The official roundup for the Hongyun case took two weeks.
During those two weeks, I led Wen Ruzhou across nearly every location in the city related to Hongyun: the company’s old site, associated enterprises, residences of involved personnel, and receiving banks.
Zhou Jianguo confessed to dozen-plus intermediary accounts; we pursued them one by one, clarifying the destination of most of the funds.
Ultimately, we locked down the involved amount at 190 million yuan, recovered approximately 80 million yuan in assets, and continued to trace the remaining money flow.
Over half of the three hundred-plus victims filed official police reports. The rest were either unreachable or unwilling to report—this portion mostly consisted of elderly people who feared losing face or trouble, preferring to accept their bad luck rather than stand up.
I could understand it, but I didn’t agree with it.
On the day the case was transferred to the procuratorate, Zhou Qiming gave a summary at the full-detachment meeting.
“The fact that the Hongyun case was solved so quickly is inseparable from the efforts of our frontline comrades.” His gaze swept over the room. “Especially the team led by Shen Lihan—highly efficient, with outstanding results. After the meeting, everyone go to finance for reimbursement; tonight the detachment dines together, my treat.”
Applause and cheers erupted in the meeting room.
Old Zhao leaned over, asking with a grin: “Captain Shen, are you going to dinner tonight?”
“Going.”
“What about Wen Ruzhou? Should we invite her?”
I glanced at him: “Ask her yourself.”
Old Zhao chuckled and ran off to Wen Ruzhou’s side.
I sat in my seat, gazing out the window.
The sunlight was lovely, illuminating the office in brightness.
The Hongyun case was closed, but matters were far from over. Zhou Jianguo’s line was still under investigation, the connection between the Dingsheng case and the Hongyun case hadn’t been fully cleared up, and Lin Meihua’s side yielded no breakthroughs either. Then there was Father’s affair, and that money trail pointing toward Hong Kong…
“Captain Shen.”
Wen Ruzhou’s voice interrupted my train of thought.
Turning my head, I found her standing before me with a smile: “What are you thinking about? You’ve been dazed for quite a while.”
“Nothing.” I stood up. “Let’s go, time to eat.”
The dinner was held at a Sichuan restaurant near the detachment named “Old Sichuan.”
The storefront wasn’t large, but the food tasted great, serving as the regular stronghold for detachment dinners. The boss was an acquaintance of Old Zhao and had reserved a large private room early on, where two big round tables were filled to capacity.
When Wen Ruzhou and I entered, most people had already arrived.
“Captain Shen, over here!” Old Zhao waved. “Saved the head seat for you.”
Ignoring him, I found a spot in the corner and sat down.
Wen Ruzhou followed and took a seat beside me.
“Why is Captain Shen sitting there?” Old Zhao froze. “The head seat is yours.”
“Wherever I sit is the head seat.”
Old Zhao choked on his words.
Several people nearby chuckled secretly.
Wen Ruzhou kept her head down, her shoulders shaking—clearly trying to hold back laughter.
Ignoring her, I picked up the menu and flipped through it casually: “What to order?”
“Anything works, you order, Captain Shen.” Old Zhao eagerly took the menu over. “Do you want braised pork? You said it was delicious last time.”
“Sure.”
“Then let’s get boiled fish, Kung Pao chicken, double-cooked pork…” Old Zhao rambled on while ordering, “Let’s add a vegetable dish, toss some jelly noodles, and add sour and spicy shredded potatoes…”
“Enough,” I interrupted him. “We can’t finish that much.”
“If we can’t finish, we pack it up!” Old Zhao waved his hand grandly. “Captain Zhou’s treat today, no point in not eating!”
The dishes arrived quickly—braised pork glistening with oil, steaming boiled fish, tempting Kung Pao chicken…
The large round table rotated a full circle, and wine glasses were set before everyone.
Zhou Qiming stood up, raising his glass: “Come, let’s toast first to celebrate the smooth solving of the Hongyun case.”
“Cheers!”
