20
My Conscience Does Not Grow on You
Li Xiuran had just stepped out of the guesthouse when he spotted a car parked not far away. Without hesitation, he walked over, opened the passenger door, and got in.
In the driver’s seat sat a somewhat roguishly handsome man in his mid-twenties, who smiled at Li Xiuran. “Brother Li, it’s not easy to get an audience with you.”
Li Xiuran asked, “How’s the investigation going?”
“Tsk tsk.” Lu Yuan rolled his eyes in disdain. “I finally get some time off, thinking I could rest for a few days after returning, but with just one call from you, I’m running around handling your affairs. You don’t even treat me to a meal, and the first thing you do when we meet is ask about your business.”
“Boss, has your conscience been eaten by dogs?”
Li Xiuran scoffed. “My conscience isn’t attached to you.” Leaning back in his seat, a sharp glint flashed in his deep eyes. “If you haven’t figured it out yet, then have someone hurry up and investigate.”
He also mentioned Gu Wenshu’s admission to high school. “It’s best to send someone to Yunping High School to look into this.”
Upon hearing about Gu Wenshu’s situation, Lu Yuan grew furious and even shot an accusatory glare at his boss. “Old Li, you’re kind of a jerk.”
As he started the car and drove off, he continued to berate Li Xiuran. “A perfectly good girl was schemed into marrying an old cow like you. And on top of that, you couldn’t even protect your own wife. You’re really embarrassing us men.”
Li Xiuran had no retort. He was indeed at fault—his negligence had caused Gu Wenshu irreparable harm.
Seeing his boss fall silent, Lu Yuan felt somewhat deflated. He realized his boss was even worse off than him. While he had lost his parents, Li Xiuran had parents who made his life more miserable than having none at all. After thirty years of life, he had just discovered that his marriage was the result of his parents’ scheming.
How could the word “miserable” even begin to describe it? Curious, Lu Yuan asked, “Did Sister-in-law not come at you with a knife?”
Li Xiuran shot him a glance. “Lu Yuan, I’ve noticed that in the year since you left the army, you’ve put on some weight. You’re even developing a little belly.”
“Life’s been treating you too well. Take it easy. If I find out you’ve done something you shouldn’t have, I won’t hesitate to clean you up first.”
Lu Yuan glared at Li Xiuran. “There’s something wrong with your eyes. I’m 182 cm tall and 140 jin—clearly tall, handsome, and in top shape. Where would a belly come from?”
He could tolerate being called foolish, but not unattractive or fat.
He had his pride.
The topic had been diverted, and Li Xiuran couldn’t be bothered to engage further. He simply reminded Lu Yuan to investigate the matters concerning Gu Wenshu as soon as possible.
Lu Yuan agreed.
What else could he do?
Back when they were on missions together, his boss had saved his life no fewer than ten times. The debt of gratitude was immense—too great to repay in a lifetime. Now, his boss wasn’t asking him to climb mountains of swords or dive into seas of fire—just to look into a few things.
It had been seven or eight years since Sister-in-law’s high school days. Who knew how many teachers had come and gone since then? Investigating this would be a pain.
He glanced at Li Xiuran, who had closed his eyes, and reminded him, “Boss, if you really plan to make things work with Sister-in-law, this issue can’t remain a thorn between you. Otherwise, it’ll cause problems sooner or later.”
Yesterday morning, his boss had called and asked him to look into some matters concerning Sister-in-law. When he saw the information, he was truly shocked.
Sister-in-law had allegedly mistreated the children and was lazy and gluttonous.
After hearing what the boss had just said, his heart was filled with complexity—that was also a poor, pitiable woman with a tragic fate.
Li Xiuran grunted in acknowledgment: “I know. I will handle the matter properly. Before that, I need you to investigate the incident with the admission letter from back then.”
This might be the biggest regret in Gu Wenshu’s heart. Before having a proper talk with her, he needed to uncover the truth and give her justice.
