House arrest. Home detention. Never in Zhou Qin’s life had she imagined that those terms would one day apply to her. For as long as she could remember, her family name was like an armor, a deterrent against those who wished her harm. Nobody would dare mess with her as long as she was a Zhou. But now, it became increasingly clear that the first chink had formed in the armor she once thought of as impenetrable.
Admittedly, the whole affair felt like a bad dream, one that she desperately wanted to wake up from. But then there was nothing to wake up from. This house detention was real, as real as that electronic ankle bracelet she’d been fitted with after her last interrogation session with Detective Wang. She was now officially a criminal suspect, not of murder, but of perjury and obstruction of justice. The cops clearly thought she was covering up for Li Yundong, which, of course, she was. There was, however, a silver lining. Something told her that Detective Wang wasn’t like the rest of his colleagues. Her gut told her that Detective Wang was starting to believe her story about He Shao being struck down by a bolt of lightning from the sky.
Still, what could one man do against the entire police force?
Detective Wang might be different from the rest, but he was still just a homicide detective. The police commissioner was the one who had the final say regarding what to do with her.
Hence the house arrest.
Her father had been furious and extremely disappointed in her. Not that his reaction surprised her. As far as she could tell, this was just another day in the Zhou household. After all, when had her father ever looked at her with anything other than disappointment in his eyes? When had the great Zhou Keqiang cared about her well-being? To him, she was just a tool, a means to some elusive goal that had driven him to the point of madness. Even when he was disappointed in her, it wasn’t because he cared; it was only because he thought she had done something to desecrate the name of the Zhou family.
So much for familial ties.
Over the past few weeks, Zhou Qin had a lot of time to think things over. And during those long, sleepless hours of self-reflection and soul-searching, Zhou Qin found herself constantly returning to one simple question: Why?
Why was she doing this to herself? Why was she putting everything on the line for Li Yundong, a man who clearly didn’t return her feelings? She kept telling herself that she was doing this because of hormones, because she was infatuated and blinded by her feelings for Li Yundong. But deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case at all.
The fact was that she had changed. Ever since she’d gotten to know the real Li Yundong, her entire worldview had changed. Her friendship with Li Yundong had made her question everything she thought she knew about life. And as a result, she had begun to see that there really are things in life worth more than just status and money, things that are meaningful, things that are worth protecting.
While her father believed in wealth and status, Li Yundong believed in people. He valued a person’s inherent goodness more than their wealth and status. Most people in Zhou Qin’s circle picked friends and allies based on material things. Li Yundong picked his friends based on their internal qualities.
And then there was Su Chan.
God. That girl was something else entirely. The nature of Su Chan’s character was something that baffled Zhou Qin to no end. It was something that she couldn’t for the life of her fathom. For one, her character was riddled with contradictions: meek and compliant, yet fiercely assertive and protective when it came to the things or people she cared about; simple-minded, yet capable of astoundingly complex behaviors and thought processes; blessed with a disproportionately huge appetite, yet possessing a figure that most women would die for.
But of course, the one aspect about Su Chan’s character that baffled Zhou Qin the most was her childlike innocence.
Good Lord.
That girl was innocent to point of hilarity, not to mention completely ignorant to the ways of the world. And yet, despite her innocence, that girl also possessed far greater wisdom and foresight than any woman Zhou Qin had ever known. Su Chan had chosen Li Yundong from the very start. When everyone—sadly, even Zhou Qin herself—saw Li Yundong as just another loser, Su Chan saw a great man hidden behind his mediocre exterior. For someone so innocent, Su Chan had such great insights into the human character. Perhaps her innocence was precisely the thing that had allowed her to see past the shallow nonsense and focus on the things that truly matter.
Zhou Qin would rather die than admit this to anyone, but that emotional exchange between Li Yundong and Su Chan shortly after He Shao was struck to death had moved Zhou Qin to tears. It was clear to Zhou Qin then that Li Yundong and Su Chan loved each other deeply. In fact, their love for each other ran so deep that either one of them would die for the other.
How a love that pure could exist in this world was beyond Zhou Qin.
