Chapter 153 Extra Chapter 10: Chen Yan's Story: A Tribute to the Great Anti-Drug Police!
When Chen Yan kissed her daughter Tuantuan's forehead for the last time, it was still dark outside the window.
The five-year-old girl smacked her lips in her sleep, unconsciously clutching a strand of her mother's hair. Chen Yan carefully pulled out the strand, lingering a few more moments on the soft cheek.
"Is Mommy going to catch bad guys?" Tuantuan suddenly opened her eyes halfway and asked groggily.
Chen Yan's heart tightened, and she forced a smile: "Mommy has to go to work. Tuantuan, be a good girl and listen to Grandma, okay?"
Tuantuan nodded, her eyelids closing heavily again, but her little hand still gripped her mother's finger tightly. Chen Yan gazed at her daughter's innocent face, a pang of sorrow rising in her chest. How many times had she left before dawn? How many times had she lied to her daughter? She had lost count.
Chen Yan gently closed the door and took a deep breath. In the living room, her husband, Yang Minghui, had already gotten up early and was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Going on another business trip?" Yang Minghui asked without turning his head, flipping the fried eggs with the spatula in his hand.
"Yes, there's a case, I need to go out of town for a few days." Chen Yan tried to make her tone sound relaxed and casual.
Yang Minghui turned around, his eyes filled with worry: "Is it... dangerous this time?"
Chen Yan avoided her husband's gaze and straightened her collar, which didn't need straightening: "It's a typical economic case; we'll check the accounts of a few companies."
lie.
It's all a lie.
Yang Minghui's heart clenched. After a moment of silence, he finally just sighed and said, "Be careful, eat on time, and take good care of yourself."
Chen Yan nodded, her throat tightening. She dared not utter another word, afraid her voice would betray her inner turmoil. Grabbing her briefcase, she strode out of the house without looking back.
A chilly morning wind swept over her, and Chen Yan wrapped her coat tighter around herself as she walked towards the black sedan parked on the street corner. Once in the driver's seat, she finally allowed herself a few seconds to break down—her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white, and she took a deep breath.
Then, she put her mask of composure back on, started the car, and drove toward the old dormitory area of the printing factory, where her mother lived alone.
Chen Yan took out her key and opened the door. Her diligent mother was hanging clothes to dry on the balcony.
"Mom," Chen Yan called out, slowly walking to the balcony and gently hugging her mother's thin shoulders from behind. "Mom, I'm leaving for a few days."
The mother stiffened slightly, then relaxed and patted her daughter's hand: "You're such a big girl now, still acting like a child."
Chen Yan buried her face in her mother's back, inhaling the familiar scent of soap. When she was little, whenever she was scared or sad, she would always hide behind her mother like this, as if it were the safest haven in the world.
"I'm entrusting Tuantuan to you now," Chen Yan said softly.
"Don't worry, how could I not take good care of my granddaughter? If Minghui is too busy, just send Tuantuan over." The mother turned around and looked at her daughter's face. "Look at you, your dark circles are so heavy. Didn't you sleep well again last night? No matter how busy you are at work, you have to take care of your health."
Suddenly, the mother seemed to remember something, and her expression turned serious: "Is there a mission? Is there danger?"
Chen Yan tried to suppress the bitterness welling up in her heart and smiled, "There's no danger at all, it's just an ordinary mission. But it'll take a while, and I'll miss you a little."
The mother was relieved and patted her daughter's arm: "It's okay, we'll wait for you to come back. Take care of yourself while you're away from home, don't get too hot. Did you bring any medicine? I just pickled some chopped peppers, take two bottles with you, you won't be used to the food here."
Chen Yan let her mother nag on without interrupting as usual. These ordinary and trivial expressions of concern sounded so precious at that moment.
"Okay, Mom, I really have to go now." Chen Yan finally let go of her hand, trying to make her tone light. "When I come back, I'll take you and Tuantuan to the newly opened amusement park."
The mother's eyes lit up, then dimmed again: "You always say you'll take us out to play, but when have you ever actually done it? Never mind, I know you're busy, just come back safe and sound."
Chen Yan felt a pang of sadness. She thought of the countless weekends, holidays, birthday parties, and graduation performances she had missed. Each absence was accompanied by a promise to "make it up next time," but that "next time" seemed so far away.
