"It’s getting late now, you should head back early. I’ll call you about when you can return to work. Take this ti to reflect and adjust your mindset," the supervisor said.
Initially upset about her suspension, Hua Xiangrong felt sowhat relieved after her supervisor’s encouragent. This period could be a good opportunity to help Xiao Yifei with sothing. Actually, it wasn’t bad. She had to wake up early every day for work, and Hua Xiangrong disliked getting up early the most.
Now, she could finally have so ti to rest. Hua Xiangrong packed her things and went ho.
Originally expecting her father to have dinner ready and sitting with Xiao Yifei waiting for her return, she found that when she was one street away from her ho, the apartnt lights were off, raising an unsettling premonition in her heart.
Ever since Hua Xiangrong started working, she would see her ho lights on from a distance, as her father rarely went out alone due to his leg condition. She always picked up groceries on her way from work. But what happened today?
Thinking about her unexplained suspension and the threat she received yesterday, anxiety welled up in her heart. She quickened her pace, cautiously opened the door, and carefully inspected the house. There were no signs of a struggle; everything appeared normal.
On the table were two teacups, one full and another with half a cup of water left. It seed a guest visited, and they stayed quite a while. The water had gone cold, but not completely, suggesting these two persons left about two hours ago.
Who could have taken her father away? Hua Xiangrong pulled out her phone and discovered a text from Xiao Yifei mixed among spam ssages. Being busy all afternoon, she hadn’t checked her phone closely. Xiao Yifei’s text read: "We’re at the Police Departnt."
She called Xiao Yifei, but his phone was off. She still didn’t know the current situation.
Could her father have gone to the Police Departnt too? No way did she expect the police took her father there.
With the day nearly over, what should she do? eting them wouldn’t be possible. Reluctantly, Hua Xiangrong called her supervisor, asking if he had any friends at the local Police Departnt and explained the situation.
The supervisor didn’t hesitate, imdiately contacting a friend and telling her to let him know if she needed any further help, promising to assist within his capacity.
Thanks to a friend’s connection, Hua Xiangrong t her father and Xiao Yifei, but they were detained in an interrogation room at the Police Departnt.
She often went to interrogation rooms for work back then, purely as a police officer for routine business, without any other feelings. But this ti, she ca as a visitor, looking at the two detained inside, feeling quite uncomfortable.
"I’m sorry for dragging you into this," Xiao Yifei said as soon as he saw Hua Xiangrong.
"Let’s not talk about useful things or not. Why were you arrested? What reason did they give?" Hua Xiangrong asked.
"They have a warrant, beyond that I don’t know but it must be related to the report I filed," Xiao Yifei replied.
"Don’t worry. I’ll figure sothing out to get you out," Hua Xiangrong comforted them, although she had no idea how, especially since she was currently suspended.
"You haven’t encountered any danger outside, have you?" Xiao Yifei suddenly rembered to ask.
"I haven’t encountered any danger, just temporarily suspended for so ti. Being suspended is kind of good too, I can take a nice break. Don’t worry while you’re in there, I’ll definitely find a way to get you out," Hua Xiangrong said.
Her suspension paled in comparison to her father and Xiao Yifei’s encounter. But who was behind all this? Why wield such power?
Hua Xiangrong’s father was looking silently at his daughter. They didn’t exchange many words; no need. Even without speaking, he understood what was on her mind.
As visiting ti ended, her father smiled at her, a smile warm and encouraging. Hua Xiangrong felt there was nothing more to say to her father.
Returning ho, Hua Xiangrong for the first ti felt the weight of responsibility. No matter how big the problem, she was never worried as long as her father stood behind her. If she failed at sothing, her father would still be waiting at ho for her return.
But now, she had to face the battlefield alone for the first ti, feeling nervous and isolated. If she ssed this up, who knows what situation her father and Xiao Yifei would face. So this is the feeling of being lonely and helpless.
Back ho, lying in bed, Hua Xiangrong couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t until her stomach growled from hunger past midnight that she realized she only had breakfast today, skipped lunch because of work, and lost interest in police cafeteria als with her father’s cooking in mind.
Because of this, her stomach was growling with hunger. She got up, fetched so food from the fridge. But after preparing it, she lost her appetite; the food seed tasteless. In tis like these, how could she manage to eat? She was overwheld with worry.
She thought about all the people she knew. None seed likely to help her against such powerful forces she had glimpsed. Even if they wanted to help, they couldn’t aid much.
If she’d known, would she have chosen this path in the first place? Hua Xiangrong didn’t know. Maybe back then, she would, even willing to devote her life to the police force, even sacrifice her life.
But after hearing her supervisor’s words today, and seeing her father unjustly detained, she no longer dared act as impulsively as before. Recklessness, stubbornness, sacrificing for so-called justice seed noble, yet maybe it was only self-serving sentint all along.
Before today, Hua Xiangrong believed all sacrifices were aningful. But today, she redefined this, realizing not every sacrifice held aning; so sacrifices might never be known to others.
Sitting on the sofa, she turned on the TV to a sitcom. The characters quarreled humorously, making one laugh every five minutes. Hua Xiangrong’s eyes were on the TV but her mind wasn’t engaged. Watching others’ happiness in sorrowful tis was perhaps an unwise choice.
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