She only believes in herself.
Duan Ruiming rushed back to Yangzhou overnight.
Although he entrusted the matter to Zhou Junchang, he still didn't trust Xu Li.
They arrived in Yangzhou on the afternoon of the second day, and Duan Ruiming arranged to meet Zhou Junchang.
On the very night Zhou Jun found Xu Li, he called Duan Ruiming back to inform him that he had found Xu Li and that Xu Li would be going to work as usual the next day.
Because Zhou Jun was only free at night, Duan Ruiming waited outside Mingyueye in the afternoon, but he did not see Xu Li.
Although Zhou Jun didn't see Xu Li, he often said that Xu Li was going to work as usual, so everything should be fine.
For some reason, Duan Ruiming subconsciously trusted Zhou Junchang.
Duan Ruiming and Zhou Junchang didn't talk much, and he didn't know much about Zhou Junchang's character or personality, but he could sense that Zhou Junchang had a reliable quality about him.
Working as a police officer involves encountering many cases. In college, teachers taught them not to easily trust anyone.
Duan Ruiming had always known this, but he couldn't control himself when facing Zhou Junchang.
Duan Ruiming himself couldn't explain the reason.
In the evening, Zhou Jun arrived at the restaurant on time.
The dishes were already on the table, not fancy dishes with fish and meat, but rather the kind of simple stir-fries you'd find at home.
At this time of day, the shop is crowded, mostly with people out for a late-night snack.
The other tables ordered barbecue and grilled meats, but their table was the only one that ordered home-style dishes.
Duan Ruiming raised his glass. Because of his profession, he didn't drink alcohol, so his glass contained tea: "Thank you for what happened last time!"
"Which incident are you referring to last time?"
Should I deliver your things, or should I contact Xu Li?
Duan Ruiming drank the tea in one gulp and said with a smile, "Thank you so much. I'm so grateful to you. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do anything."
Zhou Jun opened a bottle of soda but didn't say anything.
Duan Ruiming changed the subject and asked, "Actually, you should be younger than me, right?"
"Twenty-three."
Zhou Jun often overstated his age; he's actually only twenty-two, turning twenty-two this December.
Duan Ruiming scratched his head: "I knew it. As a policeman, I'm pretty good at judging people. I'm 25 this year."
Zhou Jun could often sense that Duan Ruiming was truly proud of his job as a police officer, and his eyes would light up whenever he mentioned it.
Duan Ruiming wondered why someone so young could possess such composure.
Duan Ruiming seemed to have thought of something, and a tear flashed in his eyes as he said, "You remind me of someone."
Zhou Junchang remained noncommittal and did not press further about who Duan Ruiming resembled.
For Zhou Junchang, such trivial matters were mostly of little concern to him.
Duan Ruiming didn't continue speaking, as if it had touched on something painful for him, and he just lowered his head and picked up his food.
Silence.
After finishing another glass of water, Duan Ruiming asked, "I arrived in Yangzhou this afternoon and have been waiting outside your store, but I haven't seen Xu Li. Is she alright now?"
"Um."
That's all.
Duan Ruiming assumed that Zhou Junchang should understand his meaning.
Duan Ruiming hoped that Zhou Jun would often talk to him about Xu Li's current situation, or her past situation.
However, Zhou Junchang did not say anything else.
Not hearing what he wanted to hear, Duan Ruiming spoke again: "Xu Li's personality is actually very cheerful, but she is a bit stubborn. Many people initially thought that Xu Li was difficult to get along with, so they made up their minds about her. But I see that you and Xu Li get along quite well."
Zhou Junchang was smarter than anyone else, and upon hearing this, he understood: "So you came to me simply because in your eyes, I can talk to her, so you want me to help you persuade Xu Li."
Zhou Junchang showed no mercy and directly exposed Duan Ruiming's thoughts.
“I know this is a lot of trouble for you, but some things can’t be done just because Xu Li wants them to.” Duan Ruiming scratched his head in frustration. “You should try to persuade Xu Li to come back to Linpu with me…”
Zhou Jun often thought of Xu Li that night, kneeling alone in front of the grave.
The entire cemetery was deserted and dark all around. Few people could stay there alone, let alone at night.
What could possibly make Xu Li stand there all by herself?
Xu Li's shoulders were shaking; she was crying.
Zhou Junchang had never seen Xu Li cry, nor did he think Xu Li was the kind of person who liked to cry.
So what happened to make him unable to hold on?
The matter is certainly far more complex than the loss of a loved one.
After that, Zhou Junchang didn't listen to what Duan Ruiming was saying; he just kept thinking about Xu Li.
The scene that night was too shocking for Zhou Junchang; it was completely different from the Xu Li he remembered.
In Zhou Jun's memory, Xu Li was somewhat charming and even had a womanly allure, because she always wore a bodycon skirt to work. The skirt was fitted at the waist, making her waist look very slim, and her chest was slightly full with a smooth curve...
That person would actually kneel alone in the night...
"Just like you said, Xu Li has a hard time making friends, and very few people can talk to her. So, you took advantage of her trust and her trust in me to achieve your goal and deceive her. Is this how you, as a police officer, do things?"
Zhou Junchang's emotions were somewhat fluctuating, and his voice was a bit harsh.
This was the first time Duan Ruiming had seen Zhou Junchang's emotions fluctuate so much.
