Chapter 32: An Irresistible Fate (Revised)...

With He Changyi's assistance, Zhou Cheng successfully apprehended Cai Caishu, a suspect in a fraud case, marking the successful completion of his transnational business trip.

He interrogated Cai Caishu on the spot. Cai Caishu never expected that the domestic police would actually track him down to Emei to arrest him. In a state of panic, he answered whatever Zhou Cheng asked, and confessed that he had opened a bank account in the name of a relative and deposited 70,000 yuan of stolen money in a domestic bank.

Zhou Cheng immediately informed his colleagues at the domestic public security bureau of this crucial lead, and the bank account was frozen. Later, as the case progressed, the 70,000 yuan was returned to more than twenty families of overseas students, somewhat mitigating their losses.

Since Zhou Cheng was staying at a family-run hotel in Emei, there were no conditions for detaining Cai Caishu.

He Changyi offered to let Zhou Cheng stay temporarily in her office, where there was a small, windowless room that could be used to detain Cai Caishu.

Zhou Cheng was both happy and embarrassed, saying that he had caused her trouble and that he would go back to the Public Security Bureau to commend her and apply for public recognition and the honorary title of "Heroic Act".

He Changyi said with a smile:

"That's great! I'll frame the certificate and put it on the office wall so everyone can see it as soon as they walk in."

Zhou Cheng joked:

"Then I'll have to talk to the bureau and get you an extra-large certificate."

Wearing handcuffs, Cai Caishu was ordered to squat on the ground with his hands behind his back. But this guy was quick-witted. After getting through the initial panic, he pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on He Changyi and Zhou Cheng's conversation.

As he listened, he realized something was amiss.

Why didn't the Chinese police show up when the Chinese police were arresting people in Moscow?

Even if the police from both countries are splitting up and conducting their own investigations, shouldn't the criminals be locked up in the police station? Why are they borrowing a middleman's office instead?

He traveled between China and Russia many times and was on good terms with local bigwigs like Sherikovsky, so he naturally had a good understanding of the situation in Russia.

He had never heard of Chinese police coming to Russia to handle a case.

Besides, the ice between China and Emei has only been broken for a few years. At most, they no longer regard each other as enemies, but they are not yet so close that they can be completely open with each other and share the same pants.

Foreign police coming to our country's territory to arrest people—no, this is very wrong, there must be something wrong here.

He Changyi keenly noticed that although Cai Caishu was squatting on the ground, he kept tilting his head and glancing at Zhou Cheng with his eyes darting around, as if he was thinking of some bad idea.

She gestured for Zhou Cheng to look at Cai Caishu, and Zhou Cheng noticed his little action, saying seriously:

"Behave yourself! Fleeing after being arrested is an even more serious offense, do you understand?!"

Cai Caishu said meekly:

"I know, I know..."

Zhou Cheng covered Cai Caishu's handcuffed hands with his coat and led him to the back of the hotel.

He Changyi walked behind the two, thought for a moment, then returned to the hotel front desk, took out something, and called out to Zhou Cheng:

"Wait a moment!"

Zhou Cheng stopped Cai Caishu and looked at He Changyi in confusion.

He Changyi quickly stepped forward with a bottle in hand, and without explaining, opened the bottle cap and poured the liquid on Cai Caishu.

The icy, pungent liquid startled Tsai Tsai-shu, who screamed in terror, thinking that He Chang-yi was about to retaliate for personal reasons.

Zhou Cheng sniffed and said uncertainly:

"liquor?"

He Changyi nodded and casually tossed the empty wine bottle aside.

Most of the bottles of liquor displayed at the front desk were shattered by bullets, with only a few surviving in the corner. She specifically picked out the one with the strongest flavor from among them.

"Moscow has a lot of drunks, all sorts of people."

He Changyi looked at Cai Caishu and said, "It's not surprising that he's like this. No matter what he does, people will just think he's drunk."

Zhou Cheng's eyes lit up, but Cai Caishu's face immediately turned ashen.

He originally wanted to do something after leaving the hotel, but He Changyi poured a bottle of wine on him. Even if he stripped naked and shouted for help, passersby would only think he was drunk.

Cai Caishu gritted his teeth and refused to give up. After all, if he were arrested and sent back to China, he would face imprisonment. But as long as he could stay in Moscow, even if the police took all his money, he would still have a chance to make a comeback.