Everyone raised their glasses and drained them in one gulp.
I was drinking beer; with one gulp, the cool feeling slid all the way down my throat to my stomach.
“Come, come, eat up!” Old Zhao urged, placing a piece of braised pork into my bowl with his chopsticks. “Captain Shen, eat more; you’ve worked hard during this period.”
Saying nothing, I lowered my head to eat that piece of meat.
It was indeed delicious.
Halfway through the meal, people started proposing toasts.
Zhou Qiming was a senior veteran, so no one dared force drinks on him. Old Zhao was the detachment’s entertainer, with everyone joking around with him and no one earnestly toasting him. Several other young people toasted each other, and the atmosphere gradually grew lively.
“Captain Shen,” Xiao Liu approached with a wine glass. “I toast to you, thank you for taking care of me during this time.”
I glanced at her without moving.
“Captain Shen, if you don’t drink, I can’t save face…” Xiao Liu looked at me pitifully.
Sighing, I picked up my glass, clinked it against hers, and took a sip.
“Alright, go on.”
“Thank you, Captain Shen!”
Xiao Liu left overjoyed.
Then came another colleague proposing a toast, then the next, then the next…
After a full round, the glass before me had emptied several times.
“Captain Shen, drink a bit less,” Wen Ruzhou whispered from the side.
I looked at her: “You’re managing me?”
Her face flushed slightly, and she spoke no further.
Old Zhao chuckled nearby: “Little Wen is caring about you, Captain Shen, yet you don’t appreciate it.”
“What’s it to you?” I snapped irritably.
“My, Captain Shen, you’re flying into a rage out of humiliation…” Old Zhao laughed even louder.
Ignoring him, I continued eating.
After a while, Zhou Qiming came over holding a glass, stopping beside me.
“Little Shen, I toast one to you.”
I stood up: “Captain Zhou, how could I let you toast me? I should be the one toasting you.”
“Today is different.” Zhou Qiming smiled. “You handled the Hongyun case beautifully, bringing honor to the detachment. As captain, I ought to thank you.”
“Just doing my job.”
“Plenty of people do their job, but few manage to do it well.” Zhou Qiming patted my shoulder. “There’s one more thing I want to commend.”
He turned toward Wen Ruzhou: “Little Wen, you performed well this time, running around alongside Captain Shen and enduring plenty of hardship. You deserve much credit for solving the case so quickly.”
Wen Ruzhou stood up, slightly embarrassed: “Captain Zhou overpraises me; it’s all due to Captain Shen’s good leadership.”
“How Captain Shen leads people—you learned his style so quickly?” Zhou Qiming laughed aloud. “Alright, sit down, don’t stand.”
Holding his glass, he walked away.
I sat back down and resumed eating.
Halfway through the meal, someone suddenly asked: “Captain Shen, what do you think of the new newcomer Little Wen?”
The question came from Xiao Liu, who somehow brought up an awkward topic.
All eyes at the table turned toward us.
Setting down my chopsticks, I looked at the rice in my bowl.
“Not bad.”
Just two words.
The table fell silent for a second before bursting into laughter.
“‘Not bad’?” “‘Not bad’ coming from Captain Shen?” “My goodness, when has Captain Shen ever praised anyone like that?” “Little Wen, you’re impressive!”
Wen Ruzhou’s face turned as red as a cooked shrimp.
Keeping her head down, she didn’t dare look at anyone.
Picking up my glass, I took a sip and spoke no more.
Not bad.
That was already the highest compliment I could utter.
When the dinner ended, it was nearly ten o’clock.
Most people had dispersed, leaving only Wen Ruzhou and me still sitting in the corner.
“Why haven’t you left yet?” I asked her.
“Waiting for you.” She smiled. “You drank quite a bit; I’m not comfortable letting you head back alone.”
“I’m fine.”
“Whether you’re fine or not is my call.” She stood up. “Let’s go, I’ll walk you back.”
I didn’t move: “You go first; I can get back myself.”
