Afternoon.
The air was like a blazing furnace, hot enough to boil people alive.
On the district's east-west main road, Dong Xuebin calmly lit a cigarette and held it between his lips as he drove, repeatedly glancing at the rearview mirror. The Xiali was still following him.
Dong Xuebin smiled and called Xu Yan. "Hello, Big Sister Xu."
"Little Dong, what is it?"
"A reporter is following me. He's been behind me the whole time."
"Oh? Which reporter? What's going on?"
"That Liu Zhu. Looks like he wants to keep an eye on me and find some 'dirt' to publish in the papers tomorrow."
"Following and surveilling a National Cadre? He's got some nerve!"
"So, rather than trouble someone else with this, well... are you free right now? I'd like to come see you."
"Sure. You still remember where the Family Compound is, right? Come on over. Big Sister Xu will arrange it for you. We'll meet there."
Dong Xuebin had known Xu Yan even longer than he had known Xie Huilan. As soon as he spoke, Xu Yan understood what he meant without needing further explanation. The two had a tacit understanding. After hanging up, Dong Xuebin turned right at the intersection ahead and drove toward Big Sister Xu's family housing.
Behind him.
The Xiali kept close on his tail.
Liu Gang had been in the business for more than seven or eight years. Ever since getting his press card, he had worked in this field, gathering news and conducting both open and covert investigations. Liu Gang had to rely on himself for everything, and through all that scrambling and struggling, he had developed quite a few skills. Following people, for instance—he had extensive experience in that area. Many reports that couldn't bear the light of day had been