As Chen Yan went downstairs, she glanced back. Her mother was still standing on the balcony, the morning light casting a golden glow on her silhouette. Chen Yan waved, and her mother waved back, a forced smile on her face.
At that moment, Chen Yan suddenly had an impulse to run back and tell her mother the truth—she was not going to carry out a simple mission, but a dangerous mission, a mission from which she might not return.
But in the end, she simply turned around and strode away.
--
The seed for Chen Yan to become a narcotics police officer was planted as early as her childhood.
She grew up in an ordinary working-class family in Yuezhou City. Her father was a printing factory worker and her mother was a primary school teacher. Her most vivid childhood memories are of her father's broad shoulders and her mother's gentle singing voice, as well as the warm moments when the family sat around the small table for dinner.
However, all of this came to an abrupt end when she was thirteen years old.
Uncle Li, my father's old friend, began visiting frequently, each time mysteriously pulling my father to the balcony to talk. Gradually, my father became unpredictable, sometimes inexplicably excited, sometimes irritable and easily angered. The family's savings disappeared, and my parents began arguing about money.
One day, Chen Yan came home from school to find her mother slumped on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her father had been taken away for questioning; it turned out that Uncle Li had lured him into drug addiction, and to raise money to buy drugs, her father had secretly embezzled public funds from the factory.
The father was eventually sentenced to five years in prison. Shortly after his imprisonment, he died in jail from multiple organ failure caused by long-term drug use. On the day of the funeral, the mother did not shed a single tear, but simply held Chen Yan's hand tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
“Yanzi, remember how your father died.” Her mother’s voice was eerily calm. “Stay away from drugs for the rest of your life, and never touch that stuff.”
But Chen Yan did not choose to stay away. Her father's death did not frighten her from drugs; instead, it fueled her deep hatred for drugs and drug dealers. After graduating from high school, she resolutely applied to police academy, graduated with excellent grades, and volunteered to be assigned to the front line of drug enforcement.
"Are you crazy?" Yang Minghui, her then-boyfriend and now husband, vehemently objected. "Drug enforcement is too dangerous! Think of your mother, think of me, what if something happens to you..."
“It is precisely because I have thought of you that I am even more determined to do this,” Chen Yan replied calmly. “I do not want more children to lose their fathers, or more wives to lose their husbands.”
Yang Minghui ultimately failed to persuade her. They hastily married before Chen Yan started her job, and their married life was marked by frequent separations. Yang Minghui went from complaining to getting used to it, and finally, all that remained was silent waiting and worry.
After Tuantuan was born, Chen Yan once considered transferring away from her anti-drug post. But whenever she saw the families destroyed by drugs in the case files, and the way those addicts of similar age to their fathers were barely surviving, she couldn't give up this job.
"Once I finish this mission, I will apply for a transfer." Chen Yan promised her husband countless times, "Then I will pick Tuantuan up and drop her off at school every day, help her with her homework, and take her to the park on weekends."
Yang Minghui could only smile wryly: "You always say that."
Chen Yan was speechless. She knew she was selfish, pushing the responsibility of caring for the family onto her husband and mother, but she couldn't let go of her obsession with anti-drug work. The sense of accomplishment from bringing drug dealers to justice and preventing more family tragedies was an "addiction" she couldn't break.
During her eight years in the anti-drug squad, Chen Yan participated in solving over a hundred cases and arresting more than three hundred drug traffickers. Due to her keen observation skills and outstanding adaptability, she was selected as an undercover investigator, codenamed "Bluebird."
Every undercover mission is a life-or-death struggle.
Chen Yan has played a down-on-her-luck rich girl, a greedy bank clerk, and a shrewd nightclub owner, switching between different roles and dealing with drug dealers. She has witnessed firsthand the tragic fate of her undercover comrades after they were discovered, and knows that once exposed, what awaits her will be a fate worse than death.
But Chen Yan has never regretted her choice. Only when the night is quiet and she looks at the photo of her daughter hidden in her wallet does she feel a trace of hesitation and fear.
"Mom, when are you coming home?" Tuantuan asked with a pout on the phone. The little girl was a bit unhappy because she hadn't seen her mother for so long.
