With such conclusive evidence in front of them, dozens of Jian’an officials confessed to their crimes under the lead of Liu Jianguo, confessing their collusion with the Dragon-Tiger Gang, and their heinous acts. The Special Investigation Committee was also well-versed in their methods and made sure to record everyone’s confession in private, to have a better chance at determining lies from the truth.
“Great! Boy, it’s all thanks to your contribution this time that we were able to succeed with our mission. If you hadn’t helped us completely recover the Accounts Book, not only would we have failed in convicting Liu Jianguo and his cronies, he might even reverse the charge and put the blame on us!”
Now that the matter had finally come to an end, the criminal police vice squad leader, Yan Longyong, could finally rest his heart easy. One could say that this was the biggest case he had cracked during all his time in the criminal police department.
“Chief Yan, it’s what I should have done. Moreover, Liu Jianguo and his son, Liu Yuanfeng, also had enmity with me, so it only helps me if their family gets toppled from power like this. Now, I no longer need to be afraid of Liu Yuanfeng’s retaliation, and my parents won’t have to worry about not finding any work!”
The previously high and mighty Secretary Liu of the Jian’an Municipal Committee now had his head lowered like a criminal without a shred of arrogance as he confessed to his crimes and awaited a severe penalty; just being able to get this outcome was enough to fill Su Lin’s heart with a great sense of achievement.
But the most important fact was that now, with Liu Jianguo’s fall from power, his son, Liu Yuanfeng, wouldn’t be able to escape from justice either. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Liu father and son’s influence from Jian’an was about to completely disappear. Once that happened, Su Lin wouldn’t have to be worried about his parents being unable to find work.
Previously, all those places had refused to hire his parents solely because of Liu Yuanfeng’s threat. But now that Liu father and son were going to get convicted for their crimes, would his parents have to worry about not finding work with their years of experience?
What’s more? There were now 6 million Yuan in his bank account, far more than the few thousand his parents made every month. However, what made Su Lin worry was how he would go to his parents and explain the origins of all this money to them.
“Su Lin, you did really well this time!”
Su Lin and Yan Longyong had been talking outside the conference hall when they saw Fang Liping unexpectedly walk out and praise Su Lin with a smile.
‘Woah, Aunt Ping actually smiled towards me!’
As much as Su Lin remembered his encounters with Fang Liping, he had always seen her wearing a serious expression. Although Fang Liping was a woman, the aura she radiated when someone was in her vicinity was enough to make someone lose their guts for half a day. But today, Fang Liping had unexpectedly smiled towards him, Su Lin, on her own volition. And it wasn’t just a smile out of politeness, but a true smile filled with happiness, a smile of sheer joy.
“Aunt Ping, it was what I should have done. It’s all because I have a really good memory that I was able to remember the contents of the Accounts Book. They thought that we wouldn’t be able to do anything to them after they burnt the Accounts Book, but how would they know I would be able to recover the Accounts Book even if they burnt another 100 of them!”
Seeing Fang Liping’s expression allowed Su Lin to relax, and he replied in a somewhat boasting manner.
“You kid!”
Fang Liping didn’t mind Su Lin’s tone and said with a smile, “I am aware of your great ability. Yanran told me before how she lent you her notebooks for an evening, and you returned them to her the next morning, having remembered all their contents to the T, without a single error. No wonder you rose to the Top 10 of the Grade so suddenly. I don’t know just what kind of pills your mother took when giving birth to you, for you to have such a monstrous memory!”
“Oh? Yanran told you that?”
Su Lin was surprised. He had not thought Qin Yanran would actually talk about these matters with her mother. Perhaps, Qin Yanran had only mentioned the matter as something interesting, but now that Su Lin heard about the matter, his heart went a little wild with fantasy. But when he thought about Qin Yanran’s icy demeanor and treatment of him, Su Lin couldn’t help but feel a tad discouraged.
Didn’t the sages of the old say the heart of women was like a bottomless pit of petty thoughts. (TL: Please don’t grill me!) He wondered just what did they think about all day long? Su Lin couldn’t be bothered to think too much into the matter, and decided to let nature take its course. Although, that’s what he wanted to do, now that the fantasies had sprouted inside his mind, he couldn’t help but feel the itch.
