Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

In the cold winter, the sky over the courtyard was covered with gloomy haze, and the cold wind blew like a knife, as if adding a touch of solemnity to the sudden storm.

Liu Haizhong walked away angrily, his back filled with endless anger and resentment. In an instant, the air in the yard seemed to be covered by a layer of frost and completely solidified.

The aunt's face was full of sorrow, and the wrinkles carved by the years on her face became more and more obvious, like deep ravines filled with sorrow.

She finally could no longer suppress the surging resentment in her heart.

She suddenly put her hands on her waist, then took big steps and walked towards Yi Zhonghai quickly with a menacing look.

At this moment, her eyes were filled with deep helplessness and severe reproach, like an extremely sharp knife, stabbing straight and fiercely at Yi Zhonghai.

"Old Yi, I really want to ask you, what are you thinking? We can live our lives peacefully and comfortably, but why do you have to meddle in these matters? Is it just for the sake of a tiny bit of insignificant benefits? Look at the result, how big a mess you have made this time! The whole yard has been turned upside down by you, and everyone is in turmoil!"

At this point, she paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued, "Now, those people in the yard are all pointing fingers at us from behind, saying all kinds of nasty things. Our family is about to become the target of everyone's attack!" You

"Think carefully, what benefit did you get from doing this? Not only did you not gain any benefit at all, but you also got blamed and hated by others. Sigh... Tell me, isn't this a typical case of losing more than you gain?"

After hearing this, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

This sigh seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, pressing heavily on his heart, filled with regret and endless helplessness.

At the same time, his originally upright head drooped limply as if it had lost its support, just like a rooster that had just experienced a miserable defeat in a battle. He completely lost his fighting spirit and didn't even have the courage to look up at the angry eyes of the old lady.

Yi Zhonghai just muttered quietly, his voice full of bitterness and self-blame: "How could I have thought that things would turn out like this! At that time, Liu Guangqi came to me and vowed to go to Heilongjiang Province to make a living. There was a strong desire in his eyes. I was soft-hearted for a moment, so I thought about helping him and getting some benefits by the way to improve our family's life."

"Who knew that before I could handle this matter properly, Liu Haizhong would come looking for me. That guy is unreliable. He just left without considering the consequences. If I had known it would turn out like this, I would never have helped him even if I had ten guts."

The aunt looked at Yi Zhonghai's dejected look, and her anger subsided a little, but worry and anxiety surged like a tide.

She couldn't help but continue nagging: "What's the point of saying this now? The die is cast. The most urgent thing is to find a way to find Liu Guangqi, otherwise we won't have peace in our lives. You should think carefully about whether there are other clues to find him, even the slightest clue will be good."

Yi Zhonghai's brows were twisted into a knot, the wrinkles on his forehead were like cracked earth, sinking deeper and deeper, his eyes were full of helplessness and confusion.

He sighed heavily again, and that sigh seemed to carry all his despair, slowly spitting out from his chest: "Looking? How do I look for it?"

Yi Zhonghai's voice was hoarse and trembling, as if it was squeezed out from the depths of his throat.

"Liu Guangqi left without leaving even a strand of hair behind. We can't get any news about him. Heilongjiang Province is so far away, and we are completely in the dark. We don't know anyone there, and we don't know anything about the situation there. We are unfamiliar with the place, so how can we find him? It's impossible!"

After hearing what Yi Zhonghai said, the aunt was so anxious that she stomped her feet on the spot. Her feet stomped on the cold ground, making a dull sound.

She waved her hands in front of her body, as if that could dispel the dark cloud-like dilemma before her: "Yeah, what should I do? Where can I find it?"

Her eyes were filled with anxiety and fear, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. In the cold air, those beads of sweat looked particularly crystal clear, yet also revealed a hint of chill.

"But we definitely can't not look for him! You know Liu Haizhong's temper. He treats their eldest son like his lifeblood and won't even blink. If you really can't find Liu Guangqi, based on the attitude he showed today, won't he fight you to the death? If that happens, our family won't have a peaceful life!"

When Yi Zhonghai heard this, his heart skipped a beat, as if an invisible hand had grabbed his heart.

His face turned pale in an instant, as bloodless as the remaining snow in winter.

His lips trembled slightly, and he wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat, as if a ball of cotton was blocking his throat.

After a long silence, he sighed deeply again, with a hint of despair in his voice, as if he had completely lost confidence in finding Liu Guangqi: "There is no other way."

Yi Zhonghai lowered his head and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, for fear of being heard by others.

