TTS Chapter 57

“Who owns the car with the license plate ending in 686? It’s blocking the way! Come down and move it.” The security guard’s loud voice came from downstairs. Xia Hang pushed Han Huaixiao, who still held on and refused to let go.

 

“Isn’t 686 your car? Where did you park it?”

 

Han Huaixiao gave him a hard kiss on the lips before finally releasing him, saying, “I parked it next to the entrance of your building.”

 

“Who owns the car with the license plate ending in 686? It’s blocking the way! Come down and move it!” The security guard shouted again, and Xia Hang urged Han Huaixiao, “Let’s go.”

 

When they went downstairs, the security guard gave them a reprimand: “Young man, you really can’t park like this next time!”

 

Several elderly men playing chess not far away heard that the owner of the car had come down, and all looked over.Too embarrassed to face them, Xia Hang immediately slipped into the car.

 

Han Huaixiao took out a cigarette and handed it to the security guard, saying with a smile, “My wife ran back to her parents’ place without a word. I was in a hurry. I definitely won’t park like this next time.”

 

Seeing that Han Huaixiao had a good attitude about admitting his mistake, the security guard smiled too. “You did something wrong and made your wife angry, didn’t you? Have you made up with her?”

 

Han Huaixiao gave a vague laugh and got into the car. As he drove away, he turned his head toward Xia Hang. “Have we made up?” He asked while Xia Hang shot him a sideways glance.

 

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

 

“Where did I talk nonsense?” Han Huaixiao asked. “Weren’t you the one who ran away without saying a word?”

 

“…I’m talking about you telling the security guard I’m your wife and all that.”

 

“Our families have already met, and you just agreed to get back together with me,” Han Huaixiao replied. “Are you planning to deny it?”

 

“When did we meet each other’s families…?” Xia Hang only got halfway through the sentence before realizing what he meant, so he cleverly changed the subject.

 

“What are we going to Harbour City for?”

 

“There are two port locations on the note Liao Yongqing left behind,” Han Huaixiao said. “One is Shunda Port in Harbour City, and the other is in Thailand. These two ports should be their transfer points. We’re going there to investigate the situation.”

 

“Xin Rong, Liao Yongqing, Bao Qinglong, and Mo Xuan were all people from Taiyi Shipping,” Xia Hang continued. “Now that all four of them are dead, even if there’s something wrong with those two ports, they probably won’t dare do anything for the time being, right?”

 

“You said that the reason Wang Cang and the others killed Liao Yongqing, Bao Qinglong, and Mo Xuan, and tried to run you down, was to divert our attention so they could move the new type of drugs,” Han Huaixiao agreed. “You were right. But afterward, I thought about it. Besides diverting our attention, there’s another possibility for why they did this: they wanted to expose Taiyi Shipping to us and force them to stand completely on their side.”

 

“What do they want Taiyi for? It’s such a huge company,” Xia Hang mused. “Aren’t they afraid Taiyi will cut off its losses and sacrifice one part to save the rest?”

 

“They’re not afraid, because they’d love nothing more than for Taiyi to cut its losses and sacrifice one part to save the rest… namely, abandon Guo Gangyi.”

 

“Why?”

 

“They want Guo Gangyi to become completely useful to them.”

 

“But Guo Gangyi is already under our surveillance. What can he still do?”

 

“Guo Gangyi himself can’t do much. But he’s been in Taiyi and the shipping industry for so many years. Through all the connections he’s built up at various ports and customs offices, he can still do a lot.”

 

“According to what you’re saying, the two ports mentioned in Liao Yongqing’s note should be the places where he has the most connections and dealings behind the scenes. So you’re planning to go to Harbour City, uncover his network of contacts, and cut off the interests connecting him to Wang Cang. That way, not only can we pull on one thread and expose the whole network, but we can also cut off the channels Wang Cang and He Qi are using to transport the new type of drugs into the country?”

 

The traffic light ahead turned red. Han Huaixiao stopped the car, reached over and took Xia Hang’s hand, squeezing his palm.

 

“How are you so smart?”

 

“…That’s your plan,” Xia Hang said, “are you complimenting yourself?”

