"What?"
The moment the name "Mr. Ke" was mentioned, Ping An's heart felt as if it had been clutched by someone, and a cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Three months ago, a guest was discussing business with our boss, and somehow your name, Reporter Ping An, came up," the man said. "That guest hoped for our boss's help to make a comeback, and of course, the reward was very tempting – a ton of gold! However, our boss no longer wanted to be involved in trouble and politely refused."
"Who would have thought your boss had so many friends," Ping An said sarcastically.
"This time, our boss was afraid of getting involved in trouble, it's all old, trivial matters, but he wants to retire peacefully and doesn't want to leave any problems. After learning that you were bombed, he wanted to visit you several times," the man said. "Our boss said that Reporter Ping An is a man who does great things. It doesn't matter if you want to investigate that old matter or not, nor if the people who have been against us these past few years were arranged by you. These things can be discussed. He's willing to exchange 'Mr. Ke's' information, oh no, to buy a Ping An."
"If I say I haven't handled any cases for the past two years, and even if I was bombed, I don't want to meddle in other people's affairs, nor would I deliberately arrange for anyone to oppose you, would your boss believe me?" Ping An asked, clutching his wound.
"The boss said you are too terrifying..." the man paused, unsure how to respond.
"Alright, I agree. How do I give you the information? How do I give you the money?" Ping An asked.
"No rush. After you're discharged from the hospital, we'll naturally contact you. You'll need to bring 300,000 yuan in cash to exchange for the identity of 'Mr. Ke'," the man said.
"Fine, I agree. Also, go back and tell your boss that I have never sent anyone to oppose him, and I don't even know who he is," Ping An said. "Once this matter is settled, we'll go our separate ways. Don't bother me again, otherwise, you don't know my capabilities, and your boss should. Now, get out!"
The matter was settled, but the man was still reluctant to leave, turning his head and repeatedly winking at the woman.
The woman reluctantly took out her phone and opened a photo.
"The Grandmaster has ordered: a thief never leaves empty-handed! Although I know this threat is probably useless to you, I hope you don't mind," the woman said, holding up her phone.
The distance was a bit far, so Ping An shuffled forward a few steps before he could see the photo clearly. He saw himself, naked from the waist up, lying on the bed with his head tilted, next to a long-haired woman, also naked from the waist up, her back to the camera, as if she was doing... that thing with him?
The photo was only displayed for a short while before the woman took back her phone and turned to leave with the man.
"Despicable! Shameless! Filthy! You young lady, aren't you ashamed, using this to threaten me, using this to threaten me..." behind the unfortunate "male and female killers," Ping An's hysterical curses could be heard.
"Brother! I want to kill him!"
"Don't you dare, don't you dare, it's enough to show our displeasure!"
...
In the early hours of the morning, when Gao Xiaofei and Hei Dou found Ping An in the underground city's warehouse, he had already fainted, leaning against the wall. The chaotic scene and the knives left behind seemed to tell the story of a miraculous escape from death that night.
After emergency treatment by the doctor, Ping An finally opened his eyes at dawn, still drowsy.
"You're really lucky. We reviewed the surveillance footage, and it was crystal clear. Four men in black sneaked into the hospital. One knocked out the nurse in the ward, and the other three disguised themselves as doctors, nurses, and patients to transport the wrong patient. Then, in the chaos, they drugged you in the ward, and a fake patient disguised as you lay in bed. Afterwards, they pretended to have the wrong room, and used a trick of replacing the genuine with the fake to get you out. Finally, the fake nurse in the ward knocked out the police, and the fake patient left the hospital normally, with a car waiting for them outside," Gao Xiaofei said. "They took you to the new morgue and parking lot on the first basement level. That place wasn't even connected by stairs yet. We came all the way from the old morgue and found you leaning against the wall."
The weak Ping An couldn't speak at this moment. The life-or-death struggle during intense exertion had left him exhausted, and he just wanted to sleep.
Gao Xiaofei, who had intended to ask about the kidnapping first, had to give up. He instructed Hei Dou not to go anywhere and to stay at the hospital. Someone would take care of things in Fan County for him.
