Chapter 1045: Someone’s in for a world of trouble!

The Jiang Family’s Old Mansion!

Standing in front of the Jiang family’s old mansion, Li Yi felt a slight flutter of excitement.

Just half an hour ago, as Li Yi was about to stage a forbidden adult film with his wife, he suddenly received a call from the old mansion.

The call was from his father-in-law, who told him to come to the old mansion immediately, saying that Old Chen was waiting for him there.

Upon receiving the call, Li Yi didn’t dare delay. He immediately set off with Zhang Ziqiang—who had just returned from leave—and Zhou Wen.

Although he hadn’t even stepped inside yet, Li Yi could already guess why Old Chen had summoned him.

As expected, it was most likely about the Tangcheng Kitchen Knife Squad.

Others might not know he was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, but Old Chen certainly did.

Li Yi had been laying the groundwork for so long precisely to draw the attention of higher-ups. Now that Old Chen had sought him out, it was exactly what Li Yi wanted—though he wasn’t sure if Old Chen was here on his own behalf or…

After briefly composing himself, Li Yi pushed open the gate of the Jiang family’s old mansion.

The guard on duty saw that it was Li Yi and his group, immediately saluted, but did not stop or question them.

Stepping into the courtyard, Li Yi saw that the lights were on in both the side rooms and the main hall.

Instead of heading straight for the main hall, he first pushed open the door to the side room.

Inside, his mother-in-law, Ye Lingyun, was knitting a sweater—judging by the size, it was likely for the two youngest children at home.

When she saw Li Yi walk in, Ye Lingyun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and asked, “Little Yi, you’ve come to visit. Where are Xiao Xue and the kids? Didn’t they come with you?”

“The kids are already in bed. Dad called me over—he said Old Chen is here and wants to see me!”

Li Yi then asked, “Where’s Dad? Is he in the main hall?”

“Hmm, Uncle Chen came over in a hurry just now. He chatted with Grandpa for a bit, then had your father call you over. We didn’t dare ask what was going on—could it be you’ve gotten into trouble?” Ye Lingyun said.

“No way! How could I have gotten into trouble?”

Then Li Yi said again, “Mom, I’ll go check on the main hall first. We’ll talk later!”

“Alright. If you really did get into trouble, don’t worry—if it’s bad, I’ll go find your grandfather!”

“I know, Mom. It’s no big deal!”

With that, Li Yi turned and walked out of the west wing.

Upon entering the main house, Li Yi immediately saw the old man and Old Chen sitting on the living room sofa, chatting away, while his father-in-law stood nearby pouring tea and water, looking just like a little sidekick.

Seeing Li Yi enter, his father-in-law immediately waved him over and said, “You’re finally here, son. Come on over!”

Li Yi hurried over and said with a smile, “Grandpa, Old Chen, Dad—how are you all doing?”

Old Chen glanced at Li Yi, then glared at him and said, “Thanks to you, we’ve been swamped these past couple of days!”

“Huh, what’s going on? What’s got you so worked up, Old Man?” Li Yi asked, feigning ignorance.

“That reporter from the People’s Daily—the one surnamed Jin—was someone you found, wasn’t he? And you’re the one who had those stories about the Kitchen Knife Squad leaked, aren’t you?” Old Chen said.

“I had it reported. Don’t you think those thugs and hoodlums were getting way too cocky? Shouldn’t something like this be exposed?”

Li Yi then changed the subject and added, “Besides, shouldn’t this be the Ministry of Public Security’s jurisdiction? Why has it even reached you?”

Before Old Chen could answer, Jiang Shiying, standing nearby, spoke up: “This matter does indeed fall under the Ministry of Public Security’s jurisdiction. But given the current situation—with the ‘Kitchen Knife Gang’ running rampant throughout the entire Jidong region—there must be issues with the local cadre as well. That makes it our responsibility!”

“I see. In that case, I’m truly sorry. It was my oversight that caused you trouble, Old Chen!” Li Yi said hurriedly.

Old Chen shot Li Yi a stern look and said, “Stop being so sarcastic, you young rascal. Just spit it out—what exactly are you trying to do?”

“Don’t say that, sir. Exposing evil and promoting good—isn’t that what all citizens should be doing…”

Before he could finish, Old Chen cut in with a stern voice: “Don’t try to pull the wool over this old man’s eyes. Tangcheng is hundreds of kilometers from the capital—it’s got nothing to do with you. Why on earth would you have people investigate the ‘Kitchen Knife Squad’ out of sheer boredom?”

Old Master Jiang chimed in from the side, “All right, Xiao Yi, tell us what you’re thinking. Why exactly are you exposing that ‘Kitchen Knife Squad’?”

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then the smile faded from his face as he said earnestly, “I want Liu Dongping dead, and I want the entire Liu family to get the hell out of Beijing!”

Old Chen was taken aback for a moment, then said, “I thought you’d already made peace with the Liu family. So it turns out this matter isn’t settled after all!”

“Haha, I’d love to wrap this up sooner, but the Liu family just isn’t being sincere. So I’ll just have to put in a little effort to dig a pit for them!” Li Yi said.

“What does this have to do with the Cleaver Squad?” Old Chen asked.

“Don’t you think public order in the country is in such a mess right now that we desperately need a thorough cleanup?” Li Yi replied, dodging the question.

Old Chen pondered for a moment, then said, “Indeed, we’ve noticed this situation as well. According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, crime rates across the country have skyrocketed in recent years. People have long been suggesting a major crackdown, but the higher-ups haven’t yet decided how to proceed!”

Li Yi immediately replied, “In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary. The Kitchen Knife Squad is just one example. Even in places like Beijing and Tianjin, gangs are rampant and thugs roam the streets—you can imagine just how dire the public security situation is nationwide right now.”

“I believe that under the current circumstances, we should organize a special campaign targeting criminal activities. We must resolutely say ‘no’ to criminals, crack down on these illegal and criminal practices, and restore a just and orderly society for the people!”

“A special operation?”

“Yes, we need to crack down hard on all current serious criminal offenses. Sentencing and enforcement must be severe and swift!” Li Yi said.

Old Chen nodded and said, “It is indeed necessary…”

Suddenly, as if realizing something, his expression froze for a moment, then he looked at Li Yi and said, “What a clever move—‘Xian Zhuang dances with his sword, but his intent is aimed at Pei Gong.’ I’m afraid this special operation you’re talking about is primarily targeting the Liu family!”

Li Yi didn’t deny it. Instead, he pulled a thick stack of documents from the military satchel he carried and handed it to Old Chen.

With a hint of puzzlement, Old Chen immediately took the documents and began to look through them.

After just a few glances, Old Chen’s expression changed.

After a long moment, he asked in a low voice, “Is all this true?”

“I’m not sure about the authenticity, but this information was all uncovered by State Security!” Li Yi replied.

“Then there’s no problem!” Old Chen said.

Old Chen knew better than anyone what the State Security Bureau was all about.

Aside from lacking the power to pass judgment, State Security is essentially the modern-day Imperial Guard; the authenticity of their investigations is generally guaranteed.

At that moment, Li Yi took another stack of documents from his bag and handed them to Old Chen, saying, “What you just looked at were only the criminal facts regarding the Kitchen Knife Gang. Please take a look at the gang situations in Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas as well. Oh, and the last section contains the evidence of Liu Dongping’s Dragon and Tiger Gang’s crimes!”

Old Chen took the documents and began reading again. The more he read, the darker his expression grew. When he reached the evidence regarding the Dragon-Tiger Gang, he could no longer contain himself and slammed the papers down hard on the coffee table.

“This is utter lawlessness! Do they have any regard for the law? Do they even recognize the rule of law?”

Jiang Shiying hurriedly interjected, “Uncle Chen, please calm down. It’s not worth ruining your health over a bunch of scum like that!”

Li Yi chimed in, “Don’t get so worked up, old man. A big forest has all kinds of birds, and a large field is bound to have pests. As long as we get rid of the pests in time, we’ll have a good harvest come fall!”

Old Chen nodded and said, “Though you’re a bit of a troublemaker, you handled this right. Don’t get involved in what’s left—leave the rest to me and your father!”

“Sir…”

Li Yi had originally wanted to ask, “Are you up to the task, old man?” but then he realized this man’s standing was even higher than his own father’s—saying that would be incredibly rude.

He quickly changed the subject and said, “You’d better brace yourself, sir. Once the crackdown campaign begins, I’m afraid a million people will be arrested and sentenced!”

“A… a million people? Could it really involve that many?” Old Chen said, looking utterly shocked.

“At least that many—the current public security situation is far more dire than anyone could imagine!” Li Yi replied.

Old Chen pondered for a moment, then said, “The more serious it is, the more it proves the necessity of this special operation. I’ll personally report this to the higher-ups. In the meantime, you’d better not cause any trouble!”

“Understood…”

After that, Old Chen gave Li Yi a few more instructions before hurrying out of the Jiang residence.

As he left, he didn’t forget to take the materials Li Yi had brought with him.

Watching Old Chen’s retreating figure, Li Yi knew someone was in for trouble…

……….

January 1, 1983. New Year’s Day. Saturday!

Just as people across the country were praying for a warm New Year and hoping for a prosperous year ahead, a report quietly appeared in the nation’s most influential state-run media outlet—the People’s (Long Live Harmony) Daily!

The report was extensive and explosive, written from a reporter’s perspective and based on his real-life experiences.

The story begins a month earlier, when Jin Dong, a reporter for a certain daily newspaper, traveled to Tangcheng on assignment. As soon as he stepped out of the Tangcheng train station, he was extorted by a gang of thugs.

Even more outrageous was that when Jin Dong threatened to call the police, the thugs didn’t bat an eye. Instead, they beat him up in broad daylight, then robbed him of all his belongings—including an expensive camera—before strutting off.

Jin Dong immediately reported the incident to the police station near the station, hoping to recover the stolen camera and see these thugs severely punished.

However, the police merely received him politely and provided no further updates.

After waiting three days at the guesthouse and seeing no progress, Jin Dong had no choice but to seek help from his superiors at work, hoping the newspaper could pressure the Tangcheng Public Security Bureau to recover the stolen camera as soon as possible.

This time, things moved quickly. In just two days, the Tangcheng Public Security Bureau returned the stolen camera and other belongings to Jin Dong.

However, when Jin Dong asked what had become of the thugs who had robbed and assaulted him, the investigating officer began to hem and haw.

Finally, with no way to avoid the question, the officer had to tell Jin Dong that the suspects had already been released and would not face further charges.

At the same time, the officers told Jin Dong that the thugs who robbed him were members of the “Kitchen Knife Gang.” They were numerous and powerful; even the Municipal Bureau didn’t dare to touch them lightly. It was already a good outcome just to get the stolen property back—trying to arrest and convict them was practically impossible!

Hearing this, Jin Dong was deeply shocked.

It was the first time he’d heard of the “Kitchen Knife Gang.” He never imagined that even the local Tangcheng police wouldn’t dare to provoke this organization. Driven by a hint of curiosity, Jin Dong quietly began investigating the Kitchen Knife Gang.

It turned out to be a big mistake—the results of his investigation left Jin Dong completely stunned.

According to Jin Dong’s investigation, he discovered that the so-called “Chopstick Squad” was actually a gang of thugs. Moreover, this gang wasn’t confined to Tangcheng alone—it had spread throughout the entire Jidong region and was gradually showing signs of expanding into the Northeast.

This gang was primarily made up of unemployed youths roaming the city; they were idle and aimless, gradually forming an organization in the streets and alleys.

These individuals spent their days drinking, bragging, and shirking legitimate work, chasing so-called foreign trends—growing their hair long, wearing sunglasses, and treating life on the streets as a fashionable lifestyle.

Influenced by this atmosphere, these street youths soon began arming themselves.

The weapon they could most easily obtain was a kitchen knife, so people eventually dubbed them the “Kitchen Knife Gang.”

Currently, the number of gangs—large and small—roaming Tangshan is staggering. They frequently erupt into conflicts on the streets, which often escalate into violent clashes.

Since these thugs are armed, ordinary citizens naturally dare not provoke them. However, they soon discovered a way to make money from the public’s fear: using their kitchen knives to extort money from ordinary people.

The first to suffer at their hands were the market vendors. They would often march in large, armed groups to the market to collect protection money or demand free food and drink.

If shop owners refused, they would rampage through the premises, smashing property and forcing the shops to close.

Later, the “knife gangs” escalated their crimes to robbery and rape, even daring to travel to different areas to commit crimes, and even the police fell victim to their retaliation.

Many police officers who investigated cases involving the “Knife Gang” had their homes vandalized, and their families were even targeted in retaliation.

To avoid further trouble, the Public Security Bureau chose to turn a blind eye to some cases involving the “Kitchen Knife Gang” and dared not take action against them.

On one occasion, two members of the “Kitchen Knife Gang” encountered soldiers attempting to stop them during a robbery. Instead of complying, they swung their knives at the soldiers and issued threats, boasting that they feared nothing.

