Chapter Thirty-Nine: It Was Meant to Be

Xin Gan watched him lift his eyebrow and asked, "You can't say?"
Cheng Jiu smiled, "It's not convenient to say right now."
"Alright," Xin Gan breathed out softly.

Cheng Jiu returned to the room with the two miniature cameras in hand. Xiao Shi had just finished his shower, his hair still damp. Seeing Cheng Jiu enter from outside, he casually asked, "Jiu, did you just go out?"
Cheng Jiu replied, "Yes."
"Where did you go?"
Cheng Jiu glanced at him indifferently and tossed the two cameras onto the table. Xiao Shi immediately leaned over to take a look and exclaimed, "Aren't these..."
"They are," Cheng Jiu confirmed.
Xiao Shi opened his mouth and gasped, "Where did you get them?"
"Aside from places like regular inns and hotels, where else would you find these things? As for these two, I took them out of Xin Gan's room."

Xiao Shi quickly checked their own room and found the same devices. He tore out the camera and threw it angrily onto the floor, hands on his hips. "Jiu, this is outrageous. They didn't even spare a small inn. These people—I swear I'll personally send them to prison!"

Cheng Jiu lay back on the single bed, still dressed, saying nothing. He thought about the events of the night, knowing they must have left an impact on Xin Gan. His work was dangerous; he could handle it alone, but with her nearby, she would inevitably be implicated. He had always been prepared to sacrifice himself, but Xin Gan was different.

Xiao Shi finished dressing and said, "Jiu, those men just now must be Fish Head's subordinates. We caught Fish Head, so his men are bound to seek revenge for their boss. Who knows when they started following us—tonight was a close call!"
Cheng Jiu replied, "They started yesterday."
"Yesterday? Was it the conflict at the noodle shop?"
Cheng Jiu confirmed.
"So they recognized us."
"To be precise, they recognized me."

During the operation to catch Fish Head, Cheng Jiu had been the main leader and personally apprehended him. The plan had been thorough, but a few of Fish Head's men managed to escape. These fugitives were no less dangerous, each carrying blood on their hands.

Cheng Jiu had been searching for Fish Head for a year—an entire year. Fish Head was only a codename; his real name was Liang Xu, a thirty-five-year-old man and a notorious criminal active in North Yu, wanted for multiple crimes and several murders.

The two had confronted each other many times, but for one reason or another, Fish Head always managed to escape. Last month, Cheng Jiu finally succeeded in capturing him, though a few still slipped away.
Those who escaped must have seen Cheng Jiu and remembered his face, which was why he had been recognized.

Cheng Jiu instructed Xiao Shi to inform Jiang Yang of the situation and have him investigate immediately.
After making the call, Xiao Shi glanced at the items on the table and asked, "Jiu, did you just go see Miss Xin?"

Cheng Jiu could not be bothered to respond.
"Judging by your demeanor, you really did go."
"What are you getting at?"
"Jiu, don't blame me for being nosy, but I can't help feeling you treat Miss Xin differently."
Cheng Jiu lay still. "So?"
"I'm just really curious about one thing. Don't hit me when I say it."
Cheng Jiu snorted, "Go ahead, I won't hit you."
"Are you interested in Miss Xin?" Xiao Shi blurted out, immediately covering his mouth and watching Cheng Jiu, worried he might jump up and settle the score.

Cheng Jiu didn't answer.
Xiao Shi assumed he wouldn't, and quietly climbed into bed. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the man in the next bed spoke: "There's no need to be interested—she's already mine."