Chapter 84: I Am Li Shangwu

My name is Li Shangwu. I lied.

On May 22, 2010, my colleague and I received an assignment to stake out a fraud suspect.

This suspect was named Zhang Huanan.

He was extremely cunning, with several prior convictions.

What made it even more challenging was Zhang Huanan's highly advanced anti-surveillance skills; he had escaped police captures multiple times, and in this latest fraud case, he was quickly identified as a key suspect, leading my colleague and me to keep a round-the-clock watch on him.

"Li Dui, want one?"

Xiao Liu pulled out my favorite Dongchong Xiacao cigarettes from his pocket. He wasn't wealthy, but he always carried those expensive ones costing over fifty yuan a pack, never smoking them himself and always offering one to me.

"Xiao Liu, how much do you earn each month?"

I didn't take the cigarette; instead, I pulled out my own pack of Hong Jiangjun, which cost eight yuan and packed a strong punch.

"Two thousand seven hundred," Xiao Liu said. "Li Dui, you already know that, right?"

"You earn two thousand seven hundred a month and smoke Dongchong Xiacao?" I lit up a Hong Jiangjun, and Xiao Liu quickly handed me a lighter.

"Li Dui, what are you talking about..." Xiao Liu hurriedly smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare smoke Dongchong Xiacao myself. I keep it just for you..."

I shook my head helplessly and told him, "We're detectives—it's about who can crack the case that matters. Don't get caught up in all that workplace flattery."

"Yes, yes, you're right, Li Dui." Xiao Liu put the Dongchong Xiacao back in his pocket and took out a pack of six-yuan Changbai Shan cigarettes. "I'm just here learning from you how to handle cases."

Truth be told, Xiao Liu was smart and quick to learn. He had always been at the top of his class in police academy, but I had no idea how his parents raised him—he was so young yet already mastered all that slick official behavior, which gave us seniors quite the headache.

"Li Dui, do you think we'll catch Zhang Huanan?"

"Well..." I thought for a moment. "Don't worry about that. The higher-ups told us to stake out here, so we just follow orders."

We parked our car across the street from Zhang Huanan's house, focusing intently on the only entrance.

Stakeouts like this usually involved two people so one could rest while the other took over, but we had no idea how long we'd be here, and the uncertainty only amplified our nicotine cravings.

"I should've brought a change of underwear..." Xiao Liu said.

"What for? Are you planning to change right here?"

"Ha!" Xiao Liu laughed casually. "Just kidding, Li Dui. Want another one?"

We kept lighting up cigarettes in the confined space of the car. Without daring to open the windows, the interior quickly filled with haze.

Xiao Liu turned on the air conditioning every so often to freshen the air; otherwise, in that environment, the risk of lung cancer would be nearly 100 percent.

A full day passed, and neither of us had slept.

I was used to pulling all-nighters, so I could handle it, but Xiao Liu was already dozing off.

"You rest for a bit," I said. "I can keep watch alone."

"Li Dui... is that okay... You haven't rested yet, how can I sleep first..." He was trying to tough it out, but his eyelids were fighting to stay open.

"It's fine, go ahead. I'll wake you later tonight."

"Well, then... just half an hour..."

In less than twenty seconds, Xiao Liu's snoring started—he must have been exhausted.

Once I confirmed he was sound asleep, I slowly took my phone out of my pocket and checked the unread messages.

Out of the four messages, three were from Xuanxuan.

"Daddy, are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

"Daddy, Grandma said you've been on a mission these past few days. Stay safe!"

"Daddy, there's a parent-teacher meeting next Friday afternoon. Can you make it?"

I furrowed my brow slightly and replied to Xuanxuan:

"I'll be home in a couple of days. Make sure you eat well."

After sending that, I opened the fourth unread message.

From an unknown number, it simply said: "Still staking out?"

I glanced at the sleeping Xiao Liu beside me, then shifted my body to the other side and quickly replied: "Cut the crap, stay hidden."

Once that was done, I put my phone away and slowly reclined my seat, getting ready for a quick nap.

The new car from the team was pretty high-end—the seats were electric and lowered smoothly, unlike the old ones that would jolt down and risk throwing out your back.

As for staking out Zhang Huanan...

Don't kid yourself—he wasn't going to show up with me here.

I don't know how much time passed, but I was suddenly jolted awake by vigorous shaking.

I opened my eyes in a panic and saw Xiao Liu looking at me nervously: "Li Dui! How did you fall asleep too?!"

"Huh?" I was a bit groggy from waking up and took a moment to piece it together. "Oh... you're awake?"

"Oh no! Li Dui, we both fell asleep. What if Zhang Huanan showed up?"

"Don't worry, he won't get away." I rubbed my eyes and adjusted the seat back.

"Won't get away?"

"Oh... I mean, I only just dozed off, so it's not like it happened at the perfect time..."

"Ah..." Xiao Liu still looked uneasy. He slapped his cheeks hard and said, "I knew I shouldn't have slept. Now we're in trouble—first mission and I messed up."

"It's okay, kid." I patted his shoulder. "If anything goes wrong, I'll take the heat."

Strangely enough, from that moment on, Xiao Liu seemed energized, going two more days without sleep.

I dozed off several times in between, but every time I woke up, I saw Xiao Liu staring fixedly at the building across the street.

"Are you trying to work yourself to death?" I asked with concern. "I'm awake now—you should get some rest."

"No way." Xiao Liu's dark circles were prominent, and he looked worn out. "Li Dui, I'm not resting this time. We have to wait until Zhang Huanan shows up."

Just then, my phone in my pocket rang again.

Even my Nokia 6300 was running out of battery by now.

I checked it discreetly—Zhang Huanan had sent another message.

I turned my body slightly to read it, but Xiao Liu suddenly asked from behind me, "Is that an order from the team?"

"Oh, no." I smiled and subtly moved the phone away.

"Not from the team? Then who is it?" He stared blankly at the phone in my hand.

I knew most people wouldn't ask something so rude—Xiao Liu was just out of it from the lack of sleep.

Seeing his state, I came up with a plan.

I reached into my pocket, moved the cigarettes from the pack into it, then pulled out the empty pack and waved it in front of him.

"Xiao Liu, go buy a pack of cigarettes."

"Buy cigarettes? There's no convenience store nearby." He paused and said.

"But I'm out." I tucked the pack and phone into my pocket and told him, "If there's none close by, go a bit farther. We can't go without smokes during a long stakeout. And while you're at it, grab some mineral water and bread from the car—they're almost gone."

He stood there thinking for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, Li Dui. I'll be right back."