I slept with my sister's classmate, and she turned out to be my boss.

When Gu Huaiyuan woke up.

The light filtering through the gaps in the curtains was already the color of dusk.

He lay in bed, stunned for more than ten seconds before remembering where he was—

In the south of the city, there was a small hotel without a sign. Rooms were paid for in cash, and no ID cards were registered.

He sat up; his briefcase was still on the bedside table, the zipper intact.

He opened it and took a look; his passport, cash, and bank cards were all there.

He took out a compressed biscuit, tore open the packaging, and chewed a few times, his throat becoming sore from dryness.

There is a bottle of Wahaha mineral water on the bedside table.

He opened the bottle, took a few sips, then sat back down on the bed and took out his old-fashioned cell phone.

He dialed the number, and it was answered after two rings.

"Can we leave tomorrow?"

The other person's voice was calm: "The car hasn't arrived yet. It won't be until tomorrow night at the earliest. Figure things out for yourself tonight, don't stay in the hotel. Although Nancheng isn't big, the checks will start sooner or later."

Gu Huaiyuan didn't press further, only saying one word: "Okay."

I hung up the phone.

He glanced out the window; it was almost dark.

He picked up his briefcase, walked to the door, listened to the sounds in the hallway, then opened the door and quickly went downstairs.

He left the key at the front desk, and the boss glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

Gu Huaiyuan pushed open the hotel door and stepped into the night of the southern city.

He walked along the sidewalk, without any particular direction, just keeping moving.

The nights in the southern part of the city are quieter than in the provincial capital. There are not many pedestrians on the streets, and most of the shops on both sides are closed.

He walked past two or three intersections, turned into a quieter street, bought a bottle of water from a roadside stall, and continued walking.

He didn't know where he was going, he only knew he couldn't stop.

……

Meanwhile, in the provincial capital.

The on-duty staff in the technical department stared at the screen, their fingers slowly moving across the map.

All the road network surveillance footage around the airport has been retrieved.

The location where Gu Huaiyuan got off the car has been determined—near the South City Exit of the Airport Expressway, around 2 a.m.

The license plate of the car he transferred to was also identified.

After receiving the report, Hu Yuheng immediately contacted the Nancheng Public Security Traffic Police Department and found the vehicle owner's information 20 minutes later.

The car owner is a local from Nancheng and works as a ride-hailing driver.

Zhao Guoqiang and his team located the car owner.

He was a little nervous and said that he had only accepted a rideshare order. The other party hailed the car on the side of the road, said they were going to Nancheng, paid in cash, and did not use the platform.

He didn't know who that person was.

Hu Yuheng reported the situation to Chen Yuanda.

After listening, Chen Yuanda remained silent for a moment:

"Expand the monitoring area and check the surveillance footage from all major intersections in the southern part of the city to see which direction he went after getting out of the car."

At the same time, all small hotels in the southern part of the city that do not require ID card registration will be investigated.

Hu Yuheng hesitated for a moment: "Director Chen, should we release the notice of assistance in the investigation to the public?"

Police resources are limited in the southern part of the city; mobilizing the public might help them find him more quickly.

Chen Yuanda shook his head:

"Gu Huaiyuan is a vice-ministerial level official. If the investigation is made public, the news will spread rapidly, and all parties will be passive after the public opinion ferments."

Moreover, if this becomes public, he might resort to more extreme measures to escape.

He paused for a moment:

"Let's conduct an internal investigation first. The cooperation of the local public security bureau in Nancheng is sufficient."

Hu Yuheng didn't say anything more and turned to make the arrangements.

……

It's midnight.

Yang Xiujiang had not yet left the office.

He sat behind his desk, and there were a few more cigarette butts in the ashtray in front of him.

He smoked quite a few cigarettes today, but the office door was closed and no one came in.

The phone remained quietly on the table until the screen lit up briefly.

He picked it up and saw the line of text—

"Old Gu has arrived safely in Nancheng."

He stared at that line of text for a long time, then deleted it.

Gu Huaiyuan's safe arrival in Nancheng means that he has not yet been arrested.

But Yang Xiujiang knew that this was only temporary.

The task force is not to be underestimated; they will soon catch up with the enemy in Nancheng.

Gu Huaiyuan is currently in Nancheng, and the task force is also moving towards Nancheng.

If Gu Huaiyuan is arrested, he'll be next.

Yang Xiujiang stood up and paced back and forth in the office a few times.

He glanced at the phone on the table, then at his cell phone.

He was considering whether he should also prepare to leave in advance.

Once this thought popped into my head, it was like it had taken root and I couldn't shake it off.

But he stopped after taking a few steps.

Because he was thinking of his wife and son.

Gu Huaiyuan's wife lives in the province, but his daughter lives abroad.

His wife didn't know much about him; only his mistress, Lin Meijuan, knew his secrets.

Yang Xiujiang is different—

His wife and son lived in the provincial capital, led regular lives, and had close contact with him.

If he runs away, his wife and son will be the direct point of attack.

The task force didn't need to get anything out of him.

Enough clues can be found from his family.

He sat down again and suppressed the thought.

He can't run, at least not now.

But he can't do nothing.

Yang Xiujiang opened her phone's contacts and found a friend's number from another province—

His surname is Han. He runs a building materials business in a neighboring province. We met in our early years through work. We weren't close friends, but we could talk to each other.

He hesitated for a moment and didn't call.

"It's too early to start now."

He muttered to himself:

"First, clean out the things in the study and get rid of anything that can be disposed of."

He stood up, put his phone in his pocket, pushed open the office door, and walked towards home.

……

at the same time.

Gu Huaiyuan drove around two blocks, passing several small hotels that were already closed, without stopping.

He felt those places weren't safe enough.

Being too close to the main street makes it easy to attract attention.

He continued walking south, where the streets became narrower and the streetlights became sparser.

Around one o'clock, he saw a place with its lights on on at the street corner.

The storefront is small, with the signboard reading "Dazhong Bathhouse".

Several electric bikes were parked at the entrance, and people occasionally went in and out.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and pushed open the door.

The receptionist was a woman in her fifties, looking down at her phone.

Gu Huaiyuan walked over and asked her how much it would cost to stay overnight.

The woman looked up at him and quoted a price.

Gu Huaiyuan took out his wallet from his pocket, counted out cash, and handed it over.

The woman took the money, gave him a key, and pointed to the end of the corridor.

He took the key and went inside, finding the corresponding room at the end of the corridor.

It wasn't big; there was a single bed, a bedside table, and dim lighting.

He placed his briefcase on the bedside table, then lay down without taking off his coat.

Occasionally, someone would pass by in the corridor outside, their footsteps pausing briefly at the door before fading away.

He waited a while to make sure there was no movement before slowly closing his eyes.

What will happen tomorrow?

he does not know.

But at least for tonight, he's safe.