He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

From that day on, there were always people around the Shen family's house.

It wasn't obvious—but Shen Yao could sense it.

She went out to buy groceries and saw someone repairing bicycles at the entrance of the alley.

She went to the well to fetch water, and there were people washing clothes next to the well platform.

When she came home, there was always someone sweeping the yard across the street.

She knew the investigation team was waiting for her to confess, but she didn't want to cause trouble.

However, she did not expect that what arrived even faster than the investigation team was the anger of the workers in the family compound.

The factory explosion killed three people, injured more than fifty, and left others trapped under the rubble. All of this was because of Zhao Jianhui.

Zhao Jianhui has now run away.

If the perpetrator cannot be caught, there is nowhere to vent the anger.

Shen Yao is Zhao Jianhui's girlfriend, and she often wears the dresses that Zhao Jianhui bought for her to stroll around the family compound.

On the first day, someone threw a rotten egg at her doorstep.

Egg yolk dripped down the door panel, and a fishy, ​​foul smell filled my nostrils.

As Shen's mother wiped the door panel, she cried and cursed Zhao Jianhui, calling him a jinx who had brought them all down with him.

The next day, when she went out to fetch water, several female workers blocked the entrance to the water room, preventing her from entering.

"It's her—Zhao Jianhui's woman."

"Those dresses and shoes she wore, weren't they all bought with the lives of our family members?"

"Three people died in Workshop No. 3! Old Zhang, Little Liu, and the son-in-law of Old Chen next door—the dress you're wearing has their blood on it!"

Shen Yao stood at the door of the washroom, holding a washbasin, her lips pressed tightly together.

"I don't know anything about the parts," she said, her voice steady. "That was Zhao Jianhui's doing—it has nothing to do with me."

"It's none of your business?" A middle-aged woman rushed up, poking her nose with her finger. "If you didn't force him to buy this and that, would he bother with the parts? When you were walking around in front of us in that forty-two-yuan dress, why didn't you say it was none of your business then?"

"that is!"

"shameless!"

Shen Yao was surrounded.

She bit her lip and didn't retort—she knew that any explanation at this moment would only add fuel to the fire.

When she got home, she found that red paint had been splashed on her door.

Two words were written crookedly—

"kill."

When Shen's mother saw the words on the door, she turned pale with fright.

"Yaoyao... what should we do..."

Shen Yao stood at the door, staring at the two blood-red characters, her lips pressed tightly together.

Zhao Jianhui ran away, Factory Director Zhao was suspended from his post and taken away by the investigation team, and Zhao's mother became a coward, staying at home and not going out.

The only person associated with Zhao Jianhui who is still showing up in the family compound is her!

So she became the target of everyone's anger.

I went outside and got spat on.

I came home to find rotten vegetable leaves and broken bricks piled up at the door.

Walking on the street—there are always people pointing and cursing behind you.

……

The bicycle repairman at the alley entrance reported the situation to Lin Guodong.

"Shen Yao's family has been in a very bad situation these past two days. Red paint was splashed on their door, and they were attacked when they went out. But she hasn't shown any signs of running away, nor has she had any suspicious contact."

Lin Guodong put down his teacup. "Keep an eye on them. Ensure their safety—no physical conflict."

"Understood. Well...should we step in and stop them? The crowd is getting a bit agitated—"

"Wait a minute," Lin Guodong interrupted him. "As long as they don't physically assault anyone, let them make a scene. A little bit of psychological pressure from public opinion might be more effective than our interrogation."

The assistant paused for a moment, then understood.

"Yes."

……

On the fourth night.

Shen Yao sat inside the house, listening to the cursing outside the window finally subside.

Shen's mother huddled in a corner, wiping away her tears. Shen Guoping squatted by the door, smoking one cigarette after another, the butts piling up on the ground.

"Yaoyao..." Shen's mother looked at her pitifully, "How about... we move away? Go back to our old home in the countryside... and avoid it for a while..."

Shen Yao did not speak.

Going back to my hometown in the countryside?

She had finally managed to get involved with Zhao Jianhui, and although things had fallen apart, at least she was still in the city. She could still attend high school, and the college entrance exam was just around the corner. She couldn't give up now; she didn't want to go back to farming.

But if this continues—

She's finished too.

As long as Zhao Jianhui remains at large, she will be a target.

and--

Shen Yao's gaze darkened.

She is not stupid.

The investigation team was very polite when they questioned her, because they didn't have any evidence yet. But if the investigation team catches him in another city, and Zhao Jianhui sees that she hasn't gone to see him, will he harbor resentment and implicate her?

Will the investigation team treat her as someone who failed to report the crime? Will they also charge her with harboring and protecting someone?

Then everything would be over, and Zhao Jianhui would ruin her life!

No! This can't go on!

Instead of living in fear and anxiety, it's better to take the initiative.

If she hands over Zhao Jianhui's information, then Zhao Jianhui will be caught.

The case is closed. All attention will now turn to Zhao Jianhui.

She—she knew nothing about the parts. She simply accepted the gift.

This is not a crime under the law.

She was simply kept in the dark, an innocent girlfriend who betrayed her own family for the greater good.

At most, she might have concealed something during the previous investigation and questioning, and she could explain that she was too scared and forgot for a moment.

Even if Zhao Jianhui claims she knew about it after his arrest, she can refute that he was implicated out of hatred, since Zhao Jianhui has no evidence that he knew.

Shen Yao stood up.

"Mom, don't cry." Her voice was calm. "I'm going to find the investigation team."

Shen's mother was stunned: "Why do you want to call the investigation team?"

"I just remembered something," Shen Yao said, tidying her hair. "Some things Jianhui told me before he left."

Shen's mother's eyes widened: "Yaoyao—you—"

"Mom." Shen Yao turned around, her gaze eerily calm. "He has to take responsibility for his own actions. What he did has nothing to do with me. I can't take the blame for him."

She pushed open the door and stepped into the night.

……

Temporary office of the investigation team.

Shen Yao sat at the table, her hands clasped together on her knees.

"Team Leader Lin, I've remembered something." Her voice was soft, with a slight tremor—as if she had made a great decision.

"The night of the incident... Jianhui came to see me. Besides what we had said before, he said some other things, but I was too scared to say them."

Lin Guodong's assistant flipped open his notebook with a "whoosh".

"What did he say?" Lin Guodong asked, looking at her.

She paused, biting her lip as if making a final struggle. Then she looked up, tears welling in her eyes. "He said his friend... I think his surname is—Zhou. He's in the clothing business near Guangzhou Railway Station."

The assistant quickly took notes.

Lin Guodong looked at Shen Yao—she had tears in her eyes, her shoulders were trembling slightly, and she looked like she had made a very painful decision.

"You did the right thing," he said.

Tears streamed down Shen Yao's face, making her look pitiful: "Team Leader Lin, he's my boyfriend, I don't want to hurt him... but I can't lie to you either... so many people have died..."

Lin Guodong didn't reply, but turned to his assistant and said, "Immediately notify the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau. There's a clothing business near the train station, surnamed Zhou. Investigate."