"Anyway, in my opinion, it's impossible to find it. We can only pretend and do superficial work, so that everyone can see that we are trying hard. After a while, we will tell Lao Liu that we really can't find it and we have tried our best."

When the aunt heard this, her eyes widened like two marbles about to burst, and she wished she could see through Yi Zhonghai.

She was so angry that she was shaking all over, her body was like a leaf in the wind, shaking non-stop. She raised her hand and pointed at Yi Zhonghai, the finger was also shaking slightly, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

After finally coming to her senses, her voice rose several pitches with anger, sounding particularly harsh in the silent room.

"Old Yi, what are you talking about? Don't be foolish! Can you just pretend to be fooled? This is a matter of life and death, and it concerns the integrity of a family! If you really do this, can you live with your conscience? How can you stay in this yard in the future, how can you face Old Liu, how can you face everyone else?"

Yi Zhonghai was confused by the series of questions from the aunt.

His already lowered head was now almost touching the ground, as if this could help him avoid the overwhelming accusations that were coming in like a tide.

His hands seemed to have lost control, clenching into hard fists at his sides.

Due to excessive force, the knuckles even turned pale; sometimes they slowly loosened, as if all the strength in the body had been drained away.

This repetition aptly exposes the extreme entanglement and struggle in his heart at this moment.

"I...I really just ran out of ideas for a moment! My mind was completely confused at the time, and I really couldn't think of any other feasible solutions, so I said that."

He stammered and trembled, and his weak and trembling voice clearly contained a trace of guilt that was difficult to conceal.

At the same time, his gaze became erratic. He looked to the left and then to the right, and he never dared to meet the old lady's gaze directly.

However, faced with Yi Zhonghai's almost sophistry remarks, the aunt did not show any intention of backing down.

She clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest and took a deep breath, as if she wanted to use this action to calm the turbulent emotions in her heart.

Then he tried to sound a little calmer: "But the current situation is obvious. We have no idea about this matter at all! We can't even find a single useful clue. So what should we do to solve the problem? We can't just keep wasting time like this!"

She suppressed her inner anger and anxiety, staring at Yi Zhonghai with an unquestionable firmness in her eyes: "No, we absolutely cannot do this. We must really think of a way, even if the hope is slim, we have to grit our teeth and give it a try."

"We can't just watch a family break up like this, and we can't let Lao Liu continue to despair. Otherwise, this matter will be like a time bomb, and sooner or later it will blow all of us to pieces."

At the same time, in the factory director's office, Director Wang reported the matter in detail to the factory director with a heavy and anxious heart.

After hearing this, the factory manager's brows instantly twisted into a knot, and the wrinkles on his forehead crisscrossed like ravines.

He paced back and forth in the office, each step heavy and slow, as if what he was walking on was not the floor, but the fragile hopes of everyone.

After a long while, the factory director sighed helplessly, his voice full of helplessness and bitterness: "Liu Guangqi's procedures for going to Heilongjiang Province are indeed in compliance with regulations. Although there are some small tricks, we can't provide conclusive evidence. Now the factory's orders have dropped sharply, the capital chain is tight, and it is also facing the problem of aging equipment that needs to be updated. It really can't stand the tossing. We can't conflict with the higher-ups because of this matter, so Liu Guangqi will definitely not be transferred back."

When Director Wang heard this, he was filled with helplessness and anxiety. Thinking of Liu Haizhong's anxious look, his eyes could not help but turn red. He could not help but say, "Director, but Master Liu is extremely worried now. He can't eat or sleep every day. He only wants to find his son. Do we really have no solution at all? Are we just going to watch him fall into despair?"

The factory director stopped, patted Director Wang on the shoulder, and said earnestly: "I understand your feelings and sympathize with Master Liu, but our factory is also in trouble. Let's put it this way. You tell Master Liu that the factory will use business relationships within a reasonable range to inquire about Liu Guangqi's whereabouts in Heilongjiang Province."

"But we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. We can't spend all our energy on this matter. The factory still needs to operate and there are so many workers waiting to eat."

Director Wang could only nod helplessly, feeling heavy in his heart, as if a huge stone was pressing down on him. He returned to the courtyard with this unoptimistic news.

As soon as I entered the yard, I saw Yi Zhonghai and an old lady still discussing something with sad faces.

As soon as Director Wang explained the situation, the only glimmer of hope in Yi Zhonghai and the aunt's hearts was instantly shattered.

