“Captain Gu!” Everyone was shocked. Lu Fei, who had just come out with the transcript, hurried to Gu Jinghan and said urgently, “Captain Gu, you can’t resign.” He was about to be promoted to Deputy Chief; resigning now would mean giving up a great career opportunity. Gu Jinghan wasn’t young anymore; this might be his only chance for promotion. Missing this would be a lifelong regret.
Gu Yuanyuan was also surprised; she had just mentioned it offhand, not expecting him to actually agree. Gu Jinghan ignored everyone’s objections, walked up to Gu Yuanyuan, and said, “I said I would make up for it, and I will. If you think my resignation is best for you, then, I agree.”
The original owner did not agree to resign, smoothly became the Deputy Chief, but it led to his daughter running away in anger, encountering many bad people, being deceived, and ultimately dying far from home. He ascended in rank but lost his daughter, which was the original owner’s greatest regret. He would not let this tragedy happen again.
“Wait for me.” Gu Jinghan said, then turned and left. Everyone knew he was going to resign to Zhou Zhennan; they were both shocked and saddened. A police officer like Gu Jinghan, capable, decisive, and upright, leaving his post was a loss for everyone.
Lu Fei sighed heavily, walked up to Gu Yuanyuan, and handed her the transcript, “Huang Mao, your friend Guan Jian, has admitted to drug use and has been formally detained. This is his confession, take a look.”
Gu Yuanyuan took it and bit her lip.
“Yuanyuan, Uncle knows you’re blaming your dad, but he has his reasons, he’s a rare talent. His leaving is a loss for our police station and the public. I hope you…”
Gu Yuanyuan interrupted Lu Fei, “He’s been a police officer for nearly thirty years but has been absent as a father for fifteen. There are plenty of police officers better than him, but I only have one father. Your so-called righteousness feels selfish to me. Aren’t you supposed to protect the people? I am also one of the people, don’t you think about protecting me?”
Lu Fei was left speechless.
“He’s my dad, and as his daughter, I don’t ask for wealth or glory, I just hope he can be a normal father, so I can be a normal child. Is that too much? Am I wrong?” Gu Yuanyuan’s eyes were red by now, “If you think I’m wrong, then I’ll be wrong to the end. I won’t let him return to the police station for the rest of my life.”
After she finished speaking, she stuffed the transcript into Lu Fei’s hand, turned around decisively, and walked away with big strides. Everyone only saw her stubborn and resolute back, but only Cheng Lin saw her walking out with tears streaming down her face.
She would never forget that her father was rarely home because of work, and her mother had to play both roles, which drained her mother’s affection for her father. When she was five, her mother filed for divorce. Her mother then married another man who treated her well, often taking her and her mother out to play, eat, and watch movies. She felt that her new father was better, and she could sense her mother’s happiness and joy, until her mother gave birth to a younger brother. Everything changed after that. The new father’s income was not high, and he couldn’t support the whole family. He discussed with her mother about sending her back to her biological father. Her mother disagreed, and then the new father turned into a bad person, hitting and scolding her when her mother wasn’t looking. At that time, she was still young and very scared, not understanding why her once good new father had changed like this. Was it because she wasn’t obedient enough? However, she hadn’t done anything wrong; she washed clothes, cooked, cleaned, took care of her brother—she could do everything, yet the new father was still not satisfied. Her mother would also often show impatience towards her. She remembered her mother always saying that if it weren’t for her father, her mother and she wouldn’t be living so poorly; it was all her father’s fault. This was said so often that it took root in her heart; she thought everything was her father’s fault. If her father hadn’t been so absorbed in his work, if he had shared the burden of life with her mother, if he had spent more time with her and her mother, none of this would have happened. When she was twenty, her mother passed away, and her stepfather finally got rid of her, sending her back to her father without any hesitation. She had endured fifteen years of physical and emotional abuse in her stepfather’s home—who knew her pain? Shouldn’t she hate a father who hadn’t cared for her for fifteen years? Her expectations weren’t high; she just hoped to have a father like other children, one who would protect and love her, comfort her when she was wronged, stand up for her when she was bullied, and treat her wounds when she was hurt. That was all she wanted. She didn’t need her father to be a heroic figure riding on a rainbow; she just wanted him to be by her side, giving her normal affection. Was that too much to ask?
“Jinghan, what are you saying? You want to resign?” Zhou Zhennan couldn’t believe his ears. Gu Jinghan nodded seriously, “Yes, Director Zhou, I want to resign.”
“Why?” Zhou Zhennan was full of questions. He knew how much Gu Jinghan loved his job. In his view, Gu Jinghan would not resign unless it was time for normal retirement, especially not at the critical moment when he was about to be promoted to deputy director. This was not reasonable.
Gu Jinghan said, “I owe my child fifteen years, and I want to make it up to her.”
“You don’t need to resign to make up for it; you could just reduce your workload. I could give you some time off. Yuanyuan just graduated from university, right? You could take her on a graduation trip. Isn’t that popular nowadays? You could go out with her, and when she’s in a better mood, your father-daughter relationship will improve.” Zhou Zhennan suggested.
Gu Jinghan insisted, “Director Zhou, thank you for your kindness, but my mind is made up; I want to resign.”
“Why are you being so stubborn? I just told you this afternoon that I’ve submitted your promotion application to the provincial department, and now you’re saying you want to resign? How am I supposed to explain this to them?” Zhou Zhennan was getting angry.
Gu Jinghan took out his gun and badge and placed them on the table, “Director Zhou, I’m sorry, I want to be a good father, and I hope you can understand.”
“Gu Jinghan, at your age, are you still going to be this stubborn? Do you know what a loss it is for the police force and the public if you resign?” Zhou Zhennan was thoroughly angry, pointing at him and questioning.
Gu Jinghan didn’t respond; he saluted and turned to leave. Zhou Zhennan sat back in his chair, fuming, “Nonsense, this is sheer nonsense.”
“Yuanyuan…” Cheng Lin saw Gu Yuanyuan crying as she walked out and quickly approached her. This was the first time he had seen this stubborn, aloof girl cry like this; his heart ached for her, but he found himself at a loss for words to comfort her. Seeing him, Gu Yuanyuan wiped away her tears, hiding her vulnerability, and said sharply, “Why are you still here? Why do you always follow me? Aren’t you tired of it?”
Cheng Lin was about to say something when Gu Jinghan returned. He could only turn and call out to Uncle Gu.
“Thank you for your help, Cheng Lin. Everything’s fine here now; you can go back. I’ll treat you to dinner another day to thank you properly,” Gu Jinghan said, patting his shoulder.
Cheng Lin shook his head, “It’s nothing, no need to thank me. Uncle Gu, Yuanyuan, I’ll head back then.” He glanced back at Gu Yuanyuan with concern before driving off in his Audi sports car. Gu Jinghan noted the car and guessed that Cheng Lin came from a well-off family. Not only was he wealthy, but he was also good-looking and kind-hearted—a rare combination.
