Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

Li Huaide stood up and personally escorted the man to the office door, his tone earnest: "Don't worry, I'll immediately arrange for someone to keep a close eye on the tailor shop."

Please let me know as soon as there is any new development on your end.

"must."

Jia Dongming agreed, shook hands with him, and then turned to leave.

Just as I stepped out of the branch office building, I bumped into Wang Dapao, who was rushing over.

The other person's eyes widened when they saw him: "Dongming? When did you get here?"

Thinking of what he had gained today, Jia Dongming smiled slightly: "I managed to get some new Dongxi from Zhou Xudong's place, so I came here specifically to see him."

Now that he's spoken, you're probably in for a lot of work.

Wang Dapao was taken aback. His first thought was that Jia Dongming had used some underhanded tactics, and his brows immediately furrowed: "Didn't I tell you not to do those things to Zhou Xudong..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Dongming waved his hand to stop him: "You've misunderstood this time."

I didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

Wang Dapao was stunned.

After a day and a night of interrogation at the branch office that they couldn't get anything out of Jia Dongming, he actually got him to talk without resorting to violence? He was skeptical: "You really didn't use any tricks?"

Jia Dongming just smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Whether it's true or not, you can ask Director Li."

After saying this, he took his leave.

He rode his bicycle out of the Dongcheng branch and glanced at the tailor shop on the street corner before pedaling toward the steel mill.

Unbeknownst to him, just as he turned the corner, a shadow silently swept past behind the window with its plain curtains hanging on the second floor of the tailor shop.

Back at the security office, before Jia Dongming could even sit down, Zhang Guoping followed him in: "Section Chief, Deputy Factory Director Li called you around noon."

"What did you say?"

"It's like when leaders from several sister factories come over, Deputy Factory Director Li invites you to have dinner together at the small canteen that evening."

Jia Dongming understood and nodded: "I understand."

As dusk approached, Jia Dongming first went to say hello to Qin Huairu before turning to head towards the small canteen.

Before we even reached the door of the private room, we could already faintly hear laughter and conversation coming from inside.

He pushed open the door and entered, where a table full of people came into view.

Jia Dongming immediately put on a smile and bowed slightly to Li Huaide, who was in the main seat: "Director Li, leaders, thank you for waiting."

Li Huaide was talking to someone when he heard the voice and turned around. His face immediately broke into a warm smile: "Section Chief Jia, you've finally arrived! Come on, we've saved you a seat here."

When Jia Dongming entered the room, Li Huaide was standing there with a smile, gesturing to the men sitting around the table. "Dongming, come, come, introduce yourself to these friends—Guo Dehua, the factory director of the textile mill; Zhao Huichun, the deputy director of the grain bureau; and Jiang Beiping, the deputy director of the meat processing plant."

His tone was gentle, yet carried a solemnity characteristic of formal occasions.

Li Huaide then turned to the three men, his tone carrying a hint of introduction: "Gentlemen, this is our factory's newly appointed head of the security department, Comrade Jia Dongming."

He distinguished himself in battle and was a true hero.

"He's only been here three days, and he's already led the cracking of a spy case targeting the special workshop, eradicating the entire group headed by Zhou Xudong and preventing incalculable losses for the factory."

Jia Dongming immediately adopted a humble expression and nodded to the three men, saying, "Director Guo, Director Zhao, and Director Jiang, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huichun smiled knowingly and replied slowly, "Section Chief Jia, I've heard of you before. It's great to finally meet you in person. You truly have an extraordinary presence."

"Director Zhao, you flatter me."

Jia Dongming bowed slightly and said sincerely, "Protecting the factory area is my duty, it's just my job, there's no merit in it."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide laughed and interjected, teasing with a hint of familiarity: "Old Zhao, Old Jiang, Old Guo, don't just think he's steady and reliable. Our Section Chief Jia has another skill—his prowess at the dinner table is probably even greater than his ability to solve cases."

Guo Dehua raised an eyebrow, showing a rather interested expression, and laughed, "Oh? You really can't judge a book by its cover."

Since Director Li has said so, then tonight we'll have to see for ourselves whether Section Chief Jia is truly as rumored—a comrade who can withstand the "alcohol test" with ease.

