Chapter 309: Red Alert

Zhou Wang Yamei saw Li Xuewu and his companion out the door, standing at the entrance as she watched the motorcycle roar away, its engine revving.

Steel City First Hospital was located on Minzhu Street, Renmin Road, in the Tiexi District; the hospital was founded in 1937.

In the early days, there was a perimeter wall here, but later, after the great takeover, the wall was torn down.

Just like a park, could a hospital with a wall still be called a "People's Hospital"?

As soon as the motorcycle entered the hospital courtyard, Li Xuewu jumped off the bike.

He glanced at the area in front of the building, which was surrounded by a crowd; two cars were already parked in the courtyard, and two groups of people were gathered around a white sheet on the ground, discussing something.

Judging by the attire of the two groups, one was the security team from the Steel Mill, and the other was from the local precinct.

Li Xuewu didn't need to look to know who they were surrounding.

Although his mind was filled with explosive thoughts, Li Xuewu still stabilized his emotions and lit a cigarette for himself.

"Click."

It wasn't just the sound of the lighter.

Putting away the lighter, Li Xuewu pushed aside a young security guard who had come to block him and walked inside.

Perhaps sensing Li Xuewu's dominance and the murderous aura radiating from him, the dozen or so people gathered around cleared a path for him.

Liu Zhaolun stood by the motorcycle, holding his Type 56 assault rifle.

The Li Kezhang had said that when facing unexpected situations, one should occupy an advantageous position.

Now, these people feared Li Xuewu's presence, and even more, they feared the muzzle of the rifle pointed at them by the hot-headed youth he had brought.

The attitude of the two men as soon as they got off the bike made the people in the courtyard frown.

Especially the one who had been riding the motorcycle; as soon as he got off, he held his Type 56 rifle in front of him and pulled the bolt. What made them even more afraid was that this hot-headed youth had disengaged the safety.

What was he trying to do!

Li Xuewu walked into the crowd and looked at the unrecognizable person lying on the stretcher; from the clothing, he could tell at a glance that it was Jing Yongjie.

But his face was already ruined, blackened, and his clothes were riddled with bullet holes from a close-range blast of a sand-shot gun.

"Hoo~"

Li Xuewu exhaled a puff of smoke, walked to the side of the corpse, squatted down, tested Jing Yongjie's breath with his hand, and then stood up.

"Who did this?"

Faced with Li Xuewu's inquiry, the people around looked at each other. A young man with a cigarette in his mouth asked Li Xuewu, "Who are you?"

Li Xuewu looked at the one who had spoken, then pulled out his credentials and threw them at the other party.

This man was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old and appeared to be a small team leader or someone with some authority; he was also wearing the security uniform of the Steel Mill.

Li Xuewu didn't see any cars from the Steel City Public Security Bureau; the only possibility was the local precinct's sidecar motorcycle.

The team leader frowned, caught the credentials Li Xuewu had thrown, and looked at them; seeing that he was the Security Li Kezhang from the General Factory.

This was the same rank as the head of the Steel Mill's security department.

"Hello, Li Ke. It's like this..."

"Bang!"

"Urgh—cough, cough—"

Before the man could finish, Li Xuewu raised his foot and delivered a kick to him.

How much strength did Li Xuewu have? Even Li Xuewu didn't know now.

This kick, fueled by anger, sent the team leader flying directly into the door of the jeep behind him.

Even the steel car door made a "clanging" sound.

"Hiss~"

The eyes of the crowd standing around widened, and they couldn't help but hiss.

Li Xuewu's kick was simply too fierce; they watched as the team leader flew backward and crashed directly into the car.

If the car hadn't blocked him, how far would he have been kicked?

Even with the car blocking him, it wasn't a good thing; the jeep doors were made of rolled steel and had no elasticity at all.

The force of Li Xuewu's kick and the reaction force of the car door were all absorbed by the team leader, who was now sitting on the ground, coughing as if suffocating.

Seeing Li Xuewu kick someone, some security guards glared and wanted to come forward to intervene.

But Liu Zhaolun, who had stood on the motorcycle at some point, held his rifle and shouted loudly, "Dare to move? You bastards dare to move and try it!"

None of these security guards dared to test the words of the hot-headed youth on the bike, and they all stopped in their tracks.

