Brother Huang couldn't get much out of Zhou Tuoxing. He found out that Zhou had indeed gone to see Tao Xianrong
by chance that day, had a brief conversation, and left after being beaten. He had no idea what happened
afterward.
Very honest.
So honest it was useless.
Zhou Tuoxing gave him a detailed description of the scene, including the room's layout. Brother Huang faced
reality, lamented the passing time, and urged him to sign and leave quickly.
While walking on the road, Huang Chaozhi couldn't help but complain to He Chuan Zhou on his phone.
Huang Chaozhi: This guy is really hard to deal with. I hate people like him!
He Chuan Zhou: You can hit him.
Huang Chaozhi: Really? Can I?
He Chuan Zhou: Sure. I'll visit you at the detention center.
Huang Chaozhi: ...
Huang Chaozhi: You're something else.
Brother Huang walked into the office, and He Chuan Zhou had just put down his phone. He asked, "Has he left?"
"Not yet, he's in the duty room." Brother Huang pulled out a chair, picked up his still-warm goji berry and red
date tea, crossed his sturdy legs, and said proudly, "He still wants to chat with me for two more hours,
wishful thinking!"
He Chuan Zhou said, "Why are you keeping him here?"
"I didn't, don't talk nonsense! This is the first time I've seen someone refuse to leave the police
station!" Brother Huang immediately retorted, "He said his right hand is still injured, and for traffic safety,
he needs to wait for his friend to pick him up. As for when his friend will come... I guess it depends on
when you get off work."
Shao Zhixin and Xu Yu exchanged a look, then tacitly looked away. The next second, they both got up and
sprinted outside with a "whoosh."
Within five minutes, they returned, sighing deeply.
Brother Huang asked, "Got scolded?"
Xu Yu said regretfully, "Didn't see him, he's already gone."
Shao Zhixin was even more disappointed. He was the one who brought the person in, but he didn't get to say a
word or even take a good look.
Truly failing to recognize greatness.
He Chuan Zhou laughed, "Do you know who he is? You were so eager."
Brother Huang walked to her desk, leaned down, squeezed out a pure and harmless smile to show his sincere
concern, and patted his chest, saying, "When I have time, I hope to hear your story."
He Chuan Zhou looked at him steadily, without a word.
Brother Huang quickly left.
Xu Yu brought a cup of black tea and placed it on the corner of He Chuan Zhou's desk.
White steam wafted up, and He Chuan Zhou looked at it, suddenly remembering many things.
Maybe Zhou Tuoxing's presence was too strong; He Chuan Zhou always felt that he was in most of her memories.
After thinking it over, she realized they hadn't spent much time together.
She met Zhou Tuoxing in her second year of junior high, and after graduating from high school, they didn't
see each other again. The time they spent together wasn't even as long as she had been with her colleagues
at the sub-bureau.
However, unexpected things always seemed to happen around Zhou Tuoxing. He Chuan Zhou still found the scene
of their first encounter funny when she recalled it.
It was late June, near the summer vacation, and on a Saturday morning, after finishing extra classes at
school, He Chuan Zhou rode her bike to deliver lunch to her father.
There was another person in the duty room, squatting in the corner with his head down—Zhou Tuoxing.
His hair hadn't been cut for a long time, and he buried his face in his knees, so He Chuan Zhou couldn't see
clearly, only noticing several old and new scars on his arms.
Thin and frail, looking malnourished, wearing the same school pants as her, he was probably a classmate, but
she had no impression of him.
"So young and already getting into fights," He Xu's first introduction was not flattering, "to be precise,
he got beaten up."
Zhou Tuoxing raised his head slightly and glared at him but didn't dare to be too obvious and lowered it
again.
He Chuan Zhou handed the lunchbox to her father, who then gave it to Zhou Tuoxing, saying, "Eat."
Zhou Tuoxing hesitated for a long time. He Chuan Zhou guessed he wanted to show his resolve, but after an
intense internal struggle, he probably realized that not eating had nothing to do with resolve, so he took
it with a fierce expression.
He Xu pointed to the side, "Eat over there. There's a table." He then took out a box of instant noodles from
the cabinet.
At that time, Ziyang District's police station hadn't moved yet; it was cramped and simple, wedged between
residential buildings.
He Chuan Zhou found a quiet place to read and do her homework. After finishing a couple of problems, He Xu
directed again, "Dear daughter, lend him a book so he can study too. He must have skipped class this
morning."
Zhou Tuoxing turned his face away coldly, "I don't want to!"
He Xu said, "Then I'll call your dad."
Zhou Tuoxing looked aggrieved and eventually came over, looking dejected.
Thirteen-year-old Zhou Tuoxing was still a fool. He Chuan Zhou noticed that he stared at the book all
afternoon without turning a page, just holding his injured arm and daydreaming.
When it was time to get off work, and there were no nearby incidents, He Chuan Zhou started packing her
things, and Zhou Tuoxing wanted to leave too.
He thought that as a minor who hadn't done anything too terrible, He Xu couldn't detain him. He was itching
to leave whenever He Xu wasn't looking.
But He Xu grabbed him by the collar and said boldly, "Stop looking around. I'll treat you to dinner. Follow
me."
They went to a nearby snack shop.
Zhou Tuoxing's right hand wasn't working well, so he ordered a bowl of fried rice and used a spoon to eat.
He Xu ordered tomato and egg noodles, got a bowl of shredded meat with vegetables for He Chuan Zhou, and then
scooped the egg from his soup for her.
Zhou Tuoxing kept glancing at He Xu's actions from the corner of his eye. He thought he was hiding it well,
but He Chuan Zhou could tell he was envious and was quiet for a while.
