The last time Ping An felt this embarrassed was when he was six years old and learning to swim. He had a stomach ache and ended up soiling the pool. That time, Ping An felt he had lost face completely.
But this time, Ping An felt he had lost face to his ancestors.
"I forgot to tell you, my parents live next door to me. We had our blind date quite late last night. My dad called, and I didn't pick up, so he came over early this morning. It's my fault, I should have realized my dad would come early..." In the dining room, Qiao Yiyan carefully placed a fried egg on Ping An's plate. Ping An kept his head down.
"Grandma, last night..." Ping An said in a voice like a mosquito's buzz.
"Last night? Hmm, you were quite something. You pushed me to use all my special moves, I was so tired," Qiao Yiyan said with a wronged look at Ping An. "And you, you slept like a pig!"
Got it.
Confirmed.
Take responsibility!
Ping An carefully picked up the fried egg, blew on it gently, and then took small bites.
If he forgot what happened last night, would the other person think he didn't want to take responsibility and was a scumbag? Ping An pondered.
"I lost control last night. I'm not usually like that. I prefer to be passive—" Ping An stopped here, suddenly wanting to slap himself. What was he even saying!
"In short, I am willing to take responsibility for you. Whatever you say goes from now on. If you want to get married, please give me half a year. It's not a delay, I want to get my sister married off first!" Ping An straightened his body and spoke in the gentlest voice.
"Oh!" After hearing Ping An's words, Qiao Yiyan didn't seem embarrassed or self-righteous. Instead, she propped her chin in her hand and looked at Ping An with a smile.
"I have many flaws, but I consider my character to be quite good. If there's a chance, tell your dad. What he saw wasn't my true intention!" Ping An, unable to guess what Qiao Yiyan was thinking, resorted to making hesitant, rambling remarks.
"Oh!" Qiao Yiyan still replied with a single word.
"Where's my phone?" Ping An suddenly thought of a serious issue.
"You dropped it on the floor last night. I don't know if it still works, I'm charging it on the coffee table in the living room!" Qiao Yiyan said.
Ping An retrieved his phone and found that the corners were indeed a bit dented. Fortunately, the screen was not scratched.
He opened his phone and found it to be perfectly fine, which put Ping An at ease.
Fei Keqing called, 13 missed calls.
Gao Xiaofei called, 1 missed call.
Su Tang called, 34 missed calls...
"Sorry, I need to make a call first!" Ping An took his phone and walked out onto the balcony.
"You idiot! You finally answered the phone. We agreed to meet at the old place after the blind date. Where the hell were you?" When the call connected, Fei Keqing's loud voice was quite sobering.
"Don't ask, I'm at Qiao Yiyan's place!" Ping An said uneasily.
"You! Did you do it?" Fei Keqing's gossipy voice echoed through the entire house.
"I'll tell you when I get back!" Ping An said. "Where's Su Tang?"
"She couldn't find you and cried all night, thinking you'd been kidnapped!" Fei Keqing said. "Gao Xiaofei privately checked the surveillance and found out you were taken away by a beautiful woman. Is it Qiao Yiyan?"
To outsiders, Ping An's staying out all night was understandable. After all, after a long drought, who wouldn't be greedy when they encountered a timely rain? However, in Director Qiao's phone call to the newspaper's general manager, he didn't see it that way.
"They're both adults, I shouldn't say too much, but... sleeping with my daughter on the first meeting, I personally find that unacceptable. I still reserve the right to break one of Ping An's legs," came Director Qiao's strained calm voice from the general manager's end of the line.
"Young people are full of fire. Oh well, in short, Ping An is not an irresponsible person. Old brother, you can rest assured," the general manager said, gritting his teeth in annoyance but still speaking a good word for Ping An.
The ancients said, "Joyful but restrained!" meaning that when engaging in intimate acts, it's not that you shouldn't do it, but that you should have restraint. What does this imply? It implies that doing too much is wrong, but not doing anything is also wrong.
Ping An had lived a "plain" life for many years. Finally, he had an opportunity. Although it was after drinking, he still had a moment of spirited engagement.
"Why don't I feel anything at all?"
"I don't know if she was satisfied..."
Lying in bed, covering his head with the blanket, he was exhausted but now had no sleepiness at all. Staring wide-eyed, trying to recall the romantic Ping An of last night, he suddenly felt a pang of disappointment.
"With my capacity for two jin of alcohol, how could I have gotten drunk?"
Carrying regret and a sense of haziness, Ping An finally drifted into his dreams.
In the laundry room, Su Tang, who had always kept her hands clean, finally remembered that she knew how to do laundry a year ago. Gritting her teeth, she threw all her master's clothes and pants into the washing machine, then huffily ran to the living room to continue criticizing her master. To her surprise, he had rolled into the bedroom and was snoring shamelessly...
