Chapter Twenty-One: Acting Alone
After the start of the semester, I stopped going out with Chu Zhen late at night to find material. Chu Zhen felt that since we were students, we should focus more on our studies. So, except for going back to sleep, I spent almost all my time at school. But we never lost contact. Occasionally, he would come to our school cafeteria for a meal. It seemed that our relationship was just one thin layer away from being realized. It was just a matter of who would break through first.
"Come pick up Huang Yanyan, she's drunk again." After receiving Xiao Liu's message, I quickly went to the place where they had their dinner party to pick her up. This guy, he gets drunk every time he has a dinner party since he started working. If I were Chen Weiqi, I would have to think twice too.
They had a meal together on the food street, which wasn't far away, so they contacted me. Usually, Xiao Liu and a few others would take turns driving them home. Although Yan Yan didn't win Chen Weiqi's favor, she had a good personality and was quite popular at the company.
Wait, that car looks familiar. Just as we were about to reach the destination, I spotted the van that used to carry swill. Didn't it always come in the dead of night? Why is it here at only nine o'clock now? No wonder Chu Zhen hadn't noticed it during this time.
"Xiao Liu, could you please take Yan Yan home? I have something urgent to attend to." Xiao Liu is a trustworthy guy. I think if Yan Yan and Chen Weiqi can't end up together, she and Xiao Liu would be a perfect match.
There happened to be a taxi, so I hailed it and asked the driver to follow the van.
“Chu Zhen, I’ve spotted the garbage truck. I’m in a taxi now, following it.” I sent Chu Zhen a message.
"Young lady, I've seen people follow their boyfriends or husbands, but why are you following a garbage truck?" the driver asked.
"The driver of that car is my boyfriend," I lied. If I told him my true intentions, the driver might not have been willing to give me a ride.
"How could a pretty girl like you end up with a swill collector!"
“Master, you’re wrong. You can’t judge a book by its cover. Who says that there aren’t good people among those who collect swill?”
I didn't really want to talk to the driver, afraid of disturbing him, so I just snapped at him. The driver didn't say anything more and focused on driving. Just like last time, the car kept going down side roads. Perhaps because it was a taxi and it was still early, and there were still other cars passing by on the side roads, they didn't notice us until we reached the very back of a village, where there was a remote little factory.
"Young lady, I don't think you're stalking your boyfriend, are you? Are you doing something else?" The driver must have already noticed something.
"Thank you, driver. You can go now." I paid the fare for the round trip, since the driver probably wouldn't pick up any more passengers if he was going back to the city.
"Be careful!" the driver said before driving off.
Chu Zhen didn't reply to my message. Maybe he's resting now. He works the night shift, so he should be sleeping at this time. But I still sent him my location. Besides Huang Yanyan, he's the only person I know in City A. Huang Yanyan must be fast asleep right now!
The van drove into the factory and never came out again. I concluded that this must be where they processed the goods.
There are no streetlights on the rural roads, and there's no moon tonight, so it's pitch black everywhere. Plus, I'm dressed all in black, which makes it even easier for me to observe from the outside. The gate is tightly closed, but a sliver of light still manages to seep through the crack. I peer inside, and this isn't some kind of pig farm or livestock farm; there's definitely something wrong with the swill coming here.
"Nothing unusual today, right?" a man asked.
"No, boss. Actually, it's not easy to be noticed when collecting swill at this time. It's more noticeable in the early morning."
"You think I don't know? It's just that there's more oil and fat in the early morning, so more can be extracted."
This conversation confirmed Chu Zhen's suspicions: they were indeed refining gutter oil, but I dared not act rashly as to where they would sell it.
"Leave there and wait for me on the main road," Chu Zhen messaged me. I had completely forgotten to mute my phone.
"What's that sound?" The people inside seemed to have heard it, so I immediately hid in the alley next door.
I heard someone open the door.
“There’s no sound at all. I told you you’re too sensitive. You must have misheard.”
The door was closed again. I was a little nervous and didn't dare to go any further. I just stood there in the alley. It was too dark around me, and I wasn't sure how I came from. If I turned on my phone's flashlight, it would be too conspicuous.
After about ten minutes, there started to be loud noises inside, probably the sound of buckets colliding. I mustered up my courage and went to the door again, peeking inside through the crack.
The yard was quite large, and it was a bit far from where they were operating. I didn't have any professional equipment, so I turned on my phone's video camera and held it to the crack in the door, hoping to film something.
They had already started skimming off the layer of oil floating on top of the swill and filtering it into another bucket. I could vaguely see someone setting up a stove to burn the filtered oil. Soon, a foul smell wafted out. I hadn't expected such an environment. I already have rhinitis, and the smell irritated me, causing me to sneeze.
"Who's there?" The noise was heard by the people inside the house. I didn't care about anything else and immediately ran back.
"Quick, someone's here! Grab your weapons!" I heard someone say behind me. I kept running along the road, but the voices behind me were getting closer and closer.
"Stop, or I won't kill you," someone behind shouted.
I don't care, all I know is to run; at this moment, running is the most important thing.
"Damn, that's pretty fast!"
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a motorcycle. I turned around, and the motorcycle's high beams blinded me. My foot slipped, and I fell straight into a ditch—no, it was more like a rural ditch.
"So it's just a little girl. What are you doing so late at night?" Seeing that it was a girl, their wariness subsided.
"I'm lost!" I said pitifully.
"Really? Where are you going so late at night?" I couldn't see the person's face clearly, but it was obvious that this person was the leader, and everyone seemed to respect him.
"I came to visit my aunt, but I couldn't find my way back after I came out. I saw your lights were on, so I went over there." If these people were just trying to make money through dishonest means, I believe they wouldn't have targeted a girl like me. At this moment, acting innocent and pitiful is probably the easiest way to convince them.
"Really? What's your aunt's name? What kind of place is this?" the man asked.
It's not bad people I'm afraid of, it's bad people with education I'm afraid of. How am I supposed to know where this is? Wait, I just sent my location to Chu Zhen, what was his name again? How come I can't remember anything now?
"Boss, it looks like a car is coming from over there," a man said. I looked back and saw that there was indeed a car driving this way. Regardless of whether it was Chu Zhen or not, as long as I shouted for help when the car passed by me, I might be able to get saved.
"Take this girl to the courtyard!" the leading man said, then turned and went back.
The other two men pulled me out of the ditch, and I realized there were four men in total. The leader had already walked back, the one on the motorcycle was facing me, and the two men next to him, after pulling me out, didn't hold me anymore, leaving me sandwiched between them. The headlights of the car in the distance were getting closer and closer, and I felt that it must be Chu Zhen.
"Auntie, what brings you here!" I shouted to the side. All three men looked to the side. Taking advantage of their distraction, I quickly ran backward, successfully avoiding the men blocking my way, and ran towards the car. Perhaps seeing me running, the car in front sped up.
"This girl has accomplices, what should we do? Should we continue chasing her?" I heard a voice behind me.
"Forget it, let's hurry back and grab our weapons!"
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