"You keep him. Ping An is used to ordering you around, and it will be convenient for him to talk when he's watching you. Notify me immediately if you get any new information," Gao Xiaofei said, sighing at Ping An before leaving the ward, as he had a meeting to attend.
In the early morning, in a high-end office building in the most prosperous section of the river district.
Ma Delu, in his fifties, wearing a large black and gray bathrobe, was led to the dining table by two beautiful women.
"So, did you succeed or fail in this task?" Ma Delu said after taking a sip of milk. "Even an idiot could find me through Chen Fei. I sent you to talk to Ping An properly, why the violence? Now you haven't killed him, and you've implicated me."
"Boss, I don't think Ping An is the type to get involved in these matters. He was quite a figure in Hechuan a couple of years ago, but now he's as honest as a bride about to be married," Ma Delu said, facing the four people standing opposite him. They were the same group who had tormented Ping An earlier. The man leading them, after taking off his mask, turned out to be a foreigner.
"For now, you four go back home. After Ping An is discharged from the hospital and all this mess is over, you can complete the remaining transaction with Ping An," Ma Delu said. "I know nothing about these messes. This Ping An is not to be trifled with. You can give me more information, tell me whatever you know. It's best if we can win him over as a friend. I'm doing legitimate business now, and I really don't want any more trouble, my good old friends, okay?"
"Alright. Those who can survive under our watch, according to the rules, we won't make a move again. We are also willing to be friends with Ping An," the man said, expressing his intentions once more before leading his subordinates out of the restaurant.
Watching them leave the restaurant, Ma Delu frowned and took out his phone.
"Take care of them. Yes, nonsense! Of course, after they return home! Push it onto that... Mr. Ke, yes, onto Mr. Ke!" Ma Delu cursed and threw his phone away, then began to leisurely eat his breakfast.
At this moment, a well-dressed middle-aged man entered the restaurant.
"Mr. Ma, the representative from An's International has arrived. They're here earlier than expected," the middle-aged man said politely.
"Oh? So early! Have the VIP room been arranged? Is it President An who has arrived?" Ma Delu stood up immediately upon hearing this, not bothering to finish his meal, and began to prepare to change clothes.
"President An is not coming. It is said that President An is close to giving birth and is inconvenient to travel. Her special assistant, Ms. Wan Rou, has arrived," the middle-aged man replied.
"Wan Rou? Oh, she's someone close to Chairman An. Hmm? One of the former Eight Beauties of An's, she's quite influential in An's International," Ma Delu said while putting on his pants. "Whether our 'Angel of Love' can get cooperation with An's this time depends on this meeting. Regardless of whether it's useful or not, prepare lunch with the highest standards. I heard this Wan Rou likes foie gras? Get some good stuff – and for the tea break at ten o'clock, the tea should be Dian Hong, and for the pastries, a mix of Chinese and Western, good ones, hmm, alright, go arrange it!"
If Ma Delu had known that Ping An was the biological son of An's chairman, the one who had tormented Ping An all night, he would probably have gone to apologize with those four guys immediately. However, Hechuan City is vast, and not many people actually know about Ping An's relationship with An's.
Besides, the cooperation between An's and Ma Delu was actually a talent show. This event was just one of An's many not-so-remarkable projects. An Jing, as the current actual helmswoman of An's, naturally wouldn't meet Ma Delu for a small project. Moreover, she had more important things to do, like her brother being harassed – how could this be tolerated?
Outside the ward, which was heavily guarded by the police, An Jing and Su Tang sat facing each other. The other few big men stood against the wall with their heads lowered in frustration.
"How about this, I'll arrange for the company's private jet to send my brother abroad for a period of recuperation. You can come back after you've clarified the case," An Jing said, breaking the silence. Everyone was feeling down since Ping An had not woken up yet.
"It's not necessary, it's not necessary. The doctor said it's not a major problem. The wound opened this time, but it's not serious..." Gao Xiaofei was embarrassed to chime in, Hei Dou covered his face, ashamed to speak. Mei Qian, as the husband, naturally had to say a few words.