He Xu ate quickly, finishing his bowl of noodles in a few bites. He reached out to He Chuan Zhou, saying,
"ZHOU, give dad 50 yuan, I want to buy a pack of cigarettes."
He Chuan Zhou opened the inner pocket of her backpack, took out two 20-yuan bills, and was about to find a
10-yuan bill when He Xu said, "That's enough."
Zhou Tuoxing stared wide-eyed in disbelief, unable to understand how He Chuan Zhou could have so much money.
He then awkwardly said while holding his chopsticks, "How pathetic, asking your daughter for money."
He Xu said profoundly, "What do you know? The head of a family isn't determined by age."
He clutched the money and, before leaving, pointed at Zhou Tuoxing, "Can you handle him?"
He Chuan Zhou sized up the boy across from her.
Boys at this age weren't at their physical peak, especially not someone as frail as Zhou Tuoxing, who looked
like a withered flower with no intimidating presence.
He Chuan Zhou nodded confidently.
Zhou Tuoxing was unconvinced. He Xu chuckled and reminded him, "I suggest you don't mess with her. She's
very good at fighting."
Knowing his own limited strength, Zhou Tuoxing obediently continued eating. He planned to deal with
everything after he was full.
He Chuan Zhou counted out 80 yuan again and went to the owner to buy a tea egg.
The egg was well-seasoned, and the aroma from the plastic bag filled the table. When she peeled off the
shell, dark brown veins appeared.
He Chuan Zhou wasn't very adept and got burned, shaking her hand to cool it.
Zhou Tuoxing glanced over several times, his Adam's apple bobbing. He wanted to ask if she needed help but
seeing that He Chuan Zhou hadn't spoken to him at all, he figured she didn't like him and pretended not to
notice.
When she had only a couple of bites left, He Chuan Zhou put the peeled egg on his spoon.
Zhou Tuoxing was stunned and stared at her. He Chuan Zhou took out a tissue to wipe the soup off the table,
still not speaking to him.
Zhou Tuoxing's expression became very complicated. He rolled the egg around with a spoon several times
before finally eating the tea egg. He didn't say thank you, but when He Chuan Zhou got up to leave, he
voluntarily took her heavy school bag.
As soon as the two walked out of the shop, He Xu also appeared on the street carrying a small bag. He didn't
buy cigarettes but purchased some band-aids, red flower oil, and a few bags of biscuits. Waving from a
distance at the two, he said, "Let's go."
Zhou Tuoxing hesitated for a moment, standing still. "I'm going home," he said. He had eaten two meals with
He Xu and even had an extra tea egg from He Chuan Zhou, so now he didn't speak confidently.
"You know the way home?" He Xu laughed and said, "Come on, I'll walk you home."
Zhou Tuoxing glanced at him but didn't say where his home was and didn't move forward. He Xu didn't ask for
directions the entire way, winding through several turns until they reached a cylindrical building. He
handed over the bag and said directly, "Go up."
Zhou Tuoxing couldn't hide his surprise as he entered the community hallway and looked back several times.
He Xu waited downstairs for about fifteen minutes. Not hearing any shouting or screams, he turned and
left.
He told He Chuan Zhou that he had responded to calls from here several times before. Zhou Tuoxing's father
was a gambler; when he won, he went out drinking, and when he lost, he returned to abuse his family.
Originally, it was said that the child had gone to live with relatives on the mother's side, but somehow had
returned.
He even sarcastically remarked, "Looks like his dad had good luck today," feeling a bit sad.
He Chuan Zhou often felt He Xu's compassion was too excessive, there were always people with messy lives
around him. He seemed to have inexhaustible energy and a small yet great ambition. It was precisely because
of this that their family's finances were always tight. Many times, He Chuan Zhou didn't even spend a penny,
but she never told He Xu, "Don't do this."
He Xu was like someone involved in pyramid schemes; he hoped all underage children could return to study
hard. Of course, not everyone could appreciate his good intentions. Most people lived aimlessly, hoping for
no distant future. Compared to facing the cold, harsh reality of society, they preferred not to be disturbed
on their own paths.
As for Zhou Tuoxing, he seemed rebellious but was actually stubborn, sensible, and a bit naive.
He Chuan Zhou laughed. Now he was someone He Xu could be proud of.
After finishing organizing the documents, it was almost time to leave work. He Chuan Zhou picked up her
clothes and prepared to leave. During rush hour, traffic at the sub-bureau entrance became
congested.
Walking along the roadside, He Chuan Zhou hadn't reached the intersection when a black sports car approached
slowly, stopped, and flashed its headlights after pulling over.
He Chuan Zhou paused briefly and continued walking without paying attention. Perhaps unexpectedly, the car
caught up again, and the window rolled down.
Zhou Tuoxing was sitting in the back seat, biting an unlit cigarette in his mouth, seeming to grit his
teeth. His gaze flicked slightly outside, provocatively taunting, "Hey, Captain He."
He Chuan Zhou glanced at him sideways. The young man driving in the front seat responded quickly, "Captain
He? Is she your friend?"
No one spoke.
"Do you have a friend like this in City A? I've never heard you mention her." The young man cursed inwardly,
only able to introduce himself, "Hello, my surname is Chen, I'm Tuo's classmate."
He Chuan Zhou nodded towards him.
The cars behind honked incessantly, urging them to move. If they dawdled any longer, they would likely start
cursing.
This scene lacked any elegance. Zhou Tuoxing sat in the back seat, looking like a mute, while the supposed
advocate, friendly citizen spokesperson, Xiao Chen, the driver, tried to maintain a friendly smile and
quickly said, "Get in, I'll give you a ride."
He Chuan Zhou said "thank you," opened the car door, and sat down in the passenger seat.