The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Feng's phone vibrated. Section Chief Jiang had invited him to meet at a viewing platform by a reservoir on the outskirts of the city, saying it was a secluded and deserted place.

Lin Feng changed into a dark coat and went out. He took a taxi and drove around the city for a while before heading out of the city.

After leaving the city, the buildings on both sides of the road gradually disappeared, replaced by large areas of wasteland and a few crooked willow trees.

The mountain road winds its way up the reservoir, with steep mountain walls on one side and emerald green water on the other.

When he arrived, Section Chief Jiang was already standing by the railing of the observation deck. Several cigarette butts lay at his feet, some still emitting wisps of smoke.

His eyes were bloodshot, clearly he hadn't slept all night. Hearing footsteps behind him, Section Chief Jiang turned around, his lips moved, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse and low, getting straight to the point: "President Lin, are you here about Wang Yuqing?"

Lin Feng leaned against the railing next to him, his gaze sweeping across the tranquil water below the mountain. He didn't deny it: "You should be able to guess why I came to Binzhou."

Section Chief Jiang remained silent for a long time.

A mountain breeze blows, rippling the water's surface, and occasionally, birdsong can be heard from the distant reservoir dam.

The fingers gripping the briefcase tightened and loosened repeatedly, as if making the most important decision of their lives.

Then he spoke, his voice slow and heavy.

"Eight years ago, Chen Liangliang had just become the mayor of Binzhou. Wang Yuqing was a clerk who had just passed the civil service exam that year. She was in her early twenties, pretty and quiet, and very polite. She never got into conflicts with anyone, and we got along quite well. At that time, no one thought they would have any connection. Later, she became Mayor Chen's secretary. Until six months later, Wang Yuqing suddenly took a long leave of absence. Her complexion was getting worse and worse. Before long, the news spread: she was pregnant. Everyone knew who the father was, even if they didn't say it."

"And then?" Lin Feng asked.

"Later, within a few days, Wang Yuqing quickly got a marriage certificate with a local man who was in the building materials business. The wedding was very low-key; she didn't even invite many of her colleagues. I heard it was just a meal between two families of relatives. Two months later, she resigned from her job under the pretext of 'taking care of her family' and went to the south with her husband. She has never been seen in Binzhou since." Section Chief Jiang paused here, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down a few times.

"No one dared to ask too many questions at the time, but everyone knew what was going on. Wang Yuqing, that girl, had never been in a relationship before. Many men in the workplace pursued her, but she never accepted any of them. Suddenly she got pregnant, then suddenly she got married and left. I was working in the archives department then, and I personally handled Wang Yuqing's resignation procedures. Her registered address, her husband's information—I… I kept all of that carefully, making copies and saving them on a USB drive. I just felt that such a good girl shouldn't be tainted like this…"

Lin Feng listened quietly without interrupting him. Section Chief Jiang took out another cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it after several attempts with the lighter. After taking a deep drag, the smoke dissipated in front of his pale face.

Gazing at the shimmering water in the distance, he continued, "Later I heard that she seemed to be pregnant with a son. Chen Liangliang has two daughters and has always wanted a son to carry on the family line. His wife is in poor health and can no longer have children. I suspect that the fake husband was just a front, taking a large sum of money from the Chen family. They were husband and wife in name only, but he didn't care about them at all."

Lin Feng paused for a moment, then looked away from the water. "What about the road collapse? How much do you know?"

Section Chief Jiang's fingers, holding the cigarette, visibly trembled. He took a deep drag, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and crushed it out forcefully. His voice was even lower than before: "The accident investigation team was originally going to thoroughly investigate the construction company's responsibility, but a phone call from above put it on hold, and it was ultimately classified as 'force majeure,' and the matter was dropped. The engineer in charge of quality control, surnamed Liu, 'accidentally' fell into the water and died a few days after the accident. His family took a sum of compensation and moved away, without even holding a funeral in the area."

He suddenly shuddered, and the hand holding the cigarette trembled in mid-air for a while before regaining its balance. "I haven't dared to say anything all these years because I'm afraid of ending up the same way. What will happen to my wife and children if I'm gone?"

Lin Feng turned around to face him, placed his hands on the railing, and said, word by word, "Section Chief Jiang, I don't have just one or two people behind me, I have the power of the Provincial Public Security Bureau. The Chen family's influence can't reach that far. Your wife has already been arranged. She will be transferred to Kyoto in a few days. I will cover all her medical expenses and follow-up treatment costs. You don't need to worry about a single penny."

Section Chief Jiang looked up at him, his bloodshot eyes filled with gratitude as well as struggle.

He pulled an old silver USB drive from his pocket, his fingers still trembling slightly as he handed it over.

A faded label was affixed to the USB flash drive, on which the words "File Backup" were neatly written in pen.

He placed it in Lin Feng's palm, his voice choked with emotion yet exceptionally solemn: "Inside are Wang Yuqing's household registration transfer records, her fake husband's identity information, and a lot of information I've collected over the years, much of which was compiled by a colleague of mine... sigh! Never mind! I won't go into details. I don't know if it will be useful, but this is all I can offer."

Lin Feng took the USB drive, held it in his hand, and was about to say something when Section Chief Jiang's expression suddenly changed drastically. He pointed to the winding mountain road outside the guardrail and shouted, "Look! A car is coming up!"

Lin Feng suddenly turned his head to look.

Two black SUVs were speeding up the mountain road, their front ends kicking up clouds of dust as they bumped along the potholes.

The sound of wheels rolling over gravel echoed through the valley, startling a flock of egrets by the reservoir, which fluttered and flew toward the water.

Section Chief Jiang's face was deathly pale, his fingers gripping his briefcase tightly, his voice filled with barely suppressed fear: "It's someone from the Chen family, President Lin, what do we do?"

"Let's go!" Lin Feng grabbed Section Chief Jiang's arm and rushed towards the forest path on the other side of the viewing platform.

This road is a narrow, winding path worn down by locals, leading through dense forests to the back of the mountain. It is only wide enough for one person to pass at a time, and off-road vehicles cannot drive in at all.

After running for several hundred meters, I heard the heavy sound of a car door closing and hurried footsteps behind me. Someone shouted "Stop!" The sound echoed in the valley.

There were at least five or six pursuers, their footsteps crunching on the gravel as they drew closer.

Section Chief Jiang, who usually sits in an office, was out of breath and couldn't straighten up after running only a short distance. His face was pale, his steps were unsteady, and his glasses were askew on his nose.

Lin Feng grabbed his arm with one hand and dragged him forward, while using the other hand to push aside the branches that were being lashed out at him. Thorns in the forest scraped his cheeks, leaving a few shallow bloodstains.

The pebbles beneath their feet tumbled and rolled down the dense forest, the two men trudging through the woods, their shouts and heavy footsteps growing ever closer behind them. They could even hear a voice from the walkie-talkie: "They're running towards the back of the mountain! Go around and intercept them!"