Chapter 113: The Tug of War

The official document from above clearly and explicitly outlined Song Qi’s mission directives.

No matter who had opinions or objections, they all had to be set aside.

Long Yue Zhi spoke first: “I have no objections. Investigate as you wish. I’ll be staying here until the truth is uncovered. If you need anything, come to me anytime—I will fully cooperate!”

Quan Zhiwen, though clearly reluctant, still nodded. “Same here. My wife and I have no objections either.”

Zhang Sheng had already expressed his agreement earlier.

As for Hu Wei and the other small leaders of the mining district, what opinions could they possibly have?

With the entire compound filled with soldiers and public security officers, even if they had any objections, they had to keep them to themselves.

But while the investigation was ongoing, those who deserved rewards should also be acknowledged.

And so, Jing Xi—who had been quietly trying to blend into the background—was suddenly called out.

Song Qi stated firmly, “Once the investigation results come out, those who deserve rewards will be rewarded, and those who deserve punishment will be punished.”

With that, Chief Song got into his official car—effortless, commanding, and full of authority.

Xu Chen took over the scene.

“Everyone! Assemble!”

At the sound of the command whistle, the soldiers immediately lined up in an orderly formation, awaiting their assigned tasks.

Meanwhile, everyone else was required to leave the area.

Quan Zhiwen and Xu Jin left with great reluctance.

Jing Xi, however, had been secretly observing the mine manager, Hu Wei. She noticed that he kept exchanging glances with Quan Zhiwen, along with subtle hand gestures.

After handling the necessary arrangements and giving out instructions,

Long Yue Zhi grabbed Jing Xi and took her to his temporary residence.

Even though Jing Xi had repeatedly insisted on returning to her village, Fourth Master Long acted as if he hadn’t heard a word of it.

It was the same hotel as last time—same room, unchanged.

The moment they entered, Jing Xi couldn’t wait to ask, “Long Yue Zhi, are you saying that as long as you’re here, I have to stay with you?”

Long Yue Zhi took a sip of water before replying, “That’s right.”

“Why?”

“If I told you it’s for your own safety?”

Jing Xi was baffled.

“Who would be a threat to my safety?”

Long Yue Zhi casually pointed outside. “Them.”

“…You might as well have said nothing.”

Leaning back on the sofa, Long Yue Zhi closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “It’s already dark. Even if you drove, it’d take at least two hours to get back to your village. Why don’t you rest here for the night? We can discuss everything else tomorrow.”

Jing Xi was still preoccupied with returning to the bun shop.

Besides, she and Long Yue Zhi weren’t related in any way—if they spent too much time together, people would start talking.

It was always best to maintain some distance between men and women.

“Then I’ll go back tomorrow. If you need something, you can come to my village to find me. But I can’t be by your side all the time—I have my own life to take care of.”

Long Yue Zhi didn’t respond.

Jing Xi called out to him twice but got no reaction.

She walked closer to the sofa and found that he had actually fallen asleep.

He must have been utterly exhausted to doze off so quickly.

His long eyelashes cast a shadow under the warm light.

His tall, well-defined nose and perfectly shaped lips connected seamlessly.

His features were simply stunning.

A man—how could he be this good-looking?

Jing Xi unconsciously stared at him for a long time.

Long Yue Zhi’s parents must have been beautiful people; otherwise, how could they have given birth to such a strikingly handsome son?

Just as she was about to leave, Long Yue Zhi shifted his position on the sofa.

His clothes rode up slightly, revealing a tattoo on his waist and abdomen.

Jing Xi hadn’t expected his tattoo to be so large.

From what she could see, the shape resembled a snake.

But she couldn’t tell if it had a head.

She was secretly surprised. Why would Long Yue Zhi get a snake tattoo?

Curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to lift his shirt and see if the snake’s head was there.

As if guided by some unseen force, she moved closer.

She gently crouched beside the sofa,

slowly reaching out her hand to lift his black shirt.

20 centimeters away…

10 centimeters…

1 centimeter…

Just as she was about to succeed—

The door suddenly swung open.

Jing Xi quickly stood up and took two steps back, just as Yu Er and Chen Gang walked in, carrying medicine and food.

Jing Xi wasn’t sure if they had seen what she was doing, but feeling guilty, she quickly blurted out an excuse, “Uh, he… he fell asleep. I-I was just checking if he was really asleep.”

Yu Er and Chen Gang exchanged glances, looking completely puzzled.

But—

“Fourth Master is probably exhausted. You should go back to your room first. I’ll wake him up to take his medicine before he sleeps again,” Yu Er said.

Jing Xi quickly stepped away, her eyes catching sight of the dark, murky medicine in Yu Er’s bowl.

But as she got closer, she caught a hint of sweetness in the air.

“This… isn’t medicine?”

“It is, but Miss Ling added sugar, so it’s not too bitter—just slightly sweet, making it easier to swallow.”

Miss Ling?

Who’s that?

A suitor of Long Yue Zhi?

His doctor?

Or…?

Jing Xi suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

Her voice dropped slightly, sounding somewhat displeased. “Oh. I’ll head out now.”

She even gently closed the door behind her.

Outside, Chen Zhi was waiting for her. He led her to her room.

Meanwhile, inside, Long Yue Zhi, who had been woken up by Yu Er to take his medicine, had a faint trace of amusement in his eyes.

Yu Er asked, “Fourth Master, you weren’t actually asleep?”

Long Yue Zhi smirked. “I was, but the moment you walked in, I woke up.”

Yu Er set the medicine and food in front of Long Yue Zhi and poured him a large cup of herbal tea that Doctor Li had specially prepared.

“Any updates from the mine?”

“Not yet, but word from outside says that as soon as Quan Zhiwen got back, he started investigating Song Qi.”

Long Yue Zhi took a sip of water, raised an eyebrow, and scoffed, “Overestimating himself.”

Yu Er chuckled. “Fourth Master, with Chief Song handling this matter, you have nothing to worry about. No one will be able to pull any tricks anymore. The military has completely sealed off that place—not even an ant could get through.”

Long Yue Zhi nodded. “I’m only worried about the Quan family and the Xu family.”

Yu Er and Chen Gang both smiled.

“Oh, right, Fourth Master, he’s perfectly fine. Everything is in order, so you can rest easy.”

Long Yue Zhi paused with his chopsticks in mid-air for a moment. Then, the last trace of worry in his expression faded completely.

“Send word to him—once he’s done handling things, tell him to return to Shaanxi and take some time to rest. No need to wander around anymore.”

Yu Er and Chen Gang nodded. After ensuring Long Yue Zhi had finished his meal and cleaned up, they left.

Long Yue Zhi lay down on the bed and quickly drifted off into sleep.

In his dreams, there was a soft and fragrant little girl.

=====

Chief Song was the embodiment of justice.

That statement was absolutely true.

In just two days, he had thoroughly investigated every corner of the mine, inside and out.

Most importantly, the miners had reported back with a clear finding:

“Preliminary investigations indicate that both the elevator malfunction and the coal seam collapse were deliberate acts of sabotage.”