“Do you think the Cultural Work Troupe will stop spinning just because you leave?” Old Master Su sneered. “It won’t stop just because you’re gone. If you don’t know how to do anything, that’s fine. I’ve already spoken to the comrades from the Coal Department. You’ll go into the mines and learn everything from the ground up!”
The old man was furious. Seeing this, the couple had no choice but to back down. “Dad, you can punish us however you want, but Zhenzhen is your own granddaughter. You have to protect her!”
“Don’t worry. I personally asked the comrades in charge of the ‘Down to the Countryside’ program in Nan Province. Menghan Slope is the poorest and hardest place there. It’s perfect for Su Zhenzhen to go there.”
“Dad, how could you do this?” The couple burst into tears.
In Jiangcheng, Section Chief Zhu walked nervously into an office, replaying the words his superior had said to him:
“…He’s a comrade who came all the way from the capital. I don’t know exactly what his role is, but the leaders from the Public Security Bureau came with him and addressed him as Director Dai. He wants to ask you some questions, so just tell the truth.”
Accompanied by PSB leaders? His status must be extraordinary.
And coming from the capital… He was probably here to investigate Jiang Yan and her adoptive parents.
You wretched girl, don’t think you can get away just by leaving. I’ll make sure you have nowhere to run. You’ll end up just like your adoptive parents hated by everyone!
Standing by the window with his back turned was a man wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit. He appeared to be nearly 180cm tall, slim, and stood as straight as a pole. It was hard to tell his age, but an overwhelming aura radiated from his very bones.
Chief Zhu spoke respectfully, “Hello, Director Dai. I am Zhu Youfu. I heard you wished to see me?”
The man turned around slowly. “Hello.”
A cold shiver ran down Chief Zhu’s spine.
This Director Dai looked to be no older than thirty. He had an oval face with a sharp chin. Even behind black-rimmed glasses, his pale skin gave off an eerie, unsettling feeling. Though his voice was calm, it carried an oppressive weight that made it hard to breathe.
“Hello!” Chief Zhu stretched out both hands eagerly for a handshake, but Director Dai remained motionless. “I heard you wish to take a woman named Jiang Yan as your second wife. How well do you know her? How far has your relationship progressed?”
Just as I suspected. Chief Zhu’s hands froze in mid-air for three seconds before he withdrew them awkwardly. “Actually, I didn’t really want to marry her. I heard her adoptive parents have connections overseas, and she has the airs of a spoiled lady.”
“But her parents wanted to curry favor with me, so they practically shoved her into my house. Don’t let her young age fool you; she has no shame. She must have learned those capitalist tricks from her parents to corrupt state cadres. She even took the initiative to take off her…”
“Enough!”
Director Dai raised a hand. Chief Zhu instantly fell silent as if his throat had been seized, staring at him in panic.
Behind the lenses, the man’s narrow eyes gave nothing away, yet their gaze was as sharp as needles. “So, you saw all this with your own eyes?”
Chief Zhu put on an innocent look, though his expression remained lewd. “What could I do? It was right in front of me.”
“Very well.” Director Dai walked to the desk and pressed the call bell.
Chief Zhu noticed he pressed it three times one long, two short like a signal.
Almost immediately, there was a knock. Two men entered. “Director Dai, we found a code book at Zhu Youfu’s house, along with a modified radio receiver capable of picking up signals from across the sea.”
“C-code book? Receiving signals?” Chief Zhu was terrified, his mind reeling as if in a nightmare. He flailed his arms at the agents grabbing him. “Get away! Get away or I’ll kill you!”
How could he possibly resist the highly trained special agents?
Director Dai issued his order coldly: “The spy is resisting arrest and refuses to confess. Show no mercy!”
As he was being dragged away, Zhu screamed desperately, “I don’t know anything! How can I confess what I don’t know?!”
Even he was smart enough to know what fate awaited him if he couldn’t provide answers.
What did I do wrong to offend such a terrifying figure?
Silence returned to the office. Director Dai sat behind the desk like an ice sculpture, except for the rhythmic tapping of two fingers on the table, betraying his inner restlessness.
A moment later, a subordinate entered, placed a small box on the desk, and whispered in his ear: “…This was stolen secretly by her stepsister, Shi Hongmei. Her mother, Liu Manli, took it because she thought it looked pretty. That’s how we managed to get this handkerchief.”
“She is still on her way to Nan Province. If we take a plane, we can intercept her before she arrives. However, we don’t have established connections in Nan Province yet. Sir, what are your orders…”
“You may leave,” Director Dai said, his face impassive.
“Yes, sir.” Before leaving, the subordinate added cautiously, “Your fiancée called three times. She said if you don’t answer, she’s going to complain to her father.”
The door closed. Director Dai picked up the landline. As the call connected, he stood up straight, holding the receiver with both hands. A smile appeared on his lips, his tone respectful. “Father, I apologize. I couldn’t answer Xiaohui’s calls… I’m sure you understand the nature of my work.”
The voice on the other end was flat. “Wenyuan, you and Xiaohui aren’t officially married yet. Calling me ‘Father’ is inappropriate. I do understand your work very well. Actually, it’s good you didn’t answer. It gives her time to think carefully about whether you two are truly suitable for each other.”
He hung up. The smile on his lips twisted into a sneer, and his eyes burned with venomous fury. You old fool, see how long you can stand in my way.
He sat down slowly, his gaze falling on the box. The icy aura surrounding him instantly melted away, revealing the man beneath.
He gently opened the lid. Inside lay a pink handkerchief.
He picked it up as if handling a precious treasure and unfolded it. Embroidered on it was a timid little white rabbit.
“Yanyan…” He buried his face in the fabric, inhaling deeply as if trying to capture its scent, murmuring softly, “You are mine. Only mine… Don’t even think about escaping my grasp.”
A knock at the door. Dai Wenyuan looked up abruptly, as if waking from a trance. He quickly folded the handkerchief and tucked it into his inner pocket, his expression hardening back into that of ice. “Come in.”
After listening to the report, he issued his commands with absolute confidence. “…Arrange a flight back to the capital for me.”
Nan Province Train Station.
Jiang Yan stepped off the train, looking exhausted. She looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, taking a deep breath.
Dear Mom and Dad, I’m getting closer to you now!
She arrived at the designated sent-down point to register. There, she saw Shi Hongmei whose hair was now falling out in patches shouting at the staff, spittle flying everywhere.
“…It was that old hag’s family who raised their kids wrong and caused trouble! It has nothing to do with me! You can’t just send me to Menghan Slope, the most remote and miserable place in the province! I heard you can’t even get a single grain of white rice there all year!”
Oh, so the hardest place in Nan Province is Menghan Slope, Jiang Yan thought.
The staff member looked at her coldly. “It’s not just the railway police reporting your behavior on the train; Jiangcheng Police also contacted us. Your biological father’s human trafficking case is linked to you. If you refuse to go to Menghan Slope, we will hand you over to the local station immediately for deportation.”
Shi Hongmei immediately burst into tears. “I’ll go! I want to go to the hardest and most remote place to be re-educated!”
Once Shi Hongmei left, the staff member looked at Jiang Yan’s introduction letter. “You must be Comrade Jiang Yan. Come with me quickly. Our leader wants to see you.”