In the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, the clock on the wall of the office hall is approaching eight o'clock. At this time, normal public officials should have already left work.
But criminal police officers are different. When they have cases on their hands, they work day and night. Everyone is on edge, because cases involving human lives cannot be taken lightly.
However, there are not many people left in the bureau at this time. Apart from the staff on duty, there are also those who have just returned from their shifts to rest.
A policeman with bloodshot eyes came out of the break room, washed his face with cold water to refresh himself, glanced around, and asked the officer on duty, "Where's Captain Shen?"
He is Chang Jianping, the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team. He has been in charge of the recent stakeouts at various road checkpoints. He hasn't been able to get a full night's sleep for several days and hasn't been home. When he's extremely tired, he just takes a nap in the rest room.
The police officer on duty also looked exhausted: "He went out more than two hours ago, saying he had something to do."
Chang Jianping frowned. Yesterday, Shen Linpeng took a group of people to the branch office to handle some business, but they sent the others back, leaving Chang Jianping to waste half a day at the branch office.
When they were short-handed, he went and focused on an ordinary little case, which Chang Jianping really couldn't understand.
"I'll go keep watch at the checkpoint first, and you can wait for Captain Shen to come back..."
The sudden ringing of the phone interrupted him. The officer on duty picked up the receiver, and the voice on the other end was clearly that of the captain he had just mentioned.
"This is Shen Linpeng. Is Captain Chang here?"
"Yes, let me put him on the phone." The officer on duty handed him the phone: "Team Leader Shen."
"I am Chang Jianping."
"Jianping, we have a lead. Immediately gather the police force to prepare to arrest the suspect and rescue the abducted person."
Chang Jianping was taken aback: "Where did this clue come from? Is it reliable?"
“It’s reliable. There are more suspects than we thought, and they’re scattered across different locations. We need to mobilize as many personnel as possible. Alright, go find the bureau chief and request the assistance of the Armed Police Force.”
"Okay, I understand. I'll arrange it right away."
As soon as Chang Jianping hung up the phone, he immediately took action, instructing the on-duty personnel to recall all the criminal police officers they could.
The bureau chief had already left work, so he called the bureau chief again.
Shortly after, Shen Linpeng's car pulled up in front of the police station. Chang Jianping and the others were anxious, but when they saw that he was driving a private car, a hint of doubt flashed through their minds.
However, he didn't think much of it and opened the car door to report the situation to Shen Linpeng.
Shen Linpeng pushed him away: "Don't come any closer, stay away."
Chang Jianping: "?"
Shen Linpeng couldn't explain to him that several ghosts were floating behind his car.
"Who's sitting in your car? Is it the one who provided the clues?" When Chang Jianping opened the car door earlier, he noticed someone sitting in Shen Linpeng's car.
Shen Linpeng gave a vague reply and asked, "How's the manpower arrangement going?"
Chang Jianping immediately reported on the arrival of the criminal investigation team and added that the armed police team was fully prepared and ready to move at any time.
Shen Linpeng immediately made arrangements. Those human traffickers were very cunning. Not only did their criminal gang members know more than they did, but the number of abducted people was also beyond imagination.
There were more than a hundred abducted women and children in total. It was obvious that it was impossible to hide so many people together.
Therefore, the traffickers separated and hid them. This arrest and rescue operation had to be carried out simultaneously, otherwise, if the traffickers in other locations got the news, it would definitely alert them.
Moving them to a different location is still a good thing; what would be unacceptable is if they were to resort to desperate measures and harm the abducted women and children.
Inside Shen Linpeng's car, Ruan Bei held an umbrella and looked out the window. It was the first time he had ever seen so many police officers working together in real life.
This made him a little worried: "Could that female ghost be giving false information?"
It's no big deal to lie to him; if the police miss their target because of false information, he'll be in trouble along with Shen Linpeng.
Qin Gu comforted him, "Didn't you let Dong San and the others take a look?"
Dong San was the most clever black-faced ghost among the local ghosts in the eastern suburbs. They knew each other before they died, and since they all became ghosts after death, they simply became brothers, banded together for warmth, and occupied a piece of land in the eastern suburbs.
“That’s true.” Ruan Bei murmured, resting his chin on his hand, feeling a little relieved.
