Glared at by almost ten pairs of eyes, the man couldnāt speak properly. When Du Kang asked to read the documents on top of that, he was nearly frightened to death.
Du Kang waited, but the man didnāt move. His face darkened. He snorted coldly, approached the man, took the documents from his hand, and skimmed through themā
The list of charges, the āconfession,ā the smudged handprintā¦
On the way here, Du Kang prayed things wouldnāt develop in the direction he least wanted to see. Though it was inevitable he would end up looking like an incompetent fool in front of Elder Fang and the provincial leaders who were about to arrive, heād wanted to save at least some face. However, reality gave him a cruel slap.
āWell, well, well, this is truly a masterpiece, written by an outstanding literary talent.ā He slapped the pile of papers on the desk and smiledāif the expression full of burning rage could be called a smile. āWhatās your name?ā
Though asked a simple question, the man didnāt dare open his mouth. His stomach churned, his knees turned to water, and it took all his willpower simply to stand.
Deng Maiās father, who still accompanied their group, introduced instead, āHeās Sun Laixin, Deputy Commissioner Liuās brother-in-law. Heās usually in charge of Baima Street.ā
Du Kang understood what was important. He nodded and repeated, āVery good, very good. Thatās the busiest area in town, and I guess thereās also a lot of ābenefits.ā Liuās brother-in-lawās in charge of it? Really, Liuās way of appointing duties makes me speechless.ā
Du Kang held a high position in Liyun Town; his subordinates always painted the scene in gold and glitter. He knew the actual state of affairs would never be that good, but when he finally peeled off the layer of gilt, he found the rot was even worse than expected. Since Elder Fang was also involved, it presumably wouldnāt be long before everything was widely known. He expected that soon, heād become the laughingstock of the whole Qunnan Province.
Trees cannot survive without bark, people cannot live without face. Du Kang thought about the consequences he would face and nearly coughed blood. The rage in his heart was so great it almost shattered the walls of the interrogation roomāhe planned for the culprits to suffer.
He personally unlocked the chain shackling Lin Jingzhe to the chair, giving him a smile full of sympathy: āWe let you suffer, young man.ā
His secretary, waiting at the side, had already prepared a damp towel. When Du Kang helped Lin Jingzhe stand up, he quickly stepped forward to support the youthās other arm, and to help clean his stained palm.
āIāll do it myself.ā Lin Jingzhe was upset, but heād long passed the age of taking his anger out on innocent. He also didnāt like other people entering his personal space, so he took the towel and added, āThank you.ā
āIām very sorry about all this. You can rest assured I will do everything in my power to make amends for everything you suffered,ā Du Kang said.
He sounded remorseful and apologetic, but Lin Jingzhe knew this was directed not so much at him as toward Elder Fang. He didnāt know this man, nor the rest of the people in his group, but Sun Laixinās behavior was enough of a clue.
Lin Jingzhe was a pragmatic man. He wiped his hand, threw the now dirty towel on the chair in which he spent such a long time, and gave a slight nod. His attitude was calm, not like that of a terrorized teenager at all. āYou donāt have to apologize, it wasnāt your fault, after all,ā he said.
Du Kangās heart filled with unspeakable gratitudeāthis remark was clearly meant to excuse him in front of Elder Fang.
Therefore, when he turned to the scared Sun Laixing, his anger burned even more fiercely.
Itās all because of this group of bastards! He hated he couldnāt flay them aliveāliterally!
Sun Laixing, who watched in shock, realized he might have offended someone he never should have. But how could this be? At the very beginning, he and his brother-in-law checked the information about Lin Jingzhe and confirmed he was an ordinary, powerless kid. His parents were divorced, the person who was his factual guardian died not too long ago, and he was estranged from the rest of his blood relatives. That was why they dared to be so bold. But now, Du Kang himself came to save him, and even apologized in such a humble way! What the hell was going on?!
Even after all this time, his brother-in-law didnāt come. Sun Laixin thought he was about to have a heart attack. He felt as if he faced the muzzle of a loaded gun. Sweat trickled down his face and formed a small puddle on the ground, but he didnāt dare to wipe it. He hunched over, wishing to make himself invisible.
At this moment, a commotion could be heard outside. A man slipped through the crowd near the door, hurried to Du Kangās side, and whispered in his ear.
āSo quickly?!ā Du Kang exclaimed, shocked. He promptly straightened his clothes and went out, looking solemn.
Su Laixin was abandoned like a dirty rag. His mind was completely blank.
He heard the manās whisper to Du Kang. It was, āMr. Zheng Cunzhiās car just drove in.ā
Zheng Cunzhi?!
