Life in siheyuan era

The burly figure took two documents, opened the first one to look at it, then opened the red one for a glance before immediately closing them.

He handed both documents to him and turned to the middle-aged woman, saying, "Let me offer a suggestion: be very cautious about his case."

Then, he shouted loudly, "The scene just now was an illusion! Back inside, everyone, back inside!"

With that shout and another look at Zhou Zhiyuan, the burly figure turned and went inside, while Zhou Zhiyuan was escorted into an empty hospital room by the middle-aged woman and two young soldiers.

Once the door was closed, the middle-aged woman said sternly, "Show me both documents."

Zhou Zhiyuan cooperated fully at this point, taking out the two documents and handing them over. The middle-aged woman took them, opened the red one, then looked up at him and said in a deep voice, "I will report to your superiors that you assaulted L Office personnel, refused to cooperate with our work, and deceived us with a false name."

Faced with the middle-aged woman's accusations, Zhou Zhiyuan said with a wry smile, "Allow me to say something in my defense. Those two comrades are both top-notch experts, quick, steady, and accurate in their movements."

"At the time, I subconsciously reacted defensively. My first thought was that I had encountered enemy agents. It's an occupational hazard. Please, the three of you, understand."

He explained, while also trying to excuse the two young soldiers.

But the middle-aged woman said coldly, "Two top-notch experts couldn't subdue you? Are you boasting?"

"It's not quite like that..." Zhou Zhiyuan continued to explain, "Even if I suddenly attacked, I might not be able to take down either of them. Reaching the level of a top-notch expert is no longer about reaction time. When faced with danger, the body naturally reacts defensively."

"Moreover, they were only trying to restrain me, not kill me, so they weren't using their full strength. But when I face a sudden attack, I will inevitably counterattack with full force. Therefore, a counterattack under unknown circumstances shouldn't be considered assault."

As he said this, Zhou Zhiyuan looked at the middle-aged woman and, seeing her looking at the two young soldiers, continued, "As for the issues of refusing to cooperate and deceiving with a false name, I can only say that when I heard you were indeed L Office personnel, I was scared out of my wits and just wanted to escape as quickly as possible. I had no other thoughts."

These words satisfied the middle-aged woman's vanity. She gave him a cold look and asked coldly, "Where did you think you were going to escape to? Hide in ZYTK?"

Zhou Zhiyuan revealed a bitter expression and nodded slightly, then said, "Now I've thought it through, I will absolutely cooperate with your work."

He expressed his intention to surrender, but the middle-aged woman said coldly, "Too late."

Then, turning to the two young soldiers, she said, "Watch him. I will come and question him myself later."

The middle-aged woman turned and walked out of the room. One of the young soldiers walked to the door, turned and stared at him, while the other stood by the window.

After a while, the young soldier standing by the door said in a low voice, "Thank you."

Zhou Zhiyuan replied softly, "I was telling the truth. If anyone makes things difficult for you two, you can request to see my file. I killed one hundred and fifty-three enemies in the self-defense counterattack on the plateau and captured a colonel-level regimental commander alive."

Hearing this number, the two young soldiers looked at him in surprise. They had actually encountered a killing star.

Zhou Zhiyuan continued, "If you two are asked to write a self-criticism, you can mention a key point: because you two were so focused on subduing me, I was able to spot a loophole and prepare a counterattack in advance."

Hearing him mention a key point, the young soldier standing by the door asked in a low voice, "What loophole?"

Zhou Zhiyuan tilted his ear to listen, then replied softly, "At the time, there was no one in the hallway. When you two were walking, you shouldn't have been one in front of the other. Failing to adopt a formation of two abreast or three in a line was the biggest loophole."

Hearing this answer, the two young soldiers blinked in unison. The young soldier standing by the window asked softly, "You're always prepared..."

"Don't talk anymore..." Zhou Zhiyuan's words immediately silenced the two young soldiers. Then, they heard a series of footsteps coming from the hallway. The middle-aged woman opened the door and walked into the room, first looking at Zhou Zhiyuan, then sitting on the bed and gently waving her hand. The two young soldiers walked out of the room.

At this point, the middle-aged woman looked at Zhou Zhiyuan and, seeing him sitting on the stool looking up at her, nodded with satisfaction and said seriously, "You are suspected of deceiving the organization."

She first placed a heavy label on him. Seeing Zhou Zhiyuan reveal a surprised expression, she said with satisfaction, "You and Shen Lanyin are not in a relationship at all."

Hearing this conclusion, Zhou Zhiyuan immediately replied, "There must be some misunderstanding here. I like Lanyin. As early as a year ago, when Lanbo showed me his family's family photo, I liked her."

