Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

The older woman went inside. Li Jianguo waited where he was, his fingers unconsciously tapping the seam of his trousers.

A moment later, the woman came running out in a panic, clutching a scarf in her hand.

"Comrade, is this your partner?"

Li Jianguo's heart skipped a beat. The scarf belonged to Jiang Min; he had seen her wearing it when she left home that morning.

Where is she?

"There's no one inside!" The old woman's voice trembled. "I just picked this up, and the person's gone!"

Li Jianguo was stunned for a moment—no, he was completely bewildered.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already rushed into the toilet.

The women's restroom. I can't control it anymore.

There were obvious drag marks on the ground. The soil was smudged, and there was a dark mark, like a shoe heel scratch. He squatted down to look at it, and when he stood up, his mind was buzzing.

He rode his bicycle to the police station as fast as he could, ignoring the people on the roadside who were cursing at him.

When the police officers at the local station saw that it was Li Jianguo, they were startled.

"Director Li, please don't worry, we'll act immediately and launch a city-wide manhunt!"

"Thank you for your hard work, comrades."

When Li Jianguo said this, his face was expressionless, but his voice was a little hoarse.

Soon, police were deployed, centered around Beihai. Not only the police, but also the neighborhood committee aunties were mobilized. These elderly women, with their sharp eyes and keen ears, strolled through the streets, asking everyone they met. Half the city became bustling, like a market day.

When the news reached the courtyard, it caused an uproar.

"What? Director Li's girlfriend has been kidnapped?"

"Who the hell has the nerve to do that?"

"I don't know, the police are searching the whole city!"

Upon hearing this news, Madam Jia's lips curled into a wide grin, and she smiled with great delight.

"Serves him right! Karma! Anyone who hangs out with Li Jianguo will end up badly. He's a jinx!"

The Jia family members gathered together, gloating. After laughing, they started muttering: Who did it? They're incredibly audacious.

At the same time, Factory Director Yang also received a phone call.

"What?!"

He jumped up from his chair, nearly snapping the phone cord.

"Send people to me immediately! The entire security team, take them all out!"

This news was terrifying. One was his brother's daughter, and the other was the factory's top engineer. How could something like this happen just because the two went on a date? Factory Director Yang was filled with unbearable self-reproach. He was the one who made the call, he was the one who acted as matchmaker. If anything happened to Jiang Min, how could he face his old classmate?

He hung up the phone and ran to the police station, with the security guards following behind, panting heavily.

When I arrived at the police station, I saw Li Jianguo.

"Any news?"

Li Jianguo shook his head. He hadn't left this place since Jiang Min disappeared, working alongside the bureau chief to oversee the search. His voice was hoarse, but there was still no news.

Factory Director Yang's face was frighteningly dark.

"Search again! Find it even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"

The security personnel ran out again. Police from most of Beijing were searching for him; the commotion was terrifying.

Li Jianguo couldn't sit still. He stood up and walked outside.

"I'm going to Houhai to take a look."

He went back to the ice, back to the toilet. He stood there, lost in thought, not knowing what he was looking for.

"elder brother."

Someone pulled his trouser leg.

Li Jianguo looked down; he was a little boy with a runny nose, clutching a piece of candy in his hand, his face filthy.

"Here, take this."

The little boy handed me a note.

Li Jianguo took it and unfolded it.

"Come to Qinglong Mountain in an hour, alone. Otherwise, you can expect to be collecting this woman's corpse!"

The handwriting was crooked and uneven, as if it was deliberately written with the left hand.

Li Jianguo's hand, gripping the note, trembled slightly. Not out of fear, but out of a surge of anger.

He crouched down, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Who gave you the note?"

"That uncle over there," the little boy pointed behind him.

It was completely deserted over there; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Li Jianguo stood up, took a deep breath, folded the note, and put it in his pocket. He turned and walked back.

When Director Yang saw the note, he was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table, making a loud banging sound.

"Bastard! Beast!"

