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No matter how fast the person ran, he couldn’t outrun Jiang Chuan.
Jiang Chuan grabbed the back of his collar from behind and flung him backward forcefully. The man stumbled a few steps, nearly falling, and revealed a fruit knife from his sleeve, lunging at Jiang Chuan. Jiang Chuan dodged sideways, seized his wrist, and twisted it hard—*snap*, the sound of breaking bones.
The man screamed in pain, “Ah...”
Jiang Chuan grabbed both of his arms and pinned them behind his back. The man struggled futilely. Jiang Chuan barked, “Who are you?”
In the dim alleyway, the man’s face was contorted, his features unclear, but his eyes glared at Jiang Chuan with dark malice.
Jiang Chuan dragged the man under the streetlamp and got a clear look at his face. His hair had grown long, and he had lost weight. Jiang Chuan narrowed his eyes, “It’s you.”
The robber from Yulin City.
Previously, at the hotel, Qin Tang had mentioned seeing someone resembling him.
Jiang Chuan coldly stared at him and asked in a low voice, “Whose man are you? Jiang Kun or Zhao Qianhe?”
“Don’t mention Zhao Qianhe to me!” The man’s face twisted further, and he roared madly, “I’ll kill him! And I’ll kill you too!”
“Why do you want to kill me?” Jiang Chuan asked calmly.
“You’re a liar! If it weren’t for you, my wife wouldn’t have died!” The man gritted his teeth viciously, his eyes sharp like knives. “You and Zhao Qianhe are both scum! Zhao Qianhe uses charity funds to scam people, and you’re his accomplice! I’ll kill all of you!”
Jiang Chuan’s memory was usually sharp, but after searching his mind, he still couldn’t recall who this man was.
“Who exactly are you? Speak clearly.”
“I’ll kill you all!”
“I’ll kill you all!”
“You and Zhao Qianhe are frauds! I’ll kill you all!”
…
The man refused to say anything else, already in a deranged state, repeating those few sentences. Unable to extract any information, Jiang Chuan called Cao Sheng.
Soon, Cao Sheng arrived with a few young plainclothes policemen. He looked at Jiang Chuan, “What happened?”
Jiang Chuan handed the man over, and he was quickly handcuffed. “He’s the robber I encountered in Yulin. He’s been following me recently.” After a pause, Jiang Chuan corrected himself, “No, he’s been following Qin Tang.”
Upon reflection, the man only appeared when Qin Tang was around.
Cao Sheng frowned, “That’s impossible. My men have been secretly following Qin Tang. If someone were tailing her, they definitely would’ve noticed.”
The man had already been shoved into the car, glaring at Jiang Chuan through the window with a sinister gaze.
Jiang Chuan pulled out a cigarette pack, tapped out two cigarettes, and handed one to Cao Sheng. Lighting up, he took a couple of drags, smoke swirling around him as he met the man’s hate-filled eyes. “You’ll need to investigate this. He harbors deep hatred for me and Zhao Qianhe. Check his name—I’ll think about whether something slipped up somewhere.”
Cao Sheng glanced back, “Alright. I’ll look into it when I get back.”
…
When Jiang Chuan returned home, Qin Tang was sitting on the couch hugging her knees, the TV on.
As soon as she saw him, her eyes lit up.
Jiang Chuan walked over and touched her smooth ankle and foot—they were ice-cold.
He lifted her into his arms and placed her on his lap. Qin Tang wrapped her arms around his neck and softly asked, “Why did it take you so long to come back?”
Jiang Chuan looked down at her, “Have you been waiting for me for a long time?”
“Mm,” she nodded. “I couldn’t reach you on the phone.”
Jiang Chuan pulled out his phone—it had been on silent mode earlier, but he realized it must have died at some point. He set the phone aside and said, “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”
Qin Tang shook her head, “It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re back.”
“I made you worry.”
Qin Tang looked up at him, her expression calm. “From now on, can you tell me when you go on a mission? I won’t ask what the mission is, but don’t hide it from me.”
Jiang Chuan stared at her, his lips pressed tightly together.
Qin Tang’s eyes were moist and clear, piercing straight into his heart.
Her eyes always had that effect—capable of stirring emotions and evoking tenderness.
“Alright,” Jiang Chuan agreed.
“I’m not as fragile as you think.” Qin Tang rested her head against his neck, her lips brushing his ear. “I trust you. If you tell me before going on a mission, I can pray for you.”
Jiang Chuan’s heart felt like a sponge soaked in water—soft, damp, and heavy.
He kissed her lips, his voice low and hoarse, “Alright, I promise.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll be even more afraid.” She turned her face slightly to look at him.
