Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 915 Asking Heizi to Follow

Late at night, everything was silent, even the chirping of insects in the alleys had died down. Gu Nan was deep in his dream when he actually saw Heizi. Heizi, who always stuck to him and wagged his tail, had lost his docility at this moment, and his eyes were surprisingly bright, like quenched obsidian. He squatted in front of Gu Nan, conveying information with a clear mind, and "described" the appearance of the beggar during the day in detail - his left leg was obviously lame, and it always turned outward when he landed; there was a slanted scar on the right side of his face, from the brow bone to the jaw; the wooden stick in his hand was polished to a shine, and there was a small hole on the tip of the stick; most importantly, when he was wandering at the gate of the courtyard, his eyes kept glancing at the east wing, and that look was definitely not that of an ordinary beggar wandering around.

Gu Nan looked at Heizi, his eyes gradually darkening, becoming more serious. He warned him gravely, "Heizi, remember this. If that beggar dares to come again, follow him quietly. Don't alert him, and don't get too close. Just keep a distance where you can see him but not be discovered. I want to see where these people are hiding. In my opinion, they are most likely the same guys who have been following me recently, and they are finally showing their true colors."

Heizi nodded heavily, and a low and firm growl came out of his throat, as if he was patting his chest to promise that he would get this done.

Suddenly, it seemed to remember something and rubbed Gu Nan's trouser leg with its head, with a bit of cunning in its thoughts: Tracking is no problem, but if you ask me to run errands, you have to buy me a chicken leg as a reward, otherwise... humph, I won't do any work.

Gu Nan knew it was joking, but he was amused by its cleverness. He shook his head helplessly: "Okay, no problem. When this is over, I will buy you not only chicken legs, but also dried meat and bones. As much as you want."

As soon as he finished speaking, Heizi, like a soldier receiving an order, vanished from Gu Nan's consciousness in a flash. Gu Nan felt relieved, as he had always trusted Heizi. This little guy was very clever, and he might be able to follow the clues and find the hideout of those people directly. Then he could take them down all at once, saving them from constantly making trouble in the dark.

He turned to look into the inner room. Ran Qiuye and the child were soundly asleep, breathing evenly, with a faint smile on their faces. Gu Nan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but it was immediately replaced by a chill: it would have been fine if these people had been following him, but they had the audacity to target his family. This crossed his line.

He had originally planned to report this to Chief Tong Ren and have the police handle it. But now, it seemed unnecessary—if they dared to touch his family, there would be only one outcome. Gu Nan clenched his fists, a fierce glint in his eyes: death is their only destination. He would not allow anyone to harm his family, not even the slightest threat.

The entire night slipped away in a silent struggle. The next morning, Gu Nan left for work. As he reached the entrance of the alley, he ran into Director Tong Ren, who was also on his way to work. "Uncle Tong," he greeted with a smile.

Tong Ren stopped, looked him over, and asked, "Gu Nan, how are you? No one is following you now, right? If there's anything else, don't hide it, just tell me directly."

Gu Nan's mind turned, but he finally swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Some things are more efficient and easier to do yourself. He smiled and said, "Uncle Tong, it's okay. Thank you so much for this."

Seeing his calm demeanor, as if he hadn't hidden anything, Tong Ren nodded. "I'm glad you're alright. Feel free to contact me if you need anything." The two chatted briefly before each heading off to their respective destinations. Sunlight shone through the cracks in the alley, casting dappled shadows on the ground. But within those shadows, Gu Nan's unspoken determination was hidden.

Gu Nan smiled and looked at the watch on his wrist. The hands on the dial pointed to seven fifty. "Uncle Tong, it's getting late. I have to hurry to the workshop. If I'm a few minutes late, I'm afraid my perfect attendance bonus for this month will be gone."

Director Tong Ren looked at him, a flicker of understanding in his eyes—Gu Nan didn't want to talk any more, perhaps there was something he hadn't fully expressed. But since he hadn't spoken, he didn't want to press the issue, so he nodded. "Okay, then, go do your work. Don't let this get in the way. Call me if you need anything, don't push it." With that, he turned and walked out of the factory, his back long in the morning light.

Gu Nan watched Tong Ren disappear around the corner, then stood there for a moment, his gaze sweeping calmly over the surrounding tree shadows and wall bases. On his way to work today, those vague glances had indeed disappeared. It seemed Tong Ren had made some moves. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickened his pace toward the steel mill gate.

As soon as he arrived at the factory gate, he saw Xu Damao circling the old locust tree at the gate, his leather heels scraping against the ground, his face wrinkled into a bun, full of anxiety. Gu Nan looked up at the factory clock and saw that it was indeed ten minutes later than usual.

Xu Damao caught a glimpse of Gu Nan from the corner of his eye, and his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw. He hurried over to him with several layers of flattering smile on his face, and his voice was a little trembling: "Deputy Director Gu, you are finally here! Look at my situation. Although I made mistakes before, I have been staying out for too long. My wife and children at home are still relying on me to earn money to support them. It is not a good idea to keep wasting time like this. Can you..."

Gu Nan looked at him anxiously with sweat on his forehead, and curled his lips: "Xu Damao, don't you know about this?"

Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat, as if struck by a sledgehammer. He was instantly panicked. He'd been holed up at home these days, worried most that Deputy Director Li would sell him out like a pawn. Seeing Gu Nan's indifferent expression, his nerves raced, his heart in his throat. He quickly took a half-step forward and demanded, "Deputy Director Gu, is... is there something wrong? Deputy Director Li..."

Seeing his frightened look, Gu Nan already knew what was going on—it looked like Deputy Director Li hadn't told him the whole story yet. So, he decided to point it out himself, saving him from having to speculate. "Xu Damao, you really don't know? Deputy Director Li's been nagging you in his office these past few days, asking you to come back to work. He's sent people everywhere looking for you, but they can't find you. Hurry and get to his office now. Maybe you can still make it to the morning meeting."

Xu Damao's eyes widened, his mouth wide open enough to fit an egg, his face filled with disbelief: "Deputy Director Gu, are you serious? He...he really wants me to go back to work? You're not kidding me?"

Gu Nan didn't say anything more, just nodded firmly, turned around and walked straight into the factory, leaving Xu Damao standing there alone.