NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31: Spy
“I heard what happened with Bai Shun today…”
Yan Qincheng spoke up.
Zhi Luan raised an eyebrow.
“Who?”
“What do you mean who? It’s the guy you fought today.”
“Oh, his name is Bai Shun… I had no idea.”
“You fought someone you knew nothing about? And you didn’t look bothered to know at all!”
Zhi Luan shrugged.
“I was only helping a colleague. I didn’t need to ask before helping out… It was clear enough. But since you know him, I am curious to know who he is too.”
“I won’t say… the old man will explain everything to you. Let’s focus on today’s lesson.”
Like that, the day’s lesson began. Yan Qincheng was once again amazed at Zhi Luan’s improvement. She helped him with other materials for the entrance exam, and though she only gave him an idea, Zhi Luan quickly picked up, making things easier. She had doubted old man Shen when he said Zhi Luan had a sharp mind for someone with no education whatsoever. Nonetheless, seeing was believing, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t blown away.
The day finally came to an end, and everyone was about to head home. Old man Shen called for a brief meeting.
“You all know what happened today...” he announced.
“Since Bai Shun is back, he’s going to give us all a hard time. We should all be careful, especially you, Yu Lu.”
“Who is this person?”
Zhi Luan asked calmly.
“You haven’t been here for long so it’s natural you don’t know…”
Old man Shen then started to explain everything in detail.
“The troublemaker you fought is named Bai Shun, and not only is he the leader of a notorious gang that terrorizes this neighborhood, but he is also the son of a police officer, a corrupt one if I might add. He has had his eyes on Yu Lu from the moment she started working here and had tried countless times to get close to her without her consent. I don’t even want to know what happened, but things worsened between her and Bai Shun…”
Old man Shen was willing to go all out to explain things in detail. After things got heated between Yu Lu and Bai Shun, Lu Yu stepped up to help, confronting Bai Shun. However, Lu Yu was mistaken to confront him alone and was hospitalized after Bai Shun and his gang overwhelmed him.
Old man Shen reported the case to the police, but Bai Shun’s father managed to let him off the hook with a light punishment. Though it seemed like they had a month of peace, Bai Shun had returned to cause more trouble, and this time around, his target wouldn’t be Yu Lu alone.
Zhi Luan was caught up with Bai Shun’s story. Old man Shen rubbed his forehead,
“I don’t think I can count on the police to handle this case properly…”
Yu Lu couldn’t help but break down as she sobbed softly,
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault…”
“Don’t say that child. That kid is a menace to us all. If it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else.”
The old man dismissed Yu Lu’s guilt.
“Boss is right. You don’t have to beat yourself up about it.” John chimed.
While everyone tried to comfort Yu Lu, Zhi Luan asked out of the blue,
“How will you get home?”
Everyone froze momentarily and looked at Zhi Luan.
“What do you mean?”
Zhi Luan pointed in a certain direction outside the window.
“What are you pointing at?”
“The man on glasses pretending to be on a call…”
Everyone followed Zhi Luan’s description and saw a man across the road standing beside a car, answering his cell phone. Everyone turned to Zhi Luan with a suspicious look.
“Are you… alright up there?”
Old man Shen inquired.
Zhi Luan sighed as he spoke up to explain.
“He’s among Bai Shun’s gang. He wasn’t among those who came into the restaurant, but after Bai Shun left, he met up with them and they left together. I saw him earlier when Miss Qincheng left, and while we were talking presently, he’d occasionally look this way. I suspect his presence here is to keep an eye on Yu Lu.”
Everyone was stunned at this discovery because they hadn’t noticed until now. Old man Shen had a complex expression,
“Are you sure about this?”
“It’s just a hunch,’ replied Zhi Luan.
“But we can’t risk it. Maybe I do need to involve the police after all. I know a detective at the precinct and I’m sure he would like to help us.”
“But it’s late already, and you know how Detective Lang grumbles when you contact him by this time.”
“I don’t care, it’s his job…”
Old man Shen didn’t waste more time and proceeded to call Detective Lang. After a few moments on the phone, old man Shen returned with a gloomy expression,
“Lang isn’t available at the moment, and he said making arrangements for an escort to Jishan District at this time can be challenging. I guess we’re on our own.”
“What do we do now?”
Lu Yu didn’t hesitate and suggested,
“Why don’t I take her home? We could find a way to shake this guy off our tail…”
“That’s an illogical plan,”
Old man Shen immediately dismissed the idea.
“Bai Shun and his gang know every inch of this city like the back of their hands. We don’t know what they’re planning, but if Zhi Luan’s hunch is correct, this guy might be tailing you and he might not be the only one. The way I see it, you could get yourself into more trouble if you go.”
Old man Shen made a lot of sense, but Lu Yu wasn’t going to back down either. It could be Lu Yu’s grudge against Bai Shun or something else entirely, but he wasn’t going to let the latter frighten them needlessly.
At this time, while old man Shen and Lu Yu bickered, Zhi Luan spoke up,
“Why don’t I go instead?”