Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Liu Guangqi's mind suddenly flashed back to what his third uncle mentioned about Cao Wei going to the machinery factory. Recalling all the strange behaviors of Cao Wei before, his heart suddenly felt like it was being pressed down by a huge stone weighing thousands of pounds, and even breathing became difficult.

His eyes were full of panic, and he thought to himself, could it be that Cao Wei had found some hard evidence in the machinery factory? That was why he was beating around the bush and making indirect attacks? If that was the case, then all the hard work they had put in keeping the secret would have gone to waste.

Thinking of this, Liu Guangqi's steps slowed down involuntarily, as if his legs were filled with lead. His eyes became dull and empty, as if he was cast into a spell of immobilization by fear.

Cao Wei noticed something strange about the person next to him, and glanced at him quickly from the side, but did not ask anything. Instead, the smile on the corner of his mouth became more and more obvious. That smile seemed to hide endless meaning, and it seemed that he was waiting with interest to see how Liu Guangqi would respond next.

"Cao Wei." Liu Guangqi tried hard to make his voice sound steady, but his throat seemed to be blocked and his voice trembled slightly.

"What were you doing at the machinery factory? Did you come across anything interesting?"

There was a barely perceptible nervousness and anticipation in his eyes as he tried to find some useful clues from Cao Wei's answer to verify whether the terrible guess in his heart was true.

Cao Wei raised the corner of his mouth, as if smiling but not smiling, with an unfathomable expression on his face, and said leisurely: "What can I do? I'm just helping to fix those broken machines. There are a few interesting things, but they are not big things."

His answer was ambiguous, like a cloud of fog, which made Liu Guangqi even more flustered, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

Liu Guangqi pretended to be calm and continued to ask, "Oh? Did you meet any... special people?"

His eyes were fixed on Cao Wei's expression, not missing any slightest change, and the tentative meaning in it could not be more obvious.

Cao Wei knew what Liu Guangqi meant, but he pretended to be confused and teased him, "Special people? Of course there are. There are so many people in the machinery factory, all kinds of people, there must be a few with eccentric and unique personalities. Why are you asking about this suddenly?"

Liu Guangqi waved his hands hurriedly, his movements flustered, and forced a smile that was uglier than crying, and said, "No...nothing, just asking casually. Our machinery factory has frequent business dealings with your factory, and I thought maybe I could get to know some people who can help my work."

Cao Wei gave him a meaningful look, and with a hint of inquiry in his tone, he said, "Of course there are useful people, but Guangqi, have you been under too much pressure and too nervous recently? Why do I feel that you are acting strange today?"

Liu Guangqi laughed dryly, his laughter full of guilt, "No, it's probably because the intensity of work today is too high. I'm a little tired."

At this moment, his brain was running like a high-speed machine, frantically thinking, what would Cao Wei do if he really had the key evidence?

Should he expose it immediately and ruin his reputation, or wait for a more lethal opportunity to deal him a fatal blow? It seems that he and Cao Wei don't have any deep hatred, right? It seems that he offended this kid several years ago, but at that time this kid was still timid and didn't dare to talk to him like this.

Could it be that Cao Wei has been holding a grudge against me since then?

The two of them walked to the backyard unknowingly. The surroundings were eerily quiet. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the stone road, and that sound struck Liu Guangqi's heart again and again.

The sound of Liu Guangqi's heartbeat became clearer and clearer in his ears, like the beating of a war drum. He felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare from which he could not wake up, and the horrible truth would swallow him up like a surging tide at any time.

Suddenly, Cao Wei stopped, turned around and looked at Liu Guangqi. His eyes were as deep as an endless black hole, which made people feel scared.

"Guangqi, some things can't be hidden. If you really have something to hide from everyone, confess it as soon as possible, otherwise it will get out of control and there will be no way to resolve it."

After saying that, he patted Liu Guangqi's shoulder lightly, as if with a tremendous amount of force, and then turned and left.

Liu Guangqi stood there alone, his legs weak and he could barely stand. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back like a flood.

Liu Guangqi looked at Cao Wei's departing back, filled with regret and fear.

