Chapter 10

“Mr. Zhang, this is just routine cooperation with the police investigation. There’s no need for you to be so sensitive,” Xiang Yang stepped forward to explain.

Zhang Liang smiled mockingly, pointing at the officers from the Technical Brigade who had already entered the house to collect evidence. “I hardly think this level of commotion is ‘routine cooperation.’ May I ask, Officer, why out of all of Great Peace Village, it’s my home that’s being searched?”

“Mr. Zhang, since the search warrant was approved, it means we’re acting strictly by the law. If you truly want to know, I can stay here and explain until you’re satisfied. But I believe the things I’d say are already crystal clear to you, aren’t they?” Xiang Yang’s tone cooled slightly.

Hearing this, Zhang Liang fell silent for a moment before pushing his wheelchair toward the house. “I hope the officers find a ‘satisfactory’ result in my home.”

Su Yan turned her head inside the house and saw Zhang Liang outside, his expression inscrutable as he watched the proceedings.

Though the police hadn’t arrived with fanfare, their presence wasn’t exactly discreet either. The usually dimly lit street, illuminated only by faint lamplights, was now flashing with police lights. Soon, curious villagers began emerging from their homes. Some stood discreetly at their doorways, craning their necks for a better look, while others boldly gathered around, peering over the wooden fence.

Jiang Li frowned slightly at the growing crowd, while Su Yan kept her attention fixed on Secretary Pei’s house just beyond the brick wall.

As expected, before long, a dim yellow light flickered on in Secretary Pei’s courtyard, followed by the grating sound of the heavy iron gate being pulled open.

When Secretary Pei arrived outside Zhang Liang’s gate, he was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and loose shorts, his usually neatly combed comb-over slightly disheveled. Spotting Xiang Yang nearby, he waved. “Officer Xiang, have you found some clues? Don’t tell me Zhang Liang is the murderer?!”

“It’s him… I knew it…”

“Once a thief, always a thief…”

His words immediately sparked murmurs among the surrounding villagers. Pei Shasha, standing beside him, visibly tensed, clearly displeased with the crowd’s judgment of Zhang Liang.

“No, we’re just conducting routine investigations and evidence collection. We hope Secretary Pei will lead by example and refrain from spreading unverified information before the police conclude the case, to avoid unnecessary trouble for everyone,” Xiang Yang explained sternly.

“Of course, of course,” Secretary Pei chuckled awkwardly.

Xiang Yang stepped forward, signaling the villagers crowding the gate to step back. In that brief moment, Pei Shasha suddenly darted inside before anyone could stop her, rushing straight to Zhang Liang’s side.

“Are you okay?” Pei Shasha crouched beside his wheelchair, her anxious eyes scanning him from head to toe.

“I’m fine,” Zhang Liang smiled gently, instinctively reaching out to smooth her hair. “The police need evidence. They can’t just accuse me without reason.”

The two exchanged a few intimate words in the courtyard, oblivious to the onlookers, while outside the gate, the villagers erupted into another wave of gossip.

“Secretary Pei, what’s the relationship between your daughter and Zhang Liang?” asked a slightly plump middle-aged woman with a gossipy expression, looking like she was enjoying the drama. “Don’t you know what kind of situation that Zhang boy is in? His life is practically ruined—don’t be foolish and let Sha Sha end up with someone like that!”

“Exactly,” chimed in an elderly man nearby. “The kid seemed decent at first, but who’d have thought he’d go bad after moving to the city? Not only did he end up in prison, but he also turned himself into this wreck. Now he’s even a prime suspect for the police… Our Sha Sha has been an outstanding girl since she was little. If she’s getting married, she ought to find a college graduate and move to the city for a better life, right?”

The villagers’ relentless chatter turned Secretary Pei’s face green with anger. Pei Shasha and Zhang Liang had always been careful to avoid being seen together in private, so he had never realized when his daughter had started getting involved with Zhang Liang, who lived just next door.

“Pei Shasha!” Secretary Pei bellowed. “Get your ass back here right now!”

Pei Shasha flinched at her father’s roar, then seemed to suddenly snap out of her daze. Her face fell, and she timidly glanced back at Secretary Pei, whose expression was thunderous, before pouting pitifully at Zhang Liang—a perfect picture of a lovestruck girl.

Su Yan leaned quietly against the doorframe, silently observing the scene.

Zhang Liang discreetly patted Pei Shasha’s hand, signaling with his eyes for her to return to Secretary Pei’s side. Pei Shasha, however, wore a worried expression and bent down slightly again. “I believe in you,” she whispered. “Even if the whole world suspects you, I’ll still choose to trust you.” With that, she wrapped her arms around Zhang Liang’s neck, and the two embraced.

Ah… how touching, Su Yan thought to herself.

