A few days' absence seemed to have transformed Gao Xiaofei. It was the National Day holiday, and Gao Xiaofei, sitting in his office, contemplating how to "trouble" his superiors and subordinates, was dragged out for some fresh air by Ping An.
Since his discharge from the hospital, Ping An, with the idea of "living a long life," had temporarily put aside the case and not returned to work. He had been recuperating at home for a few days. Mei Qian, on the other hand, couldn't compare to him. However, due to some lingering matters related to his job transfer, he had returned to his hometown and couldn't attend to the case, thus missing out on Gao Xiaofei's recent mental turmoil.
"Do you see everyone as Chen Nairong now?" In a dessert shop next to the Hechuan City Workers' Club Plaza, Ping An, while savoring a large plate of cream-filled fried dough balls, sarcastically said as he stealthily took a macaron from Gao Xiaofei's plate, "You only missed him once, what's the big deal? Bring me next time, and I guarantee I'll bite him to death as soon as he shows up. Hmph, how dare he send people to kill me!"
"My life is so hard. I shouldn't have brought you to see Su Xia that day. If I hadn't seen Su Xia, I wouldn't have known so many things about Liu Juan. If I hadn't known those things, I wouldn't have been distracted while trying to catch Chen Nairong. As a result, I didn't catch him, and that car and those people were just ordinary people in an ordinary car," Gao Xiaofei complained to Ping An like a resentful woman. "I'm too ashamed to face anyone. That damn Old Yan, in front of so many people, said I put my head between my legs. What kind of talk is that? Whose pants can fit a head? A head that can fit in pants isn't a head anymore! It's a butt! I'm truly ashamed to face anyone."
"Director Yan is also doing this for your own good. Didn't you also fail to catch a criminal once, and you were subdued by them, watching them run away? Sigh, how did Director Yan scold you that time? Oh, right, he said you couldn't even beat a punk, what were your fists for? Covering your crotch? Hahahaha!" Ping An said carelessly.
"Hey, when I reviewed the surveillance footage later, I didn't expect that scoundrel Chen Nairong to play a trick on me. While the pursuit team members were blinded by confusion, he casually sat there eating fried flatbread. My men thought that scoundrel had already escaped," Gao Xiaofei said, stroking the stubble on his chin. "Ping An, I remember you told me about some psychological theory called 'visual deception' before. Did Chen Nairong also hear about it from you?"
"Huh? How is that possible? He must have felt cornered and, with a 'do or die' mentality, sat there eating noodles and waiting for you to arrest him," Ping An said with some panic.
Gao Xiaofei looked at Ping An with a doubtful gaze and remained silent.
"How could that be! How could that be! Hehehehe." Ping An felt guilty and pretended to look around as if searching for someone. "Sigh, why are An Jing and Lin Dang taking so long to go to the restroom?"
Where did An Jing and Lin Dang go? Naturally, they went shopping! If women in a large mall say they're going to the restroom and will be right back, don't believe them! Who knows where they'll drift to after coming out of the restroom. As it turned out, after a 40-minute restroom break, An Jing, smiling, pulled the shy Lin Dang in front of Ping An.
"Why did you change your clothes after going to the restroom?" Ping An asked in surprise.
Lin Dang, in front of them, had changed out of her student attire. With An Jing's encouragement, she had bought her first fashion item—a light red workwear dress.
"Actually, I just wanted to look at high heels..." Lin Dang, not yet accustomed to the "valley" in the front of her fashion, instinctively covered her chest with her hand and whispered, "I saw the older sisters in Director Fei's department wearing fashion outfits and high heels, and I wondered if..."
"I understand, I understand. This is my fault. Actually, you didn't have to buy it. Our department has uniforms, and I haven't had a chance to give them to you yet. After the holiday, I'll give you a set when we get back," Ping An said with a "knowing it all" expression.
"Tsk tsk, it really is true that clothes make the man. Just now you looked like a friendly girl next door, and now with this outfit, you've become 'unapproachable'," Gao Xiaofei teased Lin Dang carelessly. "No wonder your Director Ping An, to save on labor costs, would rather do all the work himself for over a year instead of hiring someone. I was wondering the other day why you suddenly hired her. Now I see, alas, I'm still purer than you!"
Gao Xiaofei's words made Lin Dang blush so much she couldn't lift her head. Ping An, however, seemed nonchalant and said, "I hired Xiao Lin because she's got substance!"
Hearing Ping An's words, Gao Xiaofei and An Jing instinctively and tacitly glanced at the "bulging" chest of Lin Dang, and then looked at Ping An with disdain.
"She certainly has substance. Brother, you're a real pervert, saying such things in front of a young lady," An Jing couldn't help but say, stomping hard on Ping An's foot with her heel.
"What did I say? I was talking about Xiao Lin's talent having substance!" Ping An hopped around in pain, explaining in exasperation.
