Blinded chapter 30

Xie Li descended the stairs all the way to the ground floor, encountering no ambushes on the way out. It seemed that Chang Guanshan thought a few people were enough to kill him, especially since one of them had a gun.

When Xie Li had confronted them earlier, his travel bag had dropped at the door. He didn’t realize it until he left the residential area and walked on the lively street. He turned back to look at the entrance, observing the people coming and going, unable to discern if anyone was watching him.

Continuing towards the bustling neighborhood, he raised his hand to touch his phone, only to discover it was missing.

He couldn’t remember where he had lost his phone, but his identification and some loose change were still in a wallet, snug against his body.

He walked until he reached a central market. After wandering inside for a while, he sat in a less conspicuous corner on a bench near another exit. Finally able to catch his breath, he observed the people passing through the market’s entrance, ensuring no one was tailing him. Satisfied, he left the market, contemplating where to go next.

Returning to the Chang family was out of the question, and he didn’t dare to contact Chang Xiaojia hastily. Chang Guanshan was ruthless, and Xie Li didn’t know if he might be monitoring Chang Xiaojia’s phone. There were several small motels nearby, but Xie Li feared that Hongfang’s informants were everywhere. Once he registered at a motel, Chang Guanshan could easily track him down.

In the end, Xie Li found a roadside grocery store, spent some money on cigarettes, and borrowed the shop owner’s phone to call Yu Zhengkun.

After wandering around for a night, it was almost midnight. Yu Zhengkun, seemingly awakened from sleep, didn’t express annoyance, asking if there was an emergency.

Xie Li didn’t say much, only requesting, “Help me find the address of Hu Minxin.” When he first entered Fish Island Prison, Yu Zhengkun had arranged for someone to take care of him inside. Hu Minxin was just an insignificant small-time thug, unaware of Xie Li’s true identity. However, if Yu Zhengkun wanted to find Hu Minxin, he could.

Yu Zhengkun asked, “What happened?”

Xie Li replied, “Don’t ask. I’ll tell you when I have time. I’m in a hurry right now.”

Yu Zhengkun didn’t waste time and, after two minutes, provided him with an address.

Ending the call, Xie Li flagged down a taxi on the roadside and headed directly to Hu Minxin’s home. In Harbor City, apart from Chang Xiaojia, the only person Xie Li knew was Hu Minxin. At this point, he couldn’t rely too much on Yu Zhengkun’s help, fearing it might expose his identity. If he could hide for a couple of days at Hu Minxin’s place, it would be best. Additionally, if Chang Xiaojia couldn’t find him, perhaps he might remember Hu Minxin.

With these thoughts, Xie Li smiled bitterly. When he left the Chang family, he packed his belongings and left by himself. He had no idea what Chang Xiaojia might be thinking. He was probably furious, and tonight, he might not be able to sleep peacefully.

Hu Minxin also lived in an old house in the old city area. The environment was much worse than the neighborhood Chen Chao had taken him to. There was no elevator, and Xie Li climbed up to the fourth floor. On the way, he even encountered a semi-open door with someone conducting illicit business on the third floor.

Xie Li knocked twice on the door. Standing there for a while without hearing any movement inside, he looked up and found the doorbell on the wall. Pressing it firmly, he soon heard footsteps accompanied by Hu Minxin’s grumbling from inside, approaching the door.

When the door opened, Hu Minxin, wearing only shorts, stood there. Initially stern-faced, his expression turned to surprise upon seeing Xie Li. “Xie Li, what are you doing here?”

Xie Li walked inside and said, “Let’s talk inside.”

As soon as he entered, he saw a woman in her underwear coming out of the room.

Hu Minxin seemed a bit embarrassed and said, “Who knew you’d come over so late.”

The woman leaned against the doorframe and asked Hu Minxin, “Are we continuing?”

Hu Minxin said, “Forget it, another day.”

The woman said, “But you still need to pay for tonight.”

Hu Minxin cursed under his breath but didn’t want to lose face. He shouted, “You’ll get your money!”

Xie Li, realizing the woman was not Hu Minxin’s girlfriend but a prostitute, took out his wallet from his pocket and asked, “How much?”

The woman, eyeing Xie Li from head to toe, after a while, smiled and said, “If you’re interested, handsome, I charge for one person. If you both come together, how about a discount?”

Xie Li smiled, “I’m not interested.”

The woman turned and walked back inside, saying, “Boring.” As she put on her clothes one by one, she finally took a hundred yuan from Xie Li and left Hu Minxin’s place.

Hu Minxin still felt embarrassed. After a long time, when the awkwardness faded, he suddenly realized and asked Xie Li, “How did you know I live here?”

Xie Li, sitting on the sofa in the living room, tilted his head back and said, “Asked around a bit.”

Hu Minxin didn’t press for details. He thought Xie Li had some means since he had been working for Chang Xiaojia. So, he asked, “Why are you here so late?”

Xie Li rubbed his face with his hand and said, “Chang Guanshan wants to kill me.”

Hu Minxin was shocked, “What? Why does he want to kill you?”

Xie Li said, “Because I had something with his son.”

Hu Minxin’s eyes widened in disbelief, “You really had something with Chang Xiaojia?”

Xie Li remained silent.

Hu Minxin’s expression of shock lingered for a long time. “Is it true or not? You’re not joking with me?”

Xie Li sighed and shook his head.

Sitting beside him, Hu Minxin said, “Then what’s your plan now?”

Xie Li told him, “Let me stay here for a couple of days.”

Hu Minxin said, “You can stay as long as you want. The key is, what’s your plan for the next step? Can you still go back to Chang Xiaojia?”

Xie Li didn’t answer Hu Minxin’s question.

In reality, if he were just a small businessman who had served time in prison, and had decent skills, he should return to Chongfeng. After all, the most powerful force in Harbor city was now chasing him. Just to make money; there were opportunities everywhere. Why risk his life?

But he couldn’t just declare the mission a failure. After some thought, he came up with the excuse that he couldn’t bear to leave Chang Xiaojia. This way, Chang Xiaojia might just throw a tantrum at most. Otherwise, if Chang Xiaojia clashed directly with Chang Guanshan, he might suffer some losses.

He suddenly realized that he didn’t want Chang Xiaojia to suffer.

Hu Minxin’s house was small, an old one passed down from his grandmother. There was only one bedroom, and Xie Li took the initiative to ask to sleep on the sofa, hiding out at Hu Minxin’s place for two days.

After two days, Xie Li and Yu Zhengkun met at a secure location.

Upon hearing about Xie Li’s current situation, Yu Zhengkun fell silent for a long time and said, “I told you not to get too close to Chang Xiaojia for the mission.”

Xie Li chuckled, “If it weren’t for that, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have seen Chang Xiaojia again after leaving Fish Island Prison.”

Looking at him, Yu Zhengkun asked, “Xie Li, tell me honestly, did you mix personal feelings into this mission?”

Xie Li didn’t answer.

Yu Zhengkun said, “Two years ago, during your training at the Hangfeng Base, Chen Haiman was also there. Did something happen between you two?”

Xie Li’s expression turned serious, and he said in a low voice, “Nothing happened, but you’re right. Who can face this case without mixing in personal feelings? I won’t let the person who killed her get away.”

Friendly reminder: Chen Haiman was the female police officer who was killed.