Regardless, the pure love between Li Yundong and Su Chan made Zhou Qin realize one thing: it is people, not wealth, that brings true happiness.
You could have all the wealth and status in the world, yet be surrounded by people who would backstab you any chance they get. Indeed, how could happiness stem from such a life, where you’re constantly living in fear because you’re surrounded by people who would bring destruction upon you the moment you let your guard down, who wouldn’t hesitate to throw you under the bus to save their own skin? How could anyone be happy by living amongst sharks and blood-thirsty wolves? Zhou Qin had seen such a life. No. She hadn’t just seen it. She had experienced it. Because that was exactly the kind of life that her father had chosen for her.
On the other hand, you could lead a simple life but be surrounded by people who cherish you for who you are, not how deep your pocket is or how your last name is spelled. By inviting her to his home, Li Yundong had given Zhou Qin a glimpse of what a simple, yet meaningful life looks like.
Indeed, a simple, home-cooked meal had opened Zhou Qin’s eyes to so many things and allowed her to finally understand the meaning of true happiness.
After she came to that realization, Zhou Qin had spent quite a while wondering if she would ever experience such happiness. It wasn’t until three weeks ago that she realized something else: she’d already experienced such happiness.
Oh yes, she did, back at Li Yundong’s apartment, where she had been an eager participant of la casa de Yundong’s daily Food War. God. What a meal that had been. Zhou Qin had laughed until her cheeks hurt every time Su Chan stuck her tongue out at Zhou Qin after she had beaten Zhou Qin to a piece of duck meat. And then when it was the other way round, when Zhou Qin had beaten Su Chan to a piece, the poor girl would showcase her “chipmunk” pouches in an entirely different capacity—in the form of a huge, sulky pout. Zhou Qin had laughed until her stomach cramped.
That kind of happiness was something her father would never understand. He wouldn’t understand because he never really had people he cared deeply about.
Zhou Keqiang cared about no one.
Not even his own daughter.
Zhou Qin wouldn’t allow herself to go down that path. She didn’t want that kind of life. She’d never wanted it in the first place. Before, she had let herself be controlled because she had no idea what happiness truly meant. She hadn’t seen the other side, so to speak. Back then, her life consisted of nothing other than meaningless parties and petty political maneuvers to satisfy her father’s delusions of grandeur. Not to mention countless matchmaking attempts to find the most “beneficial” suitor for her. She had nothing to look forward to, nothing worth fight for.
But things were different now.
Now, Zhou Qin had found people that she actually cared about. She had friends. Real friends, not the kind with agendas. Granted, she didn’t have a lot of true friends yet. As far as she could tell, right now she only had two: Su Chan and Li Yundong.
Well, she supposed having two friends was better than having none. Especially when those friends actually gave a damn about her beyond her status.
Although Li Yundong’s feelings for her were merely platonic, Zhou Qin knew that he cared about her as a friend.
And Su Chan…
At first, Zhou Qin was jealous of Su Chan, because Su Chan had something Zhou Qin could never have—Li Yundong’s heart.
But as they got to know each other better, Zhou Qin had eventually come to see Su Chan as the little sister she never had. Good Lord. That girl was just impossible to hate. Literally impossible. And even though Su Chan had never overtly stated it, Zhou Qin could tell that Su Chan cared about her too. Zhou Qin would never forget the time when Su Chan had risked her own life to save her during their unfortunate encounter with Lin Youfa outside the campus gates. Su Chan had dove in front of Zhou Qin and then pulled her away from a shockwave powerful enough to blast a limousine several feet away. Su Chan could’ve left Zhou Qin for death and gone straight to Li Yundong, but she didn’t. She came for her instead. Su Chan had protected her.
And now it was Zhou Qin’s turn to protect them both.
Detective Wang had been dropping hints here and there about what the commissioner was up to. Although subtle, the hints were still clear enough for Zhou Qin to get the message—she had a feeling that Detective Wang was trying to help her. The commissioner, and most likely the He family, wanted to pin He Shao’s death on Li Yundong. And if Li Yundong was convicted, Su Chan would no doubt be devastated.
To protect them both. That was the main reason Zhou Qin had refused to give the commissioner what he wanted.
