This flight was a direct overnight flight from Shanghai to Beijing with a flight time of about two hours. Xiao He felt like he had only just closed his eyes to rest when they had already arrived in Beijing.
Xiao He lazily yawned.
"Let's go."
Liu Rulan walked over and patted Xiao He.
"Okay."
The group got off the plane, retrieved their luggage, and prepared to go to the booked hotel.
But just as Xiao He was about to step out of the hall, several special police officers in uniforms walked up to Xiao He and blocked his way.
As the airport of the capital, it was always guarded by armed special police who maintained strict control over the scene to ensure the safety of passengers, other airport staff, and property.
These special police officers were all dressed in black uniforms, each looking impressive and dignified with sharp, piercing eyes. Just standing there, they felt like an impassable wall, bringing immense pressure.
Xiao He was stunned and somewhat confused. Xiao Chen, who was walking ahead, immediately called out to Liu Rulan, and both of them were startled by this scene.
"Hello, we just received some reports and would like to ask you a few questions. We hope you can cooperate with our work," the leading officer said first. "Could you please show us your ID card and your flight information from earlier?"
Xiao He: "Ah, yes, of course."
He quickly began pulling out his basic documents.
The officer looked Xiao He up and down, his brow slightly furrowed.
The criminal aura on Xiao He had been partially restrained after his adjustments, but it wasn't completely gone. So, in the eyes of these experienced officers, this instead became proof of a "highly suspicious individual with deep concealment skills."
"Please remove your mask and hat."
"Okay, sure."
Liu Rulan and Xiao Chen quickly moved around the semi-circle formed by the police and came to Xiao He's side: "What's wrong? What's happening?"
That officer glanced at Liu Rulan who had proactively approached and asked with a serious expression: "Madam, what is your relationship to this gentleman?"
Liu Rulan immediately said: "I am his agent. Officer, there must be some misunderstanding here?"
Then, before Xiao He could act, she pulled out her ID card, even her agent qualification certificate, and Xiao He's relevant work documents.
This officer hadn't expected Liu Rulan to be so experienced, or rather, he was surprised that Xiao He was actually an entertainer. He looked at Xiao He a few more times, realizing he did look somewhat familiar. He then took Liu Rulan's documents and proofs to examine carefully.
Xiao He also finally pulled out his own documents and handed them to another officer.
The two officers carefully checked them while photographing their documents for verification. Ever since Xiao He removed his mask, a crowd had slowly begun gathering not far away.
There was no helping it. Even though it was already past midnight, there were still many people in the airport. With several officers gathered in one spot, it was hard for curious Chinese people not to stop and linger for a moment.
Furthermore, because "Starry Radiance" was currently airing to great popularity, Xiao He's current fame was far greater than before. People in the surrounding area gradually recognized their group and began taking out their phones to record.
Noticing this situation, the officer who had verified Xiao He's identity handed back the documents to Xiao He and Liu Rulan. His expression softened considerably as he said, "We're very sorry for disturbing everyone. There's a special circumstance here, so we might need to delay you for a few more minutes."
"It's no problem."
Immediately after, Xiao He's group followed the police to a nearby lounge.
An elderly man was currently sitting in the lounge. The moment he saw Xiao He, he stood up, pointed at Xiao He excitedly, and said: "It's him! It's definitely him! I saw him with my own eyes talking to a bunch of devils! He's definitely a spy! A traitor!"
Xiao He: "..."
Liu Rulan: "..."
Xiao He looked at the old man, whose face was red with anger and whose neck was thick with fury, looking like he wanted Xiao He executed by firing squad immediately. Xiao He was speechless, could only sigh helplessly and look up at the sky.
At that moment, another staff member brought over a middle-aged man who looked hurried and flustered: "This gentleman's father is lost. Can you see if he is the family member of this elderly man—"
Seeing the dense crowd of people standing in the room, the middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat, vaguely sensing that his father had done something major. He quickly stepped forward to apologize: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I've caused trouble for everyone! My father probably misunderstood something. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"What exactly is going on?" Liu Rulan glanced at this middle-aged man, her face showing no particular change in expression, and continued questioning the police.
"It's like this—"
After the explanation from the lead officer, everyone finally understood the detailed situation.
It turned out that after this elderly man got off the plane, he went directly to the spot where the special police were stationed and reported to them with absolute certainty that there had been a spy on the plane just now.
The police weren't entirely clear on the situation either, but seeing the old man so agitated he was almost hyperventilating, they could only first try to calm him down.
The old man kept saying he had personally witnessed Xiao He's rendezvous scene and urged the police to quickly arrest him, to absolutely not let this running dog escape. Although the police vaguely guessed it was a misunderstanding, just in case, they sent a few people to investigate and confirm the situation.
And indeed, the facts proved just that. Everything was just a misunderstanding.
According to the old man's son's additional explanation, this old man had been quite extraordinary in his youth. During that era of development, there were still many hidden bad elements internally. Although this old man wasn't professionally trained in catching people, he usually enjoyed studying these matters and had even taught himself a set of investigation techniques. He would often gather intelligence or gossip in the area, and over those years, he actually managed to catch a few bad guys.
His glorious deeds had even been reported in the news back then! Even after all these years, now that the old man had developed Alzheimer's disease, he still hadn't forgotten his mission and honor from those days.
Later, after moving in with his son's family, this old man enjoyed wandering around the neighborhood, incidentally gathering intelligence and gossip from the surroundings. He would then analyze people's family situations and life patterns to judge 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 walks. Plus, the son saw that the old man usually just chatted with the aunties and didn't disturb or affect others' lives, so he eventually stopped trying to prevent it.
Fortunately, the old man had always known his limits, and over the years, he hadn't caused any incidents.
—Except for this time with Xiao He.
Perhaps because he had been recently watching "Starry Radiance," the old man actually connected the plot he saw on TV with reality. Usually, when he didn't encounter the people or scenes from the TV show, it was fine. But this time, seeing Xiao He, he automatically superimposed the TV drama's plot onto reality, which then triggered his "alarm mechanism," and he started calling for backup to arrest Xiao He.
The middle-aged man was named Tao Weiguo. After understanding the situation, his face flushed red, and he repeatedly bowed to Xiao He in apology: "I'm sorry, I apologize! My father is sick, his mind isn't clear! I'm sorry! We've disturbed you!"
Old Man Tao was getting on in years, and both his body and memory were getting worse. Tao Weiguo had discussed with his family and decided to bring his father to the capital one more time to watch the flag-raising ceremony, as a way to relive the old man's beautiful memories from his youth.
So they had taken the overnight flight, planning to go queue up at the square early to secure a good spot in the front rows.
They never expected to run into Xiao He, who was going to Beijing for filming.