Direction
Driving on the highway, Song Yuhang glanced back through her sunglasses into the rearview mirror, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“It seems we’re being watched.”
Lin Yan leaned her hand against her forehead, massaging her temples lazily. “Someone was tailing me last night when I was at the Lin family’s house.”
Song Yuhang glanced at her slightly nervously. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I shook them off,” Lin Yan replied, chewing gum as she kept an eye on the black car that had been following them at a distance through the rearview mirror.
“Since they’ve followed us all the way here after aunt’s birthday banquet yesterday, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Song Yuhang gripped the steering wheel, her gaze fixed ahead, maneuvering through the traffic.
“No rush, let’s play with them for a while.”
At the next service area.
Lin Yan started clamoring to go to the restroom again. Song Yuhang parked the car by the side, unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out with her.
She took a drag of her cigarette, her arm around Lin Yan’s shoulder, leading her inside. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that the black car also pulled over to the side.
Song Yuhang patted her shoulder twice. “You go ahead, I’ll go over there and have a look, and buy some food.”
Lin Yan nodded in understanding, and the two of them went their separate ways.
The black-clad person following behind peeked around, then pressed the mini microphone at their ear. “Report, they’ve separated.”
Lin Yan squeezed into the crowd queuing for the restroom. She took the bucket hat from the lady in front who was engrossed in playing with her phone, put it on her own head, and donned sunglasses. She took off her jacket and held it in her hand, then took out a mask from her pocket and put it on her face. She blended in with a group of middle-aged women and walked out.
The black-clad person made a turn and couldn’t see her anymore.
Meanwhile, Song Yuhang leaned against the counter and bought a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes. As the cashier gave her change, she caught sight of the anxious black-clad person pacing around. They seemed to have lost their target.
A faint smile curled up at the corner of her lips, and she deliberately raised her voice. “Give me a bottle of mineral water too.”
The black-clad person abruptly turned their head as if they had found their target. Song Yuhang led them through the corridor towards the parking lot.
During lunchtime, the service area was crowded with tour buses and private cars. People occasionally passed by them as they walked through the parking lot.
The black-clad person followed closely.
Song Yuhang maneuvered through the crowd, leading the person towards the side where the buses were parked. The towering bus body cast shadows on the ground, shielding them from the sunlight.
As she walked, Song Yuhang used her teeth to undo her sleeve cuff and circled around to the other side of the bus.
The black-clad person hurriedly followed.
Someone tapped them on the shoulder. “Hey–“
They turned around, and Lin Yan’s fist landed directly on their face.
The black-clad person stumbled back two steps, their back hitting the bus, while their hand pulled a spring-loaded knife from their pocket and lunged towards her throat.
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However, before they could get close, they were kicked away, soaring through the air. Song Yuhang caught them by the neck and pushed them onto the bus, her eyes filled with ferocity.
“Speak?! Who sent you?!”
Lin Yan picked up the spring-loaded knife, tapping it in her palm as she approached him. “Nice knife, just a bit dim-witted owner.”
The person gritted their teeth, a fierce determination flashing in their eyes. They bent their knees and struck Song Yuhang in the abdomen. Instinctively, she raised her hand to block, but the person took advantage of the opening and grabbed her shoulder, executing a textbook joint lock.
“Damn it!” Lin Yan spat and drew a collapsible baton from her waist. With a forceful swing, she struck the black-clad person on the head, disorienting them. She then grabbed the person’s collar and forcefully slammed them against the bus, reaching up to remove their mask.
At that moment, Song Yuhang suddenly heard a faint sound similar to the pull-tab of a soda can being opened.
A silencer!
Alarm bells rang in her mind. She lunged towards Lin Yan, pressing her against her chest. The two of them tumbled to the ground, narrowly avoiding a bullet that grazed their hair and struck the bus, sparking as it hit.
The other black-clad person ran over from the other side of the bus, helping their fallen comrade and showing no intention to fight. They quickly got up and fled.
“Song Yuhang!” Lin Yan’s voice held a hint of fear as she lifted her head.
“Cough… I’m fine…” Song Yuhang cleared the dust from her throat and helped Lin Yan stand up.
Lin Yan wanted to give chase but was pulled back.
“Don’t chase them. They have guns and backup. The two of us can’t handle them.”
She squatted down again, examining the bullet deeply embedded in the bus’s body.
Lin Yan also leaned over, watching as she reached out and forcefully pulled the bullet out.
“This is…” Lin Yan scrutinized the bullet’s tip, a hint of astonishment in her eyes.
“Yes, it’s a rubber bullet.” Song Yuhang clenched the bullet tightly in her palm, gritting her teeth.
Patrol officers from the service area heard the commotion and ran over.
