Xiao Liang was still deep in thought when he heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. Guessing Liang Chaobin had returned, he set the phone down and suddenly slammed his fist hard against the wall.

“Xiao Liang, what are you doing?”

Liang Chaobin, the director of the Party and Government Office, had just turned thirty. He was thin, wearing a pair of ordinary black plastic-framed glasses.

His emotions had been tossed around all day.

As director of the office, Liang Chaobin was the only mid-level cadre whom Wang Xingmin had vigorously promoted after arriving in Yunshe.

If Wang Xingmin managed to consolidate his position in Yunshe, Liang Chaobin would be the most likely candidate to be elevated to a seat on the Party committee—or even to vice mayor.

Otherwise, he would have to endure years of waiting, watching opportunities pass him by.

To be honest, at the beginning Liang Chaobin had secretly hoped that this incident would deal Fan Chunjiang a decisive blow.

But when he learned at noon that the county public security bureau had abruptly ordered the interrogation of the three suspects halted, disappointment inevitably crept in.

Yet after Wang Xingmin summoned him for a private talk just now, Liang Chaobin realized he had been too impatient.

Even if Fan Chunjiang and the others were all swept away, leaving two or three—or even four—vacant positions in town government, Liang Chaobin still wouldn’t necessarily be qualified to step into them. And if the county simply transferred outsiders to fill the vacancies, Wang Xingmin might not gain control of the town government at all.

The situation, when boiled down, was quite clear.

Fan Chunjiang must have known long ago that Xiao Liang had been framed. It was even possible that he had instructed Xiao Yujun to orchestrate the whole scheme. But among the major town officials connected to Xiao Yujun, Fan Chunjiang could not possibly be the only one.

If Fan Chunjiang had been the only one involved, Wang Xingmin might have found the resolve to crush him outright.

But what about Deputy Secretary Zhou Jianqi and the others? They were all terrified that if Xiao Yujun’s case were investigated to the end, it would drag up a whole chain of dirt behind it.

Would Wang Xingmin still dare push forward under those circumstances?

Even the sudden phone call from the county bureau at noon—ordering the immediate halt to the interrogation of Xiao Yujun—might not have come from someone backing Fan Chunjiang. It could just as easily have been someone behind Zhou Jianqi.

Or perhaps even officials in the county whom Xiao Yujun himself had corrupted.

The more Liang Chaobin thought about it, the clearer it seemed.

Better to step back for now and let those people behind the scenes owe them a favor. In such a situation, Liang Chaobin’s own chances of promotion might actually improve. And Fan Chunjiang’s faction, having struggled so hard to extricate themselves this time, would likely lie low for a while afterward.

Liang Chaobin had just received that reassuring talk from Wang Xingmin.

Now, seeing Xiao Liang punching the wall inside his office, he couldn’t help worrying that Xiao Liang had heard some bad news from Yuan Wenhai and was about to let youthful temper get the better of him.

After all, Xiao Liang was the greatest victim in this entire case.

By tomorrow, the story would probably spread across the whole of Dongzhou City.

If Xiao Liang refused to quietly swallow the matter, Liang Chaobin didn’t believe Secretary Wang could necessarily keep things under control.

“I just heard some news from Captain Yuan,” Xiao Liang said, clutching the back of his aching hand. He forced himself to sound casual, though his teeth were clenched tight.

“It’s not exactly pleasant.”

“Secretary Wang said I could take two days off. But when it comes to the situation at the Nanting Village committee and the juice factory, no one in town understands it better than I do. Tomorrow I’ll report to work as usual and cooperate with the county public security bureau’s investigation.”

Xiao Liang didn’t go looking for Wang Xingmin.

After saying those words to Liang Chaobin, he simply left the government compound.

The hesitant Wang Xingmin needed time.

Time to consider just how much trouble this aggrieved young man—bold as a newborn calf that fears no tiger—might be capable of stirring up.

Wang Xingmin had to figure out, on his own, how best to pacify the most wronged man in the entire affair.

…

…

The person most indignant on Xiao Liang’s behalf was Sui Jing.

After reporting the afternoon’s work in Yunshe to Zhou Ruan, the head of the task force, she had been assigned to remain at the bureau to sort through case files. Not only was she barred from participating in the suspects’ interrogations, she was also prevented from going out to collect further evidence.

Sui Jing had swallowed her anger with great effort just to avoid arguing with Zhou Ruan on the spot.

With a belly full of frustration, she had no mood to stay late at the bureau organizing documents.

Returning to her office and finding Yuan Wenhai absent as well, she tossed aside her work and headed toward the dormitory building behind the bureau compound.

Then she suddenly spotted a familiar figure standing beneath the building, hands clasped behind his back, leisurely observing the young officers who lived there.

All the gloom in her heart vanished instantly.

“Grandpa! When did you come to Shishan?”

She ran over happily and hooked her arm around the elderly man’s.

“So you’re Sui Jing’s grandfather!” A few young officers who had been wondering what the old man was doing wandering near the dormitory quickly stepped forward to greet him warmly.

The old man returned their greetings, then looked at Sui Jing and said bluntly, “You didn’t know I came to Shishan? Or were you just surprised I hadn’t left yet?”

“I talked to Aunt a few days ago,” Sui Jing replied, shaking his arm playfully. “She said you’d been wandering around again instead of staying quietly in the provincial capital. But who could be sure you’d sneak off to Shishan?”

“And besides,” she added with mock seriousness, “if some little old lady had run off with you, would I really ruin your good time?”

As they walked toward the dormitory, Sui Jing noticed that her grandfather wasn’t just leaning on a cane—he was also limping slightly.

She froze in alarm.

“Grandpa, what happened to your leg?”

“A few days ago I went up into the mountains to sweep your great-grandfather’s grave,” the old man said. “Twisted it on a mountain path. It’s nothing serious. Just a bit of a limp. It’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

“You stayed in Shishan because you were afraid Aunt would scold you for coming home lame, didn’t you?” Sui Jing complained. “Then why didn’t you come see me? Don’t you like your granddaughter anymore?”

“You finally got a chance to work a case out in the field,” the old man said mildly. “How could an idle old man like me interfere with your work?”

Sui Jing unlocked her dorm room and flicked on the light. Then she turned around suddenly, puzzled.

“Wait… how do you know about the case? Did you talk to Uncle Tang? Is he paying attention to the Yunshe case too?”

Before the old man could answer, the frustration she had been holding back burst out.

“I’ve been running around for six or seven days straight. The case finally broke through this morning—there was even a chance to dig deeper. And then by noon someone had already stuck their hand in to interfere.”

“I’m not trying to grab credit. But I handled this case from beginning to end. The breakthrough came under my watch. Now they’re saying I’ve been a police officer for less than a year and lack experience. Not only am I barred from interrogating the suspects—they’re even forcing us to stay in the office sorting paperwork!”

“Is protecting each other really this blatant now?”

The old man had already received a phone call from Tang Jihua at the guesthouse earlier, learning that powerful interference had already begun inside the county. Many people did not want to see the case escalate further.

But hearing about it over the phone was one thing.

Watching Sui Jing vent her indignation in person was another.

Leaning on his cane, the old man walked to the window and gazed out at the deepening twilight. After a long moment, he sighed softly.

Then he turned back to her, his expression grave.

“If you’re truly dissatisfied,” he said slowly, “I can call Tang Jihua and ask him to hold the line—no matter the pressure—and see just how deep this case really goes.”