“That’s not all! I don’t know just what magic you, little devil, have casted upon our family’s Yanran, but before, our Yanran had never mentioned anything about her classmates, let alone talking only about a male classmate of hers. But now, for the last half a month, she’s only been talking about you, her handsome and smart classmate. She’s been going Su Lin this, and Su Lin that…”
As she spoke, Fang Liping suddenly narrowed her eyes to seriously look at Su Lin. She had not forgotten how her beloved daughter had left the hospital in sadness that evening, and how she had locked herself up in her room and cried. So Fang Liping immediately asked Su Lin about his visit to the hospital, “Oh right! Su Lin, what made you visit the hospital the other day?”
“I… Aunt Ping, didn’t I tell you about it that evening? The aunt who lives next door got sick, so I took my parents’ place to visit her, to see how she was doing. I didn’t know I would meet you, Aunt Ping, right when I left…”
Su Lin blinked and answered with some fear lingering in his heart as he answered her. He didn’t dare let anyone know about his fervent time with Elder Sister Zhu in that hospital ward.
“Eh? Didn’t you come across Yanran in the hospital? If I remember correctly, Yanran had gone after you when she saw you pass by our hospital ward’s entrance that evening!” Fang Liping asked.
“Did she? But I didn’t see Yanran anywhere in the hospital that evening!”
No matter how Su Lin tried to rack his brain, he couldn’t recall seeing Qin Yanran in the hospital that evening. He couldn’t help but wonder if there had been some sort of a misunderstanding? At once, Su Lin stopped thinking about the matter. Since he hadn’t seen her, there was nothing he could do about it.
No matter how Su Lin tried to rack his brain, he couldn’t recall seeing Qin Yanran in the hospital that evening. He couldn’t help but wonder if there had been some sort of a misunderstanding? At once, Su Lin stopped thinking about the matter. Since he hadn’t seen her, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Alright, let’s not talk about these matters. Su Lin, tomorrow’s your College Entrance Examination, so you must be in a severe need of a good night’s rest! If you can score great and get admitted to a good University, your future will be immensely bright. Your talent will also be able to benefit the nation and the people!”
Fang Liping was worthy of being the Mayor of Jian’an as she immediately changed the subject once she failed to get the answer she was looking for.
“That’s right! Aunt Ping, you don’t have to worry about it; I guarantee you I will be able to score great and be able to get admission in the best Universities of the country!” As Su Lin said this, he remembered what Li Hao had reminded him in the morning. And now that he had Fang Liping here to answer his questions, he couldn’t not ask her about the University Qin Yanran was aiming for, so he said, “Oh right! Aunt Ping, I wonder if Yanran has already decided on the University she wishes to apply to after the College Entrance Examination? With Yanran’s achievements, it won’t be hard for her to get into any University of her choice!”
“I am not too worried about Yanran’s studies. I am sure she would either apply to Tsinghua or Peking University! Either way, she will be going to a University in the capital…”
Fang Liping almost became excited when she spoke up, but then immediately calmed herself down, “Moreover, her grandfather, uncles, and rest of her paternal family are in the capital. It’s just that her father had passed away early on, and hence I brought her over her to Jian’an. So she will definitely be going back to the capital for her further studies! What’s more? Her grandmother wants to send Yanran to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to become an artist. In the end, it will be up to Yanran to decide for herself, and I don’t intend to intervene in her decision-making!”
‘What am I going to do if Yanran actually goes to the Central University of Fine Arts?’
Su Lin already knew of their being a possibility where Qin Yanran might go to either Tsinghua or Peking University, but now, there was an equal chance she might end up going to the Central University of Fine Arts. If it were the former two, everything would be great, but if she chose the latter… Su Lin had zero foundation in the ability to draw, and he had never bothered taking any sort of art classes either, so if Qin Yanran really chose to get admission in the Central University of Fine Arts, he probably won’t have a chance to study in the same University as her then.
“Right! My mother, Yanran’s grandmother, used to teach at the Central University of Fine Arts; she was a professor there. And my mother told me that evening that you were the one who saved her life, and my mother can’t stop talking about you in the hospital. So how about you visit her at the hospital with us after your College Entrance Examinations are over?”
