Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

He Feng's tone sounded calm, as if he was just chatting casually, but his eyes held a subtle scrutiny that fell on Zheng Qiang like a searchlight. He actually had another thought in mind—he wanted to give Zheng Qiang another chance. After all, during the years they had worked together, although Zheng Qiang was a bit stubborn and stubborn, and sometimes he liked to get stuck in a rut, when it came to his meticulous approach to handling cases, especially his sensitivity to clues, he had many commendable qualities. No one wanted to go to extremes unless it was absolutely necessary. It was always better to lend a hand than to end up in a falling out, hurting both sides and ruining years of friendship. It all depended on whether Zheng Qiang could seize this last chance and take the initiative to talk things out.

Zheng Qiang looked at He Feng, not fully understanding the deeper meaning of his words for a moment. He just thought it was a routine inquiry from his leader, so he explained vaguely: "Director, I'm really sorry. I was held up by something at home today, so I came a little late. I hope I didn't miss anything important?" His eyes flickered, and he subconsciously avoided He Feng's gaze.

He Feng sighed inwardly when he heard him say this. Even at this point, Zheng Qiang still refused to tell the truth. It seemed he had truly hit a dead end. He nodded, his tone remaining calm, his emotions unrecognizable. "It's okay. Family matters are more important. You can tell me anything. Don't keep it to yourself. We're colleagues and brothers."

After that, He Feng didn't ask any more questions and turned back to his office. The opportunity had already been given. Whether to listen or not, whether to do it or not, it was up to Zheng Qiang himself to choose. Some roads must be walked alone, and no matter how anxious others are, it's useless.

Zheng Qiang watched He Feng walk into the office. His lips moved, and several words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back. He knew in his heart that he had more important things to do right now and couldn't be distracted. He couldn't let a moment of hesitation ruin the whole plan.

Right now, he had two important things on his mind: one was to take advantage of this opportunity of being coerced by the other party to find the right time to catch all those who had been in secret contact with him and never let them continue to make trouble; the second was to find out the other spy in the Public Security Bureau - after all, only that person knew his true identity and hidden plan. If this time bomb was not found, it would always be a hidden danger and might explode at any time, which would not only expose himself but also implicate more people.

So at this point, he could only feign cooperation and, as requested, leak the information about the investigation team's actions. But he also had his own calculations: when selling the information, he had to find a way to do it in a subtle way, so that the other party could receive the information without revealing his identity. Ideally, he could also leave a secret code for the investigation team to save the lives of those members.

To take a step back, even if we really can't protect them, we must use this opportunity to lure out all the people behind the scenes and make them surface. We must not let them hide in the dark, continue to be at large, and endanger others.

He Feng returned to his office and sat in his chair. Unable to focus on the documents on his desk, he stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the pedestrians and cars on the street. Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting dappled shadows on the floor, yet a heavy feeling weighed on his heart. He silently hoped that the criminal hiding in the shadows would soon come to his senses, take responsibility for everything, and stop causing further chaos, so that everyone could live in peace and stability for a while longer.

The courtyard was silent, save for the tireless chirping of crickets at the base of the wall. Jia Dongxu lay on the kang, the mattress damp from lying there for so long. He tilted his head, looking at his aunt, who was sitting on the edge of the kang sewing shoe soles. Finally, unable to contain himself, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Aunt, what's been going on in the courtyard lately? I hear noises outside from time to time, but I don't know what's going on."

Ever since he fell from the factory and became paralyzed, he hadn't left his house, confined to this tiny space all day, the sky outside the window the only view he could see. As time went by, his heart became like a weed, and he became extremely curious about every little thing going on in the yard, wishing he could press his ears against the wall to catch every passing chatter.

Jia Dongxu's aunt paused her needlework, not even raising her eyelids as she casually said, "What else could there be? It's just gossip about the Zhang and Li families, someone arguing with someone else, someone buying something nice." She was feeling down inside—she'd thought she'd come to the Jia household to benefit from her sister's kindness, to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet, but she'd been forced to work like a slave: taking care of her paralyzed nephew, feeding the family, and being exhausted, not even getting a new dress. If she'd known this would happen, she wouldn't have accepted the job. But now that she was here, she couldn't just pack up and leave. She had no choice but to endure.

She rubbed the needle in her hair, thinking about something else in her mind: the current situation of the Jia family is really hopeless - the brother-in-law is in prison, the nephew is paralyzed on the kang, and the sister Jia Zhang is a confused person. There is really no hope. She should get along well with Yi Zhonghai. When she was young, she worked in the same factory with Yi Zhonghai and they had some contact. The way he looked at her was always a little different. Although she is no longer young, she still looks decent. If she can get closer to him and let him help her, her life may be better. After all, Yi Zhonghai is a seventh-level fitter. He earns a lot in the yard and his family is well-off. It is much better than suffering in the Jia family.

Jia Dongxu listened to his aunt's simple words. Although he didn't hear much new, he listened with great interest, as if he could piece together the bustle outside the courtyard from these few words. He looked out the window at the bare branches and asked, "I don't know when my mother will be back. She's been out buying groceries for almost two hours."

As he spoke, he turned to look at his aunt, his tone of voice carrying a comforting tone that he himself did not believe: "It will be soon. When she comes back, she will be able to help, and you will feel more relaxed."

Jia Dongxu's aunt didn't respond. She simply tossed her needlework into the basket, stood up, and walked out. Jia Dongxu ate, drank, defecated, and urinated in the house all day, and the lingering smell was unbearable, especially on hot days when it made her dizzy. She had to get some fresh air, even if it was just to stand in the yard.

Jia Dongxu watched her hurriedly leave, opened his mouth, and wanted to say, "Go slowly," but swallowed it back. He knew it clearly in his heart, and no matter how much he said, it would be useless. Who would want to suffer this pain by taking care of a paralytic? His aunt had already done her utmost to stay and take care of him.