Jiang Chuan cupped her chin and leaned in, “Mm.”
Qin Tang gazed at him, tilting her face upward to kiss his lips.
…
Early the next morning, Jiang Chuan received a call from Cao Sheng.
He quickly threw on his clothes and told Qin Tang, who was still curled up under the covers, “I need to go out for a bit.”
Qin Tang sat up, pulled back the blanket, bent down to pick up her bra from the floor, and swiftly fastened the hidden clasp. Wearing only her underwear, she walked past him with her snow-white skin catching his eye. Jiang Chuan’s gaze darkened.
Qin Tang opened her suitcase, took out an outfit, and dressed quickly.
In less than a minute, she was fully dressed, standing in front of him, running her fingers through her hair. She looked at him and said, “I’m coming with you.”
Jiang Chuan stared at her for a few seconds and replied, “Alright.”
The two squeezed into the bathroom together to brush their teeth and wash their faces, finishing up quickly.
Once in the car, Jiang Chuan explained the situation to her: “Last night, I caught someone—the robber I encountered in Yulin. I suspect he’s been following you this whole time. Did you notice anything while you were in Beijing?”
That robber?
Qin Tang was surprised, “No.”
She was certain about this. She was very perceptive in such matters; otherwise, she wouldn’t have noticed that the robber had been secretly watching her last time. Back then, she wasn’t sure, only thought it might be him, but it turned out to be true.
“Why would he follow me?” she asked.
Jiang Chuan licked his front teeth and narrowed his eyes, “He can’t beat me or do anything to me directly, so he probably wanted to target you, using you to threaten me.”
Dealing with a woman would be much simpler.
And Qin Tang, this woman, meant more to him than anything else.
Qin Tang looked at him, “Do you have any grudge with him?”
Jiang Chuan replied, “Not yet sure. We’ll know soon enough.”
Qin Tang didn’t press further.
The place where Cao Sheng arranged to meet was close by—in the courtyard of a small flat house not far from the police station. The man was locked in a car.
Jiang Chuan and Qin Tang got out of their car.
Cao Sheng waved them over, signaling for them to get in the vehicle.
Jiang Chuan and Qin Tang climbed in. The man was handcuffed, unable to move. After a night of interrogation, he looked even more haggard than the previous evening, with deep dark circles under his eyes. Upon seeing Jiang Chuan, he still struggled, trying to lunge forward despite the injuries on his hands.
Qin Tang frowned. Jiang Chuan briefly squeezed her hand to reassure her.
Cao Sheng sat beside them, closed the door, and began speaking: “His name is Du Yuan, 29 years old, originally from Ji County in Yulin City. His wife passed away five years ago from leukemia. Six years ago, he sought help online through a charity fund, hoping kind-hearted people would contribute to cover the expensive medical costs.”
At the mention of the name, Jiang Chuan immediately remembered.
Cao Sheng noticed his expression and raised an eyebrow, “You remember now?”
Jiang Chuan tightened his grip on the lighter in his hand, “Mm.”
Back then, the charity fund Du Yuan had appealed to was one established by Zhao Qianhe to launder money. The amount wasn’t particularly large or small—tens of thousands of yuan in total. Compared to the massive scale of Zhao Qianhe’s illicit transactions, it was negligible, barely worth noticing to either the police or Zhao Qianhe himself.
Zhao Qianhe had carried out numerous such charity scams.
Later, when Zhao Qianhe was arrested and imprisoned, some of his subordinates fled, and many of these charitable donations were embezzled.
Out of the tens of thousands of yuan Du Yuan had raised, only thirty thousand reached him. At the time, Du Yuan didn’t understand how these things worked and assumed that was all there was.
Thirty thousand yuan was far from enough to cover the costly surgery and subsequent chemotherapy expenses. Over time, his wife’s condition worsened. Without the funds to pay for treatment, the hospital refused to admit her, leaving Du Yuan no choice but to take her home and endure life as best they could.
By the time he prepared to seek help again, Zhao Qianhe’s charity fund had collapsed, and Zhao Qianhe himself was already in prison.
Du Yuan later heard from someone—though it wasn’t clear who—that the entire sum raised for his wife’s medical expenses had been pocketed by Zhao Qianhe and Jiang Chuan.
Du Yuan reported the matter to the local police station.
At the time, Jiang Chuan and Lin Hao had just been involved in the accident. Lin Hao had died, Jiang Chuan was hospitalized, and four others were injured on Qin Tang’s side, cutting off all leads in the case.
Du Yuan’s case was shelved by the police.
