Jiang Cheng quickly connected the dots in her mind. She discreetly pulled Principal Wang aside to a secluded corner to discuss.

“Principal, the training march was your idea. After the last human trafficking incident, you felt that night school students should not only have rich knowledge but also strong physiques.”

“Huh? Isn’t that lying?”

Jiang Cheng disagreed, “How is it lying? Didn’t we go on a training march?”

“Yes!”

“Didn’t we put out the fire as soon as it started?”

“Yes!”

Jiang Cheng said matter-of-factly, “Then it’s settled! You did it, and now we’re just phrasing it differently. No matter who asks, you say this, and I guarantee you’ll get the title of Advanced Unit.”

Principal Wang didn’t understand the connection but instinctively trusted Jiang Cheng and asked, “But what’s the use of being an Advanced Unit?”

“With the honor, wouldn’t it be easier for you to apply for funding from the higher-ups?”

Principal Wang’s eyes lit up.

Right!

The night school in the neighboring city always gets more funding than ours, all because they have “honors”!

“Jiang Cheng, I’ll listen to you.”

After getting Principal Wang’s assurance, Jiang Cheng stood aside with an innocent expression.

Principal Wang: Who is this girl going to trick next?

About ten minutes later, Principal Wang watched as Jiang Cheng organized the teachers and students to march back to the night school.

“Teacher Hu, please take the trouble to organize everyone. The new practice questions for each subject are in my desk.”

“Class monitors, please take a headcount and coordinate with the teachers to arrange the study schedule. Thank you for your hard work.”

With just a few words from Jiang Cheng, the teachers and students were fully on board, dutifully lining up and orderly jogging back to the night school.

Chief Tang appeared beside Principal Wang at some point.

“Aren’t you the principal?”

Principal Wang, with his hands behind his back, spoke with the demeanor of a leader, “Knowing how to use people wisely is the way of a true leader.”

After speaking, Principal Wang nodded meaningfully.

He was absolutely right!

Jiang Cheng really knew how to use him!

Even in moments like this, she let him take the spotlight!

Hearing Principal Wang’s words, Chief Tang nodded in agreement. Well said.

After arranging the night school personnel, Jiang Cheng ran up to Principal Wang and said, “Principal, everything has been arranged as per your instructions.”

“Well done.”

Principal Wang responded with a pretentious tone.

Seeing this, Chief Tang was even more convinced of his earlier words. So, Principal Wang was the true great educator.

After the night school group left, Jiang Cheng and Principal Wang went to the police station to assist in the investigation.

Both were questioned, and their answers were almost identical: the training march was to enhance physical fitness, and they happened to encounter the incident.

Since they had no suspicion, they were about to leave when Jiang Cheng was called back.

Sister Kong wanted to see her.

“See me?”

Jiang Cheng was genuinely surprised.

As she was pondering, three people walked into the police station, one of whom was familiar.

“Jiang Cheng?”

“Uncle Zhong?”

At this moment, Uncle Zhong had regained the resolute demeanor he had during their first meeting.

When Chief Tang saw Uncle Zhong enter, he gave him a firm, manly hug.

“Xiao Zhong, what brings you here!”

The two men, both leaders in their own right, went aside to whisper.

A few minutes later, Uncle Zhong and Chief Tang called Jiang Cheng over.

In the office, after listening to Uncle Zhong, Jiang Cheng understood the situation.

“You’re tracking an antique smuggling case, and the recycling station is their stash point. The four sorters at the recycling station were accomplices, but they were killed when you arrested them. Now, Sister Kong is the only one who knows anything.”

Uncle Zhong nodded and looked at Jiang Cheng, “The information you provided last time helped us locate the recycling station. Chief Tang said Sister Kong wants to see you. We’re not sure if you can get her to talk, but we want to know their shipping channels. There are still people behind this who haven’t been caught.”

Chief Tang looked at Jiang Cheng with some tension, after all, this girl never played by the rules.

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

Jiang Cheng agreed.

A few minutes later, Jiang Cheng sat across from Sister Kong in the interrogation room.

In just one day, Sister Kong’s hair had turned significantly gray.

Her eyes were lifeless, and when she looked at Jiang Cheng, she tried to force a smile but couldn’t quite manage it.

“I don’t understand why you wanted to see me.”

Jiang Cheng got straight to the point. Sister Kong spoke, her voice rough and hoarse from smoking.

“I don’t know either, I just wanted someone to talk to.”

“My son Dongzi was so cute when he was little… Back then, his father loved to drink, and when he got drunk, he would hit me. After Dongzi grew up a bit, whenever his father raised his hand, his little body would shield me.”

Sister Kong was lost in her memories, and Jiang Cheng listened attentively.

“By the time Dongzi was ten, he always asked me why we didn’t leave. He said even if we had to beg on the streets, he’d be happy as long as we were together, but I didn’t have the courage.”

“I remember the snow was especially heavy that winter. Dongzi’s father went out drinking again and didn’t come back until very late. Dongzi said he would go out to look for him, but in the end, he couldn’t find him.”

“That night, his father froze to death on the street.”

Suddenly, Sister Kong laughed, a bitter laugh.

“Do you know what I did? I hit Dongzi. I scolded him for being heartless, for not looking harder.”

“Isn’t that pathetic?”

Jiang Cheng shook her head.

“I don’t know, because I’m not you. I haven’t lived your life, I can’t empathize, so I have no right to judge what you did.”

Sister Kong was stunned.

This was the first time someone didn’t judge her from a moral high ground.

She felt an indescribable sense of relief and continued, “After that, Dongzi changed. He became indifferent, even violent. I know he resents me.”

“I’m just saying all this to tell you that Dongzi isn’t a bad person, really not bad.”

Jiang Cheng remained unmoved, her expression unchanged, “If you’re thinking of trading information for a lighter sentence for Dongzi, I think you’re mistaken.”

Sister Kong didn’t understand and even felt that Jiang Cheng was deceiving her.

“Sister Kong, have you ever thought about what crime you’ve committed? Why did you get involved in this? Have you seriously thought about it?”

“They threatened me with Dongzi, I just sold a few old plates and bowls!”

Jiang Cheng lightly slapped the table and raised her voice, “First of all, those weren’t just old plates and bowls!”

“Secondly, they used Dongzi to threaten you because they knew he was your weakness. If Dongzi were released, it would be easier for them to find him.”

“On the contrary, as long as Dongzi is inside, he’s under the highest level of state protection. You don’t need to worry about his safety.”

“Isn’t Dongzi’s survival what you want most?”

Sister Kong opened her mouth several times but couldn’t find the words to refute.

Jiang Cheng didn’t give Sister Kong time to think.

The chair suddenly screeched as it moved back, causing Sister Kong to look up at Jiang Cheng’s serious face.

“Sister Kong, what you sold is the heritage of our country’s five-thousand-year culture, treasures preserved with the blood of revolutionary martyrs, things that even the Japanese invaders wanted to steal!”

“If Dongzi knew you were working for the Japanese, he would surely look down on you!”