These thugs and hoodlums committed robberies, assaults, and even murder and looting in Tangcheng and throughout the entire Jidong region. With utter disregard for the law, they were like bandits from the old society making a comeback—and even more brazen than the bandits of old.

To thoroughly investigate the criminal activities of this cancerous “Kitchen Knife Gang,” Jin Dong took a month-long leave of absence from his unit and stationed himself in Tangcheng to gather evidence against the gang.

After gathering firsthand information, he returned to Beijing and chose to expose the matter in his organization’s newspaper.

As soon as the report was published, it quickly attracted widespread public attention and was reposted by other influential state-run media outlets.

Seizing the momentum, Jin Dong continued to expose the “Knife Squad’s” criminal activities in the People’s Daily. Soon, the “Knife Squad” and the gang of thugs became a hot topic of national discussion, and public opinion was rapidly forming…

………

Beijing. The Li Family Residence!

Inside the courtyard house, Li Yi was flipping through the newspapers from the past few days.

After reading these state media reports, Li Yi couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn up slightly, his mood greatly improved.

Jiang Xue, who was washing her son’s feet nearby, asked curiously, “You’re just reading the paper—why that look? Who did you screw over this time?”

Jiang Xue knew her husband better than anyone; whenever he wore that smug, almost-deserving-of-a-slap expression, it meant someone else had been taken down.

“Honey, that’s a bit hurtful. Is that really how you see me?” Li Yi said, feigning hurt.

“Stop pretending. Haven’t you noticed that whenever you smile with that crooked mouth, Third Brother and Brother Jianhua don’t dare look at you?”

“Really?”

“Yes, they know it. Whenever you smile like that, someone’s bound to get screwed over—either them or someone else. So, you’ve definitely been scheming against someone again!” Jiang Xue said with absolute certainty.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Li Yi’s face—he really hadn’t noticed that.

Back then, he’d just wanted to imitate the “Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King” from TV and try out that so-called “a crooked smile, and life or death is unpredictable”—he never expected the people around him to have figured out his habit so thoroughly.

“I was just joking. I’m such a kind person—how could I possibly scheme against others?” Li Yi said.

“Stop messing around. Who’s going to be the unlucky one this time? Could it be the Liu family?” Jiang Xue asked as she wiped Yun Rui’s little feet.

Li Yi knew there was no way to wriggle out of this… no, no way to explain it away. A slightly awkward smile spread across his face as he immediately replied, “That’s right, it’s the Liu family!”

Jiang Xue chuckled. “You haven’t made a move in over a month. I thought you weren’t going to bother with them anymore. I never expected you were secretly digging a pit for them behind their backs!”

Li Yi chuckled. “What do you mean ‘under the radar’? You’ve got to be careful when setting traps—I’m not exactly going to go about it with a big fanfare, am I?”

“You’re right. By the way, how did you set that trap for the Liu family? Have they noticed anything yet?” Jiang Xue asked curiously.

“They haven’t caught on yet, but they will soon!”

Li Yi then explained his plan to Jiang Xue.

After listening to Li Yi, Jiang Xue looked surprised and said, “Are you saying that the news about the Tangcheng Knife Gang that’s been all over the place lately—you had someone leak that?”

“That’s right. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have people report on the activities of thug gangs in Beijing, Tianjin, and other cities, creating a nationwide public outcry. Eventually, the higher-ups will realize the danger these scourges pose and launch a massive crackdown. Then, riding that wave of public sentiment, we’ll crush the Liu family and their scum—whether it’s Liu Dongping or anyone else, not a single one will escape!” Li Yi said confidently.

Jiang Xue thought for a moment, then gave Li Yi a thumbs-up and said admiringly, “You’re really amazing!”

Seeing the look of admiration on his wife’s face, Li Yi’s confidence skyrocketed instantly. His mood lifted, and the look he gave Jiang Xue grew a bit intense…

……..

“Ring, ring, ring…”

Li Yi had just seen Zhou Rui off and returned to the living room; he hadn’t even had a chance to settle in when the phone beside him began ringing urgently.

Without hesitation, Li Yi grabbed the receiver and answered the call: “Hello, who is this?”

“It’s me, Wang Anguo!”

“Brother Wang, what’s going on?” Li Yi asked immediately.

Wang Anguo said angrily, “Brother Li Yi, you really are a master at getting things done. That bastard Liu Dongping had his henchmen take the fall for him, just as I expected.”

“I expected as much. Tell me the details,” Li Yi said calmly.

“That bastard is now shifting all the blame, claiming he has nothing to do with any of it. He even says that when he raped that young girl, he was forced to do it. I’ve been a cop for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve heard of someone forcing another person to rape a girl. It’s absolutely ridiculous…”

Hearing the anger building in Wang Anguo’s voice, Li Yi immediately interjected, “Brother Wang, don’t get so worked up. Whether he’s the mastermind or an accomplice isn’t up to Liu Dongping to decide. As long as the chain of evidence is complete and the pieces fit together, we can still convict him.”

“That’s exactly where the difficulty lies. Right now, we don’t have much substantive evidence against that bastard. On top of that, someone at the bureau is helping Liu Dongping cover his tracks—the police reports and witness statements from that old case years ago have all vanished. It’s going to be tough to convict Liu Dongping with what we have right now!” Wang Anguo said in a low voice.

“Never mind. Even if the Liu family is powerful, they can’t cover everything up. Besides, we’re in no rush right now!” Li Yi said.

“Not in a hurry… what do you mean by that?” Wang Anguo asked, puzzled.

“The Liu family is using a strategy of retreating to advance. They’ve actively encouraged Liu Dongping to turn himself in and secured a scapegoat for him early on. This was clearly a carefully orchestrated plan. Breaking through this impasse won’t happen overnight!”

Li Yi continued, “You needn’t worry. From now on, dig deep into Liu Dongping and his inner circle. Just remember one thing…”

“What?”

“Don’t close the case just yet. Drag this out!” Li Yi said.

“Drag it out?”

“Right. Don’t ask any questions for now—just leave the rest to me!”

There were some things Li Yi couldn’t explain openly to Wang Anguo and the others—after all, they were hard to justify.

Wang Anguo was a smart man, though, and didn’t press for details; he simply agreed to the plan.

After discussing the details a bit more, they ended the call.

After hanging up, Li Yi leaned back on the sofa, his mind racing.

Although the Liu family had pulled off a clever scheme, Li Yi wasn’t without a way to deal with them. The simplest method was to turn their own tactics against them—in other words, to use force to intimidate them.

Although the Liu family was powerful, they were still no match for the Jiang family. Moreover, in addition to the Jiang family, Li Yi could also enlist the Ye, Lin, and Liang families to join forces.

With so many major clans joining forces to take down the Liu family, not to mention Liu Dongping’s mountain of dirt, even if he were completely clean, they could still send him to prison.

However, Li Yi didn’t want to go that far. On one hand, he didn’t want to owe anyone a favor; on the other, doing so would change the nature of the situation, and he wasn’t sure it would lead to the outcome he envisioned.

After all, their current mission was to punish evil, promote good, and uphold justice. But if the Jiang and Ye families got involved, it would turn into a clan feud.

Furthermore, there are limits to the conflicts between major clans. They may fight, but they generally don’t seek to exterminate their opponents.

If the Jiang and Ye families intervened, the Liu family would certainly fall, but it was highly unlikely that anyone—including Liu Dongping—would die.

Just as Marshal Zhang said before, the underworld isn’t just about fighting and killing; it’s about human relationships and social conventions.

Once human relationships and social conventions are involved, it becomes very difficult to take things to the extreme!

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Li Yi absolutely did not want the Jiang and Ye families to get involved in this.

He… intends to go all the way with this. He wants the Liu family to fall, and he wants Liu Dongping dead!

Since he didn’t want to rely on the power of families like the Jiangs and the Yees, he had no choice but to leverage the might of the state. Only the overwhelming power of the nation could easily crush a powerful family like the Lius and force them to completely give up resistance!

But to leverage the state’s power, he would have to wait for the results of Zhou Rui and the others’ investigation…

……….

Before he knew it, a month had passed!

During this time, Li Yi had kept a low profile, spending most of his time with Jiang Xue and the children, occasionally visiting his third sister and young nephew, and accompanying his eldest sister to her prenatal checkups.

Other than that, he hadn’t met up with Jiang Longcheng, Ye Jianhua, or others for meals or gatherings; he rarely went out, and he barely even went to the office.

He didn’t even see his eldest sister’s husband off when he returned to Hong Kong.

As for the Liu family’s affairs, he didn’t get too involved.

Even when the Liu family intervened to stop the media from exposing Liu Dongping’s scandals, Li Yi did not step in, appearing completely indifferent to the matter.

To the Liu family, however, his reaction carried a different meaning.

Whether it was Liu Dongxia, Liu Xiao, or even the head of the Liu family, they all believed this meant the Jiang family had accepted their offer of reconciliation—a result of their bowing to the Jiang family—and that the Jiang family had no intention of wiping them out completely.

And without the Jiang family’s support, Li Yi alone was simply incapable of making any significant waves.

To test whether the Jiang family and Li Yi had truly washed their hands of the matter, the Liu family used their connections to secure Liu Dongping’s release on bail after he had been detained for half a month.

They had expected that once Liu Dongping was released, Li Yi or others from the Jiang family would react.

But in the end, everything remained calm. Li Yi did not intervene, and the Jiang family showed no signs of action, as if the matter had nothing to do with them at all.

Only Wang Anguo and his associates stepped in to intervene, but to no avail.

Under these circumstances, the Liu family immediately sought to close the case as quickly as possible and put an end to the matter once and for all, to avoid any further complications.

But just as they were pressuring the branch bureau to close the case quickly, Wang Anguo and his team refused.

Their reasoning was that the investigation was not yet complete, and many victims had not yet been contacted, so the case could not be closed.

No matter how much the Liu family tried to leverage their connections with leaders at the sub-bureau or the municipal bureau, Wang Anguo and his colleagues refused to budge.

By now, the entire public security system was aware of the ties between Wang Anguo and his associates and the Jiang family, so no one dared to press them too hard, and the situation remained deadlocked.

But neither Liu Dongping nor the Liu family behind him, nor the people they had planted in the branch and municipal bureaus, realized that Li Yi’s silence did not mean he had accepted their offer of reconciliation, but rather that he was waiting for news from Zhou Rui.

Normally, given the capabilities of State Security, it wouldn’t be difficult to verify the details Li Yi had mentioned, and it certainly wouldn’t take this long.

But when Zhou Rui ordered an investigation into Beijing’s street gangs and the Tangcheng Knife Squad, they discovered the situation was far more complex than they had anticipated.

First, the number of street gangs in Beijing was unimaginably large.

From the outlying counties like Changping and Miyun, to the urban areas and the southern suburbs, every village and every street was likely home to criminal gangs made up of thugs and hoodlums.

These scoundrels bullied men and women, extorted merchants and street vendors, and collected protection money—they had become a veritable cancer on society.

And the investigation into the “Kitchen Knife Squad” in Tangcheng nearly left Zhou Rui and his team speechless.

If the thugs and gangs in the capital still made some effort to hide their activities, the Tangcheng Knife Gang was completely lawless and had no qualms about anything.

As the State Security agents followed a lead, they found that the more they investigated, the more complicated the case became, and the more issues were uncovered.

Zhou Rui had originally given his subordinates a week to complete the investigation, but he soon realized that a week was nowhere near enough. Consequently, he had no choice but to continuously call in reinforcements and extend the investigation period.

It took a full month of investigation before they finally managed to get a handle on the basic details of the Knife Squad just before New Year’s Day.

Upon receiving the materials Zhou Rui had sent, Li Yi knew the time had come to strike back…

……….

Once Li Gang, Yin Jianping, and the others had taken Liu Dongping and his gang away, only Li Yi, Wang Anguo, Zhou Wen, and a few others remained at the Wang residence.

After quickly tidying up the iron bars and wooden clubs scattered around the courtyard, Wang Anguo invited Li Yi inside.

Once inside, Wang Anguo looked at Li Yi and said, “Liu Dongping has been taken into custody. We’ll have a confession soon…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Brother Wang, you’re being too optimistic. If I’m not mistaken, your interrogation won’t go smoothly—or rather, the outcome won’t be what you expect!”

“Brother Li Yi, what do you mean by that?” Wang Anguo asked urgently.

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “Brother Wang, the Liu family dared to let Liu Dongping turn himself in—they must have made thorough preparations.”

“What do you mean?”

“If things go as expected, the Liu family has already bribed those small-time thugs. During your interrogation, someone will inevitably step forward to take the fall for all the serious crimes. Not only will Liu Dongping not be the organizer or mastermind behind those criminal acts, but he might even have been coerced!” Li Yi said.

“Liu Dongping was coerced? Who would believe that? Who would dare to coerce him?” Wang Anguo said with a sneer.

