Chapter 178: Toss in the Towel

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

There were hardly any peaceful days in the life of a detective.

Even when they were having their meals, they need to take note of the time.

Of course, it was definitely a test of patience if one were to fall in love with a detective.

Fortunately, Xiang Wan also worked for the police and understood why Bai Muchuan was so caught up with work. Otherwise, if one always couldn’t get to see their boyfriend who was always at work but yet unable to explain exactly what they were busy with, it would be weird if they did not suspect anything.

It was no wonder that the Criminal Investigation Unit had a group of happy-go-lucky bachelors!

Xiang Wan concluded inside her head when she was eating her noodles. She also noticed that Bai Muchuan kept looking at his watch. His speed of eating was also fast as though they were fighting a war.

“Are you in a hurry?” she asked as she frowned. “No matter how rushed we are, we need to eat properly too. Don’t spoil your stomach.”

“Hm.” Bai Muchuan looked at her. “I want to finish eating faster to let you get some rest.”

“…”

He’s actually worried about me? Xiang Wan was surprised.

Xiang Wan’s cheeks suddenly felt a little warm. “But I don’t need to rest! I did get to sleep last night. You should be worried about yourself and get some rest.”

Bai Muchuan replied casually, “I’m alright. I slept together with you in the car earlier.”

“…”

How did something so innocent sound so ambiguous?

Xiang Wan felt her cheeks burning and pretended that she had not heard anything as she lowered her head to eat her noodles.

Tang Yuanchu, who was also eating with them, started to protest.

“Excuse me, both of you! Please consider the feelings of a ‘single dog’ like me!”

Xiang Wan felt shy. Her ears felt like burning, and her fair face was blushing.

Only Detective Bai wore an indifferent expression. “I’ve never heard people admitting that they are dogs. You like dogs a lot?”

“…” Tang Yuanchu almost choked at the remark. “Ahem, boss, how can you say such things? Surely you know about the ‘single dog’ pun…”

“Oh? Different breed?” Bai Muchuan asked indifferently.

“Forget it, forget it!” Tang Yuanchu tossed in the towel. “I know you elderly do have problems understanding the world of the young people… we can’t communicate at all!”

This rascal liked to use age to rebuke them both.

He was only younger than Xiang Wan by a few years, and yet she was always classified into the “elderly group” by Tang Yuanchu.

Hence, she cleared her throat and said nonchalantly, “You’ll be in charge of footing the bill.”

What? Tang Yuanchu was a little taken aback. “Why?”

“Respect the elderly and care for the little ones, young man!”

Tang Yuanchu: “…”

Quietly frowning, he turned to Bai Muchuan. “Boss, Teacher Xiang is bullying me again…”

As the first person in the detective team to learn of their relationship, Tang Yuanchu was even preparing to “blackmail” them for a few months of meals!

But now? He was upset.

“I… I feel tortured as I’m like a big, bright light bulb when I’m with the both of you, and with all the dog food I’m being fed, I’m really pathetic enough. Now, I even have to foot the bill? It’s inhumane! Right, boss?!”

“Right!” Bai Muchuan concurred, “Really pathetic!”

Tang Yuanchu’s eyes brightened. “So…”

“So, you still need to foot the bill.”

“Why!?” Tang Yuanchu was shocked.

“Well, I listen to my wife,” said Bai Muchuan, “and you can’t win me in a fight, either. Just be good and do what you’re told!”

“What the!” Tang Yuanchu felt speechless.

He looked at the one on his left, and then the one on his right. After confirming that both of them were not joking with him, he was dumbfounded.

“You both joined hands to make me pay for the noodles?”

“It’s only three bowls of noodles, that seemed too little!” Bai Muchuan nodded his head

“Geez! Can’t I just crack a joke? I admit defeat! Will the two masters please spare this little one?”

Tang Yuanchu slurped his noodles and pretended they were nonexistent.

After he finished his noodles, he wiped his mouth clean and got up to foot the bill.

