Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 239 Pulling Back a Little
Evening, at the Dawn Grid Service Center, in the grid leader's office
Yan Chenxi sat at her desk, pretending to scribble on a community document with a pen in her hand, but in reality, her eyes would dart toward the west corner of the office every few minutes.

There, her younger brother Jiang Hai was sitting at the table and chair she had specially arranged for him, concentrating on reviewing his lessons.

Having risen from a test-taker in a small town to a grid leader with official positions, Yan Chenxi deeply understands that in today's society, the college entrance examination is indeed the most cost-effective way to change one's fate, bar none.

Her parents divorced when she was young, and she lived with her mother, who worked in a private factory.

When she was little, with no one to look after her, she could only go to the factory with her mother. In the factory, her mother would work day and night on the assembly line. 996? That was truly a blessing. In the factory, there was only one day off a month; besides sleeping, it was all work. Who didn't work from seven or eight in the morning until nine or ten at night?

So the day she studied desperately and learned that she had passed the civil service exam was the happiest day of her twenty-odd years.

Because she had finally escaped the factory and could have a respectable job in the eyes of others, her life was predictably about to undergo a dramatic change.

All of this stemmed from her seizing the opportunity presented by the college entrance examination ten years ago.

This time, it was her brother's turn.

Yan Chenxi put the paper and pen aside, got up, poured a glass of water, walked to Jiang Hai's side, and said gently, "Xiao Hai, rest for a while and I'll take you home. You've been reading all night."

For the past few years, Jiang Hai's father has left him with his grandmother and disappeared. He has never called home, nor has he sent any living expenses. Jiang Hai and his grandmother live on the old woman's meager pension.

In the past, when Yan Chenxi visited Jiang Hai at his home, she also advised him to study hard and try to get into a good school, but these words were of no use to a rebellious teenage boy who had given up on himself and thought that he had been abandoned by the whole world.

According to his grandmother, Jiang Hai would go to internet cafes after school.

Jiang Hai put down his pen, raised his hand and rubbed his face hard, saying helplessly, "Sister, we lost too many things earlier, now we can only rush to catch up."

Yan Chenxi nodded. She had gone through the same thing back then, so she didn't say anything more.

She pulled up a chair and sat down, casually asking, "Why don't you move in with me in a few days? I live alone now, so I'll have more time to help you with your studies."

Yan Chenxi graduated from a top-tier university with a master's degree, a truly academic achievement. Since learning of Jiang Hai's determination to study hard, she has done her best to help him.

Jiang Hai's heart skipped a beat. He tilted his head and thought for a moment, but still refused, saying, "Grandma is getting old, and I'm worried about her being alone at home. Hmm, I also want to spend more time with her."

Yan Chenxi understood the relationship between Jiang Hai and his grandmother, and didn't force them to stay together.

"Okay, then come here after school. I'll provide dinner, and it's quiet and peaceful at night since no one's around."

Yan Chenxi was actually a little curious. Given Jiang Hai's proud little boy personality, even if he was going to study like crazy, it didn't seem like he was coming to ask her, his older sister, for help with his homework, as he claimed.

Based on his past behavior, he would definitely stay at home studying; he would never ask her for help.

There's probably something wrong with this.

However, since Jiang Hai is willing to study, nothing else matters.

Yan Chenxi cleared her throat: "Okay, then you can read the book by yourself. If you have any questions, come find me. I'll go check out the police station."

Chen Shu and Yan Chenxi had previously reached an agreement regarding the police station in the Dawn Grid. Chen Shu would provide Xiao Lin, an auxiliary police officer who worked at the police station, to work part-time at the grid police station after his shift.

This not only solved Xiaolin's urgent need for money, but also gave the grid a visible achievement of working overtime, since other grid members are very unwilling to work overtime, even if they are paid overtime.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hai's eyes darted around, and he said, "Sister, I'm getting a little tired of sitting. Let's go for a walk together."

Yan Chenxi didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.

The two chatted casually as they walked to the police station. Upon entering, they saw Xiaolin looking down at his phone; judging from the speaker, it was a news program. Hearing the noise, Xiaolin looked up and saw Yan Chenxi, the grid manager who was on good terms with the station staff. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and said in a hoarse, tearful voice:
"Grid leader, Chief Chen has been stabbed and is currently in the hospital receiving emergency treatment!"

Like a bolt from the blue, Yan Chenxi exclaimed in shock, "What!"

Yan Chenxi snatched the phone from Xiaolin and stared at it with wide eyes, afraid of missing a single frame.

After a moment, she slumped weakly into her chair, her mind a complete blank. She raised her hand and pressed it against her chest, feeling an emptiness there.

His lips trembled, and his voice was thick with a nasal tone: "Let's go to the hospital."

Early morning, the inpatient department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Dongzhou Medical College.
Chen Shu lay in the hospital room, covered with a white blanket.

The dagger had been removed from his body, and his blood-stained face had been cleaned. Zeng Hong and Zhu Chaoran, who were sleepless in the middle of the night, brought over two chairs and sat on either side of Chen Shu.

He didn't say anything, just sat quietly, keeping me company.

A man's sorrow is silent.

During the conversation, Zeng Hong said two things: "This kid is just too hardworking!" and "I knew it, his personality was bound to cause trouble sooner or later!"

Zhu Chaoran said, "Brother Shu always talks about 'safety' before each case, but he's always the one who's the least safe."

After a long while, the door opened, and Zhang Yang cautiously walked towards Chen Shu. He walked very slowly, and in just ten or so steps, it seemed as if the path was covered with thorns, and each step would cause excruciating pain.

She sat at the foot of the bed and reached out to smooth out a corner of the blanket.

"Instructor, this is my fault. I shouldn't have disobeyed Chen Shu."

Zeng Hong waved his hand: "Teacher Zhang, that guy is an A-level wanted criminal. If the police catch him, he's dead. Who would have thought that catching a swindler would uncover a murderer? And this guy, even on the run, he didn't forget to have sex. Sigh, you can't be blamed for this."

A cornered beast will fight desperately. And a capture is precisely that process. Criminal suspects fight desperately to escape, and the police have no choice but to fight desperately to catch them. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered; in this life-or-death struggle, a moment's inattention could lead to death.

Many veteran police officers have a habit of calling home before each arrest operation. They don't say anything, just want to hear their family's voices, because they fear it might be the last time.

Zhang Yang did not respond, but silently withdrew his hand, glanced at the sleeping Chen Shu a few more times, and got up and walked out without saying a word.

He said as he reached the door, "Instructor, it happened during a live broadcast, so the matter is all over the internet now. I'll go back to the station first to handle the aftermath of the public opinion before coming back."

"It's alright, the doctor said Xiao Shu is out of danger, Teacher Zhang, you just go about your business. Xiao Zhu, could you drive Teacher Zhang home? It's late at night, and it's not safe outside."

After the two left, the ward fell silent.

Zeng Hong walked to the window and looked at the street scene outside where the lights were dim. His thoughts seemed to go back to a few years ago when Chen Shu had just graduated from the police academy and transferred from the special police to the Zhongshan Police Station.

That day, Chen Shu, all alone and unarmed, subdued an armed violent criminal on the street.

Afterwards, Zeng Hong called Chen Shu to his office and gave him a severe scolding.

In the end, that kid still didn't repent.

However, Chen Shu's parting words were so powerful that they made this veteran policeman, who had worked for decades, feel somewhat ashamed.

"Teacher Zeng, I am a people's police officer! I really want to restore the image of the police in the people's minds, even a little bit."

(End of this chapter)