County Town. State-Run Hotel!
When Li Yi arrived at the State-Run Restaurant in his mule cart, he spotted Liu Jingshan from a distance, standing outside the door with a man in an olive-green uniform, doing who knows what.
He didn’t pay it much mind. As soon as the mule cart reached the hotel entrance, Li Yi called out, “Whoa!”
The bright red mule heard the sound and stopped immediately.
Just as Li Yi was about to tie the mule to the large poplar tree nearby, he suddenly heard Liu Jingshan say, “Brother Li Yi, you’re here! Captain Wang needs to see you!”
Li Yi looked up and realized it was Wang Anguo, whom he had met briefly the other day.
Wang Anguo strode up to Li Yi, grabbed his hand, and said, “I’ve finally been waiting for you!”
Seeing Wang Anguo’s excited and enthusiastic demeanor, Li Yi guessed that his one-yuan coin had worked!
“It’s so good to see you alive!” Li Yi said sincerely.
Hearing this, Wang Anguo was secretly stunned!
After the arrest operation ended yesterday, when he pulled out that one-yuan coin pierced by a bullet, everyone—including himself—broke out in a cold sweat.
While everyone else marveled at his good luck, Wang Anguo knew it wasn’t a matter of luck—someone had saved his life!
In fact, after meeting Li Yi that day, Wang Anguo hadn’t taken his words to heart.
As a staunch atheist, he naturally didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, nor did he believe in fortune-telling.
The only reason he kept that coin was simply because he had forgotten about it.
Little did he know that it was precisely that coin that had saved his life.
“Brother Li Yi, do you really know how to read faces?” Wang Anguo asked in a low voice.
Last night, after returning home, he had carefully recalled the scene when Li Yi gave him the coin, including every word he had said.
He was certain he didn’t know that young man, and there was no way word had gotten out that Zhou Baoshan, that notorious bandit, had fled to Qing Shan County. Therefore, it was impossible that the other party had known about this in advance and set a trap for him.
Moreover, his decision to personally lead the arrest operation on the front lines had been made on the spur of the moment; there had been no prior plan.
Thus, Wang Anguo ultimately concluded that the other party had genuinely sensed he would be in danger and had taken preventive measures for him in advance.
If it hadn’t been for that one-yuan coin, Wang Anguo was certain he would already be a corpse.
Once he realized this, Wang Anguo was immediately filled with gratitude toward Li Yi; he wanted to thank this man in person!
At the same time, he developed a keen interest in Li Yi. He wanted to meet him and ask how he had foreseen the danger and used such an incredible method to save him from harm.
Recalling that he had seen Li Yi at the State-Owned Hotel that day—where the man appeared to be delivering goods—Wang Anguo arrived at the State-Owned Hotel early this morning and inquired about Li Yi from Liu Jingshan.
As the manager of the state-run hotel, Liu Jingshan naturally recognized Wang Anguo, the captain of the criminal investigation team, and answered his questions without reservation.
And that’s how Wang Anguo came to be waiting here for Li Yi!
“Actually, you already have the answer in your heart, don’t you?” Li Yi said calmly.
Wang Anguo burst out laughing. “Brother Li Yi, you really are a remarkable man. I’ll never forget the debt of gratitude I owe you for saving my life. May I treat you to a meal?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “There’s no rush for dinner. I’ll deliver the goods first!”
Liu Jingshan, standing nearby, hurriedly interjected, “Brother Li Yi and Captain Wang, please come inside and have a seat for a moment. I’ll handle the weighing!”
With that, Liu Jingshan immediately called the store staff out to unload the goods.
Seeing that someone else was taking care of it, Li Yi was happy to have some free time. After saying thank you, he walked into the state-run restaurant with Wang Anguo.
As soon as they entered, Wang Anguo was about to call over a staff member to order, but Li Yi stopped him.
It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet; it was still far too early for lunch, and he certainly wasn’t hungry enough to eat.
Li Yi then looked at Wang Anguo and said, “I know you have many questions, but our line of work has its own rules. I’m afraid I can’t explain too much to you!”
Wang Anguo had heard of some mysterious sects with strict rules that their members rarely dared to break, so he nodded immediately and said, “Then I won’t ask any further!”
Wang Anguo paused to think for a moment before continuing, “I suppose Brother Li Yi doesn’t know who I am yet. Let me introduce myself first…”
But before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Your name is Wang Anguo. You’re 28 years old. You served in the military earlier in life, suffered a life-threatening injury, and now you’re the captain of the county criminal investigation team!”
“You… you…”
“I haven’t investigated you, nor do I have the ability to do so. I deduced all this myself. Of course, you’re free to disbelieve me!” Li Yi said.
“No, I believe you!” Wang Anguo hurriedly replied.
The fact that he was the captain of the criminal investigation team was known to many in the county, and his military service wasn’t exactly a secret either. But the fact that he had suffered a life-threatening injury was something even his parents and family didn’t know—so how on earth could Li Yi possibly know?
Combined with the earlier incident where the coin had saved his life, Wang Anguo now had absolute faith in Li Yi’s ability to read faces and predict the future.
“Captain Wang, I’m just an ordinary guy. I saved you simply because I didn’t want a man like you—who’s been wounded and shed blood for the country—to die such a pathetic death at the hands of a scumbag. So don’t worry about it!” Li Yi said.
“Brother Li Yi, a life-saving favor isn’t something one forgets easily. If you ever need anything in the future, come find me at the county bureau—I, Wang Anguo, will give my life for you!”
Seeing the earnest look on Wang Anguo’s face, Li Yi couldn’t help but nod.
He’s a man who knows how to repay a debt of gratitude—it was well worth saving his life.
Suddenly, Li Yi remembered something: shortly after Wang Anguo’s death, a terrifying incident had shaken Qing Shan County.
Within a very short period, more than a dozen children went missing across the county. Although the county mobilized a large number of police officers to investigate the matter, they were never able to solve the case.
Li Yi recalled that at the time, many officials at the county bureau had faced disciplinary action from higher-ups over this incident; the bureau chief, deputy chief, and the captain of the criminal investigation squad had all been demoted.
Right now, Wang Anguo was still alive and remained the head of the Criminal Investigation Division. If this incident were to occur, he would likely face disciplinary action.
Thinking of this, Li Yi hesitated, wondering whether he should warn him.
Wang Anguo, noticing Li Yi staring at him with a furrowed brow, couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong, Brother Li Yi? Is there something troubling you?”
“I don’t, but you do!”
“What do you mean? I’m fine,” Wang Anguo asked, puzzled.
“You will be soon!”
Li Yi then looked at him and said, “If things go as expected, a major incident will soon occur in the county. If it’s not handled properly, your future prospects will be severely affected!”
“Ah, what kind of major incident? Is it that serious?” Wang Anguo asked urgently.
“I can’t reveal the secrets of heaven!”
After showing off, Li Yi added, “Just wait and see for now. If you really can’t handle it, come find me!”
With that, Li Yi walked over to Liu Jingshan, who was tallying the payment, leaving Wang Anguo standing there completely baffled!