After dinner, they chatted for a while. Once Yang Luo had left, Lu Shuangrou tidied up the dishes with quick, practiced movements. Glancing at Xia Tianlei, who was sitting on the sofa, lost in thought, she asked softly, “What are you thinking about?”
Xia Tianlei furrowed his brow slightly and said slowly, “I feel like that kid Yang Luo is getting more and more mysterious.”
“Of course he’s mysterious. Didn’t you say he came from the Wolf Fang Special Forces? Isn’t that the most mysterious unit in Huaxia? And wasn’t it the unit you always dreamed of joining?”
“That’s right. The Wolf Fang Special Forces are indeed the elite among Huaxia’s Special Forces. But when I was serving in the military, I also heard of a legendary unit said to be many times stronger than Wolf Fang.”
Lu Shuangrou looked surprised and asked, puzzled, “Do you suspect Yang Luo belongs to that unit? But didn’t you say before that Wolf Fang was the strongest of Huaxia’s Special Forces, hailed as the Soldier King among the Special Forces, and top-tier even on the world stage? How did another unit suddenly appear?”
“Wolf Fang is indeed exceptionally strong, almost without equal among Huaxia’s Special Forces. The Arrow Special Forces Brigade I used to belong to fought against Wolf Fang, but compared with Yang Luo, I still feel there’s a huge gap.”
Lu Shuangrou pressed curiously, “Why do you think that?”
“Hasn’t Yang Luo saved my life twice? If not for him, I’d probably have been separated from you and Xiao Yu forever by now. When we fought those drug dealers last time, I saw Yang Luo’s skills with my own eyes. He took down almost every enemy with a single move. His clean, decisive methods were even more impressive than those of the Wolf Fang team members I’ve seen. It only occurred to me today when I thought back on it.”
“So you suspect Yang Luo is a member of that mysterious unit.”
Xia Tianlei shook his head and said, “I’m not sure either. That unit is only a legend. I’ve never seen it with my own eyes; everything I’ve heard has been secondhand. Whether such a unit even exists is still unknown.”
Lu Shuangrou smiled and reassured him, “All right. Yang Luo saved your life, and you’ve always treated him like a younger brother. He’s also Xiao Yu’s Godfather, and he’s an upright, kind person. Even if he really is from that mysterious unit, wouldn’t it be better for us if he were stronger?”
“You’re right, honey.”
By then, Yang Luo had returned to the residential complex where he lived. Downstairs, he saw that the lights in his home were still on, and a bitter smile crept across his face. He took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a long drag. Then he stood motionless downstairs, glancing up at his home from time to time.
Yang Luo smoked several cigarettes in a row, but the lights upstairs still showed no sign of going out. He shook his head helplessly and finally started toward his apartment.
Yang Luo took the elevator to the 19th floor, pulled out his key, unlocked the door, and went inside. A beautiful woman was sitting on the living room sofa with a book in her hands, seemingly absorbed in reading.
When Yang Luo returned, the beautiful woman merely glanced at him indifferently before turning her attention back to her book. She clearly didn’t think much of him—in fact, she seemed rather cold.
“I’m going to my room.” Yang Luo had no desire to speak with the beautiful woman either. He tossed out the words and headed for his room.
Seeing him leave, the beautiful woman hurriedly called out, “Yang Luo, stop right there!”
Yang Luo stopped and turned to face her, refusing to back down. “Don’t think you can yell at me just because you’re the Mayor. I’m your legal husband now. Don’t treat me like your servant.”
The beautiful woman’s expression shifted slightly. “You… I don’t want to argue with you. But don’t you think you owe me an explanation for what happened today?”
The beautiful woman was none other than Ye Zhihan, the Mayor of Xinzhou City, and Yang Luo’s wife in the eyes of the law. However, apart from their families, very few people knew they were married. Even Xia Tianlei had no idea.
Though the two were husband and wife in name, they had no relationship as such in practice. From the day they registered their marriage, they had argued constantly. They had been at it for months, and sharing a bed was out of the question, so they had always slept separately.
If not for Old Master Ye’s insistence, given how incompatible they were, they would never have gotten together. They had lived together for nearly half a year, and almost every day brought nothing but arguments.
That was why Yang Luo usually waited until Ye Zhihan had turned off the lights and gone to bed before coming home.
Yang Luo sneered. “What explanation do you want? Haven’t you already decided to punish me? If that’s not enough for you, go ahead and fire me.”
Ye Zhihan’s chest rose and fell with anger. “Yang Luo, can’t you talk properly?”
“Why don’t you try talking properly? I’d barely gotten home and hadn’t even had a sip of water before you started interrogating me. Get this straight: I’m your husband. As my wife, when your man gets home, shouldn’t the first thing you do be ask whether he’s eaten, or show some concern for how hard his day at work was? But instead, the moment I walk in, I have to face your questions. Who could put up with that?”
