Chapter 54: Bail Out a Bear (Completed)...

Accompanied by his lawyer, He Changyi went to the police station to process Alexei's bail.

Because the investigation into the transnational train robbery is not yet over, and most of the suspects are dead, Alexei's actions cannot be formally classified as self-defense for the time being, and he still needs to go through the bail process.

However, the lawyer hinted to He Changyi that there was no need to worry too much about Alexei, as he was already fine and might even benefit from the misfortune.

After paying a hefty bail, the police took Alexei out of the detention area.

He Changyi quickly stepped forward and checked him up and down for any signs of being beaten.

Although she had a lawyer to handle things, and theoretically Alexei should have been receiving VIP treatment, she had no hope for the integrity of the Eurasian police and could only feel at ease after confirming it with her own eyes.

Alexei was wearing the clothes he wore on the day of his arrest, his face was covered in stubble, his hair was a bit messy, and his expression was blank.

When He Changyi asked him if he was injured, Alexei simply walked to her side, took the crutch with one hand, put his other arm around her shoulder, and half-supported, half-carried her forward.

"Let's get out of here first."

He Changyi was led forward a few steps when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye before you leave?"

He Changyi wanted to stop, but Alexei beside her remained unmoved. He tightened his grip on her shoulder and pulled her forward.

She had to first pat Alexei's arm reassuringly, then turn to the person who had come and said:

"Andrei".

Andrei wore a police uniform without a single wrinkle, holding his police cap in one hand, his blond hair neatly combed back.

He walked unhurriedly towards He Changyi, stopped a step away, nodded to the lawyer beside him, and then said directly to her:

Is your wound any better?

He Changyi said, "It's nothing serious. I should thank you for getting me into the ambulance. The doctor treated me very quickly."

Andrei gave a faint smile.

"It's nothing, but I'm still a little sorry that I can't take you to the hospital myself."

He Changyi said politely, "I understand, I understand. After all, you have a mission to complete. It's already very good that you were able to get him to the ambulance."

Andrei spoke to He Changyi as if no one else was there, as if Alexei, who was leaning against her, didn't exist.

Alexei's expression was deep as he carefully scrutinized the young officer who had risen to a high position, like a wolf gathering its strength before an attack.

The lawyer stood quietly to the side, expressionless, his eyes darting nimbly between the three men.

Andrei seemed oblivious to He Changyi's deliberate attempt to keep his distance, and also failed to notice Alexei's dangerous scrutiny.

He just stared intently at He Changyi.

"It's a shame I haven't seen you at the train station lately. I heard your company moved. Could you give me your new address? I'll visit you with a gift when I have time. I hope I'm not an unwelcome guest."

Alexei gripped He Changyi's shoulder with a slight tightening of his hand.

The lawyer, with his sharp eyes, noticed the sudden crease in her shirt, looked over knowingly, and waited with great interest for He Changyi's reply.

He Changyi secretly glared at Alexei, then turned to Andrei with somewhat feigned enthusiasm and said:

"Of course! But the new address is a bit long, and I just happened to not have any business cards or paper with me. It's a real shame, I'll have to tell you next time I come."

Although she was certain that Alexei was alright, she still harbored resentment towards Andrei's actions at the time, even if it was under the guise of protection; she wasn't that fragile.

However, faced with He Changyi's veiled rejection, Andrei pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and held it out to her.

“You can write it here.”

He added in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft:

"Just like you did when you first came to Mosk."

The hand on her shoulder suddenly tightened, squeezing her bones painfully.

He Changyi smiled at Andrei through gritted teeth.

"Okay, no problem, I'll write down the address now."

The lawyer's usually impassive face finally broke into a pleased smile.

When she finally left the police station, He Changyi politely said goodbye to the lawyer. After watching him leave, she forcefully threw Alexei's hand off and snatched back her cane.

She had become quite adept at using her cane, and stormed to the roadside, hailing a taxi.

