Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

This feeling reached its peak the moment she parked the car and got out.

There aren't many parking spaces downstairs, but the best one—the one closest to the building entrance, the most spacious, and the easiest to get in and out—is always hers. Right now, her red Mini is parked there, right next to Xiao Gangyu's dusty gray Volkswagen Passat. One red, one gray; one new, one old—like an incompatible couple, yet they park side-by-side every day.

She got out of the car, picked up her bag, locked the car, and walked towards the building entrance.

I encountered three people in just a few dozen steps.

The first one was Old Zhou, the deputy captain of the public security brigade who lived in the next unit. He was carrying a garbage bag and walking out. When he saw Liang Lu, Old Zhou immediately stopped and smiled broadly: "Sister-in-law is back? It's so late, have you eaten yet?"

Liang Lu nodded and hummed in agreement, without stopping.

The second person was Xiao Li from the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau, who had just come downstairs with his car keys in his hand, as if he was about to leave. Upon seeing Liang Lu, Xiao Li stepped aside and gave a slight bow: "Hello, Teacher Liang."

Liang Lu nodded again.

The third person was an elderly lady living on the second floor, surnamed Wang. Her husband was a retired leader from the department. Mrs. Wang had difficulty walking and came downstairs slowly. Seeing Liang Lu, she called out from afar, "Lulu, I haven't seen you in days! You've become even more beautiful! How do you take care of your skin? Teach me!"

Liang Lu finally smiled, stopped walking, and said politely, "Aunt Wang, you're teasing me again. I don't do any skincare, I just apply some random creams."

Grandma Wang took her hand, looked her up and down, and exclaimed in admiration, "Look at that demeanor! No wonder she comes from a highly educated family. Old Xiao is so lucky!"

Liang Lu smiled, withdrew her hand, and said she had something to do, so she went upstairs first. Grandma Wang called from behind, "Come over for dinner another day!"

As she stepped into the building, the smile on her face vanished instantly, as if wiped away by a hand.

The hallway was brightly lit, the walls were painted snow-white, and the floor tiles were polished to a shine. She stepped onto the stairs, her high heels making a crisp clattering sound that echoed in the empty hallway.

That's why she insisted on living here.

It wasn't because the building itself was so nice, but because of the way the people in it looked at her. That kind of envious, ingratiating, and slightly timid flattery—that was what Liang Lu deserved. She was Liang Qunfeng's daughter, Xiao Gangyu's wife, and one of the most prominent women in the building.

She took the elevator to the third floor, took out her keys, and opened the door.

The door opened. The entryway light was on, casting a warm yellow glow on her face. She changed into slippers, hung her bag on the hook in the entryway, and went inside.

The living room is filled with mahogany furniture—mahogany sofas, mahogany coffee tables, mahogany TV cabinets, and mahogany display shelves. The deep red wood gleams with a somber light under the lamplight, like congealed blood.

This was the decorating style left by the previous director. That director was almost sixty when he took office, and his aesthetic leaned towards the older generation—a style that emphasized weight, grandeur, and presence. But Liang Lu didn't like that. She preferred Western styles, Scandinavian minimalism, or the understated elegance of Japanese style. White walls, light wood floors, fabric sofas, floor-to-ceiling windows—sunlight streamed in, making it bright and airy.

She disliked the dark, oppressive, coffin-like old wood.

She had considered reinstalling the equipment.

However, adding some furniture and appliances could be covered by the office budget, but to do it her way, it would have to be a complete renovation—removing all the mahogany furniture, replacing the flooring, wallpaper, lights, everything. She had mentioned this to Xiao Gangyu more than once.

Xiao Gangyu disagreed.

It wasn't that he was afraid of showing off or being conspicuous; he simply didn't want to spend money. In Xiao Gangyu's mind, this house was just for temporary accommodation. The former director had decorated it quite well, and as long as it was usable, there was no need to waste money on this. Liang Lu offered to pay for it herself, but he refused.

“If you can’t get used to living here, then go live in your own house.” Every time the argument reached this point, Xiao Gangyu would say this, “Anyway, I’m not doing any renovations.”

Separation? That won't do.

