"Ahhh~
So you're just gonna run away like that?"
Shen Nanchu blinked her beautiful eyes.
Feng Kangping stood at the door, signaling to Li Mei with his eyes.
"You're the one who reported her—you go in and retrieve the evidence."
"No, no, no! Leave professional matters to the professionals."
Li Mei shrank back in fear.
The two villagers behind her exchanged glances.
This instigator thought she could hide? No way. Time to face Shen Nanchu’s judgment!
Off you go!
Together, they shoved Li Mei forward again.
Li Mei retreated; they pushed.
She retreated further; they pushed harder.
Li Mei was so frantic she burst into tears.
"Wuuu~ Shen Nanchu is a madwoman! I don’t want to get hacked to pieces!"
Feng Kangping didn’t want to provoke the lunatic either.
But if they didn’t handle this, where would that leave the reputation of the Revolutionary Committee?
If word got out that Feng Kangping had been scared off by a woman, how could he ever show his face again?
Steeling himself, he puffed up his chest.
"Don’t be afraid! She’s just one woman—are we really going to let her intimidate all of us?"
The silently observing system lit three virtual incense sticks for him.
Once, another man had said the same thing.
He ended up wetting his pants.
The villagers, reminded of poor Er Gou’s fate, shuffled further away, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.
Even Song Qingyang and Jiang Shuyi, hiding in the crowd, instinctively made themselves smaller, hoping to go unnoticed.
The red-armband lackeys exchanged nervous glances, none daring to be the first to step forward.
Feng Kangping gritted his teeth.
"Whoever takes the lead today gets ten yuan from me personally—plus, I’ll put your name forward to the higher-ups."
Ten yuan could buy a lot of pork.
Where there’s a reward, there’s always a fool.
Sure enough, someone took the bait.
A burly man stepped up first. "Captain, I’ll do it."
"Me too," a wiry man added.
"Count me in."
Four or five red-armband men crept cautiously into the courtyard.
Such small fry weren’t even worth Shen Nanchu’s glance.
She casually tossed her axe—it landed right in front of the burly man’s toes, barely missing them.
If he’d taken one more step, his foot would’ve been gone.
The burly man broke into a cold sweat and collapsed to the ground.
The others bolted out of the courtyard like their lives depended on it.
Shen Nanchu checked her watch.
Five minutes wasted, and still no real action. What a joke.
Boom—
Dark clouds rumbled overhead.
Finally, the rain began to fall.
What pairs best with rainy days? Hot pot, of course!
The second-floor balcony was ready.
Shen Nanchu had planned to enjoy a cozy hot pot dinner there, listening to the rain.
But these idiots had shown up and wasted her time without even putting on a proper show.
She’d had enough.
She strode toward the gate.
Feng Kangping and his lackeys scrambled backward in panic.
The burly man rolled and crawled away like his life depended on it.
As Shen Nanchu drew closer, Feng Kangping stammered,
"W-what are you trying to do?"
"Guess."
Instead of heading for the gate, she turned and stopped at an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard wall.
Coincidentally—or not—it was right where the "evidence" had been hidden in a crack.
One lift of her hand, and she could retrieve it.
Song Qingyang and Jiang Shuyi’s hearts leaped into their throats.
They had planted that "evidence" there themselves last night.
Was Shen Nanchu standing there by chance… or did she know?
No way. They’d been so careful—they hadn’t even entered the courtyard, just dug a hole in the wall to slip it in.
She couldn’t possibly know.
They clung to that hope.
Shen Nanchu leaned lazily against the mud-brick wall, her left hand resting exactly over the hidden crevice.
Song Qingyang and Jiang Shuyi broke out in a cold sweat.
Then Shen Nanchu locked eyes with Jiang Shuyi and flashed a wicked grin.
Jiang Shuyi’s heart lurched.
"Actually, I’m happy to cooperate with your investigation," Shen Nanchu said sweetly.
"But I don’t trust your people to search."
"The only ones I trust are Comrades Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang."
Feng Kangping sighed in relief. Whoever searched didn’t matter—Li Mei knew where the evidence was.
"Comrade Shen, you should’ve said so earlier!"
"Which ones are Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang?"
The villagers helpfully pushed the two forward.
Feng Kangping gave them a threateningly pleasant smile.
"You two will handle retrieving the evidence."
Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang wanted to refuse.
But Feng Kangping blocked their escape, his eyes promising consequences.
"Remember, it’s in the wall crack," he muttered. "Find it. Or else."
Trapped, they had no choice.
Jiang Shuyi took the first step, teeth clenched.
When Shen Nanchu didn’t react, she relaxed slightly.
Song Qingyang followed cautiously.
Shen Nanchu’s patience wore thin.
Too slow.
She strode toward them instead.
The two bolted backward—only to be shoved forward again by Feng Kangping’s men, experiencing the same treatment as Li Mei earlier.
Momentum sent Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang stumbling straight toward Shen Nanchu.
Perfect timing.
She darted between them like a blur.
The system watched in awe.
Host is ruthless…
It shivered and hugged its virtual blanket.
Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang only felt a gust of wind—then Shen Nanchu was behind them.
"You’ve got one minute. Fail, and I won’t be polite."
Yu Lanhua volunteered eagerly,
"I’ll count for you, Nanchu!"
"Sixty!"
"Fifty-nine!"
"Fifty-eight!"
"…"
Seizing the chance, Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang rushed to the wall.
They pretended to fumble before reaching into the crack.
This was it—they’d bury Shen Nanchu under charges of treason, ensuring she’d never rise again.
Smug grins spread across their faces—
Then froze.
What the—?
The crack was empty.
Where was the letter?
They frantically searched again. Nothing.
Jiang Shuyi’s stomach dropped. She turned to Shen Nanchu.
Shen Nanchu smiled back, slow and knowing.
Jiang Shuyi’s dread deepened.
…
