Chapter Seven: Escape

Gu Bai'an took the cigarette case from Yi Chu, pulled out the innermost cardboard lining, tore the cardboard in half from one end, wrote something on it with a black pen, and then handed it back to him untouched, saying, "Give this to Captain Zhang separately... Don't look at it." Yi Chu nodded; after all, he wasn't a member of this operation, so it was only right that he avoid him.

Then Gu Bai'an took out a small oil paper bag from the drawer and handed it to him: "This is a new batch of samples, a semi-transparent hard solid. It hasn't been tested with any medicine yet, and the specific ingredients are unknown, but it is fusible. However, it is only an experimental product. A small batch will be handed over in this city. The handover time information is written on a piece of paper and sealed inside."

“Okay.” Yi Chu silently noted it down and obediently nodded. Apart from that brief moment of reciprocation, the two of them became complete strangers to each other. No matter how upright and righteous he was, he was still human, and when he came to his senses, he felt an indescribable sense of loss. “…My student Xiao Yan seems to be in your hands. I’m here today for him. The police should have taken action. If it’s convenient for you, please make sure he is safe.”

"A student from the Criminal Investigation Department?" Gu Bai'an asked with some surprise. He seemed to have some impression of the name; he must have seen it not long ago, and not in a good place.

"No," Yi Chu denied. "They're finance students who come to listen to my lectures. I just happened to see them today."

So… Yi Chu came here by himself? That was Gu Bai'an's first reaction. He hesitated for a moment, but didn't ask. He simply replied, "I understand. I'll keep an eye on it. Don't worry about it."

“If anyone asks you where the things came from, you can just tell them that I gave them to you,” Gu Bai’an added.

"Okay, then be careful in everything." Yi Chu didn't ask a single question about himself, not even the simplest one, "When can you come back?" As he left, he kept looking back at the figure standing by the window, smoking a cigarette with his back to him, a thousand words unspoken.

Yi Chu went around to the back of an alley, got into a black car, took out several evidence bags from the car, and put everything in his pocket except his wallet and cell phone into them: "Here. The things in the cigarette box are for Captain Zhang separately, the paper wrapping is new stuff, and inside is what you want, it can be dissolved."

“Okay, your student just came out on his own, he’s fine. You should come back to the team with me. Get tested, this place is too shady, they might have laced the drinks with something,” Zhou Musen suggested.

"Okay." It's always better to be careful.

Yi Chu followed the car back to the Suijiang Municipal Public Security Bureau, had his blood drawn, and sat on a chair in the corridor to wait for the results.

"Teacher Yi, why don't you come in and sit for a while? It's still a bit windy in the corridor!" a young police officer passing by kindly suggested. Yi Chu had been waiting outside for the results and knew that everyone in the special task force was extremely busy, many of them old acquaintances transferred from the criminal investigation team. He was even more afraid of causing trouble and distracting them. So he shook his head and declined: "No, I had a little to drink, and I'm a bit dizzy. I need to sober up."

"Then... then Teacher Yi, please be careful not to catch a cold. Call me if you need anything."

"It's alright, don't worry about me, go do your thing!" Yi Chu waved his hand. Actually, he was a little dizzy and felt a bit of pain, probably because he had been drinking and then exposed to the cold wind.

Zhang Wenqing is the captain of the Suijiang Criminal Police Detachment, a veteran over fifty who has dedicated his life to the country. He is the one leading the investigation into the Lu Group case. He sat in his office, scribbled on the tortoise-like handwriting Gu Bai'an had written in the cigarette pack over and over again, but still couldn't quite grasp it. After a moment's hesitation, he dialed the police station's internal line: "Hello, is this the chief's office?"

"Is this Wenqing? What is it? Speak."

"Could you come to my office about 'Yan Bai'? I'd like to discuss it in person."

“Okay.” Yi Wen seemed used to Zhang Wenqing’s request and didn’t feel that the relationship had been reversed at all. He readily agreed.

Just as he was about to hang up, Zhang Wenqing quickly added, "Come around from the back! Xiao Chu is in the front corridor. Come over here first, finish talking about this, and then go check on your son. Don't delay things!"

Following Zhang Wenqing's instructions, Yi Wen went around to the back, entered the office, and retrieved the illegible note. He opened it and struggled to decipher it. Then, he suddenly realized, "Why is Yi Chu here? Does he know that Yan Bai is..."

Zhang Wenqing nodded and said in a low voice, "He happened to go to a bar today, so he knows everything. The transaction time for this batch of goods is very tight. If the operation is delayed, it will inevitably delay the arrest. The consequences of this new type of drug entering the market are unimaginable. So our people must get the time, even if it means taking risks... If it weren't for Yi Chu, our outcome today might have been either failure or Yan Bai being exposed."

"Do you know who those two are..." Yi Wen said impatiently.

“I know! But they have no legal connection, do they? Besides, Yi Chu had already left the police force before Yan Bai appeared. Even if they could find out Yan Bai’s former identity, they wouldn’t be able to find out about Yi Chu,” Zhang Wenqing interrupted him.

He continued, "Moreover, Yi Chu is an excellent criminal investigation scholar. He has a natural advantage in persuasiveness that is greater than anyone else's."

Yi Wen almost sneered when he heard the implication in his words: "So what? What do you want him to do now?"

“I want him back in the team, at least until the Lu case is closed.”

“You’re hurting him!” Yi Wen replied without hesitation.

Zhang Wenqing did not back down: "And what about you? Do you want him to know the truth and still feel at ease retreating and hiding behind others? Have you ever thought that for a policeman with aspirations, your so-called 'protection' will be completely meaningless once he knows the whole truth!"

Because there are always people who would rather die a glorious, blood-soaked death than live a life of quiet desperation under the protection of others.

Yi Wen stopped arguing with him, sat down with his head down, showing a weariness he rarely displayed, and his gaze fell on the hem of Zhang Wenqing's clothes.

"Ha... He's over fifty years old, and still so 'hot-blooded'..."

Zhang Wenqing and I are the same age and joined the municipal bureau in the same year. After decades of navigating the complexities of the world, I've learned to weigh the pros and cons, but at the same time, I seem to hesitate in most matters. People call this "a sense of the big picture." But Zhang Wenqing is different from me. He seems to have remained unchanged since he was in his twenties, always full of passion and always willing to risk his life. Even at this age, when he should have been promoted long ago, he has repeatedly declined, insisting on fighting on the front lines.

He suddenly thought of a clichéd phrase—"never forget your original aspiration." But what if it were him? What if he had to abandon this responsibility now? What if he had to give up his life to fulfill this responsibility? Would he feel resentful? Would he still go without hesitation?

What if it were Yi Chu?

"What did Yi Chu say to you when he left the police force?" he asked.

Zhang Wenqing replied, "He told me, 'I'm ready to risk my life at any time, as long as the team says the word.'"

I would gladly die for it.