Chapter 261: 1982 Lafite

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Xiang Wan felt as if her heart was squeezed for an instant.

Did Bai Muchuan achieve his motive?

Out from the corner of her eye, Bai Muchuan was expressionless as he looked at Blackface with demur.

“What’s up? Just take it?”

Blackface gave him a reassuring look, totally treating him as one of his own.

“Brother, once you meet up with Brother Steel, you will be able to strike a deal! By then, don’t forget this brother at Jiang Zhong!”

“Thank you!” Bai Muchuan’s brows were crinkled when he received the note from Brother Blackface where the contact number was scribbled on. “I certainly won’t forget how Brother Blackface has supported me in this!”

The next moment, when he came out from the thatched roof house, he sent a GPS location to Captain Zhang directly before he even got into the jeep.

This guy…

Xiang Wan gasped slightly, but she did not dare to ask nor say a word.

Both of them took the jeep and were brought back to the town. Only till they returned back to their own room at the inn did she finally blurted her question.

“Are you crazy?” She stared at Bai Muchuan with her big eyes in confusion. “Aren’t you exposing yourself by doing so? Will Brother Steel still believe you when we arrived in Nanmu?”

Bai Muchuan took a casual glance at her and placed the note on the table. “Even if I didn’t do that, do you think he will trust me completely?”

“At least he won’t suspect you directly?” Xiang Wan asked, “Bai Muchuan, I don’t understand? By doing this, won’t all your previous efforts be in vain?”

“No, only by doing this, then it won’t be in vain.”

Bai Muchuan had a confident look on his face as he smiled at her.

As their eyes met each other, Xiang Wan saw assurance in his eyes as well as her doubts.

“But I don’t get it.” She shook her head.

Aye! Bai Muchuan puffed a sigh in a straight face. He drew in, lifted her chin, and planted a kiss on her lips. “That Blackface is someone who Brother Steel has given up. I just did him a favor that costs me nothing.”

“?” Xiang Wan’s brows were closely knitted together, totally unable to comprehend that.

“Simply put, this is called ‘to help others is to help yourself’!”

By telling Captain Zhang about Blackface’s hideout, he did a favor to Captain Zhang so he could quickly close the case on the assault of his subordinate! On the other hand, he helped Brother Steel to ease his mind—betraying his own men compared to outsiders leading the police to Blackface’s arrest were completely different.

Brother Steel did not really want to handle Blackface himself, but he did not want Blackface to live.

“So, I might as well do a favor for him,” sneered Bai Muchuan.

After listening to that, Xiang Wan somehow felt dispirited. “Such is the hypocrisy of mankind.”

“Of course, if he gave up Blackface openly, how is he going to be the boss in front of his men?”

Xiang Wan: “… Why are men so hard-hearted?”

Bai Muchuan let out a chuckle, his thumb rested in between her brows as he gently tried to soothe her frown. “In actual fact, he has no other choice!”

Xiang Wan did not understand. “Why?”

Bai Muchuan laughed. “Do you really think such organizations dare to go against the police head on?”

Xiang Wan: “So?”

Bai Muchuan: “By assaulting the police, Blackface had gone beyond the line. The police would face the pressure from the higher-ups to arrest the perpetrator and they must do so! At this time, in order for this matter to quickly blow over, Dark Clan has to give Blackface up. Think of it this way, if Blackface is not arrested, the case can’t be closed. That means the police will keep focusing on Nanmu. Do you think the Dark Clan want this to happen?”

He’s right!

Xiang Wan nodded her head!

“Is this considered the unspoken rules then?” she asked.

There are some things that needn’t be specified too clearly.

Bai Muchuan understood what Xiang Wan meant.

“Xiang Wan, this is a constitutional society.”

He looked at her earnestly and reiterated in a solemn tone.

“The police are always on the side of justice. I mean, the police as a whole!”

At this point, he puffed a sigh and embraced Xiang Wan into his arms gently and then clung on her.

“Xiang Wan.” He lowered his voice. “Maybe some things are not satisfactory now, but we have to believe that everything will get better slowly.”

“… Is that a motivational quote?” Xiang Wan looked at him, speechless. “What a surprise! You’re also an angel that spreads positivity?”

On Bai Muchuan’s serious and calm face, there was not a hint of joke. His pair of eyes were looking at her with resolution. “Yes, it’s because the world is not as beautiful that I want to change it! I want to use my ability to influence it!”

My ability…

Individual ability is too small when compared to the world.

