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墨書 Inktalez
Zhang Xin, who had an unpleasant interaction with Tao Ziwen, returned home and lay on her bed, crying uncontrollably.
The maid, Cui, patted Zhang Xin's back and comforted her, "Sister, don't cry! Don't cry!"
But as Cui spoke, Zhang Xin's cries grew louder.
Zhang Zhaolin pushed the door open and asked, "My dear daughter, who bullied you? Tell Daddy, and I'll help you get even."
Through her tears, Zhang Xin shouted, "Who else could it be? It's that Tao Ziwen!"
"What did he do to you?"
"He doesn't like me! He doesn't like me!"
Zhang Zhaolin was at a loss. "Well... how about I have him brought here to apologize to you?"
Zhang Xin cried out, "No! No!"
"I'll call the police and have his position lowered!"
"I don't want that!"
Zhang Zhaolin sighed in frustration and pretended to be angry. "Hmph! If he dares not to like my daughter, I'll have someone take care of him!"
With that, Zhang Zhaolin started to walk out.
Zhang Xin quickly jumped off the bed and grabbed her father's arm. "Daddy, if you kill him, I won't live either!"
Zhang Zhaolin threw up his hands in exasperation. "If that won't work and this won't work, then what can Daddy do to help you feel better?"
Zhang Xin asked, "Daddy, I want to know how I can make Ziwen Ge like me?"
"This..." At this moment, Zhang Zhaolin was at a loss. "Father has fought all his life, and this question really stumps me."
Cui, standing nearby, said, "Sister, if you want someone to like you, just care for her and cater to her preferences! Think about it, what does Tao Ziwen like?"
Zhang Xin pondered carefully and suddenly realized, "I got it!"
The next day at noon, Tao Ziwen was called out of the police station by Zhang Xin.
When Tao Ziwen walked out of the police station, Zhang Xin hurriedly approached him at the entrance and handed him a lunch that the maid Cui had brought: "Ziwen Ge, I know you're busy with work, so I specially made lunch for you. Remember to eat it while it's hot!"
Not long after Tao Ziwen returned, he was called out again by Zhang Xin. This time, Zhang Xin wrapped a scarf around him.
Zhang Xin instructed, "Ziwen Ge, I personally picked this out for you. It's autumn now; you need to take care of your health. Wrap it around if you feel cold!"
After returning to work at the police station for a while longer, he was called out again by Zhang Xin.
This time, Zhang Xin was holding a piece of calligraphy and painting.
Zhang Xin said, "Ziwen Ge, when I was out shopping on my birthday, I saw you admiring this piece in the antique shop. I knew you liked it, so I bought it for you."
Tao Ziwen finally couldn't take it anymore: "What is going on with you? You've called me out so many times this afternoon and given me so many things. What do you want?"
Zhang Xin replied with a hint of grievance: "I just want to care for you and make you like me!"
Seeing Zhang Xin's aggrieved expression, Tao Ziwen softened his tone: "Return this painting. Starting tomorrow, don't spend money on me or bring me anything else!"
Without looking back, Tao Ziwen entered the police station.
Cui, who had been following along, said to Zhang Xin: "Sister, did you hear that? He doesn't want you to spend money recklessly; that's him caring for you!"
"He's caring for me? How come I didn't hear that?"
Zhang Xin hummed a tune proudly as she returned to her car with Cui.
Zhang Xin instructed Chen Master, "Let's go home first. When the police station closes, we'll come back to wait for Ziwen Ge!"
Chen Master responded and drove away from the police station.
As evening approached, Han Zhao arrived at the Cheng Family's residence and was surprised to see Tao Ziwen, Wang Zhiyuan, and several police officers in the living room.
Han Zhao asked Cheng Shuping, "Sir, aren't we supposed to be rescuing someone tonight? Why have you gathered these police officers?"
Cheng Shuping replied, "You'll find out soon enough." Then he turned to Ma An and asked, "Ma An, is everything ready?"
Ma An answered, "Everything is prepared."
Cheng Shuping nodded, "It's almost dark; let's set off now!"
Tao Ziwen said to Cheng Shuping, "Just as we planned, you all go to Sanli Pavilion to rescue the person while I stay hidden with my team."
Cheng Shuping nodded in agreement and handed the money to Ma An.
Cheng Shuping, Ma An, Tao Ziwen, Wang Zhiyuan, and others all headed out, leaving Han Zhao behind. Han Zhao's expression was unusual; he seemed to be worried about something.
When it was time for the police station to close, Zhang Xin arrived outside as expected. They watched as staff members continuously exited the building. After waiting for more than ten minutes without seeing Tao Ziwen's figure, Cui finally couldn't hold back and asked Zhang Xin, "Sister, we've been waiting for over ten minutes. Why hasn't he come out yet?"
Zhang Xin stamped her foot in frustration. "If he doesn't come out, we'll go in and find him!"
