“If you don’t open the door, we’ll break it down!”
Song Jinyue and Song Xiongguan exchanged a glance.
Song Xiongguan stood up to open the door, and Song Jinyue rose as well.
The door opened. Several people stood outside, their expressions stern, their sharp gazes sweeping over Song Xiongguan before passing him and landing on Song Jinyue behind him.
The moment they saw her, their eyes shifted. Remembering that she was supposedly a capitalist’s daughter, their expressions changed drastically as they forced their way inside.
A tall man narrowed his eyes at Song Jinyue. “You’re Song Jinyue? The capitalist’s daughter?”
Before Song Jinyue or Song Xiongguan could respond, Chen Weiming squeezed his way in, eagerly answering, “Yes, yes, yes!”
He pointed at Song Jinyue. “That’s her. I can testify!”
“Testify?” Song Xiongguan looked at Chen Weiming with a dark expression. “Chen Weiming, testimony isn’t just words. You need evidence.”
He then turned to the others. “Comrades, we’re all workers. We have nothing to do with capitalists.”
The tall man pointed at Song Xiongguan. “You—I know you.”
“Your sister, Song Jinyue, suddenly showed up here two months ago. Whether she’s really your sister or not—no one can say for sure, right?”
The others nodded solemnly in agreement.
It was precisely because Song Jinyue had come from another place that they had no concrete proof she was a capitalist’s daughter. And because of Song Xiongguan’s reputation, they were still standing here talking instead of acting.
Otherwise, they would have already used force.
Song Xiongguan patiently explained, “Comrades, we have proof. The neighborhood office and the police both have records. My sister’s household registration has already been transferred here. How could there be no proof? You can check.”
A man standing at the back stepped forward and shouted, “The neighborhood office and the police are closed now—we can’t check!”
“Without proof, you can’t clear Song Jinyue of suspicion. She must come with us!”
“If you have proof, you can bring it tomorrow to take her back.”
Two men stepped forward, reaching out as if to take Song Jinyue away. “Song Jinyue, come with us!”
Song Xiongguan moved to block them. “No! Absolutely not!”
One man shouted sternly, “Song Xiongguan, don’t interfere with our work, or we’ll take you too!”
Meeting their gazes, Song Xiongguan said firmly, “If you’re taking my sister, then take me with her!”
The tall man replied, “Fine. You’re coming too!”
Song Xiongguan protected Song Jinyue as they walked out. The others followed behind.
Chen Weiming stood at the back, watching as Song Jinyue was taken away. He let out a cold laugh—this was the consequence of going against him.
As if sensing something, Song Jinyue turned her head and met his gaze.
Chen Weiming was about to smile smugly.
But before he could—
Song Jinyue gave him a meaningful smile.
That single smile made his scalp tingle and his back turn cold. He froze in place.
By the time he snapped back to his senses, the figures on the staircase were already gone.
Recalling that smile, a chill crept up his spine again.
Then he scoffed—what could a woman possibly do?
The unease quickly vanished. He spat on the ground and cursed as he went downstairs.
The residents of the compound came out upon hearing the commotion. When they saw Song Jinyue and Song Xiongguan being taken away, their expressions changed.
After the group left, the onlookers gathered and began whispering.
“What happened?”
Chen Weiming, coming downstairs, heard their hushed discussions. Realizing he was the only one who knew, he straightened his back and spoke loudly.
“Song Jinyue is a capitalist’s daughter! Song Xiongguan has been hiding her—”
The crowd turned toward him.
Recognizing him as a lazy, good-for-nothing man, their expressions turned cold. They didn’t quite believe what he was saying.
“This…”
“How is that possible?”
Seeing their disbelief, Chen Weiming grew irritated and raised his voice.
“Why not? When Song Jinyue hit Chen Lingling earlier, didn’t Chen Lingling say it? She was cut off before she could finish—”
Someone suddenly realized something and looked at him. “You reported it?”
Chen Weiming’s voice abruptly stopped. Facing their gazes, he grew uneasy. “I…”
His hesitation made the answer obvious.
The way people looked at him changed instantly—disgust now mixed with contempt.
Under their stares, Chen Weiming felt his skin crawl.
Just then, a cane suddenly appeared from nowhere and struck his head heavily.
He recoiled in pain, shouting, “Ah!”
A sharp voice scolded, “You disgraceful thing!”
Before he could react, another slap landed on his face. “Who hit me? Why are you hitting me?”
The cane struck his head again with a loud knock.
“Ah!”
Furious, Chen Weiming followed the cane, ready to confront the person—only to see that it was Granny Li, the most respected elder in the compound.
He immediately wilted.
“You…”
A sigh came from nearby. “Chen Weiming, you’re finished.”
“???” His heart skipped a beat as a bad feeling surged. “What do you mean?”
He looked around at the people in front of him, stepping back as he shouted, “Are you all siding with a capitalist? Helping a capitalist—”
A cold voice cut him off.
“A military marriage requires official approval! If Song Jinyue were really a capitalist’s daughter, would the army have approved it?”
Chen Weiming’s mind exploded.
He had been so focused on pursuing Song Jinyue that he had forgotten—
She was already married.
A military marriage.
Someone from the army!
That meaningful smile of Song Jinyue’s flashed in his mind again. In an instant, his hands and feet began to tremble.
Unwilling to show weakness in front of everyone, he stiffened his neck and shouted, “What if that man is blind?”
At that very moment—
That “blind” man was deep in the mountains, locked in a life-and-death struggle with criminals.
…
…
City Hall.
Wei Weimin sat in his office, frowning as he recalled Song Jinyue’s response before she left.
A few seconds later, he straightened up, picked up the phone on his desk, and dialed a number in the capital.
“Is this Xiangdong?”
After a while, a voice came through from the other end.
Wei Weimin smiled faintly, his tone gentle.
“Old classmate, this is Wei Weimin. Do you still remember me?”