Sometimes, Zhou Qin wanted to laugh at herself for even considering it. Li Yundong could dodge bullets. And Su Chan could fly. Yes. The girl could fly. To think that either of them would need her protection was just ridiculous. But still, Zhou Qin wanted to do something to help her friends. Admittedly, a small part of her was doing this because she didn’t want to give the He family the final victory. She didn’t want He Shao to have the last laugh, even though it would be done from hell. But mostly, it was because she didn’t want Li Yundong and Su Chan to get into further trouble with the law.
Like she said, she wanted to help her friends.
She hadn’t done much in that regard though.
So far, all she did was omit a few details from the story she had—repeatedly—told the cops. Those details were the ones that would incriminate Li Yundong. But since there weren’t any physical evidence to prove that Li Yundong had actually killed He Shao, things would soon blow over as long as she—
CLACK!
Zhou Qin froze. The noise came from downstairs. Someone was inside the house.
CLACK! CLACK!
Is it father? Has he returned?
But no. It couldn’t be. Her father only returned during the weekends.
Zhou Qin scrambled out of bed and ran to her desk. She pulled out the top drawer and removed the Taser she’d kept there for emergency.
After that, she ran to door of her bedroom and locked it. She then pressed her ear against the door and listened. For ten minutes, she stayed in that position, listening to any sounds outside.
She didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.
Maybe she was just tired. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately.
She sighed and pushed away from the door.
On the way towards the bed, she turned off the lights in her bedroom. Leaving the lights on would just make it easier for the intruder—if there was any—to find her.
I should call the security staff.
Zhou Qin made a beeline towards the nightstand where the PBX phone system sat. She lowered the Taser onto the nightstand, then reached for the phone receiver.
CLACK!
This time, the noise came from the window behind her.
Zhou Qin gasped and turned around, dropping the phone receiver in the process.
She reached for the Taser on the night stand, but it was too late. A strong, gloved hand clamped over her mouth. The next thing she knew, she was being dragged away from the nightstand, away from the Taser.
Zhou Qin struggled and kicked her legs, but it was no use. The attacker was too strong. She tried to step on the attacker’s foot, but her attempt was thwarted when the attacker hoisted her body upwards—her feet couldn’t even reach the ground. Her arms were restrained, so she couldn’t use her hands or elbows to strike the attacker’s groin.
Realizing how defenseless she was, Zhou Qin did the only other thing she could think of. She jerked her head backwards as hard as she could until the back of her skull slammed into something soft—probably the attacker’s mouth, or his nose.
There was a hiss, then a grunt.
“Shh! Damn it! It’s me, Miss Zhou!”
Zhou Qin stopped struggling. That voice sounded so familiar.
The attacker’s arms loosened around her body the moment she stopped struggling. Seconds later, she was lowered gently to the floor. As soon as her feet touched the carpeted floor of her bedroom, Zhou Qin scrambled towards the nightstand and reached for the Taser.
“Stop!” The attacker removed the dark ski mask from his face. “It’s me!”
Zhou Qin’s hands stilled in midair.
“Detective Wang?” she squeaked in surprise. A moment later, she regained her composure and narrowed her eyes. “What on earth are you doing here?”
Detective Wang lowered the ski mask with a soft groan, then rubbed his lips. “Nice head butt, by the way.”
“How did you get past security?” Zhou Qin snapped.
“Gave them the slip,” Detective Wang said with a casual wave of his hand. “I’m ex-military. Those guys didn’t stand a chance.”
Zhou Qin opened her mouth to argue, but Detective Wang silenced her with his palm.
“There’s no time,” Detective Wang said urgently. “You need to—”
Zhou Qin didn’t wait for him to finish. She dove for the phone receiver and—
“Stop!” Detective Wang’s hand beat her to the receiver. He tossed it onto the bed. “I’m on your side, dammit! They’re coming for you.”
Zhou Qin froze. Confusion swirled in her mind like a dense fog.
“What?”
“The He family,” Detective Wang said, giving her a stern look. “They’re coming for you and your family. You need to warn your father and start taking precautionary measures.”
