Yang Luo and Li Ziqing raced toward the cafeteria entrance without looking back, paying no attention to the dishes they had used, which were still scattered messily across the table.
They had just run out the cafeteria doors when they saw a group of people approaching. At the front was a young, exceptionally beautiful woman who looked to be about twenty-five or six. She wore a finely tailored business suit that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. Every gesture exuded elegance, as though she possessed an invisible magic that drew people’s gazes to her and made them hard to turn away.
Yang Luo abruptly stopped and looked closely at the group. When his gaze fell on the beautiful woman, he couldn’t help freezing for a moment, surprise flickering in his eyes.
The beautiful woman was just as visibly startled the instant she saw Yang Luo. Her eyes betrayed disbelief, as if she could hardly believe she had run into him here.
“You bastard, stop right there!”
Just then, Zhou Xiulin’s furious shout rang out from inside the cafeteria.
Yang Luo and Li Ziqing exchanged a glance. Without a word, they shot off like startled rabbits, sprinting desperately in the opposite direction and leaving the group staring at one another in bewilderment.
Watching Yang Luo hurry away, a blazing fury rose in the beautiful woman’s eyes, as if she wanted to swallow him whole.
Even the Municipal Public Security Bureau Chief found the sight exasperating. He grumbled inwardly, That kid’s gone and made a huge mess at the worst possible moment again.
When Zhou Xiulin came rushing out of the cafeteria and saw the group, her heart sank. Her first thought was, I’m in deep trouble now. I actually shouted like that in front of the Municipal Leaders.
As it turned out, these were the very Municipal Leaders Zhou Xiulin had mentioned. The beautiful woman at their head was Ye Zhihan, Xinzhou City’s young and promising mayor. At her side were Xia Tianlei, the Municipal Public Security Bureau Chief, and the brigade commander of the Municipal Traffic Police Brigade, along with several other relevant officials.
Ye Zhihan was only twenty-six. Three months ago, she had been parachuted into Xinzhou City as its mayor. The media had long praised her as a genius. At just twenty, she had graduated with excellent grades from Harvard’s political science department in the USA. After graduation, she had resolutely chosen to work at the grassroots level, starting as a town mayor and advancing one step at a time. She had served successively as deputy county magistrate and county magistrate… Over the course of five years, through her own hard work and talent, she had ultimately reached the position she held today.
“Captain Zhou, what are you shouting about? Can’t you see the mayor is here?” Xia Tianlei, the Municipal Public Security Bureau Chief, barked angrily at Zhou Xiulin.
“Mayor Ye, Director Xia, I…”
Embarrassed, Zhou Xiulin was just about to explain when Xia Tianlei hurriedly changed the subject on purpose. “All right, Mayor Ye wants to take a look around the traffic police department’s cafeteria. Step aside.”
“Oh.”
Zhou Xiulin could only obediently step aside. Then she suddenly remembered that the two bastards had left their plates on the table without clearing them away. Her heart sank, and she hurried after the group.
The group slowly entered the cafeteria, while the Traffic Police Brigade’s commander respectfully explained its various facilities to Ye Zhihan.
Soon, Ye Zhihan and the others reached the spot where Yang Luo had eaten. A conspicuous cigarette butt on the floor immediately caught everyone’s eye, and the used dishes were still messily strewn across the table, untouched.
“The cafeteria is a place to eat. Why would anyone smoke in a public area?” Ye Zhihan asked, her delicate brows knitting slightly and a hint of displeasure in her voice.
Xia Tianlei turned to the Traffic Police Brigade commander and demanded, “Captain Gao, what exactly is going on here?”
Gao Qiang, the Traffic Police Brigade commander, immediately broke out in a cold sweat and answered nervously, “Mayor Ye, Director Xia, this…”
“Mayor Ye, Director Xia, those two men left that behind just now,” Zhou Xiulin quickly interjected.
So it was that kid Yang Luo again. He really couldn’t go a moment without causing trouble. Xia Tianlei was so frustrated that he was seething inwardly.
“What exactly happened? Tell me about it,” Ye Zhihan said sternly.
“Yes, Chief. When I arrived at the cafeteria, I saw that fellow smoking, so I told him to put it out. But not only did he refuse to listen, he also spoke rudely to me. In a fit of anger, I tried to grab him and make him apologize… You all saw and heard what happened after that.” Zhou Xiulin recounted the whole incident in detail.
“I saw two men. Which one of them was smoking?” Ye Zhihan had a bad feeling, but she still hoped it wasn’t that man she disliked.
