed into a smile: 'Whatever you say is right; I'll listen to you.'

"If there's nothing else, I'll be off." Saying this, Lin Dongfan opened the car door and prepared to get in.

Chen Xiaoyu blurted out anxiously, 'Wait a moment…' When Lin Dongfan turned, she grew nervous, stammered for a while, and finally managed, 'That… what…'

"What's that?" Lin Dongfan looked bewildered.

Chen Xiaoyu, tangled in incoherent speech, said, 'It's… that thing… I just wanted to see you off—will you still come to Haishan in the future?'

"Is that all? Nonsense—I'm not going back to the province to serve time." Lin Dongfan said.

Chen Xiaoyu gazed hopefully at Lin Dongfan, ending her embarrassment with a foolish grin: 'I didn't mean that—I mean… when will you next return to Haishan?'

"Who knows that? Just study hard and don't indulge in daydreams all day." Lin Dongfan urged, "Hurry up and get your certificates ready, set sail early. A ship left idle is just burning money—even the maintenance costs are a huge sum."

"Oh, I got it."

Chen Xiaoyu's mood suddenly sank a little.

Whether it was shame over the slow progress of her certification or gloom from Lin Dongfan forbidding her to daydream, only she herself knew.

At that moment, Lin Dongfan's phone rang—it was a call from Wang Daochen of the Provincial Party Committee.

Lin Dongfan answered the call, listened for two seconds, then replied: "Understood, thank you for the reminder, Secretary Wang. I'm already on my way back. All right, see you tonight."

Understood, thank you for the reminder, Secretary Wang. I'm already on my way back. All right, see you tonight.

He hung up.

Lin Dongfan then told Chen Xiaoyu: "I have to go now; Secretary Wang is urging me. I might have to resign taking responsibility when I get back, and I'll soon return to Haishan—you go about your business."

"Resign taking responsibility?!" Chen Xiaoyu exclaimed in shock: "You cracked such a big case—shouldn't you be commended? Why would you resign taking responsibility?"

"You can't have both fish and bear's paw; you don't understand. Goodbye."

Lin Dongfan didn't feel like explaining the situation to Chen Xiaoyu; he lowered his head and slipped straight into the car. Today there was no driver nor bodyguard accompanying him; he had to drive himself several hundred kilometers back to Yue Prefecture.