Back in the city, Qiao Huali drank two cups with gusto. He was also very satisfied with his meeting with Luo Wenwu that day.
He had always suspected whether Hu Jia had opened that box. So he specifically probed Luo Wenwu.
Although Luo Wenwu said at the end that he had indeed smashed open the box.
But Qiao Huali knew that Luo Wenwu was lying.
His eyes and demeanor had already betrayed him, not to mention the fabricated brass lock.
Sixth Master got up, changed his long gown and cloth shoes, and soon, a well-dressed Qiao Huali reappeared on the street.
He glanced subtly at the corner of the opposite wall, where two people were hiding.
Two acquaintances, although he couldn't recall their names, Qiao Huali had a good impression of them. They seemed to be close to Lü Qingqing on weekdays.
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Qiao Huali's eyes. He had long known that Hu Jia would send people to follow him, but he didn't expect them to be such green sprouts.
Their surveillance skills were indeed lacking.
In fact, it was not entirely their fault, Zhan Ruoxuan and Zhou Fengjiu. They were actually quite capable, but their target was an old police officer who had worked in criminal investigation for decades.
There was a gap in strength.
"I see Deputy Director Qiao has been very well-behaved these past two days. He hasn't contacted anyone, goes to work, comes home from work, and doesn't even have any neighbors visiting."
Initially, Zhan Ruoxuan was excited about surveilling Qiao Huali, but after staking him out for two or three days with no progress, he lost interest.
"Yes, Deputy Director Qiao's life is too simple, with almost no social activities. Does it mean he really just wanted to thank Dao Ren for saving his life back then, and he only took care of them occasionally, without doing anything harmful to the police station?"
Zhou Fengjiu, like Zhan Ruoxuan, had lost interest in Qiao Huali.
In their opinion, Qiao Huali's peaceful, uneventful life seemed to have no special deep connection with the Dao Ren organization.
Especially now that Dao Ren was in such difficult straits, Qiao Huali had not met any strangers. Could it be that he had truly given up on Dao Ren? No longer intervening in the game between the police and Dao Ren?
This was good news.
And Qiao Huali, who had already left, did not know what those two young police officers were thinking. However, at this moment, he was indeed living a law-abiding life.
He was either going to work or coming home from work, and he rarely even saw Tong Meng.
Zhan Ruoxuan and the others had guessed one thing correctly. Qiao Huali was indeed planning to give up Dao Ren.
In his opinion, the formation of Dao Ren was for the treasure, and now, using Dao Ren to attract the police's attention and hide his identity was also for wealth.
Since the outcome was the same, he would naturally choose the path that could preserve himself.
As for the surveillance, he was not worried at all.
If those two greenhorns could discover his secret, he would admit defeat.
When Qiao Huali returned to the police station, he saw Tong Meng walking towards him from a distance. He frowned slightly and gestured with his eyes for Tong Meng to speak in his office.
Ever since Qiao Huali decided to give up the Dao Ren organization, he had consciously reduced his meetings with Tong Meng.
Tong Meng also knew that Qiao Huali was being closely watched now, so she cleverly kept her distance.
Now, Tong Meng coming to find Qiao Huali in broad daylight clearly indicated that the matter was not only urgent but also very important.
"What happened?" Qiao Huali stopped Tong Meng from closing the door. He wanted others to see Tong Meng openly with him.
Closing the door would only arouse suspicion.
"Tong Hua wants to see me," Tong Meng said in a low voice.
Tong Hua?
"You want me to save him?" Qiao Huali glared at Tong Meng discontentedly. He couldn't even save Tang Yingge now, so who would care about that fool?
"He's been locked up for too long, and I think he's lost his patience," Tong Meng said. "When a person loses patience, they might speak without restraint."
Qiao Huali's expression changed, "You mean he knows my identity?"
Besides this, Qiao Huali couldn't think of anything else Tong Hua could use to hold him.
"I never told him your identity, but he's not stupid," Tong Meng said cryptically, but Qiao Huali understood her meaning.
"You mean he's looking for you this time to use it as a threat?" Qiao Huali's expression returned to normal, as if he were not troubled by this.
"He must have seen that we have no rescue plan," Tong Meng paused. "Director Qiao, he is a ticking time bomb."
"Mm," Qiao Huali smiled. "What do you think I should do?"
Tong Meng cursed inwardly. This old fox. He probably already had an answer in his mind, but he insisted on making her play the villain.
"Director Qiao's decision is Tong Meng's command to obey. Tong Meng will listen to Director Qiao, and I only hope that Tong Hua does not disrupt Director Qiao's important plans."
A cold glint flashed in Qiao Huali's smile. This woman was more concerned about herself.
Tong Hua knew everything about Tong Meng and Dao Ren's Sixth Master. She must be very afraid of Tong Hua exposing her for self-preservation.
After all, Tong Meng was only registered in the Household Registration Bureau now, and without evidence, he couldn't act. But if Tong Hua spoke up, and a brother reported his own sister, then things would be difficult.
"Alas, I feel sorry for him too, after all, he is your brother. But I really can't interfere with the Disciplinary Supervision Bureau. You know, saving someone is much harder than killing someone," Qiao Huali sighed.
"My brother once said that he did not want to be a burden to Sixth Master. He would rather die than become Sixth Master's burden," Tong Meng said with a soft voice, uttering the coldest words.
This was telling Qiao Huali to kill Tong Hua.
Although Qiao Huali knew this was Tong Meng's true desire, he still felt a chill. This woman was truly ruthless.
Seeing Qiao Huali looking at her, Tong Meng's voice deepened, "Although my surname is also Tong, I am Director Qiao's woman. Since my brother is so understanding, I cannot go against his wishes."
Tong Meng's explanation was pale and weak.
But it didn't matter.
What mattered was that she gave Qiao Huali the answer he wanted to hear.
"Alas, you've suffered," Qiao Huali said, feigning helplessness.
"It's not suffering. My brother and I are willing. It's just that soon, there will be one less person in this world who dotes on me," Tong Meng's voice was tinged with sadness.
"I will return the love your brother had for you to you twofold," Qiao Huali was also a master of acting.
"Then I'll go see him this afternoon. After all, he is my brother. Even if he goes to jail for a few years, we can still sit down and eat together after he gets out," Tong Meng wiped her eyes, then forced a reluctant smile, looking pitiful.
Qiao Huali waved his hand directly, "Go early and come back early!"
It was unbearable to watch.
...
Before leaving work, Qiao Huali sent a message to Hu Jia, stating that Sixth Master had agreed to a meeting. The time was set for the day after tomorrow at noon, at Shanhu Ba.
Shanhu Ba was a small island in the Yangtze River.
You could say it was an island, but it wasn't very high above the water. Every year during the flood season, it would be submerged.
You could say it wasn't an island, but it was surrounded by water on all sides.
Such a place, with no obstructions around, could be clearly seen from the city. Hu Jia didn't quite understand why Sixth Master chose that location.
Was he not worried at all?