Blinded chapter 68
The road to Yushui Wharf was old and narrow, with no streetlights on either side. Pressing down the car window, one could feel the sea breeze mixed with a damp, salty odor.
Silently driving the car, Xie Li suddenly thought he should leave a farewell letter, handing it to Yu Zhengkun. If he died, he hoped Yu Zhengkun would deliver his letter to Chang Xiaojia.
With no real family and nothing much to say to others, the only person he couldn’t abandon in this world was Chang Xiaojia.
The car approached its destination.
Xie Li saw a parked car on the side of the road, someone smoking inside, but they didn’t greet them. So, he continued driving forward until they finally stopped at the open space of the old dock. There were no lights on the dock, but several cars were already parked there. Illuminated by car headlights, Xie Li saw Song Daozheng, He Chuanyun, and some other people from the Hongfang group.
Xie Li got out of the car and helped Chang Guanshan open the car door. Chang Guanshan adjusted the coat on his shoulders and walked slowly, asking, “Where are they?”
Song Daozheng said, “They’ve been brought here.”
Then, Xie Li saw two people coming down from a car close to the shore. He had seen both of them before; they were Ye Shaoyin’s subordinates. They opened the back door of the car and pulled a woman out.
That woman was Ruan Qiuyuan.
In fact, Xie Li wasn’t surprised. He had even prepared his facial expression. This time, they couldn’t bring down Chang Guanshan along with Ye Shaoyin, and Ruan Qiuyuan would likely be the first to expose everything. So, Xie Li had discussed with Ruan Qiuyuan. As soon as Ye Shaoyin was caught, Ruan Qiuyuan would leave first, preferably picked up by someone arranged by Yu Zhengkun, leaving the Harbor City.
But it seemed they were a step too late.
Ye Shaoyin’s two subordinates, one of them grabbing Ruan Qiuyuan’s hair, walked in front of Chang Guanshan. One of them said, “Mr. Chang, as soon as Ye Ge had trouble, this woman wanted to run.”
Chang Guanshan remained calm. He walked slowly to Ruan Qiuyuan and asked, “Miss Ruan, why are you running?”
Ruan Qiuyuan lowered her head and said, “What’s the point of staying? I wanted to leave Ye Shaoyin a long time ago.”
Chang Guanshan said, “I heard that Ye Shaoyin quite liked you. Why? Do you dislike him so much? Or do you prefer someone like Du Shenglian, an old man with one foot in the grave?”
Ruan Qiuyuan raised her head, looking at Chang Guanshan with a calm gaze.
The man holding her hair tightened his grip, almost forcing Ruan Qiuyuan to kneel on the ground.
Chang Guanshan said, “The people who traded with Ye Shaoyin were contacted through your previous connections with Du Shenglian. Du Shenglian called me this afternoon, saying he didn’t know anything. He thinks you are a big problem. Do you know what he means?”
Ruan Qiuyuan shook her head, “Mr. Chang, I really don’t know. When Ye Shaoyin needed money, I found people for him to do business with, trying to raise some funds for him.”
Chang Guanshan sighed. He turned to Xie Li and said, “Xie Li, what do you think?”
Xie Li spoke calmly, “Mr. Chang, I have nothing to say about her matters. I don’t know anything.”
Chang Guanshan took off his glasses, wiped them with a handkerchief from his pocket, and put them back on, saying, “I heard there’s something between you and her. My Xiaojia isn’t happy about it. What do you think, Xie Li?”
Xie Li replied, “That’s in the past. We broke up when she chose Ye Shaoyin.”
Chang Guanshan glanced at Ruan Qiuyuan and then said to Xie Li, “It seems she doesn’t even look at you now.”
Taking a deep breath, Xie Li, standing in front of Ruan Qiuyuan, asked with a voice audible to everyone, “Did you betray Ye Shaoyin?”
Ruan Qiuyuan only looked at him when he spoke, shaking her head.
Chang Guanshan said, “You are asking the wrong question. Xie Li, you should ask her if she’s an undercover agent for the police.”
Xie Li’s heartbeat slowed. He heard himself asking with an emotionless voice, “Are you an undercover agent?”
Ruan Qiuyuan suddenly chuckled, saying, “If I were an undercover agent, would I sacrifice myself to this extent?”
