Chapter 146: Chapter 38: Give It Up, It’s All ▁ ▁ Outside

The two ordered a few dishes and two drinks.

"Zhu Jian, didn’t you go to college in Beijing? What made you decide to come back to Meng City?"

"Hey, I was mainly just there to get a diploma. Coming back here, I have my family’s support, so it’s easier to build a career. What about you? What are you doing now? Don’t tell me you inherited the family business and are just lounging around as an unemployed rich kid, hahaha."

Zhang Yan wasn’t sure if his old classmate was genuinely joking and just hit the nail on the head, or if he had recognized his car and was subtly probing him. But he had no intention of hiding it anyway.

"Close enough. I recently bought a company for fun—the local Renwofei Entertainment. There are plenty of pretty girls there. If you’re short on a girlfriend, I can introduce a few good ones to you."

"I know that place. A senior colleague of mine likes to watch one of your streamers named ’Feng Linwan’ in his free time. I heard she pushes the envelope pretty well."

The two grown men exchanged a knowing look.

Seeing that the food had arrived, Zhang Yan didn’t waste any time and got down to business.

"Zhu Jian, I need a favor. See if you can help me out."

"Tell me about it first. But let me manage your expectations—I’m just a rookie who recently joined the force. I might not be of much help."

"Don’t worry, I won’t put you in a tough spot. It’s mostly because I don’t know the rules of the system. Since you’re working on the inside now, I just wanted you to give me some advice.

"Here’s the situation..."

Zhang Yan summarized the parts of the whole affair that he could share. Naturally, he sugarcoated quite a few details.

Zhu Jian ate his food while listening quietly, occasionally asking about key points.

"Alright, Zhang Yan, I get what you’re saying. Basically, you found out through some channel that this guy named Fang Hanyu might be planning a crime, but you don’t have concrete evidence and you want to protect the girl, right?"

"Yes, exactly! I knew I came to the right guy. You summed up the core issue in just a few words."

With his free hand, Zhu Jian tapped his index finger rhythmically on the table. After a long while, seemingly having finished processing the information, he stopped.

"Zhang Yan, mobilizing police forces privately is impossible."

Although Zhang Yan was a bit disappointed, it was within his expectations. After all, the other party was just a rookie. His original goal had merely been to use Zhu Jian to connect with people who actually had the authority to pull this off. However, before he could say anything, Zhu Jian spoke up again.

"But I can go ask for a leave in a bit, and then introduce you to a few senior colleagues who are also on leave. You can treat them to a meal, and everyone can make friends. This kind of normal social interaction is completely fine."

Zhang Yan cast a very surprised look at his old classmate.

Having gained some life experience, he was no longer the simple-minded college student he used to be. Whether it was Zhu Jian’s casual attitude toward asking for a leave, or his ability to effortlessly find a few senior colleagues who "happened" to be on leave, it all indicated that despite being a rookie, his connections were already solidly established.

Recalling his earlier mention of "family support," it seemed that this formerly plain-looking classmate actually came from quite a formidable background.

"That’s absolutely fantastic! I’ve always loved making new friends. Go ahead and find a few more ’on-leave’ friends—I definitely won’t treat them poorly!"

"Find a few more? Do you think they grow on trees? Given the short notice, I can get you three at most."

"That’s plenty! Hurry up and eat. Once we’re done, let’s find a place to have a proper chat!"

After the two left the small restaurant, Zhu Jian headed back to the station first.

He was highly efficient. In less than half an hour, he brought three people to meet Zhang Yan. By now, all four of them had changed into civilian clothes, looking like completely ordinary people. Since there weren’t many of them, driving two cars was enough. Zhu Jian handed his car keys to an older, more experienced senior colleague while he slid into Zhang Yan’s Guoya.

"This car is the unreleased Hongqi Guoya, isn’t it? It’s seriously nice."

"I just went through a friend’s channels to get it early for a spin. The car is indeed pretty good."

"Then this friend of yours must be quite a big shot," Zhu Jian said with a meaningful smile.

On the second floor of a restaurant opposite the Yikoo Magazine building, the group secured a window seat and engaged in idle chatter. Having been tipped off by Zhu Jian beforehand, Zhang Yan didn’t try to stuff money into their pockets. He simply bought a carton of premium cigarettes and handed a pack to each of them.

