Chapter 118: What Is the Intent?

After Long Yuezhi finished speaking, Jing Xi was completely confused.

“What Zhou? What Li?”

What was this guy even thinking?

Eating a bun somehow led to an attack on the police?

Ugh.

She shouldn’t have come today.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now. Enjoy your buns.”

With that, she turned and left. At the entrance, Yu Er and the others instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path for her.

What just happened?

Why did just a few words make her want to leave?

Jing Xi didn’t give anyone a chance to stop her. She walked down to the second floor, saw that no one was following, went into the restroom, and teleported straight back to her space.

Meanwhile, Long Yuezhi sensed that something was off and stepped outside to look for her.

But no matter how hard he searched, she was nowhere to be found.

He muttered to himself, “That girl sure can run fast.”

Seeing Long Yuezhi like this, Yu Er quickly asked, “Fourth Master, do you want us to check near the station?”

Long Yuezhi shook his head. “No need. A woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean—just let her be.”

Did he truly mean that?

Of course not.

In reality, Long Si was wondering why, when she said she was just passing by and hadn’t come specifically to bring him buns, he felt a little… disappointed.

…

Back in the village, Jing Xi was no longer angry.

Every time she entered her space, which felt like her own personal paradise, her mood always improved. There was no time to waste being mad at Long Yuezhi.

After stepping out of her space and into her courtyard, she watered the flowers and vegetables she had planted and loosened the soil.

Just then, she heard footsteps and knocking at the courtyard gate.

“Miss Jing Xi, are you home?”

It was Cao Xinyi.

Jing Xi quickly put down her tools and went to open the door. “Come in!”

Cao Xinyi shook her head. “No need! Hurry and change your clothes—we need to go to the village office! Some government officials are here to see you!”

“Officials? What kind of officials?”

Cao Xinyi replied, “City officials, town officials, and even the public security bureau—there are a lot of them, at least ten! Hurry up, I’ll wait for you!”

Jing Xi nodded. “Alright, come in and wait for me. Give me ten minutes—I’ll change and wash my face.”

So many officials looking for her… Could it be because of the coal mine incident?

She picked a simple yet neat outfit: black pants and a white blouse. She slipped on her small leather shoes and tied her hair into a thick braid at the back.

She looked both elegant and capable.

As soon as she stepped outside, Cao Xinyi gave her a thumbs-up.

“You look amazing! I have to say, Miss Jing Xi, you’re even prettier than the actresses on TV!”

Jing Xi chuckled and playfully put an arm around Cao Xinyi’s shoulder. “Alright, let’s go and see what they want from me.”

Cao Xinyi grinned. “I think it’s probably something good. Otherwise, why would so many officials come all the way here?”

“Let’s hope so.”

Jing Xi didn’t care for empty words—if they gave her some sort of reward or bonus, that would be ideal.

The two quickly arrived at the village office.

Even before stepping inside, they saw several official vehicles parked in the yard.

Especially the ones from the public security bureau.

The moment they entered the building, they saw the officials seated inside.

The room was packed with people, including their attendants.

Xie Aiguo quickly stood up. “Ah, Xiao Jing! Come over here!”

Then, he introduced the officials in the room.

She recognized Secretary Zhang Sheng and Director Wei Yun, whom she had seen before. There were also a few town officials she had encountered at the coal mine.

As for the rest, they were unfamiliar faces.

Most of them were also town officials.

Back at the mine, everyone had followed Secretary Zhang’s lead since he was from the city government, so she had overlooked the town leaders at the time.

After the introductions, the officials began praising her for her actions.

But after listening for so long, she realized there was no real substance behind their words.

It was all just empty praise.

Jing Xi remained silent and listened patiently.

Finally, when they were done speaking, she nearly felt sleepy from all the formalities.

Then, Wei Yun finally got to the point.

“Comrade Jing Xi, since everyone is here, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Questions?

Wei Yun glanced at Xie Aiguo and Cao Xinyi. “Village Chief Xie, could you and the others step outside for a moment?”

“Alright, alright.”

Although Xie Aiguo was confused, he quickly led the others out.

Before leaving, he even thoughtfully closed the meeting room door behind him.

