The old scarf on He Hua's head was suddenly yanked off, and a handkerchief was stuffed into her mouth, effectively silencing her resistance.
He Hua was terrified. She was afraid these men might do something unspeakable to her. If that happened, how could she ever face anyone again?
I shouldn't have come to report Su Yun!
The more nervous she became, the harder she cried, tears streaming down her face, mixed with snot and sobs.
"Captain Liu, it's this woman. We've already checked. The report letter she's holding is the same as the one from a few days ago. The handwriting is confirmed to be from the same person."
After Captain Liu arrived upon receiving the message, one of the men restraining He Hua spoke.
Captain Liu glanced at the report letter and nodded with satisfaction. He then gestured for them to release her.
"You're the one who reported Su Yun?" he asked. "Don't worry, we don't mean you any harm. We just wanted to find you and ask you to serve as a witness. Are you willing to do that?"
He Hua's tears suddenly stopped.
---
At the recycling station, there were more people selling scrap than usual that day.
Su Yun helped an elderly woman lift a basket of discarded sheet metal onto the scale. After weighing it, she said,
"Auntie, the current price for scrap iron is five cents per jin. Yours weighs forty-two jin in total, so that comes to two yuan and ten cents. Please check if that's correct."
The elderly woman clearly didn't know how to do the math.
"Little comrade, your calculation must be right. I trust you. Just write me the receipt."
Being trusted made Su Yun happy. She immediately returned to the counter and wrote the receipt.
The elderly woman followed her and asked curiously,
"Little comrade, you look so young to already be working. Have you found a partner yet?"
As soon as she said that, the people waiting behind her became annoyed. An old man in line couldn't help speaking up.
"Old sister, if you want to sell scrap, just sell your scrap properly. Why are you asking the young lady whether she has a partner? Several of us are still waiting here. Who has time to listen to your chatter?"
The elderly woman turned back and rolled her eyes at him.
"The young lady hasn't complained about me talking. What's it to you?"
Su Yun quickly finished the receipt and handed it to the woman along with the two yuan and ten cents. After thanking her, the woman tried to continue asking about marriage, but Su Yun had already darted back to the scale to keep working.
The woman pursed her lips, immediately understanding the hint, and stopped bothering her.
Just as she was about to leave, a group of people suddenly entered from outside. Their aggressive manner made it obvious they were not easy to deal with.
More importantly, they were all wearing the uniforms of the Street Supervision Office, clearly indicating that trouble had arrived.
Seeing them, the elderly woman instinctively remembered the fear people used to have of these officials in the past few years. She quickly stepped aside.
The commotion immediately caught the attention of everyone inside the recycling station—especially Su Yun.
When she saw that the man leading them was Captain Liu, a wave of tension and panic instantly spread through her. Her mind went blank for a moment, leaving her unsure what to do.
As soon as Captain Liu entered, he shouted loudly,
"Su Yun! Where is Su Yun? Come out here right now!"
Su Yun silently encouraged herself, suppressing her nervousness. She walked from the scale to stand in front of Captain Liu and asked calmly,
"Captain Liu, why are you here again?"
A bad feeling rose in her heart.
It seemed Director Yuan had been right—Captain Liu would not let this matter go so easily.
But it had only been a few days. He was really too impatient.
When Captain Liu saw Su Yun, his gloomy eyes revealed a trace of coldness, as if mocking her for refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty.
Then he waved his hand and ordered sternly,
"Take her away!"
Two uniformed men immediately stepped forward, preparing to grab Su Yun.
Su Yun's expression changed drastically. She stepped back a few steps and pointed at them.
"Don't come any closer! Is this how your Supervision Office handles things? You want to arrest someone without any evidence? On what grounds are you arresting me?"
The old man nearby didn't seem afraid of the Supervision Office officials. He immediately spoke up for Su Yun.
"That's right. This young lady does her job well. She's diligent and responsible, far better than the previous person at the recycling station. Even if you want to arrest someone, you should at least give a reason. Besides, you're not the police. How can you just arrest people whenever you like?"
The old man's words struck a nerve with Captain Liu.
What Captain Liu hated most was that his power was no longer what it used to be.
If this matter with Su Yun had happened in the past, he could have simply sent a few men to drag her away, lock her up for a few days, and then casually pin some charge on her. The job would naturally go to his cousin.
Why would it have to be so troublesome now?
These days, before doing anything, he had to submit reports to his superiors and even find colleagues to witness the process. Acting privately would be considered a violation of the rules.
What a pain in the neck.
Thinking about this made Captain Liu even more irritated. He glared viciously at the old man.
Then he turned to Su Yun with a dark expression.
"Su Yun, you really don't appreciate kindness. After committing such a serious mistake, not only do you refuse to repent, but you even dare to resist me?"
He suddenly raised his voice, startling Su Yun.
"Fine! Since you're so shameless, I don't need to cover for you anymore!"
After saying this, Captain Liu shouted toward the back,
"What are you hiding for? Come out here!"
At that moment, He Hua—who had been hiding behind the others—slowly stepped forward and stood beside Captain Liu.
On the way here, He Hua had still been a little frightened. She had wondered whether she should have agreed to testify against Su Yun. After all, they lived in the same courtyard. If the plan succeeded, that would be fine—but if it failed…
But now that she saw Su Yun standing there, all her hesitation disappeared.
Only one thought remained in her mind:
Su Yun must be sent to the countryside. Su Yun must disappear forever!
She wanted to spend the rest of her life laughing at Su Yun's downfall.
When Su Yun saw He Hua, her heart skipped a beat and her pulse began racing.
Captain Liu smirked triumphantly and looked at Su Yun from the corner of his eye.
"Su Yun, do you recognize her?"
Su Yun couldn't stand his disgusting expression, so she deliberately smiled.
"She's my neighbor. We see each other every day, of course I recognize her. What about it?"
Captain Liu nodded meaningfully.
"Good. As long as you know her."
"Comrade He Hua, tell everyone here what you know. Let these fools hear it too and see what kind of person this Su Yun really is!"
The "fools" he referred to were obviously the old man who had spoken up for Su Yun earlier.
The old man also understood the insult. He frowned in displeasure, thinking it was shameful for a grown man like Captain Liu to behave this way.
Having received Captain Liu's order, He Hua stepped forward without hesitation and spoke loudly.
"I want to report that Su Yun is a fraud! In order to avoid being sent to the countryside, she developed serious ideological problems. She bought her job with money. She deceived the country and the people. She should be criticized, condemned, and then sent to the harshest place to undergo reform!"
"Bullshit!" Su Yun's curse came instantly.
Her voice was full of momentum.
"He Hua, have you no shame? Ever since we were children, you've been jealous of me and always targeted me. And now, for a little benefit from someone else, you're willing to act like their lackey and help those scheming villains frame me!"