“There, over there! That way!”
The sound of chaotic footsteps filled the air.
Lin Yan pulled her down and they weaved through the parked vehicles, taking several turns before running out.
She casually placed the cap on a passerby’s head, took off her sunglasses, and together with Song Yuhang, squeezed into a minivan heading to the provincial capital.
The two of them sat in the back seat, swaying back and forth, and handed the money to the conductor.
Song Yuhang: “What about your car?”
Lin Yan thought for a moment, took out her phone, and sent a text message to the mysterious person: “Someone will come to drive it away in a while.”
“Okay.” Song Yuhang nodded, gripping her hand tightly, still shaken by the recent events.
Lin Yan tilted her head and smiled. “Are you scared?”
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Song Yuhang smiled and leaned her head against Lin Yan’s shoulder. “I’m scared that I won’t be able to protect you properly.”
The car was crowded, stuffy, and small. Lin Yan muttered softly, “I don’t want you to protect me. I can take care of myself. I want to stand with you and face the enemy together.”
Song Yuhang smiled, ruffled her head without saying a word, and then, worried that she might feel uncomfortable or get carsick, patted her head, gesturing for her to close her eyes and rest for a while.
“Sleep, when you wake up, we’ll have arrived.”
The Guo family’s shop was located in a remote suburb of the provincial capital.
After getting off the expressway, they boarded a long-distance bus and traveled for over an hour on a cement road before arriving.
The storefront hidden in an alley had a sign hanging that read “Guo Ji Tang Shui Pu” (Guo’s Sweet Soup Shop). It was just about to open in the evening. A sturdy and lean young man was busy moving tables and chairs out of the house.
With so many things to handle, he was bustling around by himself, wearing a pure white towel around his neck and limping slightly. Accidentally, he bumped into a table, causing the plastic chair in his hand to topple over.
Song Yuhang steadied it for him with one hand.
The man breathed a sigh of relief, and a grateful smile appeared on his face. “Thank you.”
However, in the next moment, his smile froze as Lin Yan walked out from behind Song Yuhang and took out her police badge.
“Police. I have a question for you. Do you know Zhu Yong?”
Of course, he remembered the face of that woman.
On the day Zhu Yong was arrested, he had followed the police car for several miles. Suddenly, a thin and weak girl had burst out from the crowd and, with an unexpected burst of strength, pushed aside the police, punching and kicking Zhu Yong, who was wearing handcuffs.
The police swarmed forward and forcefully pinned the girl to the ground.
His father wailed in anguish, half of his ear bitten off.
Meanwhile, the girl, being pulled up by the police, continued to cry and scream, “Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! Murderer! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”
In reality, Lin Yan hadn’t changed much over the years. If anything, she had become more mature and charming.
He remembered it vividly.
So, as soon as he saw her, his legs began to tremble, and he uncontrollably swallowed saliva, limping and hurrying into the house with his back turned.
“I-I don’t know, you’ve got the wrong person.”
Lin Yan took a couple of steps forward. “Guo Xiaoguang, your name is Guo Xiaoguang, right? I’ve been looking for you all these years. Your father…”
As soon as she mentioned “father,” Guo Xiaoguang suddenly erupted, throwing the chair he was holding to the ground.
“I said I don’t know you! What else do you want?! Father, my father is already dead! I’m an orphan! I don’t have a father!”
Lin Yan was taken aback, and Guo Xiaoguang was gasping for breath, like a wild beast on the verge of collapse.
She reached for the mechanical baton at her waist, prepared to resort to force if necessary.
But Song Yuhang grabbed her wrist and gently shook her head.
A “thud thud” sound of a cane hitting the ground came from inside the house, and an elderly woman with an unsteady gait walked out.
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She had silver hair, a hunched back, and reached out to grope around. It turned out that she was blind.
“Oh, Xiaoguang, who is this person? Why are you arguing with someone again? Didn’t I say to stay calm and conduct business peacefully? Let go of a few cents and let it go.”
Guo Xiaoguang threw the towel from his neck onto the table and went to support her. “Mom, it’s okay. I didn’t argue with anyone. I can handle it outside by myself. Please rest.”
This should be Guo Xiaoguang’s stepmother.
Song Yuhang moved her lips and took a step forward.
Someone outside called, “Old Guo, two bowls of sweet soup and wonton noodles!”
Guo Xiaoguang responded and pushed past them to leave.
“Excuse me, we’re about to do business. If you’re not ordering, please leave.”
Lin Yan’s eyes flickered as she pulled Song Yuhang to sit down. “Boss, we’ll have two bowls of sweet soup and a serving of all your signature snacks.”
Guo Xiaoguang stumbled a bit, looking at the two people who didn’t seem overweight.