Zhou Qin stared at Detective Wang for a few seconds. Then, she took a deep breath. “Start from the beginning,” she said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Detective Wang sighed and moved towards the window, the one he’d just climbed through. He stared out the window for a moment before drawing the curtains shut. After that, he pulled out a chair and sat down.
Dark rims circled the detective’s eyes. The last time Zhou Qin saw the detective was about two weeks ago, in the interrogation room. His face was still clean-shaven back then. Now, it was covered with scruff and dark stubble. His hair was also slightly longer than Zhou Qin remembered.
“The whole system is bullshit,” Detective Wang said tiredly. “My team got taken off the damn case after we presented your statement.”
Zhou Qin frowned. “Wait, when was that?”
“A week ago.” Detective Wang’s face twisted in disgust. “I tried, Miss Zhou. I really tried.” Detective Wang sighed. “Look. I don’t have to spell everything out for you. I think you’re smart enough to figure out what’s going on here.”
Zhou Qin sat down on the edge of the bed, her mind racing.
“The He family had the commissioner wrapped around their little finger, Miss Zhou.” Detective Wang shook his head in disgust. “I refused to do the commissioner’s bidding. So they kicked me off the damn case. Gave it to some dumb rookie with a chip on his shoulders instead. You see that? Assigning a high-profile case to some rookie who is about as green as the Bok Choy in my mom’s vegetable garden!” Detective Wang snorted. “If that doesn’t smell like bullshit, I don’t know what is.” The detective paused and gave Zhou Qin a pointed look. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what this means, Miss Zhou.”
No. He didn’t. The rookie officer—or detective, whatever—would jump at the chance to do the commissioner’s bidding without asking any questions. After all, what better way to ensure a stellar career in law enforcement than getting on the police commissioner’s good side?
“I see.” Zhou Qin nodded. “The He family wanted Li Yundong charged for He Shao’s murder. But the only way to get a conviction is through me.” Zhou Qin laughed darkly. “They want me to testify against him.”
Detective Wang nodded grimly. “So far, all the evidence tying Li Yundong to He Shao’s murder is circumstantial at best. There’s no direct proof that he killed He Shao. And all the stuff you pointed out in our last few interrogation sessions checked out. The story you told me matches all the evidence the lab found. The footprints. He Shao’s DNA in the hole. All that stuff.”
“But it wasn’t enough,” Zhou Qin said tiredly.
Detective Wang sighed. “The He family is convinced that Li Yundong is the killer because his prints are all over He Shao’s car.”
“Of course his prints would be there. Li Yundong was chasing He Shao’s car,” Zhou Qin said coldly. “That doesn’t prove he killed He Shao.”
“Which is why we’re sitting here, having this conversation,” Detective Wang said. “The evidence against Li Yundong is all circumstantial, but the He family needs a way to convict the guy.”
Zhou Qin rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised they didn’t just try to bribe the judge.”
“It would still make them look bad if the evidence isn’t conclusive. People will talk.”
“Right. So now they’re forcing me to testify because I’m a key eyewitness.” Zhou Qin let out a dark chuckle. “An eyewitness account is better than circumstantial evidence. That’s the game plan they are going with.”
“When I was first assigned to the case, the commissioner ordered me to trick you into revealing incriminating information about Li Yundong.” Detective Wang shook his head slightly. “But when everything in your story checked out, he told me to use any means necessary to force you to testify against Li Yundong.” Detective Wang gave her a pointed look. “Any means necessary.”
Zhou Qin smirked. “And you disagreed?”
“Nearly socked the old bastard in the face.”
Zhou Qin shook her head. “If they took you and your team off the case, what’s stopping them from destroying all the evidence I gave you? My statements.” Zhou Qin snorted. “Even that video of He Shao’s death. Everything.”
“Not necessarily.”
Zhou Qin looked up and saw Detective Wang smirking at her.
“I don’t see why not, detective. Isn’t that the whole point of replacing the lead detective?”
Detective Wang laughed. “I was one step ahead of the old bastard, Miss Zhou.” He smirked again. “I secretly made copies of the case files and then kept it in a safe place.”
