A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 87

Wang Deng was jogging toward the cafeteria, hands tucked in his pockets, ready to dive into lunch. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lu Xiao slumped in a chair, legs stretched out and resting haphazardly on another seat, his face clouded with worry.

Wang Deng pulled an emergency brake on his stride. “Eh? Not going to eat, Captain?”

“I’ll eat when I’m hungry. I’m not in the mood right now.”

Lu Xiao stared at the whiteboard, his thoughts a tangled mess. Several names were scrawled there:

Zhai Hongtian, Li Lin, Chen Qiang, Cheng Nianchuan, Kidnapper (Unknown).

His fingers tapped a rhythmic beat against his thigh. Just then, Old Zhou hurried out of the office with his head down. Lu Xiao spotted him and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Hey! What are you so busy with that you can’t even see where you’re walking?”

Old Zhou looked up and, seeing Lu Xiao, quickly adjusted his posture and waddled over, his stomach leading the way. “We’ve got a new lead.”

Lu Xiao’s eyebrow arched. “What is it?”

Old Zhou handed over a surveillance photo. It showed a medium-built man wearing a grey baseball cap, his expression cold and grim, standing in front of a convenience store as if scouting the area.

“This is…?”

“Li Lin.”

Lu Xiao sat bolt upright, dropping his legs from the chair and gripping the photo. “Is this confirmed? We’re sure it’s him?”

Old Zhou adjusted his glasses, revealing dark circles from days of lost sleep. “Confirmed. I even showed it to Chen Qiang. It wasn’t easy! We’ve been tailing him for ages, and he finally slipped up by withdrawing cash in Jiangcheng. He’s probably running low on funds and couldn’t hold out any longer. Cough… cough… My throat is shot from all this. He was spotted this morning on the western outskirts of Jiangcheng.”

“Does he have connections there? What’s he doing in that area?”

“Not sure yet. We’re looking into it.”

Lu Xiao narrowed his eyes, his fingers drumming on the desk. “When are we moving in?”

Old Zhou hesitated. “Tentatively tonight. But Chen Qiang says this guy is ruthless—he’s already got a few bodies on his record. Our team is heading out to keep eyes on him. If the situation isn’t right tonight, we’ll just observe.”

Lu Xiao nodded, his gaze dark as he stared at the man in the photo. “Understood. I’m going too.”

Old Zhou blinked in surprise. “You? Isn’t your injury still healing?”

“It’s close enough. If this case doesn’t move forward, I can’t find any peace.”

Lu Xiao checked his watch and pulled out his phone to send a quick message to Shen Zhao:

[Working overtime at the station tonight, probably won’t be able to make it over. Remember to eat dinner and get some rest early.]

He let out a soft breath, tucked the phone back into his pocket without waiting for a reply, and prepared to move.

11:00 PM, Jiangcheng

On the outskirts of the city, traffic was sparse. A few laborers, just off their shifts, whistled as they walked arm-in-arm toward a roadside beer stall. A few flickering streetlights kept the night from being absolute.

Several inconspicuous cars were scattered along the road, lights off and windows rolled up.

Lu Xiao leaned against the passenger seat of one of the cars, dressed in a black leather jacket. He clutched a cup of extra-strong coffee that had long since gone cold, his sharp eyes locked onto a dilapidated auto repair shop in the distance.

“It’s been nearly four hours. Not a single soul has come out,” Old Zhou muttered from the driver’s seat, his voice laced with anxiety.

“Don’t rush it. Keep him pinned. I don’t believe for a second he can stay inside forever.” Lu Xiao picked up the radio to brief the other vehicles. “Everyone stay sharp. If you need to use the bathroom, hold it.”

While his choice of words wasn’t exactly elegant, the moment his expression turned serious, he radiated a chilling, formidable authority.

“This guy has been on the run for a long time,” Lu Xiao noted, checking the time. “For him to suddenly risk taking out cash in Jiangcheng means he’s likely mapped out an escape route. Don’t startle the snake.”

The minutes ticked by. The officers in the surrounding cars spoke in low whispers to stay awake. Lu Xiao kept his focus on the repair shop’s main gate, exercising absolute patience.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Without taking his eyes off the target, he glanced down. It was a call from Shen Zhao.

Lu Xiao exhaled. Why is he calling now?

Old Zhou gave him a nod, indicating he would keep watch. Lu Xiao answered.

“…Hello?”

Shen Zhao didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Where are you?”

Lu Xiao froze for a split second before slipping into his usual playful tone, lying through his teeth. “At the station. Busy organizing some case files.”

There was a pause on the other end. Shen Zhao’s voice slowed down. “I sent you several messages and you didn’t reply. Tell me the truth—is something wrong?”

Lu Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, but he forced a casual chuckle. “Really, Old Zhou is right here next to me. We’re all working overtime so I didn’t have time to check. Listen… Old Zhou, say something.”

Across town, Shen Zhao was standing right in front of the police station. The building was dark; not a single light was on.

Shen Zhao narrowed his eyes. “Lu Xiao.”

“Yeah?”

“…Get off work early.”

Shen Zhao hung up, his sense of unease intensifying. Lu Xiao’s message this afternoon had already felt strange, followed by hours of silence. Since when was Lu Xiao ever this quiet? And he hadn’t even bothered to craft a convincing lie.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Zhao sat in his car and thought for a moment. He then patiently sent a message to Wu Di:

[Officer Lu asked me to help him with a case tonight, but the location he sent seems inaccurate. He’s probably busy and hasn’t replied to me—could you send me the coordinates?]

Wu Di was sitting in another stakeout car, focused intently on the back exit of the repair shop. When his phone buzzed with a message from Doctor Shen, he grinned. Without a second thought, he forwarded the location, adding a cute emoji:

[Hehe, this place is pretty hard to find! 📍]

Shen Zhao looked at the location. It was far. His heart sank.

Back in the lead car, Lu Xiao tucked his phone away and joked with Old Zhou, “Hehe, just a check-in from the ‘warden.’ No big deal.”

Old Zhou gave him a knowing look. “You didn’t tell him?”

“It’s a bit dangerous. Constantly dragging him through hell and high water doesn’t feel right. Hey, Old Zhou, how does your wife usually react when you’re out on a bust?”

Before Old Zhou could answer, the low rumble of an engine cut through the night wind.