Zhou Zhijun's Adam's apple bobbed hard. He gripped the bicycle handlebar tightly with one hand, his knuckles turning pale from the force.
Catching a glimpse of Chuntao's subconscious little movement of pressing her chest, his heart, already in his throat, clenched even tighter.
During the "Strike Hard" anti-crime campaign, everyone was jittery. The police looked at everyone with a degree of scrutiny. Zhou Zhijun had no other choice but to play along with the mistake.
He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Chuntao, you go in the police comrade's car, and I'll pedal behind to catch up with you."
After saying this, he gave Chuntao a look full of reassurance, though a trace of worry that others couldn't detect flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Chuntao's body trembled, her footsteps feeling as heavy as lead. But with things having reached this point, this was the only way.
She didn't dare to look at Yang Weiming. Keeping her head down, she shuffled over to the police car, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.
Yang Weiming opened the passenger door, letting Chuntao get in, while he walked around to sit in the back seat.
The driver turned his head, his face full of confusion. "Captain Yang..."
"My sister. She's visiting relatives in Xiawa Village, so we're giving her a ride." Yang Weiming said it so casually that not a hint of emotion could be heard.
The two police officers in the back seat looked at Chuntao curiously through the rearview mirror, surprised in their hearts. Since when did Captain Yang have such a pretty sister?
This was Chuntao's first time riding in a car in her life, let alone a police car.
With Yang Weiming sitting behind her, she was so nervous that she didn't dare to move a muscle. Her hands were pressed to her sides, and the hem of her clothes was almost shredded from her grip.
Yang Weiming didn't mention the matter of the introduction letter, nor did he press about the fishy situation with her bedroll.
But Chuntao knew in her heart that the scrutiny hidden beneath this calmness was even more terrifying than the interrogation just now.
Outside the car window, Zhou Zhijun gripped the handlebars tightly with both hands. Seeing Chuntao shrink into the passenger seat, his heart felt heavy and ached.
He got on his bicycle and put his feet on the pedals, but he didn't move for a long time.
It wasn't until the police car slowly started, kicking up a cloud of dust, that he suddenly pushed down on the pedals.
The wheels rolled over the bumpy dirt road, making a rapid creaking sound.
Yang Weiming sat in the back row, his eyes occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror.
Seeing Zhou Zhijun pedaling hard in the mirror, a cold light flashed quickly in his eyes.
He raised his hand and patted the driver's shoulder, instructing in a low voice, "Drive faster. Lose that kid behind us."
The driver paused for a moment, then understood. He stepped on the gas pedal, and the police car instantly sped up. The dust kicked up became thicker, making Zhou Zhijun cough behind them.
Zhou Zhijun squinted his eyes and spat out the sand in his mouth, but the force under his feet grew even fiercer.
He made his living working in the fields all year round and had plenty of strength. The bicycle pedals under his feet were like two wheels of fire, spinning incredibly fast.
He stuck closely to the tail of the police car, not falling behind in the slightest.
The driver glanced at the rearview mirror and clicked his tongue. "Captain Yang, this kid's stamina is really something. We're going this fast and still can't shake him."
Yang Weiming didn't reply, his fingertips tapping lightly on his knee.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, the driver smiled and struck up another conversation. "Captain Yang, this sister of yours looks quite shy. She doesn't even dare to speak when she meets strangers."
Yang Weiming gave a hum of agreement, his brow furrowing slightly.
He remembered when they were little, Chuntao wore her hair in pigtails and carried a bamboo basket to dig for wild vegetables.
Every time she passed by his door and saw him, she would smile. It was a very shy smile, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
What a lovely girl she was, but how had she ended up like this now? Her pale face looked like a frightened rabbit, without a trace of vitality.
"Wangjiazhai, we just arrested quite a few people there a while ago," Yang Weiming suddenly spoke up, his voice neither high nor low, just loud enough for Chuntao to hear.
"There's a disabled man who was forcing his own wife..."
As soon as these words came out, Chuntao's body stiffened abruptly, and cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
Her stomach churned violently again, and she quickly pressed her chest, her small face as white as a sheet of paper.
The two police officers in the back seat heard this and chimed in. The younger one clicked his tongue and said, "There's such a bastardly thing? Daring to run into the muzzle of a gun during the Strike Hard campaign, they're in for a tough time!"
