Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 121-125

Yang Rou considered herself pretty fast with her hands—the fact that she could always snag the limited skins in that big online social matchmaking game was the best proof of that. When she saw her idol’s Weibo post about a limited magazine presale of ten thousand copies that came with a large poster, she clicked on the accompanying image and was immediately hooked. She had planned to buy the magazine anyway, but with the poster included, there was no way she wouldn’t buy it.

However, when she saw that limited quantity, she immediately had a bad feeling. Ten thousand sounded like a lot, but it was nothing against such a massive fan base.

Still, she was fairly confident in herself.

She made all the necessary preparations and waited for three o’clock in the afternoon on January 15.

And then…

Let’s not talk about it—it was all tears. She watched helplessly as ten thousand copies sold out in two seconds, and she wasn’t one of the lucky ten thousand.

She rolled on her bed a few times in frustration until she felt dizzy. Shaking her head a little, she picked up her phone and called the magazine publisher, begging them to restock!

Heaven rewards the diligent. Thanks to the combined efforts of herself and countless unnamed, gender-unknown allies, the magazine publisher finally agreed to restock with another ten thousand copies. Somehow, Yang Rou suddenly developed a fear of the number ten thousand.

She repeated her earlier preparations like a seasoned veteran. Everything was ready—she was just waiting for six o’clock in the afternoon.

Clutching a stopwatch, she counted down: three, two, one. Right before the numbers changed, she refreshed the page and clicked the purchase button.

“Please, please, please!” she chanted nonstop.

After a two-second delay, the purchase page successfully loaded. That meant she made it.

“Hahahahahahahahaha!”

A string of terrifying laughter leaked out through the door crack, startling Yang’s mother, who was watching TV in the living room. Her hand shook, and the remote fell. After two seconds of recovery, she didn’t even bother picking it up before storming toward her daughter’s room and banging on the door.

“Yang Xiaorou, what crazy stunt are you pulling again?!”

“…I’m just a little too happy.” Yang Rou shrank her neck. After completing the payment, she flopped onto the bed and rolled around in joy this time.

And at that moment, there were many people like her.

At Victor Magazine.

Xiao Yang slumped in his chair, patting his chest while glaring at Xiao Huang. “I’m telling you, Huang Qing, if you pull this off two more times, I might just drop dead in your hands!”

Huang Qing knew she was in the wrong and scratched her head awkwardly. “My bad, Yang-ge. How about I buy you dinner later?”

“Apology accepted!”

“Alright, let’s focus on this now!” Huang Qing pointed at the computer screen. “It’s been about two minutes—let’s check the sales numbers!” This was what she really cared about.

Xiao Yang straightened up, refreshing the page with one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard. He glanced at the numbers—the first digit was a six, the second a five. “Not bad, almost thirty-five hundred sold. We’ll probably sell out by tonight.” He paused, then continued, “Who would’ve thought? Back when Ann said we should put him on the New Year + Anniversary cover, a lot of people were against it.”

Huang Qing looked at the page, sighing. “I wasn’t too surprised. How do I put it… When I saw his debut work, I had this gut feeling he’d blow up. Not just because of that ridiculously attractive face, but also because of his aura. Those eyes—so expressive, it’s like they could speak! That feeling of being between a youth and a young man—too captivating! Not exaggerating—if I’d met a boy like that when I was in school, I’d have fallen head over heels! Actually, even now I still would!”

“Back to sales. First presale—ten thousand sold out in two seconds. Second presale—kind of rushed—three thousand five hundred in two minutes. Already broke the record… Wait a second!” As Huang Qing spoke, something felt off. She narrowed her eyes and looked carefully at the numbers on the screen.

“What is it?” Xiao Yang turned to look at her, seeing her slender index finger, with its intricately designed nail art, pointing at the sales figure. “Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand… a hundred thousand? Damn! Yang-ge, this is insane!”

Xiao Yang froze for a moment, then quickly leaned in. “A-a hundred thousand?” He even stammered. Sure enough, there were five zeros after the one—not four. That meant the magazine hadn’t sold three thousand five hundred in two minutes, but thirty-five thousand…

This wasn’t just breaking records—it really was “going to the moon,” just like Huang Qing said.

“Chief Editor! We’ve got a problem!” Xiao Yang bellowed toward the office, his voice echoing through the open space.

The chief editor was leisurely brewing tea in his office when he got startled by the shout. His hand slipped, almost dropping the expensive tea set he’d bought. He carefully put it down, took a deep breath, then abruptly got up, pushed back his chair, circled the desk, and headed out, shouting as he walked, “I’m perfectly fine! But you? I’m not so sure about that!”

Though the chief editor wasn’t fat, his footsteps had the force of a two-hundred-pound man stomping and shaking the floor. He marched straight to Xiao Yang’s desk, hands on hips, with a fierce expression. “You’ve got two seconds to explain yourself!”

By this time, Xiao Yang had figured it out—it was because when Huang Qing startled him earlier, his hand had accidentally hit the keyboard a few times, and by sheer bad luck, he’d added an extra digit. But he was loyal and didn’t rat out Huang Qing. “I accidentally added an extra zero after the ten thousand copies for restocking, making it a hundred thousand.”

