After the Divorce, I Went Back to My Hometown, Pregnant and Became the Sheriff - Chapter 15

The moment Shen Yucheng monitored the situation going south, he had already begun mobilizing every available officer under his command. He led the Special Operations Team himself, heading directly up the mountain.

Large-scale police mobilization took time, but time was exactly what Jiang Xu and the others lacked most.

Shen Yucheng floored the accelerator all the way up the mountain. By the time he reached the midway point, the area was still swarming with people.

The race had been forcibly halted. Several confused drivers panicked at the sight of three or four police vehicles pulling up in succession, and the scene descended into a chaotic commotion.

Shen Yucheng pushed open his door and stepped out. “Nobody move!” He pulled his identification from his suit jacket. The badge of the General Administration of Integrity reflected a cold, sharp light under the surrounding headlights. “G-City Public Security. We received a report of an illegal mountain racing event and suspected major criminal activity. Cooperate with the investigation!”

An accompanying inspector also produced his credentials. “Who is the person in charge here? Step forward!”

Ye Xihang stepped out of his car. “Officer, oh, I mean, Chief Inspector. I am the person in charge. Here is my business card. May I ask what the problem is?”

He handed the card over. The Chief Inspector took it, and after a quick glance, his expression shifted slightly. He stole a nervous look at Shen Yucheng.

“The permits for this mountain race are all in order. There is absolutely no violation,” Ye Xihang said with a worldly smile, offering a cigarette. “How should I address you, sir?”

“Save the act.” Shen Yucheng scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on the shattered remains of a pair of glasses on the ground. “Is everyone involved in the race present?” He found no sign of Jiang Xu or Zhou Lexuan on the road.

“Yes, everyone is here. Whatever you need to investigate, we are happy to comply.”

“Where is the entry list?”

Ye Xihang paused, then nudged a lackey beside him. The yellow-haired youth quickly scurried to Ye Xihang’s car, pulled out a stack of A4 documents, and handed them to Shen Yucheng with a fawning smile. “Officer, here are the files on all the participants.”

Shen Yucheng lowered his head and flipped through them rapidly. None of the three names were on the list. He shoved the papers back into the youth’s hands and fixed a cold stare on Ye Xihang. “Has the foot of the mountain been blocked off this entire time?”

“Naturally,” Ye Xihang replied. “Our races follow the rules. Permits, inspections, road closures, it’s all legal and compliant.”

Shen Yucheng caught the Chief Inspector’s eye. The Inspector quickly contacted the officers at the bottom of the mountain. After confirming, he whispered in Shen Yucheng’s ear, “Confirmed. No one has entered or exited from the base since the race began.”

“Understood.” Shen Yucheng gave a slight nod. As Ye Xihang tried to step forward again, Shen Yucheng blocked him with a wave of his hand. “Do not obstruct official business.”

He got back into his car, his voice carrying an unquestionable frost. “I’m heading further up. Chief Inspector, you are in charge here. Backup will arrive shortly. Secure every illegally modified vehicle. Don’t let a single one escape.”

Ye Xihang’s face turned pale instantly. “Hey, Officer! Damn it! Do you even know who I am? Hey!”

His only response was the roar of the engine.

The freezing mountain wind carried grit that pelted Shen Yucheng’s windows. He kept the gas pedal pressed to the floor. However, this was merely a standard government vehicle; even with the pedal floored, the speed was still too slow for his liking.

The needle on the dashboard swung steadily to the right. His field of vision narrowed as his speed climbed. The dense forest outside blurred into shapeless black shadows, passing his peripheral vision in one dark mass after another. His mind began to uncontrollably flash back to Jiang Xu’s face, looking exactly as it did on that day five years ago.

Shen Yucheng never questioned the choices he made five years ago.

He and Jiang Xu were legally married, but that didn’t mean they had to be tethered together every second. It was only a few years abroad; it wasn’t as if he were emigrating. He could have applied for leave to come back. With that thought, he had boarded the plane to Germany without looking back.

Everything was fine in Germany. His mother was German, so he didn’t even have to struggle to adapt to the local culture.

It was only four years.

He and Jiang Xu were so young. They would have countless four-year periods ahead of them.

So when he was granted his first leave and returned to their home in S-City, only to find the divorce papers on the entryway table, he felt as though he had fallen into a nightmare—a nightmare entirely beyond his control.

