Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

As the young voice faded, Qi Tongwei and the others were taken aback and quickly returned to the ward.

Inside the ward, the boy who had just been unconscious had woken up and was struggling to sit up.

Qi Tongwei quickly helped him lean against the headboard and asked softly.

"Young man, what's your name? What did you just say?"

The boy swallowed hard, licked his chapped lips, and said with a wry smile.

"I...I don't have a name...everyone calls me Tangyuan (sweet rice ball)..."

Seeing that his voice was a little hoarse, Qi Tongwei quickly poured him a glass of water and said softly.

"Tangyuan. Don't rush, drink some water first, and speak slowly..."

Tangyuan took the water glass, drank it all in one gulp, wiped her mouth, and continued speaking.

"I'm not strong enough to go down into the mine. So Jin Hu made me take care of him..."

One night, I overheard Jin Hu on the phone, and someone mentioned Li Dayou...

Jin Hu said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely handle it cleanly..."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback, exchanged a glance with Baimaiti, and continued to ask in a low voice.

"Did you hear the person on the phone? What was their accent? Was it a man or a woman? How old were they?"

Qi Tongwei's barrage of questions left Tangyuan somewhat bewildered.

He blinked, thought carefully for a moment, and continued speaking.

"I couldn't tell the accent... but it was a man, probably an old man... his voice was quite low..."

Qi Tongwei felt a chill run down his spine; he suspected it was Li Guofu.

He reached out and patted Tangyuan on the shoulder, smiling and gently comforting her.

"Tangyuan, right? You should rest well. If you remember anything, just tell the police officer."

After saying that, he tucked the blanket around Tangyuan and got up to leave.

But just as he stood up, Tangyuan grabbed him.

Tangyuan looked up at Qi Tongwei, her gaze somewhat evasive, and spoke softly.

"I...I also know where he buries the dead...the dead miners are buried there..."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback, exchanged a glance with Baimaiti, and asked in unison.

"A place where the dead are buried?"

Tangyuan was startled by their reactions and subconsciously nodded, answering softly.

"Those who died from overwork or disease in the mine are all buried there... I've seen it when I peed at night..."

Qi Tongwei frowned, quickly grabbed Tangyuan's shoulder, and asked in a deep voice.

"Where is it? Is it far from the illegal coal mines?"

Tangyuan winced in pain, blinked, but didn't answer.

He glanced at Qi Tongwei, then at Baimaiti, and tentatively asked.

"I'm all alone at home... Could you please not send me back?"

Qi Tongwei was taken aback and looked at Baimaiti. Baimaiti understood and immediately spoke.

"If you're willing to stay in Fuyuan, I'll send you to school..."

When you grow up, I'll arrange a job for you.

Tangyuan's eyes lit up, and a look of joy instantly appeared on her face as she exclaimed in surprise.

"Really? You can't lie to me... I'm terrified of being lied to before..."

As he finished speaking, the joy on his face vanished, and his expression turned somewhat forlorn.

Qi Tongwei got off, pointed at Baimaiti, and said softly.

"Tangyuan, look carefully. He's the county magistrate of Fuyuan; he wouldn't lie to you..."

Tangyuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately thanked them repeatedly, tears streaming down her face.

He knew about the county magistrate; he had heard from the old folks that the county magistrate was the highest-ranking official in the county.

After expressing his gratitude, he disregarded the fact that he was still on an IV drip and struggled to get out of bed.

"Come on, I know the place, I'll take you there right away..."

Qi Tongwei quickly pressed him down and gently comforted him.

"Don't worry, get some rest first. The police officer will be with you."

"Wait until your fever goes down, then bring the police officer with you... okay?"

After much persuasion from everyone, Tangyuan finally lay down again, a smile on her lips.

Upon leaving the ward, Qi Tongwei immediately gave orders to Chen Sichao.

"Add two shifts to protect Tangyuan. Once he's feeling better, go identify the scene immediately..."

After saying that, he paused slightly and added another sentence.

"Director Chen, please keep this confidential. The progress of the case can only be reported to me and County Chief Bai..."

Chen Sichao was taken aback, frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Understood!"

Qi Tongwei and Baimaiti walked out of the health center and sat down in the Santana parked at the entrance, one on each side.

As the car started, Baimaiti let out a long breath, leaned back in his seat, and said softly.

"Finally, we've seen the light at the end of the tunnel..."

Qi Tongwei looked out the window, his expression absent-minded.

"The darkness before dawn is the most terrifying. Never let your guard down..."

Baimaiti glanced at him, nodded, and asked a question.

"Back to the county committee?"

Qi Tongwei narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice.

"Send me to the retirement home first, then you can go back to the county committee yourself..."

Baimaiti was taken aback, looked deeply at Qi Tongwei, and asked in a deep voice.

"Are you going to see Li Guofu?"

Qi Tongwei remained noncommittal and gave a cold snort.

"Who do you think made the call, ordering Jin Hu to kill Li Dayou?"

Baimaiti sighed and asked softly.

"Is Li Guofu really that deeply involved?"

