If there were a ranking of male charisma, Gu Zhouye would undoubtedly be at the top right now.
Shen Qiuqiu tugged at Gu Zhouye’s hand.
“Honey, it’s okay. I can handle this.”
Gu Zhouye was clearly not reassured. He continued to stand in front of Shen Qiuqiu.
“She’s just a young girl. She doesn’t know anything.”
Just a few nights ago, Gu Zhouye had been calling her ‘baby’ in a hoarse voice, praising how much she knew. Now he was saying she didn’t know anything.
The police officers were also in a difficult position. Shen Qiuqiu quickly pushed Gu Zhouye’s hand away and tried to soothe him. “Gu Zhouye, I really will be fine. I haven’t done anything wrong, and no one can frame me for something I didn’t do. I believe in the law, and I believe in the police.”
Shen Qiuqiu got into the car with the officers and let out a long breath. She should have talked to Gu Zhouye beforehand.
She hadn’t expected him to care about her so much. She had always thought they were just a couple in convenience.
Just as Shen Qiuqiu’s mind was wandering, one of the officers patted her shoulder.
“Turn around and look. Your man is running after the car.”
There was Gu Zhouye, chasing the car at full sprint. In that instant, Shen Qiuqiu’s eyes turned red. She grabbed the officer’s sleeve, her voice cracking with an emotion she couldn’t even identify.
“Stop the car! Please stop!”
The police car was forced to a halt. Gu Zhouye ran up to the front of the car. The snow was already heavy, dusting his hair and eyebrows white.
His eyes were red.
“Comrade officer, I am her husband. I can’t rest easy.”
Shen Qiuqiu, sitting in the back, couldn’t bear to look at him. She was afraid that if she saw Gu Zhouye, she would start crying.
It wasn’t that she was weak — it was that even a woman as tough as an eagle would want to cry when faced with such a handsome, caring husband.
In the end, the officers let Gu Zhouye into the car. They sat together in the back. The moment Gu Zhouye got in, Shen Qiuqiu threw her arms around him and sobbed, leaving the two officers who had arrested her feeling rather awkward.
They felt like bullies tearing apart a young couple.
Gu Zhouye reached out and stroked Shen Qiuqiu’s head.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m right here.”
Outside, the wind and snow raged. Shen Qiuqiu looked out the window at the heavy snow. It had been snowing ever since she arrived. She used to live in a southern city and had always been afraid of the cold. But at this moment, she felt incredibly warm.
When they arrived at Zhoushui County, Shen Qiuqiu and Gu Zhouye were separated.
Shen Qiuqiu was locked alone in an interrogation room. Gu Zhouye was left in the cold lobby of the police station. It was just before the New Year, and the lobby was mostly empty. Gu Zhouye stood there alone.
A kind-hearted officer gave him a cup of hot water. He held the cup, not moving, staring at the direction of the room where Shen Qiuqiu was being held.
Shen Qiuqiu sat down and looked at the burly, big-eyed police officer in front of her.
“Comrade officer, I really never saw that gold chain. That day, I went to the warehouse to find letters that my husband’s ex-girlfriend had written to him. I didn’t find them, so I left!”
Shen Qiuqiu spoke with complete sincerity.
“The witness’s testimony says that you were the one who picked up that gold chain.”
If Shen Qiuqiu’s guess was correct, the so-called witnesses were definitely Bai Xueying and Wang Lixia. Even though Sun Yuming had taken a huge loss, he would never reveal this matter.
After all, bribery was a serious crime in this era — both for the giver and the receiver.
“We have an officer conducting a search for evidence. We’ll have the results tomorrow.”
Shen Qiuqiu was led away. As she passed through the lobby, she saw Gu Zhouye and waved at him.
She knew she would be fine, but Gu Zhouye didn’t.
Gu Zhouye waited in the lobby for a long time. A kind-hearted officer gave him a meal. Gu Zhouye ate every last bite, then continued to wait.
The lobby of the Zhoushui County police station was freezing, especially on a winter night.
Gu Zhouye sat on a chair like that. Sometimes he would stand up and pace back and forth, but most of the time, he just stood there, lost in thought.
He waited and waited, until daybreak. Shen Qiuqiu hadn’t slept well that night either, because she knew Gu Zhouye wouldn’t be sleeping well — or perhaps wouldn’t sleep at all.
The officer who had stayed behind in Qingshantun returned with the evidence.
It was the letters Gu Zhouye had buried in the ground. The officers opened them one by one but never found the stolen item. They had torn Shen Qiuqiu and Gu Zhouye’s room apart from top to bottom and found nothing.
Shen Qiuqiu spent three days at the police station. Gu Zhouye waited for three days.
On the morning of the third day, Shen Qiuqiu was released — innocent of all charges. The moment the officer removed her handcuffs, she turned and saw Gu Zhouye waiting in the lobby.
Without a second thought, Shen Qiuqiu rushed to Gu Zhouye and hugged the man who had waited for her for three days.
The man’s body was stiff, but he still wrapped his arms around her firmly.
“Are you hungry? Let me take you to eat.”
Shen Qiuqiu had expected Gu Zhouye to say something sentimental, but instead, he said something so practical.
Shen Qiuqiu’s stomach growled. Gu Zhouye took her hand and led her out of the police station. It was a clear, sunny day. The roads were still blanketed in white, but the high, deep blue sky made people feel light and carefree.
They found a state-run restaurant and had a big meal.
Shen Qiuqiu thought she might say something sentimental too, but the moment she saw the food, all sentimental thoughts flew out of her head. She picked up her chopsticks and dug in with gusto.
She ate with great enthusiasm, and Gu Zhouye ate too.
After the meal, they found a guesthouse, got a room, took a bath, and then held each other and slept.
When they woke up, it was already morning. Shen Qiuqiu looked up and saw Gu Zhouye smoking by the window. She sat up and patted his shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Zhouye let out a long breath.
“I’m still a little shaken. Why did they come after you? Is someone trying to hurt you?”
Shen Qiuqiu let out a cold laugh. She already had a suspect in mind.
The two of them hitched a ride on a passing vehicle and returned to Qingshantun.
It was quiet in the village. The educated youths were still asleep, with only a few villagers out gathering firewood to heat their kangs.
But the sound of Shen Qiuqiu and Gu Zhouye’s return woke someone familiar. Ding Rui rushed out of her room in her coat, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and threw her arms around Shen Qiuqiu.
“Qiuqiu! I knew you’d be fine! That Wang Lixia tried to frame you for stealing a gold chain. As if Sun Yuming, a poor teacher, could ever have that much money!”
Shen Qiuqiu felt a little embarrassed by Ding Rui’s tight hug. The three of them went inside.
Ding Rui carefully recounted everything that had happened over the past few days. Bai Xueying had urged Wang Lixia to go to the police. Sun Yuming refused to admit to anything. The police had searched the village up and down but found nothing, and Sun Yuming wouldn’t confess no matter what.
The case had no choice but to be closed. Wang Lixia and Sun Yuming had originally had some feelings for each other, but because of this incident, Sun Yuming cut her off completely and reconciled with Wang Dahua. Wang Lixia had stopped eating and drinking altogether — completely dead inside.