"Let's go to the Sanjiang Hotel."

Sanjiang Hotel is the most luxurious Chinese hotel besides Ural Hotel, and He Changyi has been staying at this hotel for some time.

Just as He Changyi got into the car, the other door suddenly opened, and Alexei unceremoniously got in and gave the driver instructions.

"Go to Dmitrov Street."

Dmitrov Street is the street where Vitaly's grandmother's house is located.

He Changyi glared angrily at Alexei.

"I said let's go to the Sanjiang Hotel!"

Alexei didn't look at He Changyi, and coldly said to the driver, "Drive. If the destination isn't Dmitrov Street, I'll twist your head off."

driver:……

“Hey, I’m telling you, you can take a taxi after you’ve decided on your destination. I’m not a mediator for couples’ arguments.”

Alexei urged impatiently, "Drive!"

He Changyi got angry and reached out to open the car door and jump out.

"Go to your Dmitrov Street, you can have this car, I want to get another one!"

Alexei reacted quickly, grabbing He Changyi's arm with one hand and slamming the open car door shut with the other.

He said to the driver, "Either you get out of the car and I'll drive myself, or you do as I say."

The driver grumbled but didn't dare to resist Alexei, who looked like a tough guy, and stepped on the gas, driving the taxi onto the road.

He Changyi was furious and rudely raised his injured leg in front of Alexei.

"Alexei, have you lost your mind? How can I go see Grandma Vitaly like this?"

Alexei grabbed her ankle and pressed it down hard.

"Yes, you can't let her see you injured, but you can let her attend your funeral."

He Changyi was speechless for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts to retaliate.

"But I'm not dead yet!"

Alexei retorted sarcastically, "Yes, you're not dead yet, but before the next accident happens, I'll definitely write the best eulogy for you."

He Changyi: "Then you'd better write in Emei language. If I hear your broken Chinese, I'll crawl out of my coffin."

Alexei: "What's the point of climbing out? To say 'Welcome to my house' to that policeman? I'll send him off to the cemetery and give him the sturdiest pickaxe."

He Changyi finally couldn't hold back and threw his cane at Alexei.

"Was your brain damaged in the police station?"

Alexei grabbed the cane and placed it to his side.

"I think you're the one who's lost your mind! You actually made friends with the police? Ha, a complete and utter Eurasian policeman!"

He Changyi retorted shrewdly, "So what? I'm still sitting in the same car as the Emei Mafia!"

The taxi pulled over to the side of the road, and the driver in the front seat looked weak and helpless, saying in a low voice:

"We've arrived at Dmitrov Street..."

Neither Alexei nor He Changyi heard him; they continued arguing fiercely.

The taxi driver had to raise his voice a little, evolving from a mosquito to a bee.

"Are you getting off the bus?"

The two dangerous passengers in the back remained unmoved, seemingly wishing they could poison each other with their words.

Taxi driver: Despair.jpg

Finally, the car that had lingered in front of Grandma Vitalie's house for too long caught the attention of Alexei's men.

Two men, one fat and one thin, with buzz cuts, walked over and knocked warningly on the driver's side window.

As the driver nervously rolled down the window, the fat man stared at him dangerously.

"What are you doing here? Who sent you? If you don't want to cause trouble, get out of here now!"

The taxi driver was completely innocent.

"It wasn't me, it was them who refused to get off the bus."

The skinny man walked to the back seat, roughly yanked open the car door, and had just said "You son of a bitch" when he saw that the person inside was actually Alexei.

Alexei looked impatiently out of the car: "What do you want?"

"...Sorry to bother you."

The skinny man respectfully closed the car door.

Interrupted like this, Alexei forgot what he was going to say. After being mocked by He Changyi, who said, "Sure enough, your muscles have filled your brain, and even your language center has not been spared," he sneered, opened the car door, got out, walked around to He Changyi's side, yanked open the car door, and forcibly dragged He Changyi, who was lying in the car and refusing to leave, out.

