Having weathered turmoil and experienced ups and downs, Wu Xingde was no stranger to life’s storms.
When he first realized he couldn’t reach someone, he frowned but quickly called his wife’s workplace to contact her.
However, her workplace informed him that she hadn’t shown up for work in two days, with no explanation or leave request.
This deepened Wu Xingde’s frown, leaving him baffled about what could have happened.
His influential brother-in-law was at the height of his power, so ordinary troubles rarely touched their family. Could it be an issue with the elderly at home?
The inconvenience of poor communication was frustrating—people were often unreachable. By the time Wu Xingde returned, his brow was still furrowed.
As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed someone from the Forestry Bureau’s security department speaking with Qi Fang. "Manager Yan is doing well. She’s finished all the meals sent to her and is in good spirits. No need to worry."
It was mealtime, and in front of Qi Fang lay a lunchbox filled with food from the Forestry Bureau canteen—a routine that had continued for days.
Already agitated, Wu Xingde felt his anger flare at the sight. Since when did a suspect under interrogation receive such treatment?
With meals provided and even updates about his wife, it was far from standard procedure. Shouldn’t interrogators avoid casual conversation altogether?
No wonder Qi Fang remained unshaken after days of detention, answering every question with calm precision, leaving no room for fault.
Wu Xingde couldn’t help but glance at his colleague. "Aren’t you going to intervene? What if he’s using these exchanges to pass messages?"
But everyone knew the truth behind the anonymous accusation. The colleague merely put on a stern face and reprimanded the security officer, "No unauthorized conversations with the suspect."
The officer quickly straightened up. "My apologies, I’ll remember next time." Yet his tone suggested he wouldn’t take it seriously.
Wu Xingde seethed silently, powerless to discipline either of them and unwilling to alienate everyone further.
They had already wasted days here with no progress. Without a breakthrough soon, even without offending anyone, he had no idea how to wrap this up.
Just then, he felt a gaze settle on him. Lifting his eyes, he met Qi Fang’s deep, still ones.
The man said nothing, his expression blank, yet Wu Xingde couldn’t shake the sense of silent mockery.
His temper flared. Ignoring whether Qi Fang had finished eating, he pulled a chair over with a thud and resumed the interrogation.
Qi Fang answered in the same measured tone, his patience unbroken. If anything, it was the inspection team colleague who grew weary of hearing the same replies repeatedly.
After just a few questions, the colleague excused himself and didn’t return for a long while. Others mirrored his indifference.
This only fueled Wu Xingde’s frustration. Another day passed, and still no word from his brother-in-law. His wife’s workplace hadn’t called back to confirm her return either.
Amid the stalemate, the leader of the inspection team finally received orders: stand down and return immediately—the investigation was over.
"No more inspections?" Everyone was surprised. Even if the higher-ups were aware of the situation here, they should have urged them to move on to the next location. Why call off the inspections entirely?
Someone couldn’t help but glance at Wu Xingde and ask the team leader, "Then what about the remaining areas? Will someone else be sent?"
If that were the case, they might all be implicated because of Wu Xingde. The others couldn’t help but turn their eyes toward him as well.
Wu Xingde’s expression tightened, but then the team leader said, "No, the entire inspection task has been halted. All inspection teams are to return."
This only deepened their confusion. They had been assigned this mission—how could it be canceled so abruptly?
Wu Xingde, however, breathed an inward sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t about him, it was fine. With the mission called off, no one would care that he had stayed in Changshan County a few extra days.
But there was still no progress with Qi Fang and Yan Xue. Was he supposed to just give up and wait for another opportunity?
Those two were already difficult to deal with now. Next time, they’d be even harder to handle, and who knew when another chance would arise?
He was deeply unwilling. Even the day before their scheduled departure, he still hadn’t released them, intending to contact his brother-in-law one last time.
But before he could reach his brother-in-law, he heard another piece of news—the powerful figure his brother-in-law had relied on had fallen.
At first, he refused to believe it, but the atmosphere within the inspection team had clearly shifted. It wasn’t just him; a few others also wore expressions of worry, anxiety, even bewilderment.
Then came the posters on the streets with their altered messages. Turning on the radio, he could even hear reports of people across the country taking to the streets in celebration.