Fang Liping had a kind expression on her face, and the strict and majestic look of the Mayor was nowhere to be found on her. The look she gave Su Lin was incomparably gentle, as if she weren’t looking at an outsider, but someone from her own family.
As she spoke, Fang Liping herself felt strange and her heart was full of questions about everything that had happened over the last few days. Su Lin, such an ordinary you g man, had become the greatest benefactor of their family. Her mother’s life had been saved by him, she, herself, had been rescued by him back in Jiaxing Hotel, and even her daughter, Qin Yanran, was her classmate and seemed to have a positive impression of him. To top it off, he helped her avenge her deep-seated hatred over her husband’s death by completely toppling Liu Jianguo from power. All of this was thanks to none other than him, Su Lin. And her family’s connection to him seemed to be getting stronger and stronger as time passed!
Moreover, she could clearly see from her daughter’s actions that she had started to get romantically interested in the opposite gender, and that all seemed to be due to him, Su Lin, as well.
“Oh right! How could I forget about that? I had been thinking of visiting her yesterday, but then the accident happened and everything is as you know. Let’s do it as you say. Once the College Entrance Examinations end, I will definitely pay a visit!”
Su Lin was in a fantastic mood at the moment, after all, he had finally dealt with the biggest threat to his family. Now, he no longer felt a sense of danger or any pressure, and he had even obtained a great sum of money from the Dragon-Tiger Gang, so there was no economical issue to speak off either. It could be said that his life was going to take a turn for the better now, and he would get to experience a broader world soon, too!
But just then, the criminal police vice squad leader, Yan Longyong, who had been standing nearby rushed over and interrupted Su Lin while handing him his phone, “Su Lin, take the call… it’s from your mother.”
“Hello, mother…”
Su Lin took the phone and answered. Seemed like his mother had been worried about him, so she decided to call Yan Longyong to ask about him.
“Brat, where did you run off to? It’s almost 9 in the evening! Are you even coming back? Tomorrow’s the College Entrance Examinations, you know?”
Just when Su Lin put the phone next to his ear, his mother’s all-too-familiar voice sounded from the other side.
“Mother, I am currently at the Mayor’s Office, and will immediately come back home once the matter here is dealt with. I helped Chief Yan, and now they are capturing large numbers of corrupt officials! Right! Mother, you and father no longer have to worry about not finding any work. No one will cause any trouble for you anymore!”
As Su Lin told the news to his mother, he thought she would be excited with joy, but he was disappointed when he heard her next words, “You… You can’t come back tonight. You should… just go to Little Hao’s place and spend the night over there. Tomorrow morning, you can go to take the College Entrance Examinations together with him. You know those bastards who broke into our house smashed and flipped all the furniture in the house, so the house is uninhabitable right now! Your father and I came over to your little aunt’s place for the night, and we will go back to settle everything tomorrow. We will let you know when you can come back home!”
“Mother, you didn’t call because you were worried about me, right? Instead, it was to tell me to not come back home for the night!” Su Lin pulled a long face as he spoke. He had thought that once he was done with these matters, he would be able to go back home, take a nice bath, and get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s College Entrance Examinations!
“Alright, that was all from me! Remember, tomorrow’s the College Entrance Examination, so you can’t be late no matter what!”
Ding! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Mother Su felt relieved and hung up the phone, leaving Su Lin with a resigned face as he returned the phone to Yan Longyong.
“What happened? My little hero Su, have you been kicked out of your house and lacking a place to spend the night?”
Fang Liping, who had been standing by the side, didn’t miss the dialogue between Su Lin and his mother, and couldn’t help but tease him a little.
“That’s right! Aunt Ping, those men in black who broke into our house to steal the Accounts Book turned our house upside down, and even flipped the beds and furniture. It will probably take a day or two for everything to be reorganized, and I am afraid it’s not habitable as it is now. I must go over to my friend’s place to spend the night!”
“Oh! So that’s how it is! Then… how about you rest at our house, Su Lin? Both you and Yanran need to attend the College Entrance Examination tomorrow, so I can drive you both to the Examination Center from our place.”