"Looks like the tongue can't beat the muscles after all. Didn't your clever brain tell you that?"

He Changyi tried to break free by flailing his arms, but Alexei forcibly held him in his arms, and he could not resist.

Seeing that the two troublemakers had finally left, the taxi driver didn't even bother to collect the fare, and sped away.

He Changyi said urgently, "Wait, my cane is still in the car!"

Alexei kept moving forward.

"That's perfect, you need to rest instead of wandering around with a limp."

He Changyi immediately retorted, "It's not like I can't walk without my crutches. I still have a perfectly good leg!"

Alexei looked down at her.

"Then I'll break your good legs too."

He Changyi: ?

He Changyi was so angry that she wanted to bite his neck off. Alexei took out his key with one hand, opened the door, and carried her inside.

He Changyi swallowed the poison and was about to tell Grandma Vitalie a sweet lie when she found no one at home.

"Where is Grandma Vitalie?"

Alexei tossed He Changyi onto the sofa and casually hung his coat behind the chair.

"I sent her to a Black Sea sanatorium for a vacation."

He glanced at He Changyi, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Now you don't need to worry about your grandmother seeing your lame leg."

As He Changyi breathed a sigh of relief, he was finally able to spray venom at Alexei without restraint.

“That’s wonderful. Grandma Vitalie is so lucky to have such a thoughtful grandson like you. She certainly won’t have to worry about you while you’re in jail. Let me think what you’ll say—‘Dear Grandma, I have to go on a business trip. Love, Alyosha.’ Or will you not even have to explain anything, since Grandma Vitalie has already been forced to get used to a grandson going in and out of the police station?”

Alexei was placing the bread, sausages, and pickles that Grandma Vitalie had left in the refrigerator on the table, and then pouring two glasses of birch sap—this would be their dinner for the day.

Upon hearing He Changyi's words, his face darkened, and he slammed down the bread knife.

"This is my life, and I don't need your judgment."

He Changyi retorted sharply: "You didn't say that when you interfered in my life."

Alexei said sharply, "Because you can't even guarantee your own safety, I even suspect you want to die in Mosk. What, are you fascinated by the long winters here?"

He Changyi sneered.

"Because this is also my life, you have no right to judge it."

Alexei stared intently at He Changyi, but spoke softly.

"Then who has the right to judge? That hypocritical policeman? Your attitude towards him is disgustingly enthusiastic."

He Changyi also said softly:

"Because he is useful."

She stared at Alexei, even smiling.

"He can get you released sooner, turn that Gloucester into Ma San's gun, allow the lawyer to get you out of this case completely on the grounds of self-defense, and even give you a gilded reputation—a brave and fearless retired soldier from Emei, how glorious, you could be awarded ten more hero medals."

“If you can be as useful as him, I won’t mind being just as enthusiastic towards you.”

Alexei said coldly:

“That sounds disgusting. I’d rather be shot than have a woman’s pity.”

He Changyi straightened up and slammed one hand heavily on the table, finally unable to contain her anger.

"Do I really look like I need a man's pity?!"

Alexei was so angry he laughed.

"You actually think this is pity?!"

He Changyi retorted, "Isn't that right? I killed the person. I can take responsibility for my actions. Even if I end up being charged with excessive self-defense and illegal possession of a firearm, I don't care."

"But I care!"

Alexei took a deep breath and softened his tone.

"You say that because you don't know what the police stations and prisons in E'guo are like. Anyway, my life is already utter garbage, so one more crime doesn't matter. I'm willing to take the blame for you."

"But I don't want to!"

As He Changyi was speaking, her movements were too exaggerated, and the salt shaker on the corner of the table fell to the ground.

With a crash, the ceramic jar shattered into pieces, scattering snow-white salt dust onto the ground.