 

“It’s my plan, but the fact that you immediately understood what I was trying to accomplish makes me very happy. Not long after you came to Lang City, I realized that you and I still have the same understanding we had before.”

 

“I won’t leave again.” Xia Hang clasped his hand back.

 

“Even if you want to leave, I won’t let you.” Han Huaixiao said frankly, but Xia Hang still teased him, “If you went to work at your family’s company, you’d definitely be one of those overbearing CEOs.”

 

“Han Mingxiao dreams of me going to work at the company. You should have met him this morning.”

 

“He doesn’t really look like a manager. He looks more like some rich young master who collects dividends and spends his days enjoying life.”

 

“Hahahaha. His dream is for me to go work at the company while he collects dividends and enjoys life,” Han Huaixiao laughed.

 

“Then how did you get him to agree to go work at the company?”

 

“I made a bet with him. Whoever lost had to go work at the company.”

 

“What did you bet on?”

 

“He’s very good at horseback riding. He’s even beaten professional equestrian athletes. I bet him on horseback riding, and he lost.”

 

“…Did you cheat?”

 

The yellow light began counting down. Han Huaixiao reached over and lightly tugged his ear, clearly displeased. “Does your boyfriend look like that kind of person?!” But soon enough, he seemed to remember something and laughed for quite a while. “When I was in high school, I spent some time in Inner Mongolia. I met an old man there who knew how to tame horses, and I learned a bit from him. Han Mingxiao didn’t know about this. He thought of all kinds of ways to guard against me, but he never considered that I might know that. On the day of the competition, he was so confident that he didn’t even ride his usual horse. He randomly chose one along with me.”

 

“Did he find out later why you were able to beat him?” Xia Hang laughed too.

 

“No. If I told him, he’d get angry and refuse to play anymore.”

 

Hearing that, Xia Hang tried to put himself in cousin Han’s shoes, but Han Huaixiao said, “Don’t worry, he’s not complaining. If he really didn’t like managing the company, even if I beat him ten times, he still wouldn’t do something he didn’t want to do.”

 

“…”

 

“From the way you describe him, he sounds pretty interesting.” Xia Hang didn’t know what else to say, but Han Huaixiao agreed completely. “Everyone in my family is pretty interesting. When we have time, I’ll take you back with me. Once you meet them, you’ll know.”

 

“Okay.”

 

They were approaching the highway entrance, so Xia Hang said to Han Huaixiao, “You barely slept last night. Let me drive.”

 

“You were drunk last night. Doesn’t your head hurt today?”

 

“It hurt when I got up this morning. It gradually got better after noon.”

 

“All right. You drive first. I’ll sleep for a while.”

 

…………………………

 

Han Huaixiao had already contacted the Harbour City police bureau in advance, so after arriving, they went directly to meet Yan Zhu, the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade.

 

Yan Zhu was just over forty and wore her hair in a short bob that reached her ears. She was known throughout Harbour City’s criminal investigation system for being straightforward and efficient in both speech and action.

 

“Captain Han,” she placed a stack of documents in front of Han Huaixiao, “all the information you requested is here.”

 

“Thanks for your help, Sister Yan.”

 

“What are you being so polite for? If you need me to help with anything, just say so.”

 

“All right. I’ll take the documents back with me for now. It’s already quite late tonight. If there’s anything I need your help with tomorrow, I definitely won’t be polite.”

 

“Have you booked a hotel?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“All right, then. I won’t see you out. See you tomorrow.”

 

After leaving the Harbour City police bureau, Xia Hang asked Han Huaixiao, “When did you book a hotel?”

 

“No need for a booking,” Han Huaixiao entered the name of a hotel into the navigation. “We can go straight there.”

 

Only after they arrived at the hotel did Xia Hang understand what he meant. Han Huaixiao had taken him to a five-star hotel. After identifying themselves, the hotel’s manager on duty personally came down and escorted them to a luxurious suite on the top floor.

 

Once they entered the room, Xia Hang said to Han Huaixiao, “We’re here on a business trip. Wouldn’t it be bad if people found out we’re staying at this hotel?”

