Chapter 40 The Last Dignity

The airplane announcement has begun: "Stay your tray tables..."

Jian Zhen put her phone in airplane mode, pulled her hat up, tilted her head, and fell asleep.

She didn't sleep well last night; the tears seemed to drain the toxins from her body, and those doomed expectations and despicable weaknesses were also cleared away.

I vaguely smelled the aroma of food, and when I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the flight attendant's friendly smile: "Hello, ma'am, we have chicken rice and beef rice today. Which one would you like?"

Jian Zhen rubbed her neck and sat up, extending her hand: "Thank you for the beef rice."

The weather was clear and cloudless, and the blue sky outside the porthole was crystal clear. Jian Zhen admired the monotonous yet clear blue sky while eating heartily. The plastic spoon she put in her mouth actually tasted delicious, and she couldn't help but wonder—was the food just too good today? Or was she just too hungry?

No one picked me up after I landed, which was unprecedented. I used to go home surrounded by a crowd and couldn't help but imagine how envious those who didn't get picked up must be. But now that I'm a backpacker traveling alone, I realize: who cares about whom?

She took a taxi home. The security guard was taken aback when he saw her suddenly appear, but before she could say anything, he nodded as if he suddenly realized something and reassured her, "It's good that you're back. It's alright!"

Jian Zhen smiled helplessly. The other party had already completed the entire process and given a concluding speech. What else could she do? She could only nod and walk home.

Because she had been away from home for many years, she didn't actually have a key to her house. The anxiety she felt when she raised her hand to knock on the door was something she could never clearly express to outsiders. But it was, after all, the door to her home, which had witnessed many of her beautiful old times. So the more she knocked, the more courage she drew, and the straighter her spine became. Her shoulders opened up, and her breathing became even. It was as if, in the short few seconds of knocking, she had been straightened into a real adult on the spot.

Her father was right; she was going to suffer greatly from going out to make her way in the world so recklessly.

The door was cautiously pulled open from the inside, revealing half of the mother's face. She recognized her immediately, flung open the door, and exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you back?"

"By plane, what other way can I get back?" Jian Zhen smiled and went inside. While she was changing her shoes, her mother closed the door behind her and said nervously in a low voice, "You know about your father's matter, don't you?"

“Yes.” Jian Zhen smiled and looked up at her mother, indicating that she shouldn’t worry.

The mother breathed a sigh of relief and stared at her for a long time until Jian Zhen raised an eyebrow and stared back at her. Then she gently shook her head, exhaled, and said, "Your good daughter has become so thin."

Jian Zhen sighed. She knew she had lost a lot of weight recently, but she didn't know exactly how much. That night, while her mother was taking a shower, she took out the scale and weighed herself. She was actually 15 pounds lighter than during the Chinese New Year. No wonder she often felt dizzy lately; she guessed that her blood supply was not keeping up.

"It's good that you're back now. The most dangerous time has passed. We'll just wait at home, and your dad will definitely come home in a few days."

"Okay." Jian Zhen went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of hot water. Just as she was about to put down the kettle, she remembered her mother outside who also had dry lips. She took another cup, poured half a cup of hot water for her, added honey, and brought it out together.

"Mom, your lips look a little dry." Jian Zhen handed her a water glass and said softly, "Have you been forgetting to drink water a lot these past few days?"

“Me? No, I drink water all the time, I…” The mother said, sounding a little disappointed, “Your Aunt Zhang is on vacation and has gone home, and I’m too lazy to boil water myself.”

"Can you tell me about it?" Jian Zhen pulled her mother's arm and led her to sit down on the sofa in the living room. "My aunt only told me the gist of it."

"You're still young, it won't do you any good to know these things—"

Jian Zhen reached out and placed her hand on hers, saying slowly and earnestly, "Mom, I'm not a child anymore. Even if the sky falls down in this family, I can hold it up, okay?"

Looking into her eyes, the mother suddenly felt a lump in her throat—her daughter, who always seemed to lose focus and was restless and free-spirited, had actually learned to look at people so calmly: "Good."

In 2013, at the start of the anti-corruption and anti-organized crime campaign, many people thought that this crackdown would be no different from the past, all bark and no bite, and that they would continue to eat and drink as usual. It wasn't until the raindrops hit them that they realized this time it was for real.

