Nominal: Who isn't a son-in-law?

Nie Dahai did not respond. He took off his coat, casually placed it on the armrest of the sofa, and slowly sat down.

After a long silence, he looked up at his only son, whom he had devoted half his life to protecting, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"The meeting is over."

Nie Dahai finally spoke, his voice filled with exhaustion.

Not hearing the rest of the sentence, a slight glint appeared in Nie Mingyu's eyes, but he forced himself to remain calm: "They're going to open a case against me?"

"We can't stop them."

Nie Dahai slowly shook his head, then said in a deep voice, "You... really have a problem?"

Does it matter?

Nie Mingyu clenched his fist tightly. "I've caused you trouble."

Looking at his son's expression, Nie Dahai's heart was in turmoil.

He spent his life cultivating his career in officialdom, and he was most adept at assessing the situation and seeing through people's hearts. But he only ever deceived himself about his own son.

He had heard countless rumors about Longteng Group, and heard countless stories about Nie Mingyu's ruthlessness and the shady dealings behind it, but he had never made up his mind to investigate.

Even if one vaguely understands in their heart that those rumors, those doubts, and those shady dealings are mostly true.

But he was unwilling to investigate, dared not investigate, and was reluctant to investigate.

Throughout his life, he was an upright and disciplined official, respected and respected by all. He was a man who had paid 17 yuan of his entire fortune as a group fee in his early years. Yet, he broke all his principles in front of Nie Mingyu.

Until today's meeting, with irrefutable evidence laid bare before him, Chu Shijun and his allies, riding the wave of power, crushed him completely, and he could no longer deceive them.

"I have always advised you to restrain yourself and to uphold your bottom line."

Nie Dahai's voice was deep.

"I deliberately avoid investigating your affairs, checking your accounts, or asking about your methods. It's not that I'm confused; it's that I don't want to verify it with my own eyes."

He looked up at his son, who was gentle and refined but actually extremely shrewd, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "I thought I could protect you, I thought that as long as I was in power, I could suppress all the storms and smooth over all the hidden dangers for you. In the end, I was just deceiving myself, and I ruined you."

This was the first time Nie Dahai had spoken about this matter so frankly.

"At the meeting, I managed to salvage the last shred of my dignity."

"I agree to open an investigation and express my full cooperation. It's not that I want to investigate you, but it's the inevitable trend. If I don't give in, I'll only be accused of favoritism, cover-up, and interference with the investigation. At that point, we'll both be ruined, with no room for maneuver."

"From now on,"

He stared at Nie Mingyu and said, word by word,

"You are not allowed to do anything underhanded, you are absolutely not allowed to collude with others to give false testimony, transfer assets, or contact anyone in my name to plead for leniency. Staying quietly in Yangcheng and cooperating with the investigation may be your only way out."

"A way out?"

Nie Mingyu finally raised his head, his eyes filled with malice. "Do you really think I still have a chance to survive?"

"Are you just going to let them investigate like this? You know deep down that if they really investigate, I'll only face death!"

"At the meeting, you casually said, 'Cooperate with the investigation and handle it according to regulations,' and you handed me over."

"Over the years, I've been paving the way for money, building connections, and managing all the gray areas in private. I've done the dirty work and the ruthless things, and you've taken the credit and the achievements. In the past, when I got into trouble, you always covered for me and protected me, making me think that I always had a way out."

"But when it really came down to the most crucial moment, when you needed to stand up for yourself, you chickened out."

"After all these years, you haven't changed. For the sake of your own face, you've turned yourself into a political creature. You've never cared about my sister and me. I wonder if Mother would be heartbroken and weep if she knew this in the afterlife!"

That last sentence was like a sharp knife, deeply piercing Nie Dahai's heart.

"shut up!"

"Beast, traitor!"

*Slap*

A powerful slap landed hard on Nie Mingyu's face, making him stagger and leaving a bright red handprint on his face.

Nie Dahai looked at him coldly: "You have no right to insult my beliefs. The path I've walked all these years has not been helped by your pitiful business that you think you have."

"You have no right to mention your mother!"

"The tide is pressing down like Mount Tai; if I resist, I'm defying my superiors and the overall anti-corruption campaign!"

"At that time, it won't just be you; I'll be completely ruined, the Nie family will be utterly destroyed, and we won't even have a shred of hope to turn the tide. My agreeing to cooperate is to preserve the last bit of dignity, to leave you your only way out!"

Nie Mingyu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at it, and sneered, "The Nie family? I'm not even a complete person myself. The Nie family you're talking about, you mean your real son, Liu Zhenhan, right?"

"And the so-called way out you speak of is sacrificing a pawn to save the king, sacrificing me to preserve your official position and reputation, right?"

Nie Dahai was speechless at this point, and he no longer knew what he truly thought.

He was honest and upright in his early years, and devoted himself to public service. But over the years, perhaps he has really changed without realizing it.

If you wear a mask for too long, you won't be able to take it off.

Nie Mingyu looked at him quietly, his eyes filled with only a deep, cold disappointment. After a long silence, he finally uttered a soft sentence: "I understand. In the end, in your eyes, your official position and your future are always more important than me and this family."

After saying that, he got up and turned to leave without looking back.

Only Nie Dahai remained, standing there dumbfounded.

……

Nie Mingyu returned to his car, took one last look at his "home," started the engine, and drove away with a roar.

Night fell, and dark clouds loomed over the city.

As soon as he left, a police car drove into the yard.

The person who got off the bus was Liu Zhenhan.

Stepping into the house, I immediately wrinkled my nose; the thick smoke in the hall was extremely pungent.

As he approached, he saw Nie Dahai smoking, with cigarette butts piled up in the ashtray in front of him, his brows furrowed.

Seeing this, his previously businesslike tone softened a bit, "Dad, I've come to see you."

"Zhenhan, you've arrived."

Nie Dahai looked up. "Sit down."

"Is the investigation about to be fully launched soon?"

Liu Zhenhan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Yes, we will start the verification process tonight. As the main force of Yangcheng Public Security Bureau, I need to immediately connect with the clues, secure all the evidence related to Nie Mingyu and Longteng Group, and simultaneously advance the investigation and evidence collection."

After saying that, he comforted you, saying, "I know you're upset. But the evidence in the Gu Wangbei case is complete and involves framing and the transfer of benefits. The case is serious, and the law is in the balance. No one can stop us."

These words were both a younger person's words of comfort and a well-intentioned reminder.

But to Nie Dahai at that moment, it sounded incredibly grating.

Her recently collapsed rationality and the growing obsession with protecting her child completely took over at this moment.

Nie Dahai slowly spoke: "Zhenhan, you should put this case on hold for a while."