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

Wang Fuzhen shook her head, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Old man, I have to go. Chen Shan is my own flesh and blood; I can't not go."

Chen Yanshi sighed and didn't say anything more.

Sha Ruijin glanced at Tian Guofu, then at Chen Hai.

"Then let's go together. Chen Hai, your health..."

"Secretary Sha, I can do it." Chen Hai gritted his teeth. "That's my brother."

There are some things I can't say, and that's what I did when I saw Chen Shan for the last time.

Sha Ruijin nodded.

So the group got into the car, which sped off towards Bin County.

Inside the car, Wang Fuzhen leaned on Chen Yanshi's shoulder. "Old man, will Chen Shan be alright?"

Chen Yanshi held her hand without saying a word.

His hands were shaking.

Chen Hai sat in the passenger seat, watching the tree shadows rushing past the window, his mind in turmoil.

Brother, please make sure nothing happens to you.

You owe me, and you haven't paid me back yet.

The No. 1 Courtyard of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee.

Li Dakang sat in the study in his pajamas, with a cup of strong tea in front of him.

The phone rang.

Sun Jianping.

"Secretary Dakang, I'd like to report to you on the situation in Bin County."

"Speak," Li Dakang said, sensing that something serious must have happened.

"Chen Shan's car plunged off a cliff on the mountain road. The provincial rescue team has arrived at the scene and is conducting a full-scale search and rescue operation. Director Zhang is directing the operation on-site, and our county party committee and county government are fully cooperating." Sun Jianping had to report this to his superior, Li Dakang.

Li Dakang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Comrade Jianping, you must cooperate with the Provincial Public Security Bureau to find Chen Shan's whereabouts as soon as possible. Whether he's alive or dead... in short, you must find him."

"Understood, Secretary Dakang."

After hanging up the phone, Li Dakang leaned back in his chair.

Where did that bastard Zhao Donglai go?

Despite the magnitude of this incident tonight, the city's Public Security Bureau Chief, Zhao Donglai, remains unreachable.

He dialed Zhao Donglai's number.

No one heard.

He dialed it again.

Still no one answered.

Li Dakang frowned and dialed Zhao Donglai's cell phone again.

This time, it rang for a long time before someone finally answered.

"Feed?" It was a woman's voice.

Li Dakang was taken aback.

"Who are you?" Li Dakang asked curiously. Could it be that Zhao Donglai was keeping a mistress?

Lu Yike introduced herself first, "I am Lu Yike, Secretary Li."

"Director Lu? Where's Zhao Donglai? Where is he?" Li Dakang muttered, wondering if the two of them had gotten together.

"Director Zhao is coming to my house for dinner tonight, and he left his phone in our living room." Lu Yike's voice was calm, even somewhat helpless.

They can only lie.

Zhao Donglai is currently cleaning the kitchen.

Wu Xinyi wouldn't let Zhao Donglai interfere. Zhao Donglai had drunk some rice wine and was slightly tipsy, so he insisted on washing the dishes.

Seeing that the range hood needed cleaning, I put on my apron and got to work.

Lu Yike and Wu Xinyi wanted to help, but Zhao Donglai told them to rest outside.

Wu Xinyi peeked out from the bedroom and whispered, "Yike, whose call was that?"

"Secretary Li Dakang," Lu Yike covered the microphone, "Zhao Donglai, Secretary Li is looking for you."

After cleaning the range hood, Zhao Donglai began wiping down the cabinets.

Hearing the shouts, Zhao Donglai jogged out.

Lu Yike handed the phone to Zhao Donglai.

"Secretary Li!" Zhao Donglai answered the phone and stood up straight.

"Zhao Donglai, where are you? Why aren't you answering the phone?" Li Dakang was very angry.

"Secretary Li, I... I was helping Judge Wu clean the kitchen, and my phone was on silent."

Li Dakang's voice turned cold. "Zhao Donglai, oh ho, you've met your mother-in-law. Did you know Chen Shan was in trouble?"

Zhao Donglai's mind went blank. "What?"

"Chen Shan was in a car accident in Bin County. His car plunged off a cliff, and he's missing. I order you to come with me to Bin County immediately." Li Dakang really wanted to find a good helper.

Moreover, as the head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Zhao Donglai had to go.

"Secretary Li, I'll go right away!" Zhao Donglai felt there was just too much to do.

I never expected Chen Shan to get into trouble.

"I'm giving you ten minutes. Wait for me at the entrance of the Municipal Party Committee. If you're late, you'll be submitting your resignation." Li Dakang hung up the phone.

Zhao Donglai quickly took off his apron. "Aunt Wu, thank you for your hospitality. The glutinous rice balls taste like mom's, and the rice wine tastes like home."