One after another, corrupt officials were brought down, and the howling wind swept past their ears, much more vivid than a few brief lines of news in the media. Everyone was worried about their official hats, and regardless of rank, they all restrained themselves overnight. They even spent more time at home with their wives and children, and the level of family harmony in the entire city began to rise.

Director Jian had naturally sensed the impending trouble long ago. He spent his days either working overtime or going home to watch soap operas with his wife. If it weren't for his trusted subordinate getting into trouble for accepting bribes and, in a moment of desperation, making a false accusation that dragged him down with him, he probably wouldn't have suffered such a severe punishment.

The conversation, or rather the interrogation, took place in a secluded and remote suburban county. Director Jian was initially accused of bribing his subordinate. After hearing the accusation, he thought it was ridiculously absurd. The other party was his apprentice whom he had personally trained when he was in the police force. Whenever the other party came to his home during holidays, he would prepare red envelopes for the other party's children in advance. On the contrary, Jian Zhen, because he was too willful and unwilling to talk to people, had never accepted this uncle's red envelope.

If you really want to calculate the exact amount spent, he's probably the one who spent more.

The disciplinary inspectors then asked him where his family's wealth came from. Director Jian, with unwavering integrity, proudly raised his head and said that most of it came from his wife's family. He described himself as a wild sparrow that had flown out of a grassy nest, and said that his greatest achievement in life was marrying a beautiful swan from a scholarly family like his wife.

The other party then asked him where the money to sponsor You Yu's studies abroad came from. This question cracked a crack in Director Jian's hard shell. He thought of the old You who had hanged himself, and for a long time he was speechless.

In fact, given his position, it wouldn't be difficult for him to send a child abroad to study. But people linked him to Lao You, clearly indicating they were determined to bring him down. Lao You was arrested because he used his position to obtain trading information and channels, making a fortune in the stock market at the end of the 2000s. He then used this money to ride the crazily rising real estate market, rapidly accumulating wealth. He then poured his accumulated wealth into the rapidly developing tourism industry, ultimately being dragged down by the unfinished tourism projects.

Director Jian had advised Lao You many times, both openly and secretly, that as a public official, he shouldn't be so obsessed with money. But Lao You turned around and advised him instead: "Take a look at these properties, buy them, you're guaranteed to make a profit."

Over time, Director Jian also became tempted. Most of the money he later used to send You Yu abroad to study came from his earnings in the real estate market.

Seeing his hesitation on the question, the other party quickly probed further, digging into this point, and then followed up with: "Last year, some people reported you for abusing your power for personal gain and disrupting the business order of service venues such as billiard halls. What do you think of that?"

Xu Weisheng sank the hole in one shot, stood up and wiped the clubhead. Boss Hao, who was playing with him, raised his club and poked his arm: "No, why aren't you explaining this obvious misunderstanding? What are you waiting for?"

"Of course I have to explain." He bent down again, trying to concentrate on aiming, but this time he couldn't focus on the table at all. After waiting for a full half minute, he hit a terrible ball with no strategy whatsoever.

Hao Jiaren chuckled and shifted his gaze back to his face: "You're not afraid, are you?"

Xu Weisheng raised her eyelids and glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

"I knew it. I hate your indecisive personality the most. If I were Xiao Jian, seeing how awkward you are in love, I would have dumped you long ago. Who has time to waste here with you? Everyone's time is valuable."

As Hao Jiaren spoke, he tried to poke him with the cue stick again. Before he could poke him, Xu Weisheng, who had stood up, grabbed him. He wanted to push him back, but then he remembered the scene a year ago when Jian Zhen took the cue stick from that thug. So he stopped moving.

"Why are you holding my hand?" Hao Jiaren said, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Xu Weisheng let go of her hand, sighed, turned around and leaned against the pool table, saying, "Brother, can you help me ask her out?"

Hao Jiaren thought he had misheard. It had been so long since this kid had used such a respectful form of address on him. After a moment of surprise, he said, "It's possible, but why don't you just—"

"She blocked all my contact methods."

After a two-second silence, Hao Jiaren burst into laughter, chuckling, "You son of a bitch, you've finally met your match! I really should have recorded that line on my phone!"

Xu Weisheng lowered his head and forced a smile. He had already prepared a hundred explanations for his apology, but Jian Zhen didn't even give him a chance. In fact, bringing up Hao Jiaren was a smart move. If the other party didn't fall for it, he would only have the undignified path of confronting her at her doorstep.