Later, Du Yuan’s wife tragically passed away.
Du Yuan blamed everything on Zhao Qianhe and Jiang Chuan. With Zhao Qianhe already in prison and Jiang Chuan’s whereabouts unknown, Du Yuan had no way to act.
Then, during that incident in Yulin, Du Yuan happened to see Zhao Qianhe abducting Qin Tang. Zhao Qianhe had asked Jiang Chuan, “Is this your woman?”
These words were overheard by Du Yuan, who was hiding in the shadows.
…
Jiang Chuan turned to look at Du Yuan, “So, you’ve been following Qin Tang this whole time, planning to use her to threaten me?”
Du Yuan glared fiercely at Jiang Chuan but avoided looking at Qin Tang.
After hearing all of this, Qin Tang felt a deep sense of sorrow. How many cases like this charity scam were there? How many people who truly needed money for life-saving treatments had been delayed and left to die?
A life—just like that—was lost.
Qin Tang thought for a moment and asked, “You had many chances. Why didn’t you act?”
Du Yuan lowered his head, avoiding her gaze.
Jiang Chuan leaned back, lit a cigarette, took a light drag, and stared at him with a cold expression.
Qin Tang turned to look at Jiang Chuan, then slowly faced Du Yuan again. She said, “That money wasn’t taken by Jiang Chuan—he hasn’t kept a single penny. The real villain is Zhao Qianhe. If it weren’t for Jiang Chuan, Zhao Qianhe would have continued to deceive more people like you who desperately needed help.”
Du Yuan’s face softened considerably. He suddenly looked up at her, and after a long while, he finally spoke: “I know you’re a good girl. You’ve donated a lot of money to the mountainous areas. I’ve seen you on TV—you’re beautiful, kind-hearted, and even went to impoverished regions to take photos of children, publicizing their plight to seek aid…” He paused, then looked at Jiang Chuan, “In short, you’re wonderful. He doesn’t deserve you. I won’t harm you.”
“He does deserve me.”
Qin Tang raised her chin, proud like a peacock, and calmly declared, “Only he deserves me.”
Jiang Chuan, cigarette between his lips, suddenly turned to look at her, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Du Yuan stared at her in astonishment.
Qin Tang met his gaze calmly. After a long while, Du Yuan lowered his head, saying nothing more and no longer glaring at Jiang Chuan.
Cao Sheng loosely formed a fist with his hand and coughed lightly into it. “Also, Du Yuan has been tracking Zhao Qianhe these past few days. He knows Zhao Qianhe’s latest hideout and has even seen Jiang Kun there.”
Du Yuan’s identity wasn’t conspicuous. He didn’t pay much attention to his appearance and occasionally acted erratic, so Zhao Qianhe hadn’t been wary of him. However, with Zhao Qianhe always surrounded by henchmen, Du Yuan hadn’t dared to make a move, only suppressing his anger as he tracked him, waiting for an opportunity.
Unexpectedly, he discovered Zhao Qianhe and Jiang Kun’s hideout.
Jiang Chuan looked up at Du Yuan.
Du Yuan sneered, “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Cao Sheng frowned, and Jiang Chuan tightened his lips.
Cao Sheng had interrogated him all night, but Du Yuan still refused to talk. Cao Sheng sighed helplessly, “We’ve tried both soft and hard approaches, but he won’t budge. It’s unclear why.”
Qin Tang looked at Du Yuan and asked, “Don’t you have a grudge against Zhao Qianhe? Only by speaking up can they receive the punishment they deserve.”
Du Yuan stubbornly kept his head down, remaining silent.
The group was momentarily at a loss.
Qin Tang thought for a moment and said, “Let me talk to him.”
Jiang Chuan looked at her. Qin Tang nodded at him.
After ensuring that Du Yuan was securely handcuffed and couldn’t harm her, Jiang Chuan got out of the car.
…
Jiang Chuan and Cao Sheng leaned against the courtyard wall, smoking cigarettes, their eyes constantly fixed on the car. Cao Sheng said, “The documents you brought last night are enough to keep Jiang Kun locked up for life. Add drug trafficking to that, and this time, he’s done for.”
“Drug trafficking—do we have evidence?”
“They’re close to finding it. It’ll be soon.”
Jiang Chuan’s expression remained neutral. “We just need to wait for the operation. Don’t let him escape.”
Cao Sheng glanced at him and chuckled softly. “This time, there’s no way he can escape. His passport is restricted, and his ability to leave the country is blocked. He can’t flee China. Police forces from all sides are already in position. As long as he doesn’t escape abroad, we’ll catch him.”