On his way to the office, Cai Caishu tried to escape several times, but Zhou Cheng was vigilant, and He Changyi was watching him closely. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't find an opportunity.

Cai Caishu tried to break free from Zhou Cheng's escort on the street, but Zhou Cheng was already on guard. He held onto the handcuffs tightly with one hand, and unless Cai Caishu could sever his limbs like a gecko to survive, he would have no chance of escaping.

Passersby on the street saw several East Asian-looking people pulling and tugging at each other. One man tried to run away, but the other two pulled him back. It looked like they were fighting, but it also looked like they were just acquaintances joking around.

Even the naturally aloof Russians have their share of curious and warm-hearted individuals.

As they approached to investigate, they could smell the strong stench of alcohol emanating from the man who was trying to escape.

Some people were extremely surprised, as if they didn't understand why Cai Caishu could still walk upright, instead of collapsing on the ground like a limp rag like any other drunkard in Mosk.

As they drew closer, they heard the woman among the arresting officers angrily cursing in Ethnic language:

"Damn it, why did you steal my wages to buy alcohol?! Don't you know that's for Mother's medical expenses! If we don't take her to the hospital soon, she'll die!"

The drunkard tried to say something, but another man quickly covered his mouth, while the woman continued to roar:

"Stop your curses! Mother won't die; she will live a long and healthy life! If you utter another word, I'll tear your tongue out!"

The passersby now understood completely and cast indignant glances at the drunkard.

Someone went up and kicked the drunkard hard, cursing:

"Sukhabriel! Repent for your sins!"

Tsai Tsai-shu, whose mouth was covered and unable to speak: ?

Who should actually repent?!

After getting into the car, Cai Caishu took advantage of Zhou Cheng's unpreparedness and bit his hand hard. Just as Zhou Cheng pulled his hand back in pain, he cried out to the taxi driver for help, shouting "Help!" and "Kidnapping!" in Emei language.

But He Changyi reacted even faster.

Cai Caishu had barely uttered a sound when He Changyi slapped him across the face.

"You lewd homosexual, you actually seduced men and betrayed our family! You must go back and give your whole family an explanation!"

The taxi driver's gaze towards Cai Caishu immediately became strange.

It's important to know that Rus' is an Orthodox Christian country, and homosexuality was once considered a sin, with coming out essentially being tantamount to social suicide.

The case involves a homosexual couple who are both involved in a marriage fraud and infidelity. The taxi driver feels deep sympathy for He Changyi while simultaneously gossiping and trying to find out more about the situation.

He Changyi, taking advantage of the situation, used the sensationalist tone of Hong Kong and Taiwan tabloids to tell the story of a gay man who seduces a straight man after a marriage scam, and the wife catching him in bed with another man and discovering that the mistress has a penis.

—Give these ignorant Russians a little shock with the humiliation of a postmodern slut.

The inexperienced taxi driver was stunned and almost took the wrong turn.

Cai Caishu tried several times to interrupt her, and shouted at the taxi driver in a fit of despair:

"She's lying! They're kidnappers! Please help me!"

The taxi driver said disdainfully:

"You shameless bastard, how could you treat your wife and family like this? You should be tied to the stake!"

Cai Caishu was dumbfounded.

"She's lying! Everything I'm saying is true! Please believe me! Help!"

The driver just muttered:

"I've heard that from a hundred cheating men!"

Zhou Cheng couldn't understand the Emei language and didn't know what they were saying, so he nervously asked He Changyi:

"What's wrong? What happened?"

He Changyi was so trying to suppress her laughter that she almost injured herself, and had to cover her face to avoid the taxi driver seeing her radiant smile.

She said to Zhou Cheng in Chinese:

"It's alright, just keep an eye on this guy and make sure he doesn't jump out of the car."

The taxi driver saw in the rearview mirror that He Changyi had her head down, her face hidden in her hands, and her shoulders were trembling as if she were crying.

He comforted him:

"Poor girl, don't be sad. This is just a small episode in your life. You will meet a better man."

He Changyi was so happy she couldn't speak, and could only raise one hand and wave it to indicate that she was alright.

When the taxi arrived at the apartment building, Zhou Cheng forcibly pulled Cai Caishu, who was lingering in the seat, out of the car.

