In the midst of the dancing cherry blossoms, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.
At the entrance of the classroom, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly held the secret letter given to him by his mother.
Wu Qiaoshu, a member of the Central Committee, was leaning to one side, conversing with someone beside him. He was of medium build, wearing a Zhongshan suit and reading glasses. Around him sat seven or eight middle-aged men with a scholarly air, listening intently to the old man's words, and many of them were taking notes.
"Actually, 'Plum Blossom Fragrance in the Snow' was written by me. Later, someone changed a few words, and it became his work. There are several other works that also bear others' names..."
The old man picked up his teacup and muttered to himself in a low, almost inaudible voice. He swallowed a mouthful of tea and then said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "When you get old, you always think about the past. Things are much better now, and our country has become more open. Life will only get better..."
Although Wu Qiaoshu's voice was low, it was still caught by the middle-aged man opposite him. Shock immediately appeared on the man's face, and he quickly lowered his head, afraid of being seen by the old man. Using the excuse of adjusting his glasses, the man took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart. When he put his glasses back on, his face still wore an expression of humility and eagerness to learn.
"Zhaoguo, among the younger generation, I have the highest hopes for you! The future of this country depends on you all..."
The old man had been talking for a while and was now a bit tired. After saying this, he closed his eyes to rest. As one gets older, one's energy and mind are not as good as before, Wu Qiaoshu thought. In two years, he would step down at the upcoming representative meeting, a consensus that had been reached with the elders of his faction long ago.
"Old Mr. Wu, I won't disturb your rest..."
The middle-aged man, whom Wu Qiaoshu called Zhaoguo, immediately understood the situation and hurriedly stood up, respectfully addressing the old man who was pretending to be asleep.
This middle-aged man was Jin Zhaoguo, the First Secretary of the Chinese Youth League, a rising star in the party, and many leaders had high hopes for him. Sitting beside him were the Second Secretary of the Youth League, Wu Xiushui, the Third Secretary, Su Fude, and some newly appointed secretaries. These secretaries were all selected from major universities across the country, such as Li Zhiqiang and Li Haichao, who were from Yanjing University and Zhendan University, respectively.
If Zhong Shi were here, he would recognize these famous figures from the future. Some of them would enter the central government, some would govern regions, and some...
However, at this moment, they were still in the middle to lower ranks of the power pyramid, humbly listening to the old man's teachings, nodding from time to time to show that they understood.
The Youth League members were called to Bibo Sea because of a recent wave of ideological trends in universities. Young students were increasingly dissatisfied with the corruption that came with economic growth, and some radical thoughts and voices were beginning to emerge. This time, at the request of a high-ranking party official, the Youth League was tasked with investigating the current ideological state of college students and guiding them in the right direction.
Just as the Youth League members were about to leave, a middle-aged man with a 3-7 hairstyle walked in from outside, holding a document and hurriedly approaching Wu Qiaoshu, whispering something to him.
"What?"
Wu Qiaoshu's sleepy eyes suddenly opened, shooting out a piercing cold light. In the next moment, he became a drowsy old man again, mumbling, "Notify the secretary, prepare for a trip to conduct research elsewhere."
The middle-aged man responded and quickly left.
As soon as the middle-aged man entered, the few Youth League officials quietly left, but they all noticed his hurried steps and panicked expression. As for what they thought, no one would know.
...
Wu Yingshi, who had just returned home, grabbed a glass of water from the dining table and gulped it down, finishing it in a few swallows. He let out a contented burp and then slumped heavily onto the sofa.
"Damn, when one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong! I just wanted to make some money, and now I'm being targeted. What a joke! And that woman today, she was the one who came on to me, and now it's called attempted rape. Is someone playing with me?"
He wasn't stupid and, after careful reflection, he understood. And those four students, they must have just happened to pass by and stopped him before he started.
If he had really done something to that girl, and the mastermind came out later, he would be in deep trouble, even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he couldn't wash it off. Thinking of a certain founding hero's grandson who was executed a few years ago, Wu Yingshi shuddered. His father was far less powerful and influential, even though that person had already passed away.
