Late Afternoon.
The sun is setting, and the sky turned bright orange.
In the Public Security Quarters, Dong Xuebing’s stomach is growling. He is hungry and went downstairs to buy dinner. Dong Xuebing had thought of having dinner with Xie Huilan but changed his mind. In the afternoon, during the meeting with the County’s leaders, she had pretended not to know him, and she should have her considerations. She should not want others to know that Dong Xuebing is her boyfriend, and Dong Xuebing will not be so stupid to visit her as her boyfriend. Also, Sister Xie had just arrived in the County and needed time to familiarize herself with the work here. She should be very busy these two days and have no time for Dong Xuebing.
In the front yard, Dong Xuebing met Hu Silian, who had just returned home from work.
Dong Xuebing smiled and greeted her. “Director Hu, you just finish work?”
“Yes. I just went to buy some groceries on my way back. Where are you going?” Hu Silian’s electric bicycle’s basket is filled with potatoes and chicken breasts.
“Oh, I don’t have food anymore at home and is about to go out for dinner.”
“Eh? Sister Yu is not at home?”
“She had moved out. Qianqian’s final semester exams are around the corner, and I asked Sister Yu not to come back.”
Hu Silian smiled. “My husband is working late today, and I will be having dinner alone. If you don’t mind, I can prepare dinner for you too.”
Dong Xuebing waved his hand. “No... That will be troubling you.”
Hu Silian laughed. “I am the Office Director, and it’s my responsibility to take care of the welfare of our officers.” As they were chatting, the wind got stronger, and the air becomes dusty. Hu Silian quickly pushes her bicycle. “It is getting windy and is about to rain soon. You better not go out. I had bought enough ingredients to make two dishes. I can go over to your place to cook.”
Dong Xuebing looked at the sky and nodded.” Sorry to trouble you.”
“Hehe, don’t mention it.” Hu Silian parked her bicycle and carried her groceries upstairs.
Dong Xuebing’s apartment.
Hu Silian changed to slippers when she entered the apartment. After that, she wore an apron and a pair of sleeves and entered the kitchen to prepare dinner. She was still wearing her Police Uniform and should look valiant. But now, she looks sexy and gentle. Dong Xuebing could not help looking at her.
“I didn’t know Sister Hu is also a virtuous housewife.”
“Haha... Chief Dong, I’m embarrassed to let you know that at home, it’s my husband who does all the cooking and cleaning.”
“Really? Brother Hu is a good man.”
“What good man? He is just a simple man who knows how to cook.”
About 15 minutes later, Hu Silian finished cooking. “I am not sure if my cooking suits your taste buds. It’s been a while since I cook.”
Dong Xuebing picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. “Hmmm... Taste good. It’s better than Sister Yu.”
Hu Silian sat down with a bowl of rice and giggled. “If you like it, I can drop by to cook for you every day. Haha.”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “Sure. But I am afraid Brother Hu will get jealous.”
They joked and chatted over dinner. Dong Xuebing’s impression of Hu Silian got better. He does not know how Hu Silian acts in front of other leaders, but he had never heard of Hu Silian cooking for the leaders before. Also, since the day he was transferred to Yan Tai County, Hu Silian had helped him a lot. Although she could not help with bigger problems, she helped Dong Xuebing with lots of trivial tasks.
After dinner, Hu Silian offered to do the dishes and even clean up the kitchen.
Dong Xuebing felt embarrassed. “Sister Hu, thank you for today’s dinner. I will treat you and Brother Hu some other day.”
Hu Silian smiled and was about to say something when her phone rang. She looked at the number, and her face changed. “Hello? Yes... yes... I will go back now!” She hung up the phone and was about to explain to Dong Xuebing when Dong Xuebing’s phone rang. It’s Liang Chengpeng calling him and ordered him to return to the Bureau immediately. From his tone, Dong Xuebing knew there should be a severe problem.
Dong Xuebing did not say anything and grabbed his bag. “Sister Hu, let’s go. I will drive.”
As Dong Xuebing and Hu Silian reached downstairs, they saw Qin Yong and Zhao Jingsong walking out of their building. They saw Dong Xuebing, and Qin Yong walked over to get a ride from him. Zhao Jingsong hesitated and did not walk over. Dong Xuebing saw him and waved his hand. “Chief Zhao, let’s go together.” Dong Xuebing’s political wisdom had improved. He knew when to put his grudges aside when it comes to major problems. The Bureau had called for an emergency meeting, and something serious must have happened. This is not the time to settle their scores.
Zhao Jingsong and Qin Yong looked at Dong Xuebing with surprise. Zhao Jingsong hesitated for a second and boarded the Mercedes MPV.