Li Jianguo pressed down on his shoulder.

"Director Yang, I'll go right now and bring Jiang Min back."

"I'll immediately mobilize troops to surround Qinglong Mountain!"

"Don't."

Li Jianguo shook his head.

"Don't alert him. I have a rough idea of ​​who did it. I'll go check on Jiang Min first to make sure she's safe. There's no rush to arrest him; he can't escape—in the vast ocean of the people, where can he run?"

Factory Director Yang stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded.

"careful."

Two people were still sent to follow him from a distance to ensure his safety.

Li Jianguo went up Qinglong Mountain.

The mountains were quiet. The further you went in, the quieter it became, so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat. Even the sound of branches scraping against your clothes sounded harsh.

After walking for a while, He Daqing came out from behind the tree.

"It really was you."

Li Jianguo wasn't surprised. He could count the number of people he'd offended recently on one hand—just a few in the courtyard. He'd originally been worried about the people behind the deaf old woman, but seeing He Daqing made him feel reassured.

Him? He can't cause any trouble.

But we still need to be careful. The saying "a cornered dog will jump over the wall" is no joke.

"Where is Jiang Min?"

"She's in a safe place." He Daqing stared at him. "I'm not stupid enough to bring her to see you."

Li Jianguo nodded.

Tell me your requirements.

He Daqing breathed a sigh of relief.

"Release Sha Zhu. That's my only request."

"Let him go..." Li Jianguo drawled, "It's not impossible. But I need to see Jiang Min first and make sure she's alright."

"No!"

He Daqing didn't even think about it.

"Release her first. Release Shazhu, and I'll tell you where she is. If you arrest me now, it won't do you any good—I've hidden her very well. If something happens to me, she won't survive either."

When He Daqing said this, there was a ruthless look on his face. Li Jianguo could see it; it was the ruthlessness of someone who was desperate and had no other choice, the ruthlessness of someone truly capable of doing such a thing.

He didn't dare to take the risk.

"Alright. Release them first."

He Daqing took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, with a few lines of writing on it.

"Sign. Admit that Sha Zhu didn't steal anything, and that you framed him. Sign it, and when I see Sha Zhu, I'll return him to you."

Li Jianguo took it, glanced at it, and signed it without hesitation.

He didn't care whether Sha Zhu was released or not. They were all under his nose anyway; if he released him today, he could just bring him back tomorrow. He Daqing, who dared to do this, shouldn't expect a good outcome.

He Daqing took the guarantee, looked at it carefully, and put it in his pocket. He glanced at Li Jianguo and twitched his lips.

"I didn't expect you to value that woman so much."

"You seem to value your son quite a bit."

He Daqing didn't reply, but turned and left. He walked very quickly, clearly very familiar with the mountain paths.

"Director Li, should we go or not?"

The two men who had been following him emerged from behind the tree, staring at He Daqing's back with a burning desire.

"Don't follow. The hostage is in his hands; if we rush in, something bad will happen. Let's go back first, and then we'll catch them all in one fell swoop."

Li Jianguo led his men down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, Director Yang and his team waited anxiously, pacing back and forth.

"How is it?"

"He wants to see Sha Zhu before releasing them. Bring Sha Zhu here."

Sha Zhu was brought in quickly. He was so thin he looked unrecognizable, with sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones, and he could barely stand.

"What are you doing? What do you want to do?"

His voice was trembling, his eyes darting around, terrified. The day of his execution had been set long ago; he had been counting down the days inside, growing more fearful with each passing day. Now, suddenly being brought out, he was even more frightened.

"Your dad's come to save you." Li Jianguo looked at him, his face expressionless. "He's pretty reckless."

Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment, and then tears streamed down his face.

They went up the mountain again. It was the same place, but He Daqing wasn't there. There was only a note telling them to go somewhere else.

"You're careful enough."

Li Jianguo chuckled and pulled Sha Zhu along as they continued walking inside.