My Dongguan Love Story

Seeing Lin Tao's flustered expression, I became a little suspicious and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Tao's ears instantly turned red, and she quickly shook her head, "N-nothing."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and silently began to eat the rice in her bowl.

Seeing that she was only eating rice and not picking up any vegetables, I figured she was too embarrassed to refuse. I picked up a chicken leg and put it in her bowl, smiling as I said, "Officer Lin, don't just eat rice, eat some vegetables too."

Lin Tao looked down at the chicken leg in her bowl, glanced up at me, responded, and then quietly began to eat.

We sat side by side on the edge of the bed, the only sound in the room the quiet of our chewing. After finishing our meal, Lin Tao gathered the disposable bowls and chopsticks into a bag, intending to get up and throw them away.

Seeing this, I stopped her, saying, "Just leave the bags outside the door; the cleaning lady will collect them all later."

She was taken aback at first, then smiled and teased, half-jokingly, "Dazhuang, you seem to know quite a bit about this. Do you often book hotel rooms outside?"

This was Lin Tao's first time staying in a hotel, and she was completely clueless about small things like drying clothes in the air conditioning vents or leaving trash outside the door for cleaning services.

She glanced at Dazhuang beside her, noticing his honest and simple appearance, and a sense of unease crept into her mind. Could it be that he frequently booked hotel rooms? She had never been in a relationship, but she vaguely understood that when a man and woman checked into a hotel together, it was usually for that kind of thing.

Hearing her words, I was taken aback, assuming it was just her professional habit asking casually, and quickly waved my hand with a smile: "No, really no."

Lin Tao responded softly and nodded. Seeing that her teasing wouldn't elicit any clues, she decided to cut to the chase and asked directly, "By the way, Dazhuang, do you have a girlfriend?"

She had been joking about staying at the hotel, but actually she was just trying to get to the bottom of this. Seeing that beating around the bush wasn't working, she decided to just ask directly.

She herself couldn't understand why she cared so much. Was it a habit she had developed from working in this industry, or was it because she had secretly developed different feelings for him?

I was taken aback when I heard that. Although I don't have much dating experience, I understand what a woman suddenly asking this means. Then I thought about all the complicated relationships and entanglements around me and really didn't want to cause any more trouble, much less hold the girl back.

I simply nodded frankly: "I've got it."

"Oh." Lin Tao's eyes showed a hint of disappointment.

The budding goodwill in Lin Tao's heart was instantly extinguished. She wilted, looking like a frostbitten eggplant, utterly listless.

We both remained silent; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Night slowly descended.

We stood by the window, watching the factory below intently. Workers dispersed in twos and threes, and the huge factory became empty in the blink of an eye.

Before long, several figures crept along the wall toward the factory, behaving very strangely. The more I looked, the more familiar they seemed, so I quickly bent down to take a closer look and discovered that the leader was Zhou Zhengtao.

He walked outside the fence, took the oil drum from his companion, and handed it to the person next to him.

Upon seeing this, I was jolted awake. I straightened up abruptly, clenched my fists, and prepared to rush downstairs to stop it.

But Lin Tao, who was beside me, reached out and grabbed my arm, gently shaking her head at me: "Dazhuang, don't worry, they won't start the fire now."

I frowned, turning to look at her with a puzzled expression: "Why?"

Lin Tao's gaze darkened, and she lowered her voice to patiently explain, "Arson is a serious crime. These criminals are meticulous and would never choose to strike when workers have just finished get off work and there are still people outside. According to their modus operandi, they will definitely stay up until late at night, when no one is around, to set the fire, so that they can commit the crime without being detected and it will not be easily exposed."

"Oh." I nodded as I listened, thinking to myself that the police were really professional; I would never have thought of such a thing.

Lin Tao looked out the window and continued, "Besides, you said it yourself, Zhou Zhengtao is on duty tonight. He couldn't possibly set a fire while he's on duty; wouldn't that be taking responsibility?"

"There are only two possibilities for him to commit arson: either he did it after get off work, which is the middle of the night and quiet; or he deliberately showed his face to the security guard at the gate and guard post while on duty to get an alibi, and then went around to that broken fence, quietly returned to the factory, and then set the fire."

I nodded repeatedly after hearing this, secretly admiring Lin Tao's professionalism. Inviting her today was definitely the right choice. If I had rushed down rashly just now, I would have been discovered by Zhou Zhengtao and his group, alerting them instead.

Lin Tao continued, "Have someone squat at the entrance. If Zhou Zhengtao comes out, notify us immediately. Let's observe the factory now and see if they have any plans."

After hearing Lin Tao's words, I called Li Jie and told him to squat at the door, but to stay far away so that no one would notice him.

Li Jie patted his chest and laughed, "No problem, Da Zhuang, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Tao and I observed the situation and saw people constantly going in and out of the fence, carrying things in their hands. These items were placed in several corners of the factory. It looked like gasoline had been placed in advance so that it could be quickly set on fire.

Now that we've figured all that out, we're just waiting for them to take action and make the arrests.

Lin Tao quickly calculated that it would be difficult for the two of them to take down everyone in one fell swoop. Moreover, if the other side set fire to the place, they would have to contact the fire department for backup. She immediately took out her phone to call for help.

Based on their usual relationship, she should have called Chen Ming first, but remembering his strange expression earlier, and looking at Da Zhuang beside her, she shook her head and instead dialed the number of another colleague on duty.

"Beep~"

The phone rang a few times before being answered.

"Hello, Li Fang, this is Lin Tao."

Li Fang was on duty in her office when she heard Lin Tao's voice. She was surprised for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Lin Tao? What's wrong?"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but ask, "When Wang Jing came back, she said you were in a hotel room with another man. Is that true?"

Li Fang and Lin Tao were very close friends, and ever since she heard what Wang Jing said, she had been worried sick. She was afraid that Lin Tao would be deceived by a strange man's sweet words.

Although Lin Tao is a police officer and is usually very cautious, she has never been in a relationship and knows nothing about matters between men and women. Once people develop feelings, they easily lose their senses, and it would be terrible if they were to suffer the consequences.

Lin Tao was taken aback upon hearing Li Fang's question, then a hint of anger flashed across her face: "How did you know?"

"Wang Jing told us that when she came back, she found you and a man in a hotel room during a room check, and you hadn't registered the room."

Lin Tao's face turned red with anger upon hearing this.

This Wang Jing, she and I have never gotten along. Now she's gossiping about me in front of everyone at the station. She and Dazhuang were indeed at the hotel, but that wasn't a private matter; they were on official business!

Lin Tao suppressed her anger and secretly resolved to settle accounts with Wang Jing later. Then she spoke in a deep voice to Li Fang on the other end of the phone: "I am on official business. I have found out that someone is planning to set fire to the factory. You should immediately arrange for several colleagues to be on standby, and notify the fire department to prepare the fire trucks. Wait for my signal, and you should come over immediately."

She had a clear plan in mind. Zhou Zhengtao and his gang hadn't made a move yet. If she rashly called in the police now, it would inevitably alert them and scare them away.

If they manage to escape and then return to set the fire after you've left, your entire plan will be ruined.

Now, manpower and fire prevention have all been arranged in advance, and everything is ready. We are just waiting for the other party to make a move so that we can arrest them all in one fell swoop.