At thirty, I started my comeback from the intelligence system.

The air in the mediation room was stagnant and cold.

Su Qingqing did not immediately back down. Instead, she was like a trapped beast driven to the brink of despair, bursting out with a twisted form of resistance.

The tutorials in the Little Blue Book aren't written like that, are they?

That's not how it was supposed to go in the script!

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, but not with tears of repentance; rather, they were a mixture of fear, resentment, and a desperate, mad rage.

"I didn't! You all ganged up on me! Chen Geng lied to me and forced me into this!"

She screamed shrilly, her voice piercing, as if she might faint at any moment, repeatedly muttering, "I'm so scared... He threatened me... Why don't you believe me... Is it really this hard being a woman...?"

The young policewoman taking her statement tried to calm her down: "Ms. Su, please calm down. The evidence is indeed against you. If we continue to make a scene, it will only make things worse. It would be best to listen to Officer Yang's advice."

Yang Yongchao gave the policewoman a meaningful look, knowing that her compassion had been stirred again.

But Su Qingqing didn't appreciate it at all.

"Are you attracted to him because he's handsome, or did he bribe you? Why are you looking at me like that? Is this how you police officers handle cases? Helping men bully us, the vulnerable?"

The baseless accusations made the policewoman's face darken and her brows furrow.

"Su Qingqing!" Yang Yongchao slammed his hand on the table. His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly drowned out all of Su Qingqing's crying and fussing.

He leaned forward, his gaze sharp as lightning, fixing on Su Qingqing's flickering eyes. "Watch your words! This is a police station; every word you say is accountable! What are the consequences of slandering or defaming police officers, interfering with law enforcement? Do I need to explain the law to you?"

"The chain of evidence is clear and complete, meticulously recorded! Every act you put on, every lie you tell, only worsens your situation and digs a deeper hole for yourself! Crying? Throwing a tantrum? Playing the victim? That won't work here! We only look at the facts, only the evidence!"

"Why isn't it working? Did I overact?" Su Qingqing's vain hope seemed so ridiculous and powerless.

The real fear only comes crashing down at this moment.

Jail time? Criminal record? How could her life be ruined like this?

"No...no! Officer Yang, I was wrong! I know I was wrong!" Su Qingqing's arrogance collapsed instantly.

She stopped acting, and her face was covered in real tears and snot.

"I was just confused for a moment, I was out of my mind! I'm so scared, I'll have nothing after the divorce, I have no choice! Please, give me another chance! I'll never do it again!"

"Chen Geng, Chen Geng, please say something for me! We've been husband and wife, how can you bear to see me go to jail? I promise I'll never show my face in front of you again! I don't want the 200,000 yuan anymore, I really don't want it!"

She was incoherent and repeatedly begged for mercy, a stark contrast to how she had been just minutes before.

When Yang Yongchao suggested that, given the circumstances and the lack of actual loss, mediation could be arranged if Chen Geng agreed, but she would need to write a letter of repentance and guarantee not to repeat the offense, Su Qingqing nodded hastily as if she had received a pardon, expressing her gratitude profusely, as if Chen Geng and Yang Yongchao had become her benefactors who had saved her life.

When she signed and pressed her fingerprint, her hand trembled so badly that she could barely hold the pen, and every stroke was crooked and uneven.

However, when all the procedures were completed and she walked out of the branch office with her copy of the mediation document, the seeds of resentment began to sprout again in her heart.

She secretly raised her eyes, staring at Chen Geng's back in front of her, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

"I was careless this time. I didn't expect that good-for-nothing to be so cunning as to secretly record it!" she thought through gritted teeth. "It seems something's happened to Zhou Peng too..."

It's all that jinx's fault! He almost ruined me!

However, as long as she's alright, there's still a chance. She touched the light yet incredibly heavy letter of repentance in her bag, her eyes turning cold again.

Chen Geng, you made me look so bad today, you almost ruined me! This isn't over! Once this blows over, once I find a new backer…

We'll see! You'll pay for what I've done a hundredfold, a thousandfold, sooner or later!

She quickly lowered her head, concealing the resentment churning in her eyes, and quickened her pace to leave.

It was nearly dusk.

Chen Geng parted ways with Wei Songqi at the door, offering him a few words of comfort and telling him not to take today's events to heart.

Just as he was about to hail a taxi, a black Audi A6 silently glided up in front of him.

The rear window rolled down, revealing Liang Dan's calm and expressionless face.

"Get on the bus!"

The tone remained unquestionable, but it lacked the initial scrutiny and was instead filled with an indescribable complexity.

Chen Geng opened the car door and got in.

Instead of heading towards the bustling city center, the car drove along the riverside road to a secluded viewing platform that jutted out over the river.

There was an antique-style pavilion on the platform, but it was empty at the moment.

Liang Dan got off the car first and walked towards the pavilion.

The river breeze rustled, stirring her clothes and hair.

She stood by the pavilion, gazing at the vast river, and remained silent for a long time.

Chen Geng stood half a step behind her, equally silent.

Finally, Liang Dan turned around, her gaze sharp as lightning: "Right now, it's just the two of us here. The river wind is strong, so no recording equipment can pick up anything."

"Tell me your true identity. What do you know? Why are you helping me? And what is your relationship with Zhou Peng and Su Qingqing?"

The river wind was strong, carrying moisture into the pavilion.

Chen Geng did not answer immediately.

He faced the wind, squinting slightly, as if organizing his thoughts or assessing the risks.

After a full half minute, he slowly spoke, his voice trailing off in the wind:

"Mr. Liang, I'm Chen Geng, an ordinary designer in the planning department of GG Company under Hanfeng Group. I'm an unlucky guy who was blackmailed by his ex-wife and almost ruined his reputation. As for what I know..."

He paused for a moment, then said frankly, "I know that the person who reported you for authorizing the use of substandard steel bars from 'Jinding Building Materials' is Zhou Peng, the marketing director."

"I may also know that there are private financial transactions between Zhou Peng and the actual controller of 'Jinding Building Materials', and that the so-called 'evidence' used to report you is likely to have been edited and altered."

Liang Dan's pupils suddenly contracted, and the fingers behind her back curled slightly.

She has confirmed that Zhou Peng is the whistleblower through special channels, but this is highly confidential.

Did Zhou Peng have financial dealings with Jin Ding? Was the evidence tampered with?

She didn't know these two pieces of information! If true, they would be the key to turning the tide!

"Maybe? Very likely?"

Liang Dan's tone was cold and sarcastic.

"Chen Geng, I need concrete evidence, not your guesses. What makes you, a designer at GG Company, know the secrets of a core supplier in the real estate sector? Give me a reason!"