Wu Xinyi came out carrying a plate of fruit and was stunned when she saw his flustered state.

"Donglai, what serious incident has occurred?"

"Chen Shan was in a car accident, and Secretary Dakang asked me to go to Bin County." Zhao Donglai put on his police uniform.

Wu Xinyi put down the fruit plate, her expression changing. "Donglai, you've drunk rice wine, you can't drive. How about this, let Yike drive you there."

Lu Yike didn't really want to go. "Mom, is this appropriate? I'm not familiar with Zhao Donglai."

Wu Xinyi glared at her, "What do you mean we're not familiar? We're all from the same political and legal department. Hurry up and go, be careful on the road."

After saying that, he saw Lu Yike and Zhao Donglai out the door.

Hey!

The two are quite compatible, as long as Lu Yi doesn't stay single forever.

Lu Yike, wearing a coat and holding car keys, looked reluctant. "Let's go, Director Zhao."

Zhao Donglai opened the passenger door and got in.

The car drove out of the residential area and merged into the traffic flow in the middle of the night.

Lu Yike drove the car, looking straight ahead, her lips twitching slightly.

"Zhao Donglai, do your glutinous rice balls taste like your mother's?"

I think Zhao Donglai is really good at acting; he's shamelessly trying to curry favor with his mother, Wu Xinyi.

Zhao Donglai was looking down at his phone when he casually replied, "Sure, of course, my mother-in-law made it."

Lu Yike sneered, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Zhao Donglai said confidently.

"My mom bought it from the supermarket. You have stage 3 diabetes, right? You ate two bowls. Are you sure you can handle that?"

Zhao Donglai suddenly raised his head, completely sober.

"Fine, who has diabetes? I'm perfectly healthy. That's just Hou Liangping talking nonsense, slandering me. I'm a man, I have to be able to do it."

Lu Yike glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Zhao Donglai muttered to himself.

A man can be anything, except for being incompetent.

Ten minutes later.

Zhao Donglai stood at the entrance of the municipal party committee building, the wind making him shiver.

The rice wine is quite potent.

Lu Yike followed behind in her car and waited by the roadside.

A black Audi A6 slowly drove up, its license plate ending in 009.

Secretary Kim rolled down the car window.

Li Dakang, sitting in the back seat, his face ashen, ordered, "Let's go!"

Zhao Donglai quickly got into the car. "Okay, Secretary Li."

The convoy headed towards Bin County.

Li Dakang leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and remained silent.

Zhao Donglai felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

I just glanced at Li Dakang's face; it was darker than the night.

Outside the window, the streetlights rushed past.

The night was dark.

Under the same night sky, different cars and different people are all heading in the same direction.

Bin County.

The search and rescue team, carrying torches and flashlights, groped their way through the darkness.

The mountain wind howled.

Hou Liangping wrapped his coat tighter around him; it was pitch black all around, and he couldn't see anything.

He started complaining, "Director Zhang, why don't we look for it again at dawn? I'm worried there might be wolves."

Zhang Qi walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Hou Liangping, if you're not feeling well, go back and rest."

"I'm not tired. I'm great." Hou Liangping puffed out his chest, not wanting to be looked down upon.

He was thinking about that overseas phone number.

That number was switched off after the last call.

I can't get through anymore.

It's like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples before returning to calm.

Who exactly is that person?

Why lead him down this path?

Hou Liangping took out his phone, found the number, and dialed it.

The number you dialed is currently switched off.

He stared at the screen, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the phone.

Six o'clock in the morning.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and a hint of gray-white peeked through the clouds in the east.

The search and rescue team's walkie-talkie suddenly rang.

"Report! Found! Vehicle wreckage and...and a male body found below the cliff."

Hou Liangping's heart sank.

Did Chen Shan die?

Zhang Qi grabbed the walkie-talkie. "How's the situation?"

"The vehicle was severely damaged, and the person... the person was so badly injured that their face was unrecognizable. A forensic doctor needs to be on-site to confirm their identity."

Hou Liangping quickened his pace and ran.

Zhang Qi quickly followed.

When we arrived at the scene, the forensic doctor was taking pictures.

The car was indeed Chen Hai's SUV.

The car body was twisted, and the windshield was shattered all over the ground.

The car door is deformed and cannot be opened.

The person was thrown out of the car and lay on the rocks.

Hou Liangping walked over and glanced down at it.

His face was covered in blood, making his features indistinct and unrecognizable.

He stood there, silent for a long time.

I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei arrived.

Qi Tongwei glanced at it. "Can you confirm it's Chen Shan?"