Arranged marriage, love blossoms; a fiercely devoted soldier dotes on her alone.

In the darkness of night,

A small convoy of several cars drove out of the compound.

The cold winter night was silent and profound.

In the night sky, snowflakes danced like sprites on the branches, bringing endless peace to the earth.

Wow, it's snowing!

Inside the van, Xia Keke gazed at the snowflakes fluttering down outside the window and said...

She opened the car window and reached out to greet the snowflakes falling from the sky…

Xiao Zhan: "This seems to be the first snowfall of the year."

A few crystal-clear snowflakes fell into Xia Keke's palm, but they melted instantly from the warmth of her palm.

Xia Keke closed the car window somewhat disappointed: "You can only look, not touch; you can admire, but you can't own."

Xiao Zhan laughed and said, "Hehe, this is what they call gains and losses. Between gains and losses is the life of a snowflake."

Xia Keke said sadly, "Yes, life is about gains and losses. I really feel sorry for my master. With his abilities, he could have become a winner in life."

Xiao Zhan: "The key question is, who gave him the opportunity to enter officialdom? Without Liu Shiyuan's influence supporting him, Chen Hongwei would not have been able to reach his current position."

"I am not exaggerating when I say that there are countless people like him across the country who are talented but unappreciated and whose careers are unsuccessful."

"Why!"

Xia Keke sighed and said, "Even if you enter officialdom, what's the use if you can't finish well? As the old saying goes, the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Chen Hongwei will probably never get out of prison this time. His wife was already suffering from a long-term illness and her condition was deteriorating. With this blow, she probably won't be able to hold on. His son is studying abroad, and with this incident, his studies will probably be difficult to continue. Alas, in the end, his family will be destroyed and he will die. I really don't know what the point of him doing this is."

Xiao Zhan thought for a moment and said, "There are countless people like Chen Hongwei. Even if they know that the road ahead is not smooth, they still jump in with a gamble, hoping to win. What if they succeed? They will enjoy wealth and honor, and bring glory to their ancestors."

"I once read a passage in a book that I thought was very well written: 'All the secrets to wealth are hidden in the weaknesses of human nature! When to enter and when to exit, the secrets are hidden in the laws of nature. Strategists enter the game themselves, advance in the trough, and retreat at the peak! It's not about standing outside the game as Buddhism says. A person's life is always within the game! As long as you are alive, no one can escape this game.'"

"Throughout history, there has only been one way for humankind to get rich: 'crowdfunding.' This includes all industries, such as casinos, finance, real estate, education, technology, healthcare, beauty, food, and even fraudulent industrial parks that have scammed people all over the world. There's even the practice of digging up ancient tombs—that's like crowdfunding for the ancients and their ancestors for eighteen generations."

"Modern finance is essentially gambling, prostitution, drug trafficking, and loan sharking—all just continuations of the stories left by our ancestors, only with different names!"

"I always thought that only those who benefit others can benefit themselves! But reality has taught me that I was wrong."

Xia Keke: "Yes, you choose your own path, so you have to swallow the consequences yourself. The most powerful thing about poverty is that it can shatter all your illusory dreams, leaving you sitting directly in the cold reality. By the time you understand, it's too late. The most heartbreaking part of the plot in the novel is not the wrong choice you made at the beginning, but the bitterness of that final clarity turning into useless realization."

Xiao Zhan: "Well said."

"squeak."

At this moment, Shen Jun braked the car and said, "Instructor, Director Xia, we've arrived at the People's Hospital family quarters."

"Clang!"

Xiao Zhan pushed open the car door and jumped out. He turned on his headset and instructed, "Captain Zhang, take your men and surround the target house. Be careful not to disturb the neighbors."

Through the earpiece, Zhang Guoqiang responded, "Understood."

Xia Keke jumped out of the car, deftly pulled out her pistol, quickly inspected it, and then said menacingly, "Xiao Zhan, give me the task of arresting Liu Shiyuan. That old bastard has committed countless evils, even using his own son and grandson as pawns. Is he heartless? Does blood ties mean nothing to him?"

Xiao Zhan knew that Xia Keke was holding back her anger because of Chen Hongwei and wanted to find a way to vent her frustration.

So he nodded and said, "Then be careful. Capture Liu Shiyuan alive and let him face legal judgment. Anyone who dares to resist can be shot dead."

Xia Keke: "Yes."

"Clatter."

Xiao Zhan lit a cigarette, looked up at the night sky, and snowflakes fell on his face, bringing a cool, refreshing chill...

Shen Jun stepped forward and whispered, "Instructor, will something happen to Director Xia when he went to arrest Liu Shiyuan?"

Xiao Zhan glanced at Shen Jun and asked, "Don't underestimate Director Xia. Her combat strength is not to be underestimated. She can easily handle Liu Shiyuan's bodyguards, especially with Zhang Guoqiang's action team providing support."

Shen Jun: "Liu Shiyuan's bodyguards are all retired imperial guards from the ZY Security Bureau. They are all highly skilled and have considerable strength. They are also good at defense and security. I'm worried that Director Xia might be in danger because he's in a bad mood and not careful enough. After all, even a cornered dog will jump over the wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite."

"Phew~~".

Xiao Zhan exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, looked up at the snowflakes fluttering in the night sky, and said, "Shen Jun, do you believe me if I say Liu Shiyuan ran away a long time ago?"

Shen Jun asked in surprise, "Instructor, how did you know Liu Shiyuan escaped? Then why did you still send Director Xia with men to arrest him?"

Xiao Zhan continued, "How could an old fox like Liu Shiyuan, whose eyebrows are practically hollow, possibly stay in one place for a long time? According to Hong Tao, he hasn't contacted Liu Shiyuan for over four hours, while they had an agreement to contact each other every two hours. Given Liu Shiyuan's cunning and shrewd nature, he should have sensed something was wrong. If we capture Liu Shiyuan so easily, it would only disappoint me."

Shen Jun blinked, puzzled, and asked, "Instructor, don't you want to capture Liu Shiyuan?"

Xiao Zhan said calmly, "You're wrong. I want to capture him more than anyone else. Don't forget, the Dragon Shield Project was tailor-made for him. Besides, once I capture him, I want to tear that old bastard to pieces to avenge the brothers who died in that operation."

"If I capture him, my mission will be accomplished."

"I want to live a normal life."

Shen Jun: "Instructor, now that Project Dragon Shield is over, aren't you going back to the military or into politics?"

Xiao Zhan shook his head and said, "I'm in business."

"Thump, thump!"

In the darkness of night,

I suddenly remembered the sound of Xia Keke's leather boots walking.

Xiao Zhan turned his head and saw Xia Keke walking in dejectedly, saying, "Xiao Zhan, I'm sorry, Liu Shiyuan got away."

Shen Jun secretly gave Xiao Zhan a thumbs up.

Xiao Zhan laughed and said, "Hehe, it's all within my expectations. Director Xia, don't blame yourself. Let's go and catch Jia Fugui, the gunner."