Huang Shurou sat at the dining table, glaring resentfully at Fang Chengguang and Cheng Rushan. “I know you can’t accept me marrying your father. You’ve never liked me and have always been against me. I’ve always understood you and tried to do my part well. I wanted to…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Whether I accept you or not is a family matter. Huang Xiangyu harming others is a public matter. I don’t have the power to mix public and private affairs,” Fang Chengguang interrupted her, not wanting to listen to her complaints.

Huang Shurou walked to the study door to eavesdrop on Fang Jianhua’s phone call.

He was very angry and spoke sternly, without the usual polite phrases he used at work.

She quietly pushed the door open and saw him standing motionless by the window after hanging up the phone.

She sobbed lightly and said in a soft voice, “Old Fang.”

Her voice was as soft as it could be, filled with endless grievance and affection.

In the past, when she spoke like this, he could never refuse her.

Fang Jianhua continued to stand facing the window. “Xiao Huang, tell me the truth. Did you know about this?”

Huang Shurou’s heart sank.

He called her “Xiao Huang,” which was the nickname he used when they first met.

After they got married, he started calling her “Xiao Rou.”

She sobbed, “I know my younger brother was seeing someone, but that girl was vain.

Her parents were greedy for money and kept asking for more.

My brother couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to break up.

The girl threatened to kill herself to manipulate him, but who would have thought she would really go through with it…”

Fang Jianhua said, “Wu Jinshui is in charge of this case. He even sent an old police officer to the countryside because of it. Did you know that?”

“I certainly don’t know. You know, I never see my maternal family at home, and working at the hospital keeps me so busy that I don’t often interact with them. I only go back for major holidays or my parents’ birthdays, and then I come back quickly. Old Fang, my younger brother isn’t that bad. He, he’s just a mischievous child…”

“A child?” Fang Jianhua looked back at her, only to see her eyes red from crying, her face filled with helplessness. “Alright, if you don’t know the details, don’t get involved. If it turns out that Wu Jinshui is covering up for Huang Xiangyu, no one will be able to turn a blind eye!”

He wasn’t familiar with the Huang family and was still thinking simply, believing it was just a case of young people having a conflict over a romantic relationship, leading to irreparable consequences, and Wu Jinshui covering it up to protect someone.

After all, it was true that the Chen family wanted Huang Xiangyu’s money, and Chen Yue’s choice to live with him was voluntary.

If she later attempted suicide, it must have been because her emotions had changed and she couldn’t accept it.

This was more intense than forcing another girl.

“Old Fang!” Huang Shuru was overwhelmed with immense fear at his words, as if she couldn’t bear the thought, “Old Fang, you can’t do this. I only have one younger brother, and my parents only have one son. If Xiangyu is gone, our family will be left with no heirs. Old Fang, you can’t be so harsh. I beg you, please save him.”

Huang Shuru clung to Fang Jianhua’s arm, pleading repeatedly, slowly kneeling at his feet.

Fang Jianhua helped her up. “For now, don’t go to work. Stay at home.”

At that moment, a six or seven-year-old boy walked over, still half-asleep. “Daddy, Mommy, Tongtong is scared.”

Huang Shurou saw her son and immediately hugged him.

She said to Fang Jianhua, “Old Fang, for the sake of our son, please save Xiangyu. Do you want Tongtong to grow up without an uncle?”

Fang Chengyu had been in poor health since he was young.

He was seven years old but looked like other six-year-olds and often had to take leave from school.

Fang Jianhua looked at her and their son in silence.

Fang Chengyu reached out his hand and said, “Daddy, hug me.”

Fang Jianhua wanted to reach out and hug him but restrained himself.

He said, “Take Tongtong back to his room.”

He went downstairs and saw Fang Chengguang sitting there drinking porridge.

Instantly, a wave of anger surged through him.

He took a deep breath and said to Cheng Rushan, who was standing nearby, “Xiao Cheng, sit down.”

Fang Chengguang said, “What, is the chief going to try to persuade us to settle this privately? Sorry, but we won’t.”

Fang Jianhua said, “You scoundrel, do you get a thrill out of exposing your own family? Couldn’t you have come back quietly to report to me first?”

Fang Chengguang replied, “Report to you so you could cover it up?”

Fang Jianhua’s face darkened with anger. “Do you think your father is someone who can’t tell right from wrong? In all my years of work, have I ever abused my power for personal gain?”

Fang Chengguang said, “Then let’s wait and see. Chief, just make sure you don’t let a pretty face sway you in the face of major principles and end up being laughed at.”

Fang Jianhua, if he softened his stance and gave Huang Xiangyu some leeway, he would still dare to uphold justice and report the matter to the commander!