The people inside the room also subtly changed their expressions upon seeing her.

Their faces turned a bit more serious.

Jing Xi suddenly had a strange premonition—this wasn’t what she had expected at all.

Why did this scene feel more like an interrogation?

The police officers stood guard on both sides of the door behind her.

Wei Yun sat down and gestured for Jing Xi to do the same.

Wei Yun remained polite. “Haha, no need to be so tense! Relax a little! Comrade Jing Xi, we’re here today mainly out of curiosity. Since you’ve never worked in the coal mine or even been there, how do you know so much about its situation?”

Now, Jing Xi understood why they had come looking for her.

If the director of the city’s public security bureau was personally asking her questions, then something serious was definitely involved.

She thought for two seconds before answering, “I went there when I was a child. You might not know this, but I had a maternal cousin who passed away a few years ago. Her ex-husband worked at that mine. When I was little, I went with my cousin to find him at the mine. While they talked, I wandered around and picked up bits of information. But my cousin’s ex-husband barely knew who I was.”

Wei Yun nodded. “Then how were you so sure your rescue plan would work? If it had failed, did you ever consider the consequences you’d have to bear?”

“If something irreversible had happened, I don’t think you would have been able to explain it to everyone, right?”

That statement immediately annoyed Jing Xi.

They had already rescued the people, and now they wanted to question her about this?

She kept her displeasure hidden and maintained a respectful demeanor.

With a slight smile, she looked at Wei Yun, who was studying her carefully. “Director Wei, now that the people have been rescued, I don’t see the point in asking me this question.”

Wei Yun frowned slightly. “And why is that?”

“If the plan was unfeasible, the authorities wouldn’t have executed it. If it was feasible, then it was only used after an official evaluation. This wasn’t the first day of the incident—it was already discussed. So why ask me now? I don’t quite understand.”

Zhang Sheng also spoke up. “Comrade Xiao Jing, we mean no harm, we’re just really curious.”

Jing Xi remained polite, but anyone could tell from her tone that she was displeased. “Curious? Isn’t it a little too late for that? If fear of responsibility stops you from saving people, how is that any different from being an animal? Don’t you think so, Secretary Zhang?”

Zhang Sheng was momentarily stunned, his face turning red.

“Uh, about that… The cousin you mentioned, her name was… Yuzhu, right? But we couldn’t find any record of her being married. There’s nothing in her household registration.”

Jing Xi wasn’t sure why the topic had suddenly shifted to Yuzhu. “You could say that. Her marriage wasn’t legally registered. They only held a family banquet.”

“Oh, I see.”

That sort of thing was fairly common. Whether in cities or rural areas, many people lacked awareness about registering marriages. Most just assumed that hosting a banquet and living together meant they were legally married.

“Then, your cousin’s ex-husband was Kong Yi—the one who was involved in the last mining accident. Have you had any contact with him over the years?”

Jing Xi nodded. “Yes. After my cousin passed away, I lived alone. Even after they separated, I didn’t know that he had come to borrow money from my cousin. And that money… still hasn’t been repaid! Oh, perhaps you don’t know why my cousin left him. Do you need me to explain? I only found out about it recently myself.”

A police officer whispered something in Wei Yun’s ear, and Wei Yun shook his head. “No need. We already know—it was due to Kong Yi’s violent behavior.”

“Good. As long as you’re aware.”

Zhang Sheng continued, “Then do you know anything about Kong Yi’s workplace injury? Have you heard anything about it?”

Jing Xi shook her head. “I never kept in touch with him, so how could I know? I only learned about it after the coal mine incident. I had heard about the accident before, but I didn’t know Kong Yi was one of the injured workers. Besides, I had no interest in his affairs. His family matters have nothing to do with me.”

After she spoke, she clearly saw a few people in the room relax slightly.

What exactly was going on?

Her mind was filled with question marks.

Wei Yun smiled. “Since that’s the case, we have no further questions! Comrade Jing Xi, your rescue plan has received high recognition from the higher-ups! They specifically instructed us to commend you for your efforts!”

Zhang Sheng added, “That’s right. We’ve also specially arranged a civic hero commendation ceremony at the town government. It’ll be held in a week, and we’ll send someone to pick you up to attend!”