 

“This is my family’s hotel. We didn’t spend any public money, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Han Huaixiao began undoing two buttons on his shirt. “Are you showering first, or should I?”

 

The first thing Xia Hang did when he entered was look around. The luxurious suite consisted of a living room, a meeting room, and a bedroom. The bedroom door was open, revealing a large bed. Although it wasn’t as if they had never slept together before, the thought of sharing a room with Han Huaixiao again still made him somewhat nervous.

 

“You go first.”

 

Han Huaixiao hadn’t originally had any other intentions. He had brought Xia Hang here because Xia Hang had been drunk the previous night and was bound to be feeling somewhat uncomfortable today. After such a long drive, Han Huaixiao wanted to find him a good hotel where he could get a proper night’s sleep. They would have to work again tomorrow.

But after asking who would shower first and seeing Xia Hang’s eyes darting around, his thoughts immediately took a more suggestive turn.

Once he entered the bathroom and stood beneath the shower, Han Huaixiao’s thoughts began running wild.

 

He once again thought about the reason Xia Hang had given for breaking up with him…

 

Their sex life had been incompatible.

 

“…”

 

He had always felt that Xia Hang had made up that reason. But sometimes he would doubt himself.

 

What if Xia Hang hadn’t been making it up?!

 

The previous times, Xia Hang really hadn’t experienced any pleasure. The first time, Han Huaixiao had injured him, and the second time, Xia Hang had developed a slight fever afterward. So whenever he thought that the latter possibility might actually be true, he became incredibly frustrated.

 

He was confident that there was nothing wrong with him physically. So if there was a problem, it had to be his technique. But all these years, he hadn’t been with anyone else, so his technique certainly hadn’t improved.

 

What if Xia Hang wanted him again, only to get hurt again?

 

Han Huaixiao couldn’t accept letting that happen again, so he thought about it for a long time. Yet when he finished showering and came out, there was no change in his expression. He smiled and said, “I’m done. You go shower.”

 

But as soon as Xia Hang entered the bathroom, Han Huaixiao immediately sent Xiang Kaicheng a private message.

 

Han Huaixiao: [Send me a few films.]

 

Xiang Kaicheng immediately sent a row of mischievous laughing emojis.

 

Xiang Kaicheng: [Oh? Captain Han has finally fallen into the mortal world?]

 

Han Huaixiao: [Stop talking nonsense and hurry the fuck up.]

 

Soon enough, Xiang Kaicheng quickly sent several links, saying: [These are all rare classics from my collection. I’m giving them all to you.]

 

Han Huaixiao glanced toward the bathroom, lowered the volume on his phone, and opened one of the links, but he hadn’t watched for even a minute before finding the actors overly fake and difficult to look at. The others were the same.

 

He really couldn’t get into that, so he simply closed the links and opened the browser to search instead.

 

As for Xia Hang, when he entered the bathroom, he immediately noticed the lubricant, condoms, and cleaning supplies on a shelf in the corner. His mind involuntarily awakened to the memories of the intense pleasure he had experienced when he and Han Huaixiao were together before. Thinking of the hard-to-conceal anticipation on Han Huaixiao’s face when he had come out of the shower, Xia Hang reached out and picked up the unopened cleaning supplies.

 

After showering, Xia Hang came out and saw Han Huaixiao sitting against the headboard, looking at his phone. Pretending to be calm, he lifted the covers and sat down beside him.

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

Han Huaixiao had been so absorbed in what he was doing that he hadn’t noticed Xia Hang come out. The moment he heard his voice, he reflexively tried to hide his phone. In his haste, however, he dropped it onto the bed, and it slid toward Xia Hang.

 

By the time Han Huaixiao grabbed it again, Xia Hang had already caught sight of several key words on the screen. He understood what Han Huaixiao had been looking at and why.

 

Something inside him pricked.

 

Han Huaixiao silently cursed under his breath. Just as he was about to explain, Xia Hang reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made that up back then and used that kind of reason to break up with you.”

 

“The thing you said back then was made up?” Han Huaixiao immediately sat upright.