“Captain Shen,” she looked at me, “are you ordering me, or begging me?”
I froze for a moment.
She smiled faintly, reaching out to grasp my sleeve: “Let me walk you, Captain Shen. It’s unsafe out on the roads any later.”
Without pulling away, I followed her outside.
She walked beside me, pacing herself very slowly, as if accommodating my speed.
The night wind blew past, bringing a touch of coolness. Looking up at the sky, there was no moon tonight—only a few stars hung against the dark backdrop.
“Captain Shen,” she said suddenly.
“What is it?”
“What did you mean when you said ‘not bad’ earlier?”
I didn’t speak.
She continued asking: “Was it a compliment?”
I still didn’t speak.
She let out a soft laugh and didn’t press further.
Reaching the downstairs of the dormitory building, she stopped.
“We’re here,” she said. “Which building do you live in?”
“That one.” I pointed to a building not far away.
“Then get some rest early.” She released my sleeve. “See you tomorrow.”
“Wen Ruzhou.”
She turned back.
“‘Not bad’ was a compliment,” I said.
She froze for a moment, then smiled.
The moonlight shone on her face, deepening her dimples.
“Understood,” she said. “Goodnight, Captain Shen.”
She turned and left with light steps, quickly vanishing into the night.
I stood in place, watching her back.
Only after a long while did I turn toward my own quarters.
Few people walked the streets, with only streetlights illuminating the empty thoroughfare.
Thrusting my hands into my pockets, I felt that box of medication.
The gauze on my forehead had long been removed, leaving only a faint scar that wouldn’t be noticed without close inspection.
Not bad.
I truly felt she was not bad.
More than just “not bad.”
Yet for certain words, the time was not right to speak them.
The next morning, while I was having breakfast in the cafeteria, Wen Ruzhou walked over carrying a meal tray.
“Captain Shen, is anyone sitting here?”
I looked up at her, said nothing, and shifted over slightly.
She sat opposite me and began eating.
“Captain Shen,” she asked while eating, “now that the Hongyun case is closed, what do we do next?”
I thought for a moment: “Rest for two days first, then continue pursuing Zhou Jianguo’s line.”
“What else is unclear on Zhou Jianguo’s end?”
“Plenty.” I paused. “He was merely passing transactions; the person behind the scenes hasn’t been found. And that money flowing to Hong Kong—we haven’t traced its end either.”
She nodded, asking no further.
After taking a few bites of food, I suddenly remembered something: “By the way, has your personnel transfer been completed?”
“It’s transferred.” She smiled faintly. “Starting today, I’m officially part of the Economic Crime Investigation Detachment.”
Saying nothing, I lowered my head to keep eating.
“Captain Shen,” she called out to me again, “thank you.”
“Thank you for what?”
“Thank you for being willing to guide me.” She said, “I’ve learned a lot during this time.”
I raised my head to look at her.
Her eyes were very bright, and her dimples ran deep when she smiled.
“Work hard,” I said. “There will be plenty of opportunities for you to learn in the future.”
She smiled: “Okay.”
We finished breakfast quietly, then walked together toward the office.
Meeting several colleagues along the way, they all showed meaningful smiles upon seeing the two of us walking together.
Ignoring them, I walked straight to the office.
Wen Ruzhou followed behind, asking softly: “Captain Shen, why were they smiling like that?”
“Don’t know.”
“You really don’t know?”
“Really don’t know.”
She let out a soft laugh and asked no more.
Entering the office, I sat at my station, turned on the computer, and began reading materials.
Wen Ruzhou sat at the workstation beside me, opened her computer, and began organizing yesterday’s case files.
The office was quiet, filled only with the sound of typing keys and the humming of the air conditioner.
Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the desk in brightness.
Staring at the numbers on the screen, my mind pondered other matters.
Not bad.
Merely “not bad.”
Yet she accomplished what many couldn’t.
She made me willing to believe that continuing down this road, I would no longer be alone.