“It doesn’t matter if people believe it or not. As long as someone is willing to take the fall and there are others to corroborate it, that’s enough! And for the Liu family, that’s a piece of cake!” Li Yi said.

Wang Anguo slammed his fist on the coffee table and said, “I knew there was a reason that bastard Liu Dongping turned himself in so easily. Turns out he was planning to find someone to take the fall for him. What a clever move!”

At that moment, Li Yi said coldly, “They want to find someone to take the bulk of the blame, then use the pretext of ‘sacrificing family for the greater good’ to turn public opinion in the Liu family’s favor and completely distance the Liu family from this affair. I won’t let them get their way.”

“Brother Li Yi, what do you plan to do? How can we assist you?” Wang Anguo asked.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yi replied, “Whether someone is a principal offender or an accomplice isn’t for the Liu family to decide—everything must be based on the facts.”

“Even though these thugs have certainly colluded on their stories, it’s impossible for them to have arranged everything seamlessly in such a short time. As long as we investigate and interrogate them thoroughly, there will inevitably be inconsistencies in their testimonies. At that point, Brother Wang, you’ll be able to take them down one by one!”

“Don’t worry. We have plenty of experience dealing with suspects who’ve coordinated their stories!” Wang Anguo said.

“Alright, leave the interrogations and investigations to you. Make sure to dig as deep as possible—ideally, track down all the victims. Their testimonies are crucial for determining the nature of this case!” Li Yi said.

“Got it!”

Li Yi then glanced at Zhou Wen beside him and continued, “Wen, call your uncle and tell him I want to see him!”

“Yes, sir!”

After speaking, Zhou Wen exchanged a few words with Wang Anguo, then picked up the phone in the living room and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly. After Zhou Wen and Zhou Rui briefly explained the situation, they ended the call.

Returning to Li Yi’s side, Zhou Wen said, “Brother Yi, my uncle said he’ll be over to your place in a little while!”

“Alright!”

Li Yi then chatted with Wang Anguo for a few more minutes before leaving the Wang residence.

……….

The Li Family Courtyard!

Li Yi had barely returned home and hadn’t even had time to settle in when Zhou Rui arrived.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Rui asked, “I heard from Wen that there’s been a development regarding the Liu family?”

“Yeah, Liu Dongping turned himself in!”

“Turned himself in?”

Zhou Rui furrowed his brow and said, “Is this a strategic retreat or sacrificing the pawn to save the king?”

As the head of State Security, Zhou Rui had seen far too many schemes and intrigues. A ploy like the Liu family’s—one that couldn’t even fool Li Yi—was certainly no match for him.

“Both are possible!” Li Yi replied.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Old Zhou, could you help me look into a few things?” Li Yi asked.

“What is it? Just tell me!”

Zhou Rui knew full well that he and Li Yi were already in this together—their fates were inextricably linked.

As long as Li Yi wasn’t asking him to do anything illegal or criminal, Zhou Rui would certainly do his best to help within the scope of his authority.

“Help me find out how many street gangs there are in Beijing, and look into the shady dealings they’re up to behind the scenes!”

Li Yi continued, “While you’re at it, send someone to Tangcheng to look into the ‘Kitchen Knife Squad’ there. The more detailed the information, the better!”

“Why are you looking into this? Do you think they’re all connected to the Liu family?” Zhou Rui asked, puzzled.

Although Liu Dongping had set up the Dragon-Tiger Gang, in Zhou Rui’s eyes, it was nothing more than children playing house—utterly insignificant.

Moreover, he was convinced that it was merely Liu Dongping’s own whim; the rest of the Liu family likely looked down on those thugs.

Especially that figure in the Liu family—someone who had once commanded vast armies—surely wouldn’t have any ties to those thuggish gangs.

Li Yi shook his head and said, “Not exactly. It’s just that the Liu family is playing a strategic retreat—trying to downplay the serious issues. If I want to take them all down, I’ll have to muddy the waters first!”

“Stir up trouble… thug gangs…”

After a moment’s thought, Zhou Rui looked at Li Yi and said, “You want to exaggerate the threat posed by these thug gangs to draw the attention of higher-ups, then launch a crackdown and drag the Dragon-Tiger Gang—the one Liu Dongping and his crew set up—into the fray?”

“That’s pretty much the idea,” Li Yi replied.

“Investigating these matters isn’t a problem, but will this actually work? Even if it does, the only one affected will be Liu Dongping—it’s unlikely to implicate anyone else from the Liu family, is it?” Zhou Rui said.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this covered. You just focus on helping me investigate this matter; I’ll handle the rest.”

“Sure!”

“Then I’ll leave this to you. Once it’s all settled, I’ll treat you to a meal!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Forget the meal. If you really want to thank me, just do me a favor!” Zhou Rui said.

“What kind of favor? Just say it!”

Zhou Rui glanced at Zhou Wen beside him, then said, “Help me find a girlfriend for this kid!”

This left both Li Yi and Zhou Wen dumbfounded. Before Li Yi could say a word, Zhou Wen blurted out, “Uncle, you guys are talking about your own business—why’d you drag me into this?”

“Hmph! If it weren’t for your mom and dad calling me every other day about this, do you think I’d want to meddle in your affairs?”

Zhou Rui continued his rant: “Look at Comrade Zhang—his marriage application has already been approved. Now look at you—you don’t even have a girlfriend. We’re both security guards, yet there’s such a huge difference between us!”

Zhou Wen: !@#￥%……&

Seeing Zhou Wen’s crestfallen expression, Li Yi immediately smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out for this. If I come across someone suitable, I’ll definitely introduce them to him!”

“Alright, I’ll go back and make the arrangements. I’ll let you know as soon as the investigation yields results!”

“Alright, I’ll walk you out!”

“No need…”

“No way!”

With that, Li Yi stood up and walked alongside Zhou Rui, seeing him all the way to the front gate.

Watching Zhou Rui get into the car and seeing it gradually drive away, Li Yi’s thoughts drifted off into the distance.

He had asked Zhou Rui to help investigate the street gangs in Beijing and the “Kitchen Knife Squad” in Tangcheng for a simple reason: he wanted to use the “Strict Crackdown” campaign as a pretext to take action.

Under current sentencing standards, even if Liu Dongping were classified as the principal offender, it would be difficult to sentence him to death, let alone use him as a breakthrough to take down the entire Liu family.

But during a special period, things would be different.

Back then, there were people who were sentenced to death simply for kissing a young girl in the street on a dare.

Crimes like those committed by Liu Dongping—whether as a principal offender or an accomplice—were more than enough to warrant being taken out and shot within five minutes.

More importantly, the reason those small-time thugs dared to take the fall for Liu Dongping was mainly because they believed the Liu family’s power and influence were overwhelming—even if they were sentenced, it wouldn’t be a death sentence.

At worst, they’d spend a few years in prison, and once released, they’d surely be looked after by the Liu family—a deal that was a sure win no matter how you looked at it.

But if they knew the principal offender would face the death penalty, it remains to be seen whether anyone would still dare to take the fall for Liu Dongping.

Most likely, as soon as the higher-ups announced a crackdown, those thugs from the Dragon-Tiger Gang would crumble. At that point, dealing with Liu Dongping—and even the Liu family—would be much easier!

The question is whether we can persuade the higher-ups to launch the crackdown early—that depends on Zhou Rui’s investigation results and the timing.

In short, the right time, the right place, and the right people—all three are indispensable…

………..

“Clap, clap, clap!”

As Wang Anguo turned to go back inside to make the call, Li Yi clapped his hands and said to the Liu uncle and nephew, “What a masterful retreat-to-advance strategy! What a noble act of putting the greater good before family ties! I’m truly impressed!”

Although the performance between the Liu siblings had been smooth and convincing just now,

it was still just a performance. Others might not have noticed, but Li Yi, having lived two lifetimes, possessed a keen eye—how could he possibly miss it?

From the moment Li Yi stepped through the Wang family’s front door, he’d sensed something was off.

Although the Liu family wasn’t a first-rate clan, they were certainly among the top of the second tier. The head of the Liu family possessed both keen insight and considerable power; otherwise, he wouldn’t have held such a high position.

After all that had happened, there was no way he would let Liu Dongping act recklessly—unless he was truly a brainless fool.

But a general who had survived the war—how could he possibly lack even this basic awareness? Clearly, there was another motive behind this.

Earlier, Li Yi hadn’t understood what the Liu family was up to. But when this man and woman stepped forward and staged this spectacle of sacrificing family for the greater good right before his eyes, Li Yi finally saw through it.

All this time, the Liu family had been using a strategy of retreating to advance—prepared to sacrifice Liu Dongping in order to protect the rest of the Liu family.

Liu Xiao, the third son of the Liu family, was about to speak when he was stopped by his niece, Liu Dongxia.

Liu Dongxia slowly walked up to Li Yi and said, “So you’re Li Yi. Everyone says the Jiang family has an extraordinary son-in-law. Now that I’ve met you, you really are quite the handsome fellow!”

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Liu Dongxia, Liu Dongping’s older sister. This is my third uncle, Liu Xiao…”

Before she could finish, Li Yi said coolly, “I’m not interested in your identities. And I’d like to add that this little charade you’ve staged is truly terrible!”

Liu Dongxia’s pupils contracted slightly, and she glared at Li Yi. “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. Do you really think that by putting on this charade of sacrificing family for the greater good, you can absolve the entire Liu family of blame?” Li Yi said with a smirk.

“So it seems you’re determined to destroy the Liu family?” Liu Dongxia said coldly.

Li Yi replied indifferently, “They say birds of a feather flock together. You and that scum of a brother of yours share the same twisted values!”

“What do you mean by that?” Liu Dongxia frowned.

“What do you mean I’m determined to destroy the Liu family? Why don’t you take a look at the filthy deeds your own family members have committed?”

Li Yi continued, “Honestly, before that scumbag Liu Dongping framed my brother, I had absolutely no connection with your Liu family and couldn’t care less about you. So where does this talk of ‘ruining your family’ come from? You’re just digging your own graves!”

“Li Yi, don’t go too far!”

“Me, going too far? What a joke. It was clearly your Liu family that provoked me first, yet you claim I’m trying to destroy you. You Lius really do have your values growing out of your asses—how twisted!” Li Yi said coldly.

Liu Dongxia suppressed her anger and said in a low voice, “What Dongping did certainly violated Party discipline and national laws, but now that he has turned himself in and will face legal judgment, I hope this matter ends here…”

Before she could finish, Li Yi cut her off coldly: “End it here? Do you really think that’s possible?”

“You…”

Liu Dongxia then fixed her gaze on Li Yi and said coldly, “It seems you’re determined to go down in flames with the Liu family?”

“We’ll go down fighting—do you even have what it takes?” Li Yi said with a look of contempt.

“Don’t think that just because the Jiang and Ye families have your backs, you can look down on the Liu family. We’ve made a name for ourselves in Beijing—we’re no pushovers!” Liu Dongxia snapped angrily.

“It’s not that I underestimate your Liu family, but raising a scum like Liu Dongping shows just how limited your vision is. If you want to go down fighting with me, you’re not even worthy of the challenge!”

In his previous life, when Liu Dongping’s crimes were exposed, the Liu family narrowly escaped disaster by sacrificing their own kin in the name of justice.

Though they didn’t emerge completely unscathed—the head of the Liu family eventually stepped back from the limelight because of it—at least no one else was implicated, and the second and third generations of the Liu family went on to do quite well for themselves.

But in this life, since they were so determined to prove themselves in front of him, Li Yi would absolutely not give them any chance to make a comeback.

“What exactly do you want before you’ll stop?” Liu Dongxia said, struggling to contain her rage.

Although she didn’t want to admit it, the Liu family was truly no match for the Jiang family, especially since that bastard had the Ye family backing him.

Furthermore, he had good relations with the Lin and Liang families as well.

There were even rumors that Old Chen held this guy in high regard and frequently dropped by his home.

Therefore, as long as there was any room for compromise, Liu Dongxia didn’t want her family to go head-to-head with this guy.

“If you want me to back down, that’s fine. First, your Liu family must not interfere with Liu Dongping’s trial. Whether it’s life imprisonment or the death penalty, he must face the full force of the law!”

Li Yi continued, “Second, everyone involved in this matter—especially those who acted as Liu Dongping’s accomplices—must all face consequences, including but not limited to those small-time thugs, officials at all levels, and public security cadres!”

“And your husband must voluntarily step down from his position, and the entire Liu family must get out of Beijing!”

Upon hearing these words, not only were Liu Dongxia and Liu Dongping, the brother and sister, terrified, but even Wang Anguo, who had just emerged from the room, as well as Zhou Wen, Yang Zhiwen, and the others standing behind Li Yi, were left speechless.

This left absolutely no room for Liu Dongping or the Liu family to survive!

If the Liu family were to agree to Li Yi’s terms, the day of their complete annihilation would not be far off.

After all, a political family like the Lius had no shortage of rivals, and given the extremely sensitive position held by a certain member of the Liu family, who knows how many people were keeping a close eye on them.

