Official statement: Tongwei is dead! You chose Ruijin, didn't you?

Meng Huaichuan's scathing declaration of "clearing the accounts" in the provincial party committee auditorium seemed to have grown legs, spreading like wildfire in less than half a day.

It was transmitted intact to the intensive care unit of the People's Hospital through various clandestine channels.

Gao Yuliang leaned against the rocking back of the hospital bed, and after listening to Wu Huifen's retelling, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Meng Huaichuan has come to Handong with an imperial sword to reveal his true colors."

Gao Yuliang picked up a glass of warm water and took a sip. "Li Dakang probably can't even drink water properly now. As the Party Secretary of Jingzhou, he'll be a landmine clearer next."

Just then, Director Du Guobin came in with the newly taken footage.

He stared at the film for a long time, then turned to look at Gao Yuliang, who was leaning against the headboard, his expression very conflicted.

"Secretary Gao, your recovery, from a medical perspective, is somewhat defying basic principles," Du Guobin said, adjusting his glasses.

Gao Yuliang laughed and said, "Director Du, please don't look at me like I'm an alien every time. I don't want to add to the research burden of the medical community in Handong."

"The main thing is the height you fell from. By conventional standards, you'd be lucky to even be breathing. Now, not only can you use a wheelchair, but you can also clearly command the world..."

Du Guobin coughed twice. "If this were written into a paper, it would definitely be published on the front page of a core journal."

Xiao Lin, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but chime in: "Director Du, I've already thought of a title for your thesis. It's called 'On the Miraculous Effect of Cadres' Will to Survive on Comminuted Fractures'."

Gao Yuliang glanced at him: "Xiao Lin, it's a waste of your talent that you're not writing reports for the Provincial Party Committee Office."

Xiao Lin pursed his lips and replied very seriously, "Secretary Gao, I feel like throwing up whenever I see lined paper while writing interview transcripts. Please don't make me feel so bad."

Several people in the ward burst into laughter.

Laughs aside, the important business was about to begin.

Zhou Zhengming pushed open the door and came in, holding an official approval form in his hand.

"Secretary Gao, you submitted a report yesterday requesting to visit Qi Tongwei's grave in Yantai. Team Leader Qin and Secretary Lu approved it in principle."

Wu Huifen stopped peeling the apple, somewhat surprised: "You're really letting him go?"

"There are conditions." Zhou Zhengming held up three fingers.

"First, a medical vehicle will accompany you throughout the entire process, with the provincial department providing peripheral support; second, members of the supervisory team will accompany you closely; third, you are not allowed to meet any unrelated personnel, accept media interviews, or make any unapproved public statements. In short, you are only allowed to observe, not to collude."

Gao Yuliang laughed: "Don't worry, I'm here to see the students, not to hold an on-site meeting. In your eyes right now, I'm probably more dangerous than Zhao Ruilong's safe full of ledgers."

Xiao Lin muttered to himself, "That can't be compared. The safe won't proactively hand over clues to the supervisory team every now and then."

Gao Yuliang heard this, but he wasn't angry.

He knew perfectly well what the supervisory team's attitude towards him was.

He has problems; he's being protected by Gao Xiaoqin, Hong Kong Trust, and the political and legal system—all these messy issues are still there.

But his jump from the building smashed the chessboard of Handong to pieces, dragging Sha Ruijin, Hou Liangping, Zhong Jia, and Bai Wangshan into the mire.

From an organizational perspective, he has made significant contributions; from a disciplinary perspective, his method of "political extortion" is so egregious that it should never be encouraged; from a public opinion perspective, he is also the provincial deputy secretary who jumped to his death after being subjected to illegal interrogation by students.

No matter how you deal with him, it won't look good.

Therefore, Gao Yuliang knows that he must be careful to exercise discretion in his actions.

You can't play the victim, because that seems hypocritical; you can't be tough, because being tough is confrontation.

He had to show everyone that he admitted defeat, he was willing to confess, but he still had value and would absolutely abide by the rules.

Visiting Qi Tongwei at Yantai was a brilliant move he made.

On the one hand, he genuinely wanted to see the students; on the other hand, he also wanted to make a show of things to the officials in Handong and the supervisory team.

...

The next morning, two cars quietly drove out of the side gate of the People's Hospital.

Inside the ambulance, Gao Yuliang, covered with a thin blanket, looked out the window at the increasingly dilapidated street scene, remaining silent the entire way.

Wu Huifen asked softly, "Old Gao, do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"I regret not helping him out sooner, or breaking things off sooner."

Gao Yuliang closed his eyes: "It's too hypocritical to say you regret it now."

...

At noon, the convoy arrived in Yantai Township.

The Qi family's ancestral graves were built halfway up the mountain. It was a new grave, the yellow earth not yet fully compacted, with a few wilted white chrysanthemums haphazardly stuck next to it.