The other one also echoed, "Exactly! This kind of person who corrupts public morals should be dealt with severely!"
The two police officers discussed it, while Yang Weiming's gaze never left Chuntao's reaction in the central rearview mirror.
Seeing her trembling all over, her face growing even paler, and her hand tightly pressing her chest, he asked with concern, "Carsick?"
It was Chuntao's first time riding in a car. She had no idea whether she got carsick or not, but at this moment, she could be certain it wasn't because of carsickness.
She replied softly with a hoarse voice, "Mhm."
Yang Weiming sat up and opened the car window a crack. "Get some fresh air, you'll feel better."
As the cool breeze blew in, the churning in Chuntao's stomach indeed eased a bit.
Yang Weiming looked at her again and slowly asked, "Chuntao, which family are you visiting in Xiawa Village?"
Chuntao's heart was still pounding wildly, and she hadn't recovered from the terror she felt just now.
Hearing this, she opened her mouth, her throat tight and dry, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time.
The driver said, "My grandma's family is in Xiawa Village. Their surname is Zhang. Maybe I even know your relative..."
Yang Weiming tapped the edge of the car window lightly with his fingertips, interrupting the driver.
He spoke in a flat tone, "When we get there later, I'll drop you off at your relative's house."
These words were spoken lightly, but they fell into Chuntao's heart like a stone dropping into a pool, splashing up a thousand waves.
She suddenly looked up and met Yang Weiming's bottomless eyes in the central rearview mirror, making her heart even more panicked.
She was clearly going to Zhou Zhijun's second aunt's house; she had no relatives in Xiawa Village at all! If they went there, she would definitely be exposed!
Cold sweat dripped down her temples. Chuntao's eyes turned red, and in her trembling voice, there was a stubbornness of throwing caution to the wind. "Brother Weiming, I won't hide it from you anymore... The person being forced in Wangjiazhai is me!"
As soon as she said this, the two police officers in the back seat instantly quieted down and looked at her in unison, their eyes full of shock.
Yang Weiming's brows suddenly furrowed deeply. He looked at the person in the rearview mirror, his eyes darkening.
Chuntao sniffled, unable to hold back her tears, which slid down her pale cheeks.
"The people from the Civil Affairs Bureau said that we don't have a marriage certificate, so we're not husband and wife at all. But the Wang family won't let it go and keeps causing trouble, so I ran away overnight!
I really had nowhere to go, so I thought about going to Dongshan to seek refuge with a distant relative. Actually, I'm not going to Xiawa Village..."
Hearing her say this, Yang Weiming was stunned. He hadn't known that Chuntao never got a marriage certificate back then. If he had known, he would have taken her away from the Wang family no matter what, but now it was too late.
Suddenly, the rapid ringing of a bicycle bell came from outside the police car window.
Zhou Zhijun had caught up on his bike. The veins on his forehead were bulging, and beads of sweat were dripping down his cheeks.
Yang Weiming glanced at Zhou Zhijun outside the window, then turned back to look at Chuntao.
His gaze paused on her pale little face, and his fingertips clenched in his trouser pocket.
He only knew about the case in Wangjiazhai, but he never expected that the victim was actually Chuntao.
After a moment of silence, his voice devoid of emotion, he asked again, "Dongshan is so big. Which village is the relative you're going to seek refuge with actually in?"
Chuntao's heart tightened again. Just as she was about to make up a name to brush him off, the police car suddenly turned into a village entrance.
The driver called out, "Captain Yang, we're here!"
Chuntao's face instantly paled a few degrees more.
The police car pulled to a stop at the entrance of the village. Zhou Zhijun quickly propped his bicycle by the side of the road and rushed over in a few quick strides. He pulled open the passenger door and carefully helped Chuntao step out.
"Tao'er, are you okay?"
Chuntao felt weak all over, lacking even the strength to speak.
Standing to the side, Yang Weiming spoke up in a low voice, "I can only drop you off here. You take her the rest of the way."
He then looked at Chuntao and urged, "Take care of yourself."
With that, he turned around and led a few police officers toward the village.
Watching their retreating figures, Zhou Zhijun finally let out a long sigh of relief. The heavy weight in his heart had finally lifted.
But what he didn't know was that Yang Weiming was looking back at him, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the handcuffs at his waist.