Once the Liu family lost power, their rivals wouldn’t miss the chance to crush them completely—even without the Jiang and Ye families lifting a finger.

In fact, the fact that Li Yi’s manifestos and the materials he’d gathered were able to be distributed smoothly wasn’t entirely due to Jiang Longcheng’s influence.

To be honest, without Old Master Jiang’s direct involvement, Jiang Longcheng’s influence simply isn’t that great.

There were other forces behind the scenes fanning the flames, with some hoping to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Liu Dongxia and Liu Xiao clearly hadn’t anticipated that Li Yi’s demands would be so harsh; the rage on their faces was now impossible to hide.

Liu Dongxia shouted angrily, “Li Yi, do you really think the Liu family is afraid of you? Since you’ve left us no way out, the Liu family won’t let you off easy either!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Li Yi replied coldly, “Fine. Then let’s each play by our own rules…”

Just then, the familiar wail of a police siren suddenly echoed from outside.

Immediately afterward, a police car pulled up in front of the Wang family’s gate.

Before long, Li Gang, Yin Jianping, and the others walked in from outside, accompanied by several uniformed police officers.

Upon seeing Li Yi, Liu Dongping, and the others, as well as the courtyard filled with injured people, everyone was taken aback.

Li Gang immediately stepped forward and asked, “Comrade Li Yi, Chief Wang, are you all right?”

Wang Anguo replied immediately, “We’re all fine. The suspect, Liu Dongping, has turned himself in. Take them back for questioning, and get the injured to the hospital for treatment!”

“Yes, sir!”

As Li Gang and the others approached him with handcuffs, Liu Dongping looked at Liu Dongxia with terror in his eyes and cried out tremblingly, “Sis…”

Liu Dongxia understood her brother’s meaning and said immediately, “Dongping, go back with them first. Your sister and Dad will handle the rest!”

“Sis, you have to save me. I…”

Before he could finish, Li Gang snapped the handcuffs onto him and led him toward the police car outside.

After Liu Dongping was taken away, Liu Dongxia didn’t stay there either. After shooting Li Yi a glare, she left the Wang residence with Liu Xiao…

………

Seeing Liu Dongping’s panicked expression, a sneer of contempt instantly flashed across Li Yi’s face, and two words burst from his mouth: “Coward!”

Having moved back to a safe distance, Liu Dongping heard those two words clearly. Rage surged through him, and he roared, “Hey, Li! Don’t think you can bully me just because you’ve got the Jiang family backing you. No matter how powerful the Jiang family is, their old man has already retired. We Liu’s aren’t afraid of him!”

“Hah. No wonder a scumbag like you dares to act so lawless—it seems the Liu family has gotten a big head!” Li Yi sneered.

“Li Yi, if you know what’s good for you, stay out of this. Otherwise, not even the Jiang and Ye families combined could save you!” Liu Dongping shouted.

“I’m curious who gave you the nerve. A guy covered in ‘poop’ actually dares to spout such nonsense—was it your dad?”

Hearing this, Liu Dongping’s face turned as pale as if he’d just undergone a colonoscopy and endoscopy—he looked as ghastly as a corpse.

“Li Yi, this has nothing to do with you in the first place. Why do you insist on wading into this mess…”

Just then, Wang Anguo emerged from the room and walked over to Li Yi’s side.

“Brother Wang, that bastard didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Li Yi asked.

“Not really. He wanted me to drop the investigation into him, but I refused. Just now, he even tried to threaten me with your sister-in-law and the kids…”

Before Wang Anguo could finish, Li Yi strode up to Liu Dongping and slapped him hard across the face twice.

Li Yi was no slouch when it came to strength. The two hard slaps left Liu Dongping’s cheeks instantly swollen, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

“You… you fucking dare hit me… I’ll kill you!”

Immediately, Liu Dongping shouted at the six or seven henchmen standing nearby, “What the hell are you all standing around for? Get on him! Beat the shit out of this bastard…”

Before he could finish, a voice rang out from outside the courtyard: “Stop!”

Immediately, a middle-aged man in his fifties walked in from outside, accompanied by a beautiful woman in her thirties.

Upon seeing them, Liu Dongping’s expression changed instantly. His previously arrogant look instantly turned to a mix of fear, anger, resentment, and anticipation.

Li Yi couldn’t believe this guy could display such a complex range of emotions in such a short time. With talent like that, it would be a waste not to try his hand at showbiz—the Oscars owe this kid an Oscar statuette.

Once the man and woman had strided up to Liu Dongping, he whispered, “Third Uncle, Sister, what brings you here?”

“Smack!”

His question was met with another hard slap—this time from the beautiful woman in her thirties.

“Sis… why are you hitting me too?” Liu Dongping said, looking aggrieved.

“Who told you to come here and cause trouble? You’ve ignored everything Dad and I have said. Do you want the Liu family to go down the drain even faster?” the woman scolded loudly, her voice cold and laced with anger.

“Sis… I just came to make peace with the Wang family. I didn’t mean anything else…”

“Smack!”

Another hard slap met his reply. The crisp sound made Li Yi and the others standing nearby wince on Liu Dongping’s behalf—this was a literal slap in the face!

“Do you think we’re all idiots? You bring this many people here and claim you have no ulterior motives!”

Immediately afterward, the woman pulled a stack of newspapers from her handbag and hurled them at Liu Dongping. Then, she demanded angrily, “Take a look at these. Are they true?”

With a hint of fear and a touch of confusion, Liu Dongping picked up the newspapers from the floor and began to read them.

After just a glance, his expression changed.

Immediately, he shouted, “Sis… none of this is true. It’s all slander…”

“Smack!”

Another slap landed on his face, followed by the woman’s deep, stern voice: “Tell me the truth—are these reports true? Remember, I’m not asking you this myself; your father told me to ask you!”

“You know what Dad is capable of. He may not usually meddle in your affairs, but if he gets truly angry and starts investigating, you won’t be able to fool him.”

Liu Dongping’s expression shifted back and forth, like a chameleon.

After a long moment, he finally said, head bowed, “M… most of it is true…”

“Speak clearly. Which parts are true, and which are false?” the woman demanded again.

Her cold, sharp voice startled Liu Dongping so much that he stumbled backward several steps, afraid that if he retreated too slowly, that big slap would land right on his face.

“I… I haven’t killed anyone. I transferred those people to remote locations; they weren’t silenced…”

“So, aside from not killing anyone, everything reported in the news is true—including the part about you having sex with over a hundred women?”

“It… it’s true!”

Hearing this answer, the woman closed her eyes in anguish.

When she first walked in, she’d still had the energy to slap this good-for-nothing, but now she didn’t even feel angry anymore.

After a long moment, the woman uttered three words: “Turn yourself in!”

To everyone present, those words sounded like a bombshell dropped into calm waters, instantly sending shockwaves through the room.

Liu Dongping seemed unable to believe what he’d heard. He stood there in a daze for a long moment before finally asking, “Sis, what did you just say? Turn myself in?”

“Yes, Dongping, that’s what Dad wants!”

“No… that’s impossible. How could Dad make me turn myself in? I don’t believe it,” Liu Dongping said, his voice filled with terror.

“Smack!”

Another resounding slap landed, sending Liu Dongping reeling.

“Look at the things you’ve done. Is this the behavior of a human being? Do you think the law of the land is just for show?”

The woman continued, “If you turn yourself in, you might still have a sliver of hope. Otherwise…”

The woman didn’t finish her sentence, but she was confident this good-for-nothing would understand.

Liu Dongping felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body; he collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly at the sky, his face etched with despair.

From childhood onward, he had been the youngest in the family—his father’s long-awaited, cherished son. Whether it was his parents or his older siblings, they indulged his every whim, which had nurtured his arrogant, self-indulgent personality.

He’d thought his father and siblings would protect him for the rest of his life, but he never expected… never in a million years…

However, Liu Dongping was a very pragmatic man, and within minutes he snapped out of his despair.

He wasn’t stupid. After seeing those newspapers, he understood why his father had urged him to turn himself in.

If he turned himself in, his father could earn a reputation for putting justice before family ties. He might face a harsh sentence, but the impact on the family wouldn’t be too severe.

As long as his father remained in his position, there was still room for maneuver regarding his own case.

Immediately, he turned to Wang Anguo standing nearby and said, “Director Wang, I’m turning myself in. I did all those things, and I’ll confess everything. Furthermore, I’m going to expose them: these men standing beside me are the core members of the South City Dragon-Tiger Gang. They’ve been preying on men and women in South City, committing every conceivable evil…”

Both Wang Anguo and everyone else were stunned by Liu Dongping’s unexpected move.

Especially the henchmen standing beside Liu Dongping—they never imagined their boss would betray them so quickly. One by one, they stared in disbelief at Liu Dongping as he laboriously listed their crimes, unable to recover from the shock for a long time!

Wang Anguo didn’t know how to handle the situation either, so he looked to Li Yi for guidance.

Li Yi, however, remained quite calm as he said, “Brother Wang, since the suspects have already confessed, take them back to the station for questioning, and then dig deeper into this matter!”

When he said “dig deeper,” Li Yi deliberately emphasized the words.

“Got it!”

With that, he went back inside to call the station, asking his unit to send personnel to assist him in transporting the suspects.

Then, seeing the injured people on the ground moaning and groaning, he silently dialed 120…

………..

The next day, early morning!

Li Yi awoke from the arms of his beloved, brushed aside his wife’s arm that was resting on him, and sat up on the bed.

Last night—perhaps sensing his low spirits—after seeing Wang Anguo and the others off, Jiang Xue had taken the initiative to “invite” him, allowing their marital relationship to blossom and reach a new level of harmony.

Of course, one round was clearly not enough; it required one, two, three, four… and then one more…

In short, Li Yi had been drained dry once again!

Looking at Jiang Xue, who was still fast asleep, Li Yi couldn’t help but recall a saying: “In youth, one knows not the charms of a mature woman, mistaking a maiden for a treasure.”

Speaking of which, this young wife has three virtues: she’s gentle, kind, and insatiable…

Resisting the urge to go for a second, third, fourth, and yet another round, Li Yi made his way from the kang to the floor, then set about his daily chores.

By the time he had stoked the stove and boiled water for washing his face, and stepped out of the main room, his eldest sister and Yang Miao had already prepared breakfast, dressed the three kids, and fed them milk.

By the way, to prevent Yun Rui and Yun Jin from interrupting their intimate moments, the two had tacitly agreed last night not to go to the west wing to fetch the two little ones back to their room.

After greeting Zhou Wen, Yang Zhiwen, Xiao Wu, and Yang Miao, who were in the middle of their training, Li Yi—wrapped in his cotton-padded coat—made his way with practiced ease to the mailbox by the door and retrieved today’s fresh newspapers.

Back in the living room, he began flipping through it again.

According to the plan Li Yi had devised in advance, after exposing the fact that Wang Anguo and the others had been framed by Liu Dongping—the son of a high-ranking official—the next step was to comprehensively expose Liu Dongping’s illegal and criminal activities, thereby completely igniting public opinion.

Since Wang Anguo and the others showed no intention of settling with him, Li Yi did not call off this plan.

Sure enough, today’s newspapers featured extensive coverage of Liu Dongping’s numerous illegal and criminal activities.

Some papers reported that the man, relying on his status, had arbitrarily skipped work, embezzled company funds, and misappropriated large sums of public money for eating, drinking, and entertainment.

Other papers exposed Liu Dongping’s history of bullying men and women—particularly women—within his workplace and the southern part of the city, detailing multiple specific cases.

Still others turned their sights on the Dragon-Tiger Gang, exposing how Liu Dongping had formed this criminal organization and delving deeply into the gang’s activities.

Although this was not the full extent of Liu Dongping’s misdeeds, the revelations were nonetheless shocking.

However, after reading through all the newspapers, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow. The reason was that among the dozen or so newspapers Jiang Longcheng had contacted, several had not published any related reports.

Clearly, the Liu family had already put a stop to these outlets.

Fortunately, though the Liu family wielded significant power, they couldn’t control everything. Several major media outlets still exposed Liu Dongping’s misdeeds.

Although the reach was slightly smaller than expected, since these were major state-run media outlets, it didn’t have a significant impact on Li Yi’s subsequent plans.

The bullet had already been fired; there was no need to rush the rest. Let the bullet fly for a while…

…….

At 8:30 a.m., after dropping Jiang Xue and the children off at school, Li Yi took Zhou Wen and the others to the Wang family residence to discuss the next steps with Wang Anguo.

However, as soon as they arrived at the Wang residence, they saw several Jeeps parked at the entrance, all bearing military license plates.

Li Yi paused in surprise. Did Wang Anguo have connections with the military?

With a hint of confusion, Li Yi pushed open the gate to the Wang residence.

As soon as he stepped inside, Li Yi saw seven or eight burly young men standing in the Wang family’s courtyard. Upon seeing Li Yi and his group enter, they all shot them hostile glances.