"What, are you going to wait until my brother is really in trouble?" An Jing, who was usually easygoing, was adamant this time.
"How could that happen? The police are here..." Mei Qian whispered.
"How dare you say that." An Jing glared at Mei Qian.
At this moment, the ward door opened, and Gao Da, who had been guarding inside, came out.
"He's awake. Xiaofei, you go in. He didn't ask for anyone else," Gao Da said, then quietly added to An Jing, "Your brother wants to eat lamb noodles, made by you. What do you think?"
"Alas, I'll go right away." An Jing glanced at the ward, then turned to Su Tang and said, "Don't run around. Today, just guard your master and don't let him cause any trouble, understand?"
Seeing Su Tang nod obediently, An Jing, accompanied by Mei Qian, went home to make noodles.
In the ward, Ping An had a "seeing a ghost" expression on his face.
"Brother, you're awake?" Gao Xiaofei grabbed Ping An's hand and said, "It must have been tough for you all night."
"Get lost, stay away from me, your breath stinks." Ping An pushed Gao Xiaofei away in disgust and said, "I'll speak first, you listen."
"Sigh." Seeing that his old friend seemed to be in good spirits, Gao Xiaofei's worried heart finally relaxed.
The weak Ping An recounted his ordeal in the most concise language, then listened to Gao Xiaofei's account of the latest information the police had gathered.
"When Chen Fei was with me, I did notice something was off. I suspected he was being threatened, but it didn't feel like it. His words and everything else felt like acting. Now that I think about it, he was probably having an episode then," Ping An said. "The people who kidnapped me are probably not the masterminds of the bombing. They wanted to get something out of me, but I really don't know anything this time. And that 'Angel of Love' Ma Delu is definitely involved in the case, but to what extent, it's hard to say. Lastly, about 'Mr. Ke'..."
In just a few minutes, Ping An's mind was clear, and his language was concise, laying out all the known information. As for Gao Xiaofei's invitation to participate in the investigation, he still politely declined.
What was initially thought to be a simple case became complicated with Ping An's attack, and the police realized that it was not simple. Perhaps other crimes were hidden behind the bombing. And "Mr. Ke," a name that had not appeared for over two years, once again echoed in Hechuan City, bringing immense shock to the police. Given the complexity of the case, the municipal bureau officially intervened, dispatching personnel from the serious crime unit of the criminal investigation detachment to join the investigation.
After being slapped by her aunt, Su Tang seemed to have suddenly grown up. She dutifully brought food to her master every day and no longer skipped school. Facing Zhang Xiao'ao's expectant gaze, she could even spare an hour a day for one-on-one tutoring. As for the cases at the Wa Tang Peculiar Affairs Office, she seemed to have temporarily put them aside, but in reality...
"Is that Ma Delu a foodie? He goes in and out of restaurants every day. Can't you three brothers wear decent clothes? If you dress like beggars, the restaurant won't let you in..." During the half-hour break for the morning exercises, Su Tang allocated time for Zhang Xiao'ao's tutoring.
In fact, since they had fought, and then learned that this person had a deep connection with her master, and might even become her master's disciple in the future, Su Tang's hostility towards Zhang Xiao'ao gradually lessened, and she became more amiable. For example, now, when she saw Zhang Xiao'ao misspell a word again, she slapped him – "Are you an idiot? I've told you three times, this word here needs the last letter removed, understand?"
Under the spring sun, a simple and honest young boy diligently wrote and drew in his notebook. A girl kneeling on a chair repeatedly hit the boy's head with a thick book...
"What a beautiful scene." These were the thoughts of the homeroom teacher.
"What a tragic life, how did I end up in Su Tang's hands?" These were the thoughts of all the girls in the class.
"What intimate contact, I wish I could get hit too." These were the thoughts of the boys in the class who had a crush on Su Tang.
