WHCTIL - 67

“I’ll go check it out.”

Jiang Chuan kicked the back of the man’s knee, forcing him to kneel. Cao Yan held a gun in each hand, pointing them at the two men.

Jiang Chuan walked toward the grass. Lu Sha heard the approaching footsteps and saw the shadow of a figure. Her face turned pale as she bit her lip. Just as the dark shadow was about to approach, she suddenly stood up and ran. Jiang Chuan took a few quick strides and restrained her.

Lu Sha’s hair was disheveled. Previously, she had traded her body for survival, and now her clothes were in disarray. Her cheeks were swollen, and her body was covered in bite marks and bruises. She looked utterly miserable and didn’t want Jiang Chuan to see her like this, struggling fiercely, “Let me go! Let me go!”

Jiang Chuan coldly said, “Impossible.”

With her hands pinned behind her back, Lu Sha had no choice but to lift her head. She looked into Jiang Chuan’s eyes—they were dark, showing neither pity nor disdain, treating her like a complete stranger, utterly indifferent. She quickly calmed down and said, “I don’t know where Jiang Kun is.”

“You definitely know something. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have wanted to kill you.”

Jiang Kun was ruthless, but he still showed some mercy toward women. If Lu Sha didn’t know too much, he wouldn’t have ordered her death.

Lu Sha lifted her gaze to look at him.

Jiang Chuan said, “If you cooperate with the police, you might get a reduced sentence.”

Lu Sha continued to stare at him, biting her lip tightly and refusing to speak.

Jiang Chuan observed her for a moment, guessing she must have some reservations and wouldn’t talk now. He said, “Lu Sha, you’re smart. You understand the pros and cons. Right now, the situation favors the police. Jiang Kun will eventually be caught. By then...”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Lu Sha understood.

Cao Yan tied up the two men and made a phone call. Seeing Jiang Chuan bring Lu Sha over, he said, “I’ll have someone come and take them in for questioning.”

Jiang Chuan thought for a moment, “No need. Bring them along and interrogate them on the way.”

More than an hour had already been wasted. Cao Sheng, with Du Yuan, had rushed to Yulin City. The hideout Du Yuan knew was probably already abandoned. Zhao Qianhe and Jiang Kun must have fled elsewhere.

By the time they finished questioning here, who knows where they’d have run off to.

Cao Yan agreed, pulled the ropes tighter, and the two men were squeezed together.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Chuan didn’t bind Lu Sha; she couldn’t escape anyway.

Lu Sha stood motionless. Jiang Chuan glanced at her, “Don’t force me to tie you up.”

Lu Sha gritted her teeth and walked ahead on her own.

After getting in the car, Jiang Chuan cuffed the two men in the back row. Lu Sha sat in the middle, looking up at him with a faint smile, “Am I going to be cuffed too?”

Jiang Chuan glanced at her, “No need. Think carefully.”

Jiang Chuan got out of the car and walked around to the driver’s seat.

From the back, Lu Sha asked lightly, “What do I get if I talk?”

“A reduced sentence.”

“Anything else?”

“No.”

Jiang Chuan pulled out a cigarette pack, tapped out a cigarette, lit it, and started the engine. The smoke was blown away by the wind, but the smell filled the car.

Lu Sha sniffed lightly, “Give me one.”

Jiang Chuan handed the cigarette to Cao Yan.

Cao Yan glanced back at her, handed her a cigarette, and lit it for her.

Lu Sha took several deep drags, exhaling smoke rings with some relief. Jiang Chuan had some habits that never changed, like this brand of cigarettes—he had smoked it for years without switching. Back when she first met him, he was hanging around with Zhao Qianhe, driving fancy cars, living in luxury apartments, and surrounded by women in nightclub VIP rooms. When the men left, they always took the women with them, except Jiang Chuan.

He had remarkable self-control.

That was what Lu Sha initially admired about him. Later, after things went south, Jiang Chuan disappeared from that circle. She was young and enjoyed indulgence, unable to accept a Jiang Chuan who had nothing. So she left.

