Chapter 346: She Can’t Be a Police Officer Anymore
Madam Xu looked at the photo and sighed. She said, “This is a photo of Xiao Yi when he was eighteen years old. At this time, he had already gone to university. He had managed to get into the medical university when he was just seventeen, and his high school class had taken his graduation photo. The teachers had to call him back for the photo.
“At that time, his parents had just passed away three years ago.”
No wonder he always looked gloomy.
The young man at that time had probably not recovered from the grief of his parents’ passing.
Jiaren Wu suddenly asked, “Can you give me this photo?”
Hearing that, Madam Xu looked at Wei Shuyi.
Wei Shuyi felt that it was strange. He asked Jiaren Wu, “Why do you want this photo?” There were so many embarrassing photos of him, but she strangely chose this one. Why?
Jiaren Wu said, “It looks good.”
Wei Shuyi looked at her deeply and finally said, “Forget it. I still have many photos at home. If you want them, I’ll give them to you.”
“Fine.”
They didn’t stay for dinner, and the two of them left the Chen Family home around three in the afternoon.
Wei Shuyi brought Jiaren Wu to his home. When he got home, he found the photos. Jiaren Wu sat cross-legged on the sofa and looked through all the photo albums. She was extremely satisfied.
Wei Shuyi was playing a game at the side. When he looked up, he saw Jiaren Wu staring at his photo in a daze.
He got up from the sofa without batting an eyelid and walked behind Jiaren Wu. He noticed that she was looking at a picture of him when he was eighteen or nineteen. This picture was taken in the winter. He had worn a checkered scarf as he abruptly looked back while standing in the Medical University’s field.
He remembered that Zhu Zhen had taken this photo.
That day, the sun was shining brightly. After class, they had agreed to go to the field to bask in the sun. Zhu Zhen had suddenly called for his doctor. Wei Shuyi had turned his head slightly, and Zhu Zhen had caught his picture the moment he looked back.
“Zhu Zhen took this photo for me.”
Wei Shuyi’s voice suddenly rang in her ears, startling Jiaren Wu.
Jiaren Wu looked up at him and asked, “Was Zhu Zhen on good terms with you?”
“Yes, Old Zhu was a good person.” That was why when Old Zhu passed away, he couldn’t accept this news for a few days.
Wei Shuyi took a detour to sit beside Jiaren Wu.
Jiaren Wu looked at the photo while Wei Shuyi looked at her.
Suddenly, she heard Wei Shuyi ask, “I have a question I’ve been wanting to ask for a long time.”
“Yes?” Jiaren Wu shifted her gaze from the photo album to Wei Shuyi’s face, “What?”
Wei Shuyi looked at Jiaren Wu’s beautiful peach blossom eyes and asked, “Did we know each other before?”
Jiaren Wu’s smile faded.
“Why do you ask?” Her natural reaction made Wei Shuyi doubt himself.
Was it just my imagination?
“I don’t know why, but sometimes, I get the feeling you know me…” He trailed off, afraid that Jiaren Wu might misinterpret his meaning. He added, “I mean, we might have met before we met at the bar?”
Instead of answering his question, Jiaren Wu asked. “Wei Shuyi, have you ever liked anyone else before?”
Wei Shuyi narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t think so.” Perhaps, he had fallen for someone when he was young, but that person had lied to him.
Jiaren Wu said, “We’ve never met before.”
“Is that so?”
Wei Shuyi didn’t ask any more questions. Seeing that it was getting late, he decided to make dinner. He stood up and walked toward the kitchen. As he walked, he asked Jiaren Wu, “What do you want to eat for dinner?”
Jiaren Wu said, “I’ll eat whatever you cook.”
Wei Shuyi nodded and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to scoop the rice.
Jiaren Wu’s gaze fell on the acrylic pendant on the bag.
***
After resting for two days, Jiaren Wu went to work in the bureau in high spirits.
There were a few more young faces in the bureau. The team had lost some brothers, so naturally some new people had joined this new family. Jiaren Wu walked over to Kang Hui and handed him the soy milk she had brought from Wei Shuyi’s house. “It’s fresh from the morning. It’s still warm.”
Kang Hui took the soy milk and took a sip before saying, “Jiaren, Ah Xu’s mother went to the nursing home today.”
