PCJ – Chapter 472 Seeking Reinforcements

Fu Cha Hao Yue returned home and immediately immersed herself in work. However, her thoughts occasionally drifted to the boy who had followed them from Meishan to Beijing.

“I wonder how he’s doing now? If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have brought him to Beijing in the first place. But this kid, despite his young age, is shrewder than many adults,” Fu Cha Hao Yue mused, twirling a ballpoint pen in her hand.

“Hao Yue, what’s got you so distracted? You took such a long leave this time, and the lab’s work has piled up. Director Li was practically ready to drag you back from Meishan. Luckily, your phone had no signal; otherwise, it would have been ringing off the hook. By the way, while you were away, did you and Zhao Jue confirm your relationship?” teased Luo Ziqian, a colleague at the biochemical lab.

Fu Cha Hao Yue sighed. “This is the only vacation I’ve taken since joining the lab. I refuse to believe that such a large biochemical institute can’t function without me!”

“Of course, the lab runs just fine. But with our only beauty absent, the rest of us have been utterly unmotivated,” Luo Ziqian laughed.

“You’re a beauty too, aren’t you?” Hao Yue countered. Luo Ziqian wasn’t as stunning as Hao Yue but was still striking in her own right.

“Let’s not discuss such depressing topics. Tell me about your trip to Meishan! How was it?” Luo Ziqian asked curiously.

“It started off as a lot of fun, but later it became a nightmare. We got lost, went deeper into the wilderness, and had no phone signal. My two friends almost drowned in a whirlpool. Luckily, we met a local who saved them and then guided us out of the mountains,” Hao Yue recounted, still shaken by the memory.

“Wow, sounds thrilling! Did you break through the rural-urban divide, fall for that local at first sight, and decide to marry him?” Luo Ziqian joked, indulging her own imagination.

“Stop it! That guy is just a middle school student! But he’s a strange one—so young yet already running away from home and even following us to Beijing. We planned to help him settle down, but as soon as we got off the train, he ditched us. I can’t help but worry. A kid alone in Beijing—what if something happens to him? Wouldn’t it be our fault?” Hao Yue said, clearly concerned.

“Wait, what? A boy followed you to Beijing? Sounds like he’s head over heels for you. Did you turn him down?” Luo Ziqian teased again.

“Enough of your nonsense! After work, I’ll check with the others to see if there’s any news about him,” Hao Yue replied, exasperated.

After her shift, Hao Yue ignored greetings from her colleagues and headed straight to Zhao Jue’s house.

“No news. I’ve asked my friends to keep an eye out, but Beijing is so vast. Finding someone here isn’t easy. But don’t worry. A kid brave enough to venture out alone won’t be lacking survival skills. You must’ve noticed—he might be young, but he’s incredibly sharp. It’s not easy to take advantage of him. In fact, he’s probably skilled in martial arts. Even Wei Jun and I together wouldn’t stand a chance against him,” Zhao Jue explained.

“That’s impossible! He’s just a kid. How could he be so formidable? Wei Jun’s won awards for sanda (Chinese kickboxing),” Hao Yue exclaimed, surprised.

“It’s the truth. Our amateur skills don’t even register on his radar,” Zhao Jue said.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan finally found an opportunity to sneak away from his house and rushed to the local police station near Guluba Hutong.

“Brother Zeng, you have to save me!” Wu Yuan cried, clutching Zeng Lei’s arm with tears and snot running down his face.

“If you get your snot on my clothes, I’ll beat you,” Zeng Lei retorted, shoving Wu Yuan away in disgust. “What’s going on? Did a scam go wrong and you got beaten up? I’ve warned you before—stop hanging out with those shady guys in the alley, or you’ll regret it. Let me guess, karma caught up with you?”

Wu Yuan stammered, “No, no, this time it’s not my fault. A southerner barged into our alley, so arrogant and unreasonable! He forced his way into my house, claimed he wanted to rent it, and then made me clean the entire place from top to bottom. After all that, he didn’t pay a single cent. Brother Zeng, you have to stand up for me!”

Zeng Lei shook his head. “Don’t give me that nonsense. If you didn’t provoke him, how would a random outsider even find your house? Do you think I’m stupid?”

“Fine, it wasn’t me—it was Tian Da, that idiot. He tried to extort some money from the guy, but they all got knocked flat. I was just watching the show, but somehow I got dragged in and beaten up. Then he made me take him to my house to rent it…” Wu Yuan admitted.

“So you invited him in, hoping to get revenge. And now you’re here, trying to pull me into your mess,” Zeng Lei deduced.

“Brother Zeng, you’re so sharp! Why aren’t all the cases in the precinct solved by now?” Wu Yuan muttered, realizing he couldn’t fool Zeng Lei.

“Fine, I’ll help you this time, but this is the last. Stop dragging my name into your nonsense. If this keeps up, I’ll stop bailing you out,” Zeng Lei warned.

“Got it, got it! Just help me get rid of this plague, and I swear I’ll turn over a new leaf. I’m even thinking of starting a small business,” Wu Yuan promised.

Feeling triumphant, Wu Yuan led Zeng Lei to his house, only to find Zhang Jiaohua inside, practicing his water cultivation exercises. These exercises, essential for his spiritual practice, required daily dedication to hone his skills and deepen his understanding.

“Zhang Jiaohua! Get out here, you brat!” Wu Yuan shouted from the courtyard.

Zhang Jiaohua, irritated at having his practice interrupted, frowned as he stepped out of the room.