Cui replied, "Isn't that a bad idea?"
"What’s so bad about it? I've gone in before!"
With that, Zhang Xin took Cui into the police station.
They arrived outside Tao Ziwen's office. Zhang Xin tried to push open the door, but it was locked.
Cui said, "Sister, he's not here!"
"Hmph! He must be deliberately avoiding me!"
With that, Zhang Xin kicked the door of Tao Ziwen's office hard. The kick startled Wang Junpeng from the adjacent office. He poked his head out and, seeing Zhang Xin, approached her and said, "Sister Zhang? What are you doing here?"
Cui helped Zhang Xin by saying, "We're looking for Tao Ziwen. Where did he go?"
Wang Junpeng replied, "He went on a mission!"
"A mission?" Zhang Xin asked, puzzled.
"Yes!" Wang Junpeng said with a hint of complaint in his voice. "This case was clearly assigned to me yesterday, but for some reason, he took it away from me today."
Zhang Xin inquired, "What case?"
"You don't know? The Zhou Junsheng missing person case!"
Cui pressed further, "Where did Tao Ziwen go?"
Wang Junpeng answered, "Sanlitun!"
"Cui, let's go!"
Zhang Xin pulled Cui and headed towards the police station exit.
Wang Junpeng called after them, "Hey, where are you going?"
Zhang Xin hurriedly replied while dragging Cui along, "I'm going to find Tao Ziwen!"
Zhang Xin pulled Cui out of the police station and into the car.
Cui expressed her concern, "Sister, Tao Ziwen is on a mission. Is it really a good idea for us to go over there so recklessly?"
"I’m going, what’s wrong with that?" Zhang Xin immediately shouted to Driver Chen Master, "Go to Sanli Pavilion! Hurry up!"
Driver Chen Master advised Zhang Xin, "Sister, it's late. Let's go home!"
Zhang Xin shouted back, "No! Go to Sanli Pavilion!"
Chen Master didn’t dare to argue and drove away from the police station.
This was a mountain road.
Cheng Shuping, Han Zhao, Tao Ziwen, and others had already arrived here.
Under the dim moonlight, ahead on this road, two men could be vaguely seen sitting inside Sanli Pavilion. These two men were smoking, and the glow of their cigarette butts flickered in rhythm with their inhalations.
Tao Ziwen: "Let's split up here!"
Cheng Shuping: "Okay!"
Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan began to assign police forces and plan their next actions: "Wang Zhiyuan, you take five people and surround Sanli Pavilion from that side. I'll take my team and surround it from this side. Remember, we must capture someone alive this time!"
"Got it!" Wang Zhiyuan turned and led five officers to hide on the right side of the road, quietly approaching Sanli Pavilion. Tao Ziwen took the remaining officers to surround it from the left side.
Han Zhao paid special attention to the movements of the police.
Cheng Shuping, along with Han Zhao and butler Liu An, cautiously made their way down to the area beneath Sanli Pavilion, where the two men also came down from above.
One man asked, "Did you bring the money?"
Cheng Shuping signaled to the butler Liu An to bring out a heavy leather suitcase. When the suitcase was opened, it was filled with shiny silver coins and banknotes.
Cheng Shuping said, "I can give you the money, but I must see Zhou Junsheng first."
"That's easy to arrange!"
The man waved his hand, and two more men appeared from behind the pavilion. They were forcing a middle-aged man, who was dressed in Zhou Junsheng's clothes but had a cloth bag tightly covering his head. The two men struck the blindfolded man's legs with the butt of their rifles, causing him to kneel on the ground. The man had something stuffed in his mouth and was moaning in pain. Ma An watched in horror and repeatedly glanced at Cheng Shuping.
The man said, "You see the person now; shall we exchange money for him?"
Cheng Shuping replied, "I want to see his face!"
The man exchanged glances with the two behind him, and the cloth bag was removed. The outline of the man's head was vaguely recognizable as Zhou Junsheng's, but it was too far away for Cheng Shuping to see his face clearly under the moonlight.
Cheng Shuping asked again, "Can you let him come closer? I can't see what he looks like from this distance."
The man seemed reluctant and said, "You give me the money, and he is yours; you can look at him as much as you want."
Ma An waited for Cheng Shuping's command, but Cheng Shuping remained silent, deep in thought.
The man signaled to Han Zhao. Seeing that Cheng Shuping was pondering with his head down, Han Zhao quickly exchanged glances with the man to inform him that there were ambushes set up on both sides. At that moment, the man noticed the rustling sounds coming from the bushes around Sanli Pavilion. He made an excuse, saying, "I see you lack sincerity; let's change our terms!"
Suddenly, the man turned around and began to leave with his subordinates and the blindfolded man. Just then, police officers who had been lying in ambush on both sides of Sanli Pavilion stood up and raised their guns, aiming at the man and his accomplices. The man's subordinates also aimed their rifles at the police.