After school at noon, Su Tang packed her things and hurried home. Her master's condition had improved, and he had become picky. He only ate the delicacies made by his aunt, and only what she personally delivered. Alas, today she still had to find a way to meet Da Shu and the others. A week had passed, and besides knowing that Mr. Ma had a few lovers, there was no information about the girl who was deceived.
"Su Su, can I go with you to see Teacher Ping An?" Seeing Su Tang's request, Zhang Xiao'ao suddenly stopped her.
"There's no need, is there? Let's see him after he's discharged from the hospital," Su Tang said impatiently. "Don't call me Su Su, call me Su Tang, Tang Tang, Xiao Su, or Classmate Su, okay?"
"I heard you, but Su Su, my dad is eager to go home. He left a letter, and I want to deliver it," Zhang Xiao'ao said stubbornly.
"A letter? What era is this? Can't you just make a phone call?" Su Tang looked at Zhang Xiao'ao's eager eyes and thought that it wouldn't hurt to have someone help her carry things. She said helplessly, "Alright then, you come with me."
An Jing and Mei Qian's home was not far from the school. Seeing An Jing return with Zhang Xiao'ao, she was very happy, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
The pregnant woman rarely cooked. Mei Qian hired a nanny at a high price to take care of his wife. However, An Jing had insisted on cooking these past few days. Firstly, Su Tang loved to eat, and secondly, she was worried that someone might tamper with her brother's food.
On the dining table, the dishes emitted colorful light. Zhang Xiao'ao, who ate instant noodles with his dad every day, didn't know how to start.
"Eat, child. Looking at your tall stature, I know you must eat a lot every day!" An Jing said with a smile, putting a piece of braised pork into Zhang Xiao'ao's bowl. "Your Teacher Ping An will be discharged from the hospital in a few more days. He cares a lot about you and asked me to convert my old training classes into shooting classes. Although they're not very formal, they'll be enough for you."
"That's too biased. I'm also my master's disciple, and I've never seen my master open a class for me!" Su Tang chewed on the cauliflower listlessly.
"By the way, take this card. It's for your pocket money. It's also your master's idea. Take it with peace of mind. Your dad knows about it too," An Jing said, taking a savings card from her pocket and placing it next to Zhang Xiao'ao.
"Aunt An Jing, I have money. My dad left me 1,000 yuan, which is enough for me," Zhang Xiao'ao said sheepishly.
"Take it. Our master is very unreliable. It's better to have money yourself than to starve!" Su Tang, sitting beside him, began to ramble. "Oh, right, if you become his disciple, then wouldn't I be your senior sister?"
"Senior sister!" Zhang Xiao'ao finally seemed to understand and called out obediently.
"Good boy! I'll take you shopping this afternoon. Looking at your clothes and stationery, you don't even have a phone, tsk tsk, you're like a native." Su Tang said.
After a rich lunch, An Jing picked up a lunch box and bid farewell to her aunt before preparing to leave.
"Xiao'ao, I heard from your dad that you got your driver's license last year, right?" An Jing took out a car key and said, "In that case, my Mini has been sitting idle. You can drive it during this time."
"Ah, this, I'm sorry." Zhang Xiao'ao had only driven his family's pickup truck and had never driven a car like a Mini.
"Drive it, drive it!" Su Tang, who was beside him, was the first to react. If Zhang Xiao'ao drove, wouldn't she have a free chauffeur and car from now on? Aunt is too thoughtful, she wouldn't have to take taxis anymore.
Su Tang knew that before An Jing got married, she had a private imported Mini. After getting married and becoming the CEO of An's, she had a private car and driver and rarely drove. It was a pity that she couldn't drive, otherwise, she would have driven it long ago. Now that Zhang Xiao'ao was driving it, it was equivalent to her having a car every day!
Driving a Mini in a car with an 1.8-meter tall man was indeed a bit uncomfortable, but it didn't prevent Su Tang from sitting in the passenger seat with her eyes closed, listening to music.
"Xiao'ao, let's make a deal. I'll tutor you well in your studies, and you'll drive me around to do business, okay?" Su Tang said with increasing delight as she saw Zhang Xiao'ao's good driving skills.
