Chapter 17

Liu Handong, carrying two plastic bags of leftover food, first returned to the rented dormitory to collect his belongings. Since the rent had expired, the landlord had piled his luggage in the corridor: two pairs of shoes, a set of camouflage uniform, and a quilt—these were all of Liu Handong's possessions.

Holding these items, Liu Handong took a taxi back to Tiexia Street. He had paid three months' rent and couldn't just leave like this. When he entered No. 108, the mahjong game was still going on. The four aunts playing mahjong turned their heads to look at him but said nothing. The landlady glanced at him and then ignored him, coughing dryly. Everyone continued as if nothing had happened.

Liu Handong went upstairs and found that the bullet holes on the wall had been covered with plaster, and the bloodstains had been cleaned up, leaving no trace of the bloody battle. On the second floor, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were not at home, and Zhu Xiaoqiang was still huddled in the sweltering room playing DOTA. Seeing Liu Handong return, he immediately took off his headphones and ran out, whispering mysteriously, "Where have you been these past two days? A big case happened here the day before yesterday, and the police took my phone's memory card."

"Is that so," Liu Handong replied casually, then went up to the fourth floor. The door was wide open, and the room, which had already been sparsely furnished, was now in a mess after being ransacked by the police. Liu Handong sat on the bed, feeling that something was missing.

It was Xiaofan.

Although he had only spent two days and one night with the little girl, they had gone through life-and-death situations together. Her sudden absence left him feeling empty.

...

At Jiangdong International Airport, a Gulfstream G650 business jet from the United States landed on the runway. There was only one female passenger on board, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, carrying simple luggage. She quickly cleared customs, and a group of men and women in suits rushed to greet her, talking excitedly.

"Where is Xiaofan?" An Xin threw her luggage to a female staff member and walked quickly, with her subordinates following closely behind, reporting the situation: "Miss is staying at the home of the provincial public security chief, very safe; the group's website was hacked, but the damage was not severe; the construction of the industrial park has been halted for three days due to local thugs; two workers were seriously injured in an accident, and their families have been causing a disturbance at the company gate for two days; the senior director of the R&D department, Yang Juan, has submitted his resignation..."

An Xin suddenly stopped, her eyebrows furrowing. "What else? With Mr. Xia and me away, the company is in such a mess. What are you all doing?"

Everyone fell silent.

An Xin continued, "Who is behind the kidnapping of Miss? Have you traced the hacker's IP? Coordinate with the local police to resolve the issues with the industrial park construction. If the district police can't handle it, go to the city police, and if they can't, go to the provincial police! Compensate the injured workers more and arrange jobs for their families. Do it immediately. I will talk to Yang Juan personally."

The group arrived at the parking lot, and An Xin saw that the vehicles waiting for her were three identical black Mercedes S350s and two Land Cruisers, all filled with security guards in black BDU uniforms. She couldn't help but laugh, "What a fuss, making a mountain out of a molehill."

A security supervisor said, "Ms. An, these are extraordinary times, and the group can't afford any losses."

An Xin nodded, "Get in the car."

The convoy drove on the airport expressway with hazard lights on. An Xin held a tablet and wore a Bluetooth earpiece, handling business efficiently. As they approached the city, she instructed the convoy to disperse, taking only one Mercedes to the provincial public security chief's residential area.

At Song Jianfeng's home, the doorbell rang. Song Shuang, wearing slippers, went to open the door and was surprised to see the woman outside. "Are you Ms. An?"

An Xin smiled and greeted her, "Hello, you can call me An Xin. I'm here to pick up Xiaofan, and I've already called."

"Come in," Song Shuang invited her in.

In the spacious living room, a middle-aged couple was already seated. They didn't greet An Xin but turned their heads away. An Xin greeted them politely, "Mr. Xia, Aunt, hello."

The middle-aged man was Xia Fan's uncle, Xia Baishi, wearing a POLO shirt with a Louis Vuitton belt buckle. He nodded and asked, "Why isn't Qing Shi back?"

An Xin replied, "Mr. Xia just had surgery and can't travel long distances. I was sent to handle the situation." After saying this, she ignored Xia Baishi and asked Song Shuang, "Where is Xiaofan?"

Song Shuang said, "Wait a moment, I'll call her."

The Song family lived in a duplex with a large area. Xiaofan was hiding in the innermost bedroom, unwilling to come out. Song Shuang persuaded her, "Come out, you can't hide forever."

Xiaofan said, "I don't like them, I don't want to go with them."

Song Shuang said, "Your uncle and aunt are clearly worldly, and I don't like them either, but this Aunt An seems okay, not like the fox spirit you described."

Xiaofan said, "If she's not a fox spirit, how could she seduce my father?"

At this moment, the iPad on the table rang, and it was a FaceTime call from Xia Qingshi. Song Shuang accepted the call, and Xia Qingshi's gaunt face appeared on the screen.

"Dear daughter, are you still angry? Can't you forgive your father?" Xia Qingshi's voice was full of paternal affection.

"Dad," Xiaofan's eyes welled up with tears.

"Father just had surgery and can't come to pick you up personally. I've asked Aunt An to take you to the United States, to be with your father. The scenery in Tennessee is beautiful, and your father misses you very much." Xia Qingshi reached out as if to wipe away the tears on the screen.

There was a faint commotion in the living room, and the police dog Coco came in, tugging at Song Shuang's sleeve, urging her to go out.

Song Shuang came to the living room and saw An Xin standing with her arms crossed, smiling coldly. Xia Baishi's wife was relentless, "Blaming us, it's unjust. We are her direct relatives, unlike some people."

