Chapter 114: Encountering Officer Jiao Again

The days of becoming Wukong’s junior brother streamed by without interruption.

Liu Yunfei was a bit agitated by her expression. “I’m just telling you, don’t get upset. The day before yesterday, I ran into Chen Zhiqiang at the vehicle management office. He was holding hands with his boss’s wife. You could tell their relationship wasn’t ordinary—very ambiguous. I’m here today to expose his ugly true colors.” Liu Yunfei blurted it all out in one breath, finally feeling a weight lifted from his chest.

Unexpectedly, Dong Qianqian lunged at him fiercely, pushing him toward the hospital room’s door, shouting, “Today I finally see clearly—the one with the ugly face isn’t him, it’s you, a despicable and shameless villain! All you do is sow discord and slander maliciously. Get lost! I never want to see you again, you scum!”

Liu Yunfei felt a surge of anger. He came with good intentions to warn her, and if she didn’t believe him, fine, but to accuse him of being despicable was too much. Suddenly, he pushed Dong Qianqian away, perhaps a bit too forcefully, and she squatted onto the floor with a thud. “Wake up! I was just afraid you’d be deceived. I gave you good intentions, but it’s like throwing pearls before swine. I don’t care anymore. Do whatever you want—I’m done.”

Fuming, Liu Yunfei gasped for breath and stormed off. When Aunt Dong returned to the ward after shopping, she happened upon the scene and hurried over to help Dong Qianqian up. “What happened? You two were fine just now—why are you fighting?”

“Waa…” Dong Qianqian buried her face in her mother’s arms and sobbed. She hadn’t completely disbelieved Liu Yunfei’s words. Lately, Chen Zhiqiang’s behavior seemed off—he used to wear clothes bought at the market, but now he was dressing in designer brands. After three years, he had replaced his old plastic black-rimmed glasses with gold-rimmed ones. He often sneaked around, furtively making calls, frequently going out behind her back. When Liu Yunfei mentioned it, she had a sinking feeling it might be true, but deep down, she didn’t want to believe it all. She liked Chen Zhiqiang precisely because he was poor, plain-looking, and without connections; she admired his honesty and kindness, his experience of hardship. To think such a sincere and honest man could betray her—this world was truly mad. A mouse serving as the bridesmaid for a cat.

Driving out of the hospital, Liu Yunfei’s mood was equally grim—not just bad, but very bad. He slammed open the car door. “What? Parking fee? I gave you twenty bucks at noon! No way! That wasn’t you at noon? Then go ask whoever was.” The old lady at the parking lot glanced at the young man with a hostile look, as if he might eat her alive, but dared not say more. As Liu Yunfei’s car roared away, she cursed, “Little brat, bullying an old lady—ten bucks would’ve bought you medicine.”

Just as smiles are contagious, so too is a bad mood infectious. It’s like a certain boss who quarrels with his wife, then comes to work to criticize employees and dock their pay; the employees, dependent on the boss for their livelihood, dare not show their bad mood. They go home and give their wives sour looks; the wives, reliant on their husbands, dare not talk back and instead take it out on the dog; the dog, dependent on its owner, dares not retaliate and runs outside to bite the cat; the cat, wanting to fight back but no match for the dog, chases after the mice; and the mice, dying, never realize that their demise stems from that boss’s domestic troubles.

Similarly, the old lady watching the cars never knew her lost ten yuan was because of that damned Chen Zhiqiang.

Liu Yunfei aimlessly drove through the streets of Huangjiang, the myriad streetlights illuminating the roads beautifully. But his heart wasn’t in it; he just wanted the fierce wind to cool the fire burning in his mind. He pressed the accelerator harder, the engine’s roar ringing in his ears. “Although I had some purpose, I wouldn’t go so far as to fabricate stories to deceive you. I was afraid you’d be cheated, but instead, I became the despicable villain with an ugly face.”

“A6688, you’re seriously violating traffic rules. Please pull over immediately,” a female voice came from the police car flashing its lights behind him.

