My Dongguan Love Story

Lin Tao is on vacation today and spent the whole morning comfortably lying in bed, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

The sudden ringing of the phone shattered her tranquility. She fumbled on the bedside table with her eyes closed for a moment, then looked up at her phone. Seeing it was Dazhuang calling, a hint of doubt crept into her mind. She casually ruffled her messy hair and softly asked, "Feed?"

I heard Lin Tao's voice sound a little languid, guessing she was probably sleeping, and said apologetically, "Officer Lin, did I disturb your rest?"

Lin Tao shook her head: "No, is there something you need?"

I immediately recounted the whole story.

Upon hearing that someone had deliberately set fire to the house, Lin Tao suddenly sat up in bed, her eyes wide open, and her tone turned serious: "They're incredibly audacious! Dazhuang, don't worry, I'll go with you tonight, and we'll definitely catch these people red-handed."

Lin Tao was an upright person. When she learned that someone was going to set fire to the factory, she immediately lost her desire to rest and couldn't wait to get to the factory.

Seeing her anxious expression, I was slightly surprised, and then said, "There's no need to rush. The other side is determined to act tonight, and it's too early to go now."

"Okay." Lin Tao hung up the phone, turned around and went to the sink to wash up. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment, then casually applied a lipstick.

Lin Tao has an outstanding appearance. Her eyebrows are well-spaced and have crisp, clean lines, giving her a more cheerful and straightforward look rather than a delicate one. Her eyes are clear and bright with natural double eyelids, and her straight nose and delicate tip make her very attractive.

Because of long hours on field duty, her skin has been tanned to a healthy wheat color, with a firm texture and a radiant glow.

After washing up, she opened her wardrobe, looked at the dresses inside, and reached out to take one off, but then pulled it back halfway. These dresses were pretty, but she rarely wore them; they'd just sat in the closet. She'd planned to take a day off and go shopping, which was why she thought of wearing them, but now she had to go to the Second Factory to arrest someone, and wearing this outfit was clearly too cumbersome.

Finally, she chose a plain white short-sleeved shirt, paired with straight-leg jeans and white sneakers. Looking at her slender and tall figure in the mirror, she smiled, made a peace sign, and went downstairs.

No one was home; her parents had gone to work. She rummaged through the refrigerator for noodles and beef, and quickly cooked a bowl of beef noodles. After eating, she got on her motorcycle and headed towards the Dingsheng factory area.

A wave of scorching heat, carried by the oncoming gale, crashed against Lin Tao's face, stifling and burning. The sweltering wind seeped into her clothes through her collar and cuffs, gradually enveloping her entire body in waves of oppressive heat.

About half an hour later, the sign for Dingsheng No. 2 Factory came into view, and she immediately stopped her motorcycle. After parking it properly, she walked towards the pork trotter rice stall next to it. Dazhuang and she had arranged to meet there during their phone call.

She searched around for a while and saw Dazhuang and two other men sitting at a stall eating not far away, so she walked over.

I saw someone approaching from afar, peeked out, and saw it was Lin Tao. So I stood up and walked towards Lin Tao.

Chu Xiuyan didn't know who the newcomer was, but seeing how beautiful the woman was, he couldn't help but wonder if she was Dazhuang's girlfriend. So he secretly took out his video camera and snapped two photos.

Seeing Chu Xiuyan taking pictures, Li Jie looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "What are you taking pictures of?"

Chu Xiuyan shrugged: "Oh! No, I just tripped and fell, I thought I was hurt. I'm just taking a few pictures to try."

"Oh." Li Jie nodded and didn't say anything more.

Seeing Lin Tao arrive made him feel much more at ease. With Officer Lin and Da Zhuang around tonight, he figured he'd just be a bystander. Even if something happened, he wouldn't be the one to get hurt.

With his anxiety subsided, he suddenly felt hungry and began to eat heartily with the braised pork trotter rice.

