Chapter 20

Han Qingqing had been going to and from school with Mu Xuehui. One day after school, her second brother came to pick her up, but she didn’t leave. Instead, she took a file bag from him and handed it to Mu Xuehui.

The file bag contained anonymous complaint materials against Liao Chunxing. These were documents that Liao Chunxing had threatened her for, and her second brother had taken them from their older brother’s office for her. However, she was too scared to deliver them herself, fearing another encounter with the sleazy and threatening man.

Mu Xuehui offered to go on her behalf, which moved Han Qingqing. “Huihui, but didn’t he assault you before? Aren’t you afraid he’ll take the opportunity to do it again?”

Mu Xuehui was nearly at her breaking point. Did she really want to do this? But if Han Qingqing went, her older brother would easily find out the documents were taken by her. If anyone saw Han Qingqing meeting Liao Chunxing, her older brother would assume that Liao Chunxing had indeed harassed her. If that happened, there would be no turning back.

In her previous life, Han Qingqing’s true background had never been exposed, even after Mu Xuehui’s rebirth. She deeply regretted sending the report to Han Qingqing’s older brother. If she had chosen someone else to receive it, Liao Chunxing wouldn’t have been able to blackmail Han Qingqing.

“I’m only doing this to protect your background,” Mu Xuehui said. “Your second brother and I have made big sacrifices. You mustn’t waver.”

“I’ll listen to you, Huihui,” Han Qingqing sobbed.

Before Han Qingqing even reached her house, she could hear the sounds of her older brother beating her second brother. She rushed home and saw her second brother lying on a bench, being struck repeatedly with a military baton. Her older brother was demanding to know why he had stolen documents from his office, but her second brother stayed silent.

She had told her second brother that she needed a complaint file from her older brother’s office because she, too, was a victim and wouldn’t be able to live if the matter became public. Her second brother had been convinced to help, but now she had gotten him into serious trouble.

“Big Brother, please don’t hit him anymore,” Han Qingqing cried, covering Han Yunqing’s back to shield him from the blows.

Han Changfeng had lost a complaint file, but in reality, their investigative team didn’t have time to deal with these kinds of misconduct allegations, and the report hadn’t even been handed over to the local police station yet.

Who could steal from the municipal bureau? When he asked around, his colleagues mentioned that his second brother, Han Yunqing, had visited the office and stayed there for about ten minutes.

Han Changfeng couldn’t forgive the lies and theft. “Han Yunqing, did all the education you received go to waste? Liao Chunxing has been harassing and threatening women. By taking that report, how many more victims could there be? Can you take responsibility for that?”

Han Yunqing gritted his teeth and refused to confess. “Your office has people coming and going all the time. How can you be sure it was me? It could’ve been one of your colleagues.”

Han Changfeng didn’t bother arguing. If you’re going to stay stubborn, we’ll go through formal interrogation procedures at the station.

He took out a pair of handcuffs and secured them on Han Yunqing. Han Qingqing was in disbelief that her older brother would go so far as to arrest their second brother over something like this. If Han Yunqing were taken in handcuffs for questioning, it would ruin him.

In a panic, she confessed, “I was the one who asked him to get the documents for me. Big Brother, I was threatened and harassed by Liao Chunxing. He told me to retrieve the report, and I only dared to confide in my second brother. It’s not his fault. If you’re going to arrest someone, arrest me.”

Han Changfeng was shocked, but after a few seconds, he calmed down. She was lying.

There had been no opportunity for her to know Liao Chunxing. He was a cunning man, and no matter how lecherous, he wouldn’t target a police officer’s family member.

Liao Chunxing must have some hold over Han Qingqing, something serious enough to compel her to send her second brother to steal files from the police station.

But now was not the time to expose her lie. If he did, it would be difficult to uncover the true motive. It was better to let the bait sit and see what surfaced.

He unlocked the handcuffs and said, “You two had better think things through and turn yourselves in.”

After stepping out of the house, Han Changfeng went around to the back entrance and saw the Qin family’s little nanny scaling the courtyard wall. Today had been a terrible day for him—everyone seemed to have their secrets, even the nanny eavesdropping from the wall.

He was both annoyed and exasperated. “You know I could arrest you for climbing into my yard, right?”

Jiang Ruan immediately became nervous. She had thought her skills were good enough, but she had still been caught. She jumped down from the over-one-meter-high wall and landed steadily in front of the officer, extending her hands. “Go ahead and arrest me.”

She didn’t even try to defend herself, and Han Changfeng’s anger dissipated.

“Why were you climbing over our wall to eavesdrop?” he asked patiently.

“To catch Han Qingqing doing something bad.” Jiang Ruan didn’t dare lie to the officer. It was better not to say anything at all or tell the truth if she did, otherwise, lying to the police could have serious consequences, potentially implicating innocent people.

What kind of bad things could Han Qingqing be up to? Even Han Changfeng hadn’t figured that out yet.

Han Qingqing did indeed have a secret, and perhaps this wall-climbing girl knew something. “What do you think she could be doing wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’m still investigating,” Jiang Ruan replied honestly.

“Who asked you to investigate?”

“I can’t say.”

It could only be that wheelchair-bound boy. His thirst for revenge was formidable, and Han Changfeng feared that if he found out the truth, he wouldn’t use legal means.

“Are you still going to arrest me?” Jiang Ruan asked, her arms growing tired from being held up.

Han Changfeng’s frustration softened, and he decided to let it slide. “Go on, but don’t climb other people’s walls again.”

