With the longer daylight of early summer, the sky was still bright when Xiao Liang returned to the city.

His parents were already home from work, busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. His older brother, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Their mother was worried. After what he’d just gone through emotionally, she feared he might do something reckless. Yet she also knew how sensitive he was—too much concern might only make things worse. So when Xiao Liang came back, she quickly urged him to ride over to the Municipal Economic and Trade Commission and check if his brother had been delayed.

Xiao Liang had barely turned onto Jiangjiayuan Front Street when he spotted his brother coming toward him, a satchel slung over his shoulder, pedaling steadily.

“These past couple of years, health supplements have really taken off,” Xiao Xiao said, pushing his bike alongside Xiao Liang, his voice animated. “I went to the municipal pharmaceutical factory today to ask around. They’re not involved in that area, though—just gave me some general info about mainstream formulas and production processes on the market. I’m not familiar with the manufacturing side, so I even made a trip to the library this afternoon. Didn’t get much from the factory, but Chen Zhu mentioned there’s a professor in the Nutrition Engineering Department at Dongzhou Institute of Technology researching this field. I’m planning to go back to campus tomorrow and look into it.”

“Sounds good,” Xiao Liang said.

He had never considered formulas or production techniques to be the real obstacle. Still, if they could secure backing from Dongzhou Institute of Technology—even at a higher cost—it would be more than worth it.

He’d expected Gu Peijun to arrive late, but when the brothers walked their bikes home, they found him already seated in the living room, waiting.

“Already here? Didn’t you go report to Secretary Wang first?” Xiao Liang asked, surprised. “Came this early just to mooch a meal?”

“I already reported to Secretary Wang and Director Liang,” Gu Peijun replied. “I was even thinking of inviting them out for drinks tonight, but they had to head to the county for something. So I came straight here.”

That made sense. At a time like this, any promises or benefits coming down from the county had to be secured quickly.

Wang Xingmin might be indecisive by nature, but he wasn’t stupid. This was no time to waste on social niceties.

“This is Gu Peijun,” Xiao Liang said, introducing him to his father and brother. “He’s currently acting in charge of the Nanting Village committees. I’ve also been assigned there as a resident cadre. We owe a lot to him—he submitted the materials exposing the juice factory to Secretary Wang in time, which pushed the investigation forward and led to the report to the county police.”

They had crossed paths briefly at the township clinic a few days ago, but Xiao Liang had deliberately kept his distance then, already planning to operate separately. He hadn’t introduced Gu Peijun, nor had he brought him along to give statements at the police station. Even during the investigation, Xiao Liang had never mentioned his contact with Gu Xiong and his son.

So to his family, Gu Peijun was practically a stranger.

“There’s nothing much prepared at home,” Xiao Liang added. “Let’s go out. My brother and I will treat Brother Gu to dinner.”

His mother had been hoping he would distance himself from township affairs and eventually transfer out of Yun She. Drinking at home was out of the question. Xiao Liang’s suggestion spared her the dilemma. After offering a few words of thanks, she watched the three men leave.

His father didn’t think much of it—given the circumstances, having friends to share a drink with might do his sons some good.

—

They found a small, unremarkable restaurant just outside the alley and sat down.

Xiao Liang ordered a large plate of roasted chicken from Mount Suyun, a bowl of mixed stew, braised meatballs, a dish of peanuts in aged vinegar, smashed cucumbers, and a bottle of Fenjinting liquor.

“You still dare to drink?” Gu Peijun laughed. “I thought I’d be lucky just to get a free meal.”

“Definitely not at home—my mom would explode,” Xiao Liang said, unscrewing the cap with a grin. “But I’m not about to let one scare ruin drinking for the rest of my life. Otherwise, how am I supposed to get married someday?”

He poured the liquor.

“We’ll split this one bottle among the three of us. I’ll rinse my mouth before going back and say you two finished it. I didn’t drink a drop.”

The bottle poured neatly into three cups.

Xiao Xiao raised his glass first, his emotions running high as he thanked Gu Peijun for stepping up and helping Xiao Liang out of trouble.

“You didn’t tell your family what you’ve been up to these past few days?” Gu Peijun asked, puzzled.

“I got myself into this mess,” Xiao Liang said lightly. “Figured I should handle it myself. I only got home yesterday, and then more family issues came up—I haven’t had the chance to explain.”

Gu Peijun reached out to stop Xiao Xiao from finishing his drink and said with a smile, “Don’t rush to thank me, Brother Xiao. I didn’t actually do much.”

He’d been running nonstop these past two days and hadn’t had time to sit down with Xiao Liang properly.

But he knew exactly what had happened.

It was Xiao Liang who had given him Lin Xue’s address. He had personally gone there and spread the news about the attempted assault.

And he could easily guess who had pushed Lin Xue into that desperate act—tying up Xiao Yujun and trying to drag him down together.

So no, handing those materials to Wang Xingmin wasn’t the key move. The real evidence had come from Xiao Liang.

If anything, following Xiao Liang’s plan and stepping forward at the critical moment had given Gu Peijun a rare opportunity—to win Wang Xingmin’s trust and carve out a future for himself in Yun She.

His father had already seen the potential. With Gu Peijun now a strong candidate for Party Secretary of Nanting Village, they were actively working connections to make the appointment official before anything could change.

Without this chance, how could a man only three years out of the military ever hope for such a position?

“… ”

Xiao Xiao sat there, stunned.

He had never looked at it this way.

He had believed everything had unfolded naturally—that Yuan Wenhai and Wang Xingmin had simply done the right thing, that justice had prevailed through their sense of duty, aided by coincidence when Lin Xue’s desperate act forced the issue.

He had even felt a surge of admiration, thinking Yun She was fortunate to have such upright and decisive officials.

Only now did he realize—behind what seemed inevitable, every step had been carefully orchestrated by his younger brother during those days on the run.

Even his own efforts today—looking into formulas and production—had started as a way to distract himself from heartbreak. The more he thought about it, the more impractical it had seemed. He had planned to talk it over with Xiao Liang that night.

In his mind, the biggest obstacle had always been this: Nanting Lake Juice Factory belonged to the village. The township could supervise, but it couldn’t directly intervene in its operations.

What he hadn’t expected… was that such a crucial figure as Gu Peijun was already firmly aligned with his brother.