As a Special Police officer, meticulous observation was one of the most basic requirements of the job. Zhou Xiulin had already memorized Yang Luo’s police id number, so she answered at once, “Mayor Ye, his number is 009527. As for his name, you’ll have to ask Captain Gao.”
“Mayor Ye, he… his name is Yang Luo,” Gao Qiang stammered.
At the sound of that name, Ye Zhihan’s heart sank. The words “You can’t make anything of a worthless lump of mud” flashed through her mind.
“Captain Gao, someone like that must be… must be severely punished. We absolutely can’t let people like him undermine the traffic department’s rules.” Ye Zhihan had meant to say, “Someone like him must be removed,” but when she thought of the identity behind that man, she changed her words at the last moment.
“Yes, Mayor Ye. I’ll make sure he’s disciplined severely.” Captain Gao hurriedly wiped the large beads of cold sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly.
“Mm. Let’s go. Take us to the Command Center,” Ye Zhihan said calmly, her expression settling back to normal.
“Of course, Mayor Ye, Director Xia. This way, please.” Captain Gao quickly led the way.
Meanwhile, Yang Luo and Li Ziqing were lounging in the rest lounge, enjoying the air-conditioning.
“Brother Luo, the woman leading the group just now looked like our Xinzhou City mayor. I think we’ve really gone too far this time,” Li Ziqing said with a worried expression.
“What’s there to be afraid of? The worst that can happen is I get disciplined. It’s not like this is the first time,” Yang Luo said nonchalantly.
“Brother Luo, why do you never take anything seriously?”
“I’ve been through a lot… If I took everything to heart, wouldn’t I just give myself needless worry? What’s done is done, and whatever’s coming will come. What good does it do to brood or regret it? Better to carry on as usual and let things take their course. Isn’t that better?”
“Brother Luo, you always have a point,” Li Ziqing said admiringly.
“All right, let’s rest for a bit. We still have to get back to work later.”
With that, Yang Luo leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest. Just a few seconds later, he was snoring loudly.
He fell asleep way too fast! Was this what people called falling asleep in an instant? Li Ziqing stared in stunned disbelief, rooted to the spot.
After spending the past few months with Yang Luo, Li Ziqing had come to feel more and more that he was different from everyone else. It seemed there was nothing in the world that could make him fret, nor anything that could truly capture his interest.
At five in the afternoon, Yang Luo rode back to the Traffic Police Brigade. He was about to clock out by scanning his face at the facial recognition machine when his phone suddenly rang sharply. He pulled it out and saw that Xia Tianlei, the Municipal Public Security Bureau Chief, was calling.
Yang Luo answered quickly, but before he could speak, Xia Tianlei’s thoroughly unceremonious voice came through. “Yang Luo, you’ve got ten minutes to get to my house. Get here right now, or don’t blame me for what happens.”
“Lao Xia… Hello…” Yang Luo had just started to speak when the line went dead. Xia Tianlei had hung up without the slightest hesitation.
Yang Luo shook his head helplessly. After clocking out, he hurried to the parking shelter, got on the motorcycle he had bought, and sped off toward Xia Tianlei’s home.
Xia Tianlei had chosen not to live in the Municipal Party Committee compound. His home was in a place called Fengsheng Gardens, in a cozy three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. He had bought it with his demobilization pay, the salary he had saved over the years, and bonuses for meritorious service, mainly so he could take better care of his wife and child.
After parking his motorcycle in the residential complex, Yang Luo took a bag of things out of the trunk and hurried toward Section C, where Xia Tianlei lived.
When he reached the ninth floor, Yang Luo checked the time on his phone and smiled confidently. Then he reached out and rang the doorbell.
The door was opened by a woman around thirty-five. She was Lu Shuangrou, Xia Tianlei’s wife. Just as her name suggested, she was not only beautiful but also seemed at first glance to be a graceful, dignified, gentle, and virtuous woman, poised in every situation.
When Lu Shuangrou saw that it was Yang Luo, a warm smile bloomed across her face. “Xiao Luo, come on in! Xiao Yu talks about you every day.”
“Thanks, sister-in-law! Where’s my son?”
“He’s playing in the living room.”
Yang Luo took off his shoes and walked quietly into the living room. A little boy of about four was sitting on a soft mat, intently fiddling with a toy in his hands.
Yang Luo called softly, “Xiao Yu.”
Hearing the voice, the boy turned around. His eyes lit up, and his face broke into a radiant smile. He jumped to his feet and rushed toward Yang Luo, excitedly calling, “Godfather!”
“Hey, there’s my good boy.” Yang Luo swept the little boy into his arms and gently pinched his cheek. His face was full of affection as he asked, “Did you miss your godfather?”