He hated instinct. He hated being influenced. He hated anything uncontrollable. Yet, in that moment, his brain was driven by nothing but wild, unbridled instinct.

It was true five years ago, and five years later, he had made no progress. He was still being led around by Jiang Xu.

The mountain road was treacherous and winding. At every curve, Shen Yucheng had to turn the wheel nearly to the lock. The tires scraped against the guardrails, sending sparks flying and creating an ear-splitting screech, but his hands remained clamped tight on the wheel.

Until finally, a glimmer of taillights appeared ahead.

He leaned on the horn and slammed the accelerator home. The car lunged forward in a reckless maneuver, cutting off the black Mercedes ahead and forcing it to stop.

The mountain air was filled with the acrid stench of scorched rubber. Shen Yucheng opened his door and knocked on the Mercedes window.

“Step out. Routine security check.”

The window rolled down, and Zhou Lexuan chuckled. “If it isn’t the Special Envoy from S-City, Team Leader Shen Yucheng of the Integrity Bureau? I’ve heard my aunt mention you often. Why are you working the traffic beat so late at night?”

Shen Yucheng looked down at him coldly. “Step out of the vehicle immediately.”

Zhou Lexuan shrugged and climbed out.

Shen Yucheng’s gaze swept grimly over the back seat; it was empty. He shut the door and walked to the rear of the car, tapping his long fingers against the trunk. “Open it.”

Zhou Lexuan’s expression changed. “What is there to check in the trunk? It’s not like I could fit a dead body in there.”

“Mr. Zhou Lexuan, I am not negotiating with you. This is an order. Open it!”

Moonlight pierced through the thick mist, swirling around Shen Yucheng and casting a faint halo over his tall, straight silhouette.

Zhou Lexuan looked into Shen Yucheng’s gray-blue eyes and, for some reason, felt a sudden shiver. He forced a smile and fumbled with the trunk lid for a few seconds, claiming he couldn’t find the release button.

“Team Leader Shen, I think we should forget it. There’s really no need.”

Shen Yucheng looked down and tapped on his phone, the dim glow of the screen reflecting in his eyes. “Don’t make me repeat myself.” He turned off the screen. The mountain mist was heavy and unlikely to clear anytime soon.

Zhou Lexuan slowly opened the trunk.

The trunk of the Mercedes was spacious, its interior continuing the cold, all-black theme of the car. It was pitch-black, cavernous, and completely empty.

“See?” Zhou Lexuan crossed his arms. “I told you it was unnecessary.” He looked at Shen Yucheng with a smug expression. “I never keep anything in the trunk.”

“Is that so?” Shen Yucheng tilted his head slightly. “I wonder where Mr. Zhou Lexuan is heading in such a hurry?”

“It’s late, so home, obviously,” Zhou Lexuan said with a smile. “My aunt recently bought a villa at the top of Camphor Mountain. She doesn’t usually stay there, but she’s been in a bad mood lately and wanted a short getaway in the mountains. After all, the higher you live, the fewer mosquitoes there are. Don’t you agree, Team Leader Shen?”

A gust of wind picked up. Shen Yucheng stood in the biting mountain breeze, his gaze terrifyingly calm. “The mosquitoes are fewer when you live high up, but this is the mountains after all. Snakes and insects are far more vicious than mosquitoes. Aren’t Ms. Su and Mr. Zhou afraid of being bitten?”

“It’s fine. Our family has plenty of medicine.” Zhou Lexuan glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. If the Team Leader has nothing else, I really must get home. My aunt has already called me several times.”

“In that case, I’ll have to trouble Mr. Zhou to give me a lift up the mountain.”

Zhou Lexuan was stunned. “Give you a lift?”

Shen Yucheng extended a hand, pale to the point of being translucent, and pointed at his car parked to the side. “As you can see, my car has broken down. I’ll have to wait for my colleagues at the base to finish their business before they can come pick me up. In the meantime, I’d like to rest at Mr. Zhou’s house for a bit.” He fixed his gray-blue eyes unblinkingly on Zhou Lexuan. “I hope I won’t be an intrusion?”

“Ha…” Zhou Lexuan’s face tensed. “Not at all. You’re more than welcome.”

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