Li Xuewu took a puff of his cigarette, walked over to the team leader who was struggling to catch his breath, picked up his credentials, and then dragged the man by his collar, throwing him onto the ground.

"I asked you, who did this?"

The team leader clutched his chest, looking up at Li Xuewu, who was towering over him, but could only "cough, cough" and dared not speak.

"Is this Li Ke from the General Factory? Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to do this? Do cadres from the General Factory just hit people whenever they want?"

Li Xuewu turned his head to look at the person who had spoken, seeing a middle-aged security guard in his forties.

"And which onion are you?"

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and walked forward.

Seeing Li Xuewu walking toward him, the middle-aged security guard couldn't help but retreat.

But feeling that doing so made him look afraid of Li Xuewu, he steadied himself and stopped, saying, "I am an officer of the Steel Mill's security section."

Li Xuewu nodded, stood in front of the middle-aged man, and asked, "Is the Steel Mill a branch of the Red Star Rolling Mill?"

He didn't know why Li Xuewu asked that, but the middle-aged man still stiffened his neck and said, "Of course it is, you..."

Li Xuewu interrupted the middle-aged security guard, pointed at the team leader on the ground, and continued to ask, "Then what rank is this person?"

The middle-aged security guard frowned and replied, "No... no rank."

Li Xuewu picked up the credentials in his hand and asked the middle-aged man, "Then when you see a superior, shouldn't you salute?"

The middle-aged security guard looked at Li Xuewu, his face flushed red, and he couldn't say another word.

"I'm asking you a question!"

"Yes."

The middle-aged cadre was startled by Li Xuewu's roar and subconsciously answered "Yes."

But then he saw Li Xuewu, who had put away his credentials, swing his arm around and aim it right at him.

He had already been startled, and now he couldn't dodge in time; he saw a large palm fly toward his face.

"Smack!"

"Heh, ptooey!"

After slapping the talkative middle-aged security guard to the ground, Li Xuewu spat to the side, then looked at the middle-aged security guard on the ground, who was clutching his face and looking at him with grievance, and cursed, "F*** your mother, you knew you were supposed to salute, so why the f*** were you standing there like a statue?"

After cursing, Li Xuewu raised his reddened eyes and scanned the surrounding Steel Mill security guards.

These security guards were all frightened by Li Xuewu's dominance; one after another, they tightened their buttocks, clicked their heels together, and stood at attention with a "smack," saluting.

Li Xuewu ignored their salutes and asked the middle-aged man on the ground, "Who is the highest-ranking person here?"

The middle-aged man stammered, "... I am."

"Stand up!"

Li Xuewu roared, his eyes wide. The middle-aged security guard, his courage failing, crawled up and stood at attention.

Li Xuewu asked with red eyes, "Report your name and position."

The middle-aged security guard shouted with a hoarse voice, "Report, Liu Zhengyang, officer of the Steel Mill security section."

Li Xuewu pointed at Jing Yongjie's corpse on the ground and asked, "What happened? Who did this?"

This middle-aged cadre named Liu Zhengyang glanced at the corpse on the ground and replied, "Report, we received a report that two people were committing armed robbery and rape. After being discovered by the homeowner, they fled. One of them was injured by a worker with a sand-shot gun, and the other, after killing and injuring several people, fled with the injured person."

At this moment, a man in uniform from the local precinct, who had been hiding on the side, walked over and said, "It is indeed like that. We also heard the sound of gunfire, and seeing a sidecar motorcycle carrying a bloody person heading toward the hospital, we chased after them."

"We were also chasing the criminals."

Liu Zhengyang felt he was in the right and pointed to the hospital lobby, saying, "When we chased them here, the nurse on duty even said their accomplice went to the duty room to make a call, but by the time we chased after them, they had already run away."

"Oh? Criminals, is that right?"

Li Xuewu grabbed Liu Zhengyang by the collar, dragged him to the side of Jing Yongjie's corpse, and threw him onto the ground.

"Open his pockets, the upper pockets!"

Liu Zhengyang looked up at Li Xuewu from the ground, unconvinced, not knowing what madness this person was up to again.

"Open them!"

"Comrade, please control your emotions."

The man in uniform who had just helped explain frowned at the angry Li Xuewu and gave a firm piece of advice.