Perhaps mindful of Secretary Pei, who was practically fuming outside the gate, the hug was brief—far less intimate than one might expect. Before leaving, Pei Shasha caught sight of Su Yan standing by the door, watching the spectacle. Her eyes flickered before she spoke up. “I hope you police officers truly enforce the law with justice and for the people. Maybe you don’t realize how much damage even the smallest action from the police can cause to ordinary folks like us.” She gestured toward the crowd outside. “Even if you don’t find any so-called evidence in that house today, these people still won’t believe Zhang Liang is innocent. Officer, have you ever understood the terror of public opinion? You casually destroy the fragile stability of someone’s life—do you really feel no guilt? Do you even know what he’ll have to face after today?”

By the end, her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she might burst into tears at any moment, while Zhang Liang gazed at her with nothing but tenderness.

Xiang Yang, standing nearby, shifted uncomfortably and scratched his neck, averting his gaze. He couldn’t help but think, *This girl’s devotion is something else.* Not only did she not resent her lover’s circumstances, but she also had the courage to stand up and defend him like this. *True love, huh?* He wondered what kind of charm Zhang Liang possessed to make a girl so utterly devoted to him.

Faced with Pei Shasha’s questioning, Su Yan remained silent. Perhaps an ordinary passionate intern would have tried their best to refute under such circumstances, but she chose not to. Sometimes, being a police officer and a special forces soldier requires the same trait—endurance, the ability to endure what ordinary people cannot. If she were to argue back with well-founded reasons now, the consequence might be an irreconcilable quarrel between the two, which would also hinder the police’s future work in Great Peace Village.

How does the saying go?

“Endure a moment, and the storm will pass; take a step back, and you’ll rise to the heavens. Harmony depends on you, me, and everyone—police-civilian relations are built by all.”

Su Yan felt that she had only just started her job as a police officer a couple of days ago, yet here she was, practically radiating the silver halo unique to saints.

“Hmph, what’s the matter? Too guilty to speak?” Pei Shasha raised her chin high after composing herself, exuding a secret smugness, seemingly quite satisfied with her earlier accusations.

Su Yan raised an eyebrow but still had no intention of engaging. Suddenly, Jiang Li appeared beside her without warning and gave her shoulder a firm but not too heavy squeeze. Then, she heard the man’s voice beside her: “Miss Pei, our police work is always evidence-based. We hope you can understand that. Additionally, we expect you to show more respect to every officer involved in the case.”

His face was stern as he spoke, looking fierce and ill-tempered. Pei Shasha could only lower her eyes resentfully, muttering something under her breath that no one else could hear.

“Team Leader Jiang! Team Leader Jiang!” Cai Chengji shouted as he rushed out from the inner room, holding a transparent evidence bag. He leaped to Jiang Li in a few quick strides: “Team Leader Jiang, this was found at the very bottom of the wardrobe. Take a look!”

Jiang Li took the evidence bag and examined it carefully, then pulled out his phone from his pocket and flipped through it until he found a photo—a screenshot from the Agritainment’s surveillance footage on the day of the victim Ni Yue’s incident. The light blue dress the victim was wearing in the photo was identical to the one in the evidence bag!

“It’s definitely him!” Cai Chengji glared fiercely at Zhang Liang.

At the sight of the evidence bag, Zhang Liang’s expression momentarily faltered. Meanwhile, Pei Shasha’s initially confident expression gradually turned doubtful. She tugged at Zhang Liang’s sleeve and asked, “What is that?! Why would you have a girl’s dress in your room?!” Her voice even carried a sob, making her seem fragile and helpless—a stark contrast to her earlier aggressive demeanor.

Jiang Li gave Xiang Yang a meaningful look, and the latter immediately stepped forward, half-persuading and half-forcing Pei Shasha away from Zhang Liang, escorting her to Secretary Pei’s side.

Cai Chengji then approached Zhang Liang and said condescendingly, “Mr. Zhang, it seems you’ll have to come with us to the city bureau tonight. And remember—next time you make threats, make sure you’ve cleaned up your own mess first, alright?”

Zhang Liang remained silent.

The police only managed to retrieve a single piece of clothing suspected to belong to the victim from Zhang Liang’s home tonight, with no further discoveries. However, this single piece of evidence was enough to bring him back to the city bureau for further interrogation and investigation. At least their efforts weren’t entirely in vain.  

As midnight approached, they finally began withdrawing from Zhang Liang’s residence. Xiang Yang and Cai Chengji worked together to escort Zhang Liang into the police car. Su Yan, however, paused after stepping out of the house and turned back to gaze at the courtyard before getting into the vehicle.  

Various scenes flashed through her mind, finally settling on the image of Zhang Liang’s veined forearms tightly gripping the wheelchair armrests.  

“Hey, Yan, what’s on your mind?” Cai Chengji called out, noticing her delay. He rolled down the window and leaned out. “Get in the car.”  

“Coming.” Su Yan snapped out of her thoughts and climbed into the van, which was now even more cramped than before.  

With a few muffled blares of the siren, the two police cars sped off, disappearing down the narrow road leading from Great Peace Village to the city.