Guide to Rising to Power as a Wife in Beijing's Elite Circle

The others also stopped instantly and turned to look. The two people in white coats instinctively pulled their tablets and survey kits behind them and took a slight step back, as if trying to retreat into the shadows inside the door.

The old woman also noticed the change. She raised her blood-soaked face, her cloudy and desperate eyes looking at He Zhen and the others. A hoarse sound, like a broken bellows, came from her throat. She couldn't utter a complete sentence, only endless grief and a faint hope that even she herself might no longer believe.

"What are you doing? This is an emergency, unauthorized personnel must leave immediately!" The man in overalls who had previously spotted He Zhen stood up straight, blocking the old woman and the reporter, his voice deliberately low and threatening.

He didn't show any identification, but his imperious attitude and well-trained posture revealed that he was no ordinary staff member.

He Zhen stepped forward without flinching, his face displaying the typical inquisitive and serious expression of a journalist, but his camera remained steadily pointed at the other person's face and the blurry code on their chest: "We are journalists. We have received reports from the public that an incident may have occurred here that infringed upon the legitimate rights and interests of citizens. May we ask which organization you are from? What are you doing? Why is this elderly woman injured? What is the situation with the person in her arms?"

A series of questions, professional and direct, carrying the interrogative feel unique to public opinion supervision.

This is the standard script for reporters when faced with such situations. It states their identity and purpose while posing the question to the other party, and the camera continuously records the other party's reaction.

The man in overalls had a sinister look in his eyes, clearly not expecting a reporter to suddenly appear, and one who seemed to be a very experienced and fearless investigative journalist.

Their orders were to handle the matter quickly and discreetly, to avoid making a scene, and especially to prevent being photographed by the media.

Now the reporters have not only arrived, but they've also brought telephoto lenses, so they've obviously already taken quite a few pictures.

"We are on official business! We cannot disclose specific details! Please leave immediately, or you will face the consequences!" The man in overalls emphasized his words, while giving a wink to the two people next to him.

The two men immediately moved to a different position, seemingly intending to surround the reporter, force him to leave, or even seize his equipment.

"On official business? Please show me your identification and official letter." He Zhen stepped forward instead of backing down, raising his voice slightly to ensure the recording equipment could pick up clearly. "Also, this elderly woman is clearly injured and needs immediate medical attention. Does your so-called 'official business' include using violence against an elderly person?"

His camera deliberately panned across the old woman's forehead wound and bloodstains, across her arms tightly embracing her grandson, and across the traces of her struggle on the ground.

At the alley entrance, the two companions who had been pretending to test the equipment quickly approached, their equipment also in working order.

This created a pincer movement during filming.

The situation reached a stalemate for the time being.

The men in overalls were hesitant to continue their blatant violence in front of the camera, but they were clearly unwilling to back down.

The two people in white coats had completely retreated into the shadows inside the doorway and were almost invisible.

The old woman seemed to draw her last bit of strength from this brief stalemate. She tightened her grip on her grandson, and her blood-stained face and cloudy eyes stared intently at the devils who were trying to take away her last loved one. A hoarse, curse-like hoarse sound came from her throat.

He Zhen knew that the longer the time dragged on, the better it would be for them and the old lady.

Every second of footage captured is a potential rift that will one day tear open the darkness.

He continued to exert verbal pressure while instructing the cameraman to find the best angle to capture the facial features and physical details of each person clearly.

"We have already called the police and notified the Municipal Health Commission and the Civil Affairs Department." He Zhen calmly lied, but his tone was firm. "Until the relevant departments arrive and give a clear explanation, you have no right to move any people or bodies. The old lady's injuries also need to be assessed by the police and medical departments."

Upon hearing that the police had been called and relevant departments had been notified, the men in overalls looked even more grim. They weren't afraid of ordinary police officers, and might even have had connections with certain individuals involved.

But they feared the matter would escalate to higher levels, and that under scrutiny from multiple departments, their official duties would become indefensible, especially after the violent footage had already been captured by reporters.

The lead man in overalls stared intently at He Zhen for a few seconds, as if trying to memorize his face. Then, he abruptly waved his hand, forcing out two words through clenched teeth: "Withdraw!"

The others immediately let go, turned around without hesitation, and quickly retreated to the other end of the alley. Their movements were swift and decisive, showing that they had clearly undergone rigorous training.

The two people in white coats had long since disappeared.

In just over ten seconds, the alley, which had been filled with violence and oppression, was now filled only with an old woman trembling and covered in blood and tears, holding her grandson's body, and a few reporters silently recording everything.

He Zhen did not step forward immediately.

He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, confirming that the other party had indeed left without leaving any spies, before signaling a colleague to come forward, briefly check the old woman's injuries, and quietly offer words of comfort. He himself then quickly reviewed the footage he had just taken.

The high-definition camera clearly captured the indifferent eyes and professional movements of the men in overalls, as well as the fleeting figures of the two men in white coats and the unmarked survey kit.

The old woman's despair and struggle, the grandson's pale face and the blood on his forehead—every frame is shocking.

He knew that they had achieved the temporary fairness that Shen Rongchuan wanted.

At least on camera, the violence has temporarily subsided. But whether these images can truly become the sharp blade to tear open the darkness, how fierce the subsequent storm will be, and what will happen to these recorders, as well as the old woman in the footage who is on her deathbed but still refuses to let go... all remains unknown.

He packed up his equipment and looked at the old man who seemed to have lost all his vitality in an instant, instinctively holding his grandson and staring blankly ahead. His heart felt heavy.

If the forensic doctor doesn't arrive in time, the normal procedure is that the body will be taken away as a result of sudden death from an acute illness, and then sent to the funeral home as required.

Along the way, their people will take over, complete the organ harvesting, and then dispose of the body without anyone noticing. Who would care about the unexpected death of the grandson of an elderly man living alone in an urban village? [This will not pass censorship]