1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

Li Hanwen slumped in the back seat, the heavy handcuffs on his wrists digging painfully into his skin.

He looked out the car window at the familiar village silhouettes rushing past, the low houses, the dark fields, gradually blurring and disappearing.

Only one thought remained in my mind: It's over.

After an unknown amount of time, the car stopped.

Li Hanwen was taken off the car and into the police station, where the lights were glaringly bright.

He was led into a room in a daze and pressed down onto a hard wooden chair.

The room was small, with a table, a few chairs, and bare walls painted with half a layer of green paint, which was somewhat mottled.

The door closed, leaving him alone in a terrifying silence, where he could only hear his own heavy breathing and the frantic pounding of his heart.

Time passed second by second, each second feeling as if it were stretched out countless times.

Li Hanwen had no idea what was going on outside, where his wife Zhang Qin had been taken, or how long he would have to wait before anyone showed up.

Just as Li Hanwen felt he was about to burst, the door opened.

A leader dressed in a Zhongshan suit walked in, carrying a kraft paper file folder.

He didn't sit down, but stood across the table, looking down at Li Hanwen.

The light shone down from above, casting deep shadows on his face, and his expression was very serious.

"Li Hanwen," the leader began, his voice echoing in the empty room, "You know the name Zhang Dongchao, right?"

Li Hanwen's heart clenched, almost leaping out of his throat.

Sure enough, it was because of his brother-in-law!

Li Hanwen's throat tightened, and he didn't dare to answer immediately, his eyes darting away.

The leader didn't urge him, but just watched quietly, making Li Hanwen feel uneasy.

Li Hanwen lowered his head, staring at the cold handcuffs on his wrists, and remained tensely silent.

"It seems you know each other." The leader nodded, not caring about Li Hanwen's silence, and continued, "Zhang Dongchao, former deputy secretary of the county education bureau, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is currently under investigation by the organization."

The words were spoken.

Upon hearing this, Li Hanwen's fingers trembled.

The leader placed the file folder on the table with a soft "thud".

He slowly opened the document, pulled out a stack of papers, and the paper made a rustling sound as it was rubbed together.

Then, he pushed the stack of materials directly onto the table in front of Li Hanwen.

"These are preliminary investigation materials regarding your financial dealings with Zhang Dongchao, as well as your alleged embezzlement of collective funds, acceptance of bribes from villagers, and abuse of power during your tenure as the village clerk of Shuangshui Village. You can take a look."

Li Hanwen's gaze stiffened as he shifted to the materials.

The top one is a table, listing items one by one.

He saw the date, the amount, the specific details...

Some were small accounts he had almost forgotten about after handling them, while others were things he thought he had done discreetly.

The accounts, item by item, were so detailed that they made his scalp tingle.

He didn't need to look at the back; he knew it was all true.

Since the other party was able to find out so much, he was like meat on a chopping board, unable to escape.

Li Hanwen looked as if his spine had been removed; his shoulders collapsed completely, and his head was buried deep, almost touching his knees.

The bit of bravado I had just displayed vanished instantly.

Utter despair.

Silence fell over the room again, broken only by Li Hanwen's heavy, suppressed breathing.

After a long silence, he managed to squeeze out a weak sound from his throat: "Who...who reported it?"

Instead of answering that question, the leader asked a seemingly unrelated one: "Did you previously withhold a university acceptance letter from a child in your village?"

Li Hanwen suddenly looked up, his cloudy eyes bloodshot, staring at his leader in disbelief.

These words instantly cleared up all his doubts and confusion.

Thank you, lawyer!

It's Attorney Xie!

It's definitely Attorney Xie!

The only person he withheld a notice from was that kid Xie Lu!

But how could he...?

How could a rural boy who just got into Wuhan University have such great abilities, even if he came to Wuhan and got into Wuhan University?

Where did they get such power to leak the materials directly to the county and investigate themselves and their brother-in-law so thoroughly?

Li Hanwen couldn't understand it, he just couldn't figure it out.

Looking at his leader's calm and expressionless face, he knew that the other party would not tell him anything more.

The news that Li Hanwen had been handcuffed and taken away by the police overnight spread like wildfire, reaching every nook and cranny of Shuangshui Village in just one night.

As dawn broke, the village was busier than usual.

Beside the well, several women who had gotten up early to fetch water gathered together. The buckets were placed at their feet, and they weren't in a hurry to draw water. They lowered their voices and talked animatedly.

"Have you heard? Li Hanwen has been arrested by people from the county!"

"How could I not have heard! A jeep drove in last night, its headlights were shining brightly, we even saw it through the windows!"

"He was handcuffed! Those gleaming silver handcuffs! My brother lives at the village entrance; he saw it clearly!"

"Serves him right! He's always been so arrogant! Karma has caught up with him!"

"His wife, Zhang Qin, was taken along too; she cried so bitterly..."

"What's so bad about it? Why didn't you think about that when you were enjoying your life?"

The men squatted under the old locust tree at the village entrance, puffing on their pipes, the smoke mingling with the morning mist.

"Li Hanwen is probably doomed this time."

"I heard that his brother-in-law has also been detained in the county for a long time."

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter."

"I just don't know who has such great ability."

"Whoever it is, they did something truly gratifying!"

"..."

The news also reached Secretary Wang's family.

Party Secretary Wang got up early and was feeding the chickens in the yard. He scattered handfuls of grain, and the chickens clucked and gathered around to peck at the food.

Old Zhao from next door called out to him over the low wall, "Old Wang, have you heard? Li Hanwen's been arrested by the county!"

Party Secretary Wang paused in scattering grains, then hummed in agreement: "I've heard about it."

"Hey, who do you think did this? That's pretty impressive!" Old Zhao said excitedly.

Party Secretary Wang didn't respond to that, but simply said, "It's time to feed the chickens, we'll talk later."

He turned and went into the main room.

Li Cui was tending the fire by the stove, preparing to make breakfast. The firelight illuminated her face, making it look rosy.

Seeing the old man come in, she asked softly, "Is what they're saying outside true?"

"Hmm." Secretary Wang sat down in the chair, took out his pipe from his pocket, pinched a pinch of tobacco, pressed it down, struck a match to light it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled.

The smoke dissipated in front of him, and he squinted as he watched the light of day gradually brighten outside the window.

He barely slept a wink last night, tossing and turning, his mind racing.

Li Hanwen was arrested, and his brother-in-law Zhang Dongchao was investigated. The county acted so quickly and decisively.

There must be someone pulling a lot of effort behind this.

Who is it?

He thoroughly investigated everyone in and around the village who had a grudge against Li Hanwen or who might have some connection with him.

Finally, after much searching, only one name remained.

Xie Lu.

Only Xie Lu is left.

Although he couldn't explain it clearly.

How could Xie Lu, a student who had just gone to university in Wuhan, have such great power to mobilize the entire county from such a distance?

This is illogical.

But Secretary Wang had lived most of his life and served as a village cadre for so many years. He trusted his intuition and that inexplicable "experience".

Some things seem impossible, but that's exactly what that person did.