Chapter 233 — Hearts Grow Closer

"Stay in the van and don't get out. I'll be back in a moment," Wei Zhao said to Tang Yun.

"Mm," Tang Yun nodded obediently, offering no argument.

Wei Zhao got out, opened the rear door of the van, and hauled Black Panther out.

Qiu Lingshan was driving a Jinbei police van, not the Cheetah SUV she had had before; this one was plainly the sort of vehicle used to transport suspects.

Qiu Lingshan spotted Wei Zhao at once and pulled the van up in front of him.

She had already heard from Wei Zhao that he had caught Black Panther and left him half-crippled, but seeing him dangling the man one-handed like that, her mouth still fell open into an "O".

"You came alone, I take it?" Wei Zhao glanced at the vehicle, found no one else inside, and only then relaxed. Qiu Lingshan was one of the few people who knew a small part of his business, and Wei Zhao had no intention of letting more people in on it.

"You caught him just like that?" Qiu Lingshan nodded and got out of the van, staring in some astonishment at Black Panther in Wei Zhao's hand.

"How else was I supposed to catch him?" Wei Zhao dumped Black Panther on the ground. "All right, he's yours. I'm leaving."

With that, he turned and walked back toward the van.

"Wait, you still have to come back with me and give a statement..." Qiu Lingshan called after him.

"Make one up yourself." Wei Zhao didn't even turn his head. "I'm handing you all the credit. Just say you caught him yourself. It has nothing to do with me."

"You..." Qiu Lingshan was furious — but that credit...

Qiu Lingshan knew that capturing Black Panther was no small feat, no less than the bank robbers before. With those two achievements to her name, her prestige in the police bureau had reached its peak, laying a fine foundation for her future promotions.

"If you want me to do things for you again, then cut the nonsense." Wei Zhao got back into the van, paid Qiu Lingshan no further attention, and drove off.

Qiu Lingshan stamped her foot in anger, hauled Black Panther up from the ground and tossed him into her vehicle, then drove off in the opposite direction...

"By the way, how did you get brought here? Where's Kang Xiaobo?" With the Black Panther business settled, Wei Zhao finally remembered to ask Tang Yun how she had been taken.

"Kang Xiaobo... I don't know either... Kang Xiaobo and I left school, and he said we'd take a taxi to the hospital, so he got into one waiting for fares at the school gate," Tang Yun said. "After that I don't remember anything. Then I woke up... and I was..."

Here she broke off, lowering her head in embarrassment.

Wei Zhao frowned, took out his phone, and dialed Kang Xiaobo's number.

The phone rang for a long while before Kang Xiaobo's muddled voice came through. "Hm? Hello? Who is this?"

"Xiaobo, it's me. Where are you?" Hearing Kang Xiaobo sound as though he had just woken up, Wei Zhao's heart eased. It seemed Black Panther's main targets had been Tang Yun and himself; Kang Xiaobo was probably fine — otherwise they would never have left him his phone.

"I... where is this? Hm? How did I fall asleep on the street?" Kang Xiaobo was startled, then suddenly cried out, "Oh no, boss — Tang Yun, Tang Yun's gone! Boss, I lost Tang Yun..."

"All right, Tang Yun's fine, she's with me. Where are you? Shall I come pick you up?" Wei Zhao asked.

"I'm at... I don't know where this is either, some small street. Let me walk out to the main road and take a look..." Kang Xiaobo said groggily. "After school I got into a taxi with Tang Yun to go to the hospital, and then I think I fell asleep. I slept like a log until just now, when I woke up."

"..." Wei Zhao was somewhat speechless. "Fine. Take a taxi home first. Whatever it is, we'll talk tomorrow."

"That works. I'm still all muddled, my head's spinning. As long as Tang Yun's all right, I'm relieved. See you tomorrow, then." Kang Xiaobo was clearly not fully awake.

Wei Zhao hung up with a wry smile and glanced at Tang Yun. "You two were probably knocked out with drugs. Then they dumped Kang Xiaobo by the roadside and brought you here."

"Yes..." Tang Yun wasn't sure who wanted to harm her... and had given her that kind of drug. The very thought sent a chill of dread through her. If Wei Zhao hadn't appeared in time, then today she would have...

"It was Zou Ruoming," Wei Zhao said. "I'll let the little bastard off easy today. I'll deal with him slowly later."

Qiu Lingshan would probably learn something of today's business from Black Panther's mouth, so Wei Zhao could not simply wipe Zou Ruoming out. But not today did not mean not ever; once this matter had passed, making him vanish from the face of the earth would be a simple thing for Wei Zhao.

"Zou Ruoming..." Tang Yun repeated the name in a daze, then suddenly lowered her head and began to sob...

"You... Tang Yun, what's wrong?" Wei Zhao was startled. He had not expected her to burst into tears with no warning at all.

"It's nothing... it's not about you... I just want to cry..." Tang Yun's voice was choked. "Why do they pick on me? Why? Is it because my family is poor, so I'm easy to bully?"

Hearing this, Wei Zhao sighed softly. These grievances in Tang Yun's heart must have been pent up for a long time, and only today had they burst out. This was a girl in the flower of her youth, pouring out her grief at fate's injustice.

Think of Tang Yun's family — was it not just the same? Mother and daughter, bullied even for running a little barbecue stall... let alone anything else.

It was the same at school. Why did Zou Ruoming not dare to go after Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu, and instead pick Tang Yun? Because he knew that bullying Tang Yun would bring no consequences, but bullying Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu would be a very big deal.

"It won't happen again..." Wei Zhao patted Tang Yun's shoulder, wanting to draw her into his arms, yet hesitating.

While he hesitated, Tang Yun leaned into his embrace of her own accord and began to sob...

Ah... This time Wei Zhao did not decline either; he took the chance to wrap his arm around Tang Yun's fragrant shoulder and let her cry against his chest... Perhaps Tang Yun was not thinking that much at all. She simply wanted someone to lean on while she wept...

Indeed, Tang Yun was not thinking much at this moment. Leaning against Wei Zhao's chest only made her feel a little safer.

"Shall I take you home?" Once Tang Yun's emotions had settled, Wei Zhao said to her.

Tang Yun gave a start, abruptly broke free of Wei Zhao's arms, and turned her head away in embarrassment — yet she still softly murmured, "Mm."

Wei Zhao smiled, started the van, and drove off toward the shantytown.

That night, the hearts of the two of them drew closer...

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