Chapter Ninety-One: Loyalty and Filial Duty Cannot Both Be Fulfilled

Chapter Ninety-One: Loyalty and Filial Duty Cannot Both Be Fulfilled

“Then let’s go?” Guoguo had no idea how devastating her words were. She swaggered off without a care, oblivious to how awkward Xu Yun and Su Xiaoran felt.

Xu Yun was wronged beyond measure. Damn it, he swore he had only touched a knee with not a scrap of flesh on it.

By the time the three of them reached the teachers’ parking area, Liu Tianyi had already been waiting there for quite some time. He wanted to invite Su Xiaoran to dinner and have a proper talk with her, to keep her away from the kind of unsavory people she had just met.

What he had not expected was that the unsavory person from earlier would actually arrive with a grade-school child, shamelessly tagging along with Su Xiaoran. And by the look of it, the man intended to leave with her too.

“Xiaoran, where are you off to?” As soon as Liu Tianyi spoke, his brows were already tightly furrowed, but he still pressed on. “I heard the French dishes at the newly opened Parisian-style restaurant are very authentic, so I booked a meal for two. I’d like to invite you to go with me.”

Su Xiaoran could not be bothered to keep reminding him to call her Teacher Su. She pointed at Guoguo and said, “This is my student. I’m going to her home to make a family visit. Sorry, but I have to decline your kindness.”

Of course, Liu Tianyi was not about to give up so easily. “Xiaoran, I’m inviting you sincerely to dinner, just as a friend. If you refuse, wouldn’t that be a little too inconsiderate?”

“Didn’t you hear Teacher Su say she’s going to my home for a visit?” Guoguo said with grave seriousness, looking at Liu Tianyi. “Sorry, your invitation came too late.”

Clearly, Guoguo had already classified this tall, rich, handsome teacher as her father’s love rival. She absolutely would not allow anyone she disliked to appear around Teacher Su. It was obvious she had no fondness for this man; he reeked of vanity and hypocrisy from head to toe.

Catching the glance Su Xiaoran gave him from the corner of his eye, Liu Tianyi forced a bright smile. “Little beauty, if you can persuade Teacher Su, then Teacher Liu will take both you and Teacher Su along. French cuisine is delicious, and there are tasty desserts too.”

In Liu Tianyi’s view, no child could resist the temptation of food. If she really came along, he could just order her a cake and let her eat it off to the side.

But what storms and waves had Guoguo not seen before? French cuisine? Hmph. She had already dined at the Silver Tower Restaurant on the Paris riverbank.

“No interest. I’m long tired of that stuff.” Guoguo waved her hand, refusing him without the slightest courtesy.

Su Xiaoran could not help laughing to herself, though her face remained composed as she said to Guoguo, “I had no idea Guoguo was such a little gourmand.”

Liu Tianyi’s brows were now tightly locked. “Xiaoran, family visits are usually in the evening, aren’t they? Who makes house calls at noon? Even if you are going for a visit, you should eat first, shouldn’t you?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Teacher Su definitely won’t go hungry at my house,” Guoguo said impatiently. This man was truly long-winded.

Xu Yun was too lazy to listen any longer, so he opened the passenger door and got in.

“What are you doing! Who told you to get in? Didn’t you hear she’s going to make a house visit? What are you following along for?” Liu Tianyi vented all his pent-up resentment at Xu Yun. In his eyes, Xu Yun had been reduced to some personal chauffeur or escort.

Xu Yun did not bother with him and simply sat down.

Guoguo glanced at the man who had been shouting at her father and felt deeply displeased. “Teacher Su, why are we wasting time with him? I’m already hungry.”

“Mm, get in the car.” Su Xiaoran patted Guoguo’s cheek, then turned to Liu Tianyi. “Sorry, Teacher Liu. He’s the parent of my student. I’m going to his home for a visit. Goodbye.”

Liu Tianyi stood frozen for a long moment before he finally came to himself. That guy was the student’s parent? Someone so young already had a daughter in elementary school? As if anyone would believe that. He was trying to fool ghosts!

Damn it! A fierce blaze of jealousy surged in Liu Tianyi’s chest. He had pursued Su Xiaoran for so many days, and she had always treated him with neither warmth nor coldness. Yet she did not seem to feel that way at all toward that man dressed in bargain-bin clothes.

He truly wanted to ask Su Xiaoran whether she had gone blind.

Watching Su Xiaoran drive the newly purchased red Golf out of the school grounds, Liu Tianyi’s anger roared up all at once. He would never swallow this insult! In Hedong City, no one had yet been born who dared fight him for a woman!

His father was Liu Sheng, the true overlord of the city’s underworld, surrounded by experts of every kind. Those district bosses who strutted about with such arrogance in daylight were, in his father’s eyes, no more than a fart.

If Liu Sheng wanted to teach someone a lesson, it was only a matter of a single word.

Grinding his teeth, Liu Tianyi could not suppress his resentment. He drove straight to the Hedong International Grand Hotel, one of the Liu family’s properties, where his father had been staying lately.

...

While Xu Yun had enjoyed a leisurely and satisfying morning, Qin Wan’er was far busier. Early that day, before she had even had a chance to sit down at the police bureau, she received word of Ma Pinghai’s death.