Once, she and Xiao Gangyu had a falling out and were in a cold war for a few days. During those days, she clearly felt that the people in the family compound had changed their attitude towards her. Some cadres from the Public Security Bureau were polite to her, but there was a distance between them, as if they were avoiding something. Several ladies, on the other hand, were very enthusiastic, holding her hand and saying, "The director is busy with work, you should be more understanding," the implication being that she should stop making trouble and make up with him as soon as possible.

What angered her even more was that these actions were not initiated by Xiao Gangyu, but were entirely spontaneous by these people.

This made her both angry and resentful. Since when did Liang Lu have to live her life according to other people's whims?

But she also knew that this was related to the Liang family. Her eldest and second eldest brothers were useless, and her father had retired; she had no family to rely on. She was able to stand firm here because of Xiao Gangyu's position. If even Xiao Gangyu became disloyal to her, then she would truly be nothing.

So she put up with it. If she didn't want to reinstall, she didn't want to; if it was redwood, she didn't want to—she was just coming back to sleep anyway.

But today, she was already in a bad mood. Leaving the sanatorium, her mind was filled with her father's words, "Accept your fate," and the ashen faces of Liang Yu and Liang Jin. She was seething with anger, with nowhere to vent it. Now, seeing all this red everywhere, her anger flared even more.

She walked into the house listlessly.

"came back?"

Xiao Gangyu stepped out from the balcony, still smelling of cigarette smoke. He hadn't gone to the living room all day, waiting at home for news of her return. His face was filled with anxiety, his eyes fixed on her, his voice deliberately low and urgent: "What did your father say?"

Liang Lu didn't look at him. Her gaze fell on Xiao Gangyu's feet—those leather shoes, the ones he'd worn in from outside, stepping on the living room floor, stepping on the clean tiles of the entryway.

“I’ve told you so many times,” her voice was cold, “you need to change your shoes when you get home. It’s so dirty outside.”

Xiao Gangyu was stunned for a moment.

He looked at Liang Lu's face. On that well-maintained face, which made it impossible to tell her real age, there was no fear of having just returned from the Discipline Inspection Commission, no worry about her brother's or husband's future, and no heartache for her father's health—only dissatisfaction with a pair of leather shoes stepping on the floor.

Xiao Gangyu felt as if a stone was lodged in his chest.

This woman never gets to the point. He'd known that for a long time. But even now, a wave of frustration welled up inside him, stuck in his throat, impossible to swallow or spit out.

He held back.

Arguing with a woman can lead to an hour of dredging up old grievances. From you not taking off your shoes when you come in the door, to you forgetting your wedding anniversary, to you not coming home for dinner on her birthday three years ago. He could spend the entire evening arguing about those shoes.

He didn't want to argue. He wasn't in the mood or had the time right now.

He turned and walked to the entryway, changing into slippers. His movements were quick, but each step carried a suppressed fire.

When he returned, Liang Lu was already opening the balcony window. She pushed it open, and the early summer heat rushed in, dispersing some of the lingering smell of smoke in the living room. Then she turned around and blurted out:

"Don't smoke at home. Go outside to smoke. I don't like the smell of smoke."

Xiao Gangyu took a deep breath.

“I know,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “But in the current situation, if my colleagues see me smoking outside, they will have unnecessary thoughts about it.”

"Can't you just quit smoking?" Liang Lu persisted, her voice shrill. "What's so good about cigarettes? You've been smoking for so many years, your lungs must be black by now!"

Xiao Gangyu's temples throbbed. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into the flesh of his palms.

"Are you out of your mind?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a fierce force that had been suppressed for too long and could finally be released. Liang Lu was startled by the voice and froze on the spot.

"Can't you see the situation right now?" Xiao Gangyu took a step forward, his eyes bloodshot like a spider web. "Your older brothers' affairs, your father's affairs, and your own recent release from the Discipline Inspection Commission—do you know what this means?"

He paused, as if he wanted to chew up his words before spitting them out.

"You're about to go to jail, and you're still worrying about smoking and slippers?"

Liang Lu's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Xiao Gangyu didn't give her the chance.

"Your second brother used to work in the prison system. Ask him if anyone in prison changes your slippers for you or cares if you like the smell of smoke?"

His voice grew louder and louder until it was almost a shout.

"idiot!"

Those two words were like a slap across Liang Lu's face. She stood there, her face ashen, her lips trembling, momentarily forgetting to retort.

She had never seen Xiao Gangyu like this before. For thirty years, this man had always spoken softly and obediently to her. He nodded in agreement with everything she said; he gave her whatever she wanted. She thought he was afraid of her, that he loved her, and that he truly believed everything she said was right.