10 minutes later. Command Center’s meeting room.
Not only Liang Chengpeng, Hu Yiguo, and the rest of the Bureau Chiefs were at this meeting. Even the County’s Party Committee Member, Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, Wang Li, is around.
Huang Li is a middle-aged man with small eyes and thick brows. He started the meeting directly. “We had just received news that prison in our neighboring province had a jailbreak. Twenty-eight convicts had escaped, and 11 of them were arrested and seven killed. 10 convicts are still on the run and had escaped towards our County. These are the information about the ten convicts.”
Robbers, rapists, etc. All the escaped convicts had committed serious crimes.
Huang Li was troubled. After the jailbreak happened, the City Government was furious. Even before all the escapees were arrested, the head of the prison was removed from his position. This action showed the anger and determination of the City Government. Huang Li believes that even after the escapees were arrested, the City Government will pursue the responsibilities of the leaders and people involved. Now, the top priority is to capture the escapees. The City’s Public Security had given orders that, if necessary, officers can open fire at the convicts, and must protect the safety of the people at all cost.
After a brief explanation of the situation, Huang Li said. “Old Liang, you can assign the tasks.”
Liang Chengpeng nodded and said. “Chief Qin, seal up all the major junctions in the County and give out the photographs of the convicts. All vehicles must be check. Chief Hu, contact the Armed Police and tell them to standby. Director Hu, inform me immediately if the Command Center received any news. Chief Zhao...” even Dong Xuebing, who was supposed to be on leave, is assigned with a task. He is in charge of Hui Tian Village and a security checkpoint on the main road leading to the neighboring County.
This is an emergency, and all officers are deployed.
The meeting ended, and Dong Xuebing, Qin Yong, Hu Silian, and the rest left the meeting room.
Qin Yong looked at Dong Xuebing and patted him on his back. “Watch out for your safety.”
“You too.” Dong Xuebing went downstairs and drove directly to Hui Tian Village. He also called Liu Dahai on his way.
When Dong Xuebing reached Hui Tian Village Station, he immediately gave out the photographs of the ten escaped convicts. Each officer is in charge of a village, and Dong Xuebing ordered them to check every household to see if the villagers had seen any suspicious characters. After that, Dong Xuebing, Liu Dahai, Chen Fa, and some officers, armed themselves and rushed to the junction of their County and the neighboring County. The station does not have enough manpower, and they had to watch the junction personally.
It’s dark and windy. A thunderstorm is brewing.
When Dong Xuebing waved his hand to allow a vehicle to pass, he received a piece of news from his radio set. A few escapees were seen in the northern district of the County. It’s a resident who called the Police. He saw a few bald men climbing over the fence of a house in the outskirts. He could tell those men are not good people and thought they are stealing or robbing the house. He immediately called the Police, and from his description, they are the escaped convicts!
But the northern district is too far from Dong Xuebing. Dong Xuebing thought for a while and did not go over.
More news came over through the radio set. Hu Yiguo, who was the nearest to the Northern district, had rushed over with a team of officers.
To Hu Yiguo’s surprise, the address given does not fit the description. The caller had said it’s a one-story house, but when Hu Yiguo arrived at the location, it was a double story building. Hu Silian immediately checked the call recording again, and the caller had said the western district and not the northern district! The phone operator had recorded the wrong address. Both districts have roads called Chang Shun Road, and the operator made this mistake!
Shit!
Hu Silian’s face turns pale. She didn’t have time to reprimand that operator and immediately changed the address.
Dong Xuebing is in the western district and is only 5 minutes away from Chang Shun Road. When Dong Xuebing received the news, he was stunned. He cursed the telephone operator. Damn! This is a matter of life and death, and you still can make such mistakes? Dong Xuebing immediately got into his Mercedes MPV and called Liu Dahai and the rest of the officers to get in as he sped towards the location, the rest of the officers, load, and clocked their guns.
At the front door of a one-story house.
Dong Xuebing gave a hand signal, and Chu Feng kicked open the door!
Liu Dahai, Dong Xuebing, and the rest of the officers rushed in with their guns. There was no one in the front yard. The lights of a room are on.
Dong Xuebing ran over towards the room. The room is quiet, and Dong Xuebing frowned. Liu Dahai and Dong Xuebing spread out at the door of the room. One, two, three... Dong Xuebing kicked the door opened and pointed his gun inside.
“Ah!” An officer behind Dong Xuebing shouted.
The escapees were not in the room, but a pair of woman’s legs were sticking out from under a bed. There were bloodstains on the legs.
Dong Xuebing’s first thought was they were late!
Liu Dahai gritted his teeth and called an officer over to push the bed aside.