Now, she regretted it.

This man had only grown more attractive with time and experience.

The two men in the backseat smelled the cigarette smoke and craved a smoke themselves, “Can you give us a puff or two?”

Cao Yan chuckled, crawled from the passenger seat to sit beside Lu Sha, preparing to interrogate her. He looked back at the rear seat and said, “First, make it clear—if you want to smoke, you can have as many as you want.”

The two men exchanged glances, saying nothing.

Cao Yan smiled, “You need to understand your situation. Jiang Kun has already escaped. No one cares whether you live or die.”

Lu Sha let out a faint laugh and looked out the window.

Cao Yan looked at her, “Miss Lu, you’re a smart person.”

Lu Sha took another drag of her cigarette, remaining silent. Her expression turned cold as she gazed at Jiang Chuan, who was silently driving.

Cao Yan frowned, realizing that perhaps only Jiang Chuan could get her to talk.

Cao Yan questioned the two men for a long time but didn’t get any substantial information. Growing frustrated, he returned to the passenger seat and looked at Jiang Chuan, “Stop at the next service area. I’ll make a call to check the situation.”

The car stopped at the service area, and Jiang Chuan called Cao Sheng: “Are you there yet?”

Cao Sheng replied, “We’re in Yulin, preparing to head to the location Du Yuan mentioned.”

Jiang Chuan frowned, “Are you sure?”

“Not really, but we have no choice. We’ll check it out first.”

“Lu Sha is with me.”

Cao Sheng immediately asked, “Did you get anything out of her?”

Jiang Chuan replied, “No, she refuses to talk.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. “I’ll go to the address Du Yuan mentioned first. You figure something out—see if you can make Lu Sha talk.”

Jiang Chuan said, “Alright.”

After discussing further, they hung up.

Cao Yan took the two men to the restroom. Lu Sha looked at Jiang Chuan, “I need to use the restroom too.”

Jiang Chuan glanced at her, walked over, and said, “I’ll wait outside.”

Lu Sha sneered, “Are you still afraid I’ll run?”

Jiang Chuan replied, “Yes.”

Lu Sha’s expression darkened. She got out of the car barefoot and said, “I don’t have any shoes.”

Jiang Chuan looked down, paused for a moment, and said, “There are no women’s shoes here.”

Lu Sha moved closer to him and stood on her tiptoes, “Carry me there.”

Jiang Chuan coldly stared at her. The two locked eyes as Lu Sha narrowed hers and moved even closer, “Satisfy all my demands, and maybe I’ll tell you something.”

Regardless of whether they could catch Jiang Kun or not, her fate wouldn’t be good either way.

Before that, this was her last bit of value and leverage.

Jiang Chuan turned his face away and said, “Lu Sha, you shouldn’t act like this.”

Lu Sha laughed, her face filled with sorrow, “Shouldn’t act like what? Do you despise me now?”

“No.”

“You’re lying! Your gaze toward me is so cold.”

Jiang Chuan stepped back, looked at her, and calmly said, “I don’t despise you. The path you chose is your own.”

Lu Sha froze, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“You sound just like her.”

Jiang Chuan knew Lu Sha was referring to Qin Tang. His tense jaw softened slightly.

Lu Sha’s expression darkened again. At that moment, Cao Yan returned with the two men and glanced at them. Jiang Chuan said, “You take her to the restroom.”

Cao Yan widened his eyes, “Damn it! Why don’t you go?”

Jiang Chuan remained expressionless, “You’re single.”

Lu Sha snorted, “Never mind.”

Barefoot, she walked toward the women’s restroom.

Cao Yan glanced at her, but Jiang Chuan showed no reaction.

Although Lu Sha was a woman and unlikely to escape, just in case, Cao Yan followed her and stood guard outside the restroom door.

Once everyone returned to the car, they set off again.

