Friend(GL) 143

Chapter 143: Meeting

Seeing Zhou Tianzui’s reaction, You Ruxu knew what she was thinking. Even the usually oblivious Chen Xiang seemed to have suddenly become perceptive, whispering to You Ruxu, “Is Dr. Zhou unhappy?”

“I don’t think so.” You Ruxu said, “She’s been in meetings all day, she must be tired.”

“I understand.” Chen Xiang said, “Sitting in meetings for days is worse than torture.”

You Ruxu chuckled.

She ended the video call with Zhou Tianzui. Chen Xiang said, “Good to see you and Dr. Zhou are doing well.”

You Ruxu looked up at her, “Thank you again.”

When she had been struggling, it was Chen Xiang who told her about Zhou Tianzui, those few words a lifeline, Chen Xiang, not understanding what she meant, assumed she was thanking her for mediating between her and Zhou Tianzui, waving her hand dismissively, “It was nothing.”

You Ruxu looked at her and smiled.

Her phone vibrated. She didn’t need to look to know it was Zhou Tianzui.

Ridiculous.

How could she be so petty?

She hadn’t noticed this before.

No, there had been signs. You Ruxu remembered a time when they were both a little drunk after a work dinner, and she had asked Zhou Tianzui to drive a colleague home. Later that night, after they had showered and were lying in bed, Zhou Tianzui had suddenly asked, “Didn’t your team leader mention setting you up with someone today?”

She had been drowsy, her mind foggy from the alcohol, her reactions slow, almost asleep when Zhou Tianzui asked, and it took her a while to remember.

Zhou Tianzui hadn’t been happy.

Thinking her silence was confirmation, she had pulled You Ruxu close, twice. You Ruxu, half-awake now, finally remembered, “She asked me to help set her up with someone.”

Zhou Tianzui, mid-act, had looked up at her, as if pondering her words, then after a few seconds, continued.

You Ruxu, now recalling that incident,

Felt both amused and exasperated.

She sent Zhou Tianzui a sulky emoji, and Zhou Tianzui, holding her phone, replied: [Call me when you get home.]

You Ruxu replied: [OK.]

After having dinner with Chen Xiang, You Ruxu went back to the police station, no new developments, Fu Guang was out, so she went home past ten o’clock. There were fresh flowers on the coffee table, You Ruxu leaned against the sofa and called Zhou Tianzui.

No answer, she left a message, they chatted for over an hour, Zhou Tianzui, seeing her sleepy expression, “Go take a shower and get some rest.”

You Ruxu responded with an “okay,” but didn’t move, she was usually so obedient, this hesitation was unusual. Zhou Tianzui asked, “Are you tired?”

“Not really.” You Ruxu, looking at Zhou Tianzui on the screen, said softly, “I just don’t want to hang up.”

Zhou Tianzui froze for a moment.

Still not used to You Ruxu’s sudden outpouring of affection, she wished she could fly back to Yuhai, to coax You Ruxu into taking a shower and going to bed. She felt a little warm, and went to take a shower herself.

You Ruxu had been busy all week, although she didn’t have to run around in the field, the intelligence gathering alone was exhausting, seeing Fu Guang’s seemingly effortless energy and cheerful demeanor every day, she couldn’t help but admire her.

Fu Guang just chuckled, “You get used to it after a while, can’t go around with a long face all the time.”

She had mastered the art of finding joy in hardship.

She rubbed her shoulders and heard You Ruxu ask, “Are you going out this afternoon?”

Fu Guang nodded: “We have a lead on Li Ting from Sang Qi, we’re going to apprehend him this afternoon.”

The plan was well-prepared. Sang Qi, drunk, had revealed Li Ting’s whereabouts to their informant. The police were already deployed, just waiting for Li Ting to appear. Fu Guang would also be there, “Are you also going to the scene?” You Ruxu asked.

Fu Guang nodded, seeing You Ruxu’s gaze, “Did you think reporters don’t go to crime scenes?”

You Ruxu hadn’t interacted much with reporters from the Criminal Investigation Department before, she really didn’t know much about their work, but she had learned a lot recently, “We didn’t use to, but now, if you want first-hand information, you have to be there.”

Their so-called “first-hand information” was different from that of social news reporters. Theirs was often confidential, not for public release, used for internal analysis, for learning from past cases, for information sharing, sometimes even provided to the courts as evidence.

You Ruxu thought for a moment, “I heard they’re armed, are you wearing a bulletproof vest?”

Fu Guang nodded, “Of course.” Her tone was casual, but You Ruxu felt a pang of anxiety, “Don’t worry too much,” Fu Guang said reassuringly.

Despite her words, You Ruxu was still worried. She had never been to such a scene before. The closest she had come to death was four years ago, when she was attacked. She had mostly been able to protect herself before, but guns and firearms, that was beyond her capabilities.

Someone called for Fu Guang from outside, and she quickly stood up, grabbed her bag, and said to You Ruxu, “I have to go.”

You Ruxu watched as she walked to the door, opened it, and disappeared.

She instinctively followed, watching as Fu Guang entered the next room to put on her gear, changing into a different outfit, looking valiant. Captain Zhou was explaining the plan, seeing Fu Guang, she nodded at her. Fu Guang smiled at You Ruxu and joined the team.

You Ruxu watched as they got into the cars and drove away, disappearing from view.

She returned to the monitoring room. Beside her, the officer typed rapidly, You Ruxu’s heart pounding, her eyes fixed on the screens.