When Lin Tao saw me approaching, she habitually extended her hand to shake mine: "Dazhuang, are you free?"

I nodded when I heard Lin Tao's words: "Yes."

Then I led Lin Tao on a tour of Dingsheng No. 2 Factory. This factory is located in an industrial park, bordered by other factories on the left and right, and facing the road in front and behind.

As we walked to the back door, she noticed the broken iron fence I had mentioned earlier. After examining it closely, she nodded and said, "It's obvious that it was forcibly damaged by external force."

She then looked around and noticed a six-story hotel across the street. From the rooftop, the entire No. 2 factory area could be seen.

So she turned around, patted my shoulder, and said decisively, "Let's go to the hotel."

"Huh?" I was stunned for a moment, and turned to look at her with a puzzled expression.

Seeing this, Lin Tao was both amused and exasperated, and explained with a touch of embarrassment, "What are you thinking! The hotel across the street has high floors and can overlook the entire No. 2 factory area, making it convenient for us to keep watch and observe."

I heard her words and gave an awkward smile. I realized I had misunderstood.

As we approached the hotel entrance, Lin Tao was about to pull out her police ID when I stopped her. I said, concerned, that the hotel receptionist might know Zhou Zhengtao, and it was best to avoid revealing our identities for now.

Lin Tao thought for a moment and then nodded: "Okay, then go and talk to the front desk. We'll go up and take a look and then come down."

"Okay." I nodded and walked towards the front desk.

The receptionist was a brightly dressed young woman with a high ponytail and a low-cut top. She was carefully touching up her makeup in front of a small mirror when she saw me approach. She glanced up at me and said casually, "Handsome, want a room?"

I knew they definitely wouldn't agree to just say I wanted to go up and take a look. So I made up an excuse: "My girlfriend and I are going upstairs to check out the rooms first. If they're clean, we'll book them. Could you please show us a room on a higher floor?"

"Okay, you prefer a higher one? There's a room available in 503. Take the key and go up." After she finished speaking, she took out the key and placed it on the table without looking up, and continued drawing her eyebrows.

I took the keys and walked towards Lin Tao. She frowned and looked at me, saying in a low voice, "Why do you say I'm your girlfriend?"

Afraid she'd misunderstand and think I was deliberately taking advantage, I awkwardly scratched my head and chuckled sheepishly, "If I didn't use that excuse, how could the front desk just give us a high-floor room? Let's go upstairs first; business is more important."

Lin Tao pursed her lips, and replied softly with a mixture of helplessness and awkwardness, "Okay."

The hotel didn't have an elevator, so Lin Tao started walking up the stairs after she finished speaking.

When I got to the fourth floor, I suddenly heard a woman's voice: "Ah, no, it hurts a little."

Upon hearing the words, Lin Tao's expression instantly darkened. Without thinking, she rushed towards the door from the source of the sound, kicked it hard, and shouted sharply, "Those inside, stop your illegal activities immediately!"

After kicking it a few times, the inner door slowly opened, and a shirtless man frowned as he sized up Lin Tao: "What are you doing?"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Tao immediately pushed open the door and went inside. She saw a young woman lying on the bed, covered with a quilt, with clothes scattered on the floor.

Seeing someone barge in, she quickly pulled the blanket up and anxiously called out, "Who are you?"

Lin Tao was taken aback, then said, "I'm a police officer. I heard you calling for help just now. Was this man assaulting you?"

The man inside the room was stunned when Lin Tao publicly accused him. His face darkened, and he angrily cursed, "Are you crazy?!"

The woman beside her was even more impatient, cursing and shooing them away: "What are you doing? Was I calling for help? Get out of here! Don't get in the way!"

Lin Tao was scolded by the two men before she belatedly realized that there was no such thing as a case of assault.

She apologized sheepishly, quickly left the room, scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly in the hallway, and turned to look at me with a puzzled expression:

"Dazhuang, I clearly heard her shout 'No!' and say it hurt. If that wasn't a cry for help, what was it?"