Along the way, Cao Yan tried to get something out of her, but Lu Sha still refused to speak.

By midnight, they arrived in Yulin City.

Cao Sheng had already taken people with Du Yuan to raid Zhao Qianhe’s hideout, leaving some behind for backup.

“I want to take a shower and rest,” Lu Sha said. “And I need a set of clothes.”

Cao Yan glanced at her. Her current appearance was indeed inappropriate, and besides, they couldn’t get anything out of her right now. If force didn’t work, they’d try gentleness. “It’s the middle of the night—where are we supposed to find clothes?”

A female officer nearby said, “I have some.”

Cao Yan raised an eyebrow, “Alright, bring them over.”

Throughout all this, Jiang Chuan didn’t intervene again.

A few hours later, Cao Sheng called. As expected, the people weren’t there anymore.

Now, perhaps only Lu Sha knew where they were.

The sky was beginning to lighten.

…

All night, Qin Tang drifted in and out of sleep.

When she opened her eyes, the sky was gray and dim, heavy and oppressive, much like her mood at the moment.

“Turn left after leaving the neighborhood gate and walk a few dozen meters. There’s a breakfast shop there. If I’m not home, you can eat there.”

That’s what Jiang Chuan had told her yesterday.

Qin Tang was wide awake now. She got up, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and got dressed.

The morning had grown colder.

As soon as she stepped outside, another chill hit her. Qin Tang went back inside, took off her thin windbreaker, and pulled a black men’s hoodie from the closet. She slipped it on—it was warm.

Qin Tang noticed many men in military uniforms leaving the neighborhood. Wearing Jiang Chuan’s clothes, which were loose and covered her hips, she looked striking.

She had a good figure and was tall, so wearing Jiang Chuan’s clothes suited her in a unique way.

People glanced at her, but she ignored them, keeping her head down.

She turned left after leaving the neighborhood and found the breakfast shop after walking a few dozen meters.

She should have asked him earlier—what did he usually eat for breakfast when he was out?

Qin Tang ordered tofu pudding and pan-fried buns. It was still early, so she sat alone at a table. By the time she finished eating, the breakfast shop began to fill up with customers.

After leaving the shop, Qin Tang waited by the roadside for more than ten minutes before a taxi finally arrived.

It was rush hour, so by the time she reached Yizhan, it was already nine o’clock.

Aqi and Xiao Bai were unpacking boxes. When they saw her, they immediately smiled. Aqi asked, “Sister Qin Tang, why are you here?”

Xiao Bai looked behind her, “Why are you alone? Where’s Brother Jiang?”

Qin Tang didn’t answer that question. Instead, she asked, “Why are you unpacking boxes so early in the morning?”

Aqi explained, “Oh, there’s been a huge backlog recently. We haven’t delivered supplies for a long time. Xiao Bai has the weekend off, so she mentioned wanting to go. Then Brother Lü decided to take advantage of the weekend to send supplies to Ji County. More and more things keep arriving from the courier service. Every time we bring them back, they pile up. After you left yesterday, a volunteer came and donated a lot of supplies. This morning, Xiaocheng went to pick up more stuff. With all this, if we don’t deal with it soon, Yizhan won’t have any space left.”

Xiao Bai blushed slightly and teased, “I just casually mentioned it! Brother Lü was planning to go anyway.” She didn’t have that much influence!

Qin Tang pulled over a small stool and sat down beside them, “I’ll help you.”

“Great!” Xiao Bai glanced at her camera, “Sister Qin Tang, are you coming with us?”

Aqi said, “I’m going this time too. Xiaocheng will stay behind.”

Qin Tang replied, “I’m going.”

Midway through, Qin Tang went to answer a call from her agent.

Aqi leaned over to Xiao Bai and whispered, “Sister Qin Tang is wearing Brother Jiang’s clothes.”

Xiao Bai: “Ah? I can’t tell. She looks good in anything.”

Aqi: “Brother Jiang often wore this hoodie in the spring. I remember it clearly.”

