Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Huo Shaoheng stopped in his tracks and did not move anymore. Seeing what was in front of him, he was reminded of a phrase from a poem:
The grass pasture looked spacious with the stars decorating the night sky.
Then, another phrase from another poem:
The dove was calling out on the surface of the water;
The handsome man was attracted to the beautiful girl.
His fingers moved and took out a cigarette from his pocket. Lowering his head, he lit the cigarette and took a deep breath. The little bit of light between his fingers flickered in the darkness.
He Zhichu saw that flicker of light from the corner of his eye and raised his head. He saw a man with a tall build standing somewhere not far away, a cigarette in his hand, looking over at him.
He had not expected Huo Shaoheng to come personally. He Zhichu pressed the button on his car key for the car to self destruct and destroyed the second system in his car effortlessly. The car that had crashed into the mud along the riverbank had long stopped moving. The self-destruct function twisted both systems together in silence. Even if the best mechanic were to open up the entire car, he would never be able to see that the car used to have two systems.
He Zhichu nodded to Huo Shaoheng and let go of Gu Nianzhi. He took a step back and removed his coat, placing it around Gu Nianzhi’s shoulders.
Gu Nianzhi felt something was off and looked in the direction He Zhichu was looking. The nearby figure with the tall build was none other than Huo Shaoheng. However, Gu Nianzhi controlled herself. Even though her eyes sparkled, she did not walk over to him.
Huo Shaoheng stopped staring and turned around, asking the people behind him to go over. “Go. Check what was wrong with the car.”
The mechanic specialists, forensic specialists, and intelligence personnel walked towards the car immediately. Huo Shaoheng followed behind them and walked towards He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi’s face was as white as snow. Under the moonlight, her lips were as pale as lotuses, and the tip of her exquisite nose was red. One look and Huo Shaoheng knew that she was freezing.
After looking at her for a while, Huo Shaoheng turned to He Zhichu. “What happened? Do you have any idea?”
He Zhichu shook his head and said coldly, “It just came. I have utterly no idea what happened. However, did you guys bump into the police on your way here?”
“Yes, we did.” Huo Shaoheng nodded. “It’s quite problematic on their end as well. You guys better be prepared, as they will not let this go that easily.”
Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and hugged the coat around her even tighter. Taking a deep breath, she said, “We were chased by a police car. They should know the car’s license plate number.” The moment the traffic police checked the license plate, they would know who the owner of the car was. Therefore, although Huo Shaoheng had managed to get the Special Forces to stop the police, they would not let this go, especially after they had gotten that tipoff.
He Zhichu said mockingly, “Definitely. They should be at it right about now.”
“What do you want to do?” Huo Shaoheng asked, holding a cigarette in one hand and placing the other in his pocket. He was wearing his full winter uniform—formal attire, as he had attended the formal performance just now by the military performing team, and a coat. They were both made of wool, and therefore, he did not feel cold at all.
Seeing that Gu Nianzhi’s face had gone almost white, Huo Shaoheng’s fingers moved, but he controlled himself. He had almost wanted to check her temperature.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Gu Nianzhi trembled.
Huo Shaoheng threw the cigarette in his hand away. “I will get Fan Jian to take you guys back.” Through the Bluetooth earpiece, he asked Fan Jian to drive over. “Take them back now. Be careful and take the other route.”
The specialists who were at work around the car with their scanning devices had discovered the hidden stash under the car. With gloved hands, they opened the bottom of the car and successfully removed the two packets of white powder.
Gu Nianzhi had only seen the two packets of white powder on video. She did not think of them as huge packets. However, seeing the real thing now, her breathing almost stopped. Each packet weighed two kilograms. Two packets would make it four kilograms—enough to make them spend the rest of their lives in prison.
“There are fingerprints on the package. We will investigate them.” Huo Shaoheng waved and got his men to retreat. He had already gotten a tipoff that the car was ruined beyond repair. There was no need to check further. “We are unable to stay for too long.”
He Zhichu turned around to look at Gu Nianzhi. “Let’s go.”
Huo Shaoheng had arrived under the pretense of work. It would not be appropriate for him to be in too much contact with Gu Nianzhi. Their gazes were fixed on each other for a while, then they both looked away.
Gu Nianzhi walked up slowly and raised her head. “Take us back to the bar’s parking lot.”
“What do you want to do?” Huo Shaoheng’s brows furrowed. “Go back quickly. I’m here.”
Gu Nianzhi shook her head and smiled slightly. “We need to go back to the bar’s parking lot to file a police report that the car was stolen.” If they didn’t report it, there would be a continuation of this complication.
He Zhichu understood where Gu Nianzhi was coming from and was moved.
She was thinking about him…
The car was his. If Gu Nianzhi had not followed the car, gotten into an accident, and gotten arrested by the police right there and then, whatever happened after actually had nothing to do with her anymore. However, she did not just look on.