Half an hour later, everything was ready.

She connected with Fu Guang, who had found a relatively hidden spot, and asked, “How’s the image quality?”

You Ruxu said, “Clear, move slightly to the left.”

Then, “Reporter Fu, be careful.” Fu Guang smiled, her lips a bright red, but You Ruxu’s palms were sweating, her heart pounding, Fu Guang adjusted the camera angle, her voice low and hushed, “They’re here.”

You Ruxu saw a man emerge from the abandoned factory, looking around cautiously, a walkie-talkie in hand, then another man, much taller, about 1.85 meters, a large build, wearing a black jacket, a scar near his eye, a gold watch on his wrist, his thick wrist making the delicate watch seem out of place, You Ruxu looked closely, recognizing him.

It was Sang Qi.

You Ruxu frowned, it should have been Li Ting, why was it Sang Qi? Before she could think further, a car slowly approached the factory entrance. She saw Li Ting sitting inside, through the half-open window.

Her body tensed, Sang Qi’s presence was unexpected, Captain Zhou and Captain Yao exchanged a look, then split up, taking different positions, You Ruxu’s eyes glued to the screen, her palms sweating.

Zhou Tianzui hadn’t replied to You Ruxu’s messages, not knowing she was working. After lunch, she couldn’t help but call her.

You Ruxu’s body jolted, hearing her phone ring, she quickly looked down and saw Zhou Tianzui’s name flashing on the screen, just as a loud bang echoed through her earpiece.

She looked at the screen.

Gunshots, then the video feed cut off. You Ruxu called out Fu Guang’s name, but there was no response, just a cacophony of noise, footsteps, gunshots, even her ringing phone seemed distant and distorted.

The officer beside her turned, “Reporter You, your phone.”

You Ruxu, startled, answered the call, momentarily speechless, Zhou Tianzui asked, “What’s wrong?”

Hearing her voice, You Ruxu took a deep breath and said, “It’s nothing, I’m working, I’ll call you back later.”

Zhou Tianzui understood: “Okay.”

You Ruxu hung up and saw a flicker of movement on the screen, a chaotic jumble of images, Fu Guang had moved, she was still moving, which meant she was okay, You Ruxu was relieved, but the video feed remained disconnected, no contact with Fu Guang.

She asked the officer beside her, “Have you contacted Captain Zhou and her team?”

The officer said, “Not yet.”

You Ruxu gripped the armrest of her chair, her anxiety growing, the police officers in the monitoring room pacing back and forth, their footsteps echoing the chaos she had just heard, she was about to get up when an officer rushed in, “We have news, Li Ting has been apprehended!”

You Ruxu let out a shaky breath, quickly regaining her composure, “What about Sang Qi?”

The officer looked at her, paused for a few seconds, and said, “He escaped.”

You Ruxu nodded, just as her phone rang. It was Fu Guang, her voice filled with frustration, she cursed when she found out about the disconnected feed. You Ruxu, strangely calmed by her outburst, asked, “Are you back?”

“Not yet,” Fu Guang said, “I’m on my way to the hospital.”

“The hospital?” You Ruxu quickly asked, “Are you injured?”

“I’m fine.” Fu Guang said, “Captain Zhou is injured.”

During the raid, while providing cover for Li Ting, Sang Qi, wanting to eliminate him, had detonated an explosive device. Captain Zhou, sensing the danger, had pulled Li Ting away, shielding him with her own body, and was injured in the blast.

You Ruxu asked, “Which hospital?”

“Yuxin Hospital.” Fu Guang said, “Are you coming?”

You Ruxu said, “I’ll be there soon.”

Yuxin Hospital was near the First Affiliated Hospital, not far, You Ruxu, as she got into her car, called Zhou Tianzui, the call answered almost immediately, as if Zhou Tianzui had been waiting for her call.

You Ruxu’s heart warmed, her voice unconsciously softening, “Weren’t you in a meeting this afternoon?”

“It ended this morning.” Zhou Tianzui didn’t ask about her work, just, “Are you off work?”

You Ruxu relaxed slightly, “No, I’m on my way to the hospital.”

Zhou Tianzui asked, “The hospital? What for?”

You Ruxu said, “Captain Zhou is injured.”

Zhou Tianzui’s tone, instead of her usual jealous teasing at the mention of Captain Zhou, was filled with concern, “Injured? How badly? Is it serious?”

You Ruxu said, “I’m not there yet, I don’t know the details.”

Zhou Tianzui hummed in acknowledgement.

You Ruxu said, “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

As if sensing her concern, reassuring her, Zhou Tianzui breathed a sigh of relief, You Ruxu, stationed at the police station, responsible for intelligence gathering, was indeed relatively safe, even safer than her previous job, but Zhou Tianzui still worried, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” she said.

You Ruxu, changing the subject, “Tomorrow morning? Should I pick you up?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “I’m coming back with Team Leader Ji from Chaohuang, she’s interviewing my mom.” Zhou Tianzui paused, “My mom will be picking us up.”

You Ruxu’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. Yu Qiao had returned from her trip two days ago, and she had wanted to visit, but Zhou Tianzui had asked her to wait. Now, it seemed Zhou Tianzui didn’t want her to come to the airport.

You Ruxu looked at the road ahead, pursed her lips, then after a moment, said, “Okay, I might be busy tomorrow, I’ll see you after work then.”

Zhou Tianzui, gripping her phone tightly, “See you after work.”