Xia Baishi said, "Enough, say less."

His wife retorted, "Say less? Your brother trusts outsiders more than you, his elder brother. Now that something has happened, he blames us. What have we done wrong? I want to make things clear today."

An Xin said, "I'm not blaming you. You are not direct relatives. Xiaofan's only direct relative is Mr. Xia. I am fully authorized by Mr. Xia to take Xiaofan away. Do you have any objections?"

"Who do you think you are? You left her with us and now want to take her back with a word?" The woman's voice grew louder.

"Argue outside if you want. This is my home," Song Shuang said coldly.

Xia Baishi's wife immediately backed down, as she was not one to cause trouble in the home of the provincial public security chief.

"Take her away if you want, it will be peaceful," Xia Baishi said.

The couple left reluctantly, and Xiaofan also came out of the bedroom, clearly influenced by her father's persuasion.

"Xiaofan, are you feeling better?" An Xin squatted down and asked tentatively. The girl had been suffering from autism since her mother's death and had not spoken.

Xiaofan remained silent.

An Xin knew the child didn't like her and didn't force the issue. "The plane is ready, and your visa is still valid." She checked her watch. "Let's go now, so you can see your father sooner."

Xiaofan said, "I'm not going."

An Xin was surprised. "Why not? It's not safe here, and the bad people might come back. Can you bear to make your father worry?"

Xiaofan said, "I don't need your protection. I have a brother."

"Brother?" An Xin looked at Song Shuang with a puzzled expression.

Song Shuang explained, "In the past few days, someone has been protecting Xiaofan. Otherwise, the bad people would have succeeded."

An Xin said, "Oh, the person you mentioned in your email. Don't worry, even if you go to the United States, you can still call your brother. If you want, we can hire him to work at the company, and you can see him every day. There's no need to rush these few days. Your father's liver transplant was successful, but there are still some rejection issues..."

At this point, An Xin choked up and couldn't continue.

Xiaofan bit her lip. "Okay, I'll go with you, but I want to say goodbye to my brother."

An Xin said, "I'll arrange it right away. What's his phone number?"

...

Liu Handong didn't have a phone. His Nokia's battery was removed and left on the table, getting wet from the rain leaking through the roof, and the motherboard was damaged.

He was sitting in the room, lost in thought, when the landlady shouted from downstairs, "Liu from the fourth floor, come down to take a call. The police are looking for you."

Liu Handong guessed it was probably Wan Xudong calling to follow up on the case. He might have to spend another night at the police station eating boxed meals. He took the leftover food from lunch to the second floor and gave it to Zhu Xiaoqiang. "Xiaoqiang, I'll leave this for your late-night snack."

Zhu Xiaoqiang exclaimed, "All good dishes, just need a couple of baked buns to go with it. Thanks, Brother Dong."

Liu Handong said, "You're welcome," and went downstairs to take the call. It wasn't from Wan Xudong but from Huahuo Police Station, asking him to come down to the station for some questions.

Ten minutes later, Liu Handong arrived at Huahuo Police Station, reported his name, and the on-duty officer pointed upstairs, "First door on the second floor."

He went up, knocked, and entered. Inside, several police officers were chatting and smoking. They looked Liu Handong up and down, and a police officer with two bars and a star asked, "Are you Liu Handong?"

"Yes."

"We are from the Development Zone Public Security Bureau. Someone has filed a complaint against you. Follow us."

Liu Handong clenched his fists.

"The Shifeng Group has accused you of damaging their property, killing the night watch dog, and causing a power outage, resulting in significant losses. You're quite the troublemaker," the officer said, not bothering to handcuff him, as the case wasn't major for the police.

But from another perspective, Liu Handong had stirred up a hornet's nest. What kind of background did the Shifeng Group have? They had connections in both the black and white worlds, and even the mayor gave them face. Wang Shifeng was a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and his influence could shake the entire city. To dare to cause trouble at their doorstep was to court disaster.

Liu Handong, however, relaxed his fists. He had entered the Shifeng Group to capture Gu Changjun and had helped the police solve the case. He didn't believe the police would side with the Shifeng Group against him.

Thus, Liu Handong was taken away by the police from the Development Zone Bureau.

...

At Jiangdong Airport, in the VIP lounge, An Xin handed a ten-thousand-yuan transfer check to Wang Xing. "Mr. Wang, thank you."

"Thank you, Ms. An, for the business," Wang Xing said, delighted. This deal was more profitable than a year of low-level surveillance work.

"Where is my brother?" Xiaofan asked anxiously.

"Probably on his way," Song Shuang said. Despite the short time they had known each other and the age difference, she and Xiaofan had become close friends. She had skipped school to see her sister off.

Wang Xing took out his phone. "I'll give him a call."

He called Wan Xudong and said, "Chief Wan, where is Liu Handong? Why hasn't he come over? The little girl is waiting to see him."

Wan Xudong replied, "Don't mention it. Liu Handong was arrested by the Development Zone Bureau. Wang Shifeng filed a complaint against him."

"Damn, I see. Got it," Wang Xing hung up and said, "Unfortunately, Liu Handong is assisting the police with an investigation elsewhere and can't come right now."

Xiaofan's eyes filled with tears. At this moment, the background music in the VIP lounge played Zhang Xueyou's "Injury of Parting."

"Injury of Parting, though parting is before us, saying goodbye won't be too far. If there is a destiny, we can look forward to tomorrow, and you and I will meet again in a beautiful season..."

The Gulfstream business jet took off, and Xiaofan left Jiangdong, left China. She leaned against the window, trying to identify where Tiexia Street was, but she couldn't find the place.

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