Chapter 235
Chapter 235
“How could you pull a stunt like that?”
Late that night, Qin Zhiguo slammed on the brakes with a grim expression and stopped outside Qin Ying’s house.
The moment he shut the car door, he began berating her.
“You really know how to exploit a loophole!” Not one of his nieces ever gave him a moment’s peace. Qin Zhiguo was so furious his insides ached. “Do you have any idea…”
What the consequences were for filing a false police report?
Too angry to finish his sentence, Qin Zhiguo stuck a cigarette between his lips.
Before he could bring the lighter to it, Qin Ying yanked the cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it into the trash.
Qin Zhiguo nearly exploded. “That was an expensive cigarette!”
Qin Ying sat beside him and watched him sulk.
Han Lie emerged from the kitchen and poured him a cup of hot tea, treating him like a guest.
The sight of him only made Qin Zhiguo angrier.
Last time, he had told Qin Ying to hurry up and break things off with this foolish kid. Yet the boy was still staying at her house.
What was wrong with all of them?
Qin Zhiguo said irritably, “Qin Zhizhou called to complain to me. He practically cried.”
All because the wealthy son-in-law his daughter had hooked might slip off the line.
Qin Zhiguo hated his younger brother’s attitude. It wasn’t as if this were still the old days, when people starved during famines and had to sell their children in exchange for a meal.
As far as Qin Zhiguo was concerned, Qin Yuan turning out badly was entirely her father’s fault.
He glared at Qin Ying again. The one in front of him wasn’t much better.
Qin Ying gave him an ingratiating smile, her eyes curving into crescents. “Uncle, don’t be angry.”
Qin Zhiguo rubbed his aching stomach and snapped, “Do you have anything to eat?”
First there had been the bloody case at the underground dogfighting ring, and then the mass incident in Qingzhai Village. The back-to-back cases had worked him ragged, and he hadn’t eaten a thing all day.
Qin Ying was about to get up when Han Lie, who stood ramrod straight beside her, said, “I’ll make some porridge.”
Qin Zhiguo didn’t think much of him, but he remained reasonably polite. “No need to go to all that trouble. Just make me some noodles.”
Han Lie froze. He had only just learned how to use the gas stove to make porridge and boil water. Noodles were slightly beyond his current skill level.
Seeing his reaction, Qin Ying stood. “I’ll do it.”
Quick and efficient, she went into the kitchen and cooked a pot of noodles.
Then she used the remaining Yao Grass and goji berries she had on hand to brew a fresh pot of health tea.
Qin Zhiguo inhaled the noodles as though they were water, slurping down the entire bowl in a few mouthfuls. Only then did he smack his lips and remark, “Your noodles are still as salty as ever.”
With that, he gulped down a large cup of Yao Grass tea.
An unusual fragrance filled his nose, and warmth welled up in his faintly aching stomach.
“What kind of tea is this?” He raised the cup to examine it.
Qin Ying pointed at Han Lie, who was busy cleaning, and casually replied, “It’s a health tea from Han Lie’s hometown.”
Qin Zhiguo grunted in acknowledgment, then said without ceremony, “Pour whatever’s left into a flask for me to take when I leave.”
After so many back-to-back assignments, nearly everyone in the unit had some minor ailment or another. This health tea was remarkably soothing.
Qin Ying had brewed it for him in the first place, so she readily agreed.
Once Qin Zhiguo had eaten and drunk his fill and his anger had subsided, Qin Ying smiled. “Uncle, where’s that man’s file?”
Still looking annoyed, Qin Zhiguo handed her a document and warned with some concern, “This man may not be as straightforward as the file makes him seem. Whatever you’re planning to do, be careful.”
Qin Zhiguo had no evidence that the man was anything but straightforward, but after so many years as a veteran detective, he trusted his instincts.
Qin Ying accepted the file and flipped it open.
The man was indeed of mixed heritage. His father was from Italy, while his mother was from Huaguo.
His Chinese name was rather poetic: Lu Shubai. He was thirty-six years old, and according to the file, unmarried.