“But that’s not—”
“Even the audio recordings and transcripts of our interrogation sessions.”
Zhou Qin would be lying if she said that she wasn’t impressed.
“That… takes a lot of foresight,” Zhou Qin said.
“I’d chalk it up to my military training.” Detective Wang stood up from the chair and walked towards the window again. He took a peek from the curtain, then returned to the chair once again. “Look. Right now it’s just you and me here. So why don’t you cut the bullshit and tell me the truth. Did He Shao really die because he was struck by lightning?”
Zhou Qin stared at the detective for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing. Suddenly, she sprang to her feet. “You! This is a setup! You’re wearing a wire, aren’t you?”
Detective Wang rolled his eyes. “I’m not wearing a damn wire!” He yanked down the collar of his shirt and patted himself all over. “See? No listening device.”
Zhou Qin eyed the man suspiciously.
Detective Wang sighed. He sounded exasperated, and perhaps a little bit annoyed.
“What do you think this is for?” Detective Wang waved a hand down his body, which was clad in dark, combat gear. “There’s no need for all this cloak-and-dagger business if I’m really working for them. I could just come in through your front door like I was conducting official business and then basically tell you the same thing.”
Zhou Qin relaxed her stance a little.
“I had to sneak around because the commissioner has put me under surveillance ever since he kicked me off the case. And if I get caught, not only will I lose my badge, but my contacts in the military will also be—” Detective Wang huffed out in frustration. “You know what? We’re wasting time here. Look. How many times do I have to tell you that I’m. On. Your. Side.”
“Why are you helping me?” Zhou Qin narrowed her eyes slightly. “What’s in it for you?”
“Let’s just say that I have a thing against corrupt officials,” Detective Wang said gruffly, then waved his hand a few times. “Whatever. If you still want to keep what really happened to He Shao a secret, then that’s fine by me. It doesn’t matter anyway. Now sit, and listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you.”
Zhou Qin sat down at the edge of the bed.
“The police commissioner couldn’t force you to testify, so the He family plans to take things to the next level.” Detective Wang gave her a serious look. “They plan to get the military involved.”
It took Zhou Qin everything to maintain her poker face. “And how, may I ask, did you come across that information?”
Detective Wang leaned forward. “Like I said, I’m ex-military. So I still have a lot of contacts inside the military. A few of them heard rumors about the formation of a special task force to”—Detective Wang did air quotes—”work on a murder case. And then, two days ago, another buddy of mine saw members of the He family leaving a military base in Tiannan City. My buddy called me because he knew I was working on a case involving the He family. He didn’t know that I’d actually been kicked off the case.” Detective Wang leaned back in the chair. “After that, I asked my buddy to do some digging, and he found out that the task force is about to, I quote, make an arrest.”
Zhou Qin’s back stiffened. Stay calm, Zhou Qin. Stay calm…
Detective Wang leaned forward again. “My buddy couldn’t find out any specifics of the arrest, just that it’ll take place within the next few days. He couldn’t find out the person they’re planning to arrest either. But I figured it’s most likely you, because I know that the He family is out to get you.”
Zhou Qin could feel her hands shaking a little as Detective Wang’s words from before echoed inside her head: any means necessary.
Just how far would they go to force her to testify?
“Look. I’m just here to warn you,” Detective Wang said. “What you decide to do is up to you.”
What should she do? Bend to the He family’s will and agree to testify against Li Yundong? Throw Li Yundong and Su Chan under the bus to save her own skin?
Where was the honor in that?
Even in death, He Shao was screwing up her life.
That thought made Zhou Qin sick to the stomach.
“You alright, Miss Zhou?”
Zhou Qin looked up. Detective Wang was staring at her worriedly. Those eyes were filled with compassion and pity.
Seconds later, Detective Wang sighed.
“I suggest you warn Deputy Governor Zhou about this. I didn’t have a way to reach out to him, but you do,” Detective Wang said, then paused slightly. “Maybe he’ll find a way to smooth things over before the members of the task force arrive with guns blazing.”