With Xia Xiqing’s side showing no signs of movement, they kept an eye on things from across the street. The others were professionals, so only Zhang Yan appeared somewhat bored. Fortunately, he had his old classmate Zhu Jian there. They chatted about their respective college lives and reminisced about the good old days in high school, making the time fly by.

Soon, on Zhang Yan’s phone screen, the blip representing Zhang Shuai finally began to move.

As he watched the large crowd swarm out of the office building, Zhang Yan simultaneously received a report from Li Fan, who had been tailing them all along. He had been so focused on entertaining his old classmate and his friends that he had completely forgotten about the highly inconspicuous Li Fan. Yet, the man had genuinely been doing his job diligently, keeping a silent watch the entire time.

With so many of them—including four professionals—staking out the place all afternoon, none of them had even spotted him!

Just like that, the stakeout location shifted to a restaurant, but the group’s objective remained unchanged.

At this moment, two of Zhu Jian’s "friends" suddenly stood up. Smiling, they said to Zhu Jian, "We’ll go grab a seat inside the restaurant. You better reimburse our meal expenses afterward."

"Don’t worry! Once you’re in there, order the expensive stuff. Bleed my old classmate dry!"

The remaining "friend" wasn’t idle either. "My nicotine craving is acting up. I’ll head over to their back door for a smoke."

Zhang Yan nodded at them amicably.

He thought, "These professionals really are on another level. This setup practically has the place surrounded."

It was yet another long wait. During this time, Zhang Yan and Zhu Jian ate dinner, while Zhu Jian’s three friends seamlessly swapped positions multiple times without anyone noticing.

Finally, it was time for Xia Xiqing’s celebration dinner to wrap up. Zhang Yan’s spirits lifted as he quietly went downstairs with his old classmate to trail them from a distance. With professionals by his side, Zhang Yan took the opportunity to pick up a few tricks on how to conceal his presence.

"They’ve split up. Du, tail the kid who brought that suspicious beverage. Once you find the right moment, subdue him immediately and secure the drink to verify its contents.

"Chen, keep your eyes on the suspect, Fang Hanyu. Pay attention to his movements and anyone he comes into contact with. Zhu Jian and I will secretly shadow the target girl."

The one issuing commands over the walkie-talkie was the eldest of the officers, a young man surnamed Fang. Under this kind of professional surveillance, Fang Hanyu’s supposedly flawless, farce-like plan was completely laid bare before their eyes.

When they followed them to a secluded residential complex, Zhang Yan looked through the night-vision binoculars from afar. Seeing Xia Xiqing and the girl accompanying her swaying as if drunk before finally collapsing to the ground, he instinctively wanted to rush out.

However, Zhu Jian held him back.

"Zhang Yan, Brother Du has already succeeded on his end. He interrogated the kid and got the information on that suspicious drink.

"It was spiked with a small amount of flunitrazepam, but the target girl only took one sip. Theoretically, it won’t leave any irreversible side effects.

"Right now, the evidence we have isn’t enough to lock that guy up. If we close the net now, this whole thing will likely just end in a slap on the wrist."

Zhang Yan hadn’t expected Fang Hanyu to actually be so deranged as to replicate a plotline he had only ever seen in novels and movies into real life. His anger was currently on the verge of erupting.

"Zhu Jian, I’d love nothing more than to send that bastard straight to jail, and I don’t doubt your professional judgment. But I’m still going to choose the safest route—I need to get that girl to the hospital immediately."

Zhu Jian revealed a look of appreciation, making it seem as if his previous action had carried a hint of a test.

"Zhang Yan, we’re all here to do you a favor today. We’ll follow your lead and close the net right now."

"That won’t be necessary. Zhu Jian, just apprehend the girl taking the target away in a bit. I’m sure you guys have a way to make her cooperate.

"As for Fang Hanyu’s final destination, I know where it is. It’s a room in a small motel, and he will definitely end up there."

Zhu Jian shot Zhang Yan a deep look. "That’s even better. As long as Fang Hanyu steps into the place you mentioned, he’ll be caught red-handed!"

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