With such conclusive evidence in front of them, dozens of Jian’an officials confessed to their crimes under the lead of Liu Jianguo, confessing their collusion with the Dragon-Tiger Gang, and their heinous acts. The Special Investigation Committee was also well-versed in their methods and made sure to record everyone’s confession in private, to have a better chance at determining lies from the truth.
“Great! Boy, it’s all thanks to your contribution this time that we were able to succeed with our mission. If you hadn’t helped us completely recover the Accounts Book, not only would we have failed in convicting Liu Jianguo and his cronies, he might even reverse the charge and put the blame on us!”
Now that the matter had finally come to an end, the criminal police vice squad leader, Yan Longyong, could finally rest his heart easy. One could say that this was the biggest case he had cracked during all his time in the criminal police department.
“Chief Yan, it’s what I should have done. Moreover, Liu Jianguo and his son, Liu Yuanfeng, also had enmity with me, so it only helps me if their family gets toppled from power like this. Now, I no longer need to be afraid of Liu Yuanfeng’s retaliation, and my parents won’t have to worry about not finding any work!”
The previously high and mighty Secretary Liu of the Jian’an Municipal Committee now had his head lowered like a criminal without a shred of arrogance as he confessed to his crimes and awaited a severe penalty; just being able to get this outcome was enough to fill Su Lin’s heart with a great sense of achievement.
But the most important fact was that now, with Liu Jianguo’s fall from power, his son, Liu Yuanfeng, wouldn’t be able to escape from justice either. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Liu father and son’s influence from Jian’an was about to completely disappear. Once that happened, Su Lin wouldn’t have to be worried about his parents being unable to find work.
Previously, all those places had refused to hire his parents solely because of Liu Yuanfeng’s threat. But now that Liu father and son were going to get convicted for their crimes, would his parents have to worry about not finding work with their years of experience?
What’s more? There were now 6 million Yuan in his bank account, far more than the few thousand his parents made every month. However, what made Su Lin worry was how he would go to his parents and explain the origins of all this money to them.
“Su Lin, you did really well this time!”
Su Lin and Yan Longyong had been talking outside the conference hall when they saw Fang Liping unexpectedly walk out and praise Su Lin with a smile.
‘Woah, Aunt Ping actually smiled towards me!’
As much as Su Lin remembered his encounters with Fang Liping, he had always seen her wearing a serious expression. Although Fang Liping was a woman, the aura she radiated when someone was in her vicinity was enough to make someone lose their guts for half a day. But today, Fang Liping had unexpectedly smiled towards him, Su Lin, on her own volition. And it wasn’t just a smile out of politeness, but a true smile filled with happiness, a smile of sheer joy.
“Aunt Ping, it was what I should have done. It’s all because I have a really good memory that I was able to remember the contents of the Accounts Book. They thought that we wouldn’t be able to do anything to them after they burnt the Accounts Book, but how would they know I would be able to recover the Accounts Book even if they burnt another 100 of them!”
Seeing Fang Liping’s expression allowed Su Lin to relax, and he replied in a somewhat boasting manner.
“You kid!”
Fang Liping didn’t mind Su Lin’s tone and said with a smile, “I am aware of your great ability. Yanran told me before how she lent you her notebooks for an evening, and you returned them to her the next morning, having remembered all their contents to the T, without a single error. No wonder you rose to the Top 10 of the Grade so suddenly. I don’t know just what kind of pills your mother took when giving birth to you, for you to have such a monstrous memory!”
“Oh? Yanran told you that?”
Su Lin was surprised. He had not thought Qin Yanran would actually talk about these matters with her mother. Perhaps, Qin Yanran had only mentioned the matter as something interesting, but now that Su Lin heard about the matter, his heart went a little wild with fantasy. But when he thought about Qin Yanran’s icy demeanor and treatment of him, Su Lin couldn’t help but feel a tad discouraged.
Didn’t the sages of the old say the heart of women was like a bottomless pit of petty thoughts. (TL: Please don’t grill me!) He wondered just what did they think about all day long? Su Lin couldn’t be bothered to think too much into the matter, and decided to let nature take its course. Although, that’s what he wanted to do, now that the fantasies had sprouted inside his mind, he couldn’t help but feel the itch.