Several relatives of the Qi family stood at a distance with their hands tucked in, not daring to approach.

They couldn't understand the intricate politics of the provincial government; all they knew was their own golden phoenix, who had finally managed to fly out of the mountains.

In the end, it turned into a handful of ash, was put in a box, and returned.

Kobayashi pushed the wheelchair and stopped in front of the tombstone.

The wind blew across the bare field ridges, and the surroundings were so quiet that the only sound was the wheelchair crunching over the gravel.

Gao Yuliang felt a tightness in his heart as he looked at the three characters "Qi Tongwei" on the monument.

That student who wore old clothes, was as thin as a bamboo pole, but whose eyes revealed the fierceness of a wolf cub...

In the end, he lay down in this impoverished land that he had desperately tried to escape.

"Teacher, do children from rural areas have to kneel more times than others throughout their lives?"

The issues raised back then still resonate in my ears.

Gao Yuliang used law, ideals, and organizational principles to gloss over the issue at the time, but now that I think about it, those words were just empty words and couldn't quell the fire burning in Qi Tongwei's heart.

Qi Tongwei did indeed kneel down later.

He knelt before Liang Lu, he knelt before power, he knelt before that bottomless ladder of promotion.

When he no longer wanted to kneel, he could only point a gun at his own chin.

Gao Yuliang raised his hand, and Xiao Lin stepped forward, unscrewed a bottle of Moutai, and poured it in front of the monument.

"Tongwei, your teacher has come to see you."

Gao Yuliang's voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of vicissitude, "In your whole life, you've schemed and plotted, but in the end, you've returned to where you started."

You chose this path yourself, so you can't blame anyone else.

But I'm not going to play dumb with you. I saw you gradually become that awful person, and I accepted it. We'll split this score 50/50.

Uncle Qi, who was standing some distance away, wiped away tears as he listened.

Gao Yuliang paused, then continued, "The supervisory team has done justice for the injustices you suffered. Unfortunately, it came too late; you can't hear it now."

Xiaolin stood to the side, eyes downcast, his notebook tightly closed.

Zhou Zhengming had instructed that today's meeting was not a conversation and there was no need to take notes.

But he knew that Gao Yuliang's heartfelt words were even sharper than the confessions in the interrogation room.

"You cursed God at Lone Eagle Ridge at the end."

Gao Yuliang looked at the tombstone and said, "I used to think you were extreme, but now that I think about it, there's some truth to what you said."

God doesn't handle cases; it's people who do. Once people have selfish motives, rules become tools for manipulating others.

You tried to change your fate through power, but in the end, power turned against you. Your teacher is still alive, so I'll watch the rest of this drama in Handong for you.

Wu Huifen turned her head away and quietly wiped the corner of her eye.

Gao Yuliang turned his wheelchair and looked at the Qi family relatives.

"From now on, during festivals and holidays, pull weeds for him and add some soil. Don't think he's a disgrace. He committed a crime, but when he walked barefoot out of this poor mountain village, he was once a good young man."

Uncle Qi wiped his face and said in a thick local accent, "Secretary Gao, we don't mind. No matter what he did wrong outside, he's still a member of the Qi family."

Gao Yuliang nodded, just about to have Xiaolin push him back to the car.

Just then, a cloud of dust rose from the dirt road at the village entrance, and a white Audi sedan stopped by the roadside.

The car door opened, and a woman in a black coat stepped out.

Liang Lu.

She walked up the earthen slope, her high heels swaying as she went.

When the Qi family relatives saw her, they all took a few steps back as if they had seen a plague goddess, their eyes filled with fear and rejection.

They will never forget the woman's arrogant attitude; she absolutely refused to sign for the body collection.

Gao Yuliang sat in his wheelchair, his brows furrowed as he watched Liang Lu approach.

What is this woman doing here?

Given the depth of Liang Lu's hatred for Qi Tongwei, she wouldn't even glance at his urn.

How could they possibly travel all the way to this poor mountain village of Yantai to sweep the tombs?

Liang Lu stopped two or three meters away from the tombstone, without even glancing at it, her gaze fixed on Gao Yuliang.

"Secretary Gao."

Liang Lu's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were red.

Gao Yuliang looked at her coldly and didn't respond.

Liang Lu bit her lip, took a step forward, and then knelt down in front of the wheelchair with a thud.

Xiaolin was startled and instinctively took a half-step to the side.

The Qi family relatives were even more dumbfounded. Why did this young lady from the city suddenly kneel down to someone?

"Teacher Gao, I beg you, please save my older brothers!"

Ignoring the yellow dust soiling her coat, Liang Lu's tears streamed down her face.