At the same time, Li Yi heard the sound of a heated argument coming from inside the house; clearly, the people inside were not getting along.

Recalling that scumbag Liu Dongping had military connections, a possibility immediately occurred to Li Yi. He was about to lead Zhou Wen and the others toward the house.

But the young men outside clearly had no intention of letting them in and blocked Li Yi and his group’s path.

“Who are you? Stop right there…”

Li Yi ignored the young men and turned to Zhou Wen. “Wen, can you handle this?”

They outnumbered them. If Zhou Wen and the others couldn’t handle it, Li Yi was prepared to leave first and call for backup!

However, Zhou Wen didn’t let him down. He glanced at Yang Zhiwen beside him and said, “It’s a small skirmish. What do you want to do, Brother Yi?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “What else can we do? Let’s take them down!”

“Got it!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Zhou Wen sprang into action.

He charged forward, landing a punch that sent the young punk who’d been shouting insults earlier crashing to the ground.

He spun around, delivering a roundhouse kick that sent the man in front of him flying, then landed two swift roundhouse kicks on the two thugs charging toward him.

In just a few exchanges, the four thugs surrounding Li Yi were all knocked to the ground, completely incapacitated.

And all of this happened in less than a minute, leaving Li Yi with goosebumps.

He was a kickboxing enthusiast himself, having trained diligently in both his past and present lives, even seeking guidance from masters. Back in the village, when facing Xu Hong and the other male educated youths, he had fought one against many and was invincible.

But compared to Zhou Wen, Li Yi felt he wouldn’t last more than three moves against him.

Moreover, Li Yi could tell that Zhou Wen had gone easy on them just now; otherwise, those guys would likely be dead.

Just as Li Yi was reeling from the shock, the others in the courtyard noticed what was happening and immediately alerted those inside the house, while simultaneously closing in on Li Yi and his group once more.

This time, before Zhou Wen could act, Yang Zhiwen shouted, “I’ll handle this!”

Then, like a cannonball fired from a barrel, he charged straight at the four or five thugs closing in.

Unlike Zhou Wen’s flashy moves, Yang Zhiwen was like a human tank, completely overwhelming the thugs in front of him.

Before Li Yi could even get a clear look, the four or five thugs were all lying on the ground, whimpering and groaning like pigs awaiting slaughter.

When Liu Dongping emerged from the house with a few of his key men, all he saw was his crew sprawled haphazardly across the courtyard, whimpering incessantly.

Instantly, Liu Dongping flew into a rage, his gaze sweeping over Li Yi and the others with venom and fury.

Immediately, the man shouted at Li Yi, “You fucking little shit—how dare you hit my men? You must be tired of living!”

Li Yi had no intention of engaging with this spoiled rich kid who’d clearly been pampered by his family, but hearing such filthy language instantly ignited his anger.

He took a step forward and said in a deep voice, “You must be Liu Dongping. I’m Li Yi. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

“You’re that son-in-law of the Jiang family, aren’t you? You’re the one backing those vermin behind the scenes, letting them mess with me. Fine, just wait and see how I’m going to deal with you today…”

Before Liu Dongping could finish, Li Yi strode forward, stood directly in front of him, and said in an icy tone, “If you dare utter another word of disrespect, I’ll take you down right now—and I’ll make sure you get the full five-year sentence!”

Facing Li Yi’s icy stare, Liu Dongping, who had been chattering away just moments before, suddenly shuddered in fear.

He swore he’d never seen such a ferocious look in his life; it was as if he were being stared down by a starving wolf.

Liu Dongping was convinced that if he dared to utter a single word in reply, the man standing before him would pounce and tear him to pieces.

He swallowed hard, involuntarily taking a few steps back to put some distance between himself and Li Yi, watching him warily…

………..

By the time they left the Jiang family’s ancestral home, it was already seven o’clock in the evening!

By then, the streetlights had just come on, and the sky had grown completely dark!

As the car weaved through the heavy traffic, Li Yi’s mood was neither good nor bad—just tinged with a touch of melancholy and helplessness.

Although the situation had now shifted in their favor—and to Li Yi, the downfall of the Liu family was practically a foregone conclusion—

To outsiders, the Liu family of the capital seemed powerful, but in his eyes, they were nothing more than minor foes that could be crushed at any moment.

It was just the fact of being dragged into this family feud for no good reason that left Li Yi feeling rather annoyed.

Jiang Xue, standing nearby, saw her husband’s expression and immediately asked, “What’s wrong? Are you still worried about Brother Wang and the others?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “No. If things go as expected, Old Wang and Gangzi will be released today. The Liu family wouldn’t dare do anything to them!”

“If that’s the case, then why don’t you look very happy?” Jiang Xue asked.

“I’m not unhappy, just that some things are pretty frustrating!” Li Yi sighed.

“What’s got you so pensive?” Jiang Xue asked curiously.

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Ever since I decided to marry you, I’ve had a plan for our future. In my mind, after we got married, you’d take care of the kids and the household, while I’d run a small business. We’d live a stable, quiet life—not seeking great wealth or prestige, just happiness and peace of mind.”

“But, well, I never expected plans to change so much. First, I never imagined your background would be so extraordinary, and second, I never expected our family business to grow so large that it’s even caught the attention of the higher-ups…”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Jiang Xue asked.

“It’s not that it’s bad. With the Jiang and Ye families as our backing and more money than we could ever spend, it would be nice to just sit back and enjoy life as a wealthy man. But… trouble always seems to find me out of the blue—there are always troublemakers out there trying to bring me down!”

Li Yi continued, “These past few days, I’ve been reflecting on something. Could it be that the low-key, humble, and reserved approach I’ve always taken is actually wrong?”

Jiang Xue was taken aback for a moment, then replied, “That approach and way of handling things are both quite good. Why would they be wrong?”

“I used to think that approach was right too, but now that I think about it, it’s completely off the mark. Let’s not go too far back—just take Third Brother and Brother Jianhua, for example. Do you think they conduct themselves in a low-key manner?” Li Yi asked.

“They’d love for the whole country to know how rich they are. Every day, they’re either inviting friends over for drinks and parties, or driving around town showing off, buying this and that—how could they possibly be considered low-key?” Jiang Xue said.

“That’s exactly the problem. Because they’re so flashy, wherever they go, they’re always the center of attention. Whether it’s thugs and hoodlums on the streets or ordinary citizens, no one dares to mess with them.”

Li Yi continued, “Look at the people around us, though. They all work hard and keep a low profile. Yet, there’s always some clueless person who has to come out of nowhere and try to make a scene right in front of us.”

“Do you think we’re the ones who are wrong, or is there something wrong with the world?”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Xue was taken aback.

She had never thought about this before, but now that she considered it, Li Yi’s reflection did make sense.

After a long moment, Jiang Xue tucked the small blanket around Yunrui, who was fast asleep in her arms, and asked, “So what do you want to do? Should we follow Third Brother’s example and be more outspoken?”

Li Yi shook his head. “I just can’t pull that off!”

“Why not?”

“Third Brother is the kind of person who doesn’t give a damn—he just does whatever makes him happy. But I can’t do that. I have too many reservations when it comes to things; I can’t be as carefree as him, and I just can’t pull off being that flashy…”

Just as he was speaking, the car suddenly came to a stop.

Li Yi looked out the window and saw they had just reached the entrance to the alley leading to his courtyard. He immediately asked, “Awen, why did you stop?”

“Brother Yi, the road ahead is completely blocked. I’m afraid our car won’t be able to make it into the alley,” Zhou Wen said.

Li Yi frowned, handed his daughter in his arms to Jiang Xue, and got out of the car.

Once outside, Li Yi indeed saw that his alley was packed with parked cars.

Although it was pitch black and he couldn’t make out exactly how many there were, the closest one was already backed right up against the entrance. That meant there were at least four or five cars ahead, if not more.

Li Yi was puzzled. Usually, there wasn’t much foot or vehicle traffic in this alley, especially at night. How could there be so many cars here?

As he got closer and took a closer look at the license plates, holy cow—wasn’t that Jiang Longcheng’s license plate number?

He looked at the car in front of it—it was clearly Ye Jianhua’s… So all these cars had come looking for him.

Li Yi then asked Zhou Wen to find a place to park, while he and Jiang Xue each took a child in their arms. Under Yang Zhiwen’s protection, they hurried toward their home.

When Li Yi returned to his own courtyard, he found the gate ajar, with a faint glow of light visible inside.

As they pushed the door open and stepped into the courtyard, they could hear Jiang Longcheng’s rough, unrestrained booming voice from a distance.

Striding into the courtyard, Li Yi and Jiang Xue saw through the glass window that there seemed to be quite a few people in their living room.

As they passed the west wing, Jiang Xue suddenly said, “Wait a minute, let’s take the kids to Big Sister’s room. We don’t want to wake up Third Brother and the others when we go back to the main hall!”

“Alright!”

With that, Li Yi took Jiang Xue and the already sleeping children to their eldest sister’s room, then returned to the main hall alone.

Pushing open the slightly ajar door to the living room, Li Yi saw it was packed with people.

Besides Jiang Longcheng, who had already recognized the voices, there were Ye Jianhua, Wang Anguo, An Hong, Li Gang, Yin Jianping, Wu Yue, and others.

Counting his eldest sister’s husband and Yang Miao (the bodyguard assigned to protect Jiang Xue, and Zhang Feng’s partner), there were over a dozen people, filling the living room to capacity.

Seeing Li Yi return, the crowd—who had been chatting animatedly just moments before—fell instantly silent, and all eyes turned to him.

“Brother-in-law, you’re finally back! Everyone’s been waiting for you!” Jiang Longcheng said with a wide grin.

Li Yi smiled and said, “I just finished dinner with the old man and chatted a bit longer, so I got back a little late!”

Then Li Yi changed the subject, turning to Wang Anguo and the others. “Brother Wang, Gangzi, when did you guys get out?”

Wang Anguo replied immediately, “We got out a little after two this afternoon, but the bureau chief called us in for a two- or three-hour talk. We came straight here as soon as we finished!”

“How did it go? Did they give you a hard time?” Li Yi asked.

“They didn’t exactly give us a hard time. At first, they wanted to charge us with torture to extract a confession, dereliction of duty, and violating organizational discipline, but we refused to admit guilt, so things reached a stalemate!”

Wang Anguo continued, “Then, once you guys started making a fuss on the outside, they became even more afraid to touch us. By this afternoon, they just let us go outright.”

Li Yi nodded and said, “At least they aren’t completely stupid. If they dare to keep you locked up, they’ll be the ones begging you to leave!”

After a moment’s thought, Wang Anguo spoke again. “Brother Li Yi, Deputy Chief Yang from the Precinct came to talk to us this afternoon. He said that as long as we drop this matter and stop investigating Liu Dongping’s case, he’ll promote me to Criminal Investigation Team Captain at the precinct within six months, and Gangi, Old Yin, and Old Wu will each get a one-rank promotion…”

Before Wang Anguo could finish, Li Yi asked in a low voice, “Did you agree?”

“Not exactly, but I didn’t refuse him outright either. I just said I’d think it over!”

Wang Anguo continued, “We’ve discussed it among ourselves. From our personal perspective, we certainly don’t want to let that scumbag off the hook like this, but we also have to consider your situation—we can’t put you in a difficult position…”

“I’m not in a bind. If you want to keep fighting those scumbags, I fully support you!” Li Yi said.

Wang Anguo looked at Li Yi and said, “Are you really not in a bind? After all, the Liu family isn’t just any ordinary clan. Their influence is deeply entrenched and should not be underestimated!”

Ye Jianhua chimed in, “Brother-in-law, I know you’re a straight shooter, but I’d still advise you to think this through carefully!”

“My mom told me that people from the Liu family went to Director Huang’s office at her workplace today. It’s going to be tough for us to get articles published in the Workers’ Daily from now on. Why not just let this slide while the Liu family is backing down?”

Li Yi replied coldly, “Brother Jianhua, you need to understand one thing: when a thug tries to reason with you, it’s not because he’s seen the light—it’s because he’s afraid you’ll beat him up.”

“Thugs like the Liu family—when they’ve done something wrong, they’re still trying to cover it up. They clearly don’t mean a word of it. Why should we make peace with them?”

Wang Anguo immediately replied, “Since Brother Li Yi is on board, we’ll fight these scumbags to the bitter end!”

Li Gang, Yin Jianping, and the others also voiced their support, vowing never to compromise with the scum of the Liu family!

Seeing how resolute the main figures were, Li Yi immediately began discussing the next steps with them…

……….

That morning, Li Yi, Jiang Xue, and his eldest sister’s family arrived at the Long residence to visit his third sister and his young nephew.

The Long household, which had previously been rather quiet, suddenly came alive with activity.

Third Sister had a natural birth, and thanks to years of farm work, she had a strong constitution, so she recovered quickly.

Although she had only been discharged from the hospital a few days ago, she was already free to move about without restriction.