Ye Zhihan was at a loss for words. “Yang Luo, you…”
“Of course, I’ve never expected you to do any of that for me. I’ve never even dreamed of having a meal you cooked.”
“If I did all that, who would take care of my work?”
“Oh, right. You’re the ever-busy Mayor. You wouldn’t have time for things ordinary people do.”
“Yang Luo, don’t take it too far.”
“That’s right, I’m taking it too far. So don’t force yourself to stay with me. I’ll go to the Capital City in a while and explain things to your family myself. We’re simply not right for each other, and there’s no point in forcing this marriage. We should just end it.”
Ye Zhihan’s eyes widened as she shouted, “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Don’t talk to me like that. There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t dare do. Don’t worry, I’ll handle your grandfather.”
Hearing that Yang Luo planned to go to the Capital City and lay everything out to their families, Ye Zhihan panicked. She knew that if her father and grandfather found out, they’d be furious.
Just yesterday, her Mother had called and told her to get to know Yang Luo better, saying that he was the finest man in the world.
Ye Zhihan had scoffed at that. In her eyes, Yang Luo spent every day looking like he was content to eat and wait for death. If that counted as being outstanding, then there wouldn’t be a single scumbag in the world.
Her Mother had also repeatedly urged her to cherish Yang Luo, love him, take care of him, and show him some concern. She’d said that Yang Luo had endured too much hardship in his life, suffering trials beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Hearing all this had filled Ye Zhihan with resentment; she had almost argued with her Mother.
She truly couldn’t understand why her parents and grandfather thought so highly of Yang Luo. What good did they see in him that she couldn’t? Her Mother had sternly warned her over the phone not to let her father or grandfather realize that things were bad between her and Yang Luo. Otherwise, they would never let her off easily—especially her grandfather, who was ill and couldn’t withstand too much stress.
Sometimes, Ye Zhihan felt terribly aggrieved. She even seriously wondered whether she was really her parents’ biological daughter. Yang Luo seemed more like their real son.
Remembering her Mother’s words, Ye Zhihan glanced at Yang Luo, and her tone softened without her realizing it. She said quietly, “I mean, we should discuss our own problems and work them out ourselves. Let’s not trouble the elders.”
Yang Luo replied indifferently, “Whatever you say. Anything else? If not, I’m going to my room.”
With that, Yang Luo turned and went back to his room.
Watching Yang Luo’s retreating figure, Ye Zhihan realized for the first time that he looked a little lonely. She couldn’t help reflecting that, as his wife, she seemed to have done nothing for him except criticize him.
After entering his room, Yang Luo lit a cigarette and leaned back against the headboard, lost in thought.
In truth, Yang Luo had also been struggling with whether marrying Ye Zhihan had been right or wrong. Though Old Master Ye had pressured him relentlessly at the time, he could have refused and run away. Ye Zhihan was such an outstanding woman, yet this marriage had bound her. Yang Luo felt that doing this to her seemed cruel.
Fortunately, Ye Zhihan hated him. The more she hated him, the better; that way, they could avoid developing unnecessary feelings. Once his injuries had completely healed, he could leave.
Yang Luo knew that he and Ye Zhihan were from completely different worlds. She was the Heaven’s Favored Daughter of the nation, while his hands were stained with blood. For her sake, he had to keep his distance. He had long since grown used to being alone. When he left, he only needed himself; he didn’t need too many attachments.
The next day, before dawn, Yang Luo got up early and went out to exercise. It was a rule he had set for himself: he had to keep training so that his injuries would heal faster.
After exercising, Yang Luo returned home, took a shower, then went out, got on his motorcycle, and headed for the city police brigade.
By the time Yang Luo arrived at the Traffic Police Brigade, all the members were already lined up in neat rows. The Squad Leader was addressing them and assigning that day’s tasks.
After completing the facial recognition attendance check, Yang Luo walked around the formation and headed straight for his Traffic Police Motorcycle.
Squad Leader Wang Dachuan saw Yang Luo bypass the formation without reporting in and could only look exasperated. The guy was notorious in the brigade for throwing his weight around, with a thug’s air about him. Even the Brigade Commander couldn’t do anything about him.
There was a task to handle today, so Wang Dachuan could only call out to Yang Luo, “Yang Luo, wait. I’ve got another assignment for you today.”
Yang Luo stopped, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and looked at Wang Dachuan. “What assignment?”
“You’re a full-fledged officer. Today, take a few of the guys with you to set up a checkpoint on Xinning Road and specifically check motorcycles and electric scooters without plates or licenses.”
Yang Luo rejected him without a second thought. “I’m not going.”