“Both of you are too cruel,” he sighed, “you’re going to lose a good brother like me…”

“!”

Xiang Wan rolled her eyes and exchanged glances with Bai Muchuan, and then laughed together with him.

…

Bai Muchuan did not forget what he wanted to do.

After their meal, they got on the car and were on their way to the detention center. He immediately asked Xiang Wan to take a snooze.

Actually, Xiang Wan was wide awake at that point in time. However, Bai Muchuan told her that the interrogation with Zhou Dequan would be a long and slow process. It would be a battle of courage and wits. They would need to maintain a clear head and a strong spirit, otherwise, they might be crushed by him and unable to get anything useful.

Hence, Xiang Wan listened to him and closed her eyes.

She snoozed until they arrived at the detention center. When Bai Muchuan and Tang Yuanchu got the papers ready, she alighted the car.

This was her third time to the detention center.

She had come here twice due to Huang He. Now that she came here again, she couldn’t help thinking of Huang He.

“Bai Muchuan, there’s something…” She couldn’t resist the urge to ask a question.

“What’s up?” Bai Muchuan took a look at her. “You haven’t awakened from your nap? You don’t look good.”

“It’s not that. I wanted to ask about Huang He…”

Bai Muchuan had a slight change in expression.

“He’s now one of Zhou Dequan’s men, right? Now that Zhou Dequan’s in trouble, will Huang He… be implicated as well?”

She was a nostalgic person and would often cling on to her most initial feelings about a person.

As she had a good impression and opinion of Huang He, it was hard for her to tag Huang He as a bad person.

However, Bai Muchuan’s reply was somewhat disappointing. “He’s also in here!”

“…”

Xiang Wan remained quiet for a long time with the word “also”.

He had entered here once again. That meant this was the second time he ended up here!

Moreover, the reason he came in this time was different from that of the previous one…

All these would leave a record within the police database. What would happen to him in the future?

And his dream of being a detective, wouldn’t this spell the end of it?

Xiang Wan’s heart felt heavy. “Will we be seeing him later?”

Bai Muchuan did not look at her. “It will depend on how much time we have.” His voice was calm. “If everything goes according to plan, we will be able to see him.”

“What if it did not go according to plan?” Xiang Wan suddenly felt a little upset. “You won’t see him then?”

Back when Huang He got sent to the detention center, she remembered that Bai Muchuan did everything he could to help Huang He.

This time around, he did not bother to tell her beforehand. When they got here, he did not even suggest to see him…

Does that mean he has given up on Huang He?

No! Don’t think about this!

The moment she thought of Huang He, she would recall his honest looking face.

As well as… Fang Yuanyuan’s wailing, heartbroken face.

Xiang Wan felt a little helpless about the situation. “How did everything end up like this? Sigh, life is certainly full of changes.”

A presumably small matter can change a person’s destiny.

If he had not encountered that incident with Sun Shangli, Huang He might not have ended up like this?

Xiang Wan’s thoughts—which were mainly used for writing her novel—were rather divergent, while Bai Muchuan only replied a sentence.

“Every man has his own will, we can’t force someone to go the way we want him to.”

“Hm…”

Xiang Wan followed after him and Tang Yuanchu. She was feeling uneasy.

A couple of minutes later, they arrived in the interrogation room.

Xiang Wan took a look and noticed that the interrogation room at the detention center and the one at the Criminal Investigation Unit were different.

In here, there was a naturally dark and cold aura. The room was very cold and had a chilly feel to it. After they went inside for less than a minute, another door inside opened.

A middle-aged man with a pot belly was being escorted by two prison guards. He walked slowly and sat on the chair.

It was Zhou Dequan.

The largest size of the prison uniform was unable to conceal his fats. However, he seemed to have become quite haggard in just a night. There was quite a lot of white hair along his temples. Both of his hands were in handcuffs, and the prayer beads that he always held with him was nowhere to be seen…

When one got to the detention center, it was as though one had entered another world and everything outside would become secular.

All that one could think of when they were inside… freedom, maybe?

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