Li Xuewu turned his head to look at the man in uniform, pulled his M1911 from his pocket, pulled the bolt, and aimed it at Liu Zhengyang, saying, "Are you going to open them or not?"

"What are you doing? Put the gun away!"

The man in uniform, seeing Li Xuewu was so bold, was also frightened; he retreated a few steps and drew his own gun.

"Don't move!"

Liu Zhaolun shouted at the few people at the scene with his rifle, and only then did everyone remember there was another person on the perimeter.

Liu Zhengyang saw Li Xuewu staring at him with wide eyes, and his hands couldn't help but tremble as he opened Jing Yongjie's jacket and pulled out the credentials, which were already stained with red blood, from the innermost shirt pocket.

"Open it!"

Following Li Xuewu's roar, Liu Zhengyang looked at Li Xuewu and opened the credentials in his hand.

"Read it!"

Actually, there was no need for Liu Zhengyang to read it; the cover of those credentials was enough to explain the problem.

"Po... Police... Police ID."

The few men in uniform who had just been pointing their guns at Li Xuewu looked in astonishment at the credentials in Liu Zhengyang's hand, and the guns in their hands slowly lowered.

"Jing... Jing Yongjie... Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau..."

As Liu Zhengyang finished reading Jing Yongjie's credentials, the young man in uniform put away his gun and walked awkwardly to Li Xuewu's side, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were colleagues..."

"Bang!"

Li Xuewu swung the pistol in his hand and struck the young man with the butt of the gun.

"Sorry my ass! You're saying sorry to me now—do you want me to send you down to apologize to my comrade?"

The young man who had been hit stopped his companions behind him from rushing forward, wiped the blood from his mouth, and said, "I truly apologize."

Just then, three jeeps turned in from the street, moving very quickly, and several police officers jumped out of the cars.

The leader, who had gray hair under the brim of his cap, looked seriously at the standoff in the courtyard and then glanced at the young man in uniform, whose mouth was bleeding.

"Who is the comrade from Beijing?"

Li Xuewu turned around and looked at this cadre who was speaking to him with a serious face, saying, "That would be me."

As he spoke, he handed his credentials to the cadre who had walked up to him.

This cadre with some gray hair glanced at Li Xuewu, then opened Li Xuewu's credentials.

At first, he didn't think much of it, but once he saw Li Xuewu's position and rank clearly, his eyes narrowed. He then closed the credentials and saluted Li Xuewu, saying, "Hello, Comrade. I am Nie Liansheng, Deputy Captain of the Steel City Criminal Investigation Team."

Li Xuewu returned the salute, took back his credentials, and said, "I am Li Xuewu. I was the one who made the call just now."

Nie Liansheng looked at the corpse lying on the ground, then looked at the two security guards who were standing to the side clutching their faces, and then took a look at the comrades from the precinct.

"Li Ke, can you tell me the situation?"

Li Xuewu tucked his credentials into his pocket and said, "Secret mission. The target set a trap, putting a woman in the room. When my comrade rushed in, he was framed for robbery and rape. When he came out to explain, he was surrounded and shot by a group of gunmen."

Li Xuewu pointed to Jing Yongjie on the ground and said, "One comrade is gone, and the other was chased by the Steel Mill security and your people, and I don't know what his situation is."

Nie Liansheng listened to Li Xuewu finish, then asked the young man in uniform standing to the side, "Is that so?"

The man in uniform explained awkwardly, "We also received a report that someone was committing armed robbery and rape..."

"Are you stupid!"

Nie Liansheng cursed, "Have you ever seen a report for robbery and rape come in that fast? Have you ever seen security guards respond that fast? Is the Steel Mill right next door?"

Li Xuewu ignored Nie Liansheng's words; whether it was a case of "Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai" (a willing victim), Li Xuewu didn't want to waste words with them here.

"I want to find the person who made the report, and also..."

Li Xuewu pointed to Jing Yongjie on the ground and said, "The executor of this trap, that person named Yang Zhao, and that woman."

Nie Liansheng asked the man in uniform from the precinct, "Can you find them?"

The man looked at Liu Zhengyang, then looked at Li Xuewu, and said with his head bowed, "I should be able to find them."

"Damn."

As soon as Nie Liansheng saw what was going on, he ordered the people behind him, "Take all these people into custody. Interrogate them."

He then said to Li Xuewu, "I will definitely give you an explanation."

