B5SB -Chapter 200 The Thief

Gu Yihan’s gaze landed on a middle-aged woman across the aisle, dressed in coarse cloth.

She had a serious expression, her back straight, hands tightly clutching the shoulder bag on her lap.

Gu Yihan didn’t pay much attention at first, thinking the woman was probably nervous because it was her first time on a train.

That was until she noticed the young man beside her in a blue jacket, with a simple, honest-looking face.

He seemed to notice her tension, occasionally leaning in to whisper softly to her.

The two of them had been talking the entire journey. The middle-aged woman’s lips curved slightly at times, clearly pleased by what he said.

Her tightly clenched hands gradually relaxed, causing the bag on her lap to shift slightly between them.

Suddenly, Gu Yihan’s pupils constricted sharply.

From her seat, she had a clear view of the narrow space between the middle-aged woman and the young man.

She also glanced at the people across from them, only seeing the backs of their heads.

She didn’t know if they had noticed the young man’s subtle movements.

Secretary Jiang saw Gu Yihan’s face turn pale and worriedly asked, “Officer Gu, are you feeling unwell?”

Gu Yihan withdrew her gaze and looked at Secretary Jiang.

She realized that the seemingly honest young man was actually a thief, but wasn’t sure if she should say anything.

After all, she didn’t know if he was working alone or as part of a gang. One wrong move, and she could face retaliation later—then there’d be nowhere to cry.

Gu Yihan thought it through carefully.

She considered that the middle-aged woman had initially clutched her bag so tightly—there was likely something inside she considered extremely valuable.

She reached into her own bag at her side, took out paper and pen, wrote a few words, and passed it to Secretary Jiang.

Cheng Bo saw Gu Yihan’s action and scoffed, “What, you two have some secret you don’t want me to know?”

Secretary Jiang shot him a cold glance and said, “If you can’t speak properly, then don’t. Nobody thinks you’re mute!”

He then took the note from Gu Yihan.

It read: “The young man in the blue jacket across the aisle is a thief.”

Secretary Jiang was about to turn her head to confirm when Gu Yihan whispered, “Don’t look!”

Secretary Jiang didn’t know how Gu Yihan had identified him, but they had known each other long enough to trust she wasn’t unreliable.

Cheng Bo frowned, annoyed. “Officer Gu, what’s wrong with you?”

Secretary Jiang stuffed the note into his pocket, patted Cheng Bo’s arm, and said, “Move aside. I’m going to the restroom.”

Cheng Bo shifted his body, making room. “You didn’t drink much water, why do you keep going to the restroom?” he muttered.

Secretary Jiang gave him a sharp look, stood up, and stepped past him, casting one last glance at the thief Gu Yihan had pointed out.

Gu Yihan watched Secretary Jiang’s retreating back, her heart pounding, uncertain if she had done the right thing.

About ten minutes later, Secretary Jiang returned leisurely, patted Cheng Bo’s shoulder, signaling him to stand.

“Why were you gone so long? Was there a long line at the restroom?” Cheng Bo asked, confused.

Once he returned to his seat, Secretary Jiang shot him a sharp look. “If you want to know that badly, go check for yourself!”

Cheng Bo’s face darkened. He truly didn’t know what he had done to offend Secretary Jiang. Ever since Hu Shan married him, he had sensed their relationship worsening.

Gu Yihan saw Secretary Jiang’s calm expression and didn’t ask either.

She dared not expose anything herself—this was not a future era with surveillance cameras everywhere.

The next stop was the provincial city station. People in the crowded train began to stand.

Gu Yihan stayed still, catching a glimpse of the young man in blue scraping at the middle-aged woman’s bag.

Suddenly, two tall men blocked her view.

“What are you doing?” the young man shouted sharply.

He hadn’t expected that after all the preparation, as he was about to get away, two meddlers would appear.

Plainclothes police officers quickly grabbed his hands and, without a word, pulled him from his seat.

Another officer immediately grabbed the knife in the young man’s hand, shouting sternly, “Give it up!”

“What do you want me to give up?” the young man’s forehead broke into sweat.

The middle-aged woman sitting with him trembled in fear, clutching her bag, her eyes darting, wishing to go unnoticed.

The police ignored his shouting, silenced him, and tied him up.

The passengers witnessed the scene and immediately checked their own belongings.

“I lost ten yuan!” a voice called out.

Immediately, the carriage erupted like a marketplace—shouting and commotion as everyone claimed they’d lost money.

One officer glanced at the middle-aged woman’s seat. “Comrade Zhang Xiaoman, come with us!”

The woman collapsed to the ground in terror, begging, “Please let me go!”

The officer coldly said, “Why didn’t you think of the consequences when you did it?”

Hearing this, she swallowed her fear and quickly stood up.

She raised the bag in her hands and tossed it toward another officer. “Here’s the five thousand yuan!”

Bundles of cash scattered like snow.

The passengers, seeing the money floating in the air, all jumped up, shoving and grabbing.

The officers tried to maintain order, shouting, “Sit down! This is stolen money!”

Gu Yihan was stunned, watching the chaos. No matter how much the officers shouted, the passengers ignored them.

Excited by so much money, their eyes glowed red—they weren’t listening to the officers at all.

Only when the train stopped and over a dozen officers rushed into the carriage to forcibly control the crowd did it gradually calm down.

The middle-aged woman, Zhang Xiaoman, who had tried to escape in the confusion, was also captured.

Provincial City Station—Train Police Office

The officers brought Gu Yihan, Secretary Jiang, and Cheng Bo into the interrogation room, asking them to wait.

“What happened?” Gu Yihan tugged at Secretary Jiang’s sleeve, whispering.

Secretary Jiang tugged the corner of his mouth and said, “I don’t know either.”

Soon after, a middle-aged officer entered, eyes sharp as he stared at Secretary Jiang. “How did you know that person was a thief?”

Secretary Jiang glanced at Gu Yihan, who kept her head down like a quail, a slight smile on her lips. “I guessed,” he said.

The officer slammed his palm on the table, staring at Jiang. “You just guessed, and then went to the crew claiming you saw a theft in progress?”

Secretary Jiang stared back impassively. “Is it wrong to eliminate hidden dangers for the country?”

The officer squinted, suspicious. If they hadn’t already been tracking this gang of thieves, he would have wondered if Jiang was taking revenge over a share of the loot.

He snorted. “I hope you’re not lying.”

“Do you have any proof that I am?” Secretary Jiang retorted, refusing to be intimidated.