As if a stop button had been pressed, the argument between the two paused.

Alexei glanced at He Changyi, bent down, picked up a pinch of salt from the ground, and sprinkled it on her head after standing up.

He Changyi: ?

No way, is this jerk crazy?!

Before He Changyi could erupt, Alexei picked up a pinch of salt and sprinkled it on his head.

With his head covered in salt dust, he turned his head and suddenly laughed.

He Changyi: ? ? ?

It seems he really is sick.

The atmosphere relaxed, the argument subsided, and He Changyi sat back down in her chair dejectedly, tapping the table unhappily.

"You're just feeding me black bread and pickles?"

Alexei glanced at her calmly.

"No, this is my dinner."

He Changyi had a bad feeling.

"What about my food?"

Alexei gave a friendly, fake smile.

"You can go to the kitchen and cook, just hop over there with your good leg, as you said."

He Changyi: ...

Give her back her bail money, she's going to shove this damn bear back into the police station!

He Changyi was detained in Moscow to recover from her injuries. Whenever she needed to go to Vladimir to handle business matters, Alexei would personally pick her up and drop her off in his dilapidated taxi, ensuring a same-day round trip and not giving He Changyi a chance to escape his sight.

He also brought the little black dog to Mosk, ostensibly to keep her company while she recovered from her injuries.

He Changyi gave a fake smile: "You're so kind of you. You know I can't walk, so you specially brought the dog. Are you planning to make me walk the dog with crutches?"

Alexei said calmly, "Yes, I've also prepared a wheelchair. You can try the dog-drawn cart; it will definitely be a sight to behold on the streets of Moscow."

He Changyi: "Thank you so much."

Alexei nodded politely, "You're welcome, it's what I should do."

The little black dog, oblivious to the undercurrents between humans, happily circled around He Changyi, its thick tail slapping against her injured calf.

He Changyi said through gritted teeth, "You really are a good dog I raised."

The little black dog took it as a compliment and happily lay down on her lap, then stood up and tried to wash He Changyi's face with its saliva.

He Changyi frantically tried to block, but was overwhelmed and almost lost his position.

Alexei politely turned his face away, but if you looked closely, you could see that his shoulders were shaking from laughing.

He Changyi shouted angrily, "Alexei!"

Alexei kept a straight face, pretending that he had never smiled.

"Your dog is really nice, just like you..."

He finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Life during his convalescence was chaotic, so He Changyi unabashedly assigned the task of walking the dog to Alexei.

Alexei, of course, refused, but every morning when it was time to walk the dog, He Changyi would bury himself in the blankets and could not be woken up no matter how much she called him.

Alexei was so angry that he kept hitting the blanket.

That's your dog!

He Changyi: zZzZzZ

The little black dog, about to pee, was running around the room with its tail between its legs, whimpering.

If we don't let it out, it's going to put on a show of flooding the carpet right there!

Alexei: ...

In the early morning, when everyone is most sleepy, a dark-faced human drags a dog with an equally dark face along the quiet street, looking at each other with mutual loathing. Their resentment is so strong that even robbers would avoid them.

In the warm room, He Changyi slept soundly and comfortably.

Alexei returned from walking the dog and quietly opened the door to He Changyi's bedroom. The little black dog, tongue lolling, rushed in.

He thoughtfully closed the door, and the next moment, He Changyi's sleepy scream came from inside the room.

"Wait, who told you to get in bed? Stop licking, stop licking... Ah, you're drooling on my bed!!"

Alexei waited a moment, then the bedroom door was suddenly yanked open from the inside, and He Changyi stormed out with a mess of hair. Behind her, the little black dog was happily rolling around on the bed, which was filled with the scent of its owner.

"Damn Alexei!"

Alexei replied cheerfully, "Good morning."

Aside from walking the dog, the biggest disagreement between the two was about meals.

He Changyi resolutely refused to eat Alexei's cooking again.