Even if he forgot his own motherās name, he would never forget the name āZheng Cunzhi.ā
The world went dark before his eyes, his pulse racing. Lightheaded, he felt that suddenly, the air was too thin, and he would suffocate.
Lin Jingzhe got out of this ordeal unharmed. Except for the trouble of cleaning off the thick seal ink staining his palm, he didnāt lose a single hair.
Elder Fang, however, was angrier than he had ever been before. Before visiting Liyun Town, he hadnāt thought he would encounter such lawlessness in the peacetime. He bluntly rejected Zheng Cunzhiās proposal to return to the guest house, holding an emergency meeting instead. That evening, the conference table constantly shook from the hands slamming on it, and nobody counted how many teacups were smashed.
Zheng Cunzhi banged his fist on the table for the last time and bellowed, āInvestigate! Investigate this right now, and youād better be thorough!!!ā
Qunnan Province went through an upheaval because of this meeting. The members of the Cultural Relics Association were immediately detained and interrogated. Deputy Commissioner Liu and his cronies lost their positions, and by no means was it the end of their troubles. Deng Maiās father, Deng Fengshou, was appointed to be in charge.
The door of Lin Jingzheās house was opened wide, and the members of the museum delegation carefully removed the antiques from the warehouse. Elder Fang and Zheng Cunzhi stood in the front yard (which the people dispatched by Du Kang fixed up in express time), chatting while they supervised the whole operation.
Zheng Cunzhi opened a box that was about to be placed in the car and gently caressed the intricately patterned bronze vessel inside.
Influenced by Elder Fang, he also took a bit of interest in antiques. While he didnāt collect them, he knew enough to have some discerning ability.
āThe late Shang dynasty, a fine thing.ā He sighed, shook his head, then returned to Elder Fangās side. āThis is the grandest donation of cultural relics ever made in Qunnan Province. I never wouldāve imagined the donor was barely eighteen years old.ā
His words were true enough though he didnāt elaborateānot to mention Qunnan Province, even if one looked at the whole country, the number of antiquesā donations as large as this could be counted on the fingers of one hand. For some people, these irreplaceable, invaluable treasures, thousands of years old, were nothing more than symbols of wealth. They were willing to do anything to obtain them.
The gazes of the two men fell on Lin Jingzhe, who leaned against the door, expressionlessly watching the numerous boxes being carried away.
Both of them were used to dealing with people of all backgrounds and walks of life, and as such, were shrewd and astute observers. They easily caught the nostalgia and slight reluctance in Lin Jingzheās eyes, hidden under his chilly exterior. Elder Fang let out a sigh and said, āThat child isnāt simple. Youāre in his debt, you know? Though it was unintentional, he still did you a great favor.ā
Zheng Cunzhi nodded and smiled. āI didnāt expect the opportunity Iāve been waiting for would come so quickly. And to think that someone from the provincial government is actually the mastermind behind this case.ā
Elder Fang shook his head. āMoney can move peopleās hearts. Heās an adult, yet a child is more principled than him.ā
After signing the donation agreement and sending away the car surrounded by security personnel, Lin Jingzhe let out a long sigh. His chest felt both light and hollowed-out as if the heart disease tormenting him for a long time was cured. He was relieved, yet his relief was tinged with sadness.
Lin Jingzhe closed the door to the warehouse. In this life, he would never open it again.
Somewhat at a loss, he knelt in front of his grandfatherās memorial tablet. The fragrant smoke filled the room. Before leaving, Elder Fang and the people accompanying him solemnly lit incense for his grandfather.
Amid the faint curls of smoke, he quietly kowtowed three times.
His eyes, irritated by the incense, teared up, but he refused to close them, staring at the black and white photo of his grandfather.
The old manās familiar face looked as kind as ever. He seemed to gaze at Lin Jingzhe silently, his smile infinitely patient and gentle, as if there was nothing in the world he couldnāt forgive.
Itās finally over.
Lin Jingzhe knew, from this moment on, his life headed in a completely different direction.
Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang came to pick him up for school as usual.
Because of the antiques, most of the students in Class 5, including Lin Jingzhe, were absent for two days, which was pushing it this time of the year. So, Lin Jingzhe quickly dealt with his grief and adjusted his attitude. His current appearance notwithstanding, he was, after all, an adult, and had long learned how to set his priorities straight. He knew what should be most important right now.
The antiquesā case was handled as quietly as possible. For the time being, not even a whisper of it could be heard in Liyun Town. Hu Yu didnāt know why Lin Jingzhe missed school for two days, but she didnāt pursue this issue too hardāher attention was occupied by a much more joyous matter.
The results of the second mock exam were announced.
And, Lin Jingzhe placed first in the whole school.
After all the exams were corrected and the results came out, all the teachers were shocked, including her.