This infuriated the worried Su Tang. She opened her phone, ready to vent her anger on someone, but paused. She realized she only had Jiazi, her only friend to confide in.
"Jiazi! Don't you miss me?" She dialed immediately. As soon as the other party answered, Su Tang immediately sounded wronged.
"Darling, I miss you day and night!" Jiazi's voice on the other end sounded much calmer than before.
"Then let's go on a date!" Su Tang was already opening her closet and rummaging through her clothes.
"I'm reading at Big World. The cafe on the second floor. You can come," Jiazi said thoughtfully. "It's sunny outside, should I arrange a car to pick you up?"
"No need, it's not far. I'll take a taxi! See you later!" Su Tang hung up the phone, looked enviously at a short skirt in her hand, then glanced guiltily towards the door. She suddenly remembered that her master was fast asleep and decided to put it on resolutely.
Ignoring you, going out to play!
Su Tang tiptoed, carefully passing by her master's bedroom door, and then ran out like crazy.
Jiazi had been living a very leisurely life lately. Her so-called parents had completely let go of her. Without any restrictions, she could go wherever she pleased, and her life was very relaxed.
However, sometimes she also missed her past life. That kind of miserable life with her parents tying her down at home was actually quite interesting.
But given the current situation, how could she trust parents who were prepared to harm her? In fact, in the past few days, she had been hoping her parents would tell her they had other reasons for doing this, that they had unspeakable difficulties, and that they were helpless...
However, after their falling out, although she still lived at home, her parents had moved out.
The understanding old butler said it was good this way, giving them some time to reflect. When they knew they were wrong, they would naturally come back to apologize.
Jiazi agreed one hundred percent in her heart. If her parents sincerely apologized, she would completely forget about this matter, and she would also hand over all her assets to her mother.
She loved them, as always.
She hoped they loved her too, with true feelings.
Big World was a large shopping mall in Riverchuan City. Jiazi was a diamond member here. Lately, she came here every afternoon for coffee.
After hanging up Su Tang's call, Jiazi called a waiter to order a Snow Cover Red Tea for Su Tang, then opened her phone to check the evening movies. She planned to coax this troublesome little fairy Su Tang into watching a romance movie at the cinema no matter what.
The waiter's timing was impeccable. Su Tang bustled into the shop, and as soon as she sat down, that cup of Snow Cover was served.
Without time to speak, she picked it up and took a beautiful sip.
"Jiazi, have you been very obedient lately?"
"I've always been like this!"
"Who is that extremely handsome guy wearing sunglasses sitting over there? He's been looking at me since I came in, and he's looking at you too!"
"The old butler is getting old, and he can't keep up with me running around all the time. I begged my great-grandfather to arrange a bodyguard for me!"
"Wow, are you filming a movie? How can he be so handsome?"
"Don't look at him, he just returned from the army, he's easily shy!"
"Shy is cute!"
"Su Tang, why are you like this today..."
"Hmph! It's all my master's fault!"
A carefree afternoon brought a priceless moment of joy to two gossipy young ladies. The young man wearing a long-sleeved white shirt in the sweltering heat could no longer withstand Su Tang's teasing and finally moved to a corner seat.
Seeing the handsome security guard leave, the young man who had been hiding in another corner finally breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly lowered the newspaper in front of him, then took out something the size of a glasses case from his backpack. He opened the box and took out an insulin syringe.
While the two girls were still bantering lightheartedly, the young man drank the iced Americano on the table in one gulp, then slowly stood up, held his breath, and cautiously moved towards Jiazi.
"Sir, do you need any help?"
Just as the young man was less than a meter away from Jiazi, the seemingly shy bodyguard appeared on the young man's other side and grabbed the hand holding the syringe.
"My eyesight is poor, I wanted to ask the young ladies to help me read the scale. Oh, I'm preparing to inject insulin," the young man said sincerely with a smile.
The voice from behind finally made Jiazi and Su Tang feel something was amiss. They both turned to look—
"Swoosh!" Seeing Jiazi turn her head, her fair neck was perfectly exposed within his reach.
If not now, then when!
The young man, taking advantage of the bodyguard's inattention, pulled his hand free and lunged fiercely at Jiazi.
"Be careful!" The belatedly reactive Su Tang saw the young man with a ferocious expression charging at Jiazi with a needle. She yelled and instinctively tried to block, but it was too late.
In a flash, the needle pierced flesh. However, it wasn't Jiazi's neck, but the bodyguard's palm.
At the critical moment, the bodyguard also extended his arm to catch the descending needle.
"Crash!" Seeing his attack miss, the young man overturned the table behind him and fled.
The strong bodyguard, only being pricked once, naturally didn't consider the minor injury. He put Jiazi down and was about to pursue. However, after taking three steps, his body suddenly became unresponsive, and he fell heavily to the ground.
"Help, someone help!"
