Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

After a long silence, Chen Hai said in a low voice, "Teacher, I will most likely choose to remain silent and pretend that I don't know anything."

Gao Yuliang frowned slightly. "Chen Hai, choosing silence is condoning evil!"

For the sake of so-called family ties, you let lawbreakers go unpunished. All those years you spent at law school have been a waste!

Every sentence is powerful and resonates deeply with our values.

Chen Hai felt a pang of sadness and asked in a low voice.

"Teacher, does the standard answer necessarily mean putting righteousness before family and personally sending a loved one to justice?"

Qi Tongwei spoke up at the right moment: "Teacher Gao, you don't need to be so harsh on Chen Hai."

We are all adults, no longer students in school who only talked about right and wrong.

Life is never a multiple-choice question; it's mostly a single-choice question.

Choosing family ties means abandoning legal principles.

If you choose justice, you must abandon personal feelings.

Whatever choice you make, you have to pay the price for your decision and bear the corresponding consequences. There's no such thing as having it all.

Wanting both, how can you possibly have all the good things for yourself?

Having experienced the ups and downs of two lifetimes, I understand best the helplessness of adults.

Gao Yuliang nodded slowly, his eyes revealing a deep meaning. "Chen Hai, Tongwei is your senior. What he said is the insight of someone who has been through it all."

He has given you the most honest and realistic answer.

Chen Hai breathed a sigh of relief, his mind calming down slightly. He bowed and thanked them, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, teacher. Thank you for clearing up my doubts, senior."

After the conversation, the knot in their hearts remained untied.

Chen Hai had no specific direction on how to proceed.

Right now, I really want to have a drink and get completely drunk.

But Chen Hai already had a vague direction in his mind.

As a storm brews in Handong, the Chen family's troubles also quietly arrive.

However, the Liang family also bore the brunt of the storm.

the other side.

Laifu Nursing Home.

The small courtyard where Chen Yanshi lives.

The Dafeng Factory has also been demolished; the biggest change is in the small courtyard where Chen Yanshi lives.

Chen Yanshi's courtyard used to be bustling with activity, with people coming and going.

Now, the place is deserted; very few people come.

Everyone knows that the investigation team is coming to Handong, and the people they are investigating may involve Chen Yanshi. They are all shrewd and want to stay far away from him.

The vegetation is lush and the environment is quiet.

Chen Yanshi felt a little uncomfortable.

Wang Fuzhen thought this was pretty good.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, this is one of the few private nursing homes in Handong where one can rest and recuperate in peace.

Liang Qunfeng took the initiative to meet Chen Yanshi.

The once powerful and influential vice-ministerial-level official has now retired.

Stripped of all the glamour of his former job, he wore simple clothes, his temples were gray, and he was full of signs of old age.

Having endured days of pressure and suppression, he had already realized that he would likely find it difficult to escape unscathed this time.

Liang Qunfeng sat in the rattan chair, his back slightly hunched. "Old Chen, you can rest assured now. My former secretary, Wei Huachen, has already taken the blame."

But it's probably not enough for just one kid to take the blame.

The people in the judicial system now, especially Qin Hansheng, are extremely ruthless. They're clearly determined to use this case to dig deep and get justice for Qi Tongwei.

Liang Qunfeng really didn't expect that Lao Deng, who was just a minor judicial office director before retirement, would have such great strength.

What exactly is wrong?

Chen Yanshi sat opposite him, his expression calm, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"Old Liang, things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more."

What are your plans now, and how do you intend to deal with this crisis?

Liang Qunfeng, smoking a cigarette, said, "I don't know. Old Chen, were you involved back then?"

Chen Yanshi, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said, "Old Liang, I, Chen Yanshi, have never done anything wrong from beginning to end. I guarantee it with the integrity of a veteran."

Back then, I was just the deputy director of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau. I was a nobody with little power, and the little power I had was not enough to influence matters at the university level, such as personnel allocation and appointment.

Besides, the assigned location was Lone Eagle Ridge.

I have lived an upright and honest life, and have a clear conscience.

Over the years, evidence has been extremely difficult to find.

Regardless of what role he played, Chen Yanshi absolutely absolved himself of any responsibility.

Liang Qunfeng flicked his cigarette ash. "Okay, I believe you. Old Chen, I'm making the worst-case scenario plan now."

If anything really happens to me this time, I'll entrust the Liang family to you.

I don't ask for anything else, I only ask that you take good care of Lulu and my two good-for-nothing sons in the future.

Without him.

It was precisely because Sha Ruijin was Chen Yanshi's adopted son, holding a high position and wielding great power, that the descendants of the Liang family were able to live peacefully under the protection of Sha Ruijin and Chen Yanshi.

When a person is about to fail, all they ask for is for their family to be safe and sound.

Otherwise, if Qi Tongwei retaliates, the Liang family might be completely finished.

Chen Yanshi frowned. "Old Liang, don't say such unlucky things."

There's always a chance for things to turn around; it's not necessarily a dead end. You'll definitely be alright.

Chen Yanshi didn't think it was a big deal.

Besides, so many years have passed.

Even if the investigation team comes, what can they do?

Liang Qunfeng slowly shook his head. "Old Chen, we've both spent our whole lives in officialdom, and I've long understood a principle."

Those in high positions must always be fully prepared and have the worst-case scenario in mind in order to remain calm in the face of danger.

The mentality of hoping for luck is always the biggest cause of failure.

At this moment, Wang Fuzhen, who was standing to the side, slowly walked over carrying two cups of hot tea.

She placed a cup of tea on the table in front of Liang Qunfeng. "Old Liang, have some hot tea to warm yourself up. Don't dwell on things. Things will definitely get better."

Liang Qunfeng looked up at her and said, "Thank you for your trouble, my dear in-law."

"When people leave, the tea cools" is the most authentic rule in officialdom, without a doubt.

Nowadays, there are very few people who can invite Liang Qunfeng for tea.

Liang Qunfeng held his teacup and said, "Old Chen, to be honest, my biggest regret in life is that I missed the last step in my career."

When I first became the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Handong, I was just one step away from becoming a ministerial-level official.

He originally had the opportunity to become the provincial governor and provincial party secretary.

Unfortunately, he was out of luck; one step behind led to another, and he ultimately stopped at the vice-ministerial level, retiring hastily.

Chen Yanshi felt that Liang Qunfeng seemed to be showing off.

Why is Lao Deng, who retired as a deputy minister, still not satisfied?

"Old Liang, you've been the third-ranked official in Handong Province for so many years."

Chen Yanshi had envied this for many years.

Liang Qunfeng shook his head slightly, "Old Chen, that's all in the past."

I often think that if I had gone a step further back then and reached a full ministerial position, my foundation would have been completely solid.

"Let alone a mere old case of land allocation, even in the face of a major upheaval, the Beijing Municipal Investigation Team might not even bother investigating me, Liang Qunfeng."

He was once a man who achieved the highest level of vice-ministerial rank.

The fact that he had just missed achieving his life's goals was his biggest obsession in his later years.

Hearing this, Chen Yanshi felt deeply moved. He gently exhaled a puff of smoke and sighed, "Old Liang, who can argue with that? Everyone who works in the system their whole life has regrets."

I started my career very early when I was young, and became a department-level cadre in my early forties. Among my peers, I was definitely one of the best.

After a lifetime of ups and downs, he was still a department-level official when he reached retirement age.

He worked hard his whole life, striving his entire life, but in the end, he still didn't enjoy the待遇 (treatment/benefits) of a vice-minister.

I am truly unwilling to accept this.

This is also Chen Yanshi's biggest regret.