Duan Ruiming hurriedly explained, "No, I'm not using you. It's just that you're the only one who's familiar with Xu Li, and besides, didn't she accept the things I asked you to give her last time?"
Mentioning Zhou Junchang from last time makes her angry. He doesn't like to meddle in other people's business. Last time, he kindly helped Duan Ruiming deliver something, which was already unprecedented. Who knows what was inside? It caused Xu Li to disappear for several days.
"Have you ever thought about what I am in Xu Li's eyes?"
Duan Ruiming was a little flustered: "Aren't you and her friends? I really had no choice, I... I did it for her own good."
Zhou Jun usually exudes a somewhat aloof aura, and now his tone is even more devoid of warmth, like a piece of iron in the snow, painfully cold.
"Since you know that Xu Li doesn't have many friends, you should cherish the people around her who can talk to her now, instead of taking advantage of her trust in others to force her to do things she doesn't want to do."
“I don’t know what your relationship with Xu Li is, but you keep saying that you’re doing this for her own good, but in my opinion, it’s not really for her own good.”
"I……"
Duan Ruiming didn't continue speaking; perhaps in his heart, he also felt that what he was doing was not right.
But what could he do? He couldn't explain to Zhou Jun why he did it this way. In Duan Ruiming's eyes, this was the best solution.
"You really like your job, but that's precisely why I feel so disconnected from it."
Zhou Junchang was actually speaking on his own behalf when he said that.
Although he may be aloof and indifferent to other matters, it doesn't mean he condones acts that trample on genuine feelings.
On the contrary, he detests and is most disgusted by such behavior. He believes that gambling with other people's sincerity is an unforgivable thing in his eyes.
Before leaving, Zhou Junchang said his last words: "Xu Li and I are not as close as you think, and she will not trust me. She does not trust anyone; she only trusts herself."
Watching Zhou Junchang's departing figure, Duan Ruiming had never felt so defeated before, and a deep sense of powerlessness weighed on him.
Duan Ruiming closed his eyes. He thought of Xu Zhengbei, a person who was of great significance to him, the person who had guided him since he started working.
Duan Ruiming was fulfilling his duties as a policeman, following the principles of justice he had been taught, but now he was being criticized for doing things wrong and not doing them well enough.
Duan Ruiming tilted his head back, trying to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes, but they still slid down his cheeks.
——
**
Zhou Junchang hasn't been sleeping well lately. Ever since that night, he's felt like something's weighing on his mind. He doesn't know what's wrong, but everything seems normal.
Zhou Ji returned a few days later. When he came back, he praised Zhou Junchang, saying that he had managed things well and asked him if he had calculated the turnover. He said that if there was more, he would give him a share of the profits.
Zhou Jun often shook his head and said no, it was what he should do.
Zhou Jun no longer needed to keep running to the shop; he would only go to Tian Guang Hall when Zhou Ji asked them to play billiards.
I can see Xu Li sometimes, but most of the time I can't.
Xu Li is still the same Xu Li, the Xu Li with a captivating charm.
Zhou Junchang didn't know what Xu Li was like before, but he knew that Xu Li now was definitely not the same Xu Li as before.
Some things change and can never be undone.
Zhou Jun often recalled Duan Ruiming saying that Xu Li was a bit stubborn, and Zhou Jun often agreed with this.
But Duan Ruiming also said that Xu Li didn't seem easy to get along with at first.
Zhou Junchang thought that Xu Li wasn't actually that difficult to get along with, but rather that she seemed a bit too casual, making her hard to handle.
Therefore, most people are deterred and unwilling to spend time getting to know someone who is unpredictable.
Xu Li will blink and ask you questions when he's drunk, cheer when you sink a ball, patiently solve problems, and even treat you to a meal to apologize...
These are things you can only understand after spending time getting to know a person.
On one occasion, when Zhou Junchang was playing billiards with Zhou Ji in Tianguang Hall, Zhou Ji asked Zhou Junchang to extend the time.
Even though I own the shop, there are still some procedures I need to follow.
Zhou Jun often walked to the front desk, just as Xu Li was standing there on duty.
But her gaze wasn't on the pool table, nor on Zhou Junchang.
Xu Li was staring blankly at the green plants next to her.
Zhou Jun knocked on the table, making a "thump-thump" sound, before pulling Xu Li back.
Their interactions remained the same as before, without any closeness arising from what had happened between them.
Xu Li looked at Zhou Junchang without the slightest embarrassment at being caught daydreaming. Instead, she glanced at Zhou Junchang and said, "Speak."
His tone was somewhat impatient.
Zhou Jun remained expressionless, showing no difference because of Xu Li: "The boss's table can continue for another two hours."
Xu Li kept her head down, typing on her computer, and didn't reply to Zhou Junchang.
After Zhou Junchang left, he took out wine and wine glasses from the cabinet and delivered them to Zhou Ji.
Xu Li knew that Zhou Ji liked wine, so every time Zhou Ji came to the shop, Xu Li would bring him the wine without him having to order it himself.
That night, they played ball until very late, so late that their shop even extended its closing time, even though there were no customers.
Zhou Junchang didn't stay until the end; he went home halfway through.
Later, I heard that Hu Hei played a game with Zhou Ji once, but because his skills were so bad, Zhou Ji kept mentioning Zhou Junchang.
However, he only learned this from a group of his brothers later.
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