Hello, Prosecutor

…Tao Le didn’t know how she got into the car, her mind was a haze, filled with the echoes of their recent conversation. She wasn’t sure if she would regret the decision she had just made, but she felt so tired, just wanting to be alone. “Tao Le.”
Han Xu was driving when he called out to her, but there was no response. As he turned his face to speak, his eyes met with tears at the corner of her eyes, and he found himself speechless. Feeling Han Xu’s gaze, Tao Le hurriedly wiped her face, “What?” “Are you okay?” Han Xu asked with concern. “I’m fine, but are you sure you don’t need to go to the pharmacy?” Tao Le pointed at the injury on his face. Han Xu adjusted the rear-view mirror to check, “It’s okay, my face isn’t ruined.” Tao Le, head lowered, didn’t know what to say, eventually murmuring, “Han Xu, I’m sorry…” Han Xu was taken aback, “Why are you apologizing? It wasn’t you who hit me.” “But it’s because of me…” Tao Le confessed that if it weren’t for her encountering Han Xu, followed by Su Yiwen’s appearance, things wouldn’t have escalated this way. Han Xu felt a bit embarrassed, “I also fought back, you should be scolding me.” “Why would I scold you, it’s not like that…” A silence fell over the car. Han Xu didn’t want to bring up the matter again, but seeing her distressed, he couldn’t help but say, “You and him… I mean, you and Su Yiwen, do you really need to go this far? Can’t you talk things out?” Tao Le clutched at her clothes, her voice small, “Han Xu, there are things I don’t know how to explain, even I don’t understand the issues between him and me.” “Why didn’t you ask him clearly just now?” Han Xu thought for a moment and said, “Honestly, setting aside my personal bias against Su Yiwen, he treats you pretty well.” Tao Le gave a cold laugh, “What do you mean by pretty well? His kindness is just leaving me at home while he enjoys himself and lies to me afterward.” Han Xu was genuinely surprised, “You’re not joking, are you?” “I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be fake? Or what do you think I was doing at Hua Zhong Hua late at night?” Tao Le’s anger flared up as she recalled the scene in the private room. Han Xu grew more suspicious, thinking that Tao Le’s visit to Hua Zhong Hua was to follow Su Yiwen. Could what she saw be related to that incident? “Tao Le, did you actually see Su Yiwen at Hua Zhong Hua?” Han Xu asked, unsure. “Not just see, I even caused a scene. I should have slapped that foreign girl again!” Tao Le muttered to herself, mostly cursing. Han Xu quickly hit the brakes, startling Tao Le. “Why are you stopping the car now?” Han Xu turned around, his expression more serious than ever, looking at Tao Le, hesitating whether to speak. Seeing him hesitate, Tao Le asked, “What’s wrong? Do you have something to say?” “Actually…” Han Xu was struggling with his thoughts. “Actually?” “I was also at Hua Zhong Hua tonight…” “I know, we met there, what’s the problem?” “It wasn’t just me; the criminal police team, the procuratorate’s independent investigation group, the discipline inspection, and… the anti-corruption bureau were all there.” Han Xu glanced at Tao Le, unable to read her expression, then continued, “We were on a joint operation, highly valued by the province, which is why so many departments were involved. I shouldn’t be telling an outsider, but since it involves you and Su Yiwen, I thought you should know.” Tao Le had a bad feeling, she asked urgently, “What happened to Su Yiwen? Did he do something?” At the end of the day, Su Yiwen’s affairs were what she cared about most. “No, no, don’t overthink it.” Han Xu quickly denied, explaining, “Actually, Hua Zhong Hua isn’t just an ordinary nightclub; there’s a lot of illegal activity going on. Like you probably saw, there were many foreign girls. We’ve been investigating for a long time, finding not only that it’s backed by organized crime but also by people within the government. Following the leads, we discovered the case is far more complex than just prostitution or smuggling…” “Are you saying high officials are involved?” Tao Le asked cautiously. Han Xu nodded, “Exactly, but we had no evidence back then. Those government officials never went to Hua Zhong Hua, they just pulled the strings from behind.” “What was Su Yiwen doing there then? He—” Tao Le couldn’t continue, thinking of his position as the director of the anti-corruption bureau, was he undercover? Indeed, Han Xu explained everything, “Although Su Yiwen is the director, he didn’t need to hide his identity. You could say he was undercover. If he didn’t act like a corrupt official, the big boss of Hua Zhong Hua and those high officials we’re investigating wouldn’t let their guard down, and they even tried to recruit Su Yiwen, thinking his position at the anti-corruption bureau would shield their activities. We had everything set up, just waiting for them to relax, gather, and then take them all down at once!” Now Tao Le understood, recalling the numerous government cars she saw outside the club, which she hadn’t paid attention to at the time. The room she burst into was conducting illegal activities, and Su Yiwen might have been under surveillance or even in danger, and her outburst could have had consequences. “But why Su Yiwen?” Tao Le didn’t know whether to be angry with herself or someone else. Han Xu hesitated, “I’m not entirely sure, but I heard from our team leader that this decision was made a long time ago. An ordinary civil servant wouldn’t be trusted or be able to speak as easily, so Su Yiwen stepped up. I also heard that before he took office, the anti-corruption bureau was behind on their targets for the year, so this was probably his way of reporting back to the province.” So, he wasn’t meant to be the director, but rather an undercover agent and a sacrificial lamb! Tao Le understood the whole story, the truth was out, and she should have felt relieved. There was no third party, no infidelity, no change of heart. But why did the brief spark of joy quickly settle into a heavy weight on her heart? If it were just a misunderstanding, that would be one thing… but it was more about the basic trust between husband and wife. Not only did Su Yiwen lie to her, even if it was a well-intentioned lie, but she, as his wife, hadn’t trusted him. Doubting him incessantly, both ended up unable to be honest, leading to such a strained relationship. Seeing her silent, Han Xu asked, “Now that you know, do you… want to go back? I mean, to find him?”
Tao Le rolled down the car window, letting the cold wind rush in. She gazed outside; the once bustling street now lay quiet and desolate in the dead of night. Turning her head, she murmured softly, “Home, my own home…”