Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Zhong Xiaoai.

Upon hearing this name, Shen Zhong's lips curled into a slight smile.

Hou Liangping's wife finally made her appearance.

He didn't hang up or say anything; he just listened quietly.

The woman on the other end of the phone was clearly prepared for this silence.

"Mr. Shen Zhong, I am Zhong Xiaoai, Hou Liangping's wife. First of all, on behalf of my husband, I would like to express my sincerest apologies to you and Comrade He Xia for my husband's reckless behavior tonight."

Her voice was clear and bright, her pronunciation was precise, and her attitude was extremely humble.

These words were perfectly worded, expressing remorse while characterizing Hou Liangping's behavior as "reckless" rather than "wrong" or "illegal."

Shen Zhong remained silent.

After a brief pause, Zhong Xiaoai continued speaking on the other end of the phone.

"Liangping can be a bit hasty in his actions, especially when it comes to cases. He's easily carried away by his emotions, but he's not a bad person at heart. He's just too dedicated to his work."

She began to search for a reasonable explanation for Hou Liangping's behavior.

"However, Mr. Shen, we are all people within the system, and we should all understand the importance of 'rules.' You are a general with a distinguished military record, and Liangping is the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. We both represent the face of the country."

coming.

His heavy eyes were devoid of warmth.

That was the real purpose of her phone call.

"What happened tonight has had a very bad impact." Zhong Xiaoai's tone remained unchanged, but the content began to reveal a sense of scrutiny.

"A section chief at the Supreme People's Procuratorate was publicly beaten by military personnel while on duty, with dozens of automatic rifles pointed at his head. This incident has caused him great distress and may affect his future career advancement."

She made no threats, but every word she said was a warning.

She cleverly shifted Shen Zhong's position from that of a victim to that of someone who "breaks the rules and creates trouble."

It seems that Shen Zhong's counterattack was even more egregious in nature than Hou Liangping's provocation.

"Liangping has already received his due punishment, and you've already saved face enough. Therefore, I hope Mr. Shen..."

"I hope you can take some time to personally visit the Anti-Corruption Bureau and apologize to Liangping."

"I hope you can provide a reasonable explanation for your 'physical action'. For example, you could say it was an 'accidental injury' that occurred during your 'sparring'."

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee that Liangping won't do anything rash that might cause you trouble."

Accidental injury during friendly competition?

Threat!

A serving major general and an anti-corruption bureau chief were "sparring" in the hallway.

And they even beat someone until their face was swollen like a pig's head?

This reason, absurd to the point of being laughable, is full of the unique arrogance and "wisdom" of those in power when solving problems.

They don't care about the truth at all.

All they care about is a "statement" that can get them off the hook and save face for themselves.

After listening to all of her "strategic maneuvering," Shen Zhong finally reacted.

He spoke clearly into the receiver, uttering three words.

"impossible."

There was no explanation, no rebuttal, and no room for maneuver.

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

"Beep...beep...beep..."

Hearing the busy tone on her phone, Zhong Xiaoai, who was in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's office, finally showed a hint of anger on her usually calm and rational expression.

She gripped the phone tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

the other side.

Inside the Anti-Corruption Bureau's office building, one office was brightly lit.

Hou Liangping sat in front of the computer, his eyes bloodshot, the twisted excitement on his face still lingering.

On the screen, a report of several thousand words had just been completed.

He carefully checked every single word to make sure there were no flaws.

In this report, he and his team are portrayed as dedicated to their duties and handling cases in accordance with the law.

Shen Zhong, on the other hand, became a military bully who, relying on his military background, disregarded national law, violently resisted the law, and even used the army to threaten high-ranking national officials.

Satisfied, he printed out the report, signed his name, and delivered it to the desk of his superior, Zhang Xiangyang, the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, overnight.

Zhang Xiangyang was already resting at home when he was urgently called back to his unit.

He picked up the report and read it word by word.

In the office, the only sound was the rustling of papers.

After a long while, he put down the report and looked at Hou Liangping, whose cheeks were still swollen.

His face didn't show much expression.

As a seasoned veteran who had navigated the political landscape for decades, he immediately saw through the hidden tricks and deliberate manipulation in the report.

But he didn't point it out.

Hou Liangping was his direct subordinate and a rising star in their system.

Now, his men have been assaulted while "carrying out official duties."

It wasn't just Hou Liangping's face that was slapped.

It's also about his reputation, and the reputation of the entire Anti-Corruption Bureau!

"Are you sure every word in the report can withstand scrutiny?" Zhang Xiangyang's voice was deep.

"Leader! Every word is true!" Hou Liangping straightened his chest.

Zhang Xiangyang stared at him for a few seconds, and finally nodded.

"I understand. You go back and rest. I'll handle this."

He neither said he believed nor he did not believe.

He simply decided to submit the report upwards according to procedure.

He wanted to use this report, which was half true and half false, to test what the higher-ups' attitude was toward the man named "Shen Zhong".

the next day.

This report indeed circulated within a very small circle within the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Officials who were unaware of the details were outraged upon seeing the report.

"Outrageous! This is utterly lawless!"

"A soldier dared to openly assault an official from our Supreme People's Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau? And even point a gun at him? Is this some kind of rebellion?!"

"They must be severely punished! If this isn't dealt with, what will become of our procuratorate's authority? Who will dare to investigate cases then!"

Angry voices echoed in every office.

Meanwhile, another plot line that Hou Liangping laid out last night is also beginning to take shape.

A rumor spread like wildfire among bureau-level officials in various ministries in Beijing.

"Have you heard? Hou Liangping from the Supreme People's Procuratorate, that anti-corruption pioneer, was beaten up last night while handling a case."

"Who hit you? How dare they?"

"A guy with military connections, incredibly arrogant, called in a squad of soldiers and held a gun to Director Hou's head!"

"Really? This...this is too exaggerated!"

"Absolutely true! The Supreme People's Procuratorate is in an uproar! Everyone's saying this is a blatant provocation by the military against the judicial system!"

The news spread throughout the capital's middle echelons of power in a strange way, discussed in private yet known to all.

No one discussed it publicly, but everyone was talking about it in private.

The pressure from public opinion, like an invisible net, began to tighten slowly.

He Xia arrived at work early in the morning and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

In the corridor, her colleagues, who usually greeted her warmly, looked away when they saw her today.

It was a complex expression that mixed curiosity, inquiry, and a hint of awe.

She walked into her office and had just sat down when some of her close female colleagues gathered around, lowering their voices.

"Sister He Xia, are you... are you alright at home?"

He Xia's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained impassive: "What could it be?"

"There are rumors going around... that your partner... beat up someone from the Supreme People's Procuratorate last night?"

He Xia then realized what was going on.

She offered a few words of comfort to her colleague, but her mind was perfectly clear.

She knew that this was the beginning of the other side's counterattack.

When she got home from get off work, she told Shen Zhong about what had happened at her workplace.

After listening, Shen Zhong calmly placed a piece of food on her plate.

"Ignore them, they're just clowns. Focus on preparing for your new post in Jingzhou, I'll take care of everything."

His composure instantly calmed He Xia's slightly agitated heart.