Chapter 456 No One Is Convinced
Qi Tongwei was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at Zhang Long's nose and said, "If you had known that it would be difficult to find Cuicui, why did you come with us in the first place? Now that you are facing some difficulties, you want to back out. You are a coward!"
Zhang Long sneered, "Coward? Haven't I paid enough to find her? I just want to go home now, is that wrong? Cuicui might have forgotten me a long time ago, and I'm still here looking for her like a fool."
Qi Tongwei took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "If you go back now, you will definitely regret it later. We have been through so much. Maybe if we hold on a little longer, we can find her."
Zhang Long turned his head away and didn't look at Qi Tongwei. "I won't regret it. I have made up my mind. I don't want to waste any more time on this hopeless thing."
Qi Tongwei looked at Zhang Long, feeling angry and disappointed. "Are you just giving up on your love? You keep saying you like her, but are they all fake?"
Zhang Long was silent for a while, then he said slowly: "Maybe it was a mistake from the beginning. I'm not young anymore, and I don't want to struggle anymore. I want to go home, find an ordinary woman, marry her, have children, and live a stable life."
Qi Tongwei said sarcastically: "Is this all you have? A peaceful life? Won't you feel regretful when you think of Cuicui in the future?"
Zhang Long's eyes flickered a little, but he still said stubbornly: "Regret? My heart is full of pain now, how can I care whether I will regret it in the future."
The two men were in a stalemate, and the atmosphere was so tense that it was suffocating. After a while, Zhang Long turned around and prepared to leave. Qi Tongwei shouted behind him: "Zhang Long, if you leave today, our brotherhood will end here!"
Zhang Long turned around, his eyes wide open, veins bulging on his forehead, and shouted: "Qi Tongwei, don't you feel guilty for saying this? When I was working in the police station, I went through wind and rain, and saw all kinds of scenes. You were still in your mother's womb at that time! Without me, you would not be where you are today?" As he spoke, he waved his arms and unconsciously moved closer to Qi Tongwei.
Qi Tongwei was somewhat overwhelmed by Zhang Long's sudden anger, but his stubbornness made him unwilling to give in. He straightened his chest and said, "Zhang Long, don't always bring up the past. This is now, and the situation is different. No matter what happened in the past, we are looking for Cuicui now, and you can't just leave."
Zhang Long sneered and crossed his arms over his chest. "Humph, what do you know, little brat? I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. I've done so much for you, and now you blame me? How much suffering have I, an old man, endured in order to find Cuicui? When you were locked up, did you ever think about me?"
Qi Tongwei frowned and explained anxiously: "I know you have suffered a lot, but we can't give up halfway. Cuicui is still waiting for us to find her."
"Wait? Wait for nothing!" Zhang Long's voice rose again, "Maybe she doesn't want to see me anymore. I'm so old, is it worth it to go through so much trouble for a woman? I just want to go home and live my own life now."
Qi Tongwei looked at Zhang Long with disappointment and confusion in his eyes. "You were not like this before. You used to be full of enthusiasm and not afraid of any difficulties. Why have you become so timid now?"
Zhang Long was irritated by this and his face turned redder. "Cowardly? I have seen the reality now. Unlike you, you are still dreaming those unrealistic dreams. What do you think will happen if you find Cuicui? We have been through so much, do you think she will be the same as before?"
The two of them argued back and forth, neither of them giving in. The air around them seemed to be ignited, and the tense atmosphere was about to explode. Zhang Long's mind kept flashing back to the past. He recalled his glory in the police station. At that time, he was young and strong, full of justice, and had solved many cases. He was also highly respected by his colleagues.
When Qi Tongwei first joined the police force, he was still a young man who knew nothing. Zhang Long would often guide him and help him solve some problems at work. Once, Qi Tongwei almost made a big mistake while performing a task, and it was Zhang Long who appeared in time to help him resolve the crisis. Since then, the relationship between the two has become better and better, and they have gradually become good brothers.
But now, everything has changed. Zhang Long felt that Qi Tongwei no longer respected him and only wanted to find Cuicui without considering his feelings. He continued, "Do you think you are still the little policeman who listens to me in everything? Now that you have grown up, you start to boss me around? I tell you, it's not that easy."
Qi Tongwei felt bad when he heard Zhang Long's words. He knew Zhang Long had done a lot for him, but he really didn't want to give up looking for Cuicui. He tried to calm Zhang Long down, "Brother Long, that's not what I meant. I just don't want to see you give up. We've been brothers for so many years, please help me this time."
Zhang Long simply didn't want to hear her out. "Help you? Haven't I helped you enough? I've done my best. I just want to go home and live my own stable life. Don't stop me."
After saying that, Zhang Long turned around again, dragging his heavy steps to leave. Qi Tongwei stood there, looking at Zhang Long's back, his heart full of helplessness and loss. He didn't know how to keep Zhang Long, nor did he know if he could continue to look for Cuicui alone.
Zhang Long walked a few steps and then stopped. He was very conflicted. On the one hand, he really wanted to go home and get away from all the troubles. On the other hand, he couldn't let go of his brotherhood with Qi Tongwei and was also worried about Cuicui's safety. He stood there, struggling fiercely in his heart.
After a long time, Zhang Long slowly turned around, looked at Qi Tongwei and said, "Tongwei, I know you are doing this for Cuicui's good. But I am really tired. I am afraid that if this continues, I will collapse."
Qi Tongwei looked at Zhang Long, his eyes full of expectation, "Brother Long, let's hold on a little longer, maybe we can find her soon. If you leave now, all our suffering will be in vain."
Zhang Long lowered his head and pondered for a while. He thought of the good times he had with Cuicui, and those memories came flooding back. Although they had quarreled, he knew that he still loved Cuicui deep in his heart.
He raised his head, looked at Qi Tongwei and said, "Tongwei, let's try one last time. If we still can't find Cuicui, I will really go home."
Qi Tongwei nodded, "Okay, Brother Long. Let's try again."
The two cheered themselves up and began to discuss the next search plan.