“I understand you,” said Xiang Wan, “even if you’re the police and you can arrest the evildoers… You gotta know that there’s no end to catching them. It’s just like garlic chives, after you cut them, there’s more to cut in time. The cruel reality is—we’re unable to influence anything nor can we change it!”

Bai Muchuan’s lips were slightly upward. “Society is also made up of people.”

Speaking of this, his eyes formed a squint as he said half-jokingly and half-earnestly, “We still have pens in our hands… No, there’s also a keyboard, isn’t it?”

“Mm?”

“You’re an author. What you convey and express in your book will affect the world!”

“…”

Frankly, Xiang Wan had never seen such a Bai Muchuan.

At the bottom of her heart, she knew that he was not entirely a sunshine person.

From her analysis, there was some darkness in him and he had been hurt before. These emotional wounds still affect him even now that he would often show his indifference to the world. Even so, he did not become a fiend to the society but become the police and bore such a dream—that’s actually a feat.

“I have never expected that you have such great ambitions!” Xiang Wan let out a chuckle and winked at him. “Alright, I’ll help you. I’ll use my pen… No, my keyboard, to influence this not so beautiful world, doing what one can help, little by little!”

“Hur!” Bai Muchuan smiled and did not say a word.

Xiang Wan laughed as well.

The two of them had a tacit understanding not to discuss this topic in depth.

This was because both of them knew that even if one day their wishes came true—that the world would be a better place—that would be a long time later.

At the very least, their generation would not be able to see that.

It was all quiet in the room.

No one spoke for a while.

This topic was too heavy. Xiang Wan thought about it and changed the topic.

“With regards to Blackface, I admit that your analysis is very reasonable, but this is only your guess, what if you made the wrong guess on what Brother Steel wanted?”

“I’m not afraid.” Bai Muchuan smiled as he sat down lazily and pulled her to him. “I’ve nothing to fear!”

So arrogant!

But… I like it! she thought.

Xiang Wan sat on his lap as he embraced her. Her cold body gradually became warm, and when she spoke, her voice sounded gentler.

“Bai Muchuan… I feel that you’re not someone who is so rash?”

He had planned this for so long—if he made a wrong move, all would come to naught.

Of course, who would want their efforts wasted?

Bai Muchuan raised his eyebrows and patted her head with a chortle.

“Nothing can escape your eyes!”

“Hmph, hmph! That’s for sure!” Xiang Wan lifted her chin proudly.

“Actually, Blackface handed his ‘death order’ personally to me,” said Bai Muchuan, glancing at the note on the table.

“Eh?” Xiang Wan followed his line of sight.

It was just a common piece of paper!

There was nothing on it except a bunch of mobile phone numbers.

Well… how did that become a “death order”?

“Call me ‘Gege’ and I’ll tell you,” Bai Muchuan teased her.

“You’re hateful!” Xiang Wan snorted, “Suffocate all you want if you don’t tell me.”

“…”

This woman is getting arrogant?

Bai Muchuan laughed, shook his head, and held her head back to look at him. “Take a look at the numbers carefully.”

Numbers? Xiang Wan took the note and scrutinized it carefully.

“The front part is 136… It looks fine? The last few numbers are 59174… this seems a little… Bai Muchuan, how did you decipher this?”

“Seven resembled the alphabet ‘T’ which could represent as ‘Ta'[him]—59174—I want him to die!”

“…”

Xiang Wan’s mouth twitched, nearly bursting out in laughter.

“I can’t believe it! Just like this? But this is still a guess, isn’t it?”

“Hur!” Bai Muchuan gave her a casual glance. “Just give this number a call and you’ll know!”

“I can call it?” Xiang Wan reaffirmed again.

“Go ahead. Use the hotel’s phone to call.”

In order to solve her doubts, Xiang Wan dialed the number carefully using the hotel’s phone.

However, there was only a cold female voice on the other end.

“I’m sorry, the number you’ve just dialed does not exist. Please check the number again!”

“…”

It was an invalid number.

That meant… there was no such person to begin with.

Holding the note, somehow, the pompous and self-satisfied smile of Blackface came to Xiang Wan’s mind.

At that point in time, did he think he had done something good for the organization?

…

In the afternoon, Captain Zhang sent some good news over.

They successfully arrested Blackface, as well as slightly more than ten of his lackeys.

Blackface was a member of the Dark Clan who took charge of matters in Jiang Zhong.

The police operation this time almost uprooted the presence of Dark Clan, from Blackface and below, in the town of Jiang Zhong.

However, nobody in Jiang Zhong town applauded the efforts of the police in getting rid of this malignant tumor there!