Li Xuewu glanced at Nie Liansheng and said, "I don't trust you. I haven't trusted you from the start."

Nie Liansheng said with a cold face, "I will take you to find them now. Whatever you say, we will do."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling Liu Zhaolun to come over.

Liu Zhaolun, who had long since jumped off the car, trotted to Li Xuewu's side, holding his rifle with a solemn face, waiting for Li Xuewu's order.

Li Xuewu took a Type 56 rifle from Liu Zhaolun and ordered, "Clean up Jing Yongjie, wait for me to return, and we will take him home."

Liu Zhaolun never disobeyed Li Xuewu's orders; his eyes narrowed as he replied, "Yes!"

Li Xuewu carried the Type 56 rifle and got on the sidecar motorcycle.

Nie Liansheng watched all of this, signaled the young man from the precinct to get into the jeep with him, and led the way out of the courtyard.

Li Xuewu revved the throttle and followed.

It was about a half-hour ride from the hospital to the residential area. When the jeep turned into the location of the incident and stopped, Li Xuewu parked the motorcycle at the entrance and jumped off.

He glanced at the courtyard, which was still stained with blood, and with a cold face, pushed aside the hand of the police officer standing at the entrance and walked in.

The miserable state of the people lying on the ground in the courtyard was no better than Jing Yongjie's.

This was Han Zhan following Li Xuewu's orders; every shot was aimed at these people's heads, and all of them had holes in their skulls.

Li Xuewu pointed at the firearms on the ground and the age and attire of these people, and asked Nie Liansheng and the young man in uniform who had followed him in, "Is this what workers should possess? Ambushing people in broad daylight instead of working? Are these workers?"

Seeing Nie Liansheng remain silent with a cold face, and the young man in uniform from the precinct turn pale and say nothing, Li Xuewu cursed "Damn" and walked toward the house.

From the outside, the house looked like an ordinary brick-and-tile structure, but once inside, it was clearly different.

The floor was cement. Upon entering, there was a kitchen, and to the left was an inner room. Entering the inner room, he saw that the furnishings were quite affluent.

A radio, a sewing machine, a large mirror, a large wardrobe; the walls weren't covered in newspapers, but were plastered with white lime over a cement base.

It was bright and clean, not much worse than Li Xuewu's own home.

Looking at the man and woman standing by the kang (heated bed)—the man with a thin build, the woman with a tall, slender figure, wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket, her large breasts bulging under the jacket.

These two were also startled by the sudden entry of these people.

The man asked vigilantly, "May I ask who you are?"

Li Xuewu asked with a cold face, "What is your name?"

The man looked at the scarred man surrounded by a circle of uniforms and replied timidly, "Yang Zhao, my name is Yang Zhao."

"Oh?"

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and looked at the man, asking, "Were you the one who reported that someone was committing armed robbery and rape?"

"... Yes."

Yang Zhao avoided Li Xuewu's sharp gaze and replied evasively, "Well, we drove away those two criminals, but the neighbors were harmed, and the comrades from the precinct are handling it, handling it."

Seeing the expressions of the people in the circle, Yang Zhao emphasized the end of his sentence.

Li Xuewu looked at Yang Zhao's wife, who was standing to the side.

"The criminals came in to rape you?"

The woman looked at the people in the room with some fear and replied, "Yes, I... I was just at home, he..."

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention to the woman's words, instead turning to ask Yang Zhao, "Where do you work? Why are you at home during the day?"

Yang Zhao was taken aback by Li Xuewu's question, then explained, "I'm from the Steel Mill. I had something to do today, so I suddenly came back."

Li Xuewu nodded, narrowing his eyes, and said, "You had something to do, is that right?"

Yang Zhao nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, I had something to do."

Li Xuewu pointed to the young men lying outside the window and asked, "What about them? Do they have something to do too?"

"This..."

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and asked, "You said they were neighbors. Then tell me, where do they live, and what are their names?"

Yang Zhao looked at Li Xuewu with grievance and dared not speak. Yang Zhao's wife, however, had some courage and said to Li Xuewu with dissatisfaction, "Hey, why aren't you going to catch the criminals instead of interrogating us?"

Li Xuewu turned to Nie Liansheng and asked, "Are you interrogating, or am I?"

Nie Liansheng looked at the couple and said to the people behind him, "Everyone out."