He realized that the secret between him and Yi Zhonghai might have been exposed, and the days ahead would surely be a cruel and severe test, but he had no idea how to deal with the coming storm.

Liu Guangqi returned home in a cold sweat and with heavy steps.

At this time, Liu Haizhong and Second Aunt had been waiting at home for a long time.

When they saw their eldest son slowly walk into the house, the two elders' faces instantly broke out into ecstatic smiles.

You know, the eldest son has returned home on time every day in the past two days, which makes them secretly happy.

In their simple and honest ideas, they have always thought that there is no son in the world who would really hold a grudge against his father.

What's more, their eldest son has been so sensible, well-behaved and filial since he was a child, so they were delighted to think that their son must have forgiven the stubbornness and unreasonableness they had shown before.

Liu Haizhong walked forward with a smile on his face, his eyes revealing endless love, which was filled with deep concern and love for his son.

He asked softly, "Guangqi, you're back! Are you tired from working today? Is your life going well in the factory?"

However, in the face of his father's enthusiastic inquiry, Liu Guangqi only managed to squeeze out a very stiff and unnatural smile from the corner of his mouth, and then replied weakly: "Dad, I'm fine, not too tired. Today's work... Everything went well."

Although he said this, his voice actually sounded particularly tired and even a little absent-minded.

If it were under normal circumstances, with Liu Haizhong's understanding of his son over the years, he would definitely be able to easily notice that something was wrong with his son's current condition.

Unfortunately, today Liu Haizhong was so overwhelmed by the joy of his son's "change of heart" that he didn't notice the subtle changes and abnormalities in his son at all.

The second aunt heard the sound and came out of the kitchen, still holding the spatula in her hand, with a little oil stain on her apron. She smiled and said, "Guangqi, Mom made your favorite scrambled eggs today. Eat more later. You have worked hard, so you need to eat well."

Liu Guangqi responded weakly, dragged his heavy steps into his room, and sat down weakly on the edge of the bed.

His mind was like a tangled mess, with all kinds of thoughts intertwined together, and he couldn't concentrate on thinking at all.

Cao Wei's words were like a death warrant, echoing in his ears and lingering.

During dinner, Liu Haizhong enthusiastically talked about interesting things in the factory, dancing with joy on his face, while the second aunt kept serving food to Liu Guangqi, piling his bowl up like a mountain.

Liu Guangqi ate his meal mechanically, occasionally agreeing with others, but his mind was not at all on this warm dinner table. His mind was filled with the huge crisis brought by Cao Wei.

"Guangqi, have you been worried about something recently?"

Liu Haizhong finally noticed his son's abnormality, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and asked with concern.

His eyes were full of worry, and he stared at Liu Guangqi's eyes, trying to find the answer from them.

Liu Guangqi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly shook his head and said, "Dad, it's nothing, I just have some troubles at work recently, but I can handle it, don't worry."

Liu Haizhong frowned slightly, his eyes full of suspicion, but seeing that his son was unwilling to say more, he did not ask any more questions, but just reminded him: "If you have any difficulties at work, don't handle it alone, tell Dad. Although Dad is old, he can still help you with some advice."

It was late at night, Liu Guangqi was lying on the bed, looking at the dark ceiling, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

The moonlight poured through the window onto the ground, like a layer of silver frost, but it could not dispel the gloom in his heart.

He knew that he couldn't just sit there and wait for death, he had to find a way to find out how much Cao Wei knew, but how should he do it?

Liu Guangqi thought about it over and over again, tossing and turning, and finally decided to find his father-in-law Qi Tiancheng and his wife Qi Sihui early the next morning to discuss countermeasures.

He secretly calculated in his mind that if the situation was really bad and there was no room for maneuver, they would immediately set off for Heilongjiang Province.

After all, in Sijiu City, the threat posed by Cao Wei is always around, and the danger increases with every day you stay.

Fortunately, the procedures for going to Heilongjiang Province have already been completed. Although the above notice has not been issued, as long as the work is handed over, they can go smoothly even if they go at their own expense. Moreover, Heilongjiang Province does not have any additional risks for them and may become their safe haven.

That night, Liu Guangqi was so anxious that it felt as if his bed was covered with sharp thorns. Every time he turned over, he suffered unbearable pain.