During dinner that day, Xiang Wan realized that the usually smiling lady owner did not seem quite herself. Not only that, the employees of the inn seemed rigid and did not dare to discuss this case recklessly anymore. Moreover, they did not dare to talk about anything else as well…

She made another conclusion in her head.

That the lady owner and Blackface must have been close.

Whether there were any romantic feelings between them, Xiang Wan would not know, but there certainly were dealings between them.

On the dining table, she asked teasingly, “Is our dinner safe? Will there be poison?”

Tang Yuanchu’s innocent eyes stared wide-opened at her. “Why do you say that, Teacher Xiang?”

Eh? Seems like this fellow did not feel the difference in atmosphere?

He’s such a happy-go-lucky person with not a very high EQ… It must be hard on him. She thought.

Xiang Wan laughed and made eye contact with Bai Muchuan. “Well, I’m worried about someone seeking vengeance!”

Tang Yuanchu still did not get it. “Blackface’s already arrested. These people from the Dark Clan may not dare to step in Jiang Zhong for the time being, right?”

Cough! Quan Shaoteng shook his head and swept a glance at Xiang Wan. “Some people’s level of intelligence are unable to understand such complicated relationships.”

Tang Yuanchu: “You… Master Quan! You’re hurting me again.”

“Well, come at me then! Retaliate!”

“… But I don’t retaliate at those opponents who can’t beat me in terms of intelligence! You shouldn’t force me, you know?”

“What?!” Quan Shaoteng closed his eyes in anger, opened them again, and took a gasp. “I finally know what is going on. You fellows are trying to step over me. Everyone’s treating me as a sick cat? Then I’m going to show you I’m actually a tiger! You, Tang Yuanchu, come to my room later!”

Tang Yuanchu shrank his neck and covered his chest. “What do you want to do?”

“You! Let’s spar!”

“Don’t! I’m still a kid!”

“What? Where’s your face?”

“… Looks like you’re really going to lay your hands on me!”

Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!

As the two jokers bantered with each other, the whole table of them laughed so hard that they started to cough.

Bai Muchuan gave a few knocks on the table. “There’s an ‘underage woman’ here! Watch your behavior!”

Xiang Wan: “…”

This fellow is being mean? Yes or yes?

“Let’s tuck in! The food will be cold in no time. This meal could be considered a celebration party, do eat more.” Butler Tu Liang looked seriously at everyone who was in a good mood. “Of course, the most important thing is, Captain Zhang’s buying dinner tonight! Don’t miss the opportunity to eat your fill!”

Oh!

After a momentary pause, everyone showed him a thumbs-up.

Xiang Wan had to admit, this ‘Butler’ of theirs was really awesome!

Throughout their journey, they need not worry about their expenses as they were properly arranged by him. With the limited sum of money they were given for the trip, he could actually let them eat and live so comfortably.

Well, their accommodation was free, and someone was picking up the tab for their meal!

“Hahaha! Give us a bottle of 1982 Lafite please—”

Not far away, the waitress was in a daze.

“Hello? Time to wake up?”

…

Things in Jiang Zhong came to an end for now.

For the Xi City police force, to be able to uproot the Dark Clan in an area was definitely considered a meritorious deed done.

With that, the cooperation between the Xi City police and Serious Crime Division One would be smoother.

With the rivalry gone between them, the Xi City police did not tail them anymore. Bai Muchuan and his team felt much more relaxed.

The next day, just after dawn, they packed their bags and were ready to leave the town.

As soon as they hopped onto their vehicle, Captain Zhang had led the police officers from the town to the inn.

They were there to bring the lady owner for questioning.

The lady owner did not put up a resistance when she saw the police. She did not even raise any question.

That morning, there was a sudden commotion in the inn.

Several guests of the inn as well as a few employees were also being investigated and questioned.

Bai Muchuan, Xiang Wan, as well as the rest of the team, were totally unaffected.

Their vehicle moved farther and farther away from the inn.

Not long after, Bai Muchuan received a message from Captain Zhang.

“Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it!”

“When are you going to Nanmu?”

“Now!”

“I need to go back to Xi City first. But as long as the 121 case is not solved, I still need to continue to work on the case. Brother, let’s work hard on the case!”

“Thank you!”

“When you arrive in Nanmu, if there’s a need, we can be your support!”

“Sure.”

The conversation between the two detectives were very simple and there was no longer any rivalry or unhappiness.

Nevertheless, the development of this case had clearly gotten complicated.

Captain Zhang and Bai Muchuan knew this as well.

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