…

At noon, Lü An and Xiaocheng returned, driving back a truck.

After lunch, they began loading the supplies onto the truck.

Qin Tang stood under an old tree, pulled out her phone, and checked it. No missed calls.

She hadn’t called Jiang Chuan.

At 3 p.m., they set off from Xi’an to Yulin.

Lü An drove the black Jeep, with the truck following behind.

Lü An glanced at the passenger seat and said, “Has Brother Jiang contacted you?”

Qin Tang replied indifferently, “No.”

“He’s busy with something. Don’t worry too much.”

“Mm, I know,” she said.

She would wait for him.

Lü An wanted to say something comforting, but Qin Tang appeared much calmer than he had imagined.

Qin Tang looked at him, “Do you know where he is?”

Lü An hesitated, “No.”

“Oh.”

That day, when Jiang Chuan spoke to Lü An privately, avoiding her, she thought he might know.

In the backseat, Aqi and Xiao Bai were utterly confused. Xiao Bai said, “Why not just call Brother Jiang?”

Aqi tugged at her sleeve. Xiao Bai looked puzzled.

Aqi whispered very softly, “They might have had a fight.”

Xiao Bai suddenly understood and quickly shut her mouth.

At 9 p.m., they arrived in Yulin. Aqi and Xiao Bai had already been complaining about being hungry.

They found a late-night food stall to have dinner.

Qin Tang went to buy water nearby. She recalled that her last visit to Yulin was only a few months ago, yet it felt like ages.

“Here’s your change, twenty-six yuan.”

Qin Tang took the change and put it in her bag. As she turned around, someone bumped into her. “Slap!” Her phone fell to the ground. The girl screamed, “My phone! It’s broken, broken…”

She hurriedly picked up her phone, checking it anxiously. Looking up, she started cursing, “What’s wrong with you?! My phone screen is cracked. You need to compensate me!”

Qin Tang looked at her iPhone, its screen cracked in several places, and said calmly, “You ran into me.”

The girl became agitated, “It was you who turned and bumped into me!”

The person beside her chimed in, “Yes, you turned without looking and bumped into her.”

Qin Tang’s face turned cold, “What do you want?”

The girl said, “You need to pay me! This is a new phone!”

“How much?”

“Five thousand yuan.”

Qin Tang laughed and turned to leave.

Just one step forward, the girl grabbed her, stubbornly causing a scene, “Your shoes cost thousands of yuan, your camera doesn’t look cheap, and your bag is a luxury brand. Are you really going to walk away without compensating me for my broken phone?”

The commotion drew attention quickly.

Qin Tang frowned, her expression impatient, and coldly stared at her, “Let go.”

Qin Tang was beautiful, naturally exuding a cold elegance. Her icy gaze made the girl shiver.

Lü An had already rushed over, asking, “What’s going on?”

Someone explained the situation. Lü An frowned and looked at the girl. Seeing him, the girl’s eyes lit up, “Are you her boyfriend? She broke my phone; she needs to compensate me.”

…

Jiang Chuan and Cao Yan went to a night market stall to buy food.

Cao Yan complained, “I’m starving! That woman Lu Sha tricked us, and we’ve been busy all day without even a grain of rice in our stomachs.”

Jiang Chuan remained silent, his face grim.

Cao Yan noticed a crowd gathered ahead and said, “What’s going on there? Looks like someone got scammed.”

Jiang Chuan frowned, “Let’s eat somewhere else.”

They didn’t have time to deal with such trivial matters.

Cao Yan suggested, “Let’s go to the next place.”

…

Qin Tang said coldly, “I won’t compensate you. I didn’t bump into you. If you think you’re right, you can call the police.”

…

Jiang Chuan suddenly stopped and looked back.

Through the gaps in the crowd, he could only see half of a pale face. Amidst the crowd, it appeared even whiter. Even though he couldn’t see her eyes, he knew it was Qin Tang. With just one glance, he recognized her.