Handong: Sha Li wants political achievements? I'll shut down the entire province.

"Waaah—"

The green train let out a piercing whistle, and a clanging, rattling sound came from the joints of the rails.

This is a slow, ordinary passenger train traveling from Handong to Beijing.

The carriage was packed with people, and the air was filled with the sour smell of braised beef noodles, cheap tobacco, and cotton-padded coats that hadn't been washed for months.

"Beer, soft drinks, mineral water, peanuts, sunflower seeds, eight-treasure porridge, and please pull your legs back!"

The flight attendant, pushing a small metal cart, impatiently used the wheels to shove away the feet that were sticking out in the aisle.

Hou Liangping huddled in the corner of the hard seat by the window, like a lump of mud that had been drained of its moisture.

His once crisp uniform was now wrinkled like a clump of pickled vegetables.

The air above his shoulders was empty, and two rough rips in the fabric were exposed, their frayed edges glaringly obvious.

He was clutching the jacket that symbolized his identity as the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Supreme People's Procuratorate tightly in his hand.

The knuckles turned a pale white from excessive force.

"Hey buddy, your clothes are all ripped like this, and you're still hugging them like they're precious?"

A middle-aged woman sitting across from him, munching on sunflower seeds, glanced at him sideways, her tone revealing a disdain typical of people from urban villages.

"Judging from your appearance, you must have been fired from the factory, right? These days, you should at least dress neatly for work."

Hou Liangping shuddered violently.

He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at him.

The woman was startled by his gaze, muttered "crazy," and turned her head away, ignoring him.

Hou Liangping lowered his head, biting his chapped lips hard, and tasted a strong metallic taste of blood.

humiliation.

I have never suffered such humiliation in my life!

Just a dozen hours ago, he was still the high and mighty Director Hou, an imperial envoy sent to Handong to crack down on organized crime with the imperial sword.

But now?

Zhao Donglai threw the official document signed by Sha Ruijin directly at his face.

Those police officers who used to fawn over him, in front of the media from all over Handong, forcibly stripped off his epaulets!

"Yan Qingfeng..."

Hou Liangping squeezed out those three words through clenched teeth, letting out a low, beast-like growl from his throat.

The man didn't even show his face, but with a single document, he trampled him into the mud, turning him into a rat in the street.

The ordeal of more than ten hours felt longer than half a lifetime.

The train finally pulled into Beijing West Railway Station.

The cold autumn wind, carrying sand and dust, scraped against Hou Liangping's face like a knife.

He hunched over, blending into the bustling crowd like a fugitive who couldn't be seen in the light of day.

After exiting the station, he stood by the wide roadside, looking at the solemn building of the Supreme People's Procuratorate not far away, his legs feeling as heavy as lead.

He dared not go back.

It is estimated that the entire system has now received the disciplinary notice issued by Handong.

If he were to appear at work at this time, his colleagues, who are usually jealous of his rapid promotion, would drown him in their spittle.

"Driver, to Xishan Family Compound."

Hou Liangping hailed a taxi, opened the door, and got inside.

The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror and immediately frowned.

"Dude, you smell awful! Did you just crawl out from under a bridge?"

The driver curled his lip. "That area in Xishan is for the very wealthy and powerful. Did you even come to the right place?"

Hou Liangping was so angry that he trembled all over. He suddenly pulled out several crumpled hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and slammed them onto the center console.

"Just start driving! Stop with the nonsense!"

The driver rolled his eyes, pocketed the money, stepped on the gas, and the car shot off like an arrow.

Half an hour later, at the Zhong family's luxurious villa in Xishan.

Hou Liangping used his fingerprint to open the heavy security door.

The room was quiet, and a deathly, oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

He didn't even change his shoes, dragging his muddy leather shoes as he stepped directly onto the expensive Persian carpet.

Hou Liangping stopped in his tracks as he passed the full-length mirror in the entryway.

The man in the mirror had greasy hair plastered to his scalp and a dark bluish-black stubble on his chin.

His eyes darted around, his eye sockets were sunken, and he looked exactly like a convict who had just been released from prison.

Where is the spirited and righteous Director Hou we know?

"Splash!"

Hou Liangping suddenly went berserk and smashed the mirror with a punch.

Glass shards littered the ground, and a large gash was cut open on the back of his hand, bleeding profusely, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.

The humiliation that had been suppressed in his heart all along finally turned into madness at this moment.

He rushed into the luxurious, high-ceilinged living room and wandered around like a headless fly.

My eyes caught sight of the Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain tea set on the coffee table, which was Zhong Xiaoai's favorite. It was a cherished possession left by Grandpa Zhong.

Hou Liangping rushed over and grabbed the antique teacup worth millions.

"Bang!"

He smashed the teacup hard onto the marble floor tiles, and it shattered into pieces instantly, with shards scattered everywhere.

"Capitalist! Yan Qingfeng, you lawless capitalist!"

Hou Liangping roared hysterically at the empty living room, the veins on his neck throbbing.

"You think you can do whatever you want just because you have a little money!"

He grabbed a leather cushion from the sofa and started tearing at it.

"I represent justice! I represent the law! What right do you have to strip me of my uniform!"

Hou Liangping's voice echoed mournfully in the villa, like that of a gambler who had lost everything.

"You've bribed workers and undermined the government, and now you're trying to extend your reach into the capital!"

"I refuse to accept this! I'd rather die than accept it!"

"Have you argued enough?"

A cold voice suddenly came from the spiral staircase on the second floor.

Hou Liangping froze, then abruptly raised his head.

Zhong Xiaoai stood at the top of the stairs, wearing a silk bathrobe, arms crossed.

Her well-maintained face was covered with a thick gloom.

His eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that he hadn't had a good night's sleep for several days.

Looking at the mess in the living room, and then at Hou Liangping's pathetic state, which was worse than a dog's, I was struck by how he looked.

A hint of undisguised disgust flashed in Zhong Xiaoai's eyes.

"We sent you to Handong to crack down on organized crime, and look what happened, you were thrown back like trash."

Zhong Xiaoai walked down the stairs step by step in her slippers, her voice sharp and sarcastic.

"Hou Liangping, you really make the Supreme People's Procuratorate proud."

Looking at his wife, Hou Liangping's madness instantly turned into a morbid sense of grievance.

He threw down the tattered cushion in his hand and knelt down on the floor covered with broken porcelain shards with a thud.

He was completely unaware that his knee was bleeding from a shard of porcelain.

Hou Liangping crawled over on all fours, clung tightly to Zhong Xiaoai's leg, and burst into tears without any dignity.

"Xiao Ai! Yan Qingfeng is inhuman! He's turned the whole of Handong upside down!"

He wiped his snot and tears all over Zhong Xiaoai's expensive nightgown, then raised his contorted face.

"He forced Sha Ruijin to sign the disciplinary document and, in front of the entire province's media, he ripped off my epaulets!"

Zhong Xiaoai's brows furrowed into a deep knot, and she tried to pull her leg away in disgust, but he held her tightly.

"Do you think Yan Qingfeng is just slapping me in the face?"

Hou Liangping's eyes were bloodshot, and he began to sow discord through gritted teeth.

"He knows I'm the son-in-law of the Zhong family! He's insulting the entire Zhong family!"

"He's declaring to the entire capital that he, Yan Qingfeng, doesn't even respect the Zhong family!"

Hou Liangping tilted his head back, his eyes flashing with a desperate glint as he stared intently into his wife's eyes.

"Xiao Ai, I'm not leaving! I'm not going back to my hometown!"

"I will stay in the capital. I will use all my strength to fight that man surnamed Yan to the death!"