"Okay, I'm new here, and you'll take me out. It's a good thing," Zhang Xiao'ao agreed happily.
With the car, it was indeed fast. Just as Ping An was about to curse from hunger, Su Tang and Zhang Xiao'ao arrived at the hospital smoothly.
"You're quite fast today. Alas, you must be Xiao'ao, right?" Ping An, who was reading in bed, recognized the young man who had followed Su Tang at first glance.
"Teacher Ping An, hello. I am Zhang Xiao'ao," Zhang Xiao'ao bowed respectfully to Ping An.
"Hello, come here and let me take a look. Hmm, indeed, your arms look like natural archery material," Ping An said, pulling Zhang Xiao'ao over for a chat without rushing to eat.
After finally sending off his master's lunch, Su Tang took Zhang Xiao'ao directly to the Flower Street headquarters. Just as they were having lunch, Da Shu sent a text message saying that there was a clue to the case.
In the milk tea shop, three burly men with fierce expressions surrounded Zhang Xiao'ao, who was sitting opposite them drinking milk tea.
Ever since they heard that this kid dared to challenge their boss, the three brothers had been very unhappy. Even though Su Tang said they had become good "buddies," they stubbornly believed that men should take a bath together, and only after baring themselves could they truly be "one of them."
"Kid, don't get any funny ideas. Our boss doesn't date before he's 25."
Da Shu rolled up his sleeves, revealing his tattoo, and threatened Zhang Xiao'ao with a nasal voice.
"Kid, have you been stabbed before? Have you ever cut anyone?"
Lao Yuan lifted his T-shirt, revealing three knife scars on his belly.
"Kid, you you you you, I I I I, she..."
Lao Fang fumbled for a long time without being able to articulate his words clearly. He picked up a ballpoint pen from the table and snapped it in half with a "snap."
"Alright, you three. I've already said that this kid is my junior brother and chauffeur from now on. He's one of us, so stop acting." Su Tang, who was looking at documents, said disapprovingly upon hearing the commotion.
Zhang Xiao'ao seemed unfazed by the threats of the three brothers. When he heard Da Shu muttering about taking a bath, he even offered that he could scrub backs if they had a chance to bathe together, and that he was a very thorough scrubber.
The three brothers finally nodded in satisfaction at this cooperative "younger brother."
Su Tang couldn't attend to the matter here, as she was holding a brochure for a talent show organized by "Angel of Love" Entertainment Company. According to the information Da Lao Yuan had gathered, this event had attracted many seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls. If they followed this lead, they might be able to find information about the missing girls.
"That Ma Delu is very cunning, like a rabbit. He has several dens, changes his residence almost daily, and sometimes lives at the company. We can't figure out where his real home is," Da Shu said. "Lao Yuan's idea is, if all else fails, let's apprehend him and scare him a bit, and he'll spill everything."
"No, we can't do anything illegal. That would go against our initial intention of opening a detective agency," Su Tang said after thinking. "How is the investigation into the training you participated in with Nian Xiaobei going?"
"We found three girls, but they were unwilling to show up. We asked them for recordings," Lao Yuan said. "Those three girls were actually classmates of Nian Xiaobei. They said that Nian Xiaobei was the best among them and was often kept by Manager Wang and Manager Ma for dinners. Oh, that Manager Wang is the female boss who first discovered Nian Xiaobei. He's Ma Delu's subordinate."
Because of her outstanding looks, Nian Xiaobei was often brought by Ma Delu to attend various events. It was thought that Nian Xiaobei would become famous step by step, but for some reason, one day, Manager Ma and Nian Xiaobei had a big argument in the company corridor, roughly about Nian Xiaobei wanting to jump ship.
"In the end, Nian Xiaobei left 'Angel of Love' company in front of everyone, and then left for training a few days later," Lao Yuan said. One of the girls said that the reason Nian Xiaobei had a falling out with Ma Delu was that Ma Delu wanted Nian Xiaobei to spend a night with him, but she refused, which led to the conflict.