The moment those words left his mouth, Zhou Ziyang strode into the He family's main room.
The instant he crossed the threshold, He Qiang's mother rushed toward him, tears and mucus running down her face. With a loud cry, she dropped to her knees before Zhou Ziyang.
"Officer! My Qiangzi is innocent! He was only fooling around with his own wife. It was all Su Yonghe's fault for being too reckless—he ran straight into my son's brick! This is all just a misunderstanding. Please, show some mercy and let Qiangzi go!"
The moment she finished speaking, she spun around, grabbed a frail young girl standing nearby, and dragged her forward.
While beating and scolding her, she screamed:
"You worthless girl! I only told you to deliver food to your brother, and you actually exposed where he was hiding! Kneel down! Hurry up and beg the officers to let your brother go!"
The little girl had clearly been beaten badly. She cried from the pain, her voice trembling and weak.
"Officer… please…"
"Enough."
Zhou Ziyang's brows knitted tightly.
Ignoring He Qiang's mother's hysterics, he stepped past both of them and walked straight toward another officer inside the room.
"Where's He Qiang?"
The officer lifted his chin and motioned downward.
Zhou Ziyang lowered his gaze.
Only then did he realize that sprawled at his feet was a pitch-black human figure.
The He family's house was dim to begin with. If not for the metallic glint of handcuffs catching the light, he might not have noticed there was someone lying there at all.
Unable to resist, Zhou Ziyang raised his foot and nudged He Qiang with a sharp kick.
The other officer chuckled.
"Brother Zhou, this kid's something else. After we dug him out of the coal pile, he first tried acting shameless. Now he's pretending to be dead. His so-called brothers are just as interesting—they left only his mother and younger sister here for us while the rest of them ran."
He Qiang's shamelessness was something Zhou Ziyang had already witnessed long ago.
He gave a cold laugh.
Without wasting another word, he ordered:
"Take him back to the Public Security Bureau. I'll interrogate him personally. I refuse to believe he won't confess."
At those words, He Qiang's soot-black eyelashes trembled.
Immediately, his mother began wailing again.
"Oh heavens, Officer, no! You can't! My Qiangzi is a good person! It was that shameless Su Xiu who seduced him. If you're going to arrest someone, arrest Su Xiu! Why are you taking my son?"
Zhou Ziyang didn't even pause.
Grabbing the handcuffs, he hauled He Qiang to his feet.
At last, He Qiang could no longer keep pretending.
"Ah—ah! It hurts! My arm's about to break!"
The officer behind him shoved him hard.
"What are you yelling for? Move! We'll deal with you properly once we get back!"
With his face blackened by coal dust, He Qiang crouched halfway down, trying to throw his weight around like a stubborn child.
"I'm not going! I won't go! I'm not going to the Public Security Bureau! Mom, save me!"
Zhou Ziyang lifted his leg and kicked him again.
Just as He Qiang was about to be dragged outside, his mother screamed through her tears:
"Officer, don't take my son! We'll pay compensation! Isn't that enough?"
The moment he heard the words pay compensation, He Qiang's eyes lit up.
"Yes! Yes! We'll compensate them. We're willing to pay!"
Zhou Ziyang let out a cold snort.
"You think paying compensation means this can just disappear? What kind of fantasy are you dreaming?"
His gaze sharpened.
"The victim suffered a head injury. At minimum, this is intentional assault. If the case is handled properly, sending you in front of a firing squad wouldn't be impossible. And you think throwing some money at the problem will settle it?"
At the words firing squad, the blood drained from He Qiang's mother's face.
Her lips trembled violently.
"Then… what does the Su family want? I'll go kneel before them at the hospital right now, if that's what it takes! We don't even want Su Xiu's job anymore. As long as my Qiangzi can be spared, we'll do anything!"
Terrified, He Qiang nodded frantically.
"Yes! As long as I don't get executed, I'll do anything!"
At this, Zhou Ziyang slowly curled his lips.
"Fine. Since you've said that, I can point you toward a way out."
His tone remained cool and deliberate.
"Once you arrive at the bureau, you will honestly admit every false accusation you made against Comrade Su Xiu. Then you'll write a written guarantee promising that from now on, you will never harass her again."
