Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

He Feng's steps were so light and ethereal that it felt like he was stepping on fluffy cotton. He was practically half-hanging on Ma Xin, his shoulders slumped, his head drooping, and he mumbled incoherently, "I'm not drunk... I'm really not drunk... That Zheng Qiang brat... He usually looks like a decent person, dressed in a police uniform and acting like a decent person, but behind the scenes... he's such a piece of shit..."

Ma Xin gritted his teeth and used all his strength to carry him toward the family compound. A chilly night breeze blew, sweeping up fallen leaves and sending them swirling past. He Feng shuddered, seeming to regain consciousness. He struggled to stand straight, "I can walk... No need for help... I can walk on my own..." But as he straightened up, he stumbled forward two steps, his footing wobbling as if on ice, and he nearly bumped into the thick trunk of the old locust tree by the roadside.

"Behave yourself," Ma Xin helplessly grabbed his arm, her tone filled with a hint of anger and a subtle hint of heartache. "If you keep messing around, I'll leave you here to feed the mosquitoes—look under this tree, the mosquitoes are waiting for their meal."

He Feng raised his head, his eyes were covered with a layer of wet mist, as if he was holding tears. He looked at Ma Xin steadily, and his tone suddenly became serious: "I said I'm not drunk... I just can't understand... He obviously... obviously has a better choice... Who in our bureau doesn't respect him? Why does he..." Before he finished speaking, his voice lowered, with deep confusion.

Ma Xin couldn't support him anymore. He Feng looked thin, but his frame was solid. When he leaned over, he felt as heavy as a lead-filled stone. She gritted her teeth and dragged He Feng to a bench on the side of the road. After a lot of effort, she finally settled him on the chair and sat down next to him to catch her breath. Looking at his flushed face, the hair on his forehead wet with sweat, and his usually sharp eyes now covered with a layer of mist, Ma Xin couldn't help but joke, "He Feng, I never thought that such a wise and brave man like you could drink so poorly."

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This kind of He Feng seemed like a real young man. He could be confused, feel uncomfortable, and reveal his innermost thoughts under the influence of alcohol. Normally, he was like a silent mountain, carrying everything on his own, calm to the point of being rigid, and perfect to the point of being unreal.

He Feng didn't respond. He simply looked up at the dark sky. The stars were completely covered by clouds, and even the moon had hidden itself. His voice was filled with exhaustion, as if he had exhausted all his strength. "Zheng Qiang... why did you do this? It's not worth it... it's really not worth it..."

He then began to mumble intermittently, recounting past experiences with Zheng Qiang—who had worked late at the office together, investigating a case and brewing a table full of strong tea; who had blocked someone's drink and ended up leaning against a wall the next day, vomiting; who had blocked a flying brick for someone during a roundup... He kept repeating these trivial details, yet Ma Xin remembered them so vividly that a wave of pain welled up inside her. She knew He Feng was truly hurt, a dull ache of betrayal by someone she trusted, so she stopped interrupting and simply stayed with him quietly, occasionally offering a hand when he was about to slip.

He Feng was still mumbling, "He wasn't like this before," but Ma Xin was worried. She definitely couldn't get him back alone in this state. The bench was hard and the dew was heavy. She couldn't let him sit there all night. Just as she was feeling overwhelmed, she heard the clattering of footsteps behind her, approaching from afar.

Zhao Lei was also feeling depressed. Zheng Qiang was the deputy director, he looked quite decent, always saying in meetings that they had to stick to the bottom line, but he turned out to be a termite that had crept into the team. This matter was like a stone blocking his heart, making him feel depressed and anxious. He had just had a couple of drinks at a small restaurant on the corner of the street to relieve his boredom, and when he was walking home, he happened to catch a glimpse of Ma Xin sitting on a bench. He was stunned - Expert Ma was the new technical consultant of the bureau, and she rarely interacted with others except for work, so why was she sitting here with someone so late at night? When he got closer, he found that there was someone leaning against her, with his head tilted on the back of the chair. Who else could it be but He Feng?

"Expert Ma, is this... your friend?" Zhao Lei walked forward and saw that it was Ma Xin. He asked politely with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

As soon as he finished speaking, He Feng suddenly raised his head, squinted his eyes and stared at him for a long time, as if trying to focus. After a long while, he grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Zhao Lei? Captain Zhao... why are you here too? Why are you hanging around here instead of going home to be with your wife and children? Are you... feeling frustrated too?"

Zhao Lei finally saw that it was He Feng. He was startled and stood at attention subconsciously: "Director? Why are you here?"

Ma Xin smiled awkwardly and pointed at He Feng, who was leaning back in his chair with his eyes wide open again. "Ah, it's all because of Director Zheng. He Feng was upset and had a few too many drinks. I really didn't have the energy to take him home, and I was just worrying about it when you showed up. What a coincidence."

Zhao Lei quickly walked to the other side of He Feng, and Ma Xin and he supported him on both sides: "Director, can I take you home?"

He Feng was carried up in a daze, his steps still unsteady, as if he were stepping on cotton, but he did not forget to turn around and say to Zhao Lei: "Zhao Lei... send Ma Xin... send Expert Ma home safely... she's a female comrade... it's not safe... I'm fine... I'm really fine..."

Zhao Lei quickly responded: "Don't worry, I've made note of it and will make sure to deliver it." But in his heart he was a little amused - even though he was so drunk, he still remembered these things clearly.

The night wind rustled the leaves along the roadside, making them whisper. The halo of light from the street lamp spread across the ground, stretching the shadows of the three people, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter, as they staggered towards the family compound. He Feng's mumbling gradually faded, perhaps because he was truly tired, but his body, being supported, was still trembling slightly.

The footsteps of Ma Xin and Zhao Lei gradually faded, and the room finally quieted. He Feng slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the dark night outside the window. His heart felt like it was clogged with a piece of water-soaked cotton wool, stuffy and heavy. He had indeed drunk quite a bit during the meal, his face flushed deeply, and his voice reeked of alcohol, but his mind was clearer than anyone else's—his so-called "drunk" was merely an excuse to relax for a moment.

He is now the director of the Public Security Bureau, and he carries a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. He has to swallow back many words that come to his lips, and suppress many emotions in his heart. There are so many things going on in the bureau, especially the Zheng Qiang case, which is like a thorn in his heart. He can't sleep or eat unless he finds the reactionaries behind it. Under the influence of alcohol, he whispered to the empty room, with an unquestionable firmness in his tone: "Director Zheng, don't worry... I will get to the bottom of this matter for you. I will not let go of any of the reactionaries hiding in the Public Security Bureau. I will give you and the sacrificed comrades an explanation!"