"Soon, baby. Mommy bought you a new dress, I'll put it on you when we get home."
"Really? What color is it?"
"Red, like Little Red Riding Hood."
"Wow! Thank you, Mom! I love you!"
"Mom loves you too, and will always love you."
This conversation took place three days before Chen Yan was murdered.
By then, she had infiltrated the "Spider Web" gang for three months and successfully gained the trust of the lower-level drug dealers. Through covert observation and clever inquiries, she discovered an important clue: Scarface, a core member of the gang, had recently been frequently in contact with a ruthless client with an accent from out of town, and the transactions mostly took place in the suburbs and demolition areas.
Chen Yan judged that this "big customer" might be involved in large-scale transactions or have connections with higher-ups, and decided to risk getting close to confirm the target's identity and movements.
On the evening of June 24th, Chen Yan followed Scarface to the vicinity of the Yonggu New City construction site. She watched Scarface talk to two men before parting ways; the two men, one muscular and the other thin, acted suspiciously. After a moment's hesitation, Chen Yan decided to follow them to see where they were going.
This decision changed the fate of many people.
Chen Yan followed the two into a secluded alley. There were no streetlights in the alley, only the lights from the construction site in the distance providing a little illumination.
She carefully maintained her distance.
Suddenly, the burly man in front stopped and turned around abruptly. Chen Yan was startled and quickly hid behind a nearby trash can, but it was too late.
"Who's there?" the burly man shouted, his voice particularly jarring in the quiet alley.
Chen Yan held her breath, praying that the other party was just bluffing.
But the thin man turned around and walked towards her: "Brother, it seems like someone is really following us."
Chen Yan knew she had been exposed.
She quickly assessed the situation: there were two people on the other side, and she was all alone; the alley was remote, with no passersby, so she couldn't call for help; running away directly might trigger a chase, which would be even more dangerous.
She decided to risk pretending to be a passerby, so she simply stepped out of the shadows and continued walking forward without looking to either side, passing by the two people.
"Stop!" The burly man blocked her path. "What are you doing here alone so late?"
Chen Yan lowered her voice, shrank back, and pretended to be scared: "I...I'm lost, and I'm trying to find my way out."
The burly man sneered, "Lost? What a coincidence? Were you following us just now?"
"No, I really just got lost." Chen Yan was dressed in a tight black dress and high heels, looking very seductive. She was playing the role of a prostitute.
Chen Yan tried to walk around him, but the burly man grabbed her arm.
"Brother, don't cause trouble," the thin man said nervously. "Let her go."
The burly man ignored her and instead pulled Chen Yan closer, scrutinizing her in the dim light: "You're quite pretty. Out alone so late, are you doing *that* kind of work?"
Chen Yan's heart sank; she knew she was in trouble. She tried to break free, but the burly man was incredibly strong and held her firmly in place.
"Don't mess with me, I'm under Brother Wei's protection." Chen Yan calmed herself down and glanced at the burly man sideways. "I just got a job and I'm exhausted. If you want to have some fun, come to Chunfang Lane tomorrow."
Upon hearing the words "Chunfang Lane," the burly man and the skinny man exchanged a glance: "I've never seen you in Chunfang Lane!"
Chen Yan's heart sank.
Is she going to perish here today?
The burly man reached out and touched her shoulder, then followed the line down to her waist, his movements lewd and wanton: "Since you're a woman from Chunfang, then have some fun with me."
Chen Yan tried to struggle, but found that she was completely controlled by the other party and could not move at all.
A chill ran down her spine, and Chen Yan snapped, "Let me go! Aren't you afraid Brother Wei will kill you?"
The burly man gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with ferocity: "What Brother Wei, Brother Li? I don't recognize them! Since we've met tonight, come with me!" With that, he grabbed her with both hands, and one hand began to roughly rub her buttocks.
Chen Yan was surprised by how thirsty the burly man was and opened her mouth as if to call for help.
"Shout! There's not a ghost in this place, let's see who hears you." The burly man grinned maliciously and began to drag her deeper into the alley.
Chen Yan struggled desperately, but she was no match for the man's strength. She realized that this was no ordinary harassment; this desperate man had no intention of letting her go, and she would most likely be silenced after the sexual assault.