Otherwise, he would have no face to discuss this matter with Gu Wenshu.
“By the way, my uncle’s daughter is going to the countryside—specifically, to your Commune.” Lu Yuan glanced at the boss. Tall, strong, and handsome, though his skin was a bit dark, his features were exceptionally good-looking. A man like this was the most attractive, and he was a little worried that Lu Yuanyuan might take a liking to the boss.
“If you see Lu Yuanyuan, it’s best to stay away from her and not say a single word to her. She’s a bit unstable in the head.”
“Her personality is even crazier than Chen Hui’s. That girl adores her father the most, and since her father is as tall, strong, and handsome as you, there’s no guarantee she won’t set her sights on you.”
Li Xiuran shot him a look: “I have a wife and children. If she knowingly approaches despite that, I won’t mind giving your cousin a lesson she’ll never forget.”
From the moment he saw the change in Gu Wenshu and her agreement to stay, he knew he would be bound to this woman for the rest of his life.
Lu Yuan’s expression instantly darkened: “If she provokes you, don’t take action yourself. Tell me, and I’ll go to my uncle.”
His uncle was an upright man but also doted on his daughter. If the boss were to personally intervene, it would inevitably create enmity with his uncle. The best approach was to let his uncle handle Lu Yuanyuan himself. He was genuinely worried, afraid that Lu Yuanyuan might indeed take a liking to the boss.
He had heard that Lu Yuanyuan was initially assigned to a neighboring province for her rural posting, but only yesterday learned it had been changed to the Commune where the boss was stationed.
Thinking about it, he felt a little scared.
“Boss, how about you make yourself a bit uglier?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the car stopped outside a courtyard.
After getting out, Lu Yuan lit a cigarette and said, “He only wants to see you, not me, so I’ll wait here for you.”
Li Xiuran nodded: “Don’t smoke too much.”
With that, he went to knock on the courtyard gate.
Watching him enter, Lu Yuan took a deep drag of his cigarette. In the late night, amid the smoke, it felt as if he had returned to the days when he and the boss fought side by side, risking their lives. He had been the last to join and the weakest in combat. If not for the boss risking his life to save him, he would have died on a mission years ago.
Now, the boss had been forced to leave in frustration. He wanted to do something but felt powerless.
He kicked the car tire hard: “Damn it, you’d better not fall into my hands. I’ll make sure you don’t get away with it.”
Li Xiuran came out half an hour later, his expression still unreadable. After getting into the car, Lu Yuan cautiously asked, “What did he want with you?”
Li Xiuran glanced at Lu Yuan: “He’s your grandfather.”
Lu Yuan snorted lightly: “What kind of grandfather is that? Knowing full well there’s nothing wrong with your health, he still made you retire. Would you want a grandfather like that?”
“Anyway, I don’t want him.”
Knowing that his own life had been saved by the boss, the old man had the nerve to abandon him when things went wrong.
The boss was far more capable than him, yet after retiring, he could only hole up in a small place like Luo County.
The thought of it made him feel aggrieved and upset on the boss’s behalf.
“Your grandfather was a good man, everything he did was for the country.” He looked at Lu Yuan, his expression turning extremely solemn: “He also wanted fairness. These two words are easy to say, but difficult to implement.”
Lu Yuan’s eyes reddened. The more serious his superior became, the more distressed he felt. Sniffling, he asked in a low voice: “What did he want from you?”
The old man had only arrived in Luo County this afternoon and immediately asked to see his superior. There must be some unknown secret behind this.
Li Xiuran said calmly: “This is between me and your grandfather. You should ask less and focus on doing your job well. Perhaps there will be opportunities for us to work together in the future.”
At these words, Lu Yuan’s eyes lit up. Just as he was about to ask something, he heard his superior continue: “If you’re not capable enough, you’ll have to remain as deputy director.”
“We don’t operate at the same level.”