A sense of helplessness swept through Jia Dongming's heart.

His own alcohol tolerance was actually mediocre; he relied entirely on a system unknown to others that allowed him to subtly transfer the alcohol he drank.

He maintained his humble demeanor, smiling and waving his hand: "Director Li is flattering me."

In front of all the leaders, my alcohol tolerance is really nothing to brag about; I can barely manage... a little bit.

"a little?"

Guo Dehua caught the nuances in his words, deliberately drawing out his tone and asking with a playful glint in his eyes, "When Section Chief Jia said 'a little bit,' do you mean 'a tiny bit,' or... the 'a bit' that starts with the word 'one' in 'hundreds of millions'?"

Jia Dongming reacted quickly, picking up where he left off, his words laced with clever humor: "In front of the boss, it's naturally just a tiny bit; but when it comes to getting along with my own brothers, I might have to borrow the aura of 'hundreds of millions'."

This made Guo Dehua burst into laughter. He turned to Zhao Huichun and Jiang Beiping and said, "Old Zhao, Old Jiang, did you hear that? Section Chief Jia has issued a challenge to us."

Tonight, no matter what, we have to find out the truth—whether Section Chief Jia's "massive" amount is just "a little" or "a hundred million."

Jia Dongming raised his glass with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the three men: "Rest assured, leaders, we will make sure you have a great time tonight and experience the sincerity of our steel rolling mill in hospitality."

Those three were indeed quite heavy drinkers, chatting and laughing as they raised their glasses.

Unfortunately, they were facing an opponent with extraordinary methods.

When the banquet ended, Guo Dehua, Zhao Huichun, and Jiang Beiping were so unsteady on their feet that they needed their respective drivers to help them out of the warmly lit private room in the small canteen.

A cool night breeze blew as Jia Dongming stood alone on the cement steps at the entrance of the cafeteria, watching the jeep with its taillights on as it slowly drove into the deep darkness of the night.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Li Huaide approached, patted him hard on the shoulder, and said with undisguised admiration, "Dongming, I, Li Huaide, have been in the drinking scene for so many years and have seen all kinds of people. But I've never met anyone as unfathomable as you before."

Today, I'm truly convinced.

Jia Dongming felt a burning sensation in his stomach and his head was heavy.

He knew that without the help of the system, it would have been impossible to take down those three, but in order not to reveal any flaws, he did drink quite a lot of it.

Although he hadn't completely lost control yet, the effects of intoxication were starting to creep in.

He turned around, smiled at Li Huaide, and said with appropriate respect and concern: "Director Li, alcohol is ultimately harmful to the body, especially the liver."

"If it weren't for important matters at the factory, and to support your work, I would never have drunk so much."

These words were very kind, and Li Huaide was extremely pleased to hear them. His smile widened, and he lowered his voice to say, "Section Chief Jia, I will remember your kindness and support."

Once these in-demand supplies are successfully transported back to the factory, I will definitely reward your security department for your contribution—I will award 100% of it directly to your department.

Jia Dongming's eyes lit up slightly, and his smile became much more genuine. He immediately replied, "Then, on behalf of all the comrades in the Security Department, I would like to thank Director Li for his care and kindness!"

"This is what you deserve."

Li Huaide waved his hand, his expression serious, "If you hadn't kept those three heavy drinkers in check tonight, how could our factory have gotten such a good share this time? We exceeded our target, and you deserve a lot of credit for that."

As they were talking, a jeep silently glided up and stopped nearby.

Li Huai opened the car door and turned to greet him, "Get in, Dongming, I'll give you a ride home."

Jia Dongming quickly shook his head and pointed to his bicycle in the bike shed not far away: "There's really no need to trouble you, Director Li."

I'll get some fresh air, ride my bike home to sober up, it'll be fine."

Once Li Huaide's car had completely disappeared into the night, Jia Dongming leisurely strolled to the factory's parking shed, hopped on Qin Huairu's old bicycle, and pedaled toward the steel mill gate.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance, the two young men on duty in the security office recognized him immediately. They quickly pushed open the door and stood ramrod straight, saying, "Good morning, Section Chief!"