The entire special task force rushed to the scene at once. No one had imagined that the killer would dare strike in a wooded park less than a hundred meters from the police bureau. The culprit must be an utterly vicious criminal.

Qin Wan’er’s mind buzzed. Immediately she recalled what Xu Yun had told her: the Crimson Scorpion only needed a few seconds to kill Ma Pinghai. If my guess is correct, Ma Pinghai is already dead somewhere near the police bureau.

Could it really be just as Xu Yun had predicted? Had Ma Pinghai been killed by that man?

“The victim’s cervical spine was snapped, severing the central nervous system. This caused instant paralysis and suffocation. The killer is absolutely no first-timer.” The police physician who arrived on the scene spoke at last, his expression grave. “The human neck is usually very sturdy. Without training, or without a certain degree of strength, this would be impossible. The killer is no ordinary person.”

Because the murder had happened so close to the police bureau, the impact was extremely severe. Bureau Chief Chen Wei also came to the scene in person.

After hearing the analysis, Chen Wei’s face darkened. An instant later, a certain person came to his mind. “Could it be that because he entered the police bureau, the killer believed he betrayed him, and so struck with such brutality?”

The head of the special task force handling the Crimson Scorpion case, the captain of the criminal police detachment, could not help asking, “Chief Chen, do you mean the one who killed Ma Pinghai was...?”

“Yes. The prime suspect now is Hao Kai.” Chen Wei’s brow furrowed. What a troublesome case. For him, this was truly a tremendous challenge. In all his years as a police officer, this was the first time he had encountered such a dangerous person.

Even though Chen Wei had prepared for everything, he had never imagined the other side would be vicious to this extent, even refusing to spare one of their own.

Qin Wan’er had been holding it in all this time. She desperately wanted to tell Chief Chen about what had happened yesterday and to have him abandon the investigation, because the police were simply no match for this man. To deal with such a criminal, special tactical personnel would surely be needed.

But Xu Yun had told her he hoped she would not bring it to the police, and that she should trust him. Qin Wan’er certainly did trust Xu Yun, because that villain had already lost to him. What truly worried her was that the other side seemed to operate as a group. If three or five such vicious men appeared together, even if all the police forces of Hedong City were deployed, would they be enough?

“Could this be what an S-level wanted criminal is? A demon who kills without blinking, a madman...” Finally, one of the task force members could no longer endure the pressure and fear.

Looking at the terror on everyone’s faces, Chen Wei naturally understood why they were reacting this way. He was not the sort of tyrannical, overbearing boss who abused his power. “If any of you are afraid and want to withdraw now, you may do so. I guarantee there will be no punishment or demotion. After all, the enemy is not as simple as we imagined. Every member of the Hao Kai task force may be in danger at any time, and I hope all of you understand that.”

After those words, everyone fell silent. Such a brutal and terrifying reality was indeed hard to accept.

Qin Wan’er understood the weight of Chen Wei’s words better than anyone present, because she had witnessed firsthand just how formidable and dangerous the other party was. Even a formidable person like Huo Yan had nearly lost her life in that man’s hands.

“After all, each of us has a family. We have elderly parents waiting for us to support them, and some of our colleagues have children of their own.” Chen Wei continued, “None of us is an isolated individual. None of us in this society lives only for ourselves. So I hope you all think carefully. If you cannot be prepared to sacrifice yourselves at any moment, then I hope you will leave of your own accord. I do not want to see my subordinates’ families suffer because of some possible future...”

After a choked pause, Chen Wei could go no further.

“Chief Chen, are you all right?” Qin Wan’er asked anxiously.

Chen Wei shook his head.

At last, the first person who could no longer bear the pressure stepped forward. He did not want things to be this way either, but he had to be worthy of his daughter, not yet one year old. “Chief Chen, I’m sorry. My family truly cannot do without me.”

“I understand.” Chen Wei smiled and nodded. A young man who had only just become a father could not possibly say he was not afraid of death. His choice was also a way of taking on another responsibility more properly.

Soon after, another person stepped forward. “Chief Chen, I’m out too. The enemy is too terrifying. My mental endurance can no longer keep up.”

Chen Wei still smiled as he nodded. “Heh, yes. I’ve been a police officer for so many years, and even my own endurance has begun to fail me. I understand, I understand.”

Very quickly, four or five people chose to withdraw.

“Running away like this will only embolden the criminals!” Qin Wan’er suddenly lashed out. She truly could not accept watching so many colleagues step back one after another.

Everyone fell silent again.

Chen Wei remained calm and smiled. “Xiao Qin, you’re not married yet, are you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Chief Chen, I won’t withdraw.” Qin Wan’er did not answer his question directly. She set her answer squarely before him. “I only know that I am a people’s police officer. My duty is to protect the safety of the people, not to evade problems for the sake of my own safety!”

Chen Wei did not agree. Shaking his head, he looked up at the sky as if lost in thought, then said with deep meaning, “Police officers are people too. Police officers have feelings too... Police officers have their own families. The ancients were right. From ancient times to the present, loyalty and filial duty have never been easy to reconcile...”