"Alright, alright, don't mind these two siblings. Neither of them is reliable. The circus has started, let's go in and watch, brother!" Gao Xiaofei couldn't stand Ping An's "pretentiousness" anymore. He called out to the embarrassed Lin Dang and, acting like a proper gentleman, ambled into the circus entrance.
"When Mei Qian gets back, I'll tell him you were drooling over David Beckham's pectoral muscles. Ouch... that hurts..." Ping An and An Jing followed behind, bickering and playfully fighting. The brother's sharp tongue was incessant, and the sister's hidden attacks were continuous.
Watching a circus in Hechuan City was a top priority for a true Hechuan resident during the holidays! Just as Beijingers go to teahouses for opera, and Tianjin people go to parks for crosstalk, watching a circus in Hechuan is about the atmosphere, it's about the culture.
Speaking of Hechuan's circus, one cannot fail to mention the magnificent building where the circus is held—the Hechuan City Workers' Club. This club was built in the 1960s. At that time, the center of Hechuan City was still 20 kilometers away. In this vicinity, five large mines were operating day and night, employing fifty to sixty thousand workers. With fifty to sixty thousand people gathered together, it was only natural to have some form of entertainment, so this club came into being. After serving the great workers for half a century, it had undergone three major renovations. The last one was five years ago when a large domestic real estate company took it over and rebuilt it into a highly modern and fashionable comprehensive consumer plaza. Around the plaza, twelve shopping and consumption zones were designated, covering clothing, department stores, catering, entertainment, film and television culture, electronic entertainment, and other industries. It was considered Hechuan City's largest consumer plaza.
With such a modern plaza, why is it still called the old-fashioned name "Club"? It is said that the developer had countless names for the project during development, but the municipal government refused to approve them. They insisted, almost breaking off the deal, on maintaining two "bottom lines": first, the overall name of the plaza remained unchanged, still called the Workers' Club. Second, within the plaza's commercial circle, at least five public welfare projects serving workers must be established. The specific projects were: a free bookstore, a free billiard room, a free basketball court, a free roller skating rink, and a free badminton court.
The government's requirements were actually reasonable, as the five free venues mentioned above were core components of the old club. The old club was gone, but the principle of serving workers had to be preserved.
The government's persistence received support from the people of Hechuan. The clever general manager of the development company seized this "popular sentiment," not only establishing the aforementioned five free venues but also launching two major public welfare service institutions: the "Workers' Matchmaking Center" and the "Workers' Cultural and Artistic Center." Instantly, this plaza became extremely popular, rents increased, and everything made money. It is said that this general manager from Hong Kong, upon settling accounts at the end of the year, found himself immensely profitable. At the company's annual meeting, he sang "We Workers Have Strength" three times in a row! And in his closing speech at the annual meeting, he pulled Ping An, who was taking news photos in the audience, onto the stage. Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, they shouted "Long live the workers!" three times before the embarrassed and bewildered Ping An left the stage.
The topic has digressed. The circus has begun, and the excitement is yet to come.
The four of them entered the circus and, according to their seat numbers, sat down obediently to watch the show. The original circus acts, such as acrobatics, animal training, and magic, were integrated with lighting shows and 3D artistic effects here. The stage could rotate 360 degrees according to the scene, making the performance naturally captivating.
"So exciting! It's so interesting!" Lin Dang, who was watching a circus for the first time, was completely captivated by the atmosphere of the performance. She forgot to cover her chest, which allowed Ping An, sitting next to her, to "casually" steal a few glances. He also exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, it's really big," until An Jing hit him with a handbag, and he obediently returned his attention to the circus.
"Teacher Ping An, how did that magician make things appear from behind? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought it was computer-generated," Lin Dang, engrossed in the show, acted like a naive little girl, completely unaware of being leered at by someone with ill intentions. She tugged at Ping An's arm and asked various questions.
"What's so difficult about this? This is the simplest magic in the art of magic. Look at the magician's head in the sky. Look closely, isn't there a thin steel wire?" Ping An, with his extensive knowledge, was not fooled by the magician. Hearing Lin Dang's curiosity, he put on a show of revealing the secret: "The steel wire is tied directly above the magician. Then, behind the magician, in a blind spot that avoids all audience members, there is an assistant who ties the end of the front steel wire to another steel wire. Then, while the magician in front is distracting the audience with flourishes, the assistant gently pulls the wire, drawing the steel wire above the magician's head back. Then, an item is tied to it. Finally, at the opportune moment, it is thrown out. Just like swinging on a swing, the item will swing to the magician's back. The magician only needs to receive the item with his back at the right time, cleverly detach it, and put on a show. And thus, the item appears out of thin air. It's just a form of deception..."
