At that moment, there were other colleagues in the office. Hearing the knock on the door, the one closest to it stood up to answer.
Seeing several unfamiliar men in green military uniforms standing outside, the man frowned in surprise and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"Is Comrade Su Guoxing here?"
"Yes, yes, he is."
As he spoke, the man stepped aside and pointed to Su's father. "That's him."
Hearing that they were here for him, Su's father felt his heart drop.
But at this point, he had no choice but to force himself to remain calm. He stood up and said, "I am Su Guoxing. May I ask who you are?"
"We are from the General Military District of the capital. There are a few matters we’d like you to assist us in investigating."
Though they said "invite," the moment the words left their mouths, they wordlessly produced a pair of handcuffs and clamped them around Su's father's wrists.
The suddenness of the scene shocked everyone in the office.
Even the usually shrewd Su's father was now flustered. His face paled as he exclaimed,
"Comrades, what is the meaning of this? What crime have I committed to deserve such treatment?"
The other colleagues exchanged uneasy glances, but since they were all from the same department, they hesitated for only a moment before mustering their courage to speak up.
"Comrade soldiers, could there be some misunderstanding here?"
"That’s right. Comrade Su has worked diligently in the municipal government for over a decade. If you need to investigate, you could just have him accompany you. There’s no need for such… humiliation."
"Exactly! To cuff someone without a word—people will think the military can do whatever they please in the capital!"
The one who said this was Su's father’s old colleague, Yan Liang. Yan Liang had a reason for stepping forward at this moment.
In his eyes, even if Old Su had made a minor mistake, so what?
These people were too young.
Had they even bothered to find out who Su's in-laws were before barging in to arrest him? They’d regret it soon enough!
So he stepped forward and patted Su's father on the shoulder, declaring loudly, "Old Su, don’t worry! When you see your in-laws later, make sure to give them a piece of your mind."
"These people nowadays! They have no sense of propriety."
"We’re still part of the municipal government. They can’t just act this way."
Yan Liang’s reminder gradually steadied Su's father’s nerves.
At this point, turning to his in-laws was his only option.
"Comrades, could you spare me a few minutes? I’d like to contact—"
But the soldier in charge of the arrest cut him off sharply.
"Comrade Su, your daughter maliciously framed a revolutionary soldier and falsely accused a military family member. The evidence is irrefutable!"
"Instead of reflecting on this, you repeatedly made anonymous calls to spread rumors, attempting to incite public sentiment and slander military families. Do you realize how severely your actions have damaged the unity between the military and the people?"
"Moreover, the case is still under investigation. Who exactly are you trying to contact now?"
"Are you trying to drag others down with you, or are you attempting to corrupt the revolutionary ranks with bourgeois tactics?"
The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room turned icy. The colleagues’ expressions toward Su's father grew complicated.
It was just that Su's father had always hidden his true nature too well. They couldn’t reconcile the image of this seemingly mild-mannered, perpetually smiling man with the crimes the soldiers had just described.
But under the scrutiny of the crowd, Su's father’s face remained dark.
At this point, he no longer cared about saving face.
The crimes they had listed—any one of them alone could land him years in prison.
Fortunately, none of those anonymous calls had been made by him personally.
And since the calls had been brief, tracing them wouldn’t be easy.
Realizing this, Su's father put on a somber expression and said, "Comrade soldier, you’ve misunderstood. I only wanted to contact my family. As for those anonymous calls you mentioned, I truly know nothing about them."
"If you don’t believe me, you can ask everyone here."
"I’ve been in the office all morning, and I had lunch in the cafeteria. Whether or not I made those calls—that’s something you can easily verify."
He sighed. "I admit I failed in raising my daughter properly, but to accuse me of making malicious calls over this? You underestimate me."
Su's father’s words were logical and measured, his tone and demeanor perfectly controlled.
But no amount of excuses would help him now. The military wouldn’t have come empty-handed.
Originally, they had intended to quietly take him away, but Su's father had forced their hand.
Since that was the case, they had nothing left to hide.
In front of everyone, the soldier laid out the details—who had made the calls, at what time, from which post office, what had been said, and how each person was connected to Su's father.
Of course, the reason they had uncovered everything so quickly was not just because the military had its own communication system—Huo Tingzhou had also contributed significantly.
He didn’t know much about the Su family, but Mother Huo did.
As luck would have it, Mother Huo had just arrived in Jiangxi and called Huo Tingzhou.
When she learned that her beloved daughter-in-law had been reported, and that the Su family was likely behind it, she cursed the Su ancestors eight generations back in her heart.
Then, she meticulously listed out all of the Su family’s relatives.
With a clear direction to investigate, the military quickly pieced everything together. In less than three hours, the truth was laid bare.
Su's father had no defense left. In the end, he was escorted away by the soldiers, his face ashen.
Soon, Su's Mother received the news.
Though she and Su's father both worked in the municipal government, their offices were in different buildings.
The one who came to inform her was none other than Su's father’s old colleague, Yan Liang.
"Sister-in-law, Old Su’s situation is quite serious this time. You should contact your in-laws immediately—if you delay, it’ll be too late!"
Su's Mother was not a decisive person. Faced with such a crisis, she could do nothing but cry.
It was Grandpa Su who finally snapped her out of it.
"What’s the use of crying now? Xiao Yan is right—no one else can help at this point. Call Shanshan and have her come back immediately."
"Dad, Shanshan won’t be able to do anything. She can’t reach her in-laws."
At this, Su's Mother couldn’t help but complain.
"That in-law couple is truly heartless. Just because our family has hit a rough patch, they’re avoiding us like the plague."
"I don’t understand—what’s the harm in helping us? It’s not like they’d lose anything."
Grandpa Su was also resentful, with his son and granddaughter arrested, but what good would complaining do now?
"If Shanshan can’t reach them, what about Tingtao?"
"Tingtao is the eldest grandson of the Huo family. The Huo family’s legacy will fall to him sooner or later. If his father-in-law and sister-in-law end up in trouble, it’ll reflect poorly on him too."
"Moreover, he's a public servant. As long as he wants to climb the career ladder, his wife's family can't afford any scandals. Otherwise, he wouldn't even pass the political vetting process."
Su's Mother found this reasoning sound and immediately made a call to the Huo residence.
