The Ankle Monitor Comes Off

A drop of brown sauce slid slowly along the grain of the plump chicken leg, landing on a mountain of white rice.

But Qian Fu couldn't care less about that now. One in each hand, he bit into a braised chicken leg and yanked hard. The delicious taste hit the tip of his tongue, filling his mouth with meaty flavor and a look of complete satisfaction.

And even that wasn't enough for him. He ate what was in his mouth while staring at the plate, afraid that Chen Hongyu beside him would snatch it away.

Li Huowang stared across the table at them, speechless. He was starting to regret inviting them to his home.

"Come on, come on, eat more. There's plenty more." Sun Xiaoqin walked out of the kitchen with a plate of chicken legs, chuckling. Her hair was permed into curls again.

"Mom, that's enough. There's already too much."

Sun Xiaoqin didn't say anything. From below the table, Yang Na reached over and pinched Li Huowang hard.

"What are you pinching me for?" When Li Huowang looked over, he saw Yang Na staring back at him with clear dissatisfaction in her eyes.

Burp~~~

Qian Fu's long belch interrupted their staring contest.

"You're already burping. Don't push yourselves. Forget about the money—I don't want you to wreck your stomachs."

Qian Fu grabbed two chicken legs from the plate, stabbed them into his rice, and glared at Li Huowang.

"What do you know! That's a hunger burp!" With that, he picked up his chopsticks and started shoveling the rice into his mouth with loud, hurried noises.

Chen Hongyu wasn't about to be outdone. She picked up a braised chicken leg, shoved it into her mouth, and gave it a hard, sucking pull. When she took it out, it was nothing but a clean bone.

Compared to the disgusting pus-filled cysts before, Li Huowang thought this trick of hers was more like a superpower.

Just then, Sun Xiaoqin somehow appeared right next to Li Huowang's ear. "You, child. What kind of talk is that? A guest is a guest. They came to help you. Besides, a whole bag of frozen chicken legs from the supermarket costs next to nothing. Cheaper than vegetables."

Li Huowang sighed and said nothing more, just watching the two of them continue to wolf down the food.

"Don't you want some?"

"No, thanks. I'm full just watching."

After three full plates, Li Huowang watched their bellies bulge. So the cartoons he'd watched as a kid were real after all.

When lunch was over, the two of them leaned back in their chairs, patting their stomachs and breathing contentedly.

Glancing at the kitchen, Li Huowang leaned forward and asked in a low, surprised voice, "Have you two not had anything to eat this whole time? How did you get this hungry?"

"The meal we had last night can't cover today. You still have to eat every day, man. What's wrong with you?" Just as Qian Fu finished saying this, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming." Yang Na shuffled over in her slippers. "Qing Wanglai? Come in, please. Oh, and who are these two behind you?"

Li Huowang turned to look and saw Qing Wanglai walking in, dressed in white and blue, with two other men behind him.

The two men didn't say a word to Li Huowang. They directly lifted one of his legs and removed the device strapped around his ankle.

After they left, Li Huowang looked at Qing Wanglai. "That...?"

"The neighborhood committee's surveillance is gone. They'll still do periodic check-ins, but you can't leave the province or the city."

"You're free to move around now. But there's still one device left on your ankle. Best to avoid crowded places if you can. No need to set their nerves on edge."

Li Huowang was stunned. He rushed to the window and looked out. He saw Aunt Qi and a few other people pointing in his direction and talking among themselves, then turning and walking out of the residential quarter.

"They're really gone? How did you manage that?" Li Huowang turned around, looking at Qing Wanglai in amazement.

This guy. He'd only known him for a short time, but he was already way more reliable than the two lunatics before.

"Easy. I found you a lawyer. We looked into it and found that by this point, your house arrest and surveillance had actually become a violation of your personal freedom."

"Since you've already been cleared by the doctors, under standard procedure, you should have regained your freedom last month. But, you know. When the higher-ups say 'one,' the lower-ups, to avoid trouble and responsibility, implement it as 'ten.' So I pulled a few strings on top of that."

"I see. I understand now."

Qing Wanglai smiled and shook his head. "Heh. I think you still don't really understand."

Hearing this, Li Huowang frowned. There was something off about the way this guy talked.

"Anyway, thanks for your help. Since I'm free now, let's go somewhere else to talk properly." Li Huowang couldn't wait to head for the door.

"Don't be so hasty. You've just had your restrictions lifted. Running around all over the place will raise suspicion." Qing Wanglai blocked Li Huowang's path.

Seeing Sun Xiaoqin placing a plate of fruit on the table, Qing Wanglai patted Li Huowang on the shoulder. "I'll pick you up at nine tonight. I've found a safe place. I'll also introduce you to some new friends."

"New friends?" Li Huowang felt a flicker of curiosity. Were there other allies on their side?

Qing Wanglai didn't stay long after that. He left with Qian Fu and Chen Hongyu, who had stuffed some fruit into his pockets, and walked out of Li Huowang's home.

"Son... you... you're really okay now? You can go out now?" Sun Xiaoqin seemed even happier about this news than Li Huowang was.

"Yeah. That's right." Li Huowang nodded, his mind already racing with what he needed to do next.

"Then you rest for a bit! I'm going to buy groceries. I'll call your dad and tell him not to do his night shift. Our family is going to have a proper celebration!"

Once Sun Xiaoqin was gone, only Li Huowang and Yang Na were left in the house.

"Huowang, do you really think what Qing Wanglai said is true? I still don't trust what he's told us."

"I don't trust him either. But if I want to shake off these people, I have to rely on them. They're tightening the net." Li Huowang turned and looked at the buildings outside.

"They're here right now?" Yang Na rushed to the window, drew the curtain, and peered through a gap. "Where? Where are they?"

"They're not in the complex. They're far away, watching me through telescopes!" Li Huowang stared fixedly at the high-rises in the other residential areas in the distance.

"Are they?" Yang Na looked into the distance, then stared at Li Huowang's face. "Can you really feel it?"

"Yeah. The feeling is very special. Of course I can feel it! The hostility in their gazes is getting stronger!"

"I figure they'll make a move on me soon. I have to strike first. Before they do."

Time passed, minute by minute. Soon it was evening. Even though the dinner to celebrate Li Huowang's freedom was lavish, he had little appetite. His mind was full of the "new friends" Qing Wanglai had mentioned, and how he could fight alongside them against the enemy.

Before he knew it, night had fallen. Li Huowang said goodbye to Sun Xiaoqin and prepared to leave with Yang Na.

His mother didn't ask any questions. His father even slipped some money into his hand. Li Huowang guessed they had the wrong idea.

When Li Huowang walked out of the residential complex for the first time without being watched, a white four-seater sports car pulled up in front of him.

"Get in." Qing Wanglai said, one hand on the steering wheel.