Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Then, he walked up to He Daqing, flashed his identification, and spoke in a formulaic tone:

"Hello, are you Comrade He Daqing? I am Liu Jianguo, the leader of the joint investigation team from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. We need to ask you some questions. Please come with us to the meeting room to cooperate with the investigation."

He Daqing was used to acting arrogantly in the cafeteria and, being a chef from Beijing, he was somewhat disdainful of others.

He glanced at Liu Jianguo sideways, then waved his hand impatiently:

"What investigation team? Can't you see I'm busy? There are thousands of people waiting to eat in the cafeteria. Go away, don't get in the way."

His attitude was extremely arrogant.

Liu Jianguo's face darkened. Without another word, he swiftly drew his sidearm from his waist, the dark muzzle pressed directly against He Daqing's forehead, his voice icy and chilling:

"He Daqing, I now suspect you have connections with enemy agents. If you dare to resist investigation again, you will be shot on the spot, and that will be your own fault."

At the same time, Wang Weiguo and two other investigators drew their pistols and surrounded He Daqing in a semi-circle, all pointing their guns at him.

He Daqing, who had been so arrogant just moments before, was instantly terrified. His face turned deathly pale, cold sweat poured down his back, and his legs trembled like leaves.

Enemy... Enemy agents?

With that huge accusation pinned on him, plus the real guns in front of him, he almost wet his pants.

"Leader...it's a misunderstanding...a huge misunderstanding!"

The voices all changed tone.

The commotion alerted the cafeteria manager, who rushed over and was quite startled by the scene. He quickly smiled apologetically at Liu Jianguo.

"Director Liu, please calm down, please calm down. Master He... he's a reckless and unruly man who doesn't know the rules. Please don't take it to heart."

Then he shouted sternly at He Daqing:

"He Daqing, what's wrong with you? This is a leader from the Municipal Bureau. He's asking you to cooperate with the investigation as part of your job. You dare to talk back? Don't you want to work here anymore?"

He Daqing had long since lost his arrogance. Liu Jianguo snorted coldly, put away his sidearm, and nodded to Wang Weiguo:

"take away!"

Wang Weiguo and an investigator stepped forward and, like picking up a chick, lifted the limp He Daqing from the ground and dragged him toward the small conference room.

The canteen manager stood by, wiping away cold sweat, not daring to utter a sound. Liu Jianguo's move, a subtle warning, not only successfully took He Daqing away but also greatly deterred any potential culprits within the factory.

The door to the small conference room was closed, leaving only Liu Jianguo, Wang Weiguo, and He Daqing, who was pale and still in shock.

In the oppressive silence, Liu Jianguo walked to the chair in front of He Daqing and sat down, his sharp gaze scrutinizing him, his tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure:

"He Daqing, raise your head. Take a good look, do you still recognize me?"

He Daqing was taken aback by the sudden question. He forced himself to look up and carefully examine Liu Jianguo's face.

That young yet dignified face did have a vague sense of familiarity, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen it before. He swallowed hard, his voice dry:

"The...leader...looks somewhat familiar...but...I can't quite place him..."

Liu Jianguo leaned forward slightly and prompted, word by word, "Then let me give you a heads-up. In Beijing, in Nanluoguxiang, at No. 95, the east-facing courtyard."

He deliberately slowed down his speech for the last three words.

"East Courtyard".

He Daqing's pupils suddenly contracted, and the floodgates of memory were instantly opened. He remembered He Yuzhu and He Yushui.

Seeing his expression of sudden realization followed by horror, Liu Jianguo sneered and his tone turned stern:

"It's good that you remembered. I invited you here today on someone's behalf to ask you two questions on behalf of that girl He Yushui."

First, back then, Yu Shui traveled all the way from Beijing to Baoding to find you, but why didn't you, as her father, even let her in the door?

Secondly, what were you really thinking when you abandoned your two children, Shazhu and Yushui, and ran off to Baoding with that widow Bai to form a gang?

The barrage of questions struck at the deepest part of He Daqing's conscience, causing him to dart around with conflicting emotions. After a long pause, he finally managed to ask in a hoarse voice:

"You... what's your relationship with Yushui? How are she and her brother doing now?"

His voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

In his heart, he felt disappointed in his son, Shazhu, but he felt an irreparable debt to his youngest daughter, Yushui.

Liu Jianguo chuckled, his tone laced with sarcasm:

"What do I have to do with rainwater? That's a ridiculous question. What could I possibly have to do with a little girl who was only a teenager at the time?"

He paused, his gaze growing colder. "They're just neighbors who couldn't stand by and watch. You have no idea, after you ran away, for a while, that child, Yushui, almost starved to death at home. If I hadn't taken pity on her and occasionally given her a few bites of food, you probably wouldn't even have been able to see her one last time now that you're back."

"What?! Starve to death?!"

He Daqing suddenly raised his head, his face filled with shock and disbelief. "Impossible! Sha Zhu was already working in the steel mill's canteen back then! He was getting a salary! I... I even saved up every month to send money to Uncle Yi Zhonghai in the courtyard! So he could pass it on to my two children as living expenses!"

He firmly believes that although he is not physically present, he has not completely abandoned his financial responsibilities.

"Hmph! Yi Zhonghai?"

Liu Jianguo's sarcasm deepened. "Your money went straight into Yi Zhonghai's pocket. Not a single penny reached Shazhu and Yushui. Shazhu had no idea about it. I just found out about it a couple of days ago and spilled the beans in front of him. Guess what? Your precious son was angry for only a couple of days before Yi Zhonghai coaxed him back with a few sweet words. Tsk tsk, Shazhu's name is really fitting."

Liu Jianguo's words were like knives, stabbing He Daqing's face from white to green, then from green to purple, his chest heaving violently, clearly indicating that he was very angry.

He Daqing was panting heavily, his fists clenched, clearly furious at Yi Zhonghai's hypocrisy and his son's stupidity, his face a mixture of emotions.

Liu Jianguo looked at him coldly and presented the final choice: "I've made myself clear to you. Now, I'll ask you one last question on behalf of He Yushui: Are you coming back to Beijing with me or not?"

Seeing He Daqing's shifty eyes, as if he was still hesitating, Liu Jianguo's tone suddenly turned cold, carrying an undisguised threat:

"Of course, you can choose not to go back. That's fine. In that case, I'll just have to handcuff you and escort you back to Beijing for trial on charges of suspected enemy espionage and violent resistance to investigation. Two paths, the choice is yours. What, you still can't bear to leave your home in Baoding? Can't bear to leave that white widow?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "home" and "white widow".