Earlier in the eastern suburbs, the female ghost who suddenly appeared actually arrived quite early, but she was too timid to show herself. She watched as groups of ghosts came and went, and only after confirming that none of them were in any danger did she sneak out at the very end.
The female ghost's name is Zhao Xiuer. She is a girl from a remote mountain village called Zhaojiagou who came to work in the city. She was tricked by an older sister from the same village who said she would take her to a factory, but actually tricked her into a dirty little hair salon.
Zhao Xiuer was born in a conservative and ignorant place. She didn't go to school much. The farthest place she ever went was the local town. If it weren't for the older women in her village taking her with her, she wouldn't have dared to leave the village to work.
After experiencing this, Zhao Xiuer didn't dare to call the police, and didn't even dare to mention it when contacting her parents. She just desperately sent money home.
However, most of the money she earned was taken by the hair salon owner, and she only got one or two tenths.
Later, Zhao Xiuer fell ill, and no one treated her. Only her older sister, who had brought her out, came to see her and gave her some money.
Zhao Xiuer was not grateful to her; she hated her, but she dared not expose her.
Because once what she did is exposed and the villagers find out, Zhao Xiuer will not be able to clear her name, and her parents will not be able to hold their heads up in the village.
Zhao Xiuer told these things when Dong San and the others went to verify the intelligence. Ruan Bei frowned as he listened, but he couldn't bring himself to criticize her.
Because of the education Zhao Xiuer received from a young age and the environment around her, the victim was hesitant and afraid of what others would say.
However, there was a reason why Zhao Xiuer was willing to tell Ruan Bei these things.
She said she didn't want the Yin Qi talisman, she only asked Ruan Bei to send her a letter home to tell her parents what had happened to her.
This was certainly not because she had come to her senses after becoming a ghost, but because Zhao Xiuer discovered that her older sister, who had deceived her before, had used the same excuse to lure girls from other villages out.
Her sister was among them.
Zhao Xiuer then realized how big a mistake her cowardice and avoidance had been, but she was helpless and could only watch her younger sister follow in her footsteps and secretly cry.
Zhao Xiuer's ghost lingered in that area and thus discovered the abducted women hidden there.
The human traffickers who guarded the abducted people were also in contact with each other. Zhao Xiuer overheard their conversation and knew that they had divided the people into three places to hide them.
There's one near the hair salon, and another in a warehouse at a small factory. Zhao Xiuer only found out this because she overheard the factory's name.
These two places were hiding trafficked women, and there was also a private orphanage that mostly housed deaf, mute, and mentally disabled children. The director of this orphanage was actually a minor leader in the trafficking ring, using the orphanage as a cover to hide the trafficked children in the basement.
Ruan Bei sent the Five Ghosts of the Eastern Suburbs to check these three places, and they confirmed that, just as Zhao Xiuer had said, there were indeed women and children tied up inside.
Because their information was so accurate, Shen Linpeng led the police and armed police forces straight to their destination.
They were the professionals in the remaining capture and rescue operations, so Ruan Bei and Qin Gu didn't get involved much. They sat in Shen Linpeng's car and waited for good news to come from the other side.
All the human traffickers were apprehended in one fell swoop, and all the abducted persons were rescued. Except for a few who suffered minor injuries or were ill, most of them were unharmed.
In the end, Ruan Bei still gave Zhao Xiuer the promised Yin Qi talisman and warned the Five Ghosts of the Eastern Suburbs not to take the talisman from her.
As for the matter Zhao Xiuer asked for, Ruan Bei probably doesn't need to worry about it anymore. This operation not only caught the human traffickers and rescued the abducted people, but also cleared out the location of these Tibetans.
After all, without the permission of the people in charge of these places, the human trafficking group would not be able to hide so many people there.
The small hair salon was already dirty and filthy, so this time it was dealt with directly.
People like Zhao Xiuer's sister, who were tricked into coming here, are young and don't even know the way when they leave home. The police will arrange for someone to send them back home.
The police, of course, wouldn't ignore the woman from the same village who had lied; they would notify the local officials.
Ruan Bei and Qin Gu did not participate in the rest; they had to get back before the dormitory building locked up.
In the following days, Ruan Bei and Qin Gu were too busy to follow up on the case; their schedule was extremely bizarre.
On Monday, they said there would be only two classes, but by Tuesday the classes were full, and on Wednesday even evening self-study was scheduled. However, on Thursday there was only one class all day.
