Chapter 339

Du Chenzhou's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly realized that he really couldn't explain it.

Xie Zhiyan's eyes darkened, his gaze locking onto Du Chenzhou.

"Please explain to me why my pocket watch, which I lost on a mission on the border, is now in your possession."

"Border" and "battlefield" are both sensitive words.

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng, Zheng Yifan, and several police officers who were on duty nearby immediately became alert and all looked over.

Yes, how did something that someone else left on the border battlefield end up in his hands?

Could it be that he went to the border battlefield?

Who exactly is he? And why did he go there?

Ordinary people would be too busy avoiding such places to even consider going near them.

Moreover, unless someone searched the battlefield, how could he possibly have found something that had fallen there by chance?

No matter how you look at it, this is a huge point of doubt.

Many questions arose in everyone's minds as they stared intently at Du Chenzhou, waiting for his answer.

Du Chenzhou subconsciously swallowed, but then immediately realized that at such a moment, even a small detail like swallowing would make him seem guilty.

His hands unconsciously gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, he gritted his teeth and stared intently at Xie Zhiyan in front of him, his eyes filled with complex and turbulent emotions.

All of this happened so suddenly and inexplicably that Du Zhiwei was only now vaguely figuring out what had happened.

It was a pocket watch belonging to Xie Zhiyan with Shu Ying's photo on it that was taken by this man named Du Chenzhou.

Moreover, it seems that Du Chenzhou and Shu Ying have something going on...

So at this very moment, these two men are... fighting over a pocket watch, no, it should be said that they are vying for Shu Ying's affections, going head-to-head?

Du Zhiwei was extremely displeased.

She just couldn't understand what it was about Shu Ying that made these two people so excited about her.

Aren't they all like her, with two eyebrows, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth?

She admitted that Shu Ying was quite pretty, but she wasn't bad-looking either, so why didn't she see any men so eager to fight over her...

But this thought only flashed through my mind for a fleeting, sour moment before my ambition took over again.

Du Zhiwei composed herself, maintaining the composure and dignity she had displayed upon arrival, and stepped forward to mediate.

"Zhiyan, don't be impulsive. Now that we're all in the police station, let's sit down and have a proper talk."

She stepped forward and lowered her voice to Xie Zhiyan.

“In the police station, people can never really run away.”

"But these two foreigners are clearly very protective of Du Chenzhou. They are very likely to be friendly forces, or even sent by allies. It's best not to escalate the conflict."

“I know you have personal feelings, but you still need to consider the bigger picture. Don’t make a scene over a woman.”

Xie Zhiyan agreed with the first half of the sentence, but after hearing the second half, he glanced at Du Zhiwei expressionlessly.

Du Zhiwei pursed her lips and stood to the side.

Xie Zhiyan's gaze returned to Du Chenzhou, still considering his options. Howard and Lusca, sensing the tense atmosphere, immediately stepped forward to help Du Chenzhou, speaking in broken English—

“Although we didn’t understand what you were arguing about, Zhou is not a bad person.”

Du Zhiwei gave them a simple explanation, feeling somewhat helpless. They weren't arguing; they were just questioning why Du Chenzhou had gone to the border and what his purpose was there.

Howard and Lusca frowned upon hearing this.

“We did encounter Zhou at the border, and we don’t know what he was doing there, but he helped us a lot and didn’t come into contact with any strange people.”

Howard and Lusca looked at Shu Ying.

"Madam, you just called out Zhou's name. You know him, don't you?"

“Since you are acquaintances, you must know Zhou’s character.”

"Zhou is very enthusiastic and responsible, and he took good care of us throughout the journey."

"When he learned that we couldn't speak the language and that all the people who were escorting us were dead, and that there was no one to translate for us, he volunteered to help us, translate for us, and even escorted us to the capital."

"It's fair to say that without the boat, our journey wouldn't have been so smooth, and we probably wouldn't even have been able to take the train."

Howard and Lusca thought it over and over and still felt they should help their friend; as they talked, their expressions became even more determined.

"In short, I will not allow you to doubt our friends who have helped us unless you have solid evidence."

Howard and Lusca glanced at Chen Feng and Zheng Yifan, then turned their gaze to Xie Zhiyan.

"Police officers, and this comrade in military uniform who looks like a soldier, I hope you can investigate the truth as soon as possible, clear our names, and clear Zhou's name as well."

“Our purpose for this trip is perfectly legitimate, all procedures are legal and compliant, and we have already contacted your country’s representatives in advance.”

"Our innocence can be fully proven once we are in the military and contact the relevant national representatives."

"But time is limited, and we can't stay here forever, so please hurry."

Du Zhiwei glanced at Howard and Lusca, then at Xie Zhiyan, and decided to step in and comfort them.

"Please be patient, we have already contacted the relevant departments..."

Du Zhiwei spoke fluent English with the other party, while Shu Ying pulled Xie Zhiyan aside.

She glanced down at the pocket watch that Xie Zhiyan was clutching tightly in his hand, her expression a mixture of amusement and something else entirely.

If she remembers correctly, this photo should be a passport photo taken many years ago when she was abroad.

It seems she needed to take some kind of ID photo at the time, so she specifically asked a Chinese photographer overseas to take it for her.

Fearing that they might need to use such a small photo again, they simply asked the photographer to print out a few extra copies to keep as backups.

After the photos were developed, I sent one home with a letter to my family to tell them that I was doing well and that I looked exactly the same. The rest of the photos were used on various documents and files.

There were two photos left, but she didn't stay abroad for long and returned to China soon. Naturally, she didn't use them all and didn't know where she put them. Maybe she put them in a small bag or between the pages of a book when she packed her things to go back to China.

In short, after returning to China, while cleaning up the luggage she brought back from abroad, the photos somehow fell out and landed in the fish tank in her room. By the time she discovered them, the photos were torn and unusable.

The reason she remembers it so clearly, and can tell at a glance that the photo was taken abroad, is because the photographer was very good at taking pictures of people.