He paused.
"If you do that, I may consider speaking on your behalf and persuading the Su family not to pursue the intentional assault charges."
Then his expression hardened.
"Otherwise, if the Su family files an official complaint, no one will be able to save you."
Under Zhou Ziyang's intimidation, He Qiang had lost all ability to think clearly.
He nodded without hesitation.
In the end, he was still dragged away by the officers.
His mother sat there crying bitterly for a long while.
At last, she wiped away her tears, turned around, and immediately lashed out at He Qiang's younger sister.
"You worthless curse! You're nothing but bad luck! The day you were born, you killed your father. And now you've sent your brother into the Public Security Bureau! If I had known, I should've thrown you into the graveyard and let you starve to death!"
The younger girl had long grown used to such abuse.
She lowered her head silently, without the slightest reaction.
Seeing no response only enraged He Qiang's mother further.
She shot to her feet, raised her hand, and swung down mercilessly—
---
At the Public Security Bureau, once He Qiang was brought in, he broke down in tears inside the interrogation room.
Sobbing and trembling, he honestly confessed every detail of his family's previous schemes.
After listening to his confession, the older officer sitting in on the interrogation smacked his lips and shook his head.
"You're still so young. Out of all the things you could've done with your life, you chose to slander an innocent young woman. In my opinion, you belong in detention for a good long while to reflect on yourself."
The moment he heard this, He Qiang—still handcuffed to the chair—struggled violently.
His face twisted with despair as he shouted at Zhou Ziyang:
"Officer! Didn't we agree? You said if I wrote the guarantee letter, you'd let me go. Why am I still being sent to detention? I won't go!"
After finishing his written record of the crimes, Zhou Ziyang looked up and sneered.
"You're trying to negotiate terms with me?"
His voice turned icy.
"Slander might only get you a few months. Intentional assault could get you a bullet. Choose for yourself."
At that, He Qiang instantly stopped struggling.
His lips trembled.
Then he burst into tears.
---
After settling He Qiang's case, Zhou Ziyang rushed to the hospital without stopping.
When Zhao Manfen heard the news, the huge weight hanging over her heart finally lifted.
She immediately looked at Zhou Ziyang warmly.
"Xiao Zhou, you really are the benefactor of our family! Now that He Qiang's matter is resolved, her father and I can finally stop worrying!"
Then she turned toward Su Xiu.
"Xiu'er, hurry—go get a basin of water so Xiao Zhou can wash his face. In weather this hot, he's been running back and forth for us. You should thank him properly!"
At her mother's words, Su Xiu immediately turned and picked up the washbasin.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziyang quickly reached for it.
"No, no, there's no need. I can do it myself—"
In the brief struggle over the basin, Zhou Ziyang stood with his back to the hospital bed.
Without looking, his fingers accurately brushed against Su Xiu's hand.
Both of them ended up holding the basin together.
Neither let go.
Su Xiu's face flushed scarlet on the spot.
She lifted her head and looked at Zhou Ziyang helplessly, completely at a loss.
Zhou Ziyang coughed twice, trying to appear serious.
"Comrade Su Xiu… since neither of us seems able to win this tug-of-war, why don't we go fetch water together?"
Su Xiu's mind buzzed.
Barely hearing him clearly, she nodded in confusion.
At last, Zhou Ziyang successfully took the basin.
Su Xiu followed behind him, her footsteps unsteady as she drifted out of the hospital ward.
---
In the corridor, Zhou Ziyang wore a faint, secretive smile.
Keeping his tone calm, he said:
"Comrade Su Xiu, you have three days of caregiver leave remaining. Your application for a single dormitory won't be approved so quickly. The People's Hospital is half an hour away from our Public Security Bureau."
He glanced sideways at her.
"Once you return to work, running back and forth between both places will definitely exhaust you. So… how about this? From now on, I'll be responsible for taking you there and bringing you back."
His voice softened.
"That way, you'll save time and be able to focus on other things."
Su Xiu was still floating in a daze from before.
She had barely heard a word.
Out of pure reflex, she nodded.