In the quiet and peaceful mall, Jiazi's scream rang out...
Today was Gao Da's day to change his dressing. With Sister Wu accompanying him daily, taking care of him with care and concern, Old Gao felt as if he were living in a dream.
"Here, your youngest son forced this on me. We're not related, why should I spend your family's money?" After changing the dressing, they went for their usual walk in the garden.
Gao Da, sitting in his wheelchair, put on a disgusting act of contentment with his children, then pushed the money back into Sister Wu's hand. Naturally, his hand then clasped hers.
"My son is afraid you'll spend too much, he's worried about you. To be honest, we people of the Gao family are very loyal," Gao Da said with emotion.
"Loyal, yes, but this is too much—giving me money, that clearly treats me like an outsider! What right do I have to accept it?" Sister Wu, who usually spoke openly, became coy at this moment, possessing a certain charm that made Gao Da almost collapse to the ground.
"It's enough that I'm good to you. Why are you overthinking? My son is just trying to hand me over to you in a roundabout way," Old Gao said, blushing.
"I'm not someone who loves money, don't you know that?" Sister Wu gave Gao Da a side-eye.
"I know, I know. Oh, you're killing me," Gao Da was truly about to collapse.
"You're killing me, you're killing me! Just say it! If you don't say it, I won't accept the money your son gives me next time!" Sister Wu was also anxious, so anxious she almost pushed Gao Da out of his wheelchair.
"Oh, sister! I—" Gao Da suddenly hugged Sister Wu and, while uttering what would be the most direct love confession of his life, saw Su Tang flying towards him like a headless fly!
"Grandpa Gao, there's an assassin—you, you don't have to confess right now..." Seeing Gao Da, sweaty, hugging Sister Wu in his wheelchair, Su Tang was extremely embarrassed.
"What assassin? Don't be afraid, come here!" Upon hearing there was trouble, Gao Da immediately let go of Sister Wu and pulled Su Tang over to ask.
The bodyguard, after being injected, felt heat all over his body and foamed at the mouth. By the time the ambulance arrived at the hospital, he was only breathing in, not out.
"Let's go, take me to see this! How can society be so chaotic?" Gao Da gestured for Su Tang to push him, leaving the resentful Sister Wu behind.
Gao Xiaofei's fifth call finally woke Ping An up. When he arrived at the hospital, he didn't have time to question why Su Tang was also there before he heard the news of the bodyguard's critical condition.
"He's not trying to die, but the patient's internal organs have all been infected by a virus. The detoxification process will likely take a year!" the doctor said. "The poison he was given is very rare, a type of snake venom found only in places like Indonesia. With existing technology, it's possible to save his life, but the subsequent detoxification treatment is very troublesome. However, because this poison repels human cells and tissues, as long as the toxins are slowly excreted, he can make a full recovery!"
"That's not right. If an assassin is trying to kill someone, why would they use a poison that doesn't kill?" Ping An immediately identified the crucial point of the matter.
"Wait a minute, I never said this poison isn't fatal. If it's not treated within the corresponding time, he will die!" the doctor said. "If he doesn't receive treatment within half an hour of poisoning, he's finished!"
"Fortunately, Big World is less than eight hundred meters from this hospital!" Su Tang remarked with emotion.
It was a false alarm, but the assassination was a fact. The injured bodyguard was still in the hospital and likely wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least a year.
Poisoning and murder in broad daylight, extremely brazen!
Upon taking over the case, the police quickly investigated and immediately retrieved the surveillance video from Big World to analyze the assailant who dared to commit the assassination so openly. Unexpectedly, this person was very easy to find; he was a recently released convict.
"Du Fang, male, 29 years old, Han ethnicity. Imprisoned for five years for intentional injury. Released in March this year. Registered address: Alley 66, Ya'erhu, Lanhu Street Office, Hexi District. I remember the director of Lanhu Police Station is Zhu Ting, right?"
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Riverchuan City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Bureau, a key project for Riverchuan City this year, Gao Xiaofei, dressed in his police uniform, patiently waited for the on-site staff to arrange a photo opportunity. He then said to Xiang Wanfeng, breathing heavily, "I think so. I remember she was Old Yan's star student. When he had trouble last year, she also got implicated. She should have been promoted, but now there's no hope." Xiang Wanfeng, with his steady composure, wiped the sweat from his head and said, "If you know who it is, then hurry up and net them. The target of the assassination has been identified as Yang Jiao. Ah, this ill-fated girl. Investigate, primarily the motive for the assassination, and investigate her heartless parents..."
"Director Xiang, regarding this assassination case, why do I feel something is... off?" Gao Xiaofei said.
"What?" Xiang Wanfeng asked.
"It's too hasty, a bit like being cornered, and also like... a threat?" Gao Xiaofei said, putting down his work.