As she was being dragged into deeper darkness, Chen Yan saw a figure hiding behind the trash can. It was a thin man watching the scene in terror.
That thin, small man was her only hope.
Chen Yan wanted to call for help, but when she met the eyes of the hiding passersby, she didn't want to drag him into the water. She simply used all her strength to shout, "I'm a police officer—"
Before she could finish speaking, the burly man shoved a knife over her mouth, pressing the tip against her throat: "Damn it, you really are a cop!"
Chen Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.
The fact that the other party knew her identity meant that everything had already been exposed, or that it was a trap all along.
A look of excitement and cruelty flashed in the burly man's eyes: "Very good, we've got the police in the bag."
The instant the blade sliced across her neck, Chen Yan wasn't thinking of pain or fear, but rather how to leave more clues. She struggled desperately, scraping her fingers against the rough wall, trying to leave bloodstains or skin flakes; she kicked her legs, hoping to knock over something as a marker; she even deliberately let the killer's fingers dig into her flesh to leave DNA evidence.
But most importantly, she looked at the witness hiding behind the trash can with her eyes, conveying a silent plea: Remember all of this, tell others what happened.
In her final moments of consciousness, Chen Yan saw her daughter's smiling face. Tuantuan, wearing the red dress Chen Yan had bought for her, twirled in the sunlight, the hem fluttering like a flower.
"I'm sorry, baby." These were Chen Yan's last thoughts. "Mommy can't go back..."
When the news of Chen Yan's murder reached the Yuezhou Public Security Bureau from Yan City, the entire anti-drug squad fell into a deathly silence.
Captain Wei Yongjun locked himself in his office for a full hour. When he emerged, his eyes were bloodshot, but his voice remained calm: "Qingniao has sacrificed herself. Our mission is to capture those scum and avenge her."
Chen Yan's mother learned of her daughter's death from two young police officers who came to offer their condolences. The old woman was preparing dinner in the kitchen, while Tuan Tuan was watching cartoons in the living room.
"Auntie, we are from the Municipal Public Security Bureau..." Before the young policeman could finish speaking, the spatula in the old woman's hand clattered to the ground.
"Where's Yanzi?" the old man asked, his voice trembling. "Did something happen to her?"
The young policeman couldn't bear to look directly into the old man's earnest gaze and lowered his head: "Comrade Chen Yan... sacrificed her life while on duty..."
The old woman stumbled, grabbing the kitchen doorframe to keep from falling. Tuantuan, hearing the commotion, ran over from the living room: "Grandma, what happened? Why are the police officers at our house?"
The old man fought back tears and hugged Tuantuan tightly, saying, "It's alright, baby, it's alright..."
But the child sensed something and began to feel uneasy: "Where's Mom? Mom said she would call me. She said she would bring Tuantuan a red dress back."
At that moment, the old woman could no longer control herself and burst into tears, hugging her granddaughter. Tuantuan was startled by her grandmother's reaction and started crying too, "I want my mommy! I want my mommy!"
Yang Minghui was on a business trip when he received the news. He rushed back to Yuezhou overnight, praying all the way that it was a misunderstanding, that Yanzi was just temporarily out of contact like before, and that she would return safely soon.
But when he saw his wife's mutilated body at the funeral home, his last hope was shattered.
Yang Minghui knelt before the body, his fingers trembling as he stroked the chunks of flesh that had been pulled from the sewer.
His wife was dead, her body incomplete, with only her head, devoid of flesh and blood, telling the story of the pain and torment she had endured.
“You said you would be careful…” Yang Minghui choked up, “You said you would be transferred after this mission, you said you would take Tuantuan to the amusement park, how could you break your promise, how could you!”
Chen Yan's funeral was held on a gloomy, rainy morning.
Hundreds of police officers in uniform stood silently in the rain, bidding a final farewell to the brave policewoman. Tuantuan, wearing a red dress, clutched her mother's photograph tightly, unable to understand why everyone was dressed in black, and why her mother, lying in that beautiful box, didn't get up to hug her.
“Mom is asleep,” her grandmother told her. “She’s so tired, she’s going to sleep for a very long time.”
"When will she wake up?" Tuantuan asked. "I want her to see me wearing my new dress."