 

“I had no choice but to break up with you,” Xia Hang said, “but I didn’t know how to tell you. I knew you definitely wouldn’t agree to break up. So I deliberately said that we weren’t compatible. You’re a very proud person, and I knew that if I said something like that, you definitely wouldn’t keep trying to hold on to me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used that kind of reason. It hurt your pride too much.”

 

They had been young then, and they had loved each other at the deepest point of their relationship. Thinking about having to separate from Han Huaixiao had been like having his heart cut apart.

 

But if they didn’t separate, there was no telling when he would return. There was even a very real possibility that he might die in a foreign country. If Han Huaixiao found out, he would inevitably intervene, and that would put Han Huaixiao in danger too.

 

So, in a moment of youthful recklessness, Xia Hang had used that reason.

But later, he regretted countless times that he had used such a reason to break up with Han Huaixiao since he was such a proud person. Saying something like that had indeed ensured that Han Huaixiao wouldn’t continue pursuing him, but it had also deeply wounded him.

 

“You…”

 

Although Han Huaixiao had suspected that Xia Hang had been making it up, hearing him admit it personally still made him somewhat angry. But after the anger came relief.

 

“You can be angry,” Xia Hang tightened his arms around his waist. “You can curse at me. Just don’t ignore me.”

 

“…If we weren’t incompatible, then that means things were good back then, right?” Han Huaixiao felt confused. “But the first time, you were injured. The second time, you developed a fever. After we broke up, I kept thinking about it. Sometimes I really thought what you said was true.”

 

“The fever was because I hadn’t cleaned up properly,” Xia Hang mumbled. “The injury… was because you’re too big. But both times felt good…”

 

Hearing that, Han Huaixiao felt his blood rush straight to a certain part of his body. He turned sideways and pushed Xia Hang down, but when he realized that Xia Hang had already cleaned and lubricated himself, he could no longer control himself.

 

…………………………

 

Afterward, Xia Hang lay lazily on the bed, while Han Huaixiao, looking completely satisfied, came over carrying a bowl of porridge.

 

“You haven’t eaten dinner yet. Get up and eat something before you sleep.”

 

“I want to sleep,” Xia Hang kept his eyes closed, not wanting to move even a finger. “I’m not eating.”

 

“No.” Han Huaixiao helped him sit up. “You need to eat a little. Otherwise, your stomach will feel uncomfortable if you go hungry for too long.”

 

He was about to feed him, so Xia Hang had no choice but to take the spoon himself. He ate half a bowl of porridge, lay back down, and fell asleep instantly. Han Huaixiao pulled the blanket over him and covered his stomach. He looked at his sleeping face for a moment before turning off the lights and leaving the room.

 

He quickly finished the half bowl of porridge Xia Hang had left behind, then ate a serving of seafood noodles. Afterward, he took the documents Yan Zhu had given him and began looking through them in the living room.

They were all documents concerning Shunda Port and personnel from Harbour City Customs.

 

Han Huaixiao went through them one by one. When he came across the educational background of one of the leaders in Shunda Port’s management, he picked up his laptop and searched for information about the man named Chai Bo.

 

He discovered that Chai Bo had not only attended the same university as Guo Gangyi, but had also been his roommate, so Han Huaixiao pulled that file out.

 

Continuing through the documents, he came across the information on the customs personnel. One of the leaders caught his attention because his hometown was in the same prefecture-level city as Guo Gangyi’s, so he pulled out that file as well.

 

After finishing all the documents, Han Huaixiao glanced at the time. It was already four in the morning, so he sent the two files to Wen Yu by email and scheduled the email to be sent at eight in the morning.

 

When he returned to the bedroom, Xia Hang was still sound asleep, and Han Huaixiao touched his forehead. After confirming that his temperature was normal, he finally relaxed, lay down beside him, and fell asleep with Xia Hang in his arms.

 

…………………………..

 

The next morning, Han Huaixiao asked Xia Hang, “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

 

Xia Hang checked how his body felt. There was a little discomfort, but it was completely within what he could tolerate.

 

“No.”

 

Han Huaixiao asked, “Really? You don’t feel uncomfortable at all?”

 

“A little. It’s fine.”

 

“If you’re uncomfortable, you have to tell me.”

 

“I know. I’m hungry. Where are we going for breakfast?”