Now he understood why his brother-in-law was unreachable—he had likely been detained along with that fallen figure.
For a moment, his vision swam, the world spinning around him as panic and helplessness crashed over him.
No, he couldn’t panic. He had survived the early days, even after the hydraulic research failure, and had climbed higher since then.
There had to be a way. If he could just return, file for divorce, and sever ties with that family as soon as possible…
Now Qi Fang was the last thing on his mind. Wu Xingde was desperate to get back. When the prisoners were finally released, he didn’t even bother with formalities before leaving.
Qi Fang, too, had no mind for him. Stepping out of the cramped room where he’d been confined for days, his first instinct was to look for Yan Xue.
Even though he knew the security team had been watching over her, even though he’d received daily updates about her, his thoughts had never strayed far from her.
Yan Xue was still wearing the same clothes she’d had on when they were taken. Though neatly dressed, her exhaustion was unmistakable, even as she met his gaze and managed a small smile.
Something sharp twisted in his chest, a pang of sour, spreading ache.
Yan Xue, however, seemed to be holding up well. She thanked Qu Mingli, the security team, and the committee members for their care over the past few days.
Qi Fang temporarily suppressed his emotions and joined her in expressing gratitude. Qu Mingli patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Now that everything’s been cleared up, you should both go back and rest properly."
He then returned their belongings—two large cardboard boxes—and added, "Check if anything’s missing. The inspection team is still here, so it’s a good time to verify."
The implication was clear. It wasn’t so much about overlooking items as it was about ensuring nothing had been taken.
The inspection team members wore sour expressions, but given that they had detained the two for days without finding any wrongdoing, they had little ground to stand on.
When Qi Fang and Yan Xue went through their belongings, they did notice something amiss. "Two watches are missing—the ones they took from us on the first day."
Qu Mingli immediately turned to the inspection team with a polite smile. "Would you mind helping us locate them?"
In earlier years, losing two watches—or even two lives—wouldn’t have been a big deal. But now, they lacked the nerve or the leverage to dismiss the matter.
Soon, someone went inside and retrieved a pair of Shanghai-brand watches, though their displeasure was evident.
Just as Yan Xue reached for them, Qi Fang took them first. He lifted her hand and fastened the watch around her wrist.
With nothing else missing, the two thanked everyone again and stepped out of the guesthouse. Under the open sky, Qi Fang finally couldn’t resist taking Yan Xue’s hand.
Her fingers were still slender and strong, warm and dry as always—unchanged from before.
But Yan Xue could feel it: the resilient shell around him had shattered in an instant, revealing the tenderness beneath. He let out a long, slow breath, as if releasing years of tension.
Qi Fang squeezed her hand tighter, heedless of the daylight or the public street. "Are you alright?"
"I’m fine," she said, returning the grip without caring who saw. "I just want to change clothes, take a bath, and see Grandma, Jigang, and Yanyu."
Her palms, no longer roughened by hard labor in recent years, were soft against his—so soft it melted straight into his heart.
Qi Fang looked down at her. "You’ll see them soon." Neither mentioned the torment of the past days, as if silence alone could convey what they’d endured.
They stood quietly, hands clasped, before finally letting go and adjusting their boxes. Only then did they notice the changes on the street.
Qi Fang turned to Yan Xue and found her already smiling at him. "Seems like good news has arrived."
No wonder the inspection team had left so quickly. No wonder Wu Xingde hadn’t stirred up more trouble. Qi Fang had expected him to hold out longer, waiting for their side to collapse under internal strife.
Yet it still felt unreal. Ten years of waiting, ten years of struggle—and just like that, the people who had once crushed him under their weight were gone.
His first reaction was disbelief, a fear that this was another false dawn, another fleeting reprieve before the old shadows returned.
He frowned, but Yan Xue gently pressed a finger to his brow. "No rush. We’ll take it slow and see."
So he swallowed his words and simply nodded, walking home with her in silence.
Both of the younger ones were at school, and only the second old lady was at home. When she saw them, she exclaimed, "Oh! You two are back?"
She was both overjoyed and worried. She quickly sized the two of them up and down and asked, "Are you okay now?"