Every time I closed my eyes, Cao Wei's unfathomable gaze and meaningful words would repeatedly churn in my mind.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, gently sprinkling on the earth, but it could not moisten his dry and panicked heart.

The next morning, the faint morning light filtered through the cracks in the window and poured into the house.

Liu Guangqi struggled to wake up from a night of tossing and turning, and slowly stood up, his eyes full of fatigue and haggardness.

His eyes swept over the old yet familiar objects in the house one by one. Each one carried memories of the past, and those memories flashed in his mind like movie scenes.

He tiptoed out of the room, as if afraid of disturbing anything, and came to his parents' bed.

Through the crack in the door, he saw his parents sleeping soundly. The traces of time on their faces became more and more obvious. His father had many more white hairs on his temples, and his mother's face had a few more wrinkles. His eyes instantly became moist and tears welled up in his eyes.

Liu Guangqi looked at his parents deeply, feeling mixed emotions, and the reluctance completely overwhelmed him like a tide.

He knew that this journey would be long and arduous, with mountains high and rivers far away. He didn't know when he would be able to set foot on this familiar homeland again and reunite with his parents, or maybe he would never see them again in this life.

But when he thought of the huge threat posed by Cao Wei, the unknown disaster that seemed to be imminent, the fear in his heart overwhelmed everything.

He gritted his teeth, his cheeks bulged slightly due to the force, and he clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms, trying to use the pain to strengthen his determination.

Finally, he stomped his feet hard, as if he wanted to trample all his attachment and hesitation under his feet and give himself the last bit of courage.

He turned around and walked towards the house with quick but deliberately light steps, like a thief who was afraid of being discovered by his parents.

After leaving his own home, Liu Guangqi hurriedly ran towards his father-in-law's house.

Along the way, his breathing was heavy and disordered. The hustle and bustle of the street was nothing but meaningless noise in his ears, and the laughter of passers-by could not attract his attention.

All he had eyes for was the road ahead, and only one thought in his mind, which was to discuss a countermeasure with his father-in-law and wife as soon as possible.

When she arrived at her father-in-law's house, Qi Sihui was watering flowers in the yard. Seeing Liu Guangqi looking haggard and panicked, she almost dropped the kettle in her hand.

Her eyes instantly turned red, and she hurried forward with a distressed look, holding his hand, and asked in a tearful voice, "Guangqi, what happened? Seeing you like this, I was really scared."

Liu Guangqi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, but his voice couldn't help but tremble. He told him everything, from his conversation with Cao Wei to his inner fear.

Qi Tiancheng was sitting on a stone bench reading a newspaper. After listening to the story, he looked solemn. He put down the newspaper, sighed heavily, and said slowly: "This matter is indeed tricky. However, it is not good to be too anxious when we go to Heilongjiang Province."

Qi Sihui bit her lower lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes, her eyes full of worry and fear, "Dad, if we don't leave, if the matter is discovered, then it will be the end. Let's go to Heilongjiang Province in advance, at least there will be no risk, and we can live a stable life. It's better than living in fear here."

Liu Guangqi looked at his wife, his heart full of guilt and determination. He gently held his wife's hand and said, "Sihui, I don't want you to be frightened. I thought about it all night, and Heilongjiang Province is our retreat. Although we have to fight all over again and start from scratch, we can avoid the crisis in front of us. For our future and for our family, we have no choice but to do this."

Qi Tiancheng pondered for a long time, frowning, tapping the table with his fingers, and finally nodded, "Since you have made up your mind, I will not stop you. Guangqi, you should hand over your work quickly and be quick, so as not to leave any hidden dangers. Sihui, you should pack up the important things at home, as we are in a hurry."

Liu Guangqi and Qi Sihui nodded quickly. After leaving his father-in-law's house, Liu Guangqi went straight to the factory.

He forced himself to remain calm and tried to appear normal. He found his leader and spoke earnestly, almost in a pleading tone, saying that there was an emergency at home which was extremely urgent and he needed to hand over his work and ask for leave as soon as possible.

Seeing that he looked anxious and worried, the leader thought it was a little strange, but considering that he was serious and responsible in his work, he approved his request.

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