“That’s not all! I don’t know just what magic you, little devil, have casted upon our family’s Yanran, but before, our Yanran had never mentioned anything about her classmates, let alone talking only about a male classmate of hers. But now, for the last half a month, she’s only been talking about you, her handsome and smart classmate. She’s been going Su Lin this, and Su Lin that…”
As she spoke, Fang Liping suddenly narrowed her eyes to seriously look at Su Lin. She had not forgotten how her beloved daughter had left the hospital in sadness that evening, and how she had locked herself up in her room and cried. So Fang Liping immediately asked Su Lin about his visit to the hospital, “Oh right! Su Lin, what made you visit the hospital the other day?”
“I… Aunt Ping, didn’t I tell you about it that evening? The aunt who lives next door got sick, so I took my parents’ place to visit her, to see how she was doing. I didn’t know I would meet you, Aunt Ping, right when I left…”
Su Lin blinked and answered with some fear lingering in his heart as he answered her. He didn’t dare let anyone know about his fervent time with Elder Sister Zhu in that hospital ward.
“Eh? Didn’t you come across Yanran in the hospital? If I remember correctly, Yanran had gone after you when she saw you pass by our hospital ward’s entrance that evening!” Fang Liping asked.
“Did she? But I didn’t see Yanran anywhere in the hospital that evening!”
No matter how Su Lin tried to rack his brain, he couldn’t recall seeing Qin Yanran in the hospital that evening. He couldn’t help but wonder if there had been some sort of a misunderstanding? At once, Su Lin stopped thinking about the matter. Since he hadn’t seen her, there was nothing he could do about it.
No matter how Su Lin tried to rack his brain, he couldn’t recall seeing Qin Yanran in the hospital that evening. He couldn’t help but wonder if there had been some sort of a misunderstanding? At once, Su Lin stopped thinking about the matter. Since he hadn’t seen her, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Alright, let’s not talk about these matters. Su Lin, tomorrow’s your College Entrance Examination, so you must be in a severe need of a good night’s rest! If you can score great and get admitted to a good University, your future will be immensely bright. Your talent will also be able to benefit the nation and the people!”
Fang Liping was worthy of being the Mayor of Jian’an as she immediately changed the subject once she failed to get the answer she was looking for.
“That’s right! Aunt Ping, you don’t have to worry about it; I guarantee you I will be able to score great and be able to get admission in the best Universities of the country!” As Su Lin said this, he remembered what Li Hao had reminded him in the morning. And now that he had Fang Liping here to answer his questions, he couldn’t not ask her about the University Qin Yanran was aiming for, so he said, “Oh right! Aunt Ping, I wonder if Yanran has already decided on the University she wishes to apply to after the College Entrance Examination? With Yanran’s achievements, it won’t be hard for her to get into any University of her choice!”
“I am not too worried about Yanran’s studies. I am sure she would either apply to Tsinghua or Peking University! Either way, she will be going to a University in the capital…”
Fang Liping almost became excited when she spoke up, but then immediately calmed herself down, “Moreover, her grandfather, uncles, and rest of her paternal family are in the capital. It’s just that her father had passed away early on, and hence I brought her over her to Jian’an. So she will definitely be going back to the capital for her further studies! What’s more? Her grandmother wants to send Yanran to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to become an artist. In the end, it will be up to Yanran to decide for herself, and I don’t intend to intervene in her decision-making!”
‘What am I going to do if Yanran actually goes to the Central University of Fine Arts?’
Su Lin already knew of their being a possibility where Qin Yanran might go to either Tsinghua or Peking University, but now, there was an equal chance she might end up going to the Central University of Fine Arts. If it were the former two, everything would be great, but if she chose the latter… Su Lin had zero foundation in the ability to draw, and he had never bothered taking any sort of art classes either, so if Qin Yanran really chose to get admission in the Central University of Fine Arts, he probably won’t have a chance to study in the same University as her then.
“Right! My mother, Yanran’s grandmother, used to teach at the Central University of Fine Arts; she was a professor there. And my mother told me that evening that you were the one who saved her life, and my mother can’t stop talking about you in the hospital. So how about you visit her at the hospital with us after your College Entrance Examinations are over?”
