Erlaizi snorted and brushed the peanut crumbs off his hands. "Tch, fine, don't eat it then!"
After saying that, he lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), crossed his legs and swung them around. "I'm not afraid of any of the big men in your military, so why would I be afraid of a woman like you? No matter how good-looking you are, you can't pull any tricks on me... Oh right, honey traps!"
A honey trap?
Lian Xiao's face instantly darkened!
Who does he think he is, daring to covet Xu Xinghe!
Does someone like him deserve to be seduced by a woman?
Without any hesitation, he raised his long leg and kicked Er Laizi, saying, "Speak properly. If you can't speak properly, I'll teach you how!"
Erlaizi immediately backed down, shrinking his neck and muttering, "Fine, fine, I won't say anything more, okay? A real man can bend and stretch, I'm not afraid of you!"
Xu Xinghe looked at him coldly, "You scoundrel, tell the truth now, and you might get a lighter sentence once the truth is out. If you keep denying it, I guarantee you won't have a good ending!"
Erlaizi wasn't afraid at all; someone had secretly given him a message last night.
These soldiers are very disciplined. He said some people couldn't sleep, so they actually stood guard at the door.
Little did he know, someone was talking to him outside the window.
Teacher Shen said that with his father dead, the person who delivered the chicken was gone, and no one could prove whether the so-called heirloom was given to him by his father, so there was no evidence to say that he had slandered Jiang Linchuan.
In short, he is perfectly safe now, and even if the military investigates thoroughly, they will not be able to trace it back to him.
“Every word I’ve said is the truth. When have I ever lied to you? Don’t make false accusations!” He shrank back on the kang (a heated brick bed), putting on a rogue-like appearance. “I’ve said everything I need to say. If you want to torture me into confessing, there’s nothing I can do. I’m most afraid of pain.”
As he spoke, he shamelessly picked at his teeth with his blackened fingers, picked out a small piece of peanut residue, and even stuffed it back into his mouth.
Xu Xinghe felt nauseous at the sight and almost vomited.
Seeing that her face was pale, Lian Xiao quickly pulled her outside, saying, "I asked him as soon as I arrived today, but he's completely unresponsive. Asking him is a waste of your time. Don't make things harder for yourself."
Xu Xinghe stomped her foot in anger, her face even redder than before, as if she had applied the finest rouge. Because she was so angry, her eyes also looked a little misty.
Lian Xiao really wanted to pinch it, but he didn't dare.
"Can't we just beat him up?"
Lian Xiao smirked, "Sure, I'll teach you how to hit someone without leaving a scratch. Even if he yells, no one will believe him."
Xu Xinghe hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. She was really not good at taking action. "Do you have any clues?"
"Not for now," Lian Xiao answered honestly, adding, "Don't worry, even if I have a problem with Jiang Linchuan, I will never slack off on this matter."
Seeing Xu Xinghe's worried expression, he felt a pang of sadness and bitterness in his heart.
The girl he cherishes most is now worrying about another man.
But he couldn't bear to see her looking so worried; he just wanted to find a clue as soon as possible and put an end to this matter.
Or... we should beat up Er Laizi, maybe he'll tell the truth?
Lian Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. "Xing He, find a warm place to stay. Don't stay here."
Er Laizi is unhygienic and smells terrible. Even if he likes Xu Xinghe, he doesn't want her to stay in such an environment.
"By the way, go to Zhang Cishu's place. He's in the village cadre's office; it's warm and clean there."
"Okay, I understand." Xu Xinghe replied listlessly, turned around and walked out, even her usually perky ponytail drooped down, and she lost her usual vitality.
Lian Xiao watched her retreating figure.
She looks best when her ponytail is sticking up; it sways with her movements, making her look so energetic.
Xu Xinghe wandered around the village again, asking around, but still found nothing. Finally, he went to the village official's office.
Zhang Cishu was indeed inside, writing something with his head down.
Only upon closer inspection could one see that the paper listed the timestamps of all the events that occurred yesterday, clearly and logically.
Hearing the noise, Zhang Cishu put down his pen and pointed to the thermos on the table. "There's hot water here. Would you like some?"
"No need." Xu Xinghe hadn't recovered from the disgust she felt towards Er Laizi, so she shook her head and asked directly, "In your opinion, are there any people in the village behaving strangely?"
"No," Zhang Cishu answered truthfully. "I looked around and didn't find anyone who seemed obviously suspicious."
“Okay.” Xu Xinghe looked down at her hands, then pressed on, “If it wasn’t done by villagers, do you think it could have been an outsider?”
"It's possible, but it's just speculation, and there's no evidence to support it."
Xu Xinghe took a deep breath, straightened her back, and her eyes lit up again. "If we can't find anything in the village, then we'll investigate outside! I refuse to believe that the mastermind behind this can be so seamless as to leave no trace!"
Zhang Cishu frowned slightly. "I don't think this is that easy."
"Why?"
"Because investigating people outside requires more than just the military's resources." He grew up in the military compound and had seen a lot of the ins and outs of things under General Zhang's guidance. "Do you know the backgrounds of most of the people outside who might have grudges against Jiang Linchuan?"
Xu Xinghe shook her head; she really had never been exposed to these things before.
“They’re either scoundrels who hang around the streets, or they’ve done illegal or disorderly things and been dealt with by Jiang Linchuan,” Zhang Cishu explained. “These kinds of people are most afraid of two types of people: soldiers and police. So they always act evasively and are extremely cautious. Even if the military finds a clue, it will take a lot of time and energy to investigate, and it’s unlikely to get results in the short term. Moreover, they will cover for each other, making it even harder to find them.”
Even though he said that, Xu Xinghe did not intend to give up. "I will go back and ask Political Commissar Wang if he has any other ideas."
She still needs to ask Jiang Linchuan again who his enemies are.
Even if you can only recall one or two names, it's still a clue!
Xu Xinghe acted immediately, turning and running, her ponytail flying up in the air.
Zhang Cishu saw popularity in her once again.
Passionate, flamboyant.
Even in the face of danger, it will not be extinguished.
He gripped his pen and began writing yesterday's timeline once more.
That's all he can do.
As soon as Xu Xinghe returned to the military headquarters, he went straight to Political Commissar Wang's office. "Commissar, I think this might have been done by Lin Chuan's enemies! Do you know what kind of enemies he has made?"
Commissar Wang sighed heavily, his fingertips tracing the enamel mug on the table. "He has quite a few enemies, and each one is more troublesome than the last."
"Not counting the really powerful ones, what about those around us?" Xu Xinghe pressed on, unwilling to give up.
“It’s difficult to investigate.” Political Commissar Wang’s tone was clearly hesitant. Having held this position for so many years, he knew all too well who Jiang Linchuan had offended. “Comrade Xu, if it really involves outsiders, you shouldn’t get involved. Let the military handle it.”
No matter how strong-willed Xu Xinghe is, she is still just an ordinary girl. If she really faces those desperate criminals, she will only put herself in danger.
Seeing that Political Commissar Wang was determined not to say anything more, Xu Xinghe didn't press the matter further and turned to run towards Jiang Linchuan's residence.
Upon seeing the person, she immediately repeated what she had just said.
After listening, Jiang Linchuan reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her hair. His tone was still gentle, but it carried an undeniable air of authority, "I can't tell you. Those people are too dangerous; you can't touch them. Don't worry, Political Committee Member Wang has handled it."
That same phrase again!
Xu Xinghe bit her lower lip hard, her eyes instantly reddening. She struggled to lift her head from his embrace. "So you mean I should do nothing and just watch you get framed and wronged?"
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