The only issue was that she was feeling a bit run-down, as the little one woke up several times a night, leaving her unable to get a good night’s sleep.

Other than that, everything was fine.

They say three women make a drama; now, with five women and four children in the Long household, it was practically a bustling marketplace.

At noon, Li Yi and Third Sister’s husband, Long Zhanjun, went to the shop to help out for the entire afternoon, not returning to the Long household until 2:30 p.m.

Afterward, Li Yi took Jiang Xue and the children to the Jiang family’s old residence!

When Li Yi and Jiang Xue arrived, Old Master Jiang was playing chess with Old Master Ye by the stove in the inner room.

Seeing Li Yi walk in carrying a box, the two elders exchanged a smile, leaving Li Yi somewhat puzzled.

“You’re here! Pull up a chair!” Old Master Jiang called out.

“Sure thing!”

Li Yi then found a small stool in the living room and sat down next to the two elders.

“What’s that in your hand? You just came over—why bring anything with you?”

As he spoke, Old Man Jiang’s gaze remained fixed on Li Yi’s hands.

“Hehe, nothing much. A friend gave me some tea—it tastes pretty good—so I brought it over for you to try!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Hahaha, that’s wonderful!”

Old Man Jiang immediately called out to the hallway, “Xiao Jiang, come in here for a moment!”

Secretary Jiang, who had been in the living room outside, immediately walked in and said respectfully to the old man, “Sir, you called for me?”

“Brew a pot of the tea this young man brought!”

“Yes, sir…”

While Secretary Jiang was away making tea, Old Ye chuckled and said, “Old Jiang just told me you’d definitely show up today. You really can’t resist a little nagging!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “You’re as good as a fortune-teller, Old Man…”

Before he could finish, Old Jiang cut him off: “What do you mean ‘unfailing’? It’s just that I know your character well—you’re not the reckless type.”

“Given your temperament, now that your plan is already underway, you’re bound to want to run it by us old-timers.”

Li Yi nodded and continued, “Grandfathers, I came here today precisely to discuss the Liu family matter with you both…”

Before Li Yi could finish, Old Master Jiang interjected, “We already know the gist of the situation. You may be a bit bold in your actions, but your tactics aren’t half bad—that’ll give that dimwit Liu a run for his money.”

Old Man Ye added, “Although you caught the Liu family off guard, it’s still unlikely you can bring them down with just a few news reports. What’s your plan from here on out?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “Yesterday’s reports were just the appetizer—merely to let the public know what’s going on. Next, I’ll gradually expose every single crime committed by that beast Liu Dongping, one by one. I’ll stoke the people’s anger toward the Liu family step by step, and then use public opinion to push the relevant authorities to take action against them.”

“Do you have solid evidence for the things you’re having reported? Without evidence, I’m afraid it won’t do any real harm to the Liu family!” Old Master Ye said.

“Haha, finding evidence is the police’s job. My only concern is getting the story out there!”

Li Yi continued, “As for whether it will harm the Liu family, you needn’t worry about that. Since ancient times, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. And since we are a government of the people, once public opinion is united, the Liu family will be doomed—no matter how great their merits may be!”

“What a clever move—using someone else’s hand to do your dirty work. It’s a real waste of your talent that you’re not working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!” Old Master Jiang said with a laugh.

Li Yi said with a hint of resentment, “You’re just afraid I’ll get bored, so you’re always trying to keep me busy to make yourself feel better!”

“Hahaha, the main thing is that you’re a lazybones, with not a shred of a young person’s drive—you only move when you’re being pushed!” Old Master Jiang said.

Hearing this, Old Man Ye immediately joined in the laughter.

After a long pause, Old Master Jiang spoke again: “Stop looking so glum. I’ve got something to tell you—Liu Erleng came by the house around noon.”

“Did he come to plead his case or make amends?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Both. They hadn’t investigated Xiao Wang and Xiao Liu’s backgrounds before, so they didn’t know about your connection to him. It wasn’t until they saw those reports this morning that they realized the situation was serious. They started digging and quickly traced it back to you.”

Old Master Jiang continued, “Once they found out you’re part of the Jiang family, that old fool tried to use me to smooth things over and make a big deal into a small one!”

“You didn’t agree to it, did you?” Li Yi asked.

Old Master Jiang turned his head, glaring with eyes as round as copper bells. “How could I? That guy isn’t exactly the forgiving type. You can’t afford to cross someone like him—once you do, you have to take him down completely. Otherwise, he’ll be a thorn in our side forever!”

“Besides, that guy is more than a decade younger than me and Old Ye. The two of us definitely won’t outlive that bastard. If we two old geezers are gone, who knows—the Liu family might just take revenge for what happened today.”

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn’t help but secretly admire the old man. Though advanced in years, he remained remarkably clear-headed.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that the Jiang and Ye families currently hold a clear advantage over the Liu family—the Liu family isn’t without its own strengths.

The Liu family’s greatest advantage was that their current head was young—and youth was an asset.

Once he outlives the entire older generation, he’ll be one of the few remaining loyal and accomplished servants of the family. The Liu family’s status will rise accordingly, and it’s not impossible that they could even surpass the Jiang and Ye families.

By then, the tables might very well turn.

Clearly, the old patriarch would never allow such a thing to happen.

“So, you refused?” Li Yi asked.

“Not exactly. After all, this is primarily your decision; we both need to hear your opinion!” Old Master Jiang said.

Old Master Ye also spoke up: “This matter isn’t huge, but it’s not trivial either. Whether you want to give that Liu family brat a light punishment or eliminate the threat once and for all, both our families fully support you!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Yi replied, “Grandfathers, my decision is to wipe out the Liu family completely.”

If this had been nothing more than a minor skirmish, Li Yi wouldn’t have sought to exterminate the Liu family.

But after reviewing the evidence gathered by State Security regarding Liu Dongping’s crimes, Li Yi had no intention of sparing Liu Dongping or the people behind him.

Although Li Yi had no desire to be some kind of savior, having been given a second chance at life, he wanted to live with clarity and freedom. If he encountered a bumpy road, he would smooth it out; if he encountered an injustice, he would step in.

“Then you’d better think this through. Once you’ve taken down the Liu family, there’s no way you’ll be able to keep a low profile anymore!” Old Master Jiang said with a serious expression.

Li Yi grinned and said, “Grandpa, do you really think I can keep a low profile now?”

“Heh, good to know!”

Then Old Master Jiang added, “Alright, you make your own decision on this. If that Liu fellow dares to bully people with his power, just let me know. I’ll take care of that scumbag for you!”

“Alright, if my plan doesn’t work out, I’ll let both of you know!” Li Yi said.

He wasn’t the type to cling to pride at the expense of his own well-being. If the Liu family’s influence was truly so deep-rooted that even he couldn’t shake it, Li Yi would ask the Jiang and Ye families to step in.

“Hahaha, I just love how flexible and sensible you are, kid…”

Just then, Secretary Jiang walked in from outside carrying a teapot, and the two elders and the young man immediately cut short their chatter…

……….

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, as soon as Li Yi opened his eyes, he didn’t bother with washing up or breakfast. After getting dressed, he hurried straight to the newspaper box by the door.

These days, as long as circumstances allowed, most families had the habit of subscribing to newspapers.

Every morning before dawn, the post office would deliver the subscribed newspapers to the newspaper boxes at each household’s doorstep.

Originally, Li Yi’s family hadn’t subscribed to any newspapers, but ever since he became Deputy Director of the Development Commission, they’ve been receiving seven or eight different papers every day—all as a perk from his workplace.

Previously, Li Yi hadn’t paid much attention to these papers; most of the time, his older sister would collect them and take them back to the village to use for plastering walls and roofs.

But today, preoccupied with the matter involving Wang Anguo and the others, he broke with tradition and came out personally to retrieve the newspapers, much to the surprise of Zhou Wen and the others.

Li Yi paid no mind to the strange looks from Zhou Wen and the others. After taking today’s fresh newspapers out of the mailbox, he dashed back to the main house like a gust of wind.

Back inside, Li Yi placed the newspapers on the coffee table in the living room and began reading them one by one.

He first opened the most authoritative People’s Daily. As always, the front-page headline featured the unchanging reports on high-level developments—either a top leader meeting with a head of state from some country, or an important meeting held the previous day.

Li Yi had absolutely no interest in any of this.

Scrolling down the page, he quickly found what he was looking for: “Absurd: With Irrefutable Evidence, Suspect Acquitted, Yet Investigators Imprisoned.”

Though not the front-page headline, it was still on the first page and in a fairly prominent spot.

Since it was to be published in the People’s Daily, Li Yi’s article—aside from its unconventional headline—was fairly conventional in content. It simply recounted the full sequence of events and, in passing, posed a few soul-searching questions to society at large.

After a quick glance, Li Yi pulled out copies of the Workers’ Daily, Beijing Daily, and Industrial and Commercial Evening News to read through them one by one.

Soon, headlines familiar from his past life began to appear before Li Yi’s eyes:

“Shocking! The Elderly, Women, and Children Demand Justice at the Municipal Bureau Gates, with Hundreds Gathering to Show Support!”

“Shocking! Protesters Block Entrance to Beijing Municipal Bureau to Plead Their Case—Here’s the Truth!”

“Terrifying! The son of a high-ranking official acts with impunity—he actually did something like this!”

“Exclusive…”

After reading through all the newspapers, Li Yi felt much more at ease.

Although Jiang Longcheng was usually carefree and lacked a serious demeanor, he was quite reliable when it came to getting things done—and sure enough, all these articles had been published.

Excellent!

One can only imagine the media storm that will erupt once the public across the country sees these reports.

After all, what the people of China detest most is this kind of abuse of power by the children of officials. Setting aside sympathy for the weak, we have always had a deep-seated sense of justice and a desire to uphold righteousness.

On top of that, Liu Dongping’s actions have truly been utterly shameless and beyond the pale—they’re enough to make anyone seethe with rage—so it’s no surprise that he’s come under fierce public criticism.

Once a media storm breaks out, the situation will be difficult to resolve.

If this had previously been solely Liu Dongping’s affair, once public opinion flares up, the people’s anger will no longer be directed solely at Liu Dongping himself, but at the entire Liu family.

The public’s sentiments are straightforward: how could Liu Dongping, a mere twenty-something upstart, possess such power that he dares to toy with women at will and even frame the investigators?

Without the Liu family backing him, no one would believe it.

So now, even if those in power don’t want to touch anyone from the Liu family, it’s probably impossible—after all, anyone wanting to intervene in this matter must take the raging public sentiment into account.

Of course, these reports alone weren’t enough; Li Yi still needed to fan the flames a bit more…

Just as Li Yi was pondering how to proceed with the matter, a sudden commotion—a mix of squeals and cries—echoed from inside the room, startling him.

Seeing this, Li Yi immediately opened the door and went back into the inner room.

His precious little daughter had already woken up and was rubbing her face against her brother’s, seemingly trying to wake him up to play with her.

Disturbed by the little girl, Yun Rui, who had been sleeping fairly soundly, began to grumble and whine. Even Jiang Xue, lying at the head of the bed, rolled over, looking as if she were about to wake up.

Li Yi quickly took a few steps forward and picked up the little girl, lest she disturb her brother and mother.

After all, it was Sunday—a rare chance to sleep in!

Once Li Yi had picked her up, the little girl looked at her father’s face, just inches away, and was instantly overjoyed.

“Daddy… I’m hungry… I want milk…”

Li Yi was instantly melted by his little girl’s cuteness and immediately said with a smile, “Okay, Daddy will go make some milk for Yunjin!”

With that, Li Yi carried the little girl into the kitchen and began preparing her formula.

Just as he settled the little girl, Yunrui woke up too.

Seeing his little sister happily drinking from her bottle, the little guy immediately got upset. He puckered his lips, and his mood instantly turned from sunny to cloudy…

Seeing this, Li Yi immediately resorted to his old trick, carrying him into the kitchen and making a bottle of formula for him as well.

After settling both little darlings, Li Yi finally began cleaning the stove, then boiled water to wash his face, and then made breakfast…

By the time everything was nearly ready, Jiang Xue, who had been exhausted from the previous night’s exertions, slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing the man bustling about the room, a sweet smile instantly spread across Jiang Xue’s face…

………

Winter days are short, and by the time the household chores were taken care of, it was already past nine in the morning.

According to Jiang Xue’s plan, since the kids didn’t have school today, she intended to take them to the Long family home to visit her third older sister and her young nephew.

Naturally, Li Yi would accompany them. He also planned to take Jiang Xue back to the Jiang family’s ancestral home after visiting his third sister.

After all, since he was planning to take on the Liu family, there were certain matters he had to discuss with the old man.

It wasn’t that he needed the old man’s help, but simply to let him know his plans so he could be prepared.

After all, at the Old Master’s level, a full-scale conflict would have far-reaching consequences.

After all, in the eyes of outsiders, he, Li Yi, was a member of the Jiang family, and whatever he did—right or wrong—would be attributed to the Jiang family.