The man pulled out a handgun and pressed it against the blindfolded man's head. "Put down your guns, or I'll shoot him!"
No one could be certain whether the blindfolded middle-aged man was Zhou Junsheng or not; everyone was at a standstill.
Tao Ziwen said, "If you release him, we'll spare your life!"
The man had seen some things in life; he replied, "If you let us go, I will naturally release him!"
A beam of light swept over the Sanlitang, catching everyone's attention as a car with its headlights on approached from a distance.
The man cursed, "Another one coming to die!"
This car belonged to Zhang Xin.
Through the windshield, Master Chen looked ahead and saw the standoff between the police at Sanlitang, Cheng Shuping, and the man.
Master Chen said to Zhang Xin, "Sister, it's dangerous ahead. I think we shouldn't go over."
Zhang Xin stubbornly replied, "Ziwen Ge is over there, I'm going!"
Master Chen stopped the car. "Sister, even if you order me to drive you there, I can't let you go!"
Zhang Xin glared at the driver and defiantly said, "If you won't drive me over, I'll walk!"
She pushed open the car door and ran towards Sanlitang. Cui and Master Chen also hurried out of the car to chase after Zhang Xin.
Master Chen shouted, "Sister, you can't go over!"
Cui also yelled, "Sister, please listen to the driver and don't go!"
But Zhang Xin wouldn't listen. She shouted "Ziwen Ge! Ziwen Ge!" as she ran towards Sanlitang.
The man signaled to his companion to aim at Zhang Xin and told him, "If she comes any closer, kill her!"
Tao Ziwen shouted at Zhang Xin, "Zhang Xin, don't come over! Bullets don't have eyes; hurry back!"
The man was still negotiating with the police and Cheng Shuping. "Bring the money over and let us go! Otherwise, I'll kill Zhou Junsheng!"
Cheng Shuping, Butler Ma An, and Han Zhao were hiding behind a stone.
The butler asked Cheng Shuping, "Sir, should we give them the money?" Even Han Zhao, who had previously wanted Cheng Shuping to take over the Qilin Pharmaceutical Factory, said, "If we don't give it to them soon, they might act out of desperation and kill Chairman Zhou." Cheng Shuping remained calm, replying, "Let's not give it for now."
Zhang Xin had already arrived outside Sanlitang, where Master Chen and Cui had caught up with her.
Master Chen grabbed Zhang Xin's arm, saying, "Sister, you can't go any further!"
Cui also tugged at Zhang Xin's arm, "Sister, I'm scared. Let's go back!"
"It's fine. I'll just wait here for Ziwen Ge!"
Just as Zhang Xin finished speaking, there was a loud bang. Zhang Xin, Cui, and Master Chen all dropped to the ground. Following that, a series of gunshots erupted from Sanlitang as the police eliminated the men surrounding the figure. The man stood in panic beside his fallen brothers. He had been shot in the abdomen, and the middle-aged man under his gun also collapsed.
Zhang Xin pulled her hand from beneath her body and saw it covered in blood, instantly filled with terror.
Tao Ziwen shouted at Zhang Xin, "Zhang Xin, are you okay? Zhang Xin!"
Zhang Xin was already in shock and did not respond.
Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan moved closer to Sanlitang with the police. The man helplessly knelt on the ground, preparing to be arrested by the police. At that moment, Han Zhao suddenly rushed out from behind a rock—
By the time Wang Zhiyuan shouted "Don't shoot," it was too late. Han Zhao not only shot the man dead but also proclaimed loudly, "He killed Chairman Zhou!"
Cheng Shuping and the butler rushed to check the body of the middle-aged man who had been masked—he was not Zhou Junsheng. Cheng Shuping finally felt relieved.
After Wang Zhiyuan and the police examined the bodies, they shook their heads at Tao Ziwen, indicating that everyone in Sanlitang had died in the recent gunfight.
"Understood!" Tao Ziwen then walked towards the terrified Zhang Xin.
Zhang Xin's face was pale. Master Chen helped her up while repeatedly calling "Sister," but Zhang Xin still showed no reaction. Zhang Xin's maid Cui lay motionless next to her—blood was pooling beneath Cui's body.
Tao Ziwen asked Master Chen, "Is she okay?"
"Master Chen" said in panic, "I fear she has been frightened badly."
"I'll help you take her away," said "Tao Ziwen," as they both supported "Zhang Xin" and helped her into the carriage. Afterwards, "Master Chen" unexpectedly leaned inside the carriage and began to cry uncontrollably.
"Tao Ziwen" asked "Master Chen," "What's wrong?"
"Master Chen" replied, "I shouldn't have brought my sister here! Now, a maid is dead, and my sister is terrified like this. When I go back, won't the master kill me? Boohoo..."
"Tao Ziwen" patted "Master Chen" on the shoulder, saying, "Let me handle things here, and then I'll go back with you! Your sister came to find me, so I share some responsibility in this matter."
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