His cooking skills were like the winter in Moscow, so cold that it was despairing. With every bite, He Changyi wondered if he had actually traveled back to Stalingrad during World War II. German soldiers were pressing in from outside the city, and bombers were dropping bombs from above. The entire city was out of ammunition and food. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cook such terrible food.

Alexei scoffed at this.

His culinary skills were recognized by his comrades on the battlefield; the most authentic old Mosk flavor couldn't possibly be bad.

But He Changyi said to him very sincerely, "Why don't you just give me a pack of instant noodles?"

—She really couldn't eat black bread with raw pork, buckwheat porridge with meat sauce, or borscht cooked in kvass anymore.

Alexei said expressionlessly, "You're too picky about food."

He Changyi said even more sincerely, "No, I only have a basic sense of taste."

She injured her leg, not her mouth!

After sulking for two days, Alexei brought back a box of Chinese food on the third day. When he presented it to He Changyi with a sullen face, the rice and stir-fried dishes were still warm.

When He Changyi's leg injury had healed a bit more, Alexei took her out to practice shooting.

"Your marksmanship is terrible."

Alexei said without any hesitation, "If I were your enemy, I would have smashed your head before you even fired a shot."

He Changyi: "...I'm really sorry that I didn't become a sharpshooter as a civilian."

Alexei actually nodded in agreement.

"Your self-awareness is excellent; it's one of your few strengths."

He Changyi asked incredulously, "Didn't any of your comrades shoot you in the back on the battlefield?"

Alexei glanced at her.

"Because they at least know how to respect the strong; only the strong deserve to survive on the battlefield."

He Changyi: ...

Oh no, he's set it up again.

The place where Alexei brought He Changyi to practice shooting was a military camp on the outskirts of Moscow.

A major came up to him warmly, punched Alexei in the shoulder, and then gave him a big hug.

"Aleushnika, you wicked bastard, is it only at times like this that you remember your poor old comrade-in-arms?!"

Alexei retorted rudely, "Yuri, you uniformed scoundrel, you haven't even been tried by a military court yet!"

Major Yuri laughed loudly: "I only sold some weapons. My crimes are far less serious than Gorbachev's betrayal of the Union. The military court will not care about a nobody like me."

He Changyi, standing to the side: ...

Alexei's friends are truly a group of talented people.

Major Yuri noticed He Changyi and, abandoning his rough and thuggish military demeanor, politely said to her, "You must be the Sleeping Beauty of Alyoshnika."

He Changyi: "Wait, Sleeping Beauty?"

Alexei roughly grabbed Major Yuri's neck from behind and asked rudely:

"What did you get out of that Ivanovsky guy?"

Major Yuri coughed repeatedly as Alexei pulled him, but still managed to wink at He Changyi in an ambiguous way.

"He said it's incredible that our stone man has finally been struck by the arrow of love. But luckily you like women, otherwise I would have to go to church to buy you indulgences. You know, homosexuality is a sin."

He Changyi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Alexei, his face dark with anger, snapped, "You'd better buy yourself a dozen indulgences first!"

Major Yuri said with feigned seriousness, "Don't worry, I've already bought it. I'm sure I'll be going to heaven someday."

Alexei sneered: "Are you afraid of seeing too many acquaintances in hell?"

Major Yuri calmly replied, "No, I'm only afraid of seeing you."

He also sought approval from He Changyi: "Aleushnika is a really annoying guy, isn't he?"

Under Alexei's threatening glare, He Changyi lied and said, "He wasn't always that annoying."

Major Yuri shook his head.

"Love always makes people blind..."

He Changyi practiced marksmanship in the military camp for a week, from pistols to rifles and then to machine guns. If time hadn't been limited, Alexei would have wanted her to practice with a sniper rifle as well.

He Changyi: "You know I'm not here to enlist, right?"

Alexei pondered for a moment and then took out a box of hand grenades.

