MWC – Chapter 107 Han Annie, shall I treat you to a meal?

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

Room 302, Nicole has been sent to a safe place by Sun Erniang.

The suite’s outer room is actually Lu Ming’s office.

As night fell, Lu Ming was looking at the full map of Donghai under the bright desk lamp by the window, his hand slowly moving across the map.

When Sun Erniang came, she brought a note written by Bizhu.

To his surprise, Bizhu’s calligraphy was very beautiful. He had thought it would be messy, given that she was a warrior and rather reckless. However, her handwriting was very pretty and neat, contrasting with Hanzhu’s handwriting, which was delicate and strong.

Bizhu woke up and listened to the recording tape again, identifying some background sounds, which she noted down and gave to Sun Erniang to bring over.

There was no need for her to go to the orphanage that night, as Nicole had officially reported someone missing from there. Since Special Commissioner Lu Ming was ambushed on his way back from a covert visit to the orphanage, it had been raided. A team was investigating the records of children entering and leaving the orphanage over the years.

Bizhu’s note added the sounds of a tower clock and many pigeons cooing.

With the original background sounds of the train and water, Lu Ming was looking for a location on the map that matched all these background noises.

As he searched, he picked up Bizhu’s note again. Looking at the delicate handwriting, he felt a slight warmth in his heart. It was good to know that Bizhu was safe and sound.

There was a knock at the door. It was Jordan’s voice: “Commissioner, your assistant, Prosecutor Han Anni, is here to report!”

“Mm, come in!” Lu Ming tried to keep his tone calm and natural.

The door was gently pushed open, and Jordan walked in with a smile. “Here, this is Commissioner Lu!”

“Sir!” A clear voice, accompanied by the sound of small leather shoes clicking as if she were standing at attention.

Lu Ming was still buried in the map, nodding casually. “Mm, have a seat first.”

Seeing that Lu Ming was busy, Jordan gestured to the new assistant prosecutor to sit and wait, then quietly left.

Lu Ming was merely pretending to look at the map, but suddenly his gaze froze. “Here it is!”

His hand quickly pointed to a corner on the map, which was the Nampu Town station.

Nampu Town was also a satellite town of Donghai, located southwest of Donghai City.

The Wolong River spiraled past the Nampu Town train station, with rapid water flow in that section.

The station had a clock tower, and there were many pigeons on the square, as Nampu Town’s council had enacted laws heavily penalizing anyone harming the pigeons. Over the years, the pigeons had become a unique feature of the station square.

The background sounds during the assault likely came from here.

A soft gasp of surprise drew his attention.

Lu Ming looked up to see a slim and beautiful figure standing by his desk, wearing a deep blue prosecutor’s suit that revealed slender legs in black stockings and small, cute brown leather shoes. She was stunning and spirited. Wasn’t it Han Anni?

At that moment, she covered her mouth, looking at him in surprise.

“Get Cantona here!” Lu Ming waved his hand.

“Ah, yes, sir…” The last two words were slightly hesitant, but she quickly clicked the door shut and left.

After a while, Cantona entered, following behind her.

Lu Ming nodded inwardly. Not bad. On her first day, with no knowledge of who’s who or where anyone was, she managed to find the right person quickly. Her ability was definitely sufficient.

Though she kept sneaking glances at him.

Maybe he had changed too much, becoming entirely different from the person she remembered. Despite looking very similar, she couldn’t be sure. Moreover, as her superior, she couldn’t speak carelessly.

They had met when he was a suspect in a case, and their contact had been limited. Now, it had been nearly a year, maybe more.

Lu Ming, lost in thought, pointed to Nampu Station on the map and said to Cantona, “According to reliable intelligence, there’s a hideout of the White Rose Movement that attacked me today near this station. However, the exact location is unknown. Think about how to uncover it without alerting them.”

“Mm, it should be a bit away from the clock tower and closer to the pigeon square.” Bizhu identified the tower clock and pigeons cooing together but not initially recognizing them. Therefore, the location must be farther from the clock tower and closer to the pigeon square, as the clock’s chime is louder than the pigeons’ cooing. Given that the sounds were almost equally faint to Bizhu, one must be near and the other far.

“No rush. Go back and think it over. Get me a plan as soon as possible,” Lu Ming said, glancing at Cantona.

The area was indeed quite large. The vicinity of the train station was complex, with various small hotels, residential courtyards, restaurants, and a mix of people from all walks of life.

Cantona was a burly man but described in his file as meticulous and a top detective.

He was originally an elite in the Federal Investigation and Statistics Bureau. When the Donghai Grand Prosecutor’s Office formed its own enforcement unit, he happened to move to Donghai with his family and applied, passing the interview to join.

“I’ll first send people for covert visits to understand the residents’ situation in all buildings, courtyards, and hotels around that area, then analyze further,” Cantona said without hesitation.

“Good, it’s up to you. Focus on this for now!”

“Yes, sir!” Cantona stood at attention and saluted. The Special Action Team, being the law enforcement arm of the Grand Prosecutor’s Office, technically were judicial police, so their salutes differed from those of the prosecutors.

