Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

Yan Bugui was startled by the sudden appearance of the policewoman, especially by the suppressed anger emanating from her, and he stammered.

"Ah... I was just... just guessing, just guessing..."

"I don't want to hear wild guesses!"

Lin Taotao's tone became more forceful.

"Tell me every detail about the oil seller you saw on the black market! His height, build, manner of speaking, and how he got with someone!"

Upon seeing this, Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat. He cursed Yan Bugui for being too talkative, but seeing that the young policewoman seemed to know Li Zhenhua and that her attitude was extremely unfriendly, his mind immediately started working.

This is a perfect opportunity to put Li Zhenhua in a bad light!

He quickly stepped forward, his face displaying a respectful yet somewhat indignant expression.

"Officer, I'm Yi Zhonghai, an old man from our compound. Old Yan is right, a young man named Li Zhenhua recently moved into the back courtyard of our compound. He's the newly appointed head of the security department at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. As for his activities on the black market... sigh, we just heard about it from Old Yan. You can never truly know a person's heart! If he really did something against policy, our compound will absolutely support the police station in handling it seriously!"

Sha Zhu chimed in from the side.

"Yeah! That bastard's incredibly arrogant! He just arrived yesterday and started a fight with everyone in the compound; he's clearly no good!"

Listening to all these chattering voices, Lin Taotao's impression of Li Zhenhua became even worse.

A security chief was caught reselling scarce goods on the black market and even dared to violently resist law enforcement and humiliate law enforcement officers!

It's lawless!

The noise at the police station continued until late into the night.

In the end, the men arrested in the courtyard, except for a few whose offenses were particularly minor and who were just buying some coarse grains, were given a lecture and released on the spot. The "main purchasing force" led by Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, Jia Dongxu, Yan Bugui, and Xu Damao were all fined to varying amounts and their families were notified to bring money to pick them up.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the courtyard early the next morning.

Every household was in chaos, filled with gloom and despair.

For families already struggling financially, the fine is undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

Jia Zhangshi cried and wailed as she counted her family's meager savings. She cursed the police station for being heartless, then her son for being useless, and finally turned her anger on Li Zhenhua, who was "at large."

"It's all that damned little bastard's fault! He must have reported it! Otherwise, why is he the only one who got away scot-free? My money... Dongxu..."

Jia Zhangshi's wailing echoed through the central courtyard.

Qin Huairu lowered her head, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

At Yi Zhonghai's house, an older woman sighed and took out her savings.

When Yi Zhonghai returned, his face was ashen, and he remained silent.

He lost more than just money; he also lost face in the community.

After being caught red-handed by the police, this "old man's" prestige has suffered quite a bit.

His fear and dissatisfaction with Li Zhenhua deepened. Although he had no evidence, he subconsciously felt that this matter might be related to Li Zhenhua. At the very least, that kid was too lucky!

Yan Bugui was even more frustrated, pounding his chest and stamping his feet. After all his scheming, he ended up losing the most. The fine and the confiscated grain made him so heartbroken that he couldn't eat for several days.

Liu Haizhong was lucky enough not to go, and now he was somewhat gloating.

Meanwhile, Li Zhenhua, on the edge of the storm, listened to the faint crying and discussions coming from the front courtyard in his small backyard and breathed a long sigh of relief.

so close!

He secretly rejoiced.

If that policewoman had caught him red-handed last night, it would have been a huge problem.

Even if he manages to escape thanks to his family background, it will definitely cause a huge uproar. When it gets back home, he can't even imagine the fury his father, Li Yunlong, will unleash; that would be true "social death."

The head of the security department at the steel rolling mill is definitely going to lose his job.

After this ordeal, Li Zhenhua finally came to his senses.

The risks of the black market far outweigh the rewards.

In this era of extremely strict regulations, large-scale reselling of goods was tantamount to playing with fire.

It's already incredibly lucky to have escaped once; we absolutely mustn't try our luck again.

"We need to find a safer, more discreet way to make money."

Li Zhenhua muttered to himself.

The black market is a dead end, but the enormous treasure trove that is the Pinduoduo system must not be wasted.

He needs a way to streamline the sourcing of supplies without requiring frequent offline transactions.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Lin Taotao looked at a pile of reports on the handling of the black market personnel from the previous night, but she was furious because she lacked direct evidence against the guy she hated the most.

The testimonies of Yan Bugui and others can only serve as circumstantial evidence and cannot form a chain of evidence.

Although the people in the courtyard said a lot of bad things about Li Zhenhua.

However, Lin Taotao really had no way to arrest Li Zhenhua. Since ancient times, thieves have always needed to catch the stolen goods, especially in this kind of black market transaction. Just relying on these people's words is not enough.

"Li Zhenhua... Security Department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill..."

She pondered the name and organization repeatedly, her eyes sharp.

"Hmph, don't be so smug. You got lucky this time. But we'll definitely meet again. Next time, I won't let you get away again! I'll remember this grudge!"

She closed the file, already listing Li Zhenhua as someone who needed to be "focused on" in her mind.

Siheyuan.

Li Zhenhua, looking refreshed, pushed his bicycle out of the backyard, ready to go to work.

Just as I passed through the moon gate and entered the central courtyard, I happened to run into Qin Huairu returning from the public restroom outside.

She had her head down, her face looking somewhat haggard, clearly still worried about paying the fine yesterday. Her puffy eyes added to her pitiful charm.

Seeing that no one was around, Li Zhenhua smiled knowingly and called out to her.

"Good morning, Sister Qin."

Qin Huairu looked up at the sound and saw Li Zhenhua. She subconsciously forced a smile.

"Oh, it's Section Chief Li, good morning..."

Before she finished speaking, she saw Li Zhenhua take two steps closer with remarkable ease. His arm seemed to hang down casually, but his palm moved with precise force, carrying an irresistible strength.

With a soft "smack," a light tap landed on her plump buttocks.

It feels firm and elastic to the touch.

Qin Huairu trembled violently as if struck by lightning, let out a soft cry, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple.

She looked around frantically like a thief, her heart pounding wildly. Only after confirming that there was no one in the front or back yard did she clutch her chest, glaring at Li Zhenhua with a mixture of shame and anger, her voice low and trembling.

"What...what are you doing! What if someone sees us!"

Li Zhenhua, however, acted as if he had done something insignificant, a smirk on his face, and leaned closer, teasing him in a low voice.

"What are you afraid of? It's not like you haven't touched it before, Sister Qin. That meat last night tasted pretty good, didn't it?"

Qin Huairu blushed at the implication in his words. The brief yet long ten minutes last night and the price of that pound of pork instantly flooded her mind, making her feel both ashamed and embarrassed, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

She stomped her foot and scolded him.