The people who had followed them in turned and ran out quickly upon hearing Nie Liansheng's words.

Today's case was too bizarre, too big; these people didn't dare to touch the bad luck of the two people in the room.

Yang Zhao and his wife also realized something was wrong; this situation seemed to be aimed at them.

Li Xuewu took off his hat and placed it on the cabinet; the sweat on his head from the rush was steaming like a boiling pot.

"I don't want to waste words with you. The criminals I mentioned are comrades."

The couple was instantly stunned by Li Xuewu's words.

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes and said, "Actually, you know those two weren't criminals, right? Tell me, who made you do this?"

Yang Zhao twitched his mouth and replied, "This... I don't know what you're talking about..."

Before Yang Zhao could finish, Li Xuewu pulled out his gun, pulled the bolt, pointed it at Yang Zhao, and said, "If you dare to play dumb with me again, I'll drill a hole in you. Too many people have died today; it won't matter if I add one more."

Yang Zhao looked at Li Xuewu's muzzle, then at Nie Liansheng, who was expressionless and unmoved.

"I..."

Yang Zhao moved his chin, wanting to defend himself but not daring to.

"It wasn't us who wanted to do it."

Before Yang Zhao could speak, his wife got scared, knelt on the ground, and cried, "It wasn't us who wanted to do this! We didn't know people would die, wuwu, really, how would we dare?"

Li Xuewu raised his head and said, "I know it wasn't you who wanted to do it. I just want to know who made you do it."

Seeing his wife kneel, Yang Zhao also knelt on the ground with a bitter face and cried, "It's all my fault."

Li Xuewu shook his head, said with a cold face, "I don't have time to watch you act out a drama, and I don't have time to listen to you tell me stories. Last time I'll ask you: where are they?"

Seeing Li Xuewu was about to get serious, Yang Zhao cried and said, "It was Ma San'er. It was Ma San'er and Fu Haibo who made us do it."

"Where are they?"

"How would I know?"

"You don't know?"

"I really don't know!"

Hearing Yang Zhao finish, Nie Liansheng frowned and walked out of the house, ordering his subordinates waiting at the door, "Notify the Bureau: search the whole city for Ma San'er and Fu Haibo."

"Yes!"

These police officers answered and ran off.

The name Ma San'er was actually known to these people, and rumors had spread about how Ma San'er had gotten money, but no one had ever been able to touch him. Now, however, he had kicked a real iron plate.

Nie Liansheng returned to the house and heard Yang Zhao say, "I was forced too. I'm just a small security guard; he's my leader. What could I do?"

Yang Zhao's wife also cried on the side, "That beast, that beast is going to torture us to death, wuwuwu."

Li Xuewu pointed to the furnishings in the room and asked, "A security guard, can you afford all this?"

Then he pointed to Yang Zhao's wife and asked, "Then it was earned by you? Tell me, how much do you earn a month?"

Hearing Li Xuewu's question, the two of them couldn't say a word.

Li Xuewu said with a cold face and gritted teeth, "Let me tell you, the comrade I brought died. Now I want someone to pay with their life. If I can't catch Ma San'er and Fu Haibo, I'll use you two to pay for my comrade."

"Wuwuwuwu."

Yang Zhao's wife cried, "I did take things from Fu Haibo, but that beast also played with me, wuwu. He's not human; he used candle wax to burn me, wuwu."

Hearing his wife's words, Yang Zhao also lowered his head in shame, holding his head and saying nothing.

Yang Zhao's wife continued to cry, "When he was in a good mood, he would beat me with a whip; when he was in a bad mood, he would also beat me with a whip. He hung me from the roof beam and made Yang Zhao watch, wuwuwu."

Li Xuewu looked at the roof beam with the rope end, remembering Zhou Wang Yamei's words. This Fu Haibo might really be sick.

"When was the last time Fu Haibo came here?"

Yang Zhao's wife cried, "Yesterday, he came last night. He told us two to do this thing. We really didn't know who that was!"

Li Xuewu asked Yang Zhao, "Who are those people in the courtyard?"

Yang Zhao lowered his head and said, "Security guards from the factory... and Ma San'er's people."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Who arranged for the security guards from the factory?"

Yang Zhao replied, "It was Fu Haibo. Fu Haibo arranged it yesterday. I was to lure the people in, and they would surround them and open fire, demanding..."