A woman’s body was under the bed, and a knife is stuck on her head. Her face was covered in blood and couldn’t tell her age, and her top was pushed up and was not wearing anything any pants or skirt. She must have been raped before she was murdered. A young boy’s body was also under the bed. His stomach had been stabbed several times, and it was a gruesome sight!
Dong Xuebing was furious. “F**k! Secure the scene and search the whole place! See if there are any clues!”
At this moment, Hu Yiguo, Qin Yong, and other officers arrived!
When they saw the two bodies, Hu Yiguo’s face changed. “The bodies are still bleeding, and they should not have been killed too long ago. Search every household! They should be nearby!”
Qin Yong was moody. Two lives had been gone just like this!
The crime scene was too gruesome. Dong Xuebing had only entered the Public Security not long and seldom saw such scenes. He did not remain at the scene and called Liu Dahai and his men to a nearby main road to search for the criminals.
A few minutes later, the County Party Secretary, County Mayor, and other leaders arrived at the scene.
Xiang Daofa was furious when he learned about the Command Center’s mistake. He pointed at Liang Chengpeng and scolded. If the Command Center had not made that mistake, the Police would arrive in time and might prevent the woman and boy from being killed. Liang Chengpeng kept quiet and accepted the scolding. This is his responsibility, and it’s his department that made this mistake.
The Police searched the area like crazy throughout the night. The criminals should have found a secluded hiding place and did not appear.
The next morning, Hu Silian was holding her head with both hands. Her eyes were all bloodshot and looking tired.
Her officer saw her and persuaded. “Director Hu, you had not closed your eyes the whole night. Why don’t you...”
Hu Silian looked at him and asked. “Are there any clues?”
“The criminals are very cunning. We still have not received any sightings of them.”
Hu Silian waved her subordinate to go out and sighed. She made her way upstairs to look for Chief Liang. She knew the Command Center had made a huge blunder this time. Although it was the telephone operator who made this mistake, Hu Silian, the leader of the Command Center, had to bear the responsibility. If the higher-ups were to pursue this matter, she might lose her job. No. The County’s Party Secretary had directly scolded the Command Center, and she will lose her job.
On her way upstairs, Hu Silian noticed the change in the attitude of her former colleagues. In the past, her colleagues would greet her politely. But now, everyone pretended not to see her. Some people were even gloating at her downfall. A few Deputy Directors even start to visit the leaders to see if they can replace her.
Hu Silian smiled weary to herself and was not surprised by this.
Hu Silian went to look for Chief Liang, Qin Yong, and other leaders who were on good terms with her in the past. But all of them tried to avoid her. Not one of them was willing to plead on her behalf. After all, this is a sensitive period, and no one is willing to stand up for her. Hu Silian was disappointed. She knew she would not keep her position for sure. This is how government service operates. When nothing happens, and you are of some use to the other party, they will treat you well. But once you are in trouble, other people will not be bothered with you.
Hu Silian is not a kid. She had been with the government service for almost ten years and knew the leaders inside out. Despite knowing how the leaders would treat her, she was still disappointed with them. She almost cried on her way back to her office. She decided not to ask anyone for help, as she knew no one would be bothered with her.
10 am. An emergency meeting was held at the Command Center again. Most of the leaders in the Bureau arrived.
The job of recording the meeting minutes was given to the Deputy Office Director, Hao. This is an obvious sign. When Hu Yiguo entered the meeting room, he smiled at Deputy Office Director Hao and didn’t even look at Hu Silian.
Liang Chengpeng started the meeting by giving an update on the progress of the case. After that, he conveyed the orders from the County’s Party Committee and the City’s Public Security. All escapees must be arrested within two days. This is the order from the higher-ups. The deadline given was tighter than other cases in the past. The City Government and the County’s Party Committee are furious. They don’t want this case to tarnish the reputation of the province and don’t want any more victims to appear in Yan Tai County. Hence, the higher-ups had only given them two days to arrest all the escapees!
Everyone in the meeting was worried and could felt the urgency.
Liang Chengpeng continued with the meeting and asked. “What is everyone’s view on the error caused by the Command Center last night?”
Hu Yiguo was the first to open his mouth. “The mistake committed by the Command Center was too severe. Not only we lost the chance to arrest the escapees, but two lives were also lost. I suggest holding the leader responsible!”
Zhao Jingsong looked at Hu Silian and said. “I agree.”
The City Police Station Chief, Wan Tao, also nodded.
Liang Chengpeng continued. “The County leaders are taking a serious view on this incident, and my suggestion is to suspend Hu Silian and let Director Hao take over her duties.”
