Chapter 27: When the Aftertaste Lingers
When the old man was about to call Tang Jihua, Sui Jing frowned and stopped him.
“I don’t need you to make that call. Don’t think this gives you a chance to drag me back to the provincial capital in a perfectly ‘legitimate’ way. Besides, Uncle Tang is the county party secretary—he’s already watching this case. Do you think he hasn’t noticed the problems? Why would he need you to meddle? He’s not blind.”
Tang Jihua had already realized there might be deeper issues behind the case. It wasn’t impossible to uncover the truth—but it couldn’t be done within Shishan.
Leaning by the window, the old man spoke slowly, his brows slightly furrowed.
“Put yourself in Tang Jihua’s position. If you were him, how would you push this case forward in Shishan? How would you guarantee that real evidence comes out? Would a phone call to the county bureau be enough? Would you personally go there, examine the files, oversee the interrogations? Don’t forget—besides the county bureau and Yunshe Town, there are thirty-seven county departments and nearly twenty townships, all demanding attention. As county party secretary, he has far more to deal with than this one case.”
“Alright, alright, I get it,” Sui Jing cut him off impatiently. “You always take every opportunity to lecture me. I’m not like you or Uncle—I don’t spend my days scheming and calculating. Why overthink everything?” But she couldn’t help adding, “Shishan isn’t some airtight fortress. Are you saying nothing can be done without Uncle personally stepping in?”
“Then ask yourself this,” the old man said. “Why did the case show signs of breakthrough in the morning, only for someone to step in at noon and shut everything down—cleanly and efficiently?”
Sui Jing frowned. “You mean… even if the county isn’t usually united, Uncle Tang’s sudden arrival three months ago forced everything into alignment?” Then she caught herself and shot him a glare. “You old fox—you’re just using this to lecture me again. I’m not listening anymore!”
The old man burst into laughter. “I snuck off to Shishan and you’ve already scolded me several times. I’ll have to head back tomorrow. Tonight, you’ll keep me company over dinner—and tell me everything about this case. That suspect who fled after the car accident… sounds quite interesting.”
“Him?” Sui Jing snorted. “He’s a real piece of work.”
Tang Jihua had only been able to learn fragments through his secretary Zhou Xiaotian. Without invoking his authority, many crucial details remained hidden. Seeing Sui Jing’s complicated expression, the old man asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
She couldn’t quite explain it.
But she knew for a fact that Rong Liang had pulled Wen Hai, Chen Shen, and Zhou Jun out of the burning police vehicle after the crash—then fled the scene himself.
That alone had shaken her judgment.
When she received the call, she rushed straight to Yunshe. She hadn’t seen Rong Liang, but the chaos unfolding there—and the glaring flaws in the attempted assault case—made her instinctively believe he had fallen under Xiao Yujun’s control. The so-called search for him felt more like a staged performance.
Even when Zhao Zhishan pointed out that Rong Liang had made two calls from near his own home, she still found his actions understandable.
It wasn’t until she ran into him in Wen Hai’s hospital ward that the truth hit her—she had been led around by the nose the entire time.
And then there was Rong Liang’s own explanation: that he had met Lin Xi at night to persuade her to testify about He Hong’s inappropriate relationship with Xiao Yujun. Yet Lin Xi had returned to Yunshe almost immediately, standing firmly beside Xiao Yujun, ready to go down with him.
How was she supposed to believe that?
The case itself was now completely clear. But her impression of Rong Liang had only grown more tangled and contradictory.
In simple terms—he was no good man.
“Is that so? Sounds like quite an interesting character,” the old man said thoughtfully.
Originally, he had intended to tell Sui Jing about how Rong Liang had rescued him at Jiangpo, hoping she might meet him and express her gratitude—or even invite him to the provincial capital as a guest.
But after realizing just how complex the case truly was, how many unseen layers lay beneath it, he changed his mind.
Better to say nothing.
Otherwise, the family would find out he’d been shoved into a ditch by a bunch of hooligans—and they’d probably forbid him from going out alone ever again.
The county public security bureau dormitory stood not far from the county guesthouse, Chongshan Hotel.
Sui Jing was leading her grandfather out of the dormitory building, looking for a place to eat, when a Santana drove up beside them and came to a stop.
Tang Jihua stepped out from the back seat.
“I figured that once things settled down, you’d find time to take Old Sui out for a meal,” he said with a smile. “Looks like I was right.”
“Oh please,” Sui Jing rolled her eyes. “Grandpa’s been in Shishan for days and didn’t even tell me. Today he suddenly ‘surprises’ me—who needs that?”
Tang Jihua waved his secretary away.
“It’s getting late. Xiao Zhou, head back first. I’ll walk with Old Sui.”
The three of them found a small restaurant behind the dormitory and sat down.
Sui Jing knew Tang Jihua had once served briefly as her grandfather’s secretary years ago, though he couldn’t really be considered one of his protégés. She deliberately avoided bringing up the case.
But Sui Juemin, sipping his drink, began recounting Sui Jing’s experiences over the past few days—especially the details that never made it into official reports.
“Seems Shishan has its share of interesting people,” he remarked.
Tang Jihua had initially taken an interest in the case because the suspect had fled, and Sui Jing—his old comrade’s granddaughter—had been involved. With Sui Juemin himself in Shishan, it was only natural he would pay attention.
But what intrigued him more was how the case had developed.
What surprised him most was how abruptly everything had been shut down just as it seemed on the verge of deeper breakthroughs.
That suggested something far more troubling beneath the surface.
Until now, he hadn’t paid much attention to the suspect himself.
A man falsely accused, fleeing after a transport accident, hiding for several days before surrendering under pressure—nothing particularly remarkable on the surface.
But with Sui Juemin filling in the missing pieces, Tang Jihua began to reconsider.
He hesitated, then asked, “Old Sui… that young man we saw the other day outside the wholesale shop in Xishutou Village—was that Rong Liang?”
“What? Uncle Tang, you and Grandpa have already met him?” Sui Jing exclaimed in surprise.
“Your grandfather came to Shishan a few days ago. He didn’t want to disturb your work, but he was worried about you, so I drove him to Yunshe,” Tang Jihua said with a smile. “We happened to see you at the bus stop in Xishutou Village, dealing with a couple of troublemakers—quick and clean. After you took them away, a young man walked out of the wholesale shop across the street. He looked sharp—reminded me of some Hong Kong movie star. We thought it odd that he showed no interest in the commotion. Never imagined he’d be the central figure in all this.”
“That must’ve been Rong Liang!” Sui Jing slapped her forehead as realization dawned. “That wholesale shop belongs to Gu Peijun, deputy party secretary of Nanting Village. So Gu Peijun reporting Xiao Yujun for embezzlement—that was planned together with Rong Liang all along! And I didn’t suspect a thing… I was completely played!”
“Looks like Yunshe’s story still has a few twists left in it,” Sui Juemin said with a faint, knowing smile.