"Yeah, we're fine. We just want to take a bath, change our clothes, and we miss you, Jigang and Yanyu," Yan Xue said the same thing as before. Hearing this, the old lady quickly urged them in, "Then you two go quickly and get rid of this bad luck on you."
She then told them, "Don't worry about Jigang and Yanyu. I told them you two were on a business trip. They weren't at home either on the day when those people came to search the house."
The two of them felt much more relieved. They quickly took a bath, changed their clothes, and when they came back, they happened to run into Yan Jigang leading his little nephew back from school.
The 17 - year - old (in Chinese age reckoning) teenager was already half a head taller than Yan Xue. He was thin and was walking while patiently listening to what his little nephew was saying.
Qi Yanyu clearly wasn't very happy. "Uncle, where did my mom and dad go on a business trip? They're not even from the same unit," he said.
The child had grown up. He even knew that his parents weren't from the same unit. Unlike when he was a child, when he only knew to cry when he knew his parents had gone away together.
He even made a decent analysis. "Did my dad take my mom out to play? Uncle Weiguo took Aunt Zhou out to play last time."
Yan Xue immediately looked at Qi Fang and found that Qi Fang actually thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "Good idea," showing his approval to his son.
As soon as he spoke, the two younger ones over there immediately noticed. Qi Yanyu's eyes lit up and he rushed straight over.
Yan Jigang didn't rush, but his steps were also fast. The two groups became one, and all the way back there was the chattering of Qi Yanyu.
It wasn't until after dinner that Yan Jigang took the opportunity to find his sister secretly when no one was around. He looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Yan Xue thought he had something to say. But unexpectedly, the teenager looked at her for a long time, with worry in his eyes. "Sis, are you and brother - in - law okay?"
The child had grown up. Even though no one told him, he still detected something unusual from the clues.
Yan Xue stroked her brother's head. This time, Yan Jigang had to lower his head a little for her to reach. "It's okay. Everything is okay now," she said.
She curved her eyes into crescents. "Everything will be okay from now on. Life will only get better and better."
Two days later, Yan Xue and Qi Fang went back to work at their units. As soon as Yan Xue entered the door, she immediately received the welcome and concern from everyone in the center.
Someone even got some dried mugwort and soaked it in water, and quickly sprinkled it on Yan Xue.
After a group of people had asked about her well - being, Yan Xue asked, "Has my office not been cleaned up yet?"
"Not yet," Lang Yue'e said. "Didn't you send a message back on the day you came back, saying not to clean it up if it hadn't been done yet?"
Previously, the inspection team came to search every now and then, so they couldn't touch it. It just so happened to be left until today.
Lang Yue'e was still a bit confused, but saw Yan Xue nodding and saying, "That's good." Then she directly took out a camera from the bag she had brought.
She was stunned. Yan Xue had already opened the door. First, she found an angle at the door and took a photo. Then she went inside and aimed at the mess on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Not only Lang Yue'e, but also Guo Chang'an and Zhou Wenhui came over.
"Leaving some evidence in case it's useful in the future." Yan Xue wasn't the kind of person who would let others take advantage of her easily. She also asked Qi Fang to take photos on his side.
She marked the date on the photos. After having them developed, she put them all in an envelope, which was then placed in that small box by Qi Fang.
The things they asked Zhou Wenhui to send away were soon returned. Looking at her, Qi Fang always felt that she seemed more relaxed than before.
Was she so sure that there wouldn't be any more setbacks this time and that Wu Xingde wouldn't have another chance to trouble them?
Qi Fang didn't know where Yan Xue's certainty came from, but in the next few months, everything was indeed moving in a positive direction.
In the new year, he even received a letter from his father in Yanjing. It contained the usual greetings to their family, and several miswritten characters were crossed out.
Yan Xue didn't understand. She looked up at Qi Fang, but Qi Fang stared at those characters for a long time before saying, "Two of the people involved in the incident of my teacher back then."
This was obviously a hint. Associating it with the time, Yan Xue immediately understood that the authorities had started to isolate and investigate some people.
Sure enough, about half a month later, Qi Jingwei sent another letter. There were again several miswritten characters, which were homophones of people's names.
