This flight was a direct overnight flight from Shanghai to Beijing, with a flight time of about two hours. Xiao He felt as if he had just closed his eyes to rest for a short while before they arrived in Beijing.
Xiao He yawned lazily.
"Let's go."
Liu Rulan walked over and patted Xiao He on the shoulder.
"good."
After disembarking from the plane and retrieving their luggage, the group prepared to head to their booked hotel.
Just as Xiao He was about to step out of the hall, several uniformed special police officers walked up to him and blocked his way.
As the capital's airport, it is always guarded by armed special police to strictly control the scene and ensure the safety of passengers and other airport staff.
These special police officers, dressed in black uniforms, were all imposing and had sharp eyes. Just standing there, they were like a wall, giving people a strong sense of pressure.
Xiao He was stunned for a moment, somewhat puzzled. Xiao Chen, who was walking in front, immediately called out to Liu Rulan. Both of them were also startled by this scene.
"Hello, we just received some reports and would like to ask you about some things. We hope you can cooperate with our work," the lead officer said first. "Could you please show us your ID card and your flight information?"
Xiao He: "Ah, yes, yes."
He quickly started taking out his basic identification documents.
The police officer looked Xiao He up and down, his brows furrowing slightly.
Xiao He's criminal aura had been somewhat reduced after his adjustments, but it hadn't been completely removed. So, in the eyes of these experienced police officers, this instead became proof of him being a "deeply hidden suspicious individual."
"Could you please take out your mask and hat?"
"Okay, okay."
Liu Rulan and Xiao Chen quickly bypassed the small circle of police officers and came to Xiao He's side: "What's wrong? What's going on?"
The police officer glanced at Liu Rulan, who had approached him, and asked with a serious expression, "Madam, may I ask your relationship with this gentleman?"
Liu Rulan immediately said, "I am his agent, officer. Is there some misunderstanding?"
She then took out her ID card before Xiao He could, along with her agent's license and Xiao He's work certificate.
The police officer was surprised that Liu Rulan was so experienced, or rather, he was surprised that Xiao He was an artist. He looked at Xiao He a few more times and found that Xiao He did look familiar. He then took Liu Rulan's documents and certificates ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) and examined them carefully.
Xiao He finally took out his ID and handed it to another police officer.
The two officers carefully examined Xiao He's identification and photographed it for verification. Meanwhile, a crowd had already begun to gather nearby when Xiao He took off his mask.
There was no way around it; even though it was already past midnight, there were still many people inside the airport, and several police officers had gathered here at once. It was hard for the Chinese people, who love to watch the excitement, not to stop and linger.
Furthermore, since "Shining Stars" is currently airing and Xiao He's popularity is not what it used to be, people around them gradually recognized them and started taking out their phones to film them.
Upon discovering this, the police officer who had confirmed Xiao He's identity handed back Xiao He and Liu Rulan's identification documents. His expression softened considerably as he said, "I'm very sorry to bother you all. There are some special circumstances here, and it may take a few more minutes."
"It doesn't matter."
Immediately afterwards, Xiao He and his group followed the police to a nearby rest room.
An old man was sitting in the lounge. The moment he saw Xiao He, he stood up and pointed at him excitedly, saying, "It's him! It's him! I saw him talking to a group of Japanese soldiers with my own eyes! He must be a spy! A traitor!"
Xiao He: ...
Liu Rulan: ...
Xiao He looked at the old man, who was red-faced and furious, wishing he could be shot immediately. He was speechless and could only look up at the sky with melancholy.
Just then, another staff member approached with a middle-aged man who looked hurried: "This gentleman's father is missing. Could you please check if he is this elderly man's relative?"
Seeing the densely packed crowd, the middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat, vaguely realizing that his father had done something terrible. He quickly stepped forward to apologize: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I've caused everyone trouble. My father may have misunderstood something. I'm so sorry!"
"What exactly is going on?" Liu Rulan glanced at the middle-aged man, her expression remaining unchanged, and continued to press the police for answers.
"That's how it is—"
After the lead officer explained, everyone finally understood the details.
It turned out that after the old man got off the plane, he went straight to the special police post and told them with certainty that there had been spies on the plane.
The police weren't quite sure what was going on, but seeing that the old man was so anxious he was almost fainting, they could only try to calm him down.
The old man kept saying that he had personally witnessed Xiao He and his group's meeting, and urged the police to arrest the man as soon as possible, urging them not to let this lackey get away. Although the police had a vague idea that it was a misunderstanding, they still sent a few people over to investigate and confirm the situation, just in case.
And indeed, it turned out to be a misunderstanding.
According to the old man's son, the old man was quite remarkable when he was young. At that time, the country was in a period of development and there were many hidden bad guys. Although the old man was not a professional arrester, he liked to study these things and even taught himself a set of investigation techniques. He would collect intelligence or gossip in the vicinity whenever he had nothing to do. In those years, he actually managed to catch a few bad guys.
His glorious deeds were even reported in the news at the time! Even after so many years, and with the old man now suffering from Alzheimer's disease, he has not forgotten his mission and honor from back then.
Later, he moved in with his son's family. The old man liked to wander around the neighborhood, gathering information and gossip about the surroundings, and then analyzing the family situation and life trajectory of the people to determine whether they were safe.
His son had tried to stop him a few times before, but the old man was very stubborn and insisted on going out for a walk. Since the son saw that the old man usually just chatted with the other women and did not disturb or affect other people's lives, he stopped trying to stop him.
Fortunately, the old man has always been very sensible and has not caused any trouble over the years.
—Except for Xiao He this time.
Perhaps because he's been watching "Shining Stars" lately, this old man actually connected the plot he saw on TV with reality. It's fine when he doesn't encounter the people or scenes from TV, but when he saw Xiao He, he automatically put the plot into his mind and triggered an "alarm mechanism," starting to call for people to arrest Xiao He.
The middle-aged man, Tao Weiguo, blushed upon learning the situation and repeatedly bowed to Xiao He in apology: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! My dad might be sick and his mind isn't quite right. I'm so sorry! I've disturbed you!"
As Mr. Tao gets older, his health and memory are deteriorating. Tao Weiguo discussed it with his family and decided to bring his father to the capital to watch the flag-raising ceremony again, so as to relive his father's fond memories from back then.
So they took an early morning flight to get there, planning to queue up in the square early to secure a good spot in the front row.
Unexpectedly, they bumped into Xiao He, who was on his way to Beijing to film a movie.
