Around 10 o'clock, Shi Dazhuang came over and found Qingmu still there, so he asked, "Where is that flight attendant Yao?"
Qingmu said, "I went back to pack my luggage. I should be at the train station by now."
Shi Dazhuang asked, "It's so late, why aren't you taking her home? Besides, she booked such a late ticket because she wanted to be with you."
Qingmu said, "She said it's not necessary."
Shi Dazhuang truly worried about his brother's blockheadedness, and shook his head, saying, "No wonder he's single!"
Qingmu laughed and said, "Aren't you single too?"
Shi Dazhuang said, "When Yu Gang died, I swore I would never date another woman in my life. In our line of work, we live day to day, risking our lives. Finding a partner would only harm her."
Qingmu said, "Your current criminal investigation team isn't as dangerous as it was back in the narcotics squad."
Shi Dazhuang said, "The danger to my life is much less, but the work is there, day and night, the lifestyle is irregular, and you never know when my heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys might give out."
Qingmu thought about it and felt there was no solution to the question, so he simply didn't bring it up and asked instead, "Was Ma Fuqing arrested?"
Shi Dazhuang said, "It's not that easy. Right now, everything is just speculation. The police need evidence to investigate a case; they can't arrest people without any proof. I've already instructed the Spring City Public Security Bureau to set up surveillance on Ma Fuqing. If he's really Poison Scorpion, he'll eventually show his tail."
At that moment, Qingmu received a WeChat from Yao Jingjing: "Are you asleep? I wanted to say goodbye again, but I was afraid it was too late and I would disturb you."
Remembering what Shi Dazhuang had said, Qingmu felt it was only right to offer him a ride, so he replied, "You're still awake? I'll take you."
Yao Jingjing replied, "No need, I called Windmill and I'm already in the car."
Qingmu replied, "Oh, have a safe trip!"
Yao Jingjing replied with a smiley face.
While sending WeChat, Qingmu was also talking to Shi Dazhuang about Ma Fuqing: " The Medicine Granny's connection has been severed. If no one is delivering goods to Ma Fuqing, how will he show his true colors?"
Shi Dazhuang said, "This is indeed a problem. The events at Ruihekou haven't been publicly announced yet, but they'll receive the news sooner or later. It's unlikely they'll take any action anytime soon. However, having a suspect makes things much easier."
Qingmu said, "Judging from the Majia Creek case, Ma Fuqing is a cunning and meticulous person; conventional methods might not be enough to deal with him."
Shi Dazhuang said, "If Ma Fuqing really is a crucial conduit for them to the north, then even if the source is cut off, his subordinates will come after him. Those addicts can't endure it for long. Drugs, whether you use them or traffic them, once you're hooked, it's incredibly difficult to get rid of them for the rest of your life!"
At this moment, Qingmu received another message from Yao Jingjing on WeChat:
This driver is a monster.
He keeps glancing at me in the rearview mirror (awkward)
They said I'm incredibly beautiful and really wanted to kiss me (spits out).
Luckily I didn't sit in the front.
Qingmu frowned at the screen, a bad feeling creeping over him. He quickly sent a message asking:
Where are you now?
Yao Jingjing replied:
It's too dark outside.
Night blindness and poor sense of direction
I lose my sense of direction at night (facepalm)
It seems we've exited the East Third Ring Road.
I saw the road sign for Phoenix Mountain (question mark).
Qingmu asked Shi Dazhuang, "How far is it from here to the high-speed rail station? Does it pass Phoenix Mountain?"
Shi Dazhuang said, "It's about 30 kilometers to the high-speed rail station. You can get there via Rainbow Road or Chunmo Expressway; you don't need to go to Phoenix Mountain!"
Qingmu immediately sent a location sharing request to Yao Jingjing, then said to Shi Dazhuang, "Can I borrow your car for a moment?"
To make it easier to take the Beauty sightseeing, Shi Dazhuang borrowed an SUV from a friend in Spring City. He readily handed the keys to Qingmu and asked, "What happened? Should I get the local police to help?"
Qingmu thought about it and decided against it. What if he was just being paranoid? It would be a waste of police resources and delay Yao Jingjing's schedule. Besides, he wouldn't be much slower than the police if he caught up now.
"But you might have to figure out how to deal with the traffic violations on this car tomorrow," Qingmu said, jingling his car keys.
At first, Yao Jingjing just thought she had encountered a slightly perverted and disgusting driver, and didn't think any worse. Qingmu's WeChat warmed her heart; at least it proved that he cared about her and had even enabled location sharing so she would know where she was.
But after a while, she sensed something was wrong. It was getting darker and darker outside the car. She couldn't see the city lights anymore, and there were very few cars on the road. It was like she was in the suburbs.
"Sir, are you going the wrong way? I'm going to the South Station!"
The driver turned around and grinned maliciously at her. "We'll be there soon, beautiful!"
Seeing the driver's panicked expression, Yao Jingjing called out, "Turn around, I'm not going, I'm going back to the hotel."
The driver, who had been whispering and trying to strike up a conversation with her, suddenly fell silent and just kept driving forward. The sudden silence and the darkness outside the window frightened Yao Jingjing.
She yelled, "Didn't you hear me tell you to turn around? I want to go back to the hotel! If you don't turn around, I'm calling the police!"
The driver said sarcastically, "Your booking a car is like signing an agreement; getting you to your destination is my obligation. If I don't get you there, then I'm in breach of contract. But now you want to go back to the hotel, that's your breach of contract."
Yao Jingjing said, "I won't shortchange you when I go back to the hotel. I'll make up the difference whatever amount you need."
The driver said, "I'll only make money by taking you to the train station."
Yao Jingjing said, "But this road doesn't lead to the train station at all!"
The driver said, "How could that be? The agreement doesn't specify which route to take, or when I'll drop you off at the train station. As long as I get you there, I've fulfilled my obligations. So even if we stop along the way, I can treat you to a late-night snack, and maybe even have some fun in the car, it's not a problem, is it?"
Yao Jingjing slammed her fist on the back of the driver's seat. "You pervert! Stop the car! Stop the car now! I want to get out!"
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. "Miss, don't move around, your underwear is showing!"
Yao Jingjing screamed in surprise, covering her thighs with her hands and pulling her floral mini-skirt down. "Stop the car now, immediately! Or I'll call the police!"
She took out her phone to dial 110.
The driver slammed on the brakes and stopped the car, saying, "You were the one who wanted to get off, so don't blame me."
When Yao Jingjing saw the driver stop the car, she hurriedly got out and found herself on a quiet side road. She quickly followed the streetlights toward the main road in the distance, but after a few steps she remembered that her luggage was in the trunk, so she ran back to get it.
Just as she bent down to get her suitcase from the trunk, the driver suddenly grabbed her from behind and said, "Beautiful lady! You're so sexy, I couldn't resist!"
Yao Jingjing struggled desperately, but the driver was very strong. His arms were like iron bars that gripped her body, dragged her into the woods on the nearby hillside, threw her to the ground, and pounced on her like a hungry wolf.
"Help!" Yao Jingjing screamed as she struggled.
The driver covered her mouth and pulled out a knife. "If you scream again, I'll stab you to death!"
"Help!" Yao Jingjing shouted as she struggled, disregarding the danger.
A car drove by, and the male driver stopped and peered into the woods. He said to his female companion, "Hey, did you hear that? It sounds like someone's shouting 'Help!'"
His female companion rolled her eyes at him. "Hey, just drive your car. Why are you meddling in other people's business in the middle of the night!"
The man rolled up the car window and sped past the overturned suitcase.