When He Changyi tried to pay, the taxi driver refused to accept her money no matter what. In the end, He Changyi had to forcibly throw the money into the car to settle the matter.

Before leaving, the taxi driver rolled down his window and started swearing at Cai Caishu:

"Go to hell, you damn gay!"

Cai Caishu, who was being verbally abused: ? ? ?

No, Your Honor, I'm innocent!

Zhou Cheng only breathed a sigh of relief when the group arrived at He Changyi's office and locked Cai Caishu in a small room.

"This guy, even after I caught him, he still tried to escape. He really gave me a hard time on the way here."

He Changyi took out a first-aid kit and used hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the wound on Zhou Cheng's palm without any gentleness, causing the young man to howl in pain.

"Ah! Sis! Be gentle, be gentle! That's my flesh!"

He Changyi rolled her eyes at him and reprimanded him rudely:

"Don't move, keep quiet! Who knows if that guy surnamed Cai is sick or not? Do you want to get infected?"

Zhou Cheng dared not dodge any longer, extending his hand to let He Changyi disinfect it, muttering pitifully:

"But it really hurts..."

After treating the wound, He Changyi put away the first-aid kit, took out his treasured tea leaves, and brewed a pot of tea.

Zhou Cheng picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, smacked his lips, and said:

"It's a bit bland."

He Changyi was almost amused by this guy. This was top-quality white tea, which she had personally brought to Mosk. She usually wouldn't even brew it often herself.

To paraphrase Miaoyu's harsh words, one cup of tea is for tasting, and two cups are for drinking, but Zhou Cheng's tea drinking is like drinking from a cow or a mule.

She simply opened the tea cabinet and tossed a bag of the cheapest leaf tea, the kind she usually used to fool foreigners who didn't know much about tea, to Zhou Cheng. He familiarly took out his thermos, filled it halfway with tea leaves, and took a satisfied sip.

"This is still the best flavor!"

After recovering from the tense escort, He Changyi glanced at the small room not far away and asked Zhou Cheng softly:

"How do you plan to bring him back to China?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Cheng also scratched his head.

"I originally planned to take the train, but this guy is restless. I'm afraid he'll start making a scene on the train... It would be terrible if the Russians on the train interfered, since we're still on their territory and the Chinese police don't have law enforcement authority."

This is indeed a problem.

Given Cai Caishu's shrewdness, it wouldn't be hard for him to guess that Zhou Cheng had come to Oros in a private capacity and did not have the authority to arrest people abroad.

Although He Changyi pretended to be drunk on her way to the office and distracted the taxi driver with the sensational gossip about a gay man who had been tricked into marriage, the train journey back to China would take six days and six nights, and accidents were bound to happen.

Zhou Cheng said with a headache:

"Why don't we have official cooperation with the Russians? If we could handle cases across borders, we wouldn't have to worry about this."

He Changyi asked him, "Can we just have the Emei police arrest Cai Caishu?"

Zhou Cheng said, "Now that Sherikovsky has been arrested by the Moscow police, if Cai Caishu is also taken away by the police here, then our case can't proceed. The suspects are all abroad, and we're going to be stuck. Besides, there are more than twenty victim families waiting for our explanation."

He Changyi frowned and thought for a moment, then said to Zhou Cheng:

"You wait here, I'll go out and find someone who might be able to help us solve this problem."

He Changyi put on her coat and left, Zhou Cheng chasing after her and asking:

"Can I use the induction cooker in your office to cook? I'm getting so tired of eating Russian food every day!"

He Changyi didn't turn around, and casually waved his hand:

"Use it, but save me a portion when you're done."

Zhou Cheng responded with an exceptionally loud voice.

"Why!"

After searching the entire train station, He Changyi finally found the person she was looking for in a secluded and deserted corner.

"Andrei!"

The blond policeman had his back to her, neither turning around nor saying a word.

He Changyi walked up to him and called out again.

"Andrei".

Andrei had no choice but to look at He Changyi, his expression cold and distant, like that of a stranger.

Or even worse than a stranger.

He Changyi asked him, "Why have you been avoiding me?"

Andrei pursed his lips, lowered his eyes to the ground, refusing to meet He Changyi's gaze. After a long while, he said in a low voice:

"I think I'm not suitable to be your friend."