Mr. Lu had arrived in Yunlan City three years ago and opened a horse ranch.
It specialized in raising competition-grade horses.
The background of his father’s family in Italy could not be traced, but they were reportedly a genuine old-money family.
The man seemed to keep his nose clean. His only real interest was animals.
Dogs in particular.
Qin Ying’s finger brushed over the word “dog.”
After a long moment, she chuckled softly. “He likes dogs, huh?”
Wangcai, who had crept silently to her feet at some point, suddenly had every hair along its back standing on end.
Qin Zhiguo’s nose twitched, and he hurriedly called out to Han Lie, “Hey, kid, did you leave the stove on? Why does it smell like something’s burning?”
Han Lie strode over and scooped Wangcai up.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Ying said to Qin Zhiguo, “Uncle, don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Not even Qin Yuan.”
Qin Zhiguo’s expression gradually turned grave.
He had read the file too. Ever since the dogfighting ring case that had turned half of Yunlan upside down, he had become just as sensitive to any mention of dogs.
Naturally, the first person who came to mind was the still-at-large mastermind behind the underground dogfighting ring.
He lowered his voice. “Does this have anything to do with that case?”
Qin Ying did not want to keep him completely in the dark. Rather than wait for him to investigate on his own, it was better to let him know how dangerous this was.
“It falls under the Cultural Preservation Bureau’s jurisdiction,” she said.
In other words, this was a special case that Qin Zhiguo and his people had no business handling.
Qin Zhiguo took a deep breath. His craving for a cigarette flared up again, but he did not dare light another one.
Instead, he picked up his wellness tea and drained the entire cup.
Then he let out a long breath. “I understand.”
“Uncle, this is extremely dangerous,” Qin Ying emphasized again. “You must not get involved!”
Qin Zhiguo nodded distractedly. “Mm.”
Qin Ying knew his temperament. He would not recklessly put himself in danger.
Qin Zhiguo had come all this way to personally deliver the files and ask Qin Ying a few questions.
Now that he had an answer, vague though it was, he at least knew what he was dealing with.
After having Qin Ying pack up some of the wellness tea brewed with Yao Grass for him, he stood and prepared to leave.
Just before stepping out the door, he asked Han Lie, “This tea is pretty good. What’s it called? Where’s your hometown? I’ll buy some online.”
He still had not given up on digging into Han Lie’s family background. Qin Ying put a hand on his back and ushered him out.
Han Lie nodded earnestly. “When I go back, I’ll look for some more and bring it to you.”
He was so polite that Qin Zhiguo could not press him any further. He waved, climbed into his beat-up car, and drove away.
Perhaps it was thanks to the Yao Grass Water, but Qin Zhiguo did not cough once for quite some time.
After seeing him off, Qin Ying sat on the couch with her laptop on her knees and looked up the horse ranch owned by Lu Shubai.
To her dismay, she discovered that membership at the ranch was invitation-only.
She clicked her tongue, thought for a moment, then sent a message to her bank manager.
Qin Ying was one of the bank’s largest depositors and enjoyed VIP treatment there. With the bank’s local connections, they should be able to secure an invitation for her soon enough.
Sure enough, although it was already late, the bank gave her a confident reply, telling her to wait two days and promising to get back to her.
With that settled, Qin Ying stretched lazily.
Perhaps Wangcai had been reminded of unhappy memories today, because it was being unusually clingy.
Holding its dog-mom plushie in its mouth, it sat pressed close against Qin Ying’s side.
Seeing that its little friend was upset, Thunderbird did its best to cheer Wangcai up with a song.
Even the pack of Hou gathered around after Qin Zhiguo left, clustering on either side of Wangcai.
Qin Ying reached out and stroked its head. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep investigating.”
For Wangcai’s sake, and for her own.
Wangcai silently looked up at her, then rested its chin on Qin Ying’s thigh.
The woman and dog sat quietly against each other. As Han Lie cleaned the house, Qin Ying’s phone suddenly rang.
Xie Shao’s breathless voice came through the phone. “Qin Ying, are you free?”