“That’s it? That’s not such a big— Wait, what did you just say? Say it again?!” The chief editor’s eyes bulged.

Xiao Yang repeated himself.

The chief editor looked like he wanted to eat him alive. “I’m seriously thinking of telling HR to dock your salary—with an extra zero added, what do you think about that?!”

“Chief, listen! I’ve got elderly parents and kids to support—the whole family relies on my meager salary! Besides, I know I added a zero, but we also sold more—thirty-five thousand in two minutes!”

The chief editor almost bought it, but then realized something. “This is a presale! And it comes with a big poster, you know?! You think posters are free?! Thirty-five thousand posters!”

Xiao Yang struck a tragic pose. “Dock my pay if you must—but please, just dock the right amount! Don’t add a zero, or I might just hang myself outside the office…”

“Fix it now, or I’ll actually dock your pay!”

“Roger that!”

Actually, fans quickly realized something was off because the sales weren’t moving fast enough. From ten thousand to a hundred thousand—it was like a pie falling from the sky. Some fans didn’t hesitate to buy again. By the time Xiao Yang started fixing the mistake, another eight thousand had been sold, totaling forty-three thousand. The chief editor decided to round it up to forty-five thousand.

The remaining two thousand sold out in no time.

Of course, not everyone had the time to camp for the sale. Those who showed up late lamented in the comments, begging for a third restock.

“Keep dreaming!” the chief editor gritted his teeth.

Ring ring ring~~~ The office phone rang. Huang Qing instinctively reached for it, but the chief editor stopped her. “We’re off the clock—no calls! Deal with it tomorrow. Let’s go!”

Huang Qing and Xiao Yang exchanged glances. After a moment of silence, they both shrugged. “Boss said it, so we’re out. Come on, dinner’s on me!”

“I’ll eat you broke!”

Jing Ling’s first magazine cover—within half a day of opening presales, with two restocks. The first batch of ten thousand sold out in two seconds, the second restock mistakenly increased by ten times, and even though they quickly corrected it, they still sold forty-five thousand. Altogether, fifty-five thousand copies.

The industry was shocked. The usual haters in the forums seemed to have vanished, and the dedicated threads became uncharacteristically harmonious.

Searches for resales showed that the magazine, originally priced at twenty-five yuan, was marked up to a hundred yuan and still sold out—no supply, no market.

Everyone had a new understanding of Jing Ling’s fanbase’s spending power.

But soon, the thread topic shifted—from marveling at fan spending power to speculating on the ratings for Ode to the Rivers and Mountains.

This was Jing Ling’s first primetime TV drama, an absolute male lead role. Aside from him, everyone else was basically a nobody, so naturally, the ratings depended on him.

Sure, his fans had deep pockets and were generous—but so what? Ratings were a numbers game. Fans alone couldn’t make much of a splash; what really mattered was the general audience.

But the show was still filming, far from wrapping, let alone airing. It was too early to say anything now.

January 30—New Year’s Eve. January 31—New Year’s Day.

In Shuangshan Town, where Yunshu worked, the office only officially closed on the 29th. But by the 29th, half the people were already gone.

That morning, Yunshu suddenly received a call from an unfamiliar number.

On the other end was an elderly-sounding voice, a bit nervous, even sounding afraid, whispering that they had something important to tell her but refusing to say it over the phone, insisting they meet in person. They left an address and urged her to come.

After the call ended, Yunshu stared at her phone in a daze for a while. Finally, she gritted her teeth, put on her coat, grabbed her bag, and headed out.

 

Chapter 122

 

Not far behind the Shuangshan government offices, there was an old, nearly abandoned road. Overloaded coal trucks had rumbled over it for years, leaving the surface pitted and rutted—one could hardly find a single intact patch within sight. A light rain had fallen the night before, and dew still clung to the grass and tree leaves along the roadside. Small puddles dotted the road one after another.

The sky was somewhat gloomy, dark clouds rolling overhead. Though it was midday, it looked as if evening was fast approaching.

A short way forward along the road, a small pine grove appeared on the left. The sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking drifted over from behind a low hill, and the faint outline of a village could be seen.

The person on the phone had asked to meet her in the pine grove. Since it was a woman on the line, sounding somewhat elderly, and the place wasn’t particularly remote, Yunshu dared to come alone. She could have brought her driver, but since he was employed by the local government and she didn’t know his background, she decided against it.

Following a narrow path just wide enough for one person into the pine grove, she saw the person she was meeting by a withered bush—a plainly dressed, stooped woman with short hair streaked with gray and a face marked by deep wrinkles.

“You came!” The woman’s voice sounded even older than it had over the phone.

“What do you want with me?” Yunshu walked over.

The woman’s name was Ding Xiaofeng. Though she looked aged, she was actually only about fifty. She told Yunshu that she’d been watching her since the first day Yunshu was transferred here—almost a month now.

Yunshu asked why. The answer she got was, “I wanted to see if you’re one of them.”