Wang Dachuan grew anxious. “Why not? This is an assignment from the higher-ups.”
“All you do is target motorcycles. Are people who ride them all unwanted stepchildren or something? If they had money, who the hell would want to ride a motorcycle? Who wouldn’t rather sit comfortably in a car with the air conditioning on? Most people who ride motorcycles are ordinary working folks. Life’s not easy for them. As long as they don’t violate the traffic regulations, sometimes you can turn a blind eye.”
After saying this, Yang Luo turned and left. His words left everyone present deeply shaken.
“Xiao Yang, come do some square dancing with us!” An Auntie warmly called out to Yang Luo as he passed the main entrance of Qingxuan Park.
Yang Luo smiled and replied, “No, Auntie, you go ahead! I’m on duty.”
The Auntie smiled. “All right. Ride safely!”
“Thanks, Auntie!”
It was clear that Yang Luo came here often and had become very familiar with the older men and women. He wasn’t slacking off at work; he only came to this park after finishing his shift each day. Over time, he had naturally gotten to know everyone here.
Yang Luo waited until Ye Zhihan had gone to sleep before returning home every day. He came to the park just to pass the time. If he didn’t feel like coming to the park, he would volunteer for overtime, sometimes staying until ten at night before going home. He did all this simply because he didn’t want to disturb Ye Zhihan.
Between seven and eight in the morning was rush hour. The roads were packed with traffic, and pedestrians came and went in a steady stream. It was July, the height of summer, and the weather was still unbearably hot. Yang Luo, directing traffic at an intersection, was already drenched in sweat.
“Pew, pew…” Yang Luo blew his whistle repeatedly.
A young woman was still leisurely crossing the zebra crossing after the light had turned red, her head down as she focused on her phone.
Yang Luo hurried forward to stop the cars ahead from moving and shouted at the young woman, “What are you doing? Can’t you see the light’s red?”
The young woman glanced up at Yang Luo in annoyance, then at the signal. Still looking down at her phone, she continued slowly across the zebra crossing.
“Can you walk any faster?”
The young woman ignored Yang Luo and did as she pleased, leisurely crossing while playing on her phone.
This finally enraged Yang Luo. He wasn’t about to put up with that. He strode over, grabbed the woman’s hand, and quickly pulled her off the zebra crossing.
“Let go! Do you want me to report you to the police for molesting me?”
Yang Luo angrily shook off her hand. “Do you know you just ran a red light? Do you know how dangerous it is to cross the road like that?”
The young woman said dismissively, “So what if I ran a red light? Aren’t people encouraged to travel courteously and drivers told to yield to pedestrians? I don’t believe those drivers would dare not let me cross. Let’s see one of them try to hit me.”
She’d done something wrong and was still acting so arrogantly. Yang Luo said coldly, “There’s nothing wrong with yielding to pedestrians, but you should understand the principle: ‘Cars yield to people, and people keep moving.’ You’re quite the civilized one, aren’t you?”
“I’m walking on the road. It’s none of your business whether I walk fast or slow.”
“I’m a traffic police officer, so of course it’s my business. Crossing when the light is green is fine. But you ran a red light just now. The drivers had already stopped to let you cross, and you still kept staring at your phone and walking at a snail’s pace, as if you owned the road. You should at least leave the drivers a way through and give them time to move. If everyone acted like you, wouldn’t traffic descend into chaos?”
The young woman remained stubborn and brazen. “Don’t you know pedestrians have the right of way? I’m on a zebra crossing. I don’t care whether the light is red or green.”
“So you still think you’re in the right?”
“I am in the right. What can you do about it?”
“Fine. I’m going to teach you a lesson today. Take this little flag and direct traffic here for half an hour. Otherwise, you’re not leaving.”
The young woman scoffed. “Who are you trying to scare? Do you know who my boyfriend is? If he shows up, you won’t be able to keep your job as a traffic police officer.”
“You hear this kind of thing everywhere. Even if your father were Li Gang, I’d still deal with you today.”
“Who do you think you are? I’m leaving now. What can you do about it?”
The young woman had only taken a few steps when Yang Luo immediately caught up, swiftly pulled out his Handcuffs, and cuffed her.
The young woman had never imagined a traffic police officer would dare do something like that. She shouted, “the police are beating people… The police are arresting people for no reason…”
However, some people nearby had witnessed what happened, and none of them stepped forward to help despite the young woman’s shouting.
Yang Luo cuffed the young woman to a railing along the pedestrian sidewalk, then said righteously, “You can call for help if you want, but I’m telling you now: if you don’t stand guard here for half an hour, not even the Emperor of Heaven himself can help you.”
The young woman said viciously, “You lousy traffic cop, who do you think you are? Just you wait.”
Yang Luo paid the young woman no further attention. He turned and continued directing traffic.