The following afternoon, Jiang Shuya, who was busy at work, was summoned to the police station by Officer Luo. After calming down, she couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that Huang Tao has been found and caught?
The thought of this person would haunt her for the rest of her life, haunting her with nightmares every night, as if he were a brand etched into her destiny, an inescapable entanglement. As long as he was not caught, the string in her heart would be taut, like a time bomb hanging in mid-air.
As they entered the police station, Officer Luo's smiling face brightened. Upon seeing him, Jiang Shuya eagerly asked, "Has Huang Tao been arrested?"
Officer Luo's smile instantly faded at her sudden question, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Seeing Jiang Shuya's anxious eyes, as if he had done something wrong, he felt a little guilty and then said with a kind face, "We are still pursuing him. Judging from his whereabouts, he has been in the Northwest region these past few days. We have contacted major provinces and cities to jointly apprehend Huang Tao and will not give him the opportunity to commit any more heinous acts."
Jiang Shuya knew she couldn't ask any more questions. Wanted criminals were also police secrets. Perhaps because she seemed to care more and was a victim, Officer Luo said a few more words to soothe her anxiety.
At this moment, Lin Moxiao was seen behind Officer Luo. He was calm and composed, and the injuries on his face had healed considerably in the few days since he last saw them. There were almost no obvious marks left, and he had returned to his usual cold and stern appearance.
Jiang Shuya's lips curved into a smile, revealing her usual expression: "Mr. Lin is here too!"
He nodded, expressionless, his deep eyes devoid of any emotion.
At this moment, Officer Luo took out a document detailing the arrest from his desk: "Thanks to your timely report and your ability to deal with those criminals, we were able to capture an important figure in a child trafficking gang, namely Song Shiming. This man is wicked and cunning; everyone in the gang calls him Old Song. He has been involved in more than a dozen child trafficking cases. The other two were also brought in by him; they usually helped him cover up and were responsible for transferring the children. After being interrogated, Song Qi confessed that he met Huang Tao at a nightclub last year. The two often gambled together and frequented brothels in the shadows. This was Huang Tao's first time joining the gang to try to transfer those three children."
"Of the three children, two have returned home, and the third is still hospitalized for observation. The situation is relatively optimistic, and he can go home before the New Year. All the families have agreed to pay the corresponding reward immediately. The reward money that our police station submitted will be distributed to you three today. As for how to divide it, you can discuss it yourselves. Because three criminals were arrested this time, the city police station has added an extra 30,000 to encourage the public to bravely report suspects, making it a total of 60,000. Here is the reward agreement. Please sign it, and I will have Xiao Zhou take you to collect the money."
"Sixty thousand." Jiang Shuya was now extremely sensitive to this number, her scalp tingling. Before she could react, Lin Moxiao lowered his head and picked up the pen to sign.
After he signed, Officer Luo gestured for her to sign as well. Jiang Shuya picked up the pen and noticed that Sun Qi's name had also been signed not far away. She looked up at Officer Luo, who smiled and said, "I saw you were quite busy the other day, so I put this matter aside and went to the ward to see Sun Qi and have him sign. But he specifically reminded me that you should be in charge of handling this money."
Jiang Shuya was a little surprised when she heard this. After thinking about it, she decided that since everyone would get a share, and it was 60,000, then she would give 20,000 to each person.
"Since it's a reward from the government, we'll gladly accept it. But let's skip the family's share! We can save it for the children." Jiang Shuya was overjoyed and spoke with a smug air.
Officer Luo nodded with a smile, indicating to Xiao Zhou to take them to the finance department to collect the money.
Xiao Zhou quickly brought out the 60,000 yuan. Jiang Shuya hugged the large envelope containing the 60,000 yuan, her heart pounding. She was even more nervous than when she had taken the 100,000 yuan from Jiang Donglai to build her house. Now, she had a share of this money, and it belonged entirely to her. She was overjoyed.
Seeing Lin Moxiao's silent and calm face, who never even glanced at the money, Jiang Shuya hesitated until the two walked out of the police station. She touched the envelope, looking hesitant. Lin Moxiao walked beside her, casually lighting a cigarette. The next second, the smoke drifted from his mouth, and he stared intently ahead. Jiang Shuya was a little stunned. It had only been a few days since she last saw him, but the person in front of her seemed like a completely different person. She felt so unfamiliar with him.
She frowned and hesitated before saying, "Mr. Lin, there's a total of 60,000 yuan here. I'll keep 20,000 for Sun Qi. I know that if it weren't for you that day, Sun Qi and I might not be alive today. Here's the remaining 40,000 yuan for you! I know this isn't much to you, but I owe you a lot."
After saying that, he took out 20,000 yuan from the large envelope and put it in his bag, then handed the remaining 40,000 yuan (attached to the envelope) to Lin Moxiao.
Lin Moxiao didn't reach out to take the money. He turned his head and subconsciously saw the black scarf he was wearing around her neck, her fair face, and her sincere eyes looking at him earnestly.
He walked past Jiang Shuya, threw his cigarette on the ground, extinguished the starlight with his toe, and said casually, "Going back to the mall? I'm just passing by."
Jiang Shuya checked the time; it was still early, and she hadn't finished shipping her goods yet. She was determined to give him the money, even if it was just in his car. So, without hesitation, she followed him and got into the car.
The car was silent. He drove without saying a word. Jiang Shuya carefully placed the money on the back seat. As soon as she did, she heard the silent voice: "I don't need this money. You can take it back."
“No, no, this is what you deserve. Without you, those children wouldn’t be able to go home, and the human traffickers would get away with it,” Jiang Shuya replied nervously.
"You really don't want to owe me anything, so you're willing to use your share to compensate me. Is that how you feel better, and then you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore?" Lin Moxiao's expression was somewhat painful, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
Jiang Shuya looked up at him blankly and said, "I really don't want to owe you anything. I never thought we had anything to do with each other. We're just classmates and alumni, just not very close. I see you as an older brother, nothing more."
Lin Moxiao roared angrily, "What about five years ago? I wrote you a letter five years ago and confessed my feelings to you in person. Are you going to tell me that you don't remember that either?"
Jiang Shuya was stunned by his shout. Seeing his angry face made her tremble and her spine go cold. She took a deep breath and her mind began to be in chaos: Wasn't that something that happened in her past life? Could it have happened in this life as well?
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