Yang Zhao hesitated and replied, "Fu Haibo demanded that everyone lured in be killed, and that we should say they were there to rob."

Li Xuewu asked with a cold face, "How did you know we were coming?"

Yang Zhao glanced at Li Xuewu and replied, "People around here were told that if anyone asked about Fu Haibo, they should come and notify us."

Hearing Yang Zhao's words, Nie Liansheng's face turned even uglier; this loss of face had reached the ends of the earth.

Li Xuewu squatted in front of the two and asked, "Think about it. What method can I use to find these two people?"

Yang Zhao shook his head and said, "Fu Haibo was always mysterious. He wouldn't let us know his home, wouldn't let us follow him. He always went to and from work alone, and when he wasn't at the unit, he would notify us by phone to do things."

Yang Zhao's wife also shook her head, "Every time, he came suddenly and left suddenly."

"He doesn't sleep here?"

"No."

Yang Zhao's wife shook her head, "Every time after that, he would leave. He wouldn't even eat here."

Li Xuewu turned to Nie Liansheng and said, "He must have another residence."

Nie Liansheng frowned and asked, "His home..."

Li Xuewu shook his head and said, "I've already been to his home. His wife also said he hasn't been back for a long time."

Li Xuewu turned to Yang Zhao and his wife and asked, "How does he come? Does he ride a bike or drive?"

Yang Zhao replied, "He drives."

"What kind of car?"

Li Xuewu's eyes lit up, and he pressed Yang Zhao for an answer. Nie Liansheng's eyes also lit up.

Yang Zhao raised his head and said, "A green GAZ-69. The license plate number is 06422."

"Do the security guards who came with you or Ma San'er's people know the location of the two?"

"I don't know."

Seeing Li Xuewu glare, Yang Zhao knelt on the ground, shook his head, and explained, "I mean I don't know if they know. I really am just a..."

Li Xuewu asked Yang Zhao, "Where are the people who ran away? Where did they go? Where are their homes?"

Yang Zhao said with a bitter face, mentioning a few places he knew.

Li Xuewu turned to Nie Liansheng and said, "Investigate. Check the license plate, check these people. Find these people; I don't believe they don't know."

Nie Liansheng nodded and went out.

Li Xuewu turned to look at the couple and said, "I've really never seen such a spineless Northeast man as you."

Too lazy to waste any more breath, Li Xuewu walked out of the house, leaving the people brought by Nie Liansheng to go in and handcuff the couple.

"Thank you."

"What?"

Li Xuewu didn't understand why Nie Liansheng was thanking him.

Nie Liansheng handed Li Xuewu a cigarette and said, "Thank you for not using major interrogation methods. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to do my job."

Having seen Li Xuewu's attitude toward the Steel Mill security guards and his attitude toward his own comrade, Nie Liansheng thought Li Xuewu would really use force on the couple brought out of the house.

As for Li Xuewu's talk of making them pay or pointing his gun at them, Nie Liansheng didn't take it to heart; he believed Li Xuewu wouldn't just open fire at the drop of a hat.

Li Xuewu looked at Nie Liansheng and frowned, saying, "What kind of person do you take me for? I never use force during interrogations."

Nie Liansheng nodded and said, "I've learned something. Comrades from the capital really have more quality, understand the business, and know how to work better than us people below."

Li Xuewu shook his head and walked out of the courtyard toward the supply and marketing cooperative at the corner.

"Comrade, I need to make a call."

Taking the telephone from the clerk, Li Xuewu dialed the number for the guesthouse.

"Hello, Li Kezhang."

"Has Han Zhan called back?"

"No, not at all."

Li Xuewu frowned and said, "I understand."

He then hung up the phone and called Zhou Wang Yamei.

"This is Li Xuewu."

"I know."

Li Xuewu held the receiver and asked, "Fu Haibo should have another residence. Can you provide me with any clues?"

Zhou Wang Yamei thought for a moment on the other end of the phone and said, "I'm truly sorry, he really doesn't tell me about his affairs."

Li Xuewu nodded and said into the phone, "If there is any news, please be sure to notify me at the number I left you."

"Okay."

Li Xuewu hung up the phone, paid the clerk for the call, and turned to leave the supply and marketing cooperative.