Qi Fang read it silently and said, "The three leaders are all accounted for." His voice was calm, but there was still a hint of complexity in his eyes.
When his teacher got into trouble, Qi Jingwei couldn't do anything to help. Now it was obvious that he was trying to make up for it.
Moreover, after ten years, these people were finally in trouble one by one. This world that had once made him feel hopeless seemed to be finally changing.
Qi Fang remembered Yan Xue's words "It's 1976." Did the special meaning of 1976 refer to these things?
Was it the turning - point he had been desperately seeking, the glimmer of light he finally saw in the darkness?
Qi Fang lowered his eyes and looked at the letter again. Suddenly, he looked up at Yan Xue and asked, "Do you think it's time to present our achievements now?"
Those peach - blossom eyes were very deep, showing solicitation, trust, and even hidden expectation, but there was no probing, scrutiny, or suspicion.
The words "How would I know" were on the tip of Yan Xue's tongue, but she paused and said, "It should be the right time."
She looked into Qi Fang's eyes and said, "Things are slowly getting back to normal, and those people are in trouble themselves. They won't have another chance."
Still seeing no suspicion, Qi Fang even gently stroked her cheek and said, "Then I'll follow your advice."
This book was mysterious, profound, and very difficult to understand. Even after reading it day and night, some things still remained hidden behind a veil, refusing to reveal their true nature.
But this book had never refused to be read. It was willing to take risks and open a page for you when you couldn't see the way forward.
It was also this book that accompanied you through the most difficult times, always encouraging you not to give up and telling you that hope was just around the corner...
Qi Fang didn't want to think about so many things anymore. Since she said it was time, he would trust her, even though the results of those people were not out yet and Wu Xingde hadn't been investigated.
He quickly organized the materials and wrote a thick report. A few days later, he went to see Qu Mingli.
However, Qu Mingli was not there. He was said to have gone out early in the morning. Qi Fang had to go back first and only received a call from Qu Mingli the next day, asking him to come to the office in the afternoon.
When he arrived, Qu Mingli was still on the phone. He waited for a short while before Qu Mingli hung up. "The higher - ups want to turn our county into a city and have sent people for an on - the - spot inspection."
Obviously, Qu Mingli was explaining why he was not there yesterday, which surprised Qi Fang a little. "Changshan is going to become a city?"
"Yes." Qu Mingli nodded. "They are planning to incorporate Baishan County into it. There has been such an idea before."
Jiangcheng City is quite large. In recent years, both the population growth and economic income of Changshan County under its jurisdiction have reached the standards for becoming a city.
However, it is still in the investigation stage. Qu Mingli revealing this inside information to him obviously regarded him as one of his own.
Qi Fang didn't say much. He walked over and handed something to Qu Mingli. "I have a well - designed hydrostatic system. I'd like you to take a look at it."
"A hydrostatic system?" Qu Mingli hadn't heard this term for several years, especially after all the hydraulic systems in the bureau had been modified.
However, Qi Fang had taken away all the components of the previous hydrostatic systems, saying that he wanted to conduct research. Qu Mingli still opened the report and started reading, but the more he read, the more confused he became.
He couldn't understand the previous modification drawings either, but usually there were detailed purchase lists and calculated budgets at the back. This time, it was all theoretical stuff.
Qu Mingli thought about what he had inquired before. "It may be quite difficult for you to do this. It will be hard to apply for funds in a short time."
After learning about the feud between Qi Fang and Wu Xingde, he had investigated Wu Xingde. Naturally, he knew that the previous hydrostatic system was designed by Wu Xingde and the design had failed.
All the relevant projects were subsequently suspended. That's how Wu Xingde found another way out through nepotism, and the research in this area was completely abandoned.
Now, with everything waiting to be revived, there are a great many problems for the higher - ups to solve. No one would allow Qi Fang to work on this.
Qu Mingli told Qi Fang about the situation. "I think it's better for you to wait a bit longer or choose a direction that can yield quicker results."
With Wu Xingde's failed example in front, the country will definitely be more cautious about this than other directions.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Qi Fang suddenly asked him, "What if I have already completed the research?"
Qu Mingli was stunned. The young man was looking at him. "What if I have finished the research and only need large - scale practical tests?"