No matter how angry, Liu Yunfei wouldn’t mess with the police. He glanced back; the Passat police car was falling behind. Sighing, he braked and stopped just outside the parking line.

The police car stopped behind him. A poised female officer with straight eyebrows and an air of integrity approached, saluted, and said, “Please show me your driver’s license.”

Liu Yunfei’s car was low, and as he squinted, he caught sight of the officer’s abdomen but didn’t bother to look up. He grunted and handed over his license.

“Liu Yunfei, it’s you again.”

“Huh? You know me?” Liu Yunfei tilted his head and looked up, smirking. “Your name’s Jiao something, right? Sorry, I only caught your last name.”

“Jiao Kewei.” She didn’t want to get into a tussle over this matter. She thought, if only you’d left this mess alone. But it had been a while since she last saw him; what’s his background? He’s driving a Porsche now.

“Aren’t you a detective? Why are you involved?”

“I deal with all kinds of lawbreaking, not just the police. Even ordinary citizens can intervene,” Jiao Kewei declared righteously, as if she’d caught a wanted fugitive.

“So you’re a do-gooder who sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong,” Liu Yunfei joked, not wanting to have points deducted from his newly acquired license. “Come on, Sister Jiao, cut me some slack. It’s my first offense; I just got my license and didn’t know better. Besides, we’ve both done our bit of heroics before. One good deed cancels one bad one. No more next time.”

“You drew a gun last time?” Jiao Kewei, being a detective, was sensitive to the word “gun.”

“Uh, cough.” Liu Yunfei had shamelessly referred to a man’s gun, but now that Jiao Kewei had noticed, he couldn’t be straightforward. “I meant I drew a blade. Did you really see me draw a gun last time?”

Jiao Kewei noted that today he was being somewhat honest and refrained from teasing him. She also hadn’t taken a photo or tested his car because if the traffic police were called, he might deny everything. So she gave him a verbal warning: “I doubt you’d dare do it again. You said you’re still a student, right? Then act like one—don’t pick up nasty habits. And since you just got your license, don’t try to get it revoked next time. Be careful, or if it’s the traffic police, you’ll be in real trouble.” She tossed his license back.

“Aren’t you Officer Jiao?”

“What did you say?” Jiao Kewei turned around again.

“I said you’re the traffic cop named Jiao… officer,” Liu Yunfei said, the engine still running. He slammed the accelerator and sped off like a wild horse, leaving behind a trail of arrogant laughter.

Jiao Kewei stomped her foot. “He got away again.” But unlike last time, she wasn’t angry. Her beautiful, spirited face bore a smile as she looked after the mischievous youth, reminding her of her brother. She hadn’t seen him in a long time and wondered if he could handle the hardships ahead.

After exchanging a few words with Jiao Kewei, Liu Yunfei’s mood lifted and his fighting spirit soared. If one isn’t shameless, one can never be invincible. A mere setback shouldn’t break him—was this the behavior of someone who pursues great deeds and chases after women? Calm down, calm down. Today was a mistake. Earlier, seeing Dong Qianqian upset and stirring up trouble was wrong. A master would have set a trap so that Dong Qianqian would witness Chen Zhiqiang with that woman by chance, then comfort and win her over in one fell swoop. Mistakes should be learned from, not repeated. And what if he wanted to pursue Officer Jiao? His desires stirred again. That might be tricky—he certainly couldn’t help her catch a thief, could he?

Looking up, he realized he had already driven to the bustling food street. It was seven or eight in the evening—the busiest time. Cars flowed past, men and women in colorful attire streamed into restaurants of all sizes, searching for seats. Living was all about eating, and here, that was most directly reflected.

Since the Huangjiang city government opened this food street, all other restaurants had taken a huge hit. People preferred to travel a bit farther to eat here because of the variety and the scale, which made it attractive. Despite repeated extensions of the street, during dinner hours, every table was taken.

Driving to the end of the food street, he spotted Zhang Xiaoli’s enormous Mongolian yurt—a blatant illegal structure. It truly was an eyesore amidst the prosperous commercial streets, clashing with the surrounding buildings. To have such a huge illegal construction standing there year-round required immense influence.