Just after finishing the call with Li Xuewu, Yan Jiecheng's door was knocked on.

He thought it was Han Zhan returning, as no one had knocked on the door all day.

Yan Jiecheng had been comfortable today, resting enough on the soft bed, and apart from going out to buy a pancake, he had just been lying on the bed listening to the radio.

It was only after hearing the call from Han Zhan that Yan Jiecheng became slightly nervous, but since neither Li Xuewu nor Han Zhan had said what had happened, Yan Jiecheng hadn't paid much attention.

Now that the door was being knocked on, Yan Jiecheng assumed it was Han Zhan returning without waiting for his notification.

"Coming."

Yan Jiecheng opened the door but found it wasn't Han Zhan.

"Who are you looking for?"

Standing at the door was a girl of eighteen or nineteen, with short, slightly curled hair, large eyes, and wearing a tight red sweater.

The girl hugged her arms and rubbed her hands, saying, "Big brother, can you let me stay in your room for a while? I'm freezing to death."

Yan Jiecheng looked at the two high-bulging points on the sweater and asked with a drifting gaze, "What happened to you?"

The girl said pitifully, "I had an argument with my boyfriend. He hit me, so I ran off the car, and I ran up here. Big brother, please, save me. He might be coming in, he'll beat me to death. Big brother, I beg you, help me. I'll just hide in your room for a while."

Although Yan Jiecheng had never refused a woman, this time the refusal was very difficult, and he didn't know how to open his mouth.

"No, you can't come in."

Yan Jiecheng had never refused a woman, and this time the refusal was very difficult, and he didn't know how to open his mouth.

The girl at the door heard the sound of talking downstairs and anxiously hugged Yan Jiecheng, jumping up and down as she pleaded, "He might have come in, he'll beat me to death. Big brother, I beg you, help me. I'll just hide in your room for a while."

Yan Jiecheng's firm belief was rubbed a bit soft by the girl's "buns," but the fear of Li Xuewu made Yan Jiecheng choose to push away the "buns" in his arms.

"No, no, you have to..."

Just as Yan Jiecheng went to push the girl in his arms, the girl grabbed Yan Jiecheng's arm and lifted his hand.

"Ugh."

That was it; Yan Jiecheng's hand pushed directly onto the "buns," and the heat of the "buns" made Yan Jiecheng dizzy.

The girl squeezed past Yan Jiecheng into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Thank you... thank you, big brother."

Yan Jiecheng was awakened instantly by the girl's shy words, let go, jumped back, and said with a red face, "No... no... no need to thank me."

The girl looked around at the furnishings in the room and said enviously, "Big brother, you're really amazing to be able to live in such a good room."

Yan Jiecheng blushed and was about to explain, but seeing the envious, admiring look in the girl's eyes, he swallowed the words in his mouth.

"It's... it's nothing."

As he spoke, Yan Jiecheng turned his back, walked to the tea table, poured a cup of hot water from the thermos, and said, "Sit."

The girl crossed her hands and clasped them behind her hips, a movement that made the two "buns" in front even larger.

Yan Jiecheng turned around, saw this scene, bent over, sat on the bed with embarrassment, and handed the teacup to the girl standing by the bed.

The girl smiled, took the teacup, and said, "Thank you, big brother. You're really good, both dashing and kind."

As she spoke, the girl took a sip of hot water, placed the cup on the coffee table, and sat on the edge of Yan Jiecheng's bed.

"Big brother, are you a cadre?"

Yan Jiecheng looked at the light in the girl's eyes and nodded reservedly.

"Wow!"

The girl opened her red, small mouth in surprise, her eyes wide as she said, "You're a cadre at such a young age. Looking at this room you're staying in, you must be a big cadre, right?"

Yan Jiecheng often watched Li Xuewu from behind, watching Li Xuewu wield power, watching Li Xuewu point out the country, watching Li Xuewu act decisively.

Because from the first day of work, Yan Jiecheng had a dream of walking the path of an official, following Li Xuewu step by step to where he was now. Yan Jiecheng followed Li Xuewu and acted like a fox borrowing a tiger's might, gradually having an illusion.

An illusion of a driver becoming a deputy section chief of the security department.

"No, not a big cadre."

Yan Jiecheng said reservedly, "Just the section chief of the security department."

Yan Jiecheng really dared to say it, and the girl opposite really dared to believe it.