The grandmother didn't answer; she just hugged the child tightly in her arms, tears silently streaming down her face.
Standing before his wife's coffin, Yang Minghui spoke on behalf of the family. His voice trembled at first, but gradually became firm: "Yanzi chose this path because she believed some things were worth sacrificing her life for. She couldn't fulfill her promise to her family, but she fulfilled her promise to the country and the people. Tuantuan and I will always be proud of her..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yang Minghui was already sobbing uncontrollably.
Three months after Chen Yan's sacrifice, her killer was sentenced to death. Upon hearing the verdict, Yang Minghui held Tuantuan in her arms and whispered, "Baby, Mommy can rest in peace now."
Tuantuan looked up, her eyes just like Chen Yan's: "Daddy, has Mommy turned into an angel?"
"Yes, baby. Mommy has become an angel and is watching over us from heaven."
That night, while sorting through Chen Yan's belongings, Yang Minghui found a letter addressed to him. The envelope read, "To Minghui, if I don't come back."
Minghui:
If you are reading this letter, it means I can no longer say these things to you in person. I'm sorry, I've broken my promise to you again.
I knew this job was dangerous when I chose it, but I've never regretted it. Every time I catch a drug dealer, I might save a dozen families and prevent more children from losing their parents. That makes me feel that all the risks are worthwhile.
The only thing I can't let go of is you and Tuantuan. I know I haven't been a good wife or a good mother, and I've missed too many important moments. But please believe me, every time I leave, I have you in my heart; every time I come home, it's because I'm thinking of you that I persevere.
If I don't come back, please don't be too sad. Tell Tuantuan that Mommy loves her, very, very much. I didn't mean to leave her; I just had to do some important things.
You were a good husband and a good father. After I'm gone, I hope you can find new happiness and a woman who can be by your and Tuantuan's side at all times. Don't let her be like me, always making you wait and worry.
Finally, thank you for your understanding and support over the years. Being able to love you and have Tuantuan is the luckiest thing in my life.
I will always love you.
swallow"
After reading the letter, Yang Minghui's vision blurred with tears again. He pressed the letter to his chest, as if that would allow him to feel his wife's warmth.
Outside the window, stars twinkled in the night sky. Yang Minghui recalled his daughter's words: "Mom has become an angel."
Perhaps the swallow truly became a star in the night sky, continuing to protect everything she loved.
In the anti-drug squad, Chen Yan's story continues to be told. Newly recruited police officers are inspired by "Bluebird's" legendary tale, moved by her courage and spirit of sacrifice; her colleagues in the anti-drug squad take her as an example and continue to fight on the invisible battlefield; those she saved may not know her name, but they have been given a new lease on life because of her.
In the alley where she lost her life, a bouquet of white flowers had been placed there sometime during the night. The card inside the bouquet read:
"To the unknown heroes: Your courage will not be forgotten."
As time goes by, flowers wither and are renewed, but that phrase remains, silently telling a story about courage, sacrifice, and never forgetting.
Chen Yan's life was forever frozen at the age of thirty-two, but her spirit, like a seed, has taken root and sprouted in the hearts of countless people, blossoming into flowers of hope.
In that dark alley, the last words she uttered, "I'm a cop—," were not only a declaration of her identity but also a steadfast commitment to justice and an unyielding spirit against evil. These unspoken words have become an eternal echo, reminding every follower that some light cannot be swallowed even by the deepest darkness.
As an old policeman said at the memorial service, "Chen Yan is gone, but the torch she lit will continue to be passed on in our hands. Drug dealers can kill a policeman, but they can never kill justice. As long as there is one person who remembers her, as long as there is one person who continues her unfinished work, Chen Yan has never truly left."
As night fell, the streetlights in Yuezhou City lit up one by one. Under one of the streetlights, a little girl held her father's hand, pointed to the sky, and said, "Daddy, look at that brightest star!"
Yang Minghui looked up and smiled, "Yes, it's really bright. That's Mom watching over us."
Looking at the starry sky, Tuantuan whispered, "Mommy, I was a good girl today, and Grandma praised me. Mommy, I miss you..."
A night breeze blew by, like a gentle caress. Father and daughter walked hand in hand toward home, the starlight behind them illuminating their path, never to be extinguished.
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