“Secretary Wang…”

In his previous life, Wang Xingmin had not stepped forward to protect him at the crucial moment. Even now, after returning to 1994, Wang had only dared to push for an investigation into the Nanting Lake Juice Factory once Xiao Liang had maneuvered events into a position that was almost unquestionably favorable. Deep down, Xiao Liang could never completely let that go.

But he also had to admit something.

Whether it was sending Xiao Yujun to prison while the iron was hot, or moving forward to take control of the Nanting Lake Juice Factory while pushing aside interference from people like Fan Chunjiang, Wang Xingmin was an indispensable figure.

Suppressing the lingering discomfort in his heart, Xiao Liang called out to him.

He didn’t say anything more.

Yet Wang Xingmin seemed to understand perfectly well.

Anyone who had been through something like this would be shaken. He reached out and patted Xiao Liang on the shoulder in reassurance.

“We’ll handle the rest.”

At that moment, Qian Haiyun walked over and asked Zhao Zhishan for instructions.

“What should we do with Xiao Yujun and He Hong?”

The township police station was directly under the authority of the county Public Security Bureau.

With Chen Shen and Du Jiang both still in the hospital, Qian Haiyun—being the only formally appointed officer left at the station—naturally had to report everything directly to Zhao Zhishan until a new station chief was assigned.

“Where are the Economic Crimes people?”

Zhao Zhishan knew the Economic Crimes Investigation Unit had rushed to Yunshe overnight to examine the materials Gu Peijun had submitted.

Although economic crimes weren’t under Zhao’s jurisdiction, something this serious had happened—and yet no one from that unit was present at the scene. The thought irritated him.

“Captain Zhou and his team were reviewing documents all night. They’re sleeping at the guesthouse now. We didn’t wake them,” Qian Haiyun said, careful not to make the county bureau look bad in public.

Zhao Zhishan took a breath and shifted the conversation, turning toward Wang Xingmin, Fan Chunjiang, and Zhou Jianqi.

“As things stand, the situation involving Xiao Yujun and He Hong is already extremely serious. Yunshe doesn’t have the investigative capacity to handle something like this. It looks like the county bureau will have to open a formal case and take over the investigation. Secretary Wang, Mayor Fan—what do you think?”

If this were merely an economic crime, Zhao Zhishan wouldn’t have made the call himself. Aside from the fact that economic crimes weren’t under his authority, he’d also heard that Xiao Yujun had powerful connections in the county over the past few years. There might very well be people who would step in to interfere.

But now the matter had exploded into public view.

Hundreds of villagers were standing outside the courtyard watching.

Beyond suspected embezzlement of massive collective assets, Xiao Yujun was also implicated in molesting a minor and framing an innocent man.

If Zhao Zhishan still refused to open a case immediately, he’d have to think about how much criticism would rain down on him afterward.

Why should he carry that kind of blame for no reason?

“Sorry for the trouble, Director Zhao. Yunshe has caused the bureau quite a headache,” Wang Xingmin said. In truth, he wished Zhao Zhishan would simply cuff Fan Chunjiang, Du Xuebing, and the rest along with Xiao Yujun.

“There’s no helping it,” Fan Chunjiang said bitterly.

He could already see that He Hong’s will had collapsed. There was no longer any chance of coordinating their stories. As for whether Xiao Yujun could keep his mouth shut—Fan Chunjiang would have to go to the county personally to try and arrange something.

But right now, he had no way to intervene.

This matter had already slipped beyond his reach.

Zhou Jianqi hesitated before nodding as well.

“Secretary Wang,” Xiao Liang murmured beside Wang Xingmin, making sure Zhao Zhishan, Fan Chunjiang, and Zhou Jianqi could hear him clearly, “Xiao Yujun was dragged out of bed by Lin Xuetong early this morning. If there were any incriminating materials involved, he probably didn’t have time to move or destroy them.”

Legally speaking, searching someone’s home or office required a warrant issued by the county Public Security Bureau.

But this was 1994.

If Zhao Zhishan, as deputy director in charge of criminal investigations, decided to open a case against Xiao Yujun and He Hong while citing the urgent risk that accomplices might destroy evidence—and ordered an immediate search of their residence—who would dare say he was wrong?

