Qi Tongwei: Can I be young again?

The burial ceremony was extremely brief.

During the journey, Qiuyue's parents fainted several times from crying and woke up several times, heartbroken.

Qi Tongwei felt a tightness in his chest.

Qiuyue was only in her early twenties, and her brilliant life had just begun before it ended abruptly.

Like a bright shooting star, it flashes by and disappears in an instant.

After the burial ceremony, everyone put down their umbrellas and took off their hats to pay tribute to this young anti-drug hero.

She dedicated her entire life to the fight against drugs.

Admirable and respectable.

It is thanks to people like Qiuyue that our country has become the most successful country in drug control, bar none.

The light rain continued to drizzle.

Qi Tongwei spotted Zhong Xiaoai in the crowd, then greeted Li Qingshui, left a hundred yuan, and left first.

"Is that your colleague?"

Before leaving, Zhong Xiaoai turned back and glanced one last time at the portrait of Qiuyue, who was about the same age as her.

Qi Tongwei lit a cigarette. "Hmm, her name is Qiuyue, she's 25 years old, she was an undercover agent in our anti-drug squad, her identity was exposed a week ago, and she was tortured to death by drug dealers."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiaoai stopped in her tracks.

A wave of bittersweetness washed over me.

She was the eldest daughter of the prestigious Zhong family, and from a young age, she was educated on how to build the country and improve people's livelihoods.

However, she had no contact with the harsh environment of grassroots workers.

Today, I learned a good lesson.

"Qi Tongwei, being a narcotics officer is so dangerous, have you considered switching to another department?"

"Which department?"

"Any department is fine, as long as you're willing, I can find a way."

Qi Tongwei smiled.

“Zhong Xiaoai, I know you have an extraordinary background and I don’t doubt your abilities, but the fight against drugs is a cause that benefits both the present and future generations. Some things just have to be done by someone!”

A single, casual remark elevated Qi Tongwei's image in her mind once again.

Unlike Hou Liangping, who was mercenary, or Zhong Jiaping, who loved to preach, the tenacity and courage revealed in his brows... were what she admired most about him.

"Ah."

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Zhong Xiaoai sneezed, then wrapped her coat tighter around herself.

When I arrived in Handong yesterday, the sun was shining brightly, but it started raining today, so my clothes were a bit too thin.

Her fair neck kept shrinking back into her clothes.

Seeing this, Qi Tongwei took off his suit jacket and handed it over.

"Put it on."

"I'm not cold."

"I'll let you put it on!"

Qi Tongwei raised his voice, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Just put it on, why are you being so fierce? People who don't know better will think I owe you money!"

Zhong Xiaoai stuck out her tongue.

Wearing a suit two sizes too big, although it doesn't match my outfit, it is definitely much warmer.

The main issue is that the clothes also have a faint tobacco smell.

This is the taste of Qi Tongwei.

"I have a mission this afternoon. We'll go eat in a bit, and after that you can go back to Beijing. Don't let your family worry."

"Oh!" Zhong Xiaoai pouted, "Where are we going to eat?"

"This is Yantai. There aren't any big restaurants here. There's a wonton stall up ahead. Just make do with that."

"Sure, I also love wontons, but there's one thing... I'll have to treat you."

"Row."

"By the way, please don't call me Zhong Xiaoai anymore, it feels too formal."

"What's that called?"

“You call me Xiao Ai, and I call you Tong Wei. This way of addressing each other feels much more intimate.”

"whatever!"

And so, the two of them, holding umbrellas, walked and chatted until they arrived at the wonton stall.

Handong is famous for its wontons.

Zhong Xiaoai ordered a large bowl and added a lot of chili oil, her forehead covered in beads of sweat as she ate.

Qi Tongwei had little appetite and only ordered a small bowl of wontons. Before he finished eating, the phone rang.

The city bureau's phone number.

"Captain Qi, we have news about Brother Hua."

"Okay, I'll come right away."

After hanging up the phone, Qi Tongwei stood up and glanced at the girl across from him.

"Xiao Ai, I'm going back to the station first. You can go back on your own after you finish eating. Yantai isn't the capital, and the security isn't that good. Remember not to linger."

"Okay, I understand. You can go ahead with your work. Oh, by the way... this dress."

"You can keep these clothes."

After saying that, Qi Tongwei grabbed his umbrella, lit a cigarette, and jogged towards the anti-drug squad.

His tall, upright figure made Zhong Xiaoai somewhat lost in thought.

Upon arriving at the Narcotics Control Division, Wang Hua from the Intelligence Section approached with a statement in hand.

"Captain Qi, the drug dealer we arrested earlier has spoken up. According to him, Brother Hua is still in Yantai City, and he has several key members under his command, all of whom are serious enough to be executed."

"Is there a specific location?"

“Brother Hua doesn’t have a fixed hideout, but that drug dealer confessed that Brother Hua goes to the Red Romance Club several times a month. The owner there might know something about it. How about we go to Red Romance Club first?”

"No." Qi Tongwei waved his hand. "Don't make any rash moves, and don't alert them. Find out all the details about the owner of Red Romance."

"Okay, I'll do it right away."

Half an hour later, Wang Hua came over with another document, followed by Chen Hai.

It seems he has officially joined the 915 anti-drug operation.

"Senior..."

"When at work, please use your job title."

"Yes, Captain Qi." Chen Hai said, "Captain Qi, I know this Red Romance boss. His name is Liu Hailong. He used to be an anti-drug police officer in Jingzhou. He went undercover and was awarded the Second Class Merit twice. He is also very good at fighting. I heard that when he arrested drug dealers, he once took down eight people with his bare hands, which shocked our Director Chen."

"and after?"

"Later, for some unknown reason, he left the anti-drug squad and opened the Honglangman entertainment venue in Yantai City. I heard that the business is quite good."

"Is that so?" Qi Tongwei turned to look at Wang Hua.

“Chen Hai’s intelligence is completely accurate.” Wang Hua nodded. “A retired narcotics officer hanging around with a drug lord is probably up to something.”

Qi Tongwei had already thought of this.

In fact, for undercover agents, the biggest threat is not the distrust of their superiors or the retaliation of drug dealers, but corruption.

The corruption of drug dealers.

Imagine you're going undercover, and drug dealers treat you like family, calling you brother, giving you money, and even taking a knife for you when you're in danger.

How could you not be moved?

For this reason, the anti-drug squad has extremely high requirements for undercover agents. They must not only be intelligent and agile, but most importantly... they must have a firm enough belief.

The salaries of narcotics officers are limited. After leaving his post, Liu Hailong immediately went to entertainment venues. Where did he get the money?

It's obvious that it came from an illegitimate source.

Given his ambiguous relationship with Brother Hua, Qi Tongwei has the right to suspect that he has been corrupted by drug dealers.

"Captain Qi, what's the next step? Should we shut down Honglanman and arrest Liu Hailong for questioning?"

Chen Hai's suggestion surprised Qi Tongwei.

How could someone with a mouth that's 36°C say such stupid things? Is he Chen Yanshi's son?

Hmm... that should be the case.