Lu Ming nodded. “Keep it confidential from the other team leaders.” Maybe he’d watched too many spy movies in his past life, but having each team leader only mind their own tasks without cross-communication might not be the best approach. Yet, he wanted to try it.

At the very least, if there was a leak, they’d know which team it came from or which team’s members were most suspect. Even if the information got out indirectly, it could still be traced back to its source.

Cantona mimed zipping his lips, saluted again, and left.

Lu Ming then looked at Han Anni, smiling slightly. “Just arrived from Xinjing? How do you feel? Was the journey tiring?”

“No, sir! Thank you for your concern!” Han Anni clicked her heels and stood at attention.

Inside the room, the atmosphere was somewhat silent.

Though their mindsets were different, neither knew quite what to say.

Lu Ming glanced at the time, then at the girl in front of him, who had been entangled with him in both past and present lives. She looked slightly tired, with a bit of apprehension and worry in her expression. Meeting him must have left her a bit bewildered in this unfamiliar place, introducing an uncertain factor that made her feel uneasy about the future.

Lu Ming sighed softly to himself, feeling a bit tender. He smiled and said, “Han Anni, how about I treat you to a meal?”

Han Anni was taken aback and shook her head, “Sir, I’m not hungry!” Her eyes already showing signs of wariness.

“Alright then, call Wang Xiaohu. I’ll go have some supper with him,” Lu Ming gestured.

Han Anni didn’t ask who Wang Xiaohu was, but shortly after she left, she returned with him.

“Xiaohu, join me for some skewers,” Lu Ming said with a smile.

“Sure!” Wang Xiaohu readily agreed, then glanced at Han Anni and said, “Prosecutor Han, come with us too. You’ve had a long journey by train and haven’t eaten well. You’ve been running around here and there since you arrived, reporting to headquarters and then coming here. You must be hungry, right? Come along. Don’t worry, Commissioner Lu is very nice. Don’t be so restrained! Plus, the grilled seafood here is very cheap. Coming from the northern inland, you probably don’t get to eat seafood often, right?”

Han Anni looked at Wang Xiaohu, thought for a moment, and said, “Alright, I’ll treat Brother Huzi and the Commissioner!”

Lu Ming found it amusing. It seemed that in a short time, Wang Xiaohu had earned her trust.

Also, she probably wanted to see if he was indeed the person she knew.

…

The closest BBQ restaurant to the Husky Inn was quite upscale. Lu Ming chose the expensive items, thinking that Han Anni seemed to be quite wealthy.

However, after ordering a few dishes, he noticed Han Anni’s expression change, occasionally sneaking glances at the menu prices.

“Alright, that’s enough. This will do,” Lu Ming put down the menu.

The waiter brought the high-end tea Lu Ming ordered, and he sipped it casually before suddenly asking, “Xiao Han, do you believe in past lives?”

Han Anni was slightly startled and shook her head, “No, I don’t.”

“Oh? Have you ever dreamed of being in another strange world?”

“No!” Han Anni replied even more decisively.

Lu Ming nodded and stopped asking. She probably thought now that he wasn’t the opium addict she once knew but a crazy superior instead.

When the grilled meat and seafood arrived, Lu Ming barely ate, only tasting the roe inside the crab shells.

Han Anni frowned, seeming even less inclined to engage with this superior.

Lu Ming inwardly chuckled.

But she had just arrived in Donghai, knowing nothing, and was among a group of rookies who had only just arrived today. No one would gossip about their superior.

In a few days, after she found out more about his general situation, would she then think that Lu Qianxing was Lu Ming, the same opium addict?

As the meal wound down, Wang Xiaohu went to the restroom, and shortly after, Han Anni followed.

After a while, Wang Xiaohu returned and whispered, “Brother, it seems Prosecutor Han doesn’t have enough money to pay the bill. She asked to borrow some from me, saying she’ll repay me when she gets her salary. But you know I don’t have any money. She told me not to tell you, but I thought I should let you know.”

Lu Ming nodded, having already noticed while ordering. It wasn’t just a matter of insufficient cash, as she had to borrow from Xiaohu and said she could only repay him after getting paid.

“Xiaohu, pack up the leftovers. You know where to send them?” Lu Ming pointed to the three large crabs he had only tasted.

Wang Xiaohu grinned, knowing that the beggars at the old East Bridge would have a feast.

Brother Lu would throw away leftovers, and the beggars would eat leftovers. Neither side would feel any psychological pressure.

Brother Lu never believed that a lifetime of begging was due to not working hard enough. He said that such beliefs were perpetuated by the upper echelons of a stratified society to promote a social narrative and values beneficial for exploiting the lower classes.

Some people work hard but, as part of the lower class, still struggle to make ends meet despite their efforts, often facing desperate situations that drive them to madness or even begging to escape harsh realities.

As Wang Xiaohu packed up the “leftovers,” Lu Ming stood up, “I’ll go settle the bill.”

Han Anni, in the north, had probably encountered some difficulties.