Once the commander knew, there would be no more pretending things were peaceful!

Cheng Rushan tried to mediate, “Chengguang, the commander is busy with state affairs and probably doesn’t know about this case. But if Wu Jinshui has managed to suppress this case for four years, he must have used the commander’s name.”

Huang Shuru was Fang Jianhua’s wife.

Just making an appearance and having a meal was a significant advantage, and everyone could see that.

Fang Jianhua’s heart tightened.

Four years ago, he had already married Huang Shuru and had a son, and he was particularly tender towards her at that time.

Although she had never made any demands, she was Mrs. Fang and had a certain status in the military district.

If she…

Fang Jianhua couldn’t bear to think further.

Fang Chengguang said, “There’s one more thing to inform the commander. We’ve interrogated Huang Xiangyu’s friends, and someone confessed that the five daughters of the Huang family are all focused on marrying powerful men, rather than simply admiring heroes.”

What kind of girl would be willing to marry a man nearly twenty years older than herself?

Fang Jianhua had married relatively late.

When he married Huang Shuru in his forties, she was around twenty-four or twenty-five.

It was hard to believe that Huang Shuru’s admiration was purely for his heroism.

With so many unpowerful war heroes, why didn’t she show any affection for them?

Cheng Rushan, seeing that the matter had been discussed and would now be handled by the Public Security Bureau, took his leave from Fang Jianhua.

Fang Jianhua didn’t say much, just waved his hand and sat on the sofa, waiting for Director Chang and Sun Kaixuan.

Fang Chengguang didn’t need to stay to listen either. Since he had already exposed the issue, no one could cover it up.

He left with Cheng Rushan.

Huang Shurou stood upstairs, watching Fang Chengguang and Cheng Rushan leave, her teeth almost grinding from anger.

She said to her son, “Tongtong, call your sister and ask her to come back to save Daddy and Mommy. Your brother wants to kill Mommy. If Mommy dies, Daddy won’t live either.”

Fang Chengyu immediately shouted, “Bad brother! Let Second Uncle execute him!”

Huang Shurou quickly covered his mouth. “Tongtong, you can’t say things like that. Daddy doesn’t like such words.”

He nodded and secretly ran to his father’s study to make the call.

After Fang Chengguang and Cheng Rushan left, Fang Jianhua sat alone downstairs for a long time until Director Chang and Sun Kaixuan arrived together.

Huang Shurou walked to the top of the stairs and, in a soft, aggrieved voice, pleaded, “Old Fang, you have to believe me…”

“Go back to your room! Don’t come downstairs!” Fang Jianhua rarely spoke to her so harshly.

After Huang Shuru went back to her room, Fang Jianhua took the two men upstairs to his study to talk.

Huang Shuru had never seen this side of Fang Jianhua before—so fierce and stern towards her.

Reflecting on their past, she remembered that in 1970, when she transferred to the military hospital as a nurse, he had just lost his wife and was quite low and haggard.

But she immediately took an interest in him because there weren’t many high-ranking and single men like him.

She was determined to win him over.

At first, he was very indifferent and didn’t pay her much attention, but she wasn’t discouraged.

She created every opportunity to appear in front of him.

Whenever he saw her, she was always gentle and considerate, successfully establishing herself as a symbol of tenderness in his eyes.

The following year, he fell seriously ill, and she finally had the chance to be closer to him!

She used her connections to personally attend to his needs.

Her demeanor was as gentle as water, understanding and compassionate.

She knew how to comfort a lonely man, taking care of him both physically and emotionally, making it so that when he was discharged, he couldn’t do without her tenderness.

Indeed, he began to actively greet her and would show up in front of her periodically.

Although he didn’t explicitly say he was coming to see her, she knew he was.

He simply couldn’t resist her advances.

However, he was reluctant to take their relationship further, which frustrated her to no end.

So she used other unit leaders and squad leaders to provoke him, indicating that many people were pursuing her and that she wanted to marry.

He took the bait, protecting her a few times.

Eventually, he began visiting the hospital more intentionally, checking up and prescribing medication, and one night in the duty room, they were together.

In the beginning, he was very resistant, feeling guilty and self-blaming, even wanting to avoid her.

So she became more proactive, making him believe she truly loved him.

She didn’t care about the age difference; she cared about him as a person.

At that time, he still refused to commit because he was afraid his children would oppose it and that her young age would create a bad impression.

So she changed her strategy.

She no longer asked for marriage, only that he wouldn’t avoid her.

As long as she could see him, that was enough.

Finally, she successfully captured his heart by being tender and caring, eventually becoming pregnant.

Three months later, she revealed her pregnancy, and by the beginning of the next year, he married her officially.

She got what she wanted!