“Yes, sir. I won’t do it again,” Jiang Ruan sincerely apologized. “Thank you for giving me a chance to correct my mistake. I won’t climb any more walls. But, can I ask how you caught me? I was being so careful.”

Han Changfeng could sense the genuineness in her words. She admitted her fault, while his two siblings stubbornly clung to theirs.

Jiang Ruan hadn’t made a sound or exposed herself. Han Changfeng had relied on a keen instinct that told him someone was behind the wall, leading him to check, where he caught the girl straddling the top.

Back at his unit, Han Changfeng reported the family situation to his superior, feeling deeply remorseful. “I haven’t been able to get my younger siblings to tell the truth. I want to use the clues we have to draw out the real story.”

The deputy chief trusted Han Changfeng’s character and sympathized with his troubles regarding his siblings. His handling of the situation was wise. “Your brother and sister aren’t inherently bad. Someone likely instigated them. Young people make mistakes—it’s nothing that can’t be corrected with the right guidance.”

…

Jiang Ruan returned to Qin Yan’s house and recounted what had happened with Han Changfeng, how Han Qingqing had asked her second brother to steal the report from their older brother’s office. As a result, the second brother had been beaten and nearly taken away. In the end, Han Qingqing had confessed.

“Han Qingqing said she was threatened and harassed by Liao Chunxing, and that if it were made public, she wouldn’t be able to live. Officer Han gave them time to turn themselves in. Brother Qin Yan, do you think she’ll confess?”

Qin Yan, in the middle of timing himself as he worked through a set of math problems, didn’t want to lose focus, so he stayed quiet. When he finished, his thoughts had also cleared.

Han Changfeng wasn’t a fool. He surely knew his sister was lying. How serious could a secret be to make a young girl risk her reputation to hide it? Qin Yan was intensely curious and determined to uncover it.

In her previous life, Liao Chunxing was never reported. This time, the one who lodged the complaint must be Mu Xuehui, who had been taken advantage of by Liao Chunxing before. In this life, she sought revenge, not realizing that the report would set off a chain reaction. Instead of investigating who filed the report, Liao Chunxing targeted Han Qingqing, forcing her to steal the report materials for him.

Han Qingqing had no choice but to agree. What kind of hold did Liao Chunxing have over her?

Qin Yan called the busy Jiang Ruan over. “Can you help me with something else?”

“Sure, but can you give me a little reward, brother? I saw there’s a lot of rice at home, and if we don’t eat it soon, it’ll get infested. I don’t want much—just ten pounds of rice for helping out.”

Her ambition was limited to that. Qin Yan replied, “Alright, I’ll give you a ten-day advance on the rice. First, help me write an anonymous letter.”

“My handwriting is terrible.”

“No problem,” Qin Yan said. “Make sure no one can recognize your handwriting. Use your left hand to write.”

Qin Yan dictated while Jiang Ruan wrote quickly with her left hand. The letter was addressed to Liao Chunxing, telling him that the person who reported him was Mu Xuehui. As for whether it was true, Liao Chunxing would have to decide for himself.

Halfway through, Jiang Ruan glanced at Qin Yan, thinking he was impressive for knowing so much. She didn’t understand his motives for writing the letter, but at least her agility was helpful.

Every time she helped, she earned a delivery fee, and she wished Qin Yan would ask her for help more often.

Qin Yan tapped her on the forehead. “Why are you smiling as if you’ve struck gold?”

Jiang Ruan replied, “A hundred pounds of rice is worth about seventeen yuan. If I can earn seventeen yuan just by putting in a little effort, of course, I’m happy.”

Qin Yan shook his head. “You’re hopeless.”

He was starting to rely on the young nanny more. She was simple, loyal, tight-lipped, and didn’t pry—making her his most useful helper.

Qin Yan lent her an electronic scale and said, “Go sell the rice first, then deliver the letter.”

…

Liao Chunxing found the anonymous letter in a tea packet given by a grateful patient’s family. The tea-colored envelope was completely blank, and he initially thought it contained cash as a token of appreciation. When he opened it, he took a sharp breath.

Apparently, his misconduct was known to more than just a few people, which meant this was serious.

In reality, he had only targeted two women. One was the daughter of Mu Yongwang, who worked in the same department. He wasn’t particularly interested in young women, but Mu Yongwang had tried to report him for taking bribes. Fortunately, the report failed, and in retaliation, Liao Chunxing groped the young girl in front of her cowardly father.

The other woman was Jiang Jianchun, whom he liked. He had pressured her to divorce, but she kept making excuses. Their relationship could barely be considered a consensual affair.

The letter accused Mu Xuehui of filing the anonymous report. That little wench dared to pull him down—it looked like she needed to be taught a lesson.

When Mu Xuehui returned home from school, she saw her father at home with a sullen expression. Anxiously, she asked, “Dad, why are you home so early today?”

Mu Yongwang pulled out the complaint materials, angrily saying, “If you had the guts to file a complaint, why didn’t you report it to the police when it happened? Now, they’ve thrown the report back in my face. Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll take you to the police station right now to file an official complaint!”

The incident had happened a long time ago. What good would it do to report it now? It would only ruin her reputation, and Liao Chunxing would deny everything. He might even retaliate by accusing her father of harboring resentment toward a superior and inciting his daughter to slander him.

Mu Xuehui had filed the report hoping the police would investigate his inappropriate relationship with a female colleague, not her earlier assault for which she had no evidence.

Clenching her jaw, Mu Xuehui said, “Dad, I won’t bring this up again in the future. I won’t cause you any more trouble.”