During this period, Andrei had been avoiding He Changyi. Although He Changyi appeared more frequently at the train station because her office was located there, she had fewer opportunities to run into Andrei.

Sometimes He Changyi would see Andrei's figure in the distance in the crowd. He could clearly see her too, but the next second, he would disappear into the crowd like a drop of water.

If someone is determined to avoid another person, then a chance encounter becomes very difficult.

Coincidence is God's joke.

But God doesn't always joke around.

He Changyi knew that her previous insistence on Andrei introducing her to Director Blok had, to some extent, shattered his spirit.

Like a bird, under the guise of righteous indignation, it pried off the jewels from the Happy Prince one by one, until he went from being a radiant figure to a dull and lifeless statue.

She stole Andrei's jewel.

"Andrei, I'm so sorry..."

Andrei interrupted He Changyi, the first time he had ever acted so ungentlemanly.

"No, there's no need to apologize. This has nothing to do with you; it's just that we have different perspectives."

He Changyi looked at Andrei, who finally raised his eyes and met her gaze without flinching.

"We are two intersecting lines, with very different starting points and ending points. We only meet by chance under the guidance of fate. But we will eventually go on to our own separate lives."

He Changyi was somewhat saddened and said softly:

"Andrei..."

Andrei awkwardly turned his gaze away, looking into the distant void.

“I know this isn’t your fault, and I shouldn’t blame everything on you. At its root, it’s a problem with our country; society forced you to make this choice. I understand, but… I’m sorry, I’m stuck in the old era.”

If it weren't for the ubiquitous corrupt police in Moscow, and if it weren't for the rampant thieves, robbers, and swindlers here, no one would enjoy the taste of making peace with power.

Andrei seemed to be consciously cutting himself open with a knife.

All He Changyi did was force him to see the truth of the world with his own eyes. Ultimately, it was because he was an out-of-touch person.

Andrei stopped looking at He Changyi; he even turned his back to her defensively.

"I think this is the end of it. Please pretend you never knew me. I'm sorry..."

Andrei seemed to have made up his mind and was about to leave when He Changyi hugged him from behind.

"I'm the one who should apologize."

She buried her face in Andrei's back, her voice muffled.

“I did something wrong, and although you are willing to forgive me, I know it was wrong.”

“I don’t want to beg for your forgiveness; on the contrary, I’m asking you to take back your forgiveness and continue to resent me.”

"But please don't leave."

"I need you."

Andri stood frozen in place. Although her embrace was weak, like a spider silk that would break at the slightest touch, he couldn't break free no matter what he did.

...too warm.

It was something he had always longed for but could never have, so warm it was almost too hot, allowing him to clearly hear the pounding of his heart and the rushing of blood beside him.

Make him feel ashamed.

"Keep hating me, but don't pretend nothing happened."

He Changyi said softly.

"I'd rather you hate me than give up on me completely."

Andrei lowered his head, her hands wrapped around his chest, delicate and frail, as if they could be easily broken.

But he knew that she was clearly tough, possessing an unbreakable heart and a steely spirit that could get back up no matter what.

"I……"

He Changyi covered his mouth.

She turned to face Andrei, frowned, and looked up at him.

"Don't say anything, please don't say anything."

Andrei slowly closed his eyes, listening to the wind whistling past his ears.

When he opened his eyes again, he forcefully pulled He Changyi's hand away and pushed her shoulders away, making sure she kept a proper distance from him.

"I'm sorry, I won't forgive you, and I can't agree to it..."

Before he finished speaking, He Changyi suddenly tiptoed and pounced on him.

A kiss.

Gentle yet firm, brooking no refusal yet overflowing with tenderness.

Andrei's hand, which had been stopping him, froze in mid-air. He was as if under a spell, unable to move an inch.

He Changyi slowly left, gently stroking his face, their breaths mingling.

You have no right to refuse.

Her words were like a short breeze that reached his ears.

You must agree.

He Changyi took a step back, increasing the distance between the two.

Andrei didn't move, he just looked at her, as if he were looking at his own fate.

Cruel.

It is irresistible.

destiny.

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Author's Note: If I said I didn't actually intend for them to kiss right now, and that it was the female lead who wanted to do it, would you believe me?

Comrade Andrei has made a brilliant leap forward, but Comrade Alexei still needs to keep up the good work!