Huo Shaoheng regained his mature and emotionless expression. Looking at the car, he said, “There is professional tinting on the car’s windows. Most likely no one would be able to take pictures of the people in the car. But having said that, filing a police report about the loss of the car could still work.” He was approving Gu Nianzhi’s idea.
“That is why we have to go back, to file a police report.” Gu Nianzhi shivered again. It was too cold. Her smile was almost frozen.
“What if there was CCTV in the vicinity of the parking lot?” He Zhichu asked slowly. “If you were to file a police report like that, wouldn’t you be shooting yourself in the foot?”
Gu Nianzhi winked slyly at He Zhichu. “How would there be? I bet that the CCTV at the bar’s parking lot was damaged today.”
He Zhichu remembered the person, or people, who had tampered with his car, and a smile crept over his cold expression. “Yes, definitely.”
The three of them did not talk further. He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi got into the car that Fan Jian was driving. They headed in the opposite direction. They were not far from Bar Jinling. Even though they had to make a detour, it only took them ten minutes to get to somewhere near the bar.
Knowing their plain, Fan Jian had intentionally selected a route that would not be captured by the cameras. Finally, he managed to get them to that street.
Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu got out of the car and went to the supermarket nearby to spend about five minutes before exiting and proceeded towards Bar Jinling’s parking lot. The bar inside was still lit up, which meant that the party was still going on.
The two of them walked to the parking lot and looked around before He Zhichu took out his phone to call the police. Five minutes later, a police car from the nearby area had made its way to them with its siren turned on and stopped in front of Bar Jinling.
He Zhichu stood serenely in the parking lot and turned to the police officer who had arrived to receive their report. “My car had been here since about six o’clock in the evening, but it’s missing now.”
“Missing?” The police officer scratched his head. The person who had made the report had an exceptional aura about him. He was a confident person, and it emanated strongly from him. Although he was only wearing a suit with thin gray stripes, one could guess that he was someone important just from one look.
The car that he had reported stolen was an expensive Bentley.
“Let’s do it this way. There are usually CCTVs around parking lots. We can obtain the footage, and we will immediately know what went wrong.” The police officer searched for the car’s license plate in his system, and it matched the one that they had reported. The owner was He Zhichu.
The moment the owner of Bar Jinling heard that an expensive car had been stolen in the parking lot on his property, he was extremely nervous. In no time, he got his people to retrieve the footage from the parking lot to show the police officer. However, the person on duty said sadly, “Boss, the CCTV in the parking lot has been damaged since a couple of days ago. We requested that it be repaired, but you haven’t approved it yet…”
The owner felt extremely awkward. “How could you not remind me about such an important issue?! You are irresponsible in your position! Don’t expect a single cent for a bonus this year!” he scolded loudly.
He Zhichu looked coldly at the owner of the bar who had just thrown his employee under the bus and shook his head slightly. Turning to the police officer, he asked, “What do we do, then? Must I lose my car for nothing without the CCTV footage?”
“Not exactly. Your car is so expensive, it shouldn’t be too tough to find,” the officer said as he submitted He Zhichu’s report of loss to his system. Shortly after, his walkie talkie beeped. Someone had asked for him.
The police officer felt like something was off. He did not know what was going on. Taking his walkie talkie, he walked to the side and asked, “What’s wrong, boss? I have someone filing a report here.”
“What did you say the license plate of the car that was reported lost was?”
The police officer repeated the license plate number that He Zhichu had told him to his superior and added, “I checked the system just now, and the owner of the car is indeed this person. His expensive car went missing. Of course he’s unhappy.”
The person on the other end of the line was extremely taken aback. “Keep him there. I will be there immediately.”
The officer did not know what had just happened, but he put away his walkie talkie and turned towards He Zhichu with a smile. “Please hold on, lady and gentleman. My boss will be here in no time. The car you have lost is a luxury car. The amount involved is extremely high. We will definitely open a case for you.”
He Zhichu nodded politely but was not willing to wait. “I trust your abilities. However, can we make our way back now? It’s too cold. I am worried that my student might not be able to take it. If she falls ill due to the cold, won’t you get into trouble as well?” He Zhichu used both the soft and aggressive approach, and that police officer felt that he was in trouble again.
He Zhichu was the person who had made the report. What reason would he have to keep him? However, he couldn’t ignore his superior’s orders! The police officer was in a dilemma. He bowed to He Zhichu politely and suggested, “Mr. He, please hold on for just a bit more. My superior will be here almost immediately.” Then he continued, “If this lady is too cold, she can get into my car to get warm.”
“I refuse!”
“No way!” Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu rejected the idea almost at the same time.