Yi Zhonghai smiled bitterly, his laughter was full of bitterness and self-mockery, and his voice was filled with deep despair: "That's good now, there is no hope at all. I originally thought that the factory would be able to do something, after all, the factory has a wide network of people and abundant resources. Now it seems that we can only rely on ourselves."

The lady wiped her eyes, her eyes slightly red, and said helplessly: "How can we explain this to Lao Liu? He has placed all his hopes on us. If we say there is nothing we can do, he will definitely collapse."

As he was speaking, Liu Haizhong happened to come back from outside. His steps were heavy and slow, and he looked exhausted.

Seeing the three people gathered together, a spark of hope instantly ignited in his originally dim eyes.

Liu Haizhong immediately walked over quickly, his voice filled with anxiety and expectation: "Director Wang, how is it? Is there any way for the factory to bring Guangqi back?"

Director Wang looked embarrassed and avoided looking directly into Liu Haizhong's eyes. He slowly relayed the factory director's words to Liu Haizhong.

After hearing these words that were like a bolt from the blue, Liu Haizhong's whole body shook violently involuntarily, as if he was suddenly hit by an extremely violent hurricane. He staggered and almost fell to the ground in a mess.

At this moment, his eyes, which had originally been clear, were instantly filled with endless despair and anger.

The anger was like a raging, blazing flame that quickly engulfed the last bit of rationality in his mind.

His eyes widened, almost bulging out of their sockets, and he asked with a distorted face, "Are you just going to let it go so easily? My son just disappeared without a trace for no apparent reason? How can you be so cruel and heartless! Can you really just sit back and watch my own flesh and blood die in the dark?"

Faced with Liu Haizhong's hysterical questioning and rebuke, Yi Zhonghai slowly lowered his head with guilt in his heart, and he didn't have the courage to look directly into Liu Haizhong's angry eyes.

Even his voice began to tremble, filled with deep regret: "Old Liu, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault. If I had been able to... Alas!" However, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Liu Haizhong's furious roar.

"What's the point of talking nonsense now!" Liu Haizhong roared at the top of his lungs.

The deafening roar continued to echo and spread in the empty yard, shocking everyone present and making them tremble with fear.

Then, he looked like a deflated ball, extremely depressed and frustrated.

He turned around with unsteady steps and walked towards his house.

The figure walking away looked so lonely and desolate, as if it had been ruthlessly abandoned by the whole world in the deep corner.

At the same time, on the other side, the person Qi Tiancheng entrusted - the powerful leader was staying alone in his spacious and dazzlingly bright office.

The sunlight came in through the window, illuminating the entire room, but it could not dispel the deep worries in the leader's heart.

He was seen sitting upright in the luxurious office chair, his body leaning forward slightly, his hands tightly holding an expensive and exquisitely crafted fountain pen.

The pen kept turning between his slender fingers, as if it had become an outward manifestation of his anxiety at the moment.

His brows were tightly furrowed together, forming a deep groove that was as difficult to smooth out as the thorny problem he was facing.

You know, this leader received a large sum of money from Qi Tiancheng.

As the saying goes, "If you eat someone's food, you will be soft-hearted; if you take someone's favor, you will be obliged to do things for them." Since you have accepted someone's favor, you have to do things for them. This has always been the code of conduct he has adhered to during his many years in officialdom.

However, this matter is of no trivial matter. If it is allowed to develop and continue to ferment and escalate, it will inevitably bring endless trouble to oneself.

Not only will it have a serious negative impact on his hard-earned career, it may also trigger a series of adverse consequences that are completely beyond imagination and difficult to control.

Thinking of this, the leader could no longer sit still. He took a deep breath, then quickly reached out and grabbed the telephone receiver on the table and began to dial one number after another.

Every time he dialed a number, he would give various instructions and requests in a low and majestic voice.

Relying on the extensive network of personal connections he had painstakingly built up over the years, he exerted pressure on various key nodes in an attempt to keep the incident firmly under his control.

First, he ordered his subordinates to take immediate measures to block all channels of information dissemination about the matter and absolutely not allow any information related to the matter to spread further.

Then, he calmly hinted to those who knew the inside story to keep their mouths shut and not reveal a single word to the outside world.

At the same time, he also cleverly used his power to mobilize resources from all parties, trying every means to prevent the relevant departments from conducting an in-depth investigation into the matter...

After his careful operation, the heat of this incident, which had caused a lot of uproar, gradually subsided as he wished.

Seeing that the situation was developing in a direction favorable to him, the leader couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, he knew very well that now was far from the time to let down his guard, and he had to ensure that this matter was completely suppressed, and never let it have the chance to revive and stir up any trouble.

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