In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

A government compound in Beijing.

The door opened.

Zhong Xiaoai dragged her exhausted body into the living room like a walking corpse, and plopped down on the sofa.

Outside, she is the director of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office, a high-ranking official who oversees provincial and ministerial-level officials. But outside of work, she is not much different from an ordinary person.

It can be tiring, painful, and frustrating.

Especially recently, Hou Liangping's investigation into Zhao Dehan's major case has triggered reactions and retaliations from various parties.

Even though Chung Ming-te took the lion's share of the burden, her work was still affected. She had to be on high alert at all times, otherwise, if she was caught doing something wrong, it would cause a series of troubles.

So I went home.

Only when the door is closed can one reveal a hint of fatigue.

Fortunately, Hou Haoran was taken in by his parents to be cared for, otherwise she would have been responsible for her son's life and studies.

She suddenly started to miss that mischievous monkey.

The phone screen lights up.

The darkness illuminated Zhong Xiaoai's slightly pale face, and a string of unfamiliar numbers was ringing.

Location: Handong.

I can't stand the nagging. Could it be that that mischievous monkey has caused trouble in Handong again?

Zhong Xiaoai, suppressing her exhaustion, answered the phone, "Hello!"

"Comrade Zhong Xiaoai?"

Zhong Xiaoai shuddered inexplicably. This title was almost exclusively used by cadres within the system, and was mostly used by superiors to subordinates.

"I am Lin Zhiyuan, from the Hantong Provincial Government."

The unfamiliar male voice rang out again.

"Lin...Lin Zhiyuan? Executive Director Lin!"

Zhong Xiaoai's mind cleared instantly, and she quickly took the initiative to ask, "Executive Director Lin, has my Liangping gotten into trouble in Handong again?"

Lin Zhiyuan is the executive vice president, but he is more than just the executive vice president.

"Comrade Xiao Ai, something happened in Chuzhou, Handong. Secretary Sha transferred Comrade Liangping to investigate the case. During the final stage, Comrade Liangping was shot in the chest while negotiating with the suspect alone. I am on my way to Chuzhou Hospital. There is no news from the hospital yet."

"Comrade Xiao Ai, you are his spouse. Would it be convenient for you to take time off to come and visit?"

Lin Zhiyuan explained the cause and effect of the incident in a few words.

Shot?

Zhong Xiaoai's mind went blank for a moment, and her hand holding the phone trembled.

"Director Lin, I've booked the earliest flight for tonight. I'll be right there."

Zhong Xiaoai made a decision immediately.

"Comrade Xiao Ai, there are only flights from Beijing to Chuzhou around 10 a.m. every day. Transferring flights wastes time and is not good for your rest and emotional stability."

"Keep your spirits up and take off tomorrow."

"Please also ask Comrade Xiao Ai to inform Deputy Commander Zhong of this news."

Lin Zhiyuan spoke gently, offering his advice.

"Okay...okay."

Hearing this, Zhong Xiaoai calmed down again, grabbed her coat and rushed out the door, "Executive Director Lin, I'll hang up now."

"If...if there is any new information about Ryohei, please let me know as soon as possible."

About ten minutes later.

Zhong Xiaoai's car drove into a small courtyard, and she practically jumped and ran out of the car, heading into the house.

Zhong Mingde, wearing an overcoat, stood at the door, clearly having also received the news.

"dad!"

As soon as Zhong Xiaoai spoke, tears began to stream down her face.

"calm!"

Zhong Mingde glanced at Hou Haoran's room and reminded him, "Come with me to the study."

"Dad, Liangping...he...he was shot in the chest, his fate is still unknown, I..."

As soon as Zhong Xiaoai entered the study, her carefully constructed composure crumbled, and she buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly at her desk.

"Who notified you?"

Zhong Mingde offered no comfort; suppressing one's emotions would only make things worse.

Moreover, he only received the message from Sha Ruijin, and knew nothing more.

"Lin Zhiyuan... former Deputy Director Lin of the National Development and Reform Commission..."

Zhong Xiaoai sobbed.

"Lin Zhiyuan... Lin Zhiyuan..."

Zhong Mingde pondered the name carefully, but his tightly furrowed brows relaxed. "Liangping is alright, at least his life is not in danger."

"But he said it himself, and we haven't received any news yet."

Zhong Xiaoai looked up, puzzled.

"He's a steady person. Either Liangping is alive or he's dead. He would never send you ambiguous messages just because the situation is urgent, if he can't get any news from you."

Zhong Mingde affirmed.

His expression even relaxed, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Dad, you..."

Zhong Xiaoai felt a chill when she saw her father's suddenly relaxed expression. Even though she had looked down on this son-in-law back then, Hou Liangping had called her "Dad" for twenty years, and she and he had a child together. But now her father looked relaxed when he received the news that her husband had been shot.

She felt disheartened, even terrified.

"What are you thinking!"

Zhong Mingde immediately saw through his daughter's thoughts and scolded her, "I didn't agree to you being with him back then because your mother and I thought you had better options, but in the end, I didn't stop you!"

"Otherwise, back then, with one of you in Handong and the other in the capital, I could have trapped you to death. If I wanted to, that mischievous monkey would never have had the chance to see you again in his entire life."

"I approve of him marrying you."

"I'm not that cold-blooded, feeling happy because my daughter's husband and my grandson's father died."

I'm sorry, Dad!

Zhong Xiaoai lowered her head in shame.

Indeed, as Zhong Mingde said, without his permission, her campus romance with Hou Liangping would have ended long ago upon graduation. There would have been no long-distance relationship or marriage, and Hou Liangping would not have been transferred to the Supreme People's Procuratorate a year after their marriage.

"Your brain..."

Zhong Mingde sighed, "You've inherited everything from your mother. You're good at solving cases and theoretical discussions, but your understanding of the big picture is a complete mess."

"I was happy just now because I was happy for Liangping."

"I really don't know how many times I've been mocked by others for being called Marquis Changxin all these years."

"I want him to truly stand up more than anyone else."

"This proves that I made the right choice in selecting my son-in-law back then. Even if he can't compare to the one from the Yan family, my Zhong family's son-in-law is still top-notch."

"Why!"

"Because you are my only daughter and only heir, if I don't leave my resources to you, am I supposed to give them to your cousins ​​or other male relatives?"

"Pooh!"

"Human hearts are made of flesh and blood; there are degrees of closeness and distance between people."

"So I've always kept Liangping in check, partly because I had something up my sleeve, and partly because his results weren't impressive enough."

"But things are different now."

Zhong Mingde stopped abruptly at this point.

"Why, Dad?"

Zhong Xiaoai asked.

"With a brain like yours, you'd be better off using it for solving cases. Explaining it to you won't make things clear, and it might even mess things up."

Zhong Mingde refused to answer directly, saying, "Pack your things and get ready to go to Chuzhou tomorrow."

"You should go as Liangping's wife, but you must show everyone in Handong the aura of the deputy director of the inspection office."

A shrewd smile appeared on Zhong Mingde's face.

"We have arrived in Chuzhou."

"If you don't understand something, just ask Lin Zhiyuan."

"That little vixen is a bit cunning, but she still has her bottom line."

"He used our Zhong family as a pawn, but the Zhong family is not easy to bully, so we used him as a shield."