In dealing with the Liu family, although Li Yi didn’t need the Jiang family’s help, he certainly didn’t want to cause trouble for them.

However, just as Li Yi and Jiang Xue had finished getting ready and were about to set off for the Long family’s residence, the home phone suddenly rang urgently.

Li Yi immediately asked Jiang Xue to wait a moment, then picked up the phone.

“Hello, who is this…”

Before he could finish, Old Chen’s familiar voice came through the line: “It’s me. You’ve got some nerve, kid, daring to use such methods against the Liu family. Aren’t you afraid of damaging the nation’s reputation?”

Li Yi knew exactly what Old Chen was referring to, and he didn’t deny it.

After Old Chen finished speaking, Li Yi replied bluntly, “The Liu family is just a small clan—they don’t represent the entire nation!”

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by, “But after all, Young Liu is a general. With this matter having blown up so big, it’ll be hard for the higher-ups to clean it up!”

Li Yi immediately retorted loudly, “What’s so hard to clean up about this? The Liu family—these rotten apples—deserve severe punishment to uphold party discipline and national law. Their thinking has gone seriously astray, and they’ve even corrupted officials in other departments. We can’t have bad apples in our ranks!”

“But pulling out a radish brings up the mud. Dealing with such high-ranking officials requires a measured approach…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut in: “Old Chen, the Liu family may be powerful, but they haven’t reached the point where the higher-ups fear them.”

“Moreover, I believe we should take thunderous action against the Liu family and crack down on them with an iron fist. Only then can we achieve the effect of punishing past wrongs to prevent future ones and curing the illness to save the patient. At the same time, it will allow the common people to see the intensity and resolve with which we are turning the knife inward and scraping the bone to treat the poison.”

As soon as he finished speaking, silence fell once more on the other end of the line.

After a long while, Old Chen finally said, “You’ve got quite the way with words, young man… Never mind. I’ll pass on what you just said to the higher-ups. Go ahead and handle this matter as you see fit. We really do need to deal with these festering sores and cancerous tumors!”

“Thank you very much, sir!”

“All right, let’s not talk about that anymore. I called you today to inform you of something else!”

Old Chen continued, “Regarding your plan to acquire the Beijing Electronics Factory and the wafer fab, the higher-ups have given their approval. Have your people contact the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to negotiate the acquisition.”

“Also, regarding your request to recruit university graduates, the higher-ups have approved that as well, but they’re only giving you a quota of 500 people…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi immediately interjected, “Old Chen, our Starry Sky Company represents an investment of tens of billions. With so many projects and industries, a mere 500 people won’t cut it—we need at least 1,000!”

“You’re asking for the moon, young man. How many college graduates does the whole country produce in a year? At most 600—not a single one more!”

“900 people, and we’ll increase our investment by an additional $200 million next year!” Li Yi said.

“800 people, and we’ll increase our investment by 500 million!”

“Deal!”

Hearing Li Yi’s decisive tone, Old Chen was suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding. He’d been too hasty…

……….

South of the City. A Certain Courtyard!

A dozen or so young men in their early twenties were gathered in a room, clinking glasses and toasting one another. The large courtyard table in the center was laden with over a dozen plates and dishes.

Seated at the head of the table, a young man who was clearly drunk was pouring liquor down his throat with one hand while the other roamed freely over his female companion’s body, causing her to cast him a seductive glance.

This young man was none other than Liu Dongping, head of the Propaganda Section at the Military Region Printing Plant and leader of the Dragon-Tiger Gang. This compound served as the gang’s headquarters, where all matters—big and small—were typically handled.

After several rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes,

A young man with a crew cut sitting at the lower end of the table pulled a newspaper-wrapped package from his bag and handed it to Liu Dongping, saying, “Brother Ping, this month’s protection money has been collected in full—6,260 yuan total. Please count it!”

Liu Dongping took the package and opened it right away. Inside, he saw nothing but brand-new 100-yuan notes—six full bundles (1,000 yuan each) and several loose bills. The amount matched what his underling had reported.

After a quick glance, Liu Dongping pulled out one full stack of 1,000-yuan notes and tossed the loose bills to the short-haired guy standing beside him.

“Buzz Cut, same as always—go ahead and split this money up among the guys!” Liu Dongping said.

“Thanks, Brother Ping!”

Immediately, the others at the table shouted in unison, “Brother Ping is the man!”

“Thanks, Brother Ping! You’re so badass…”

Liu Dongping clearly relished the feeling of being fawned over. In high spirits, he immediately raised his glass and shouted, “Brothers, follow me, Liu Dongping, and you’ll not only have meat to eat, wine to drink, and women to play with, but you’ll also never have to fear anyone bullying you. Come on, bottoms up!”

“Brother Ping is the man! Let’s drink to him—bottoms up…”

After downing a few more glasses, the guy with the crew cut suddenly grinned and said, “Brother Ping, the South Gate Little Theater has assigned a batch of pretty good actresses. Should we go check them out tonight?”

Hearing this, the others at the table immediately perked up and chimed in in agreement.

However, Liu Dongping, seated at the head of the table, went from initial interest to disappointment, and finally to anger.

“You guys go ahead. I can’t make it tonight!”

With that, Liu Dongping downed two gulps of liquor, his anger plain for all to see.

“Brother Ping, what’s going on? Who’s upset you? We’ll take care of them for you!”

“Exactly! Whoever dares to upset Brother Ping, I’ll make sure they regret it!”

“Right. Whoever it is, they’ll pay the price…”

Liu Dongping frowned and said, “Shut the hell up, all of you. It’s my old man who won’t let me stay out overnight. If you’ve got the guts, go deal with my old man!”

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone in the room fell silent.

They knew full well what kind of figure Liu Dongping’s father was—they weren’t even in the same league to take him on!

“Brother Ping, why won’t your old man let you stay out overnight? Is it still because of that incident?” the man with the crew cut asked again.

“Yeah.”

“But that matter was resolved, wasn’t it? Why is your old man still harping on it?” said the man with the crew cut.

“Hmph, it’s all those idiots at the police station. They’ve all been fired, yet they’re still harping on it. My old man’s afraid I’ll cause trouble again, so he’s ordered me to go straight home after work for the time being. If I dare disobey, he’ll break my legs!” Liu Dongping said indignantly.

“Those bastards really aren’t afraid of dying. You already beat them to a pulp, Brother Ping, and they’re still not letting go. Why don’t we take care of them for you?” the man with the crew cut said.

“Don’t do anything rash. This is Beijing, and they’re all police officers. If we take them out, the repercussions would be massive!” Liu Dongping said in a grave tone.

“But what if they keep holding on?”

Liu Dongping paused to think for a moment, then said, “I’ve already had someone warn them. If those bastards still won’t back down, I’ll have them locked up.”

“That’d be letting them off too easy…”

Before he could finish, Liu Dongping spoke again: “Pingtou, I’ll have someone pull up those punks’ records. You take a team to investigate their family backgrounds—it might come in handy later!”

“Got it!”

“Alright, enough of this gloomy talk. Let’s keep drinking!” Liu Dongping said.

“Come on, let’s keep drinking. Bottoms up…”

……………

Before they knew it, three days had passed!

These past few days, aside from taking Jiang Xue and the kids to and from school as usual, Li Yi had spent most of his time helping out at the barbecue and hot pot restaurant in Dong’an Market.

Originally, Third Sister was in charge of the shop, but now she was in the hospital giving birth, and her husband was there to stay by her side.

As a result, the shop was now being run solely by a young girl named Long Xiaofeng, who was clearly struggling to keep up.

And since Third Sister is a very career-driven person, even though she was in the hospital, her mind was constantly on the shop’s affairs.

To allow her to rest comfortably during her postpartum recovery, Li Yi had no choice but to shoulder the extra burden himself. The distinguished vice-departmental-level CEO had temporarily taken on the role of store manager.

It had been a long time since he’d been this busy, and suddenly taking on all these complicated tasks was a bit of a stretch for Li Yi.

But what can you do? She’s his own sister—he has to spoil her!

Fortunately, Third Sister was being discharged today. With their mother and Third Sister’s mother-in-law there to help look after her, her husband would be free to manage the shop, and Li Yi would finally be off the hook.

Even though he was swamped, Li Yi kept a close eye on the movements of Liu Dongping and his crew, waiting for them to make their move.

However, even though Wang Anguo, Li Gang, and Yin Jianping were still relentlessly investigating that bastard—and doing so quite openly, making no attempt to conceal their actions—several days had passed, and Liu Dongping and his crew still hadn’t made a move, as if they’d already backed down.

Liu Dongping and his crew’s lack of response had Wang Anguo and the others on edge; they called Li Yi several times a day.

But Li Yi told them to stay calm. Knowing Liu Dongping as he did—that arrogant, self-important bastard who held a grudge over the slightest slight—he would never tolerate such provocation from Wang Anguo and the others.

The fact that he hadn’t made a move yet likely meant he either didn’t fully understand the situation or was brewing something sinister.

As long as Wang Anguo and the others continued their investigation, that guy would strike sooner or later.

Although Wang Anguo and the others were a bit anxious and felt somewhat helpless, they still followed Li Yi’s instructions and continued investigating Liu Dongping and the Dragon-Tiger Gang he had set up.

Sure enough, Li Yi’s prediction about that guy came true…

That day, just as customers were starting to trickle into the shop, the phone at the bar suddenly rang urgently.

As soon as Li Yi picked up the receiver, An Hong’s anxious voice came through the line: “Xiao Yi, it’s bad news—Anguo and the others have been arrested.”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately said, “Sis, don’t panic. Take it slow—what exactly happened?”

“It’s like this: this morning, Anguo and Gangzi suddenly got a call from the station saying they had to go back to hand over their duties, so the few of them went back, and they haven’t come back since.”

An Hong continued, “I was worried, so I went to the station to look for them a little while ago. The staff wouldn’t even let me in the door, but they told me that An Guo, Li Gang, and the others had been arrested on charges of disobeying orders, abuse of power, and disturbing public order. And…”

“And what?” Li Yi asked immediately.

“And they also said that An Guo and the others have already been detained and are currently under investigation. They’ll be indicted soon, and it’s highly likely they’ll be sentenced!” An Hong said anxiously.

Li Yi immediately snapped, “What a complete distortion of the truth! Instead of arresting the criminals, they’re going after the police officers who are doing their duty impartially. They’re literally trampling on the law of the land.”

“Brother Li Yi, what should we do now?” An Hong asked.

“Sis-in-law, don’t worry for now. Just follow my lead: immediately take some people to the station and demand their release. If they refuse to hand them over, then take a banner to the Municipal Bureau to protest. Leave the rest to me!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

Then An Hong asked again, “Xiao Yi, will An Guo and the others be all right?”

“Sis, Brother Wang and the others might have to endure some hardship this time, but they definitely won’t come out worse for it!” Li Yi said with absolute certainty.

“I understand!”

With that, An Hong hung up the phone…

Chapter 1,035: Luring the World’s People into the Game!

After ending his call with An Hong, Li Yi immediately dialed Jiang Longcheng’s number.

“Hello… Who’s this?”

“It’s Li Yi. I’m looking for you!” Li Yi said.

“Brother-in-law, what brings you to call me?” Jiang Longcheng asked with a laugh.

With the situation urgent, Li Yi skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point: “Third Brother, how’s it going with the media contacts I asked you to reach out to?”

“I’ve already made the arrangements. Why do you need them now?”

“Yes. Have the reporters you’ve arranged to head to the entrance of the Jingcheng Municipal Bureau right now and wait there. A major story is about to break there,” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll call them right away!”

“Also, send a group of workers from your factory over to the police station to back up An Hong. But make sure to tell them to just act as bystanders—under no circumstances should they clash with the police,” Li Yi instructed.

“No problem…”

After that, the two exchanged a few more brief words before hanging up.

After ending the call, Li Yi called Lan Xinyi.

Li Yi first gave a brief overview of the situation, then instructed Lan Xinyi to call the Investment Promotion Bureau, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in her capacity as General Manager of Star Investment’s mainland branch.

She was to lodge a formal complaint against the Beijing Municipal Bureau staff for their high-handed and unreasonable behavior—detaining employees’ family members without cause, which had severely impacted the physical and mental well-being of the company’s staff and disrupted normal business operations…

Although Li Yi knew that relying on such tactics to force the Liu family to release the detainees was unlikely to succeed, it would at least ensure that Wang Anguo and the others were not mistreated while in custody.

After all, Lan Xinyi’s status was no ordinary one; she represented foreign investment…

Many might ask, “So what if it’s foreign investment?” but Li Yi was well aware that foreign investment currently enjoyed preferential treatment in the country.

This is no exaggeration. From the highest authorities down to local county and district leaders, foreign investment—including Hong Kong capital—is held in the highest regard.

To attract this foreign investment, we’ve offered them extremely favorable terms. Moreover, to retain them, governments at all levels go out of their way to resolve the problems of these foreign-funded enterprises—they’re practically treating them like gods.