Her smile froze. She stood beside Kang Hui and asked him, “What about the parents of the others?”
“Those who have brothers are better off. Those who only have one child, even if they are still active now, will enter a nursing home sooner or later when they are old. Their children are no longer around, so who can they rely on?” Kang Hui drank a mouthful of soy milk, feeling very upset.
“Our brothers died in the line of duty. They received flowers and glory, but their parents had nowhere to go and did not have a good ending.” Kang Hui felt that the soy milk was so bitter that he could not drink it.
No matter how many flowers there were, no matter how high their glory was, those officers’ parents had become people without support.
Jiaren Wu remained silent.
She felt powerless.
In the afternoon, Tang Kemiao, Tang Jiangyun’s niece, came to the police station. She only said one sentence to Kang Hui. “I will contact the lawyer and auction Uncle’s courtyard house. I will pay for the expenses of those uncles going to the nursing home.”
The young lady said in a very low voice, “Just take it as atonement for my uncle.”
Overnight, the young lady whom Tang Jiangyun had doted on suddenly grew up.
Jiaren Wu’s heart ached as she watched the girl leave.
If she knew that she had been poisoned, how much despair would she feel?
When Jiaren Wu returned home that night, she talked to Wei Shuyi over the phone and told him about this. Wei Shuyi asked. “Didn’t the government compensate them?”
“Yes, but it’s not much. At most, that amount can support their parents for a few years.” Jiaren Wu smiled bitterly. “What are they going to do after a few years? Swallow medicine and commit suicide, or hang themselves?”
Wei Shuyi didn’t deny that.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about this.” Jiaren Wu also knew that this world had many people that they could not help. She lay on her bed and suddenly felt lonely. “Brother Wei, when are we getting our marriage certificate?”
Wei Shuyi asked. “Why don’t you choose an auspicious day?”
Jiaren Wu didn’t know if he was joking or serious.
She changed the topic and said, “I’m tired. I still have work tomorrow, so I’ll go to bed first.”
“Good night.”
“Good night.”
The next day at work, the Bureau received a notification that the General Administration of Public Security would be sending people to inspect their work.
The new captain of Jiaren Wu’s team was called Wang Zhong. He was originally a cadre of a certain unit, but he was transferred to Binjiang City’s Public Security Bureau’s Narcotics Squad to be its captain because of Huang Junsheng’s sudden death. Wang Zhong had a serious face and a dignified gaze. When he looked at people, he was as sharp as two sharp knives.
It was obvious that he was someone who had killed his enemies.
It was rumored that this person had dealt with many terrorist threats at the border and was even more impressive than Huang Junsheng. Wang Zhong only told them one thing. “Everyone, behave yourselves these few days and don’t cause any trouble. If you cause trouble, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
Jiaren Wu and Kang Hui looked at each other with many thoughts.
That day, Jiaren Wu and Kang Hui went to a restaurant outside for a meal and even asked for a private room. After the meal, the two returned to the bureau and heard Lin Song say, “I heard that the people from the headquarters will be here the day after tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Kang Hui and Jiaren Wu looked at each other but did not speak.
***
One day, Jiaren Wu worked the night shift. She slept at home until four in the afternoon and planned to go out for dinner. She put on her uniform and walked to a restaurant. Just as she walked out of the neighborhood, she saw a young man in his twenties at the entrance.
The young man was wearing a black t-shirt and washed jeans. He stood at the entrance of the residential area with a cigarette in his hand. He gently rubbed it with two fingers but did not light it.
When Jiaren Wu saw that person, she paused and narrowed her eyes.
The youth looked up and saw Jiaren Wu in uniform.
The young man was stunned, and his expression became complicated.
Jiaren Wu turned around. She was about to return to her neighborhood when the young man ran over.
He held Jiaren Wu’s hand.
Jiaren Wu angrily turned around and fiercely shouted at him, “Let go of me!”
The young man’s expression turned bitter, and he suddenly knelt in front of Jiaren Wu. “I’m sorry, Jiaren Wu. I’m sorry. I’ve let you down. I’ve hurt Cheng Cheng.”