At this point, the magician in front of Ping An suddenly turned into Wu An, and the scene changed from the circus to a park. He clearly saw a rope, tied to a sprinkler in the park's flower garden and coated with alcohol, with one end attached to the sprinkler and the other end being quietly pulled by someone hiding in the bushes along the green belt. The landmine was not large, seemingly the size of a pencil case. The rope was about as thick as a regular phone charging cable and was now hidden among the leaves on the ground, making it impossible to spot. Wu An, who had been standing still, suddenly accelerated and ran. Ping An was still chasing him from behind. When Wu An was less than one or two meters from the landmine, the person hiding in the bushes suddenly stood up. At the same time, the hand pulling the rope gently tightened, and the entire rope was pulled taut in the air, at a height just around Wu An's stomach.
"Boom!" A deafening explosion, and the landmine detonated. Wu An fell. In the explosion, the rope burned clean and silently, fueled by alcohol, leaving no trace.
Amidst the laughter in the circus, hundreds of spectators were engrossed in the performance. Suddenly, a man stood up without any warning. He didn't move, didn't walk, just stood there stiffly.
"Ping An, sit down. What are you doing?" Gao Xiaofei, with his great strength, pulled Ping An down and asked, panting.
"Such a strange technique! Such a simple method! Such an ingenious design! Chen Nairong couldn't come up with this even if he got a doctorate!" Ping An was still immersed in the details of Wu An's explosion case.
"What did you discover?" Gao Xiaofei pulled Ping An closer and asked in a low voice.
"I'll tell you later! Xiaofei, I might have a big gift for you," Ping An said mysteriously.
"What gift?" Gao Xiaofei asked excitedly.
"Enough to make Old Yan personally perform his 'head between the legs' trick for you!" Ping An said with a swaggering expression.
"I like that swagger of yours!" Having known each other for many years, Gao Xiaofei knew that Ping An, with that expression, usually had a significant discovery.
While Ping An and Gao Xiaofei were exchanging knowing glances, Lin Dang, who had been watching the stage intently, was suddenly blocked by someone. She couldn't help but look twice. The person blocking her looked familiar to Lin Dang. Strangely, the person blocking her looked terrified upon seeing Lin Dang and struggled to get out of the crowded seating area.
"What's wrong, Lin Dang?" After finishing his banter with Gao Xiaofei, Ping An turned around and noticed Lin Dang seemed a bit uneasy.
"Teacher Ping An, that person, look, the one moving towards the stage, didn't we see him at Chen Nairong's dinner party?" Lin Dang finally remembered.
"Liu Zi!" Ping An immediately recognized the person frantically trying to escape as Liu Zi, Chen Nairong's confidant. With Chen Nairong's criminal syndicate being dismantled, Liu Zi, as Chen Nairong's "number one enforcer," was naturally on the wanted list.
"Xiaofei! It's your chance to redeem yourself!" Ping An nudged Gao Xiaofei beside him and pointed at Liu Zi. "Do you recognize that guy?"
"Ren Liu! Liu Zi! Damn it! I was tracking Chen Nairong's movements with this guy during the last arrest operation, and we still didn't catch him! Heaven favors me!" Gao Xiaofei said excitedly. "Help me call the police station, I'm going to catch him."
"Be careful! That scoundrel might be armed!" Ping An whispered a warning.
"Don't worry, I'm on 24-hour standby now!" Gao Xiaofei took off his jacket, revealing the outline of a gun holster under his fitted shirt.
Seeing this, Ping An stopped talking and quietly dialed "110" on his phone.
The exciting circus performance continued. In this not-so-large theater, various bursts of laughter converged into an ocean of joy. No one noticed that a police officer was about to pursue a fugitive.
The circus performance had reached its final stage. The host had walked onto the stage, ready to present "Unity Is Strength" as the final act of the performance to the audience, a tribute to the great working class. Below the stage, Gao Xiaofei, like a hunting eagle, moved lightly with focused eyes, squeezing and weaving through the crowd. He finally reached the cleared area in front of the stage, getting closer and closer to his "prey."
At this moment, amidst thunderous applause, the host began to sing passionately:
"Unity is strength!"
"Unity is strength!"
As expected of a professional crowd-pleaser, or rather, a professional host, the first two lines were full of passion and resonated through the hall. The host, seemingly unable to contain himself and completely engrossed, suddenly noticed a person standing in the cleared area below the stage where no one should have been. Thus, the host, skilled at engaging the audience to build atmosphere, decisively handed the microphone to a bewildered Gao Xiaofei with a joyful and sincere smile, moving with imperceptible speed.
At this moment, the spotlight shone on Gao Xiaofei's face, and the entire audience's attention focused on him. Even Liu Zi, who was trying to escape, forgot to move and looked at him with an incredulous expression.
The song continued, a beat slower now. The moment Ping An involuntarily uttered "Fuck" in a low voice, Gao Xiaofei, with a constipated expression, took over singing:
"This strength is iron!"
