She Shot Me

"Help me for a while. My wound is a bit painful." Han Meixiu requested and even contorted her face to prove her claim. 

Li Xiaozhi who knew that her best friend was someone who couldn't tolerate pain, shook her head lightly.

When they were about to reach the stairs, Li Xiaozhi heard her radio.

"Officer Li! The target moved! They are leaving!" 

Feeling confused, Han Meixiu panicked. She just moved!

But after realizing that she has been moving for the past few minutes, it was clear that she wasn't the target.

"Follow them first and report to me your location later. I need to finish something first." Li Xiaozhi answered and turned to Han Meixiu after ending the call. 

"Instead of going to the previous office, why don't I drop you by in a nearby hospital to check your wound. The police are already chasing the thief. No one will be suspicious if you go out now." Li Xiaozhi said as the two continued to walk. 

She was also planning on how to let Han Meixiu escaped without being questioned. If other police officers saw her, she would be really considered as a suspect. Even though the location wasn't exactly the same.

There's no civilian who would be present in this place at this time of the day unless he's up to something. 

Han Meixiu also thought about it,  but she originally had her own escape plan.

Of course she couldn't tell it to Li Xiaozhi. She only wanted to separate from her after confirming that Han Mingxia succeeded. 

"I can go alone. You don't need to send me. Besides, I think you should follow them."

"Okay. I'll just send you outside this building. There's a shortcut towards the main street. Can you walk? It would be around 500 meters." 

"No problem. I can actually run." Han Meixiu answered with a hint of humor. 

When the two arrived at the entrance door. Li Xiaozhi gave Han Meixiu her flashlight. 

According to her whinny partner, the team was chasing the other direction. 

"I'll call you tomorrow!" Li Xiaozhi said and turned around. There was a subtle pain expression flashed in her eyes before she ran towards the opposite side.

After Li Xiaozhi disappeared from her sight, Han Meixiu contacted Han Mingxia. 

"Meixiu, I already gave first aid. But aunt needs immediate medical attention." Han Mingxia was inside the car and just cleaned the wound. 

The bullet was taken out and Zhang Huiling actually used her mask to serve as a bandage to prevent too much blood loss.

"Zen, direct Han Mingxia to LCG medical facility."

"Young Miss, how about you? The monitoring system will resume in few minutes as the police moved. They would see the difference any time."

"Let the monitoring system resume to normal. Guide Han Mingxia. It is more important. Where are the other three?" 

"The two were reprimanded, the other one was being chased."

"He's the one the police are chasing?"

"No. He was being chased differently. Should we contact for an additional person?"

"No need. I can manage."

After giving the direction to Han Meixiu, Zen started to guide Han Mingxia. 

Han Meixiu looked around and quietly moved towards the car she would use to escape. 

Since there was no one around now, the quietness of a deserted place gave her a chill.

She didn't follow what Li Xiaozhi suggested as the car was in a different place. Although it was quite hidden, it's location wasn't suspicious.  

One could only conclude that it was parked in this place because there was simply no more space in the usual parking area.

When she was about to reach the car, she stopped. 

Using the flashlight, she moved the light and a doubtful shadow not belonging to the car moved.

She took out her gun and looked for a place where she could hide after turning off the light.

'Who is it?' Han Meixiu murmured inwardly.

The other party felt that she was probably seen, stood up and pointed her gun to the person who was coming towards the car.

"Meixiu... I know it's you..."

Li Xiaozhi didn't actually follow the other police officers. Ever since she found Han Meixiu on the fourth floor, she tried her best to justify why she was there. She asked several questions and even divulge sensitive information. 

Han Meixiu wasn't surprised. If she didn't know what she was talking about, she would ask several questions already. But she didn't.

Her surprise was coated with with worry. It was as if she was afraid that she would find out. 

If Han Meixiu followed what she suggested, she would erase her doubts. But she didn't. 

She ended up being in this place.