Her father? Zhou Qin released derisive snort. That man would rather feed her to the wolves than jeopardize the good relationship between the Zhou and the He families. No. She wouldn’t count on Zhou Keqiang to get her out of this mess. She was on her own.
Detective Wang rose from the chair. “Whatever your plans are, Miss Zhou, I hope they involve a safehouse and a damn good lawyer.” Detective Wang gave her a hard stare. “You need to find a place to lay low before those bastards get here.”
Detective Wang moved towards the window.
“Thank you for the warning, detective.”
When Detective Wang reached the window, he paused and turned around.
Silence permeated the room.
After a while, Zhou Qin sighed. “He Shao really died because of the lightning.” Zhou Qin stared at Detective Wang intently. “I saw it with my own eyes. I’m telling you the truth. I swear.”
Detective Wang ended the staring match with a nod.
“Your story fits the evidence.” Detective Wang suddenly had a faraway look in his eyes. “But Li Yundong… I just don’t know how he…” Detective Wang sighed and shook his head.
“He’s a good man,” Zhou Qin said pointedly.
Detective Wang looked up sharply.
Zhou Qin held his gaze firmly. “He is a good man, detective.”
“I know.”
Wait, what?
Zhou Qin’s expression must’ve looked a little funny right then because Detective Wang suddenly started laughing. “Seriously, I’m not bullshitting you. I do know that he’s a good man.”
Zhou Qin kept staring.
Detective Wang stopped laughing, his expression turning somber. “Look… I know I was a bit biased against him during our first interrogation—”
“A little?” Zhou Qin arched a brow.
“Okay, maybe more than a little. But I did a deeper background check on the guy after I saw the video of He Shao’s death.” There was a pause. “I found out that he was the guy who saved my idiot brother’s life.”
Zhou Qin did a double take.
“Yeah.” Detective Wang let out a sad chuckle. “That’s right. He did. Li Yundong saved my brother’s life. I was a little surprised that the information hadn’t turned up sooner. But then again, the incident was covered up pretty well.”
“Which incident are you referring to?”
There were a lot of incidents involving Li Yundong.
Detective Wang scowled. “Months ago, my good-for-nothing brother decided to show up at Dongsheng Realtors with a suicide vest. But Li Yundong stopped him and saved everyone in the building. After that, my brother jumped off the building. And guess what?” Detective Wang chuckled. “Li Yundong saved him too.”
Zhou Qin could do nothing except stare.
“I swear, dude’s like some kind of superhero out of a comic book,” Detective Wang mumbled.
Zhou Qin smirked. If only you knew half of it, detective.
“So no. I don’t have a problem with Li Yundong.”
Zhou Qin nodded.
“It’s the He family that I have a problem with,” Detective Wang growled.
Zhou Qin curled her lips. You might have to get in line, detective.
“Those corrupt bastards—” Detective Wang froze, then pulled out his phone from his pocket. He stared at the screen and frowned. “It’s my buddy from the military.”
“Go ahead,” Zhou Qin said.
She rose from the bed and walked towards the window while the detective answered the call. She parted the curtains slightly and peered out.
“Hey buddy. What’s up?”
Two SUVs were parked outside the gates of Zhou’s residence. The vehicles seemed unoccupied.
Strange. She’d never seen those vehicles before.
There had been one or two police vehicles stationed outside the house ever since her house arrest, but they were always sedans, not SUVs.
“What?!”
Zhou Qin turned away from the window at the sound of Detective Wang’s angry voice. The man was now pacing around her room.
“Goddammit! Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?!” Detective Wang yelled into the phone.
There was some kind of commotion at the front gates. Zhou Qin frowned and glanced out the window again. Five men were now standing in front of the gates, speaking to the security staff.
Zhou Qin shot a fearful glance at Detective Wang. “Detective…” She pointed at the window.
Detective Wang walked over, his phone still pressed to his ear. He stepped beside her and looked out the window.
“Shit…” Detective Wang said. “Listen, buddy… I’m gonna have to call you back.”
Zhou Qin’s scalp tingled.
Detective Wang listened to the voice on the phone for a moment.
“Yeah. Thanks for the warning, buddy,” he said. “But you’re too late. The task force is already here to make the arrest.”
