Blinded chapter 76
He Chuanyun didn’t meet Xie Li; the booklet was sent to Xie Li on He Chuanyun’s orders.
Now the entire Hongfang force in the port city was on the verge of collapse. Chang Guanshan fled with Chang Xiaojia. That night, simultaneously missing was Shi Hongqian. Ye Xinzhi and Chang Xin, the mother and son, had already been arrested, while other members of Hongfang were summoned by the police, restricting them from leaving the port city.
The police had blocked all ports, rigorously checked the coastline, completely cutting off the route for Chang Guanshan to escape by sea. However, Chang Guanshan was likely to escape through the inland provinces.
For Xie Li, capturing Chang Guanshan was important, but finding Chang Xiaojia’s whereabouts was even more urgent.
Xie Li saw the entire process of questioning Chang Xin from the surveillance footage. No matter what the police asked, he claimed not to know anything, leaving no useful information.
Later, wearing a police uniform, Xie Li walked in.
As soon as Chang Xin saw him, a cold smile appeared on his face, and he leaned backward.
Xie Li asked him, “Where is Chang Guanshan?”
Chang Xin said, “I really don’t know. You know my father. Since he left me and my mom and fled, do you think he would leave any clues behind to tell us where he went?”
In the end, Chang Xin didn’t say anything.
Originally, it should have been a complete victory, but due to Yu Zhengkun’s shortage of manpower at the critical moment, he couldn’t send people to arrest Chang Guanshan while searching the customs goods, giving him time to escape.
It was still a case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, leaving everyone feeling frustrated.
When Xie Li left the police station, he saw a van parked at the entrance. The back door of the van opened, and two police officers lifted a wheelchair out.
Seated in the wheelchair was Ruan Qiuyuan.
Ruan Qiuyuan still looked haggard, wrapped in thick clothes, and her pale face was partly covered by a fluffy scarf.
Xie Li stopped in his tracks.
Ruan Qiuyuan nodded at him.
Xie Li pushed her towards Chen Haiman’s grave to visit her.
In front of the tombstone, fresh flowers had already been laid out. It seemed that Chen Haiman’s colleagues from the Port Police had come to pay their respects before them.
Xie Li also placed his own bouquet of flowers.
Ruan Qiuyuan sat in the wheelchair, quietly looking at the photo on the tombstone, saying, “He Chuanyun pulled me out of the sea and handed me over to Chang Xiaojia. Chang Xiaojia saved my life.”
Xie Li remained silent.
Ruan Qiuyuan continued, “Chang Xiaojia probably knew our identities a while back, but I don’t know when it started. I don’t understand why he didn’t expose us and even secretly helped us.”
Xie Li lowered his gaze, and his hands went into the pockets of his trousers. The tip of his shoe lightly tapped on the stone floor, “His mother was killed by Chang Guanshan.”
Ruan Qiuyuan was stunned for a moment and said, “So that’s it. I thought he was only -“
Xie Li didn’t know. In the past, he thought he understood Chang Xiaojia, but now he discovered that there was much about him that he didn’t know.
Ruan Qiuyuan said, “I heard that Chang Xiaojia left with Chang Guanshan.”
“Yeah,” Xie Li nodded.
Ruan Qiuyuan asked, “What are you going to do?”
Xie Li said, “Continue to search for Chang Guanshan.”
Ruan Qiuyuan said, “Okay.”
………….
However, Xie Li was unable to capture Chang Guanshan. After the initial occasional clues about Chang Guanshan in some cities, which local police cooperated with the port city police to pursue but yielded no results, there was no further news about Chang Guanshan.
Xie Li didn’t leave the port city immediately. He continued to assist in pursuing the remnants of Chang Guanshan’s forces, and the entire Hongfang suffered a severe blow. The once top gang in the port harbor city was now faltering, replaced by another force.
Until everything settled down, it was time for Xie Li to leave the port city.
Before leaving, Xie Li finally met He Chuanyun.
He Chuanyun said he was also investigating the whereabouts of Chang Guanshan and Chang Xiaojia but had not found any clues.
“Do you know,” He Chuanyun said, “as long as Chang Guanshan is out there, we will always live in fear.”
Xie Li’s voice was somewhat hoarse, “I’m only worried about Xiaojia.”
He Chuanyun looked at him, “Xiaojia is stronger than you think. You only see Chang Guanshan as crazy, but you forget that they are father and son.”
Xie Li remained silent.
He Chuanyun asked him, “Are you leaving Harbor city?”
Xie Li nodded, “The higher-ups in the police department think it’s dangerous for me to stay here.”
