"Don't overthink it, it's just a routine investigation," Mayor Yi reassured them.

The fact that the Lu family hasn't made a move means that, as he guessed, the other side is now desperate and resorting to extreme measures.

Not just anyone can be the mayor of Fuji City.

Mayor Yi wasn't in a hurry because he was confident in his abilities.

"Okay, then you should rest well at home for the next few days and recharge your energy." Yun Ying didn't ask any more questions.

This storm seems to be targeting the Yi family, but in reality... it might be targeting someone else entirely.

The next two days,

Newspapers and news reports did not cover the mayor of Fujishi City.

Mayor Yi spends all his time at home reading and playing chess, neglecting all his work.

The more he acted this way, the more anxious the other party became.

The Yi family is not afraid of investigation. They are an established family and know exactly what they should and shouldn't do.

Lan Ying tries to bring her work home, and the two of them each do their own thing without interfering with each other.

Compared to their composure, Sara, who was trapped in Fuji City, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

She originally intended to help deal with the Chen family's affairs, and once she obtained the S Group's technology, she could leave unscathed.

However, testing revealed that the information regarding that technology was fake.

Sara had no choice but to stay in Teng City to explain to the higher-ups.

Now that the mayor of Fujishi City is suddenly under investigation and all ports are under martial law, she has no way to board a ship and leave.

Sara used to be able to cross into Hong Kong under her current identity, but not anymore.

Lu Yunshen sent Sara's information to various ports, and she would be taken away if discovered.

"You must obtain the latest technical information from Tengyun Technology, otherwise..." the man said gently.

Sara got goosebumps all over her body, and her hands involuntarily clenched.

Chen Niaoshu is currently missing, and Chen Yi has also disappeared.

She was left to clean up the mess. She used to have time to hide in Tengyun, but now she doesn't.

“Okay, I need to leave here tonight.” Sara pursed her lips, the panic in her heart quickly dissipating.

The man nodded and gave his assistant a wink.

The man immediately understood, turned and left, and returned shortly afterward with a file folder.

A new identity?

Sara's eyes brightened slightly. As long as she could leave as soon as possible, changing her identity wouldn't be a big deal.

…

On New Year's Eve,

Lin Jun and Lin Shaowen accompanied Atai to the ancestral hall to pay respects to their ancestors, and several of the family's children also went along.

Lu Qiuying stood on the terrace of the Lin family's house, watching the villagers on the dirt path walking towards the ancestral hall.

Xiao Jin didn't make it back in time, saying she suddenly received an assignment and had to go on a business trip.

Lu Qiuying didn't ask any more questions, but she had already guessed it in her heart.

"Why does your belly look so small?" Lin Ziyan asked suspiciously as she handed her a glass of milk.

The chubby girl sat to the side doing her homework, looked up at Lu Qiuying, then looked down at her own, and touched the tip of her nose.

Lu Qiuying said, "The doctor said she is very healthy. Everyone's body is different. Some women's bellies only get big later, while others look big even in the early stages."

Lin Ziyan nodded and looked at the chubby girl, "Are you a twin?"

The chubby girl nodded, her eyes softening as she smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Everyone in the family was busy paying respects to their ancestors, leaving only the three of them with some free time.

The sound of firecrackers never stopped throughout the day, and every household put up couplets.

Red lanterns were hung on the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village, supposedly to make it look more festive.

Red lanterns hung from the trees in the Lin family's courtyard, and couplets were pasted on every door frame.

Lu Qiuying sighed, "The New Year's atmosphere in the city is getting worse and worse. It's much more festive in the village."

A dark glint flashed in her eyes. Unfortunately, Xiao Jin probably wouldn't be able to make it back today.

The chubby girl put down her pen. "That's right, the city doesn't even allow couplets to be posted, saying it affects the city's appearance?"

"What impact would it have on the city's appearance if we didn't put up couplets during the festival? Isn't this going to the other extreme?"

Lu Qiuying remained noncommittal. She could only watch these things; they were outside her job scope. Intervening would only embolden the other party.

The implementation of a policy requires practice and continuous improvement.

“I don’t care, I had Ade buy a lot of fireworks, we’ll set them off tonight,” the chubby girl continued, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

The New Year's goods street event was a great success, and Cao De received a considerable bonus.

With her share of the profits, they plan to build a house next year.

The old mud houses are nice, but the roofs always need repair, which is a real hassle.

Sometimes, if we forget to fix it, it will leak when it rains.

"Then we're in for a treat tonight?" Lin Ziyan said with a faint smile.

The fireworks for the Lin family were all delivered by Yang Yanzhou. She didn't even know how many there were.

Lu Qiuying likes to spend the New Year in the fishing village, mainly because of the fireworks show at night, which is something to look forward to.

The chubby girl nodded and looked towards the Lin family's gate. "Who's that?"

Lin Ziyan looked in the direction she was pointing, her pupils dilating slightly.

He was dressed in tattered clothes, his hair was plastered to his sides, and it was obvious that he hadn't washed or groomed himself for many days.

"Xiao Jin?" Lu Qiuying recognized Xiao Jin first and couldn't help but call out.

By the time she shouted, Lin Ziyan had already turned around and run downstairs.

Lu Yun Shen saw the person rushing towards him and a slow smile appeared on his lips.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back as promised," he said softly.

Lin Ziyan hugged him, shook her head, and tears welled up in her eyes.

In the past, she would go to pay respects to the ancestors with her great-grandmother at this time, but this time she was distracted and stayed at home.

“I smell terrible…” Lu Yunshen quickly tried to pull her away, but he couldn’t.

Lu Qiuying walked past them and headed straight for Xiao Jin at the door.

The chubby girl silently lowered her head and walked quickly away from the Lin family.

…

One hour later,

When Lu Yun Shen came out of the shower, he saw the person leaning against the bathroom door, and his eyes lit up.

"I have an injury on my lower back..."

Lin Ziyan blinked, and when she saw him open his bathrobe, her face flushed red.

“So, not yet…” Lu Yun Shen whispered in her ear.

Lin Ziyan glared at him, turned and left, as if she were in a great hurry.

Lu Yun Shen followed, took out the medicine from his bag, and handed it to her, saying, "Help me apply the medicine."

Lin Ziyan, "..."

His muscular abs were clearly visible, and water droplets slid down his body, disappearing into his bathrobe.

The honey-colored skin seemed to glow, making it even more alluring...

The wound looks like it was just stitched up, but the abrasions next to it have already healed, so it's clearly not a new injury.

Lin Ziyan lifted the gauze, her hands trembling slightly; it was a gunshot wound…

Lu Yun Shen's back stiffened, and blurry images resurfaced in his mind, causing a throbbing pain in his temples.

Lin Ziyan thought he was in pain from his wound, so she quickened her pace considerably.

Applying the medicine and changing the gauze were done in one go, taking less than ten minutes in total.

"Why aren't you in the hospital? The wound is infected..." Lin Ziyan suddenly stopped, beads of sweat dripping onto the back of her hand, so hot that her heart trembled.

It's not the wound that hurts...

Lu Yun Shen embraced her, his chin nestled in the crook of her neck, and he shook his head gently.

He had a severe headache, but the hospital tests couldn't find anything wrong; he had been tested before.

He had nightmares every day, and his mental state was getting worse and worse, so after his wound was stitched up, he rushed back without even changing his clothes.

"Let me catch my breath, I don't know where to begin..."

Lu Yun Shen sighed softly, as if a breath was stuck in his chest, neither rising nor falling.