"Then you should practice throwing grenades."

He Changyi: ...

It felt like being forced into battle.

While practicing shooting, He Changyi noticed that the shooting range was not only occupied by her and Alexei, who were not active-duty personnel, but also by many other members of the public.

Some people come just to play with guns and have a go; while others come to buy guns and inspect them.

This is probably what Major Yuri meant by "selling weapons".

It seems that, at least in this military camp, officers privately buying and selling weapons is not a secret, but rather a consensus from top to bottom.

After all, when the country doesn't pay its soldiers enough, it's not surprising that they find their own way out and end up reselling weapons.

As Coach A and student He attacked each other, time passed day by day, and He Changyi's leg injury began to scab over, allowing him to walk normally without crutches.

Before parting, Alexei gave her a gift box tied with a bow.

"What is this? Don't tell me you put a dog bone in here."

Out of consideration for their daily dog-walking bond, the little black dog became much friendlier towards Alexei, evolving from irreconcilable enemies to a pseudo-colleague, which is quite gratifying.

He Changyi took the gift box with suspicion and opened it in front of Alexei.

Inside was a brand new Gloucester pistol.

"Wow, this is indeed a surprise."

The original Gloucester pistol had been placed in the police station's evidence room as evidence. He Changyi switched to a different model of pistol for self-defense, and he was still getting used to using it.

Alexei whispered, "Take care of yourself, don't get hurt again."

For once, He Changyi took the initiative to step forward and hug him.

Alexei's body stiffened for a moment.

He Changyi said softly, "Should I say thank you?"

After a long silence, Alexei suddenly said:

"You know, what I want isn't just a 'thank you'."

He Changyi turned her head to listen to his heartbeat and sighed silently.

"I know. Do you want me to tell you now?"

Alexei replied, "No."

He Changyi stepped back slightly and looked up at Alexei with some surprise.

His unexpected sharpness.

So He Changyi said, "Tell me when you want to know."

"good."

Alexei repeated, "Okay."

When He Changyi finally returned to Vladimir, Geng Zhi looked like he was about to cry.

"Boss, you're finally back!"

He Changyi comforted her gently, "Don't cry, don't cry. Tell me how those Russians have bullied you, and I'll go and get revenge for you."

Geng Zhi said somewhat embarrassedly, "No, it's nothing much. I'm all alone in the shop, and there's no one to chat with. It's so boring..."

He Changyi's expression changed.

"Then why are you crying like that!"

Geng Zhi was dumbfounded: "Huh?"

Wait, boss, where did your gentleness go?

He Changyi had already taken out the ledger and started checking the accounts. Without looking up, she asked Geng Zhi, "How's your Emei language practice going lately?"

Geng Zhi had a strange feeling that he was about to have his homework checked by the teacher when school started after summer vacation.

"It's...it's alright..."

He Changyi slammed down his pen.

"What do you mean by 'okay'? Do you usually argue with customers? Can you win an argument? Do you know how to swear in Ethnic language?"

upright:?

He said with difficulty, "Boss, I learned Emei language from textbooks..."

He Changyi: "What's the use of reading textbooks? You're not going to take the language college entrance exam. You'll only be considered a master when you can fluently argue with locals in Emei and even win the argument."

Geng Zhi: So the boss learned his Emei dialect by arguing with people...?

While looking at the account books, He Changyi was distracted by teaching Geng Zhi how to argue.

“Come on, repeat after me, ‘You’re even dumber than a Siberian brown bear. You should stay in a cage. Brown bears are more deserving of visiting the zoo.’”

Geng Zhi: "...Boss, won't I get beaten up if I go out like this?"

He Changyi exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be?"

Just as Geng Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, he heard He Changyi say, "Anyway, none of them can beat me."

upright:……

He should just learn the Emei language from the textbook!

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The author notes: In Russian custom, if salt is spilled, to avoid arguments, sprinkle the spilled salt on your head.