"Ah! Li Kezhang!"

The girl grabbed Yan Jiecheng's hand in surprise and asked, "Does that mean you manage a lot of people?"

Yan Jiecheng smiled shyly and said, "Not many, a few hundred."

Seeing the girl about to stick to him, Yan Jiecheng asked with a smile, "I still don't know your name?"

"My name is Ge Shuqin."

The "buns" girl hugged Yan Jiecheng's arm, looked up, and asked, "Big brother, you're a cadre at such a young age, are you married?"

Yan Jiecheng heard the girl's words and was stunned, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, not yet. Work is busy."

"Ugh."

Ge Shuqin looked at Yan Jiecheng with wide eyes, as if she wanted to look at his face carefully.

Yan Jiecheng asked with some embarrassment, "Comrade Ge Shuqin, why... why are you looking at me?"

Ge Shuqin smiled, then said with starlight in her eyes, "Big brother, you look really good."

As she spoke, she used one hand to wrap around Yan Jiecheng's waist and said, "Big brother, you not only look good, but you also have a good heart."

"Is... is that so?"

Yan Jiecheng touched his face; no one had ever praised him before, so he asked with some disbelief.

"Mm."

Ge Shuqin nodded while lying in Yan Jiecheng's arms and said, "Really, big brother gives me a safe and reliable feeling."

The corners of Yan Jiecheng's mouth couldn't help but curl up, and he said with a smile, "Everyone says so."

"Right?"

Ge Shuqin nodded and said, "As soon as you opened the door, I felt you were especially reliable and would definitely save me."

Yan Jiecheng finally remembered that this girl was here to hide from trouble.

Gently supporting the girl's shoulders, Yan Jiecheng asked softly, "Comrade Ge Shuqin, you said you were hiding from your boyfriend, what happened?"

Ge Shuqin was gently pushed away by Yan Jiecheng, but she extended her arm and rested it on Yan Jiecheng's shoulder, saying aggrievedly, "Big brother, call me Shuqin, don't call me comrade."

"Okay, Shuqin."

Yan Jiecheng called out with a smile.

Ge Shuqin smiled and answered, but then continued aggrievedly, "It's my parents. They insist on making me marry the 'Second Fool' next door, and I don't want to."

As she spoke, Ge Shuqin cried aggrievedly, saying pitifully, "Wu the Second Fool is very ruthless. Everyone says his last wife was beaten to death by him. I don't want to be beaten to death, wuwuwu."

Yan Jiecheng looked at the weak Ge Shuqin crying like a pear blossom in the rain in his arms, and his heart was about to melt. Now he couldn't remember that he had a wife at home.

Yu Li?

Heh~ that fierce woman is nowhere near as gentle as this girl. This is a good girl.

Reaching out and patting Shuqin's back, Yan Jiecheng comforted her, "If you don't like him, don't marry him. It's a new society now; can he still force you?"

"It's not that."

Ge Shuqin cried and looked up at Yan Jiecheng, saying, "He's very powerful, and he hits people very hard. I'll just hide here for a while. I'm afraid if I stay too long, he'll find me and come to fight with you."

"Hehe."

Yan Jiecheng sneered and patted the holster at his waist, saying, "I'd like to see who dares to come and find trouble with me."

As he spoke, Yan Jiecheng looked down at Shuqin and said, "Just stay here; no one dares to touch you."

"Thank you, big brother!"

Ge Shuqin broke into a smile, hugged Yan Jiecheng's waist, and said gratefully, "Thank you, big brother. You're really good, you're so brave."

A proud expression appeared on Yan Jiecheng's face; in his life, very few people had ever called him brave.

This feeling was too good.

"Big brother, what is your name?"

Yan Jiecheng finally remembered that he hadn't introduced himself to Shuqin yet.

"Oh, my name is Yan Jiecheng. You can call me Big Brother Jiecheng."

"Okay, Big Brother Jiecheng."

Ge Shuqin looked up at Yan Jiecheng and hugged him again.

"Big Brother Jiecheng, how nice it would be if you were my boyfriend."

"This..."

Yan Jiecheng said with some embarrassment, "How is that possible?"

"How is it impossible?"

Good brother~

Adding 10,000 words, asking for monthly tickets and tips~ ===== CHAPTER 310 =====