Jiang Chuan’s brows relaxed slightly, and he gave a faint smile.
After waiting for a while,
Qin Tang opened the car door and stepped out.
Jiang Chuan extended his hand to her. Qin Tang took it, stepped up onto the platform, and smiled up at him. “I’ve talked to him. He says he’s willing to lead you there.”
Jiang Chuan squeezed her hand and said, “Good job.”
Cao Sheng, somewhat curious, asked, “What did you say to him?”
Qin Tang stood beside Jiang Chuan and calmly replied, “I talked to him about his wife. He loved his wife deeply. He said she was a very kind person. At heart, Du Yuan is also kind. His wife occupies the softest part of his heart. If she were still alive, she would support him helping the police capture Zhao Qianhe.”
Four years ago, her parents, worried she wouldn’t pull through, arranged for a psychologist to counsel her.
Qin Tang didn’t refuse.
She had some understanding of how to deal with people like Du Yuan.
Jiang Chuan suddenly looked down at her. Qin Tang sensed it and tilted her head to look at him.
The next second, she knew what he was thinking.
Cao Sheng was excited. “This is great. Now that we’ve found Zhao Qianhe and Jiang Kun’s hideout, there’s no way they can escape.”
He looked at Jiang Chuan. “I’ll get going first.”
Jiang Chuan said, “Mm.”
Cao Sheng took Du Yuan and left.
Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.
Jiang Chuan wrapped his arm around her waist, looked down at her, and asked in a low voice, “Where do I stand in your heart?”
Qin Tang tilted her head and countered, “And what about me?”
Jiang Chuan held her hand and pointed to his chest. “Here—it’s full.”
Qin Tang smiled.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’m in a good mood, so I feel like smiling.”
Jiang Chuan tightened his arms around her, holding her firmly. “Are you not planning to answer me?”
The morning sunlight illuminated her face, making her skin appear fair and translucent, her eyes dark and clear. She tiptoed and kissed him lightly on the lips.
Qin Tang lowered her heels and looked at him. “After the case is over, I’ll tell you.”
Leaving something to look forward to.
Giving him one more reason to anticipate.
…
Inside the luxurious office, chaos reigned.
Jiang Kun kicked aside the fragments of a vase on the floor, his face dark as he surveyed the mess. Zhao Feng stood by the door and whispered, “Kun Ge, what should we do now? Shouldn’t we retreat?”
Jiang Kun stared at the plaque on the wall.
*Kunlun Taishan* (Mount Kunlun and Mount Tai).
All of his ambitions were encapsulated in those words.
Now, everything was slipping away.
How could he accept it?
Zhao Feng looked at him and said, “Kun Ge, if we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late. At worst, we can rise again. Boss Fan is always waiting for us.”
Fan Lao Da was the head of the drug trafficking organization and also the ultimate target of the anti-drug police this time.
Jiang Kun sneered and suddenly turned to Zhao Feng, “Zhao Feng, how many years have you been with me?”
“More than six years,” Zhao Feng replied calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.
Jiang Kun snorted coldly, “Then you don’t know me well enough, and you certainly don’t know Fan Yi. In my situation, unless I hand over more than half of my fortune to him, he won’t lift a finger to help me. Do you think I’m willing to give up everything I’ve accumulated over the years just to save myself?”
“A green mountain will always provide firewood,” Zhao Feng said. “As long as you’re still alive, Kun Ge, do you really think you won’t be able to make money again? It’s just a matter of time. Endure for now, and we’ll settle the score with the police later.”
Zhao Feng continued, “Even Zhao Qianhe has already partnered with Boss Fan. If it were you, Boss Fan would welcome you even more.”
Jiang Kun scrutinized Zhao Feng, fiddled with the jade ring on his thumb, leaned back on the sofa, and chuckled softly, “You’re right. As long as I stay alive, I can do anything.”
He pulled out his phone, scrolled through it, and made a call.
Zhao Feng stood beside him.
“I’ll give you two-thirds of my assets if you help me escape.”
“Of course, no problem,” Fan Yi laughed loudly.
Jiang Kun narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Kill Zhao Qianhe.”
“Why? He’s still useful to me.”
“It’s either him or me—you have to choose.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment before Fan Yi responded, “Wait.”
A few minutes later—
A gunshot rang out: “Bang—”
Fan Yi said, “The man is dead.”
Jiang Kun smiled in satisfaction, “Come pick me up tonight with your men. I’ll bring the money.”
“Deal.”
After hanging up, Jiang Kun stood up and looked at Zhao Feng, “Let’s get ready. It’s time to go.”
If they didn’t leave now, it would be too late.
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