Two lives were lost, and someone must take responsibility for it. It was impossible to hold Chief Liang and Chief Hu responsible, and Hu Silian is the best candidate. Hu Silian looked at Qin Yong and Sun Changhong. In the past few years, Hu Silian had been close to both and had helped them a lot by giving them lots of information. But now, Qin Yong and Sun Changhong were only looking at Chief Liang. They had no intention of speaking up for her.
Hu Silian knew she had no chance and lowered her head.
Liang Chengpeng continued. “If everyone agrees, then...”
“I disagree!”
Hu Silian was shocked and turned her head to see who had spoken up for her.
Liang Chengpeng frowned and looked at Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing was slightly pissed. “No one wants this to happen. Furthermore, it’s the phone operator who had made a mistake. What’s there got to do with Director Hu? If you say she got to be held responsible for this mistake, then which of us here are not responsible? Chief Liang, Director Hu, had been working hard in the Bureau for many years, and it will be disheartening if she is punished for this! My suggestion is to give her a warning first. We will discuss the rest after the escapees are arrested!”
Wan Tao looked at Dong Xuebing. “Two lives are lost, and you are suggesting only a warning?”
Dong Xuebing looked at Wan Tao coldly. “Station Chief Wan, the crime had happened in the area under your City Police Station jurisdiction, and the Command Center had given out the orders based on the information given by your station. Your station also has the records. If based on what you said, should you be held responsible too?” Dong Xuebing saw Wan Tao’s face changed, and he continued. “What we need to do now is to solve the case and not to waste time to see who is at fault!”
Hu Silian’s tears almost flowed down. Qin Yong and Sun Changhong had not to stand up for her. But it was this new Deputy Bureau Chief who had helped her. Other than some conversations and cooking a meal for Dong Xuebing, Hu Silian does not have much interaction with him!
Hu Yiguo knocked on the table. “The County’s leaders had given out the orders, and Party Secretary Xiang is furious. If we don’t...” After Chang Lei was transferred out, Hu Yiguo had quite down a lot. But now, he seems to be leaning towards Xiang Daofa.
Dong Xuebing interrupted him. “I only know that this case is not solved yet, and it’s useless to talk about other things. It’s a taboo to change the leader last minute. Everyone here knows Director Hu’s abilities, and we cannot wipe her off like this over a minor mistake. This will disappoint a lot of people. Chief Liang, I suggest giving Director Hu a chance to make up for her mistake. It’s not late to discuss this after the case is solved.”
Liang Chengpeng had already decided, and the County’s leaders had expressed that someone must be held responsible. Even if Liang Chengpeng and Dong Xuebing are close, he will also not allow Dong Xuebing to do anything. “No need to say anymore. The Command Center had made a serious blunder, and the direct supervisor must be held responsible. Ok. Hu Silian will be suspended from work until new orders are issued.” Everyone knew that even if there are new orders, Hu Silian will be transferred to a department without authority. She will have no chance to make a comeback for the rest of her life.
Dong Xuebing tried to retort. “Chief Liang, over the years, Director Hu...”
Liang Chengpeng knew Dong Xuebing is good at arguing and could come up with all sorts of reasons. He waved him off and said. “This case must be solved as soon as possible. Meeting dismissed!”
If it was someone else talking back at Liang Chengpeng, he would have lost his temper and scolded that person. But Liang Chengpeng could tell that Dong Xuebing was not speaking up for Hu Silian for political reasons. Dong Xuebing was helping her because he valued their friendship. Although Dong Xuebing might be rash at times, he had a good heart. Even an idiot knows there is no chance for Hu Silian, and despite this, Dong Xuebing is still willing to offend the leaders for her. Liang Chengpeng had a better understanding of Dong Xuebing after this meeting. In government service, Xiao Dong’s character is rare.
Dong Xuebing walked out of the meeting room in anger.
Hu Silian ran after Dong Xuebing and caught up with him. “Chief Dong.”
Dong Xuebing turned and said apologetically. “I’m sorry. I am powerless to help you.”
Hu Silian shook her head. “Chief Dong, you don’t need to apologize. I will remember what you said in the meeting for the rest of my life. Thank you!” The meeting today had let Hu Silian seen the true colors of many people. Despite knowing it’s impossible to change the outcome, Dong Xuebing still offended Director Hao, talk back at Chief Liang, offended Station Chief Wan and the rest, to speak up for her. Hu Silian was deeply moved by Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing did not think so much because he had offended too many people. He does not mind offending a few more people. To Dong Xuebing, Hu Silian had helped him a lot and even cooked dinner for him. No matter what the outcome was, Dong Xuebing felt he must speak up for her. Furthermore, he felt Hu Silian is capable... and it’s a pity for her to be transferred out.