Police officer Chen Shu.

After everyone finished eating the noodles, Zhu Chaoran packed the leftovers into a bag, got out of the car, and threw them into a trash can.

Now that he had finished eating, Zhou Yongcheng finally raised his head and began to look around.

Chen Shu asked with a smile, "How do you usually live your life?"

"What do you mean by 'living a normal life'?" Zhou Yongcheng asked, somewhat confused.

Chen Shu asked, "What do you usually do during the day and at night? Do you have a job?"

Zhou Yongcheng thought for a moment, then respectfully said in a low voice, "Officer, I don't have a job. I just wander around on the streets during the day and at night."

The word "police officer" was uttered with genuine emotion and from the bottom of one's heart, rather than out of necessity.

As the group was chatting, Zhu Chaoran got into the car, started the engine, and drove towards the Zhengming District Detention Center.

The plainclothes officer, Xiao Lin, was a little confused and asked, "So, do you have money for food and sleep?"

Zhou Yongcheng raised his handcuffed hands and scratched his face, somewhat embarrassed: "During the day, I go to the pedestrian street in the city center and rummage through the trash cans on the side of the road. There will be some leftovers in them, and I will pick them up and eat some."

When I sleep at night, I usually go to sleep under the bridge by the river on Fangzhi Road, where it's sheltered from the wind. I put two blankets there, and I slept alright.

If I find money, I'll go to an internet cafe and stay up all night! When I get tired of playing games, I can just lie down on the sofa and sleep! The sofas at the King of Crossing Internet Cafe are the most comfortable, and their manager never yells at me.

When Zhou Yongcheng mentioned "going to an internet cafe," his eyes lit up.

Xiaolin was speechless, and the car fell silent.

When the car was almost at the detention center, Chen Shu asked Zhu Chaoran to park the car in front of a supermarket. He went in and bought a few pairs of underwear, a pair of slippers, and a set of thick pajamas.

The items weren't expensive; it only cost about a hundred yuan in total.

Given Zhou Yongcheng's prior criminal record, if the estimated value of the stolen mobile phones exceeds a certain threshold when he is released a few days later, he may be directly transferred from administrative detention to criminal detention.

That would be more than just ten days of detention.

Chen Shu returned to the car with the plastic bag containing underwear and pajamas, and stuffed the bag into Zhou Yongcheng's arms.

Zhou Yongcheng, who had been to detention centers several times, was somewhat surprised. He hesitated for a moment and tried to move the bag slightly towards Chen Shu.

Chen Shu pressed down on the plastic bag, looked at Zhou Yongcheng's evasive gaze, and calmly said, "Remember to call your parents after you get out, okay?"

Zhou Yongcheng lowered his head and didn't say anything, but he also stopped pushing away the plastic bag in his hand.

A few minutes later, the Santana drove into the detention center of the Zhengming District Public Security Bureau.

Chen Shu and the others took Zhou Yongcheng to the detention center's medical room first.

Before the physical examination, Zhou Yongcheng carefully handed the plastic bag containing the newly bought clothes to Zhu Chaoran.

After examining Zhou Yongcheng's physical condition and reviewing his medical report from Zhongshan People's Hospital, the on-duty doctor at the medical clinic issued an admission registration form.

Chen Shu signed his name on the registration form with practiced ease. Before leaving, he even handed a few cigarettes to the doctor on duty and chatted with him for a bit.

The doctors in detention centers wield immense power. Whether or not a person can be successfully admitted depends on them as the first hurdle.

Sometimes, when the police station is busy with cases, the suspects must be sent to the detention center within 24 hours of being summoned. After completing the case-handling procedures, the police officers can only disturb the on-duty doctor in the middle of the night.

Not only will it cause trouble for others, but if the person fails the medical examination, at best they will have to go back to the hospital for another examination and then come to the detention center; at worst, the person will exceed the summons period, and the case-handling unit and personnel will be punished.

Without making a sound, Chen Shu left a pack of cigarettes on the desk in the infirmary and bid farewell to the doctor on duty with a smile.

As they walked towards the inner prison, Zhu Chaoran asked suspiciously, "Brother Shu, didn't you smoke Liqun cigarettes? Why were you smoking Zhonghua cigarettes just now? Did you change your taste?"

Chen Shu spoke with a hint of exasperation: "Why is your focus always so unique?"

Zhu Chaoran is young, but he has good character, adheres to principles, and is quick-witted. Chen Shu has always wanted to groom him for a future.

Zhu Chaoran reacted quickly, adding without any embarrassment, "Brother Shu, why did you secretly leave a pack of cigarettes on the table just now?"

Chen Shu nodded: "That's more like it. Why? Go back and think about it carefully."

Kobayashi from the plainclothes team couldn't help but chuckle.

Zhu Chaoran knew what was going on, but with Xiao Lin right beside him, he couldn't get past the awkwardness and stubbornly continued to ask, "Brother Shu, I don't understand. Tell me."

Chen Shu suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, how much of the civil service exam study materials I bought you last time have you read?"

It was quiet.

When they arrived at the iron gate of the inner prison, Chen Shu asked Zhou Yongcheng in a deep voice, "Are you really not going to call your parents?"

Zhou Yongcheng, who had been walking with his head down, raised his head at this moment, looked at Chen Shu, and hesitated to speak.

We're all adults; you can't force a relationship.

Chen Shu didn't want to lecture him on life's lessons. He simply waved his hand and said, "Want a smoke?"

Detention center regulations prohibit inmates from smoking during their detention. The last cigarette before entering the cell is usually left at the iron gate. Therefore, no matter how late it is, the police will humanely offer one.

Zhou Yongcheng quieted down and nodded.

Chen Shu took out a Liqun cigarette, handed one to each person, and then lit it one by one.

Four men stood by the large iron gate of the inner prison, quietly smoking, and none of them spoke.

In just a few minutes, the cigarette had burned out.

Chen Shu took the plastic bag that Zhu Chaoran was helping to carry and stuffed it into Zhou Yongcheng's hand.

He raised his chin and said calmly, "Go in."

Zhou Yongcheng walked to the small iron gate of the inner prison, turned around and bowed to Chen Shu: "Thank you, officer."

Chen Shu waved his hand: "Remember to call your parents when you come out."

"Eh."

This time, Zhou Yongcheng agreed and turned to go through the iron gate.

Chen Shu was somewhat moved. He had only spent a hundred or so yuan on some clothes, plus two bowls of noodles and a cigarette, yet he had received Zhou Yongcheng's gratitude and respect.

Little did they know that the parents who raised Zhou Yong must have sacrificed a hundred times more than he had.

He approached the inner cell and, through the iron window on the first floor, saw Zhou Yongcheng conducting an entry inspection in an orderly manner.

Changing clothes, taking photos, registering fingerprints...

Zhou Yongcheng is a pitiful homeless man, but he must have some hateful aspects. If he is made to feel sorry for others, he may go astray in the future. Therefore, he still has to serve his sentence. Hopefully, after he is released, he will know to walk the right path.

Chen Shu was somewhat relieved because he saw that Zhou Yongcheng was moving quickly and looking naturally, which was different from the dazed state he had encountered in the detention room of Zhongshan Institute that night.

His eyes were no longer filled with numbness.

Chen Shu shook his head, took out a Liqun cigarette, lit one, waved to Zhu Chaoran and Xiao Lin, and walked towards the gate of the detention center together.

"It should be hope, right?"