Friday has three periods, which is alright. The second period is in the morning, so at least I can sleep in a little longer.
But before Friday even arrived, the counselor informed them that they had to go for morning exercises and check in every day.
That's right, this is also a "freshman perk" that relates to academic credits. If you miss a certain number of check-ins, you'll lose those two credits.
For someone like Bai Miaomiao who loves to sleep in, even sleeping an extra minute in the morning is a blessing, and she was in agony, wailing in her dorm room for ages.
Actually, Ruan Bei also likes to sleep in a little, but unfortunately, after being reborn, he doesn't have much of a chance to sleep in.
At first, he was busy with his studies. Later, during summer vacation, things were fine at home. But when he went to Xuanqing Temple, even six- or seven-year-old little rascals were getting up for early lessons. As the little grandmaster, he couldn't very well continue to stay in bed.
Hearing Bai Miaomiao howling so pitifully, Ruan Bei secretly gave him a suggestion: "Why don't you talk to your brother and ask him to donate a new running track to the school? When the track is renovated, we won't have to do morning exercises anymore."
Qin Gu moved his lips, not wanting to discourage Ruan Bei. The school's running tracks had just been renovated... Maybe some senior students in the previous year had the same idea.
"I won't do it," Bai Miaomiao replied outright, which was very unusual.
Ruan Bei sized him up for a few moments, then tentatively asked, "Why haven't I heard you talking to your brother on the phone lately?"
Bai Miaomiao hummed softly, "My brother is away on a business trip and is very busy. He doesn't have time for me."
Ruan Bei didn't believe it; Bai Miaomiao was up to something.
However, it was a matter between the brothers, and he couldn't interfere too much. After all, Lu Sibai hadn't reached the same level as in his previous life yet, since he was still a minor and some methods wouldn't work.
As far as he knew, Lu Sibai had a few followers around him, but they were not as young as some of the younger young masters of the Lu family. Most of them were in the same school and the same age as Lu Sibai. They had more pocket money than other ordinary students, but that was about it. They didn't have any power or ability. Lu Sibai was not short of money.
Of his truly outstanding admirers, only three have appeared so far: Qin Shen, Lu Siyuan, and the blind Chu Tianze.
Qin Shen was born into the powerful Qin family. If Bai Miaomiao in his previous life was indeed orchestrated by Lu Sibai at the behest of an admirer, then it wouldn't have been Qin Shen.
Ruan Bei disliked him, but he also knew him somewhat. This young master was quite proud of his status. If he wanted to mess with someone, he would make them penniless, destitute, and utterly humiliated.
For example, Ruan Bei. He couldn't let the Lu family go bankrupt, so he showed his disdain and contempt for Ruan Bei everywhere. Then, those who fawned over him all looked down on Ruan Bei.
He also hinted to Lu Minghai that Ruan Bei was bullying Lu Sibai because he felt that Lu Minghai was controlling his financial lifeline and that Lu Minghai would cut off his credit card.
It's definitely stopped, but Ruanbei hasn't used it anyway, so it doesn't really matter whether it's stopped or not.
Like Qin Shen, Lu Siyuan received a similar education as a young master. Even if they were blind, they would never use drugs to harm others, as that would be despicable and beneath their dignity.
Moreover, Ruan Bei remembered that Lu Siyuan's change of attitude towards Lu Sibai should have been after he returned to the Lu family. At that time, he did not know that Lu Sibai was not his younger brother. No matter how beastly he was, he would not have any thoughts about his own younger brother.
The only one, Chu Tianze, is still unknown whether he has hooked up with anyone yet. Lu Sibai is probably the one with the fewest legs in Ruan Bei's memory right now.
"By the way, how are things going between Lu Sibai and Chu Tianze?" Ruan Bei asked, remembering the situation.
Bai Miaomiao had completely forgotten about it, even though he had been really looking forward to the day he would be proven wrong.
But he was disturbed by Ruan Bei's previous words, and after thinking it over, he came to a terrible conclusion: he actually seemed to have a little crush on his brother...
This is terrifying. So Bai Miaomiao is actually such a beast?
His brother treated him so well, like a brother, and yet he actually thought...