"Xiao Xiao... You didn't go...." Han Meixiu knew that Li Xiaozhi probably found something. Although she wanted to believe that her best friend probably got lost, her posture told her otherwise. 

Li Xiaozhi was standing and moving towards her holding a gun. It wasn't pointed at her but the mere fact that she was guarded against her hurt Han Meixiu deeply.

Earlier, Li Xiaozhi was hiding behind the car she was supposed to use. 

What would it mean?

Li Xiaozhi doubted her. Their conversation earlier was a form of probing. 

Both of them were deceiving themselves. Hiding the reality because of their relationship. Nobody wanted to break the harmony they shared. 

But it's different now. 

"Meixiu, give me the record." Li Xiaozhi said. Her theory earlier than someone would pick up the record wasn't a baseless one. She thought of the possibility after observing Han Meixiu. 

"Xiao Xiao..I.."

"You have it. I saw it." Li Xiaozhi cut her off. She saw it the moment she knelt beside her. But she didn't want to confront her as she was more worried about her best friend's wound. "Give it to me. I won't implicate you. I can just report that I found it."

"Xiao Xiao I'm sorry. I need it more than you do."

"That thing is dangerous! It's an important piece of evidence! If the content was really about that organization, I'll give it to Brother Shan..."

Han Meixiu shook her head. She must protect this record. Although she didn't know what's inside, she knew it was a very important thing to her mother. 

Zhang Huiling painstakingly stole it and even hid it inside her own body. Han Meixiu couldn't just give it away. Even if the person asking for it is her best friend.

"I can't give it to you."

"Are you one of them?"

"No, I'm not. Xiao Xiao, please. Let me leave..."

"I'm sorry Meixiu.. Unless you hand it over, I can't let you leave. If you're not one of them why do you need it?"

Han Meixiu didn't answer. She walked slowly towards Li Xiaozhi and stopped a few steps away. 

Li Xiaozhi was slowly lifting her gun. "Meixiu, don't let me do this...You are obstructing..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Han Meixiu ran madly towards her and knocked her out. Li Xiaozhi lost her balance with the sudden 'attack'. 

Han Meixiu took the opportunity to run towards the car but before she could get inside, a shot was fired. 

Never in her wildest imagination Li Xiaozhi would shoot her. Even though it was only a warning, it made her heart bleed. She knew her best friend wouldn't actually target her but she wouldn't let her go either. 

If she really wanted to escape, she could give warning shots. 

After she fired, Li Xiaozhi froze. She knew how good Han Meixiu's marksmanship. The bullet grazed her arm holding the gun causing her to lose her grip. The gun fell loudly on the street.

'Meixiu shot me...' Li Xiaozhi's brain was still in shock. She felt pain but compared to her emotional pain, her physical pain was negligible. 

Until the car disappeared from the darkness, Li Xiaozhi was still in that position. She didn't notice that her partner was running towards her. 

It was probably because of the gun fight. Her whinny partner was about to pick her up when he heard the exchange of shots. 

"Officer Li! Officer Li! Are you okay? Did you encounter a criminal? We caught the thief!"

Seeing that the woman wasn't responding, Officer Min shook her. 

"Officer Li?" He felt dampness in her arm. "You're wounded!"

He pulled the woman towards the police car he was driving and saw her face filled with tears. 

"Let's go to the hospital. It won't be painful afterwards.." Officer Min said as he thought she was crying because of the wound. 

He wasn't actually entirely wrong. It was indeed because of the wound. But it wasn't because of physical pain. 

Li Xiaozhi absentmindedly nodded.

'Yeah right. Going to the hospital will stop the pain... As if..' She muttered. Only the last sentence entered her mind.

Han Meixiu wasn't any better. She received two warning shots from Li Xiaozhi. She knew she shouldn't respond by firing as well but it was the only way she could escape. She wasn't hit directly but she felt that the next one would be different. 

She acted first. 

Sooner or later the two of them would be bound to separate. She just didn't think it would be this way. 

While listening to Zen guiding her, she was also in tears as she continuously apologized in her heart.