Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1117 The Stick's Plan Fails

Blackie wagged its tail, its tongue lolling out as it panted. As if it understood, it obediently lay down on the cold cement floor, its eyes still glancing at Ran Qiuye's retreating figure. It knew that now that Factory Director Gu was protecting the house tightly, those opportunistic bastards in the yard wouldn't dare to cause trouble, and there was no need to follow it around all the time.

Ran Qiuye carried the child and slowly walked towards the alley entrance, humming an off-key nursery rhyme. She was completely unaware that not far behind her, Bang Geng was crouching low, his steps as light as a mouse stealing oil, following closely behind, his eyes flashing with a sinister light that was beyond his years.

As he approached the corner of the alley, a place next to an abandoned coal yard where hardly anyone usually passed by, Bang Geng felt his chance had come. He clenched his fists, ready to quicken his pace and rush forward, when he saw Gu Nan walking over from the other end of the alley, carrying a bulging cloth bag, as if he had just bought something from the supply and marketing cooperative.

Bang Geng's heart sank instantly, as if doused with a bucket of ice water. He stopped abruptly, hastily shrinking behind the nearby coal pile, barely daring to breathe. He stared intently at Gu Nan's figure, a glint of fire flashing in his eyes, which he forcefully suppressed—with Gu Nan there, there was no chance to make a move. That bastard, how could he have returned so conveniently? He could only retreat first, waiting until Gu Nan went to work, and Ran Qiuye took the child out alone, before looking for an opportunity.

Gu Nan saw Ran Qiuye from afar, and the weariness on his face was instantly replaced by a smile as he quickened his pace to walk over. He didn't notice the coal pile behind the coal stack, but he heard the child in his arms babble twice, and the little hand reached out to him, as if calling him.

"Perfect timing, I'm back too." Gu Nan took the child from Ran Qiuye's arms, kissed the rosy little face, and his stubble made the child giggle. He smiled and said, "Let's take a walk outside together. It's been a long time since I've taken you two out. There's a new sugar painting shop that opened on the street corner ahead. Shall we buy the child a little rabbit?"

Ran Qiuye nodded, a gentle smile appearing in her eyes: "Yes, ever since you became the deputy factory director, you've been leaving early and returning late every day, and you haven't been able to take care of things at home. Yesterday, the child cried in the middle of the night, calling for 'Dad'."

The family of three walked forward chatting and laughing, the sunlight casting long shadows that overlapped, creating a warm and loving scene.

Hiding behind the coal pile, Banggeng clenched his fists angrily, his nails digging deep into his palms, making him wince in pain. He watched Gu Nan's retreating figure, cursing him a thousand times in his mind: That bastard, ruined my plans again! Wait till I get my hands on him next time, I'll see how I deal with you all! He spat angrily on the ground and could only slink home, seething with rage but nowhere to vent it. Passing the Jia family's door, he kicked the doorframe, causing Jia Zhangshi inside to come out cursing, but he didn't look back and went straight into his room.

On the other side, Ah Hu circled the entrance of the Public Security Bureau several times, his shoes almost worn thin, before finally waiting for his old acquaintance—Xiao Wang, an auxiliary police officer in the Public Security Section. As soon as Xiao Wang came out to take out the trash, Ah Hu quickly went up to him, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Brother Wang, you've finally come out! I've been waiting for you for ages."

Xiao Wang pulled him to hide in the shade of a nearby tree, looked around warily, and whispered, "Why are you looking for me at this hour? Don't you know the crackdown on prostitution is really strict lately? If the boss sees us, I'll lose my job!"

Ah Hu rubbed his hands together, his tone urgent as if his eyebrows were on fire: "Brother Wang, I need your help. A friend of mine, named Lili, was arrested by you guys this morning. It seems she's involved in some case. Could you do me a favor and get her out? You'll get a good reward."

Upon hearing the name "Lili," Xiao Wang's face changed instantly. He waved his hands and took a half-step back as if he had been burned: "I can't do this! Don't come looking for me!"

Ah Hu panicked and stepped forward, grabbing his arm. He almost pleaded, "Brother Wang, we've been brothers since we were kids, for so many years! Back then, when you needed connections to get your kids into school or to find hospital beds for your parents, I was always the one running around, giving you money and gifts. You've taken so many favors from us, and now you won't even do this little thing? How can you face your brothers like this? What's going on?"

Xiao Wang looked troubled, his brows furrowed as if something was troubling him. He quickly glanced at the people coming and going at the police station entrance—uniformed police officers, people handling business, and patrolling auxiliary police, all hurrying along. Then he leaned closer, almost touching Ah Hu's ear, and whispered, "It's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I really can't! Do you know who's handling this case? It's Director Tong personally overseeing it!"

He swallowed hard, lowering his voice even further: "I heard it involves framing a cadre in the factory, and a mid-level leader at that, which is extremely serious. The bureau has even set up a special task force; the case files alone are piled up half a table, and even Old Chen from the archives has been pulled away to organize the materials. I'm just a lowly auxiliary police officer; I usually only handle receiving and sending documents, cleaning, and bringing hot water to the interrogation room. I can't even get into the interrogation room, how could I dare to get involved in something like this?"

He paused, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said with a hint of pleading, "Ah Hu, for anything else, as long as it doesn't violate my principles, I can help you figure something out. But this matter is too big; it affects everything. I really have no solution. Just give up on this idea and stop wasting your time here. It's useless."

Ah Hu looked at Xiao Wang's evasive eyes, the panic in them like a mouse being chased by a cat, his eyes darting around, even his speech was somewhat stammering, it didn't seem like he was faking it. He knew in his heart that the other party wasn't lying, and his last bit of hope, like a punctured balloon, had been extinguished with a "pop," along with the last bit of confidence in his heart. He slowly released his grip on Xiao Wang's arm, his knuckles still trembling slightly from the force of the grip, several deep red marks imprinted on his palm.

He stood frozen in place, as if nailed to the ground, his feet rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch. He muttered to himself, "How could this be… Lili… she’s just a young girl, she’s only ever been a little greedy, she wouldn’t know anything about framing someone… she must have been tricked…"

Xiao Wang sighed, raised his hand and patted his shoulder lightly, but with a hint of helpless reassurance: "Don't think about it, just go. This isn't the place to talk. If the boss sees me whispering to you, I'll lose my job—I have elderly parents and young children to support, I can't afford any more trouble."