Fang Liping had a kind expression on her face, and the strict and majestic look of the Mayor was nowhere to be found on her. The look she gave Su Lin was incomparably gentle, as if she weren’t looking at an outsider, but someone from her own family.
As she spoke, Fang Liping herself felt strange and her heart was full of questions about everything that had happened over the last few days. Su Lin, such an ordinary you g man, had become the greatest benefactor of their family. Her mother’s life had been saved by him, she, herself, had been rescued by him back in Jiaxing Hotel, and even her daughter, Qin Yanran, was her classmate and seemed to have a positive impression of him. To top it off, he helped her avenge her deep-seated hatred over her husband’s death by completely toppling Liu Jianguo from power. All of this was thanks to none other than him, Su Lin. And her family’s connection to him seemed to be getting stronger and stronger as time passed!
Moreover, she could clearly see from her daughter’s actions that she had started to get romantically interested in the opposite gender, and that all seemed to be due to him, Su Lin, as well.
“Oh right! How could I forget about that? I had been thinking of visiting her yesterday, but then the accident happened and everything is as you know. Let’s do it as you say. Once the College Entrance Examinations end, I will definitely pay a visit!”
Su Lin was in a fantastic mood at the moment, after all, he had finally dealt with the biggest threat to his family. Now, he no longer felt a sense of danger or any pressure, and he had even obtained a great sum of money from the Dragon-Tiger Gang, so there was no economical issue to speak off either. It could be said that his life was going to take a turn for the better now, and he would get to experience a broader world soon, too!
But just then, the criminal police vice squad leader, Yan Longyong, who had been standing nearby rushed over and interrupted Su Lin while handing him his phone, “Su Lin, take the call… it’s from your mother.”
“Hello, mother…”
Su Lin took the phone and answered. Seemed like his mother had been worried about him, so she decided to call Yan Longyong to ask about him.
“Brat, where did you run off to? It’s almost 9 in the evening! Are you even coming back? Tomorrow’s the College Entrance Examinations, you know?”
Just when Su Lin put the phone next to his ear, his mother’s all-too-familiar voice sounded from the other side.
“Mother, I am currently at the Mayor’s Office, and will immediately come back home once the matter here is dealt with. I helped Chief Yan, and now they are capturing large numbers of corrupt officials! Right! Mother, you and father no longer have to worry about not finding any work. No one will cause any trouble for you anymore!”
As Su Lin told the news to his mother, he thought she would be excited with joy, but he was disappointed when he heard her next words, “You… You can’t come back tonight. You should… just go to Little Hao’s place and spend the night over there. Tomorrow morning, you can go to take the College Entrance Examinations together with him. You know those bastards who broke into our house smashed and flipped all the furniture in the house, so the house is uninhabitable right now! Your father and I came over to your little aunt’s place for the night, and we will go back to settle everything tomorrow. We will let you know when you can come back home!”
“Mother, you didn’t call because you were worried about me, right? Instead, it was to tell me to not come back home for the night!” Su Lin pulled a long face as he spoke. He had thought that once he was done with these matters, he would be able to go back home, take a nice bath, and get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s College Entrance Examinations!
“Alright, that was all from me! Remember, tomorrow’s the College Entrance Examination, so you can’t be late no matter what!”
Ding! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Mother Su felt relieved and hung up the phone, leaving Su Lin with a resigned face as he returned the phone to Yan Longyong.
“What happened? My little hero Su, have you been kicked out of your house and lacking a place to spend the night?”
Fang Liping, who had been standing by the side, didn’t miss the dialogue between Su Lin and his mother, and couldn’t help but tease him a little.
“That’s right! Aunt Ping, those men in black who broke into our house to steal the Accounts Book turned our house upside down, and even flipped the beds and furniture. It will probably take a day or two for everything to be reorganized, and I am afraid it’s not habitable as it is now. I must go over to my friend’s place to spend the night!”
“Oh! So that’s how it is! Then… how about you rest at our house, Su Lin? Both you and Yanran need to attend the College Entrance Examination tomorrow, so I can drive you both to the Examination Center from our place.”