After marriage, he became even more caring and gentle, almost always agreeing to her every request, never raising his voice at her.

Even when Fang Chengguang had conflicts with her, he never sided with his son.

She used all her efforts to serve him, making him constantly feel her infatuation, possessiveness, and jealousy.

She forbade him from visiting other nurses and doctors at the military hospital, not allowing…

He became increasingly devoted to her.

Until… now!

It was all because of that bastard Fang Chengguang!

Huang Shurou was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing around.

She was under house arrest, unable to go out, make phone calls, or see anyone.

She couldn’t send messages to her family.

Where was Fang Chengxia?

That woman claimed she wanted to maintain family peace, but at the critical moment, she was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing that Fang Jianhua believed Fang Chengguang’s words and intended to ruin her brother, she became extremely anxious, almost ready to explode.

The Huang family only had this one son; she absolutely couldn’t lose him!

Her mother had poor health but still gave birth to five daughters.

After losing a son, the doctor advised against having more children, but her mother risked it all to give birth to Huang Xiangyu.

The long-awaited son was treasured by the whole family, who pampered and spoiled him, resulting in his mischievous and immature personality.

She couldn’t let the Huang family line be cut off!

Even if she had to beg Fang Chengguang, even if she had to kneel before him, she didn’t care.

As long as he spared her brother, she was willing to do anything!

At this time, Fang Jianhua was in his study, discussing the case with Director Chang and Sun Kaixuan.

He was moved to discover that the situation was not as simple as he initially thought.

Chen Yue’s case wasn’t just a simple relationship issue, and Xie Xiaoman’s case wasn’t just a simple assault.

It was about Huang Xiangyu’s increasingly serious misdeeds, enabled by his family’s indulgence and Wu Jinshui’s cover-up.

Each incident grew worse due to the limitless indulgence and spoiling by his family and the protection provided by Wu Jinshui.

Initially, he just bullied female classmates, lifting their skirts, groping them, and making lewd comments.

Not only did his parents not discipline him, but they also defended him aggressively when confronted by others.

Over time, his behavior escalated to the point where he physically harassed girls, eventually leading to assault.

There was a first time, then a second. Initially, he felt scared and guilty, but eventually, he believed it was his right.

Huang Xiangyu’s infamous saying was: “Pretty women walking around in front of me are just asking for it! They deserve to be x.”

His family felt proud rather than ashamed, thinking their son/brother was amazing, cute, and mischievous.

Hearing this, Fang Jianhua was filled with rage, his hands trembling.

What made it worse was that this person was his brother-in-law, someone he barely knew and had avoided because of the age difference.

Fang Jianhua angrily asked, “Why hasn’t the head of the XX police station addressed this?”

Director Chang, naturally wanting to defend his colleague, said, “Commander Fang, Wu Jinshui has considerable influence in X. His father rose to power during the revolution and became a senior police officer. In a department where succession isn’t allowed, he managed to pass his position to his son. The police station is practically run like his family’s private domain.”

Fang Jianhua was silent for a moment, then resolutely said, “I will report this matter to the commander.”

He realized he had to proactively report this situation himself rather than wait for someone else to do it or, worse, for Commander Han to question him, which would put him in a very passive position.

Director Chang and Sun Kaixuan stood up to take their leave.

Fang Jianhua struggled to hold back his emotions but couldn’t help asking, “Has Wu Jinshui ever used my name?”

Director Chang quickly reassured him, “Director Fang, you needn’t worry. He’s been causing trouble only within his jurisdiction and hasn’t ventured outside. He hasn’t needed to use your name at all.”

Wu Jinshui operates solely within his own jurisdiction and doesn’t interact with higher departments, so he doesn’t need to borrow Fang Jianhua’s name.

Of course, even if he did, it wouldn’t be a direct usage.

As long as Mrs. Fang makes an appearance and has a meal, everyone would understand, right?

But Director Chang can’t say this outright.

He’d rather stay unaware or be vague.

In his view, who is truly clean and untainted?

As long as one does their job well, that’s considered good enough.

After all, there’s only one Hai Rui, and he was rejected by the officialdom.

Fang Jianhua let out a heavy sigh of relief.

As long as he wasn’t involved, “It must be thoroughly investigated, strictly investigated!”

Director Chang still needed to visit other leaders, and Sun Kaixuan went to find Fang Chengguang and Cheng Rushan.

And of course, to have a meal.

It was already noon, and the Jiang family was preparing lunch.

They welcomed Sun Kaixuan to join them.

After the meal, Sun Kaixuan said to the others, “Don’t worry, the leader has instructed a thorough and strict investigation. We will not let any wrongdoers escape.”

Fang Chengguang looked at him and asked, “Captain Sun, tell me honestly, has the old man been involved?”