In that case, shouldn't he be grateful to those four young men? Thinking of what that dark-skinned man had done to him, Wu Yingshi felt a pain in his ankle and a dull ache in his stomach.
While Wu Yingshi was lost in thought, a commotion came from outside the door. Although it quickly subsided, it still caught his attention.
"This is Bibo Sea. Who has the nerve to make a fuss here?" Wu Yingshi wondered curiously. He stood up to open the door, wanting to see what was happening.
Bibo Sea was where the country's leaders worked and rested, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter. Although certain areas of Bibo Sea were opened to the public at specific times in recent years, even tourists were not allowed to make loud noises, and this was a residential area, not open to the public.
"Are you Wu Yingshi? I am from the Yanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau, and I am legally arresting you..."
When Wu Yingshi opened the door, five police officers stood in front of him, showing him a white paper with the words "Arrest Warrant" in large letters. The lead officer was tall and stern, his serious demeanor making one feel intimidated.
Hearing the word "arrest," Wu Yingshi was stunned. Before he could react, cold handcuffs locked his hands. At the same time, a low voice whispered in his ear, "We have already informed your father. Before you are convicted, you are still a suspect and will not be subjected to torture. Rest assured, we will adhere to the principle of being fact-based, and we will neither wrong a good person nor let a bad person go..."
Wu Yingshi couldn't hear the rest. He felt all his strength drained from his body, and he was supported by two police officers, dazed and disoriented, as he was led to the police car.
...
The day before, near the south gate of Yanjing University, in a dimly lit alley, several police officers were pushing a young man in a floral shirt, who was shouting, into a police car. A police officer was taking notes, and a few young men who looked like students were gesturing and pointing. A disheveled girl was crying nearby.
"So, you didn't actually see the suspect commit the assault, is that right?"
After the students finished their account, the police officer taking notes was surprised and asked in confusion.
"That's right, we didn't see the assault. But the victim is here, you can ask her!" Zhong Yi and the other three were also surprised, realizing they hadn't actually seen the suspect assault the victim. This made it difficult to charge the young man, and they looked at the victim, who was still sobbing softly.
The girl suddenly noticed the silence and looked around with red, swollen eyes. Seeing that everyone, including the police, was looking at her, she panicked and asked, "What's going on?"
"Ahem... Miss, please don't cry. We hope you can tell us about the incident. Of course, we will keep your statement confidential..."
The police officer blushed and chuckled awkwardly. Then, he straightened up and said solemnly.
"Actually, we were dating, and there was no criminal act. Officer, this is all a misunderstanding!"
To everyone's shock, the girl, who had been crying hysterically a few minutes ago, paused for a moment and then said this. From her words, it seemed she didn't want to pursue the young man further.
"If you are in a romantic relationship, we can only treat this as a civil dispute. In this case, if you don't want to pursue it, we, as police, generally won't intervene. Are you sure you've thought this through?"
Waving to stop the students who wanted to speak, the police officer asked the girl seriously. Although he didn't understand what had happened, he was satisfied with the outcome. However, in front of the indignant students, he still needed to explain the seriousness of the situation.
"You can't give in..."
"Little junior, you need to think carefully..."
Zhong Yi, Wu Tida, and others also spoke up, thinking the girl was afraid of Wu Yingshi's power or worried about being pointed at in the future. In their view, these concerns were trivial compared to the crime.
"Actually, I'm not a student..." The girl, seeing the students' earnest faces, felt a sudden warmth and, subconsciously, revealed her identity.
"So what?" Zhong Yi and the others looked at each other, not understanding how being a student or not related to the assault.
"Do you mean..."
The police officer seemed to understand something, looking at the girl with a questioning gaze. Seeing her nod slightly, he let out a long breath, patted his chest, and said with a sense of relief, "If it's a misunderstanding, we won't file a case. Thank you for your bravery, students. Goodbye!"
With that, he didn't stay a second longer, got into the police car, and drove away. Zhong Yi and the others were left standing there, staring at each other, not understanding what had just happened. (I hope you all support me, please click, recommend, and collect.)