Bai Miaomiao almost fainted from guilt. She felt like a terrible person and was too embarrassed to keep calling and texting her brother because he was no longer innocent! He was no longer the simple and obedient good younger brother!
Fortunately, he had a lot of classes these past few days, so he didn't have much time to overthink things, otherwise he would have driven himself crazy.
He's a little unsure how to get along with his brother right now, and he's afraid he'll say the wrong thing when they meet.
But he really wanted to call his brother. He used to call him several times a day, and no matter how busy his brother was, they would always chat before bed. Now…sigh…
When Ruan Bei asked, Bai Miaomiao suddenly remembered that there was such a humiliating scene waiting for them to witness.
"I'll call my brother and ask!" Bai Miaomiao excitedly took out his phone. He wasn't bothering his brother; he had something important to say.
When Bai Miaomiao called, Bai Sen was in a meeting. The special ringtone he had set for Bai Miaomiao rang, and the department manager, who was giving a report, wisely shut up.
Bosen gestured to pause the meeting and went outside to answer his beloved younger brother's call.
"Miao Miao?" Bai Sen felt a mix of curiosity and delight. The sudden decrease in contact with Bai Miao Miao was something his doting older brother couldn't have missed.
He just didn't know how to say it. If he directly asked Miaomiao why she hadn't called him anymore, he was afraid his younger brother would think he was being too nosy.
"Brother, are you busy? I need to talk to you," Bai Miaomiao said.
"No rush, go ahead," Bosen said calmly, as if the people in the meeting behind him didn't exist.
"It's that recording I gave you before, do you remember it? I want to know how that person's progress is."
Bai Sen felt a pang of disappointment. It turned out that something really had happened. In the past, when Bai Miaomiao contacted him, it was often nothing important. Maybe she had eaten something delicious or seen something funny and would send it to him to cheer him up.
In his words, "Brother, you're so busy and don't smile much, so I'll have to eat more good food for you and smile more for you."
"I've had someone keep an eye on her." Despite his disappointment, he still cared about Bai Miaomiao.
"Progress is good, and we expect to be able to take action in a few days." That Lu Sibai, you really can't judge a book by its cover. Before, just looking at how he dealt with Miao Miao, Bai Sen only thought he was a good actor. Now it seems that this second young master Lu is also quite good at seducing people.
It's strange. Although the Lu couple had some personality flaws, they were decent people when it came to relationships. Let's not even mention Mrs. Lu. From dating to marriage, she only had her husband, Lu Minghai, by her side.
Lu Minghai might have a mistress, but to expect him to seduce someone is a joke.
He did indeed seduce someone; Madam Lu was the one he pursued and won over. However, after recalling the tone and manner in which Lu Sibai spoke to Chu Tianze, Bai Sen applied it to Lu Minghai.
The usually calm and composed Young Master Bai felt his stomach churn from his own imagination; he simply couldn't picture Lu Minghai's face acting all coquettish and affectionate.
"Oh, then you must let me know if anything happens." Bai Miaomiao had made up his mind that he would skip class to watch Lu Sibai get humiliated.
"Okay, I've got it." Bosen tapped the edge of his phone with his finger, seemingly casually, and said, "I'm going to the South District on Friday for some business. I'll pick you up from school. What time do you finish class?"
There was a moment of silence on the phone before Bai Miaomiao's hesitant voice came through: "No, no need, I'm not going home this week."
"Not going home? Where are you going?" Bosen frowned, various guesses flashing through his mind.
"I...I made plans with Ruan Bei to have dinner at his house."
"Eat for two days?"
Bai Miaomiao: "...Then I'll take Zeng Peng around Jincheng. I'm a local, so I should do my best to be a good host."
Bosen loosened his tie, feeling a little breathless. He tried to control his tone, not wanting to sound too impatient or stern: "Should I ask my brother to arrange a car?"
"No need, we'll ride bicycles." After saying that, Bai Miaomiao was afraid that he would say something else that she wouldn't be able to handle, so she hurriedly said, "Brother, you're busy, I won't bother you anymore."
Then he hung up the phone.
Bosen stood there for a while, then went back to continue the meeting with a cold face.
The executives present thought to themselves, "He's usually so happy to receive calls from the young master, so why is his face so dark this time, like it's about to rain? It's scary."
Even after the meeting ended, Bosen's sullen mood did not improve.