 

“Do you want to eat at the hotel or go out?”

 

“Let’s go out. Harbour City is a coastal city. We can go out and enjoy the sea breeze.”

 

After getting ready, the two left the hotel and went to a snack street not far from the seaside. They ordered a table full of local coastal breakfast specialties: mackerel dumplings, seaweed buns, and seafood porridge.

Xia Hang was extremely hungry and ate about a third more than usual. Only after finishing his meal did he finally look up and take in his surroundings.

 

Harbour City was a popular coastal tourist destination. It was summer vacation now, the peak season for tourists. This was a famous snack street that many internet celebrities had recommended, and countless tourists were eating breakfast here.

 

People were coming and going everywhere. As far as the eye could see, there were people. Xia Hang swept his gaze across the crowd and suddenly stopped on one particular direction. But after looking for only two seconds, he shifted his gaze away and leaned his head against Han Huaixiao’s shoulder.

 

Anyone looking at them would immediately know they were a couple.

 

The instant Xia Hang looked away, an ordinary-looking man in the direction he had been watching, someone who looked no different from any other tourist, turned his gaze toward Xia Hang. Seeing the two men acting affectionately together, he looked at them with disdain before withdrawing his gaze.

 

Han Huaixiao noticed that something was off about Xia Hang’s movements, so he cooperatively wrapped an arm around Xia Hang’s shoulders and lowered his voice.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Don’t look around. Don’t move.”

 

The two maintained that position for more than ten seconds before separating. They paid the bill and left the breakfast shop. Only after they returned to the car did Xia Hang explain.

 

“I saw someone I know just now.”

 

Someone who could make Xia Hang react by deliberately avoiding them certainly wasn’t a good person.

 

“Who?”

 

“A trusted aide of a drug lord who once did business with Sheng Jun.”

 

“Is this one of their areas of activity?” Han Huaixiao asked.

 

“No. Their area of activity is in the northeast.”

 

“Let’s go,” Han Huaixiao frowned. “We’ll find Yan Zhu and have her find a few customs officers. We’ll come up with a reason and have them take us to Shunda Port for a look.”

 

“Okay.”

 

They had driven about halfway when Wen Yu called Han Huaixiao, who gestured for Xia Hang to answer. Xia Hang nodded and turned on speakerphone.

 

“Captain Han, I’m still investigating the two files you sent me this morning,” Wen Yu said, “but there’s something else I think I need to tell you. One of Taiyi’s cargo ships unloaded a batch of containers when it passed through a Thai port, then loaded another batch of containers. Unless something unexpected happens, it will arrive at its destination, Shunda Port in Harbour City, tomorrow morning.”

 

“Got it. Where are you making this call from?” Han Huaixiao asked.

 

“The office.”

 

“Is anyone else in the office?”

 

“No, I’m the only one here.”

 

“Have you told anyone else that I’m in Harbour City right now?”

 

“No.”

 

“Don’t tell anyone else that Xia Hang and I are here for now. Just say that Chief Yan sent us out on a business trip. Keep the destination confidential.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After ending the call with Wen Yu, Xia Hang asked, “You suspect…”

 

Han Huaixiao knew what he wanted to ask, so he simply said, “Yes. I started suspecting it after the last time we went to find Lin Fei, and Lin Fei was killed right in front of us.”

 

For a brief moment, every member of the team flashed through Xia Hang’s mind.

 

He couldn’t accept it.

 

In fact, he even hoped Han Huaixiao’s suspicion was wrong. But if even Xia Hang couldn’t accept it, Han Huaixiao, who had worked with them for much longer, must find it even harder to accept.

 

“Are we still going to Shunda Port now?” Xia Hang pulled himself together and changed the subject.

 

“Tomorrow, after Taiyi’s cargo ship arrives. If we go today and then go again tomorrow, it’ll attract too much attention.”

 

“Then where are we going now?”

 

“Didn’t you want to enjoy the sea breeze? Come on. I’ll take you for a walk by the sea.”

 

………………..

 

T.N: I think Author-sama is more suited to writing suspense/crime scenes. I personally think these romantic chapters are quite awkward.

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