Qi Tongwei didn't answer, but muttered something to himself.

"One wrong step leads to another... From the moment he started covering up the mine disaster, he was no longer in control of his own destiny..."

......

The Santana stopped in front of the retirement home, and Qi Tongwei got out of the car.

As he closed the car door, he told the driver, "Come pick me up in an hour..."

Arriving at the gate of Li Guofu's courtyard, Qi Tongwei took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door.

When the door opened, Li Guofu was quite surprised to see Qi Tongwei.

"Secretary Qi? What brings you here?"

Qi Tongwei smiled and held up the small bottle of Laojiao liquor and cooked food in his hand, waving them at him.

"I've got nothing to do after get off work, so I thought I'd grab a couple of drinks with you."

It was still early, so the two of them didn't go inside. Instead, they sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.

The two of them ate cooked food and drank together, chatting idly.

After downing two glasses of wine, Li Guofu put down his glass, glanced at Qi Tongwei, and asked with a smile.

"Secretary Qi, you didn't come to see me today just to chat, did you?"

I heard that the county just busted an illegal coal mine…

"Yes, the raid early this morning rescued more than forty kidnapped miners."

Qi Tongwei answered naturally, without hiding anything.

Even if Li Guofu doesn't ask, he will take the initiative to steer the conversation toward this topic.

He had figured it out: if Li Guofu could get rid of Li Dayou, he might not be so afraid to mess with him.

He came here this time to make an example of someone, to lure them out of their hole.

Upon hearing Qi Tongwei's answer, Li Guofu was taken aback, then smiled and nodded.

"Young man...you've got guts, better than this old man. Come on, let's have a drink."

The two clinked glasses and each took a sip.

Qi Tongwei put down his wine glass and looked at Li Guofu with a smile that was somewhat amused.

"I don't see your relative. What's his name again? Jin Hu, right? Where did he go?"

Li Guofu was clearly prepared; he frowned slightly and sighed.

"Sigh, I scolded him a bit, and he got upset with me, saying he was going back to his hometown..."

Qi Tongwei didn't press further, smiled, and cut straight to the point.

"Old Party Secretary, Jin Hu is the owner of the illegal coal mine...did you know that?"

Li Guofu was taken aback, but his expression of surprise showed no sign of acting.

"What?! Are you sure you're not mistaken? How could he be the owner of an illegal coal mine..."

Qi Tongwei saw that he was pretending to be stupid, so he didn't pursue the matter and played along with his act.

"It seems that this Golden Tiger is very well hidden, and has even deceived you."

He was not only the owner of an illegal coal mine, but also connected to a major case eight years ago...

Before Li Guofu could answer, Qi Tongwei added another sentence.

"You're a veteran Party member, so if you have any news about Jin Hu, you must let me know..."

Li Guofu was taken aback, slammed his wine glass down heavily, and said in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, if Jin Hu dares to come back, I'll take him to turn himself in..."

He paused slightly, glanced at Qi Tongwei, and continued.

"However, you should also investigate thoroughly... Jin Hu is a rather honest kid, and he doesn't talk much."

They really don't look like criminals... I'm not being biased, I just find it a little hard to believe...

Seeing his righteous and awe-inspiring words, Qi Tongwei quickly raised his glass.

"Don't worry, old secretary. If Jin Hu is innocent, I will definitely clear his name..."

"Thank you for your cooperation, old Party Secretary. I'd like to offer you a toast..."

After finishing a glass of wine, Li Guofu seemed to suddenly become interested.

He took out two pieces of jade from his pocket, placed them on the table, and said with a smile.

"Secretary Qi, I recently acquired two fine pieces of jade... Take a look, which one is better..."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback and looked at the two pieces of Hetian jade on the table.

Neither piece of material was very large; one was sugar-yellow, and the other was warm white.

With its warm and lustrous color and rich oiliness, it is indeed a rare and excellent material.

Before he could answer, Li Guofu continued speaking with a smile.

"Sigh, when I was in office, my monthly salary was 280 yuan, but after I retired, it was 220 yuan."

Good quality raw materials on the market are currently being sold for 10,000 yuan per kilogram... These two pieces cost a little less than 1,000 yuan.

"I've wasted half my life..."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback by what he said, gave Li Guofu a deep look, and then said nothing more.

The drinking session lasted until nine o'clock, and both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts, so it couldn't be said that the host and guest enjoyed themselves to the fullest.

After leaving the courtyard, Qi Tongwei got into his Santana and became extra cautious.

He had already knocked on the mountain, but he was also afraid of being bitten by a tiger that suddenly appeared.

They drove in silence until the car stopped at the guesthouse, where Qi Tongwei patted the driver on the shoulder.

"Pick me up half an hour tomorrow morning, I'm going for a run."

After saying that, he grabbed his briefcase, opened the door, and got out of the car.

But as soon as he got out of the car, a loud shout rang out from his side, as loud as muffled thunder.

"Qi Tongwei! I'll take your life..."

-------------

This book has no connection to reality; please do not attempt to relate it to any specific person.