Indeed, compared to the previous murder cases, the method of this crime was so crude. The perpetrator didn't even bother to disguise himself; he just went for it! It was not only reckless but also a bit... perfunctory!
"What did Ping An say?" Xiang Wanfeng asked.
"Him?" Mentioning Ping An, Gao Xiaofei was furious. "He's busy chasing girls, I haven't seen him ask about this case!"
"What about the mummified body case in Fengdian Residential Area?" Xiang Wanfeng's lips couldn't help but curve upwards when he heard that Ping An was busy chasing girls, and then he asked about other matters.
"Overall, we're stuck. Water Steel is the biggest suspect, but he has no reason to commit suicide in front of the police to cover up a murder case. So I deduce that Water Steel is hiding something behind the case, not the case itself."
"Time is running out. Find a way to push it forward." Xiang Wanfeng looked at the fiercely hot sun and then at the wind turbines on the distant hillside. "That belongs to the wind power company, right? Look at the land you chose; it's not only far but also ruined the feng shui with those large machines. I won't come here often in the future."
"Director Xiang, that's not right. This was originally planned as the site for the new Municipal Bureau office building. Swear on your heart, didn't you assign it to us?" Gao Xiaofei said aggrievedly. "A higher rank crushes a lower one!"
While Xiang Wanfeng, Gao Xiaofei, and others were toiling under the scorching sun, Ping An and Qiao Yiyan's second date officially began. The location of the date was Big World.
Although an assassination had occurred, it had no impact on Big World's business. Inside the mall, apart from a few more security guards than before, everything was a scene of joy.
At the coffee shop where the incident occurred, Ping An, while waiting for Qiao Yiyan, surveyed the surroundings.
"Boss, another cup!" After finishing a large cup of iced Americano, Ping An took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the owner.
"The incident a few days ago doesn't seem to have affected your business!" Ping An said jokingly, taking the coffee personally delivered by the owner.
"No one died, it's just a small dispute. Young people, who knows why," the boss said like an experienced person.
"I heard the victim was the eldest daughter of the wind power company's general manager?" Ping An asked, feigning ignorance.
"Heard more?" the boss said dismissively. "The whole world knows. The victim is the one you mentioned—the self-media articles are practically publishing the video!"
Hearing the boss's words, Ping An quickly took out his phone and opened WeChat.
As expected, that talkative warrior, in league with Peng You, could write any kind of article now.
"Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs, let alone a child raised for fifteen years. Why is this happening? What crime did they commit? Damn it, why don't you just tag Yang Jie and his wife directly!" Ping An's anger flared up as he read the article.
The assassination at the coffee shop was too casual, so casual it was unbelievable. If one looked at the case on the surface, Yang Jie and his wife were highly suspicious. But was it really that simple? Thinking about his previous dealings with He Liaoyuan, Ping An couldn't believe that that cunning woman would do something so foolish in such a sensitive environment!
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Look at your expression, you're so scary!" At some point, Qiao Yiyan, dressed in a qipao, quietly sat down opposite Ping An.
"Oh, when did you arrive? Why didn't you say anything!" Ping An quickly put down his phone.
"I arrived when you were talking to yourself. I didn't want to disturb you thinking about the case, so I didn't speak," Qiao Yiyan said with a smile. "How is it, did I disturb you? Great detective!"
Hearing the word "great detective" uttered through gritted teeth, Ping An felt a sense of unease. It was only their second meeting; could she be this suspicious?
"Are you angry that I chose this place for our meeting?" Ping An asked cautiously.
"No, I know you're concerned about this case!" Qiao Yiyan waved her hand, called a waiter to order a cappuccino, and said, "Tell me, what have you found? I'll analyze it for you!"
"You're not angry?" Ping An tilted his head, studying Qiao Yiyan. He really couldn't figure out what she was thinking.
"No, I'm interested in this case too. To be honest, I judge this to be a simple act of revenge—not targeted! Do you believe me?" Qiao Yiyan said.
"Oh? I'd love to hear more!" Ping An's eyes lit up, and he became energized.
"From a psychological perspective, the perpetrator should be a very insecure person. He spent a lot of time preparing the weapon, but the execution was very hasty!" Qiao Yiyan said. "Doesn't that seem contradictory? Actually, it's not. Because he's always held hatred, always wanting to take revenge on society, so he wanted to kill in his own unique way—oh, this is called a 'signature' attack. At this point, the perpetrator has basically reached a perverted state."
"That's interesting!" Ping An applauded and said with a smile, "You're even more capable than I thought."
"Forget it, you don't believe me at all. If you truly thought what I said made sense, it wouldn't be 'interesting,' it would be 'reasonable'," Qiao Yiyan pouted, saying unhappily.
She really is a difficult person, but also incredibly meticulous. Ping An thought to himself, it seems he'll be at a disadvantage many times in the future. But as the elders say, taking a loss is a blessing!