But now she knows that he wasn't afraid of her, nor did he love her. He was just enduring. Enduring for thirty years.

Xiao Gangyu's chest heaved violently, like a wild beast enraged. He stared at Liang Lu, his voice lower, but there was something even more terrifying in that lower voice.

"What did the old man say?"

Liang Lu subconsciously shrank back, her voice trembling: "That's my dad... Show some respect."

Xiao Gangyu moved his hand.

He grabbed a cup from the coffee table, raised it, and was about to smash it.

The cup hung suspended in mid-air. His arm was frozen there, veins bulging, and the muscles in his face were contorted like a crumpled piece of paper.

He didn't smash it.

He was afraid of making a scene. Next door lived Deputy Director Liu, and the entire building was filled with people from the department. At this critical juncture, any slight disturbance would be magnified, spread, and embellished into evidence that "something happened to Xiao Gangyu's family."

He couldn't let anyone know. He couldn't let anyone see. He couldn't let anyone have even the slightest guess.

He gently placed the cup back on the coffee table, so quietly it was almost silent. But the expression on his face didn't change—twisted, ferocious, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

Looking at his face, Liang Lu's heart sank. She was suddenly afraid. Not afraid that he would hit her—she was afraid of the look in his eyes, that look of despair, of being at one's wits' end, of someone who was willing to risk everything.

She had known this man for twenty years and had never seen anything like this in his eyes before.

"What did your dad say?" Xiao Gangyu asked, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

Liang Lu's voice was mechanical, like she was reciting a poem: "My dad said... we should confess and accept our fate."

The living room fell silent.

Xiao Gangyu stood there, motionless, as if someone had struck his pressure points.

Then, his anger receded like the tide. Not slowly, but in an instant, with a whoosh, it all vanished. Completely gone, leaving nothing behind.

He felt as if all his bones had been removed, and he went limp. He walked to the mahogany sofa and sat down. As he sat down, his body sank downwards, as if something was pulling him down. He leaned there, closed his eyes, and remained motionless.

The mahogany sofa was very hard. He used to think it was nice—grand, substantial, and weighty. But now, for the first time, he felt that the sofa was too hard, so hard it was uncomfortable, so hard that he couldn't sit on it. Yet he sat down, because he didn't have the strength to stand up.

Liang Lu was startled by his sudden change in mood. Just moments ago he was like a wild beast about to bite, but now he was sprawled on the sofa like a lump of mud. She panicked for a moment, walked over, sat down next to him, and tugged at his sleeve.

"You...you shouldn't do this." Her voice softened, with a hint of pleading. "I'm just a university teacher, and I only get a share of the profits from my older brothers. At worst, I'll just return the money. What's the big deal? It's not embezzlement."

Xiao Gangyu did not open his eyes.

He didn't speak.

He sat there, like a soulless shell.

What Liang Lu didn't know was that Xiao Gangyu's thoughts were completely different from hers.

What she was thinking about was her share of the profits. Her amount of money was indeed insignificant. Being a figurehead and receiving a share of the profits was at most illegal business activity, not embezzlement or bribery. Returning the money, writing a self-criticism, and party disciplinary action—that was the worst possible outcome.

But Xiao Gangyu wasn't thinking about her money.

It's his own money.

He didn't embezzle? He did.

It's just that we didn't go through the Liang family's channels.

When Liang Qunfeng was in power, he had only recently graduated and was walking on thin ice. How could he have dared to be greedy? In those years, all the money was taken by Liang Yu and Liang Jin. He honestly served as a junior section chief, working diligently and never daring to cross the line.

Later, Xiao Gangyu received all the money together with Zhao Ruilong. He secretly took 20% of the shares in Guangshanshui Group.

Given the current situation, he would need a powerful figure to protect him if he wanted to escape unscathed.

Outside of Handong, there is only former Party Secretary Zhao Lichun.

But now the old Party Secretary has also stepped down to the second line, and his influence has greatly diminished. Otherwise, how could Sha Ruijin have dared to make veiled attacks and insinuations at the Standing Committee meetings so many times?

In Handong, there are only three and a half people with this ability: the three are Sha Ruijin, Liu Changsheng, and Qi Tongwei, and the half is Tian Guofu.