"This strength is steel!"
"Harder than iron! Stronger than steel!"
The microphone was withdrawn, and the spotlight returned to the host. The audience's gaze also shifted back to the stage. Satisfied with the interactive element, the host's passion surged, and his singing grew even more fervent!
No one noticed that Gao Xiaofei, now hidden in the darkness, having escaped the scrutiny of the spotlight, quickly reached Liu Zi from behind. Just as Liu Zi felt a sense of dread and intended to blend into the crowd, Gao Xiaofei grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back forcefully. However, due to inertia, Liu Zi's backward movement was significant, causing him to fall past the cleared area and crash in front of the stage.
At this point, the song had reached its concluding phase. The host, still lingering on the performance, again noticed with a peculiar gaze someone in the cleared area below the stage walking towards him. With a charming smile, he confidently and skillfully handed the microphone to Liu Zi, who stood there bewildered.
The spotlight shone on Liu Zi's face, and the audience's attention focused on him. The moment Ping An involuntarily uttered "Fuck?" again, Liu Zi, seemingly resigned to the hopelessness of escape, sang with a bold and defiant tone:
"Towards the sun!"
"Towards freedom!"
The microphone was retracted, and the spotlight on Liu Zi disappeared. Even the most skilled host wouldn't let someone else sing the final part of a song—
"Towards the New China!"
"Shine with boundless radiance!"
The microphone was withdrawn hastily. Liu Zi, seemingly still immersed in the moving song, hadn't fully reacted. The moment the microphone left his lips, he seemed to have gained a new understanding of his life. What was that understanding?
Gao Xiaofei, lunging from behind, did not tell him the answer. As he was tackled to the ground, the answer to that understanding finally came to him, strong and potent: "I've had eight lifetimes of bad luck to come out for some fresh air and watch a circus, only to be caught by a policeman! What rotten luck!"
The entire circus performance ended. The audience applauded enthusiastically and slowly filed out. Ping An squeezed through the crowd, making his way ardually towards the stage. When he reached the front of the stage, he saw Gao Xiaofei and Liu Zi sitting side by side on the stage, their hands still clasped tightly together. If it weren't for the glaring gloves, Ping An would have thought they were old friends reminiscing fondly after a long separation.
"The police will be here soon!" Ping An said to Liu Zi, who was sitting dejectedly.
"I guess I've redeemed myself," Gao Xiaofei said, looking at Liu Zi, who was sitting beside him with his head down, wiping tears. "Considering we sang a song together, don't make me work hard. Just tell me whatever you know, okay? Can you stop crying first? What are you crying about?"
"Mmm! Mmm! Okay!" Liu Zi sobbed, word by word, with a hint of grievance. "Brother, you hurt me when you pounced on me just now, but I don't blame you."
"Did I hurt you? Where did I hurt you? Let me see." Gao Xiaofei patiently waited for Liu Zi to point out his injury.
"It's here, I can't reach it on my arm, it's on my back." Liu Zi was as obedient as a newly married bride.
"Here?" Under Liu Zi's direction, Gao Xiaofei touched a spot on Liu Zi's back and asked gently.
"Mmm! Right there!" Liu Zi became even more docile.
"I'll beat you to death, you troublemaker! I'll beat you to death, you troublemaker!" Gao Xiaofei was furious and suddenly struck Liu Zi heavily.
Gao Xiaofei, with his extensive experience, could tell that the cunning Liu Zi was using his injury as an excuse to subtly warn him about excessive force and arbitrary assault of a criminal suspect.
Gao Xiaofei, who had been feeling stifled lately and couldn't hold his head up at the bureau after Yan Qing's "head between the legs" remark, wasn't about to fall for Liu Zi's act. He started punching like he was beating a drum, wishing he could beat the other person's guts out.
"And also! From now on, think about how to get your head between your legs! This has nothing to do with the questions you need to answer, but you still have to answer what you need to answer honestly. If you can't answer this question, I'll strangle you!" Gao Xiaofei said fiercely.
The wail of police sirens filled the plaza. Outside the circus, two police officers escorted the tear-streaked Liu Zi into a police car. Gao Xiaofei, at a cold drink stall not far away, happily licked his ice cream while grinning broadly, accepting the admiration of An Jing and Lin Dang as a hero.
Ping An, with many questions he wanted to ask, watched Liu Zi get into the car. Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by Hao Wenjie, the director of the plaza police station.
"Reporter Ping An, you and Captain Gao are truly an impressive duo. The fugitive is just apprehended, and before the preliminary interrogation, you've already made him confess. Look at those tears, tsk tsk, so pitiful!" Director Hao had seen big scenes before and was an old friend of Ping An.
"Hey! What are you talking about! Director Hao, please excuse me, I have to go!" Ping An said, shaking his head with a wry smile.