Li Xinjian drove with a grim expression, the speedometer reading 180 kilometers per hour. Trees on either side of the road blurred past. Qiang Min wiped his face and said, "From analyzing the small amounts of drugs we've seized, most of it is meth. If your hunches are even somewhat accurate, they must be processing ephedrine somewhere."
Li Xinjian smacked the steering wheel. "Right! You're getting better at connecting the dots!" He frowned, contemplating. "Meth production requires a lot of ephedrine, and extracting it in the city is unlikely because it's highly polluting and easy to detect."
Qiang Min perked up, "Following that logic, the processing site must be in a remote, secluded place, preferably with a water source."
In a small eatery on the edge of an alley, less than twenty square meters in size with only five or six tables, Qiang Min sat in a corner, playing with a lighter and watching the door. A middle-aged man hurried in. Qiang Min waved him over.
The man, Zhou Li, wore a wrinkled, low-quality suit with a frayed shirt collar but an expensive branded tie. He was a businessman whom Qiang Min had once saved.
Night fell over Haizhou Tower.
Wang Jingfei walked down the dimly lit corridor to her room. She opened the door and inserted the key card into the power switch, flooding the room with light. She sensed something, scanning the room and noticing the bedroom door was closed. She remembered leaving it open.
She pushed the door open forcefully.
A hand silently rested on her shoulder. Reflexively, she turned to defend herself, but her hands were firmly gripped, and she could hear the other person breathing. She looked closely and exclaimed, "Xinjian!" Li Xinjian kissed her passionately. Wang Jingfei resisted briefly, then melted into the kiss.
Realizing something, Wang Jingfei pushed him away and said coldly, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."
Taken aback, Li Xinjian calmed down and pointed to the ceiling, whispering, "I've already taken care of those surveillance devices."
Wang Jingfei, fixing her disheveled hair, asked, "How did you get in?"
Li Xinjian dodged the question, "You changed your name?"
Wang Jingfei, trying to distance herself, replied, "Changing my name is my choice." Li Xinjian noticed her attitude shift and grew agitated, "Why did you leave the police academy five years ago without a word?"
Wang Jingfei turned her head away, "I hated being a cop. I secretly applied to drop out. Leaving without saying goodbye was the easiest way to avoid hurting you."
Li Xinjian scrutinized her in disbelief before grabbing her shoulders, "Xiaofei, you're lying! I can see it in your eyes!"
Wang Jingfei closed her eyes, "Can you read my mind through my eyes?"
Li Xinjian, filled with emotion, said slowly, "When you spoke in my arms, I always looked into your eyes. Even when you slept, I could see your dreams through them." Wang Jingfei broke free and turned away, "That was youthful folly. Why bring it up now?"
Li Xinjian, enraged, retorted, "Folly? You're the one being foolish now!"
Wang Jingfei's lips trembled.
Li Xinjian noticed and felt a flicker of hope. He pulled a wallet from his jacket and took out a laminated photo. "Xiaofei, this is our picture. It's been with me all these years. Two years ago, a gang kidnapped some kids and threatened to blow them up. I went alone to negotiate, and I had this photo in my bulletproof vest..."
Wang Jingfei kept a stoic face.
"There's writing on the back. You should remember! You have the same photo with my writing on it..."
Wang Jingfei interrupted coldly, "Times have changed. It's meaningless now. I have the right to choose my path, so don't interfere!"
Li Xinjian, too angry to think clearly, said, "Looks like I was deluding myself!" He crumpled the photo, "Nowadays, people will do anything for money, but out of our past love, I'll say this: don't sacrifice everything for money!" He threw the photo to the ground, "You can forget me and our love, but if you forget your father, who sacrificed his life for justice, you're not human!" He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Qiang Min, chatting with Zhou Li, didn't mince words, "I want to work in the chemical industry for a while. You're the expert, so please point me in the right direction."
Zhou Li poured Qiang Min a drink, "Chemicals cover a wide range. What exactly are you interested in?"
"Something highly corrosive."
"No problem!" Zhou Li made a call, "Fan Ming? It's Zhou. Meet me at the little tavern on West Second Alley. Now!" He turned to Qiang Min, "Fan Ming employs workers from Guangxi and Guizhou. They take on dangerous jobs."
Fan Ming arrived, wearing a high-collared coat, his thin frame like a clothes hanger. Zhou Li introduced him to Qiang Min, "This is my relative, looking for work." Fan Ming, with a gangster's demeanor, sized up Qiang Min like inspecting livestock, "Go work for Lu Hui then. But it's risky."
Suppressing his excitement, Qiang Min said, "We're not afraid of danger, as long as it pays!"
Wang Jingfei unfolded the crumpled photo, smoothing it out. On the back, in her elegant handwriting, were the words "Life and death together." She took out her photo, with Li Xinjian's bold scrawl: "Love forever." Tears fell onto the photo.
She lit the photo with a match.
Her hand trembled violently.
As the flames burned, memories surfaced: them running side by side along the paths behind the police academy, resting on a grassy slope, watching dew drops fall from the grass blades, and listening to the birds. She sang a lyrical campus song while he watched her, smiling like a knight protecting his princess. The sun rose, casting a soft glow on the wildflowers, filling their hearts with hope. She said, "We are messengers of light." He added, "And warriors to drive away darkness." She continued, "Life is valuable for creation and dedication." He nodded, "Just like the selfless sunlight."
The rising smoke brought back moonlit nights, her leaning on his strong chest, listening to the frogs and the whisper of the wind in the leaves. She asked, "Will you ever leave me?" He whispered, "My life has two parts: you and this uniform." She playfully challenged, "What if you had to choose?" He countered, "What about you?" She laughed, "Your answer is my answer." The photo burned to ashes, scorching her fingers. She stood by the large window, gazing at the city lights and the stars, murmuring, "Xinjian, I can only disappoint you..."