Chapter 184 A Little Bit of Beauty

Song Man chuckled: "It's alright. The reporter used an anonymous name for this report, and it was reviewed by several people. My opinion alone doesn't count. Recently, there's been a lack of explosive news, so the leaders all agreed."

Such an article would not appear in a daily newspaper; it could only be published in an evening paper.

Jiang Zhizhi reached out and took Song Man's arm: "Sister Song Man, thank you."

Fang Hua came downstairs after hearing the noise and was a little surprised to see the two girls chatting and laughing arm in arm. When did these two become so close?

Seeing that Fang Hua was still a little nervous, Song Man quickly stood up and greeted her, "Auntie, I came to talk to Zhizhi about something."

Fang Hua quickly raised his hand: "You guys chat, you guys chat, I just came down to get a glass of water."

Seeing her come down, Song Man felt extremely uncomfortable and quickly poured water and went upstairs.

Jiang Zhizhi laughed and pulled Song Man to sit down again: "I feel like you're afraid of my mother-in-law. She's not fierce at all."

Song Man smiled helplessly: "I'm a little better at work, but I get nervous around the compound and around everyone."

After all, her mother talked about it everywhere, which made her feel like she was being stripped naked in front of others, with no privacy at all.

The two chatted casually for a bit more. Jiang Zhizhi didn't say what exactly happened last night, and Song Man wasn't a very curious person.

Furthermore, they were worried that Jiang Zhizhi might have some lingering trauma, and that mentioning it would remind her of the unpleasant experience from last night.

After chatting for a while, just as Song Man was about to leave, Li Yuanchao and Li Simin came over carrying two cans of food.

Upon seeing Jiang Zhizhi, Li Yuanchao immediately began asking in a loud and boisterous manner, "Zhizhi, are you alright? Did Brother Zhou give you any trouble last night?"

When Li Simin saw Song Man, he paused, a blush appearing on his fair and refined face. He nodded to Song Man and said, "Sister Song Man."

Then, after sitting down inside, he didn't say anything more.

As Jiang Zhizhi replied to Li Yuanchao, she observed Li Simin, who seemed quite uneasy after seeing Song Man.

Song Man didn't react much; in her eyes, these two were the youngest brothers in the compound.

She stood up to leave, saying, "Zhizhi, you two keep chatting, I'm going back now."

Jiang Zhizhi reached out and pulled her: "Sister, you've come all this way to my house, sit for a while longer, you know them, right?"

Li Yuanchao quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, Sister Song Man. My brother loves reading your articles the most. He often cuts them out and puts them in his books."

Li Simin's face flushed red, and his voice sounded somewhat unnatural as he spoke: "Sister Song Man has excellent writing skills. Her articles always give people a sense of realism, as if they were there."

Song Man was somewhat surprised: "I thought no one liked it. Our editor-in-chief said that my articles always had an excessive gentleness and were not inspiring enough."

Li Simin immediately shook his head: "No, your article makes people feel calm and relaxed, like a gentle spring breeze, very comfortable."

A rare smile of joy appeared on Song Man's face: "Thank you for your compliment. I always thought nobody was watching."

Jiang Zhizhi leaned back on the sofa, watching Li Simin's awkward expression and his nervous grip on the sofa armrest.

This person was nothing like the wise and calm person she remembered.

So, Li Simin has a crush on Song Man?

Li Yuanchao, still clueless, chimed in from the side: "Sister Song Man, my brother likes reading articles like this."

Song Man smiled and chatted for a while longer. Seeing that it was getting late, she got up to say goodbye.

This time, Jiang Zhizhi didn't stop her. After seeing Song Man out, she returned to find that Li Simin had returned to normal.

Li Yuanchao started chattering again: "Zhizhi, Brother Zhou wasn't angry last night, was he? It's all my fault. I thought about it when I got back, and I must have been so stimulated by the blow that I forgot where I was."

Jiang Zhizhi laughed: "It's okay, you were very capable this time. We still lack experience. Next time we encounter something like this..."

Li Yuanchao exclaimed, "Do you want to encounter something like this again in the future? But I'm afraid that's not going to happen. I'm enlisting in December. I don't even know where the new recruits will be assigned."

Jiang Zhizhi knew that the children in the compound usually followed in their fathers' footsteps, joining the army when they reached a certain age, and then either staying in the army or returning home to be assigned a job.

A very small number of people who are unwilling to go may choose another direction.

Li Simin smiled as well, speaking slowly and gently: "Zhizhi, you can't do such dangerous things anymore, or Brother Zhou will definitely be angry. If you discover anything, you can discuss it with Brother Zhou first, and he will definitely have a better solution."

Jiang Zhizhi sighed. If it were Zhou Xiye, he definitely wouldn't use such a despicable tactic. How long would this drag on?

...

In the evening, newspapers, still smelling of fresh ink, were promptly delivered to the mailboxes of each household.

Upon seeing the newspaper, Bian Haishan angrily slammed it onto the dining table, glaring at Bian Yucheng: "Idiot! Bian Xiaoxiao is such an idiot! How could she be so stupid! Does she want to drag the Bian family down with her?!"

Bian Yucheng only learned about this when Wang Qinglan contacted him in the afternoon. He immediately tried to use his connections to find a way to see Bian Xiaoxiao.

As a result, for some unknown reason, the case was classified as a particularly serious crime, and visits were not permitted.

Since he couldn't explain over the phone, Bian Yucheng went out and found several people himself. At first, they all agreed to help, and even made the calls in front of him. But after hanging up, they all shook their heads. The higher-ups had given orders that the matter was serious, and anyone who pleaded for leniency would be held accountable.

Bian Yucheng was surprised to see the newspaper that evening. He picked it up, read it, and frowned: "Was it the Zhou family who did it?"

Bian Haishan slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Do you think it's true? Zhou Chengzhi doesn't have that many connections at all. After you told me this afternoon, I made a few phone calls, and they all said that even though they've heard about the case, they can't help."

The Zhou Chengzhi he knew had some connections in the military, but not so much influence outside.

Even Fang Hua's family, despite having connections, couldn't prevent anyone from interfering in the case.

Bian Yucheng frowned: "What do we do now? Abandon Xiaoxiao?"

Bian Haishan said angrily, "How can we manage it? Let's just pretend we don't know anything now, so that it won't implicate us later."

Thinking it over, he then instructed Bian Yucheng, "You should also keep a low profile these days. We haven't had any dirt on us over the years, so we can't afford any accidents at this time."

Bian Yucheng stared at the newspaper's pages: "We can't just settle it like that. There are some things we still need to consider."

Bian Haishan frowned: "Don't make any rash moves at this time. I have a feeling that someone is watching us. Someone will definitely make a big deal out of Xiaoxiao's matter."

Even a seasoned fox can be quite sensitive to the slightest disturbance.

I have a feeling that an even bigger storm is waiting for them.

He then instructed Bian Yucheng, "If you have anything unclean here, clean it up quickly so that no one can find anything."