"The second day after I transferred back, I met her. I felt that we had a deep connection. I immediately expressed my love to her, she understood my meaning, and she accepted me. We officially established a romantic relationship."

He spoke concisely, trying not to use extensive references. He absolutely would not mention things like the chance encounter in the library or the game of recreating the scene.

But after the middle-aged woman listened to him, she smiled coldly and said, "Shen Lanyin has already admitted that you two are not a couple."

Hearing her use Shen Lanyin as evidence, Zhou Zhiyuan immediately shook his head gently, his attitude very firm, "Impossible."

"How is it impossible?" The middle-aged woman said angrily, "Shen Lanyin admitted it, Hao Zhiwen testified. You two even had a 'book thief' incident in the library, and Shen Lanyin personally said to Hao Zhiwen, 'It's her parents who like you.' Isn't this enough to explain the problem?"

Hearing her cite evidence, Zhou Zhiyuan chuckled and replied softly, "Hao Zhiwen is Lanyin's suitor. Lanyin rejected him, so he wants revenge."

"The 'book thief' incident did happen. You also know Lanyin's little temper... Oh, you don't know. Let me report to you, with her little temper, she always wants to boss me around. Am I going to indulge her in that bad habit?"

"But after thinking about it, I regretted it. I really like her. For love, I can throw away my pride, so I took the initiative to apologize to her, and as a result, I fostered another habit in her. Oh, no habit."

He misspoke. The middle-aged woman immediately seized the loophole and asked softly, "What habit?"

"No habit," he denied flatly.

"You are not allowed to hide anything from the organization," the middle-aged woman said sternly.

She used the organization to speak, and Zhou Zhiyuan sighed helplessly and said softly, "She kicks my calf when she's unhappy."

"Heh..." The middle-aged woman chuckled, then straightened her face and said softly, "No matter how you quibble, you are not allowed to deny the facts."

"How would I dare!" Zhou Zhiyuan cried out, "Don't I know who you represent? You almost scared me to death just now. How would I dare to lie to you at this time?"

Zhou Zhiyuan's attitude satisfied the middle-aged woman. She said softly, "Your performance is very good. Now, we need a good attitude. State immediately that you will no longer meet with Shen Lanyin and will completely sever your relationship with her."

"Absolutely impossible!" Zhou Zhiyuan exclaimed, then lowered his voice and said softly, "The education I have received since childhood is the word 'loyalty'. Loyalty to the organization, loyalty to the motherland, filial piety to parents, loyalty to love. I will never be disloyal or unfilial."

This attitude infuriated the middle-aged woman. She said in a low voice, "Do you know the consequences?"

Zhou Zhiyuan straightened his neck and replied, "Loyalty and filial piety are my bottom line. I will never be a traitor." His face revealed a determined look.

The middle-aged woman frowned and pondered for a moment, then said coldly, "Think about it carefully."

After saying this, she got up and walked out. The two young soldiers immediately walked in, guarding the door and window respectively.

After a while, the young soldier guarding the door said softly, "There is a traitor among you."

Zhou Zhiyuan replied indifferently, "No one trusts a traitor."

"Not bad," the young soldier standing by the window replied softly. Then, the room fell silent.

Zhou Zhiyuan sat upright on the stool, his eyes slightly closed, as if he had entered a state of meditation.

The young soldier guarding the door suddenly asked softly, "Are you practicing internal martial arts?"

Hearing him ask, Zhou Zhiyuan opened his eyes and replied softly, "When I was young, I only practiced street boxing. It wasn't famous. I relied entirely on fighting to improve my combat skills."

"After joining the army, I practiced combat boxing, wrestled with my comrades, and participated in the self-defense counterattack. I formed my own combat style through battlefield fighting."

"After returning home, I was inspired by seeing a group of old people practicing Tai Chi. Later, I went to see Doctor Xie to treat my injuries and saw Doctor Xie teaching Lanbo the Five Animal Frolics and explaining the mysteries in detail. I was suddenly enlightened. Now, I don't even know what kind of boxing I'm practicing."

Zhou Zhiyuan told the truth, giving people the impression that his style was very mixed.

But after the two young soldiers pondered for a moment, the young soldier guarding the door said solemnly, "Thank you."

He was an expert and understood. The young soldier standing by the window also nodded slightly.

Zhou Zhiyuan said softly, "Don't easily practice my one-handed cocking method. Doing so is very damaging to the elbow. I only did it to intimidate you two. There is also another one-handed cocking method..."

As he spoke, he stood up, made a pistol shape with his left hand, his arm dropped, and his left heel immediately lifted up and kicked upwards. This action made the two young soldiers stare in unison.

But Zhou Zhiyuan made a gesture, then sat upright on the stool and closed his eyes.