Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Yuan Qiao's eyes were red, and Song Chao thought she was reluctant to let him go.

He felt a mix of emotions: bittersweet. He was bittersweet because they would be separated for several more months, but sweet because his wife still cared for him.

Once this project is finished, he'll find a job close to home so he can spend more time with his wife and daughter.

The bread truck bumped and jolted its way into the construction site gate.

The car headlights swept across the steel processing area, and the dust swirled in the beams of light, making people cough.

As soon as Song Chao got off the train with his luggage, he saw Lao Zhou standing next to the steel bar processing area smoking.

There were seven or eight cigarette butts scattered around Old Zhou's feet, with ashes all over the ground. He didn't even notice that the cigarette butt in his hand was burning his fingers.

Upon seeing Song Chao return, Old Zhou paused, his cigarette butt falling to the ground.

"Brother Zhou, I'm back."

Song Chao greeted him with a smile, then strode over with his luggage.

"When will this batch of steel bars arrive? I can start work tomorrow. I've been resting at home for three days, and my whole body is itchy."

Old Zhou didn't say anything, he just glanced at him.

His eyes were complex, filled with sympathy, guilt, and a hint of evasiveness that Song Dynasty people couldn't understand.

Song Chao's heart skipped a beat.

"Brother Zhou, what's wrong? What happened?"

Old Zhou opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He lowered his head and stomped on the cigarette butt on the ground, stomping it over and over again, as if he wanted to crush it into the mud.

Just as Song Chao was about to ask another question, the sound of a police siren suddenly came from afar.

Several white vans painted with the word "Security" suddenly rushed into the construction site gate.

The car was going extremely fast, and the tires splashed up high mud droplets as they rolled over the mud.

The bread truck screeched to a halt in front of the steel bar processing area, and the door swung open with a whoosh.

More than a dozen uniformed security guards jumped out of the car, carrying batons and with faces as cold as ice.

The leading security guard was named Liu Lei, the captain of the criminal investigation team of the Zhaoming City Public Security Bureau. He had a long, thin face, high cheekbones, and a fierce look in his eyes.

Everyone on the construction site stopped what they were doing, craned their necks to look this way, and the buzzing of their voices was like flies disturbed by a swarm of flies.

"Who represents the Song Dynasty?"

Liu Lei stood at the front of the line, his gaze sweeping over the crowd of onlookers, his voice loud and cold.

Song Chao subconsciously raised his hand.

"I am."

As soon as he finished speaking, two security guards rushed over.

They grabbed his arms from both sides with such force that it felt like iron clamps, and twisted his arms behind his back.

The luggage Song Chao was carrying fell to the ground with a thud, and the pickled vegetable jar that Yuan Qiao had packed inside shattered, splashing brine all over the floor.

He was completely stunned.

"What are you doing? What right do you have to arrest me?"

He struggled violently, his arm was twisted painfully, and his bones cracked.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Liu Lei strode over, pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it with a snap, and waved it in front of Song Chao.

"Someone reported you for stealing and replacing the steel bars at the construction site, replacing qualified steel bars with substandard materials. You are suspected of committing a major accident due to negligence and theft! Come with us for investigation!"

"I didn't! I've never done anything like that!"

Song Chao panicked, his face turned bright red, and the veins on his forehead bulged out.

"I tied the steel bars exactly as they were delivered; I never switched a single one! My family may be poor, but we in the Song Dynasty never do anything petty or dishonest!"

"Whether you've done it or not, we'll talk about it when we get to the station."

Liu Lei sneered and waved his hand.

"take away!"

The surrounding workers were in an uproar.

"Impossible, right? Song Chao is usually the most honest man around; he doesn't even participate in other people's overtime slacking off. How could he possibly do something like this?"

"That's right, he's the most meticulous when tying steel bars. Others might be lazy and skip a couple of twists in the wire, but he always twists three. Everyone on the construction site knows that the steel bars tied during the Song Dynasty are the strongest."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Maybe they're just pretending to be honest while secretly stealing steel bars to sell for money!"

"You're talking nonsense! Although Song Chao's family was poor, he never did anything petty. I lived with him in the workers' shed for three years, and he would even pick up five yuan that someone had dropped on the ground and return it!"

"Didn't someone say he got a 30,000 yuan bonus? Who knows if he earned that money selling steel bars?"

The discussions came like a tide, with some speaking up for him, some expressing doubt, and a few of his coworkers who were usually jealous of his high wages smirking with glee.

Song Chao's ears were ringing, and his mind was in complete chaos.

He suddenly turned his head to look at Lao Zhou.

Old Zhou stood at the back of the crowd, head down, constantly grinding the long-crushed cigarette butt on the ground with his foot.

He dared not meet the gaze of the Song Dynasty.

Song Chao felt a chill run down his spine.

He recalled what Lao Zhou had told him before—"If there's a problem with the steel bars, don't say anything," and "Just accept the 30,000 yuan bonus that Boss Zhang gives you."

I remember Lao Zhou's unusual expression those few days. He wouldn't eat, smoked a lot, and had dark circles under his eyes.

I recall the scene of Zhang Jinshan smiling at him from inside the car.

He laughed because he didn't understand it then, but now he suddenly understands it all.

That wasn't well-intentioned.

That's the look you give someone who's about to jump into a pit.

"Brother Zhou! Brother Zhou, say something! Tell them! I didn't switch the steel bars!"

Song Chao shouted at Lao Zhou, his voice filled with panicked pleading.

"You told them the steel bars were like that when they were delivered! I've never replaced a single one! Say something!"

Old Zhou suddenly raised his head.

His lips trembled a few times, his eyes were bloodshot, and the muscles on his face twitched.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He turned his head to the side, refusing to look at the Song Dynasty.

Song Chao's heart sank completely.

"Alright, alright, stop crying foul here."

Liu Lei gave him an impatient shove.

"You'll have plenty of time to talk at the station. Get him in the car."

Two security guards dragged Song Chao onto the bread cart.

Song Chao struggled desperately, his legs braced against the ground, and he turned his head to stare intently at Liu Lei.

"What right do you have! I don't admit to things I didn't do! What evidence do you have?!"

"Evidence? Does the quality inspection station's test report count as evidence? Does the 30,000 yuan you received count as evidence?"

Liu Lei looked down at him, his tone full of sarcasm.

"Cooperate with the investigation honestly, and you'll suffer less. Keep causing trouble, and we'll add a charge of resisting arrest!"

Song Chao was trembling all over, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.

Just then, Zhang Jinshan's black sedan pulled up.

The car paint was shiny, but when the tires rolled over the mud, they splashed up a cloud of mud, which dirtied the paint on the lower edge of the car door.

The car came to a smooth stop next to the security vehicle.

Zhang Jinshan got out of the car, wearing a dark gray suit, his leather shoes were polished to a shine, and his hair was neatly combed.

His face held just the right amount of anger, his brows were furrowed, and the corners of his mouth were turned down, giving him a heartbroken look.

"Captain Liu, what's going on? What happened to our construction workers?"

Liu Lei's expression softened slightly when he saw Zhang Jinshan.

"Mr. Zhang, someone reported that the steel bars at your construction site have been replaced with substandard ones, which is suspected to be a major safety incident. We're taking this worker back for investigation."