Jiaren Wu’s eyes instantly turned red. She angrily shouted at the youth, “Shut up! You don’t have the qualifications to call him by his name! Yang Shu, you don’t have the qualifications to call him by his name! Hearing his name from your mouth is an insult to him!” After Jiaren Wu finished shouting, she realized that tears were sliding down her cheeks.
When the youth named Yang Shu heard this, he lowered his head dejectedly.
He still refused to let go of Jiaren Wu’s hand. He kept apologizing and crying.
Jiaren Wu was so upset by his crying that she kicked him away.
Some passers-by saw it and cried out in shock.
“The police are beating people up!”
“The police actually beat people up on the streets! They’re too lawless!”
Some people took out their phones to take pictures.
Yang Shu shouted at the people who were taking photos, “You’re not allowed to take photos!” He got up from the ground and said to Jiaren Wu, “Jiaren, you can hit me. If beating me up can make you feel better, then you can hit me. I deserve it, I deserve it!
“After being in prison for so many years, I finally know how much of a bastard I am. Jiaren, if you want to fight, then fight. I will not fight back!”
Jiaren Wu had been suppressing her pain for many years. When she heard Yang Shu’s confession, she completely erupted.
She picked Yang Shu up from the ground and punched and kicked him. As she hit him, she scolded him. All sorts of unbearable words came out of her mouth.
Yang Shu did not retaliate or curse back.
Jiaren Wu nearly knocked Yang Shu unconscious. It was only when the nearby police officers arrived and pulled them apart that they were stopped.
Yang Shu was sent to the hospital for treatment while Jiaren Wu was brought back to the Public Security Bureau.
The video of her, a police officer, beating someone up on the streets was widely circulated online.
When Jiaren Wu returned to the police station, everyone looked at her in surprise.
As soon as Kang Hui saw her, he pointed at the bridge of her nose and scolded her, “Jiaren Wu, you’re lawless! You’re beating people up on the streets. Do you f*cking not want to be a police officer anymore? Ah! When did you become so brazen?”
Jiaren Wu was like a little hedgehog that extended its spikes. She was unwilling to admit defeat, and loudly cursed. “Yang Shu deserves to be beaten up. He killed my younger brother. Can he atone for his crimes with just a few years in prison? It’s better to beat him to death and bury him with my younger brother!”
“You, you’re unbelievable!”
Coincidentally, the people from the headquarters came over and watched Jiaren Wu and Kang Hui’s confrontation from the sidelines. They got a little angry. Wang Zhong frowned at Jiaren Wu and said to the person beside him, “We will not cover up for her!”
After the people from the headquarters left, Captain Wang scolded Jiaren Wu harshly, but she still refused to admit her mistake. As a police officer, she knew that she had broken the law and was a bad influence. She was directly expelled from the department and was no longer qualified to be a police officer.
When Wei Shuyi found out about this, the news of Jiaren Wu hitting someone had already spread across the country through the Internet.
Wei Shuyi called her but she didn’t answer.
Fortunately, he had the telepathy ring and found Jiaren Wu’s location.
When Wei Shuyi found her, Jiaren Wu was drunk at the bar.
She leaned on the table with a glass of wine in her hand and muttered to herself, “It’s good that I’m not a police officer. I can drink whenever I want, and I can go to bars whenever I want. I don’t have to be on guard against drugs anymore, and I don’t have to live in fear…”
Wei Shuyi stood behind her and heard her mumbling. He suddenly felt angry.
He ran over and snatched her wine glass.
“Enough, don’t ruin yourself like this.”
Jiaren Wu raised her head and looked at Wei Shuyi with a dazed expression as if she couldn’t recognize him. After a long while, she started laughing, tears streaming down her face, but she couldn’t stop laughing.
“Wei Shuyi!
“I’ve been fired!
“From today onwards, I’m no longer a police officer!
“I got fired just because I hit that bastard!”
Wei Shuyi dragged her away from the bar.
After leaving the bar, Jiaren Wu leaned against a tree and started vomiting. Wei Shuyi stood at the side, stroking her back.
She finished vomiting the contents of her stomach and squatted on the ground, sobbing. “I’m no longer a police officer, Wei Shuyi. I’m no longer a police officer…” She buried her head between her legs, not wanting Wei Shuyi to see her face full of tears.
“I failed Master. I failed everyone…”