Uncle Shazhu, a simple-minded man in a courtyard house, persuades people with reason.

Yesterday's guest in the hall, today's prisoner. Life is unpredictable, and He Ping'an has certainly experienced it. Just a few days ago he was making a huge splash at the General Administration's gate, and today he's a character in a play!

He Pingan gently comforted the crying Xiaoyushui and handed her to Bai Ling to take back to the dormitory. Only then did he coldly survey the scumbags below who kept accusing him!

"If I remember correctly, your name is Li Dagang, right?" He Ping'an sighed and shook his head regretfully.

"Sigh...why not just live a good life? Why did you have to come back? Just for a pittance, you risked the lives of your entire family. Is your life really that worthless, huh?"

Li Dagang's expression changed drastically, his eyes almost spitting fire. He pointed at He Ping'an and angrily accused him of his crimes to the others... His large, yellow teeth with three gaps were particularly eye-catching as he opened and closed his mouth, attracting everyone's attention.

"This is the man, the very same PLA soldier who claims to be fighting for the people, who slapped me so hard he knocked out three of my teeth. He also robbed my neighbor of his gold ring and bribed that bastard to kill my entire family!"

The crowd erupted in uproar. Li Dagang, his expression sorrowful, forcefully tore open his warm cotton coat, revealing the scars all over his body to the crowd.

"Look, these are the thugs who took bribes from He Ping'an back then, they beat me up! Look... this... and this!" Li Dagang, shirtless, walked back and forth in the room, displaying his scars to everyone.

Rivalry among colleagues is a common enemy. The recent incident in the newspapers gave this tabloid, Da Gong Bao, a huge amount of publicity. Reporters from various newspapers, having received advance notice, arrived early today and are now snapping photos...

"Click click click..."

Under the flashing lights, a man with three missing teeth and dozens of scars covering his body stood shivering in the cold wind. His tearful recounting of his past as a bully was truly moving…

"In 46, as winter approached, my entire family, along with more than a dozen other households, were driven out of Beiping. With no means of livelihood, no food or money, and covered in wounds, He Ping'an wanted us to freeze and starve to death!"

Li Dagang walked in front of He Ping'an, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes:

"He Ping'an, didn't you shamelessly say a few days ago, 'If you have any problems, go to the government'? Now that I'm here, Officer He, what do you have to say?"

Among the onlookers, a reporter noticed that Li Dagang had already stirred up their emotions. He adjusted his glasses and stepped out of the crowd.

"Hello, officer. I'm a reporter from Ta Kung Pao, my surname is Pan! Your speech a few days ago was very insightful. Now, some working-class people are accusing you of colluding with the police of the old society and harming the people. Aren't you going to explain this to them?"

He Ping'an didn't rush to answer the question. Instead, he looked the reporter up and down with great interest.

"Your Ta Kung Pao newspaper has seen quite a few ups and downs! Just a few days ago you were so poor you didn't even have a camera, but looking at your outfit today, you could easily afford one!"

Upon hearing He Ping'an's question, the reporter surnamed Pan's composed expression turned somewhat unnatural, and his eyes revealed obvious displeasure. He coughed lightly and awkwardly explained:

"Well... the 'gong' in our Ta Kung Pao means 'fairness,' while the 'gong' in the previous newspaper meant 'merit.' We're not the same newspaper. They're shameless plagiarists!"

"Hmm!" He Ping'an nodded knowingly, but did not answer her question.

Seeing that He Ping'an remained silent for a long time, Li Dagang became even more smug.

"He Ping'an, weren't you quite the talker a few days ago? Why are you so quiet today? Come on, tell everyone about your hypocrisy, and how you've been bullying your neighbors in the courtyard!"

Li Dagang pointed at He Ping'an, his face flushed with excitement, and turned back towards the crowd:

"Don't you all know how he treats his neighbors? He spreads rumors everywhere that Yi Zhonghai is infertile, bullies the Jia family's orphans and widows, and slaps people across the face all the time! This is He Ping'an's true face!"

"Hello, I'm a reporter from Xinmin Daily, I..."

"Hello, I'm a reporter from People's Daily, I..."

"Hello……"

Faced with the swarm of reporters, He Ping'an remained calm and composed, raising his hand to quell the commotion:

"Fellow journalists and concerned citizens, given my special status, I have decided to report this to my superiors..."

The comrades from the Military Control Commission, together with willing democrats, will be in charge of this petition from the people! We also welcome everyone to supervise us!

"My name is Luo Chengjun, and I am the Director of the Public Security Bureau. It's cold outside, so please move to the auditorium to supervise the government's handling of Comrade Li Dagang's accusation against He Ping'an!"

Luo Chengjun walked out of the General Administration, followed by the heads of various departments.

He Ping'an's gaze swept past the crowd, fixing fixedly on Liu Kangzhan, who was gloating from behind the throng. His smile was utterly devoid of warmth. The only one with the ability, patience, and deep-seated hatred for him was this good-for-nothing…

"Ping An...?" Bai Ling looked at He Ping An with concern.

"It's alright!" The coldness in his eyes instantly melted into warmth. He Ping'an took her slightly cold hand and gently comforted her.

"Don't worry, you know what happened back then. I have a clear conscience. They're just a bunch of easily swayed scoundrels; they can't touch me! Just wait..."

He Ping'an was already a figure of considerable influence among the bigwigs, and he had recently made the newspapers. Today's entourage was nothing short of extravagant... In less than an hour, the bigwigs and pro-democracy figures from all walks of life arrived one after another.

The Great Hall...

Perhaps the performance was too forceful, or perhaps the location or the audience was wrong, but Li Dagang's second performance lacked the passion of the first and was no different from simply reciting from a script, which made He Ping'an frown.

The misunderstanding that the police threatened Li Dagang was secondary; the main issue was... such a poor performance greatly affected the viewing experience of the audience, especially He Ping'an.

"Commander He, Comrade Li Dagang has finished recounting your persecution of him. Why don't you say a few words too!" Seeing Li Dagang starting to repeat himself, the secretary beside the big boss stood up at the right moment to remind He Ping'an to take the stage.

The bigwig at the top nodded slightly, his expression unreadable.

"Everyone, what Li Dagang just said is basically true!" Due to work requirements, He Ping'an had also dabbled in public speaking courses from his later years. A gimmick, a twist, and finally, empathy to build rapport—that's how one successfully sells oneself. It's all the same!

"But what he said wasn't complete..." He Ping'an glanced coldly at Li Dagang, who was trying to remain calm, and recounted how the entire courtyard had ganged up to seize grain.

"Most of the people present are old Beiping residents. It's about the grain from the autumn of 46! Do they want grain? It's about the life of the He family!"

"hehe……"

"Robbery, and they're stealing life-saving food! Even in the old society, or the new China, that would be a death sentence! So…" He Ping'an paused, his gaze as cold and ruthless as he stared at Li Dagang, "You… won't survive!"