"Section Chief, are you still busy tonight?"

Jia Dongming gripped the brakes and stopped the car by the window of the duty room. He took out the pack of Peony cigarettes that Li Huaide had given him at dinner from his pocket, and handed it over with a smile: "This was given to me by Deputy Factory Director Li. I don't smoke this often, so you two can share it."

Their eyes lit up immediately.

One of them accepted the cigarettes with both hands and thanked him repeatedly: "Section Chief, this Peony cigarette is a Class B cigarette. We're getting a taste of your good fortune today."

Jia Dongming waved his hand, his expression becoming more serious: "Things haven't been peaceful outside lately, so be vigilant while on duty."

This message was also relayed to the brothers in the training group.

The security guard who accepted the cigarette immediately straightened his back: "Don't worry, Section Chief, we will keep a close eye on things and will not be careless."

After giving his instructions, Jia Dongming started riding his bicycle again and left the factory area.

As the night breeze blew in his face, he suddenly remembered the tailor shop next to the Winter City branch and wondered whether he should go around and take a look.

But then he thought that Li Xidong might have already set up lookouts, so he gave up the idea, turned his bike around, and rode towards Tongluoguxiang.

While pondering the enemy's secret agents, I lost focus and didn't notice the road ahead. Suddenly, the front of my car crashed into a dark figure.

A familiar cry of pain rang out: "Ouch! Who is it! Riding a bike so late at night, can't you watch your step?"

Jia Dongming quickly braked the car and looked down at the ground by the moonlight—it was Xu Damao's wife, Lou Xiao'e.

He quickly parked the car, took two steps forward, and said apologetically, "Lou Xiao'e? It's me, Jia Dongming."

"What are you doing here so late?"

It turned out that Lou Xiao'e had just had a big fight with Xu Damao and was going back to her parents' home in a huff, but she was bumped into by this person as soon as she reached the entrance of the alley.

Already seething with anger, this sudden collision only added fuel to the fire.

She was about to explode, but when she looked up and saw Jia Dongming standing in front of her with a guilty look on his face, she swallowed back the curse that was on the tip of her tongue.

Lou Xiao'e sat on the ground without moving, her buttocks hurting so much that she kept frowning.

She answered in a muffled voice, "I'm just about to go back to my parents' home."

Jia Dongming quickly squatted down: "I'm so sorry! I was lost in thought and didn't see you."

Are you hurt anywhere? Is it serious? Should I take you to the hospital to get it checked out?

Only then did he notice that Lou Xiao'e's eyes were severely red and swollen, and he immediately realized his mistake. He then changed his tune and advised, "It's so late, it's not safe for you to walk alone at night."

"Let me take you to get your injury checked first, then I'll take you back to your parents' house, okay?"

Lou Xiao'e slowly stood up with his help, patting the dust off her clothes: "No need for the hospital."

"Section Chief Jia, could you please take me directly back to my parents' home?"

Hearing that she wasn't going to the hospital, Jia Dongming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He steadied the bicycle: "Then you sit in the back, I'll ride you there."

Lou Xiao'e sat sideways in the back seat, Jia Dongming pedaled, and the car moved smoothly along the quiet street.

The night breeze made the sound of wheels rolling over the road clearly audible.

After riding for a while, Jia Dongming advised, "It's inevitable for couples to have disagreements in their daily lives."

No matter how much trouble you cause, you can't go out alone in the middle of the night; it's too dangerous.

Lou Xiao'e, sitting in the back seat, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "That bastard Xu Damao! He called me a hen that can't lay eggs and even slapped me."

"My parents have never laid a finger on me in all my life, so why should he?"

Jia Dongming continued pedaling, his voice sounding calm in the night breeze: "Having a child is a matter for two people."

Why don't you go to the hospital to get checked out and see what the problem is?

Lou Xiao'e, sitting in the back seat, felt as if something had gently tapped her heart when she heard Jia Dongming's words.

So, the inability to have children isn't necessarily the woman's fault—a thought she had never dared to contemplate before. After a moment of stunned silence, she spoke softly, "Section Chief Jia, are you saying... it's not entirely the woman's problem?"