Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1122 Uncomfortable

Only then did he belatedly realize that there were far too many people blocking his way, and there must be something deeper behind it all. Li Jianjun must have offended someone he shouldn't have.

"I refuse to believe it!" Zhang Li spat on the ground, the cigarette crumpled between his fingers, his eyes filled with an unyielding stubbornness. "In this huge city, is there really no one who can save my son-in-law?" He clutched the unopened pack of "Dashengchan" cigarettes in his pocket, a gift he had prepared for the next person to plead for him. He turned and walked toward another friend's house—as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he couldn't give up. After all, Li Jianjun was his only son-in-law, and if something really happened to him, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his daughter, Zhang Xue.

Just as he was pondering which retired factory director he should approach next to plead his case, after all, the old director had held him in high regard back in the day, footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate, and Zhang Xue walked in carrying a blue cloth bag. Her face was filled with worry, and the fine lines around her eyes were deeper than usual. She frowned upon seeing Zhang Li: "Dad, it's been two days already, and Jianjun has disappeared. He hasn't even called home. The gas cylinder is empty, and we haven't bought the kids' homework. He doesn't seem to care about anything. I came to check on him. Did you assign him something important?"

Zhang Li's heart skipped a beat, as if struck by something hard, and the words he was about to say were swallowed back. Looking at his daughter's worried eyes, filled with concern for her husband, he was momentarily at a loss for words—could he tell her that Li Jianjun had been taken away by the police for committing a crime, and that he had run himself ragged trying to get him out? If he said that, given Zhang Xue's impulsive nature, she might storm into the police station and cause a scene, making things even more difficult to manage.

He composed himself, forced a smile, his wrinkles crinkling at the corners of his eyes as he tried to make his tone sound natural: "That's right, as you know, Jianjun is currently highly regarded at the factory, managing quite a bit of work in the supply and marketing department. I sent him out of town to handle some urgent business. There's an important raw material order there, and the other party is pressing for it; they insist on having him oversee it personally. Don't worry, he'll be back in two or three days at most, it won't cause any delays. You should go back and take care of the children first, don't worry about things here. If you're too busy at home, just tell Dad, and I'll have some of the younger guys at the factory run errands for you."

Zhang Xue always trusted her father. Hearing him speak so clearly and logically, even specifying the location of the order, her doubts subsided considerably. She nodded, "Alright, I won't bother you anymore. Dad, please don't drink again tonight. I saw the empty bottles on your table yesterday. Get some rest. You're not young anymore; your health is important. Don't keep staying up all night for our sake." As she spoke, she took things out of the cloth bag: several soft white steamed buns, a small jar of homemade pickled cucumber strips, and two tea eggs. "These are freshly steamed buns; heat them up before eating. The tea eggs are for your breakfast; don't always eat dry bread."

Zhang Li watched his daughter's retreating figure, her back thin and frail from years of hard work. A lump formed in his throat, a bitter and aching feeling, worse than swallowing a bitter herb. He picked up a steamed bun and ate it listlessly; the wheat flavor turned to bitterness in his mouth.

He had only one thought in his mind: he had to get Li Jianjun out, no matter what. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to face his daughter, and he'd lose all face after spending most of his life in the factory. He took a big bite of his steamed bun, as if he had made up his mind, and then turned around and picked up the coat draped over the back of the chair—it seemed he would have to ask his distant cousin, whom he usually avoided, for help. He'd heard the cousin had some connections in the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Zhang Li had always cherished his daughter, Zhang Xue—after all, she was his only child, and he had doted on her since she was little, never letting her suffer any hardship. Yet, his daughter only had eyes for Li Jianjun. When she cried and begged to marry him, although he was extremely reluctant, thinking Li Jianjun was a slippery and unreliable man, he couldn't resist her persistent pleading and eventually gave in. Now, hearing his daughter recount Li Jianjun's arrest with red eyes, he waved his hand, his tone reassuring: "Alright, I know. Go home and rest early; the child is waiting at home, don't let her worry."

Zhang Xue nodded, her eyes filled with unconcealed fatigue, and the dark circles under her eyes were even more pronounced than yesterday: "I understand, Dad. I'll go back to see the children now. Please... don't make things too difficult for me."

Zhang Li simply nodded and said nothing more. Once his daughter's footsteps disappeared into the hallway, the gentleness on his face vanished instantly, and he slammed his fist heavily on the table, spilling half of the tea from his enamel cup.

But in her heart, she was already plotting how to get Li Jianjun out—once he was out, she would find a few people who knew the "rules" to teach him a lesson! This kid doesn't know who he is anymore, taking advantage of Zhang Xue's affections to flirt with other women. Now that his child is old enough to run errands, he's still not behaving himself. We should really put an end to his philandering ways so he won't cause any more trouble in the future.

He really didn't want to bother with Li Jianjun anymore. Over the years, he had worried more about this son-in-law than about the hundreds of people in the steel mill, and his hair had turned mostly white. He was exhausted, but this kid was just a good-for-nothing.

In the police station, Tong Ren looked at the thick stack of files on the table, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. He hadn't expected Li Jianjun to wield so much power. He was just a dismissed deputy factory director, yet in the past few days, people had been constantly calling to ask for leniency—former colleagues from the factory had come to his door with cigarettes and alcohol, and even several mid-level officials had subtly hinted that he should "go easy on him." But Tong Ren suppressed it all; the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts—Li Jianjun was suspected of using illegal drugs to frame someone, and the evidence was overwhelming; he couldn't afford to bend the law for personal gain.

He had initially thought Li Jianjun was a tough nut to crack, having remained silent since being arrested, and that he wouldn't easily open up. Unexpectedly, another arrested girl, Chang Li, became the unexpected breakthrough.

At first, Tong Ren thought the girl was just a thug hired by Li Jianjun. She looked young and timid, so he didn't pay much attention to her. But when his men checked her file, they discovered that Chang Li was no ordinary person. Her real name was Chang Li, and she was an orphan who grew up on the streets. She had run errands for different "big brothers" and had done many shady things over the years.