108: Chapter 108 Bai Xiaohe actually wanted to play stalking

Imperial City Railway Station.

Zhao Yang sat on a bench in the waiting hall, his eyes scanning for Bai Xiaohe's figure. Beside him, Lu Yike and Lu Xiaofei were chatting in low voices.

To avoid embarrassment, he hadn't directly asked Bai Xiaohe to travel together. Instead, he applied through the Third Institute for a task titled "Investigation of Police Information Construction Status," with the goal of determining the future direction of police information infrastructure.

There were three inspection points—Haizhou Public Security Bureau, Lu Xiaofei's former employer; Ningzhou City, where Cheng Bing of the Third Precinct was located; and finally, Pingkang County.

Originally, Zhao Yang planned to only take Lu Xiaofei, but considering the gender issue, he brought Lu Yike along as well. With two women and one man, no one would gossip.

The first stop was Pingkang County, and it just so happened to be on the same day and the same train number as Bai Xiaohe.

That elegant and refined figure finally appeared in the crowd.

Bai Xiaohe wore a beige windbreaker as she quietly moved through the crowd. Her gaze was somewhat vacant, and she even looked a bit at a loss. As the eldest Young Miss of the Bai family, she had never experienced the congestion of a train station, and the occasional strange smells in the air made her frown slightly from time to time.

Zhao Yang stood up, putting on a look of surprise: "Xiaohe?"

"Zhao Yang?" Bai Xiaohe was very surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a business trip with colleagues. What about you?"

"I..." Bai Xiaohe pursed her lips, "I'm going out to... handle some business."

Zhao Yang couldn't help but laugh. "You're going out to handle business? Where to? Why didn't you take a plane?"

Bai Xiaohe lowered her gaze, not knowing how to answer.

Zhao Yang frowned. "Xiaohe, if you don't tell me, I'm calling Uncle Bai immediately."

"Don't, don't, don't!" Bai Xiaohe said helplessly, "I'll tell you. I'm going to Pingkang County."

"Where?"

"Pingkang County."

Zhao Yang had a face full of smiles. "Bai Xiaohe, tell the truth. Do you have a secret crush on me?"

"Huh?" Bai Xiaohe was stunned for a moment. Looking at Zhao Yang's face, her heart skipped a beat, but she still knitted her brows slightly. "How can you make such a joke with me?"

Zhao Yang didn't explain either; he took a train ticket out of his pocket and handed it over.

Bai Xiaohe took a look, her almond eyes widening. "You... you're also going to Pingkang County?"

Zhao Yang nodded. "Going for an inspection, and the first stop is Pingkang County. Did you follow me here?"

Bai Xiaohe shook her head hurriedly. "No, no! My... my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend, his home is in Pingkang County."

Zhao Yang immediately took out his phone, about to make a call.

Bai Xiaohe's expression grew tense. "What are you doing? Who are you calling? You promised not to tell my dad!"

"Xiaohe, don't you know what kind of responsibilities you're carrying on your shoulders right now?" Zhao Yang's face was serious. "Are you just going to irresponsibly abandon the entire laboratory? I misjudged you!"

"Oh, it's not like that!" Bai Xiaohe stamped her feet in anxiety. "I'm just going to take a look and I'll be right back! I won't stay there long!"

"Then what are you going for?"

"I... I'm just not reconciled!" Bai Xiaohe bit her lip. "You must know a bit about my situation. He insisted on going back, and I want to see what exactly is so attractive there. It's so I can give myself some closure."

"You're not going to stay there and not leave, are you?"

"I won't!" Bai Xiaohe said firmly. "Rest assured, I won't let down your expectations!"

Zhao Yang put away his phone. "Alright, I believe you. Come, let me introduce you to my colleagues."

Lu Yike and Lu Xiaofei had noticed the two of them long ago. Seeing them walk over, they quickly stood up to greet them. After a few pleasantries, they were introduced.

Zhao Yang said, "Yike, Xiaofei, Xiaohe is traveling the same way as us. She hasn't traveled far before, so look after her on the way. Once we're on the train, find the conductor and swap her berth."

"I have a hard seat," Bai Xiaohe said hurriedly. "I won't trouble you guys."

"Hard seat?" Zhao Yang frowned. "It's twenty-five hours to the station. With your constitution, you bought a hard seat?"

Bai Xiaohe looked a bit aggrieved. "I couldn't buy a sleeper ticket."

Zhao Yang waved his hand. "Yike, take Xiaohe to the sleeper carriage later. I'll use her ticket."

"Director, how about I go to the hard seat? I'm younger, it's fine!"

Zhao Yang couldn't help but laugh. "You say you're younger? Have you no shame?"

Lu Yike opened her mouth, feeling a bit embarrassed—she really was a year older than Zhao Yang.

"But you're the leader." She scratched her hair.

"A leader needs to lead by example." Zhao Yang smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not an idiot. I'll swap for a sleeper ticket."

The three girls went to the sleeper carriage, occupying the upper, middle, and lower berths. Zhao Yang sat in the hard seat carriage for seven or eight hours before also swapping to a sleeper.

The train was delayed as usual, taking a full thirty hours to arrive at the station.

It was a dilapidated small station with gloomy walls and rusty iron fences. On the small plaza, woven bags were piled up, and scattered passengers were either squatting or standing. There weren't many cars on the street, and not many pedestrians either.

The sky had already darkened.

Lu Yike frowned and looked at Zhao Yang. "Director, why were we sent to such a backward place?"

Zhao Yang smiled. "The more backward a place is, the more it needs advanced technology."

Not far away, a van from the Pingkang County Public Security Bureau was parked. A middle-aged man in uniform held a sign that read 'Welcome Imperial City Leaders for Guidance'.

Zhao Yang looked at Bai Xiaohe. "Where is that boy's home?"

Bai Xiaohe shook her head. "I don't know. He arrives tomorrow. I plan to follow him and see."

Zhao Yang couldn't help but facepalm—this girl actually wanted to play the stalking game.

Lu Xiaofei, observing the situation, quickly grabbed Bai Xiaohe's hand. "Then come stay with us at the guest house today, so you don't have to look for a place to stay."

Zhao Yang immediately followed up, "Xiaohe, stay with us. Otherwise, if Uncle Bai finds out I didn't look after you when we get back to the Imperial City, he'll blame me."

Bai Xiaohe had no choice but to nod. "Alright, then I'll go to the guest house with you."

The middle-aged man who came to meet them was named Li Hongtao. He was the deputy director of the county bureau and was very enthusiastic toward Zhao Yang's group. The atmosphere in the car was very lively.

Pingkang County was indeed a backward place. There were very few tall buildings in the county town, and the top of the tallest building had a huge billboard—Kahn Paper Industry.

Zhao Yang looked at those four words and fell into deep thought.

The drama 'the silent truth' was quite depressing. Hou Guiping, a volunteer teacher, was framed and killed by a criminal group for protecting his students. To clear his friend's name, prosecutor Jiang Yang was suppressed by dark forces represented by 'Kahn Paper Industry' during his investigation and was unjustly imprisoned. To bring the truth to light, the terminally ill Jiang Yang joined forces with others, using his own body in a 'subway corpse abandonment case' as a trigger to prompt relevant parties to launch an investigation, finally making the criminals pay the price.

He knew the plot well, but the timing was a bit subtle—the time in the drama was quite vague, and he wasn't sure if Hou Guiping's death was in 2000 or 2001.

Zhao Yang decided to go to the Pingkang County Public Security Bureau tomorrow to check the case files first.