He Chuanyun chuckled at his words, “Now your name, Xie Li, is known by every underground faction in the city. Chang Guanshan still has some influence that hasn’t been completely eradicated. If my information is correct, someone has paid to have you killed. Leaving here is the right choice. I will continue to investigate their whereabouts, and if I get any information, I will inform you first.”
Xie Li said, “Thank you.”
Before leaving He Chuanyun, Xie Li encountered Huo Zhaoning.
Huo Zhaoning still had that polite appearance, took off his sunglasses, and shook hands with him, “Officer Xie.”
Xie Li knew that He Chuanyun had long been colluding with Huo Zhaoning privately. When he shook hands with Huo Zhaoning, he suddenly said, “Don’t become the next Chang Guanshan, or there will be another Xie Li in Harbor city.”
Huo Zhaoning smiled and said, “There won’t be another Chang Guanshan in this city. Officer Xie, please rest assured. I am a human, not a beast.”
Transferred as an undercover to participate in the Port Police’s “flood discharge” operation, successfully completing the mission, Xie Li was rewarded and promoted in rank. He returned to his hometown, Chongfeng City.
By now, Xie Li was twenty-seven years old, and almost half a year had passed since Chang Guanshan fled the city with Xiaojia.
In these six months, Xie Li had no news about Xiaojia. Chang Guanshan’s name remained on the police wanted list.
Xie Li’s life seemed to be back on track, but he couldn’t find out where the so-called track was. He became more and more accustomed to spending all his time and energy on work because it was the only way to keep himself from thinking too much about Xiaojia whenever he had a moment of quiet.
In the eyes of the police leadership, this seemed to be a psychological problem caused by his undercover work, therefore Xie Li received counseling from a psychologist, but it had no effect because Xie Li never talked about Xiaojia.
In the blink of an eye, summer had passed, and autumn had arrived. The head of the Criminal Investigation Division insisted on introducing someone to Xie Li.
Xie Li, out of politeness, took the time to meet a girl named Su Yun. She was quite young, having just graduated from college, and she looked quite gentle.
He originally intended to meet her once and then find an excuse to politely decline. However, Su Yun turned out to be more persistent than Xie Li imagined. She claimed to have fallen in love with Xie Li at first sight, and as long as he didn’t have a girlfriend, she could openly pursue him. She handled things very well, often making Xie Li think she had given up, only to suddenly appear in front of him, generously inviting him to have dinner together.
This situation continued for more than three months.
One day, after a light rain in the afternoon that caused a sudden drop in temperature, with autumn already on its way, Xie Li, in casual clothes with a cigarette in his mouth, saw Su Yun waiting for him in front of the police station, wrapped in a coat and scarf.
He walked over, and Su Yun, with her hands tucked into her sleeves, said to him, “How can you smoke in a public place?”
Xie Li took out the cigarette and extinguished it, throwing it into the trash can, and said, “Sorry.”
Su Yun said, “Let’s have a meal together.”
Xie Li, who usually found excuses to refuse, suddenly had the idea of clarifying things with Su Yun. He wanted to be a bit more serious and firm, so he nodded and said, “I’ll treat you.”
Su Yun was pleasantly surprised, “What happened today? Did you suddenly become interested in me?”
Xie Li smiled and, with his hands in the pockets of his jacket, walked ahead.
Su Yun followed him, jogging a bit, and said, “It’s okay; we can start as friends. I’m still very young and don’t plan to get married now.”
Xie Li didn’t say anything.
As the weather was too cold, Su Yun suggested that Xie Li treat her to hot pot. So they entered a hot pot restaurant and sat down by the window.
Xie Li looked at the menu and placed an order.
While watching him, Su Yun asked, “You’re so handsome; why don’t you want to have a girlfriend?”
Xie Li handed the menu to the waiter and, while unwrapping the chopsticks, said, “I’ve told you that I have someone I like, and I’m waiting for them.”
“Where is she?” Su Yun asked.
Xie Li fell silent for a moment and said, “I don’t know.”
This conversation had repeated several times between them. Su Yun held her face in her hands and said, “Ah, here we go again. You’re always evading the topic.”
Xie Li said, “I’m not evading; I just don’t want to share the story between me and him. He’s a real person.”
Su Yun thought for a moment and said, “Do you think we’re like Yang Guo and Guo Xiang?”
“What?” Xie Li was puzzled.
Su Yun said, “You’re waiting for your man, and I can only look from afar at my big brother.”
Xie Li suddenly burst into laughter, “No, not at all.”
Su Yun had been focusing on Xie Li, and for the first time, she saw a gentle smile in his eyes. She suddenly realized that Xie Li might not be brushing her off after all.