“Of course! I was just asking Dad why you hadn’t come over in so long. Godfather, don’t you like Xiao Yu anymore? Why don’t you come over and play with me?”
“Your godfather has to work. I have to earn money so I can buy you toys. Look, what did I get for you?” As he spoke, Yang Luo took an action figure out of the bag and waved it in front of the boy.
“GG Bond!” the boy cried out in delight. He took the toy from Yang Luo and said obediently, “Thank you, Godfather!”
Yang Luo patted the little boy on the head. “Good boy. Go play!”
“Yang Luo, you’ve already bought Xiao Yu enough toys to fill a whole room,” Lu Shuangrou said with a smile.
“It’s fine. As long as Xiao Yu likes it, I’ll buy him anything. Sister-in-law, make a little extra food tonight. I’ll head back after dinner.”
Just then, Xia Tianlei came out of the kitchen and picked up where Yang Luo had left off, pretending to be angry. “I called you over to talk, not to mooch a meal. Don’t think bribing Xiao Yu means you’re off the hook.”
“Tianlei, how can you talk to Xiao Luo like that?” Lu Shuangrou chided him.
“Honey, I’m teaching him a lesson. That kid did me a ‘favor’ today.”
“Lao Xia, you’d better have a clear conscience before you say that. What did I do today?” Yang Luo said with an innocent expression.
“What did you do? I’ll finish cooking first, then we’ll settle the old and new scores together.” Xia Tianlei said crossly.
Lu Shuangrou watched the two of them with amusement. “All right, all right. You two carry on ‘arguing.’ I’ll go cook.”
“Sister-in-law, why does that sound a little strange?” Yang Luo said, scratching his head.
“Honey, let me do it!”
“You and Yang Luo talk. Leave the cooking to me.”
After Lu Shuangrou went into the kitchen, Xia Tianlei’s smile faded. He said seriously to Yang Luo, “Back to the point. Were you doing that on purpose at lunchtime? Didn’t you know she was the mayor?”
“Lao Xia, I really didn’t know. At first, I thought that beautiful woman was your assistant. I was even thinking of asking you to introduce us. Who could’ve guessed she was the mayor? She scared the life out of me.”
“Cut the act. Is there anything in this world that could scare you? What do you think should be done about this?”
“I’ll get disciplined,” Yang Luo said nonchalantly.
“So you know you’re going to be disciplined. Can you stop causing me so much trouble? You’ve only been a traffic police officer for three months, and I’ve already received a whole basketful of anonymous complaint letters about you.”
“I haven’t done anything out of line. Why am I getting complaints again?”
“You’ve got some nerve asking. You’re supposed to do your job when you’re at work, but instead you go play chess with people on the roadside and dance square dancing with women. And what’s worse, you can spend an entire afternoon listening to someone play the erhu. Don’t you know you’re supposed to be working? Tell me, what kind of behavior is that?” Xia Tianlei grew angrier with every word.
“Heh… Lao Xia, I couldn’t help it.”
“Oh? What, did someone force you?”
“Come on, Lao Xia, you even know about that? To tell you the truth, that uncle wouldn’t let me go until I played a round of chess with him. The aunties thought I had a talent for dancing and insisted on teaching me. And that old man played the erhu so beautifully that I just couldn’t bring myself to leave.” Yang Luo launched into a lengthy explanation.
“You… So you think you have a good excuse for not doing your job!” Xia Tianlei was so angry he was momentarily speechless.
Yang Luo chuckled. “Of course not. Those were special circumstances.”
“…”
Just then, Lu Shuangrou came out of the kitchen, interrupting their conversation with a smile. “You two, stop arguing. Dinner’s ready.”
When Xia Yu heard that it was time to eat, he cried out excitedly, “Yay, dinner! I want to sit next to Godfather.”
“All right. Come on, Godfather will carry you to wash your hands.”
At the dinner table, Xia Tianlei looked seriously at Yang Luo and said, “There’ll be a disciplinary notice for you to sign tomorrow. I can’t help you this time, because Mayor Ye specifically requested that you be disciplined.”
“No, Lao Xia, don’t pull any strings for me. You’ve spent your whole life keeping your hands clean. Don’t ruin your reputation because of me. Besides, I don’t care about being disciplined. She can punish me however she likes. Even if she fires me, I don’t mind,” Yang Luo said nonchalantly.
“I really don’t know what to say to you…”
“Then don’t say anything. We’ll deal with whatever comes, when it comes. Let’s eat.”
“You kid, can’t you… Ah, forget it. Let’s eat.”