The assistant nervously served him coffee and asked cautiously, "Is there something wrong with the young master?"
Bosen rubbed his temples, paused for a moment, and asked, "Why do you think it's possible for a child Miaomiao's age to suddenly become distant from others?"
She had a heart-to-heart talk with him not long ago, hugged him and kept saying, "Brother, you're so good to me, I love you the most." But less than a week later, she stopped even calling him.
If it were just that, Bosen could still tolerate it, but now he doesn't even want to go home, which is outrageous.
The assistant has been with Bai Sen for several years and has had a lot of dealings with Bai Miaomiao. He knows that the two brothers have a very good relationship, which is not at all like what the outside world says.
So he thought about it carefully and said, "Have you gotten a girlfriend? When you're in a relationship, it's easy for your mind to be on the girl... Boss, are you alright?"
Bosen slammed his coffee cup down, splashing scalding coffee everywhere, including some onto his clothes.
The assistant hurriedly grabbed tissues to wipe his burn, but when she looked up and saw Bosen's gloomy face, she was immediately startled: "Where did you burn yourself?"
The male dormitory at Jinzhou University.
As soon as Bai Miaomiao hung up the phone, Ruan Bei said with a wicked smile, "Who made an appointment with you? I didn't make an appointment with you."
"You should ask me out now!" Bai Miaomiao pouted. "Even if someone asks me out, I won't go."
Zeng Peng is a little more shrewd now, but only a little: "You never said you would take me out to play. Are you using us as an excuse to fob off your brother? Why? If you don't want to go back, then don't go back. Why make up an excuse?"
Bai Miaomiao choked on her breath, glaring at him for a long time: "None of your business!"
Zeng Peng scratched his head: "Fine, whatever, I don't care. Anyway, I just don't understand what you gays are thinking."
Ruan Bei couldn't help but say, "You can just say what he said, but you don't need to use 'they'."
Zeng Peng chuckled sheepishly: "Didn't you say you weren't gay?"
Ruan Bei followed in Bai Miaomiao's footsteps, choking on his words.
Bai Miaomiao slammed her hand on the table and laughed loudly: "Let me make a fool of myself in front of you."
Ruan Bei was furious and dragged Qin Gu to complain: "Look at Bai Miaomiao!"
Qin Gu chuckled and patted Ruan Bei's head to comfort him, then gave him a suggestion: "Why don't you call his brother and tell him that Bai Miaomiao lied and that you didn't make an appointment with him?"
Bai Miaomiao's laughter stopped abruptly, and she looked at Qin Gu in disbelief: "You're too dark-skinned."
That's outrageous! Gossiping behind someone's back.
Ruan Bei glanced at him smugly and waved her phone: "Try laughing at me again."
Bai Miaomiao shrank back in frustration, glared at them angrily, and muttered under her breath, "You two are bullying me."
Zeng Peng sighed and shook his head. Love makes people stupid. Look at Ruan Bei. She was quite smart when school started, but now she's on par with Bai Miaomiao.
He looked down at his phone for a while, saw a news article, and his eyes lit up. He excitedly shared it with his roommates: "Look, this news says that our Jincheng Public Security Bureau has cracked a major human trafficking case and rescued 127 trafficked women and children!"
Ruan Bei and the others opened the link posted by Zeng Peng. Bai Miaomiao, like Zeng Peng, was a complete outsider, purely praising the brave police officers.
At the same time, we condemn the heartless human traffickers and feel happy for the women and children who were rescued.
The related interview videos show parents holding their children, laughing and crying at the same time.
When a child is abducted, it often harms more than just one family. Too many parents who have lost their children go bankrupt trying to find them, only to tragically fail in the end.
Those women, though called women, were mostly young women in their twenties, and I heard the youngest was only fourteen.
Once they are abducted, their fate will be even more tragic. While some children might be sold to decent families, most girls are sold to remote mountain areas to bear children for men who cannot find wives.
Some families were so poor that several brothers in one family would share one woman.
Of course, the report wouldn't say such discouraging things; it was all encouraging, praising, and full of good news. However, many of the comments below were cursing human traffickers.
As Ruan Bei watched the news and saw people laughing and crying, his heart felt warm.
He suddenly realized that he could truly make a difference after his rebirth. For example, he had never heard of this news in his previous life, so he must have already changed the fate of these people.
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