Before she could finish her words, Chang Guanshan also laughed and said, “I think what she said makes sense. What do you think, Xie Li?”
Xie Li turned, looking at Chang Guanshan. Behind the lenses, Chang Guanshan’s eyes became sharp, and he asked, “Do you have nothing to say now?”
Xie Li’s tone was low, “Mr. Chang, I won’t betray you for a woman. But since she’s a woman I once slept with, I indeed have nothing more to say now.”
Chang Guanshan suddenly pulled out a gun and handed it directly to Xie Li, saying, “Then don’t say anything. Just do it.”
Now there were two choices in front of Xie Li: kill Ruan Qiuyuan, continue undercover next to Chang Guanshan, or choose to reveal his identity, die together with Ruan Qiuyuan.
However, when Xie Li reached for the gun, he knew he had a third choice. He could protect Ruan Qiuyuan and retreat by aiming the gun at Chang Guanshan, using him as leverage to escape with Ruan Qiuyuan.
Yet, the moment he grasped the gun, he immediately abandoned this idea. His peripheral vision noticed several guns aimed at him in the darkness, and the weight of this particular gun felt wrong; there might not be real bullets inside.
He took the gun, turned around, and aimed it at Ruan Qiuyuan.
Chang Guanshan slowly stepped back, and two tall subordinates stood in front of him. It was only when Xie Li was almost about to pull the trigger, that Chang Guanshan spoke, “Wait, change the gun.”
Someone handed another gun to Xie Li. This gun was noticeably heavier, and Xie Li knew there were real bullets inside.
Just now, Chang Guanshan was clearly testing him. If he had taken the gun and immediately used it to threaten Chang Guanshan, someone in the dark would have shot and killed him and Ruan Qiuyuan on the spot. Why would Chang Guanshan expose himself to danger like that?
Xie Li passed Chang Guanshan’s first test and was now facing the main event. He had a gun. The choice was to sacrifice a comrade and continue the mission or use the gun to break out of the encirclement with the comrade.
But they couldn’t break out. Many guns were aimed at Ruan Qiuyuan behind Xie Li, ready to shoot at any moment.
Xie Li understood this, and how could Ruan Qiuyuan not? She suddenly struggled to stand up and staggered backward.
At that moment, Xie Li heard the sounds of several bullets being loaded.
Ruan Qiuyuan backed up all the way to the seashore, with the seawall behind her. If she fell backward, she would plunge straight into the sea.
“I don’t love Ye Shaoyin; he deserves it!” Ruan Qiuyuan suddenly shouted.
Xie Li’s face remained calm, but his chest heaved violently, and his fingers gripping the gun turned pale.
Afterward, Ruan Qiuyuan laughed, a somewhat desolate laughter. She looked at Xie Li with a firm gaze, almost about to ask Xie Li to shoot her. However, in the end, she said, “I hate you!” After saying that, she raised her hands and tilted backward.
Xie Li fired. He saw his bullet pierce through Ruan Qiuyuan’s left shoulder, leaving a trail of blood in the air. Then, along with her body, the blood plunged into the sea.
He fired a second shot, unsure if he hit her. Then, he chased after her, firing a third shot toward the water.
Behind Xie Li, several people caught up, all staring at the dark sea. Some aimed their guns at the water, ready to shoot, and waited breathlessly. After several minutes passed, no one emerged from the water.
It wasn’t until over ten minutes later that Xie Li returned to Chang Guanshan’s side. He bowed and said, “Mr. Chang, Ruan Qiuyuan should be dead by now. Do you need someone to handle the scene?”
He Chuanyun was standing not far from Chang Guanshan and said, “I’ll do it, Mr. Chang.”
Chang Guanshan nodded. He patted Xie Li on the shoulder and said, “You did well.” After that, he added, “She’s just a woman; don’t let her be a hindrance.”
Xie Li said, “I understand.”
He drove Chang Guanshan back to his home along the same route, and by then, it was already early morning.
Chang Guanshan got out of the car and went back to the building to sleep. Xie Li parked the car in the garage, and the moment he got out of the car, he almost knelt on one knee.
He stood up expressionlessly, hands shaking, and then he inserted his trembling hands into the pockets of his pants, walking towards the direction of the small building where Chang Xiaojia lived.