Besides, could Fan Chunjiang really stand there in front of hundreds of villagers and start quoting legal procedures?

Or Zhao could simply post officers outside Xiao Yujun’s home and office immediately, then request a search warrant afterward. That would be perfectly reasonable as well.

The real question was whether Zhao Zhishan was willing to seal off those loopholes right now.

At that moment, Xiao Liang noticed his father and older brother standing near the courtyard entrance, peering inside.

He said a quick word to Wang Xingmin and walked over, signaling that as an ordinary township staff member he had no intention of interfering in the decisions of these “important figures.”

Wang Xingmin watched him leave before turning to Zhao Zhishan.

“Should the county bureau consider what Xiao Liang just mentioned?”

Wang Xingmin understood perfectly well the old saying: fail to kill a snake and it may bite back.

Now that he had taken the first step, he had no intention of giving Xiao Yujun any chance to struggle free. Ideally, this investigation would pull up not just the radish but all the dirt attached to it.

If they could uncover evidence implicating Fan Chunjiang or Zhou Jianqi directly from Xiao Yujun’s home, then Wang Xingmin wouldn’t have to worry about anything else.

Zhao Zhishan frowned thoughtfully.

After a moment, he avoided meeting Fan Chunjiang and Zhou Jianqi’s eyes and looked toward the only person he could reasonably consult.

“Yuan Wenhai. What do you think?”

“There’s definitely a possibility that evidence could be moved or destroyed,” Yuan Wenhai replied.

“Alright. Go talk with Zhou Ruan first. If necessary, you can submit a verbal request,” Zhao Zhishan said.

He had no idea how deeply Fan Chunjiang might be involved, but the two of them had shared nothing more than a few casual drinking sessions. Zhao Zhishan certainly wasn’t about to risk his own neck for them.

By pushing the decision onto Yuan Wenhai and the Economic Crimes investigators handling the juice factory case, everything could appear strictly by the book.

“Sui Jing, go find Captain Zhou Ruan,” Yuan Wenhai ordered.

But before Sui Jing could even leave, Zhou Ruan—the deputy captain of the Economic Crimes Unit who had arrived the previous night to review the whistleblower materials—hurried to the scene with two investigators after hearing Zhao Zhishan had come to Yunshe.

They arrived only to find the crisis already resolved—and Zhao Zhishan looking distinctly displeased.

—

Xiao Changhua and his elder son Xiao Xiao had lost a few minutes waiting for a taxi in the county seat.

Not knowing why Xiao Liang had rushed back to Yunshe, they first went to the township government compound. After asking around and learning something had happened in Nanting Village, they walked over.

By the time they arrived, Lin Xuetong, Xiao Yujun, and He Hong had already been handcuffed.

Seeing Xiao Liang emerge from the courtyard unharmed, Xiao Changhua finally let out a long breath.

“So it’s all settled here. Why did they drag you into this?”

Although this time around—after returning to 1994—the ordeal hadn’t stretched out as long as it had in his previous life, Xiao Liang could still see the exhaustion written plainly across his father’s and brother’s faces.

The past few days of anxiety and running around had left their mark.

He let out a long breath himself.

At that moment, Qian Haiyun came out of the courtyard as well. After greeting them, he led several auxiliary officers away with Lin Xuetong, Xiao Yujun, and He Hong in custody.

Xiao Liang glanced back toward the courtyard and explained quietly to his father and brother.

“Xiao Yujun had He Hong frame me to cover up evidence that he’d been embezzling collective assets from Nanting Village. Over the past few days I learned he might also have had an affair with He Hong. Last night, when Captain Yuan was escorting me back to the county bureau, we stopped to find He Hong’s husband, Lin Xuetong. I hoped he could testify on my behalf.”

He paused.

“I didn’t expect that Xiao Yujun had made improper advances toward Lin Xuetong and He Hong’s daughter. When Lin Xuetong returned from the county and learned about it yesterday, he snapped. He tied Xiao Yujun up in his courtyard and was ready to die together with them.”

“He Hong has already confessed to falsely accusing me.”

“My situation’s been cleared up now.”