I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The day after Yang Zheng was released from the Public Security Bureau, Chen Yan brought him to his side.

"Don't go anywhere from now on. Just follow me. Do whatever I do," Chen said sternly.

"Master, that incident didn't happen in the factory; it has nothing to do with the workshop," Yang Zheng explained fearfully.

"No matter where you get into trouble, your master is always partly to blame. Commander Zhou entrusted you to me, and now that you've gotten into trouble, do you think I'll get away with it?" Chen Yan glared angrily.

"Master, even if I really made a mistake, Uncle Zhou wouldn't bend the law for personal gain." Yang Zheng lowered his head. He had only been in the police station for half a day, and rumors were already flying everywhere.

"I've already suggested to Tang Ping that you move out of Lu Han's place immediately and move to my apprentice's dormitory. That Lu Han is a troublemaker; there's no benefit in being with him."

"But Lu Han didn't do anything wrong either; it was Kong Xiange who forced him," Yang Zheng said, puzzled.

"What do you know? His handsome face, coupled with his talent, is the root of all trouble. Look at the female workers in the factory, they all want to fly into the fire like moths."

Unfortunately, Lu Han has a straightforward temper and dismissed the person with just a few words. If he were to encounter someone like Kong Xiange who gets stuck on trivial matters, who knows what kind of trouble she'd cause later?

You are a kind person. Yesterday you helped find Kong Xiange and ended up in the police station. Tomorrow you might have to help him block those flowers and plants.

"Why don't you just stay home and sleep? Their argument is none of your business."

"Master, I..."

"Don't you know what kind of world it is out there? If Commander Zhou hadn't personally bailed you out, he would have insisted that you were the one who raped and murdered you. What could you have done then?"

Chen Yan's words sent a chill down Yang Zheng's spine. His family was frequently framed and had no way to defend themselves.

Yang Zheng thought that people in the city could reason with each other. In fact, there was no difference between the city and the countryside.

"I will listen to my master."

In fact, Yang Zheng didn't have time to move out of the dormitory, but Lu Han was leaving; he was transferred away from Huailin Machinery Factory.

Lu Han bought a bag of pig's head meat, a bag of peanuts, a roast chicken, and a bottle of Erwotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and waited for Yang Zheng in the dormitory.

"Lu Han, you, you've struck it rich?" Yang Zheng returned to his dormitory and was very surprised to see so many delicious dishes.

"Yang Zheng, sit down. We've been roommates, let's have a good drink." Lu Han smiled, the first time he had ever smiled at Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng felt extremely guilty. Did he know that he was going to move out?

Two teacups, and half a bottle of wine for each person.

Raising his glass, Lu Han said, "This is the first and last time we'll drink together. Come on, have a sip."

"Why is this the last time? There's plenty of time in the future."

Even if we don't live in the same dormitory, we still work in the same factory, so we'll still have opportunities to drink together.

Lu Han took a sip, and it was so spicy he smacked his lips.

"Eat a piece of meat, the wine really doesn't taste good."

Yang Zheng took a small sip and ate a peanut.

"Have you finished writing your self-criticism?" Yang Zheng asked.

"How could I possibly finish writing all of this? My family members are blocking the office building and making a scene every day. The factory manager couldn't do anything about it, so he had to transfer me."

"You're leaving?" Yang Zheng was surprised.

"Yes, I'm going back to Shanghai."

"It's better to go to Shanghai; there are more opportunities there."

"Shanghai offers more opportunities and has a lot of talent. I'm a senior engineer at Huailin University, but in Shanghai, I'd probably just be an engineering assistant."

Yang Zheng, I would like to ask you, why is it so difficult for someone who is not greedy for lust or money, but just wants to do something worthwhile?

What did I do to deserve this? Take Kong Xiange, for example. She's from the publicity department, she loves singing and dancing, and she loves flattering the leaders. How could I, a technician, possibly like her?

As you've seen, she's been harassing me time and time again, and even though I've made my rejections so obvious, she still keeps coming to me. That night, I thought you'd forgotten your keys, so I opened the door.

She tore her clothes as soon as she entered the room, opened the door and started yelling, humiliating me in every way possible. If I didn't fight back, I would be ruined.

I fought back, and then she got into trouble and blamed everything on me. What kind of situation is that?

Lu Han took a big gulp of wine, annoyed.

"Lu Han, my master's evaluation of you makes a lot of sense."

"What did he say?"

"Master said that your youth, good looks, and knowledge are wrong in themselves. There are other girls who have their eyes on you besides Kong Xiange, but their methods are not as extreme," Yang Zheng said earnestly.

Lu Han laughed heartily: "Isn't that nonsense? I don't go around flirting. My looks are a gift from my parents; am I supposed to cut my face?"

"At first I also thought it was nonsense, but Master said that regardless of gender, if someone is too outstanding and has no ability to protect themselves, then disaster will befall them."

"Did your master tell you how to break this?" Lu Han couldn't help but believe it.

"It's simple. If you don't like her, just carefully tell her that you have a fiancée. As for who your fiancée is, you can make that up."

"Hey, Chen Yan isn't just an eighth-level fitter, he's also a tenth-level master of life wisdom! How come I never thought of that?"

"Master said that you are too straightforward and are prone to getting into trouble."

"Hey, Yang Zheng, listening to your master's words is worth more than ten years of study. Please thank your master for me."

"When are you leaving? I'll see you off."

"No need, Yang Zheng. Although we've only known each other for two months and it hasn't been very pleasant, you are very loyal, kind, and eager to learn."

I'm leaving. The blueprints for the renovation of the Huailin Machinery Factory are useless to me anyway. I'll give them all to you. If they can be of even the slightest help, then all my days and nights of drawing won't have been in vain.

"How can that be? Those blueprints are the culmination of your hard work."

"The blueprints are for Huailin Machinery Factory; taking them to Shanghai won't be of much use. Once you've thoroughly understood the blueprints, you'll be a master craftsman."

Yang Zheng quickly stood up and respectfully bowed to Lu Han: "Lu Han, thank you for trusting me."

"Useless thing, why thank me?"

Yang Zheng took a sip of wine, sat down, and said solemnly, "Lu Han, I want to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

"I heard that Shanghai has developed an electrically driven prosthesis. If you have any news about this, could you write to me and let me know?"

"An electrically powered prosthesis? Does anyone in your family need one?"

"Yes, a very close relative needs him. He can only sit in a wheelchair every day, and he's become listless from sitting so long."

"Electrically driven prostheses are probably not going to be mass-produced anytime soon. If your family member urgently needs one, you could get a steel-frame prosthesis that can be used with crutches. It may be crude, but being able to stand up and walk a few steps is better than sitting all day."

"Oh, yeah, why didn't I think of that? Even just walking for half an hour a day would be helpful."

"I'll keep an eye on this when I get back to Shanghai. I'll write to you as soon as I have any news."

"Okay, thank you in advance."

The two lived together awkwardly for two months, but became best friends in just one day.

With Lu Han's departure, the Kong Qiange rape and murder case became an unsolved case.

What that beautiful girl went through on that stormy night, no one knows.