The police officer was taken aback. “My car is warm…”
Gu Nianzhi pouted. “I did not do anything against the law. Why should I get into your police car?” If there was someone who was hiding somewhere waiting to take pictures, seeing that she got into the police car, they would pounce on the opportunity. A little Photoshopping, and Gu Nianzhi would be in the center of some random gossip again. It’s like how they say—all you need is a mouth to get rumors going, but to stop it, you have to run around until your legs are broken.
He Zhichu ignored that police officer. He took out his phone and called for a cab. Thankfully, the police officer’s superior arrived at the same time as the cab. The moment he got out of the car, he turned to He Zhichu and said immediately, “You are the one who filed the report? When did you lose the car?”
He Zhichu placed both his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I have no idea. The car had been parked here since six o’clock in the evening ’til now…” He took a look at his watch. “Eleven o’clock. There were five hours in between.”
The police officer in charge folded his arms and walked around the parking lot a few times before coming back to He Zhichu. “To be honest, we received a tipoff that a Bentley would be having a huge deal today. However, after trailing it for several hours, we lost it. The license plate of that car matches yours.”
He Zhichu raised his eyebrows without a change in his expression. “I see. You mean someone stole my car and did something illegal?”
“What does it have to do with us?” Gu Nianzhi was losing patience. Hugging the coat, she pulled on He Zhichu’s shirt. “Professor He, I am seriously freezing.”
He Zhichu held her hand and felt the cold. Immediately, he turned to the police officers. “I am sorry, sirs. We are really too cold to stay. See you.”
The police officer in charge was about to stop He Zhichu from leaving when someone called him. “Boss! We’ve found that car! It is in the Little Chang river! Come over, quickly!”
The police officer in charge was elated. Turning to He Zhichu, he said, “Sorry for taking up your time.” Then he got into his police car and drove towards the river.
Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu got into the cab and returned to B University. The cab drove Gu Nianzhi to the lobby of her dormitory. He Zhichu got out with her and told the cab to go. Gu Nianzhi was puzzled. “Why did you come down? Why didn’t you take the cab back to the professor’s building?”
He Zhichu urged her to go up. “I am okay. You go up now. I will have a cigarette before going.”
Gu Nianzhi really was freezing. She felt that her nose was about to run like crazy. In order to not be like that in front of He Zhichu, she turned and entered the dormitory building.
He Zhichu smoked a cigarette alone at the lobby of the dormitory building and only left when he saw Gu Nianzhi’s dormitory lights go off.
…
At the police’s end, they discovered an almost totaled Bentley crashed into the mud on the riverbank. One of the police officers reported their discovery to the officer in charge. “Boss, there is nothing in the car. The breaks were tampered with. It does not seem so simple.” However, he had doubts as well. “Boss, I think this area was sealed off by some people today.”
The police officer in charge knew about it. “Tow the car away. Let Mr. He collect the car tomorrow.”
…
Gu Nianzhi took a hot shower before turning in after returning to the dormitory. However, she still caught a cold. She felt that her head was extremely heavy, and that she was running a fever. She remained in bed and did not want to get up. Her temples were hurting rather badly.
She had only been dozing for a while before being fully awakened by Ma Qiqi knocking on the door. “Nianzhi! Nianzhi! Look at weibo! Look at your weibo! Someone wants to make headlines!”
Gu Nianzhi’s heart skipped a beat as she took out her phone to take a look at her weibo. Her main page was covered with photos of an expensive luxury car, and the pictures had been taken at night.
Someone had tagged Di Capital’s safety’s official account, saying that they had managed to take pictures of the police officers having a major chase over a luxury Bentley, and he happened to know the owner of the Bentley. It was the popular Professor of Law Faculty at B University, He Zhichu. He asked Di Capital’s safety what was going on.
Then, someone with an official valid account appeared, saying that he had received a tipoff from someone who was working in the police force, that they had enough evidence to prove that the Bentley was trafficking drugs. The amount was huge as well, and it was a big case.
He Zhichu was also popular on weibo. His account was an official, validated one as well. He even had his own fan club. Therefore, the moment this piece of news came out, the first batch of people who were angry were his fans. These “Mrs. Hes” all appeared and began arguing with the person with a validated account, cursing here and there, and it was exciting to read.
Gu Nianzhi glanced at the two accounts who began the entire thread and called He Zhichu immediately. “Professor He, someone has indeed come out on weibo to start the news. Please use your weibo to clarify.”
He Zhichu had also just woken up. He took out his phone to check his weibo upon receiving Gu Nianzhi’s phone call and tagged the police force directly. “It seems like we finally have some leads about my lost car. Please check them to see where they got the information from. Someone stole my car to do illegal deals. They have broken the law, committing theft and intentional fabrication of information, attempting to tarnish my reputation. I shall reserve my right to file for civil compensation.”
At the same time, he tagged the two accounts that had started the entire hoohah. “Wait for my legal letter.”