"My dad is gone, and like a tree falling, the monkeys scatter. Those people who used to come to my house every day now won't even answer my calls. My older brothers can't come out either."

"Professor Gao, you have so many old classmates in Kyoto, and so many of your students in the Department of Political Science and Law. If you were just willing to speak up and mediate, they could definitely save their lives!"

Gao Yuliang almost laughed in anger after hearing this.

absurd.

It's absolutely ridiculous.

"Liang Lu, have you suffered too much trauma? Has your brain been damaged?"

Gao Yuliang looked down at her and said, "You went to Qi Tongwei's grave to beg Qi Tongwei's teacher to bail out your two brothers who treated Qi Tongwei like dogs? Your plan is so clever that even the King of Hell would applaud you."

Liang Lu's face turned deathly pale, and she clutched the hem of her clothes tightly.

"Teacher Gao, Tongwei is dead!"

The Liang family has also paid the price. Please, for the sake of my father's promotion of you back then..."

"Your father promoted me so that I could serve as a shield for your Liang family!"

Gao Yuliang interrupted her without any politeness, "Your two brothers laundered money and acted as fronts for the Zhao family. Which one of them doesn't deserve to die?"

You want me to bail them out? Let alone the fact that I'm barely holding on myself, even if I still had power, why would I save two parasites?

Liang Lu trembled from the scolding, tilting her head back and sobbing, "But I have nothing left! I'm all alone! Teacher Gao, can you bear to see the Liang family line die out?"

"The Liang family line has ended; you brought this upon yourselves."

Gao Yuliang pointed to the tombstone next to him, "Look at this grave. You wouldn't even sign your name back then, and you didn't even care about his body."

Now that your family is in trouble, you suddenly remember me, "Teacher Gao"?

You didn't come to see Qi Tongwei; you've turned his grave into an opportunity to block my way. You've never thought of yourself in your entire life.

Liang Lu's thoughts were exposed, and she collapsed to the ground, covering her face and wailing.

Gao Yuliang looked at her, his eyes showing no sympathy, but rather a hint of wariness.

Liang Lu, a pampered person with a spoiled attitude, would never have thought of coming to Yantai to ambush him.

His trip to Yantai was only approved yesterday, and the provincial department's external support arrangements were made overnight.

Who told her?

"Liang Lu, don't cry."

Gao Yuliang's voice turned serious. "I'm asking you, who told you I would be coming to Yantai today?"

Liang Lu paused in her sobs, her eyes darting away, "I...I found out myself..."

"What are you asking about!"

Gao Yuliang bluntly exposed him, "How could you find out the special operations routes of the provincial department? Did someone make you an anonymous call, or did someone indirectly pass on a message saying that Gao Yuliang is in Yantai, and that as long as you beg him, his connections can protect your brother?"

Liang Lu bit her lip, refusing to utter a sound no matter what.

Gao Yuliang understood completely.

Someone is using Liang Lu as a stepping stone.

In Kyoto, or perhaps some hidden force in Handong, they want to use Liang Lu to test Gao Yuliang's attitude, to see if this "old man" is still willing to use the resources behind him for old feelings and for profit.

If he had just given Liang Lu a word today, even if it was just saying "I'll try," that word would have immediately reached the ears of the supervisory team, and his image as "honestly confessing and cooperating with the organization" would have instantly collapsed.

What a ruthless scheme.

"You are hopelessly stupid."

Gao Yuliang looked at Liang Lu on the ground and shook his head. "You've been used as a pawn, thinking you've grabbed a lifeline. Go back and tell the person who tipped you off that I, Gao Yuliang, am now a cripple. I only recognize the Central Supervisory Group, not any old rules. Let the Liang family explain their mess to the Supervisory Group themselves."

Liang Lu was utterly desperate; she knew that the door to Gao Yuliang was firmly shut.

She staggered to her feet, not even bothering to brush the dirt off herself, and walked back dejectedly.

"Liang Lu," Gao Yuliang called out to her one last time.

She stopped in her tracks.

Gao Yuliang stared at her retreating figure, his tone stern: "Don't try to test the supervisory team's attitude for anyone else. The only thing you can do now is to be an ordinary person. A person's death doesn't erase their debts, but don't add any new ones to your record."

Liang Lu didn't turn around and silently got into the white Audi.

The car started and sped away, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

Gao Yuliang took one last look at Qi Tongwei's tombstone, then waved his hand: "Let's go, back to Jingzhou."

The wheelchair struggled to turn on the gravel road.

Kobayashi pushed the wheelchair, but his gaze was fixed on the direction in which the Audi had disappeared.

He knew very well that Liang Lu's actions today were not simply a whim.

Some people will definitely ask why she came at this particular time.

Even more crucially, who told her behind her back that Gao Yuliang would be coming to Yantai today?