Even the most trivial matters concerning small businesses are taken very seriously by higher-ups, let alone a mega-corporation like Star Investment.

Setting aside the fact that this company is backed by the Hong Kong-based Star Investment Group—a true industry titan—the mere fact that its mainland branch has invested over 1 billion yuan domestically in the past year alone means no government department would dare to take it lightly.

Add to that the fact that Lan Xinyi, the CEO herself, is personally making the call—and that it involves the company’s Deputy General Manager, An Hong—and it’s clear the higher-ups won’t be able to ignore this.

As long as anyone is paying attention to this matter, the Liu family won’t be able to sweep it under the rug. When the time comes, it won’t matter if you’re the son of a general or the offspring of some other official—we won’t hold back when it’s time to deal with you.

Originally, Li Yi had wanted Lan Xinyi to also transfer the company’s employees to the Municipal Bureau to act as bystanders.

But upon reflection, he realized their company’s nature was different—foreign-invested enterprises are always a sensitive matter.

If the higher-ups were to misinterpret this, it would be a disaster. So, after careful consideration, Li Yi ultimately decided against having Lan Xinyi send staff from the branch office over.

After hanging up the phone, Li Yi had no heart to attend to matters at the store.

After a quick word with Long Xiaofeng, he took Zhou Wen and left the Dong’an Market branch, heading straight for the police station where Wang Anguo and the others were working.

By the time Li Yi arrived at the police station entrance, An Hong and the others were already there.

Besides An Hong, there were five or six others, including Yin Jianping and the wives and parents of Wu Yue and others, as well as three or four children aged six or seven.

They stood at the entrance holding a banner they had prepared in advance, demanding justice. The banner was made of a long white cloth, with black ink inscriptions reading, “Clear my family’s name! Severely punish the rapist Liu Dongping and his corrupt protectors!”

The black characters on white cloth, combined with the sight of these elderly people, women, and children standing at the entrance of the police station, created a scene of great visual impact.

Before long, a large crowd had gathered at the entrance.

Of course, among them were workers from the Second State-Owned Cotton Mill, but there were also many passersby.

Everyone looked on with curiosity at the elderly, the infirm, women, and children, discussing what had happened.

Seeing this, An Hong immediately began tearfully recounting the plight of Wang Anguo, Li Gang, and others to the onlookers.

When the onlookers learned that these elderly people, children, and women demanding answers were all relatives of the police officers at the station, they were all deeply shocked.

After learning of the plight of Wang Anguo and the others, they immediately rallied to support An Hong and her group.

Naturally, the commotion also caught the attention of those inside the police station, and soon the new station chief emerged with his staff.

Upon seeing An Hong and the others, the new chief immediately ordered his men to disperse the crowd.

In their view, An Hong and the others were engaging in a public disturbance; they believed that once they were driven away, the onlookers would disperse.

However, their actions also sparked discontent among the onlookers. The people of Huaguo still possessed a strong sense of justice; they stepped forward to protect the elderly, the weak, and the women and children, creating a standoff with the police officers from the station.

Seeing the situation about to escalate, An Hong immediately stepped forward to calm the crowd, just as Li Yi had taught her, urging everyone to remain calm.

To prevent any bloodshed, she took the initiative to lead the elderly, the weak, and the women and children away from the police station.

As An Hong and the others left, the onlookers gradually dispersed, much to the relief of everyone present, including the new station chief.

What they didn’t know, however, was that the entire scene had been captured on camera by reporters hiding in the crowd.

More importantly, after leaving the police station, An Hong did not go home. Instead, she took a detour and got into several cars parked in a nearby alley. Before long, the group appeared at the entrance of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

And so, a familiar scene played out once again…

And compared to the scene earlier at the police station entrance, there were now even more onlookers and an even larger number of reporters and media outlets present…

……….

While An Hong and her group were busy stirring up public opinion, Li Yi returned home, locked himself in his study, and began writing his article.

It is said that the greatest strategists use themselves as bait to lure the masses into their schemes, thereby gaining a decisive advantage.

Wang Anguo and his cohorts were Li Yi’s bait. Now that the fish had taken the hook, it was time to lure the masses into the trap.

But to draw the masses into the trap, he needed a few reports with sufficient influence—and Li Yi decided to handle this himself.

It wasn’t that he doubted the skills or writing prowess of the reporters Jiang Longcheng had recruited; rather, when it came to creating buzz and stirring public sentiment, who in this day and age could compare to Li Yi, a man who had lived through the information explosion?

To put it simply, a single piece written in the “UC Sensational Style” would be enough to keep the common folk entertained for a whole year these days.

Li Yi spent the entire afternoon working in his study, and by a little past five o’clock, he had finally finished drafting several articles.

Immediately, Li Yi called Jiang Longcheng again, first to check on the progress of the situation, and then to ask him to come over to his house.

Soon, Jiang Longcheng hurried over to the Li family’s courtyard house.

Li Yi handed him the finished articles and instructed him to pass them on to the journalists he had already contacted, asking them to publish the pieces with accompanying photos as soon as possible.

Jiang Longcheng always carried out Li Yi’s orders without question. Without a word, he took the manuscripts and left the Li residence.

After watching Jiang Longcheng leave, Li Yi couldn’t help but let a faint smile touch his lips. He was about to draw the entire world into his scheme—just wait and see how the Liu family would respond…

Beijing. The Wang Residence!

In the spacious living room, a large group of people sat gathered. In addition to Wang Anguo, Li Gang, Yin Jianping, and Wu Yue, An Hong, Jiang Longcheng, Ye Jianhua, and Lin Yi were also present.

However, with the exception of the uninformed Lin Yi, everyone else had furrowed brows, and the atmosphere in the living room was somewhat tense.

Just then, the wooden front door swung open, and Li Yi walked in, accompanied by two young men with upright postures.

Seeing this, everyone stood up, and Wang Anguo and An Hong, the couple, even came out together to greet them!

Stepping inside, Li Yi brushed the snow off his clothes and said with a smile, “Sorry, we ran into a bit of trouble on the way and got held up!”

Jiang Longcheng replied with a smile, “No problem. We just got here too. We heard that Nana’s in the hospital. How is she?”

“How did you know my sister was in the hospital?” Li Yi asked, somewhat surprised.

“Jianhua, Old Lin, and I had lunch at the Dong’an Market branch earlier. The only one there was that girl from the Long family—we didn’t see Nana or Dajun. When we asked, we found out she’d been hospitalized,” Jiang Longcheng explained.

Ye Jianhua chimed in, “We were actually planning to visit her at the hospital—we’d even bought the gifts—but then we got your call, so we came here first!”

Lin Yi said, “My vacation time is limited, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it to the hospital. When you guys head back later, please give my gift to Nana for me!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Sure!”

Then, changing the subject, he turned to Wang Anguo and the others standing nearby and asked, “Brother Wang, Gangzi, Instructor Yin, how’s the investigation going on your end?”

Wang Anguo replied immediately, “We’ve made some progress, but we’ve run into significant resistance. Whether it’s the station or the district bureau, once they found out we were still investigating that bastard Liu Dongping, people started putting pressure on us—even to the point where…”

“Even what?”

“Some people have even sent us a direct message: if we back down and admit our mistake now, the worst that’ll happen is demotion—we won’t be expelled from the police force. But if we keep digging like fools, things won’t end so simply. We might even end up in mortal danger!” Wang Anguo said in a low, grim tone.

“Smack!”

Before Li Yi could speak, Jiang Longcheng, sitting nearby, slammed the teacup in his hand down hard on the coffee table, sending water splashing everywhere.

“Damn it, how come I never realized before just how arrogant that little bastard Liu is? That rat-like scumbag actually thinks he’s hot stuff now?”

Hearing Jiang Longcheng’s stream of profanity, Li Yi frowned and said, “Third Brother, you’re the CEO of a state-owned enterprise worth ten billion now. Watch your image!”

“Well… brother-in-law, I just got so pissed off by that bastard. I’ll be careful from now on, I promise!” Jiang Longcheng said with an awkward smile.

Seeing this, Yin Jianping, Wu Yue, and the others stared wide-eyed, their faces frozen in shock.

As members of the police force, they were well-connected and naturally knew the name of “Third Young Master Jiang.”

And through Wang Anguo, they also knew that Li Yi was the son-in-law of the Jiang family.

To be honest, they had always assumed that the Jiang family was Li Yi’s backer, and since Jiang Longcheng was a direct descendant of the Jiang family, it should have been Li Yi who was sucking up to him.

But now it seemed the reality was completely different from what they had anticipated.

Between Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng, it seemed Li Yi was the one calling the shots, while Jiang Longcheng appeared more like a sidekick… or perhaps even a lackey.

Li Yi didn’t dwell on the matter but turned his gaze back to Wang Anguo and said calmly, “It was to be expected. Word has come that the Liu family has noticed you haven’t given up. That’s a good thing!”

“Brother Li Yi, what should we do next?” Wang Anguo asked in a low voice.

“Ignore them. Keep investigating!”

With that, Li Yi pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to Wang Anguo and the others, adding, “This is some of the information I’ve had my people gather over the past few days. You’ll proceed with your investigation based on this!”

Wang Anguo, Yin Jianping, and the others took the documents and began examining them closely.

After just a few glances, their expressions froze in astonishment.

The documents were incredibly detailed—far more comprehensive and thorough than anything they’d uncovered in recent days.

“Brother Li Yi, this information is already quite substantial. It’s more than enough to establish a chain of evidence. We can definitely use this to take down Liu Dongping—what else is there to investigate?” Wang Anguo asked, puzzled.

Li Yi replied calmly, “If we act now, there’s a high probability we can bring that scoundrel Liu Dongping to justice, but that’s all it will amount to—it won’t shake the Liu family in the slightest.”

“The reason I’m having you continue the investigation is to provoke Liu Dongping—or whoever’s pulling the strings behind him—into making a move. Of course, this might put you in a bit of a bind, but as long as the Liu family or their lackeys dare to act, we’ll have the chance to take them all down at once.”

An Hong, standing nearby, immediately frowned. “Brother Li Yi, are you suggesting we use An Guo and Gangzi as bait?”

“Exactly. Heaven lets the fool run wild before it brings him down!”

Li Yi continued, “As long as we keep provoking Liu Dongping and whoever’s pulling the strings behind him, they won’t be able to resist attacking you. At that point, I’ll mobilize the media to expose this whole affair.”

“Once we stir up the hype and create a public outcry that captures everyone’s attention, even the Liu family won’t be able to sacrifice the pawns to save the king.”

Li Yi had plenty of experience dealing with these children of officials and the wealthy.

Bowing down and backing down won’t work, and going head-to-head isn’t advisable either. The only way is to leverage the media… or the power of the people.

“Could that be dangerous? Might that bastard, cornered, resort to desperate measures and go all out against the State Security Bureau?” An Hong asked anxiously.

“It’s unlikely they’d go that far. They might find an excuse to lock Brother Wang and the others up, restrict their freedom, and force them to comply!” Li Yi said.

Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, “It doesn’t matter if we suffer a little injustice, but the problem is that the Liu family’s influence is deeply entrenched. Even if we want to expose them, there’s no guarantee any media outlet would dare to run the story!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Longcheng interjected, “You can rest assured on that front. The Liu family isn’t powerful enough to control everything. Leave contacting the media to me—whether it’s the People’s Daily or the Workers’ Daily, it’s no problem!”

Li Yi suddenly glanced at him and asked, “Can we get it into the Internal Reference?”

Jiang Longcheng’s mouth twitched slightly as he replied, “Brother-in-law, you’re overestimating me. The Internal Reference is a major publication—it’s not something you can just get into. I’m afraid that’s out of the question!”

“Alright, then.”

Li Yi then continued, “Let’s divide up the tasks now. Brother Wang, Gangzi, Instructor Yin, and Wu Yue, you five continue the investigation and keep the Liu family’s attention. Ideally, you should provoke them into taking action against you.”

“Yes!”

Li Yi then turned to An Hong and said, “Sis-in-law, you need to keep a close eye on how things develop. As soon as the Liu family makes a move, you immediately take the kids to the Municipal Bureau to demand answers. The bigger the fuss in downtown Tokyo, the better.”

“No problem!” An Hong replied.

Li Yi turned to Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua and said, “Third Brother, Brother Jianhua, your task is to coordinate with all the reporters and media outlets. As soon as Sister-in-law An Hong goes to demand answers, have the reporters rush over immediately. Then, use this opportunity to stir up public opinion and draw the public’s attention.”

“Yes!”

“Brother Lin, since you’re in the military, keep a close eye on Liu Dongping and his old man’s movements for us. If necessary, you can help us submit some materials to the military’s disciplinary inspection department,” Li Yi said.

“No problem!”

Li Yi nodded and added, “Although our opponents are no pushovers, we’re no pushovers either. Everything is in place now—we just have to wait for the fish to take the bait!”

“Alright…”

………….