A month wasn’t nearly enough time to truly see through a person. But Ding Xiaofeng didn’t have much time left. “I’ve kept this in for years. If I don’t speak now, I’m afraid I’ll never get the chance. Even if I die, I won’t rest easy carrying this with me.”

Shuangshan was rich in coal resources, with countless large and small mines within its jurisdiction. What Ding Xiaofeng wanted to talk about involved a mine that had been abandoned two years ago.

“The mine at the foot of Sanlianshan had an accident a few years back. They reported three deaths, but actually, four people died. They covered up one and didn’t report it.”

The one they covered up was Ding Xiaofeng’s son. He was her only child. His wife had died in childbirth, leaving behind a grandson. Her son wasn’t well-educated, but he was hardworking. Shuangshan didn’t have much, but it had plenty of mines, and locals were given hiring priority.

At the time, according to the regulations, if an accident caused three or fewer deaths, it was classified as a general safety incident. As long as rectifications were made within the set timeframe, operations could resume. In mining, even a day of halted production meant huge losses, let alone prolonged shutdowns or closure. Back then, cases of underreporting and false reporting were common across the country.

“They told me, ‘The dead can’t come back to life. You should think more about the living. Your grandson is still so young—what will he do in the future? If you don’t want him mining coal like his father, there’s only one way: send him to school. He can get by in the town’s elementary and middle schools, but high school and college cost big money!’”

They kept stressing the grandson’s future, promising more compensation, and eventually convinced Ding Xiaofeng. Her son’s death went unacknowledged—no funeral, no proper burial. They buried him quietly at night, turning his grave into a barely noticeable mound, marked with a tree. His household registration remained, with the story that he was working away from home.

“This sort of thing didn’t happen just once or twice. In our village, several families have gone through the same. Right before you arrived, someone else died. They said she slipped on the mountain and fell to her death—but before she died, she told me she was going to report those people.”

Though not stated outright, it was clear she suspected the death wasn’t an accident.

“There was an accountant at the mine who’d worked there for years. Last year, he suddenly died in a car accident. He lived in our village. After his death, his house was completely ransacked, but I’m sure they found nothing.”

Ding Xiaofeng was sure because she knew the accountant wouldn’t have kept anything at home.

“Old Chen had this habit—once you knew him long enough, you’d see it. He liked to move his hiding places, switching spots after a while. Not long before he died, I saw him sneaking off to that abandoned mine. But I never went to check. I was afraid I wouldn’t find anything and someone else might discover it instead, so I can’t be certain if there’s really anything there.”

The wind howled through the pine grove, swaying the trees and grasses. As Ding Xiaofeng spoke on, she suddenly broke into a fit of coughing. When she let go of her hand, there were clear traces of bl00d in her palm.

“Junjun is still young. We have no other relatives. If I die, I don’t know how he’ll survive. Chief Tan, I don’t think you’re one of them. If anything I’ve told you can be of use, I hope you’ll look after Junjun in the future—help him find a reliable family. He’s still young. He’ll forget most of this when he grows up.”

Ding Xiaofeng left, making her way down the small hill toward the village. But her home wasn’t in that village; it was farther away.

Yunshu watched her figure disappear around the bend before turning to leave.

Ever since what happened at Chashan, she had developed the habit of carrying a recording device. The entire conversation with Ding Xiaofeng today had been recorded.

The New Year was approaching. She’d promised Jing Ling she’d spend it with him this year—or rather, spend it together was more accurate. The production crew wasn’t taking a break for the holiday, and going back home wasn’t feasible, so Jing Qiu was going to Junshan to spend the New Year with him.

Yunshu had booked a flight for tomorrow morning, hoping to make it in time for New Year’s Eve dinner.

If it had been anything else, waiting until after the holiday might not have mattered. But not with this.

She wavered all the way but finally decided to check it out first.

Junshan Film City.

Jing Ling had just finished a scene and was on a break when a temporary assistant came over to say someone was looking for him. He was a bit surprised. “Who is it?”

“A Miss Yang Xinyao. She said you know each other,” the assistant replied.

Jing Ling was even more surprised. After meeting at Jiang Sijin’s birthday party, Yang Xinyao had hung out with Yunshu a few times, but afterward, they only kept in touch through the Penguin group. Why would Yang Xinyao suddenly want to see him? Though puzzled, he still went to meet her.

They found a quiet spot to talk.

Yang Xinyao hadn’t changed much since they first met—her personality was still the same. Even though it had been a while, she wasn’t the least bit awkward. Her manner of speaking was as direct as ever. “Long time no see, Jing Ling. But I’m not here for a friendly chat. I came to ask for your help. I’ll explain everything in detail in a bit—listen first, then decide if you want to help. Before that, I have a piece of news related to you. Think of it as a show of good faith.”

Jing Ling nodded. “Go ahead.”

 

Chapter 123

 

The news Yang Xinyao brought, related to Jing Ling, to be precise, was actually about Yunshu.

“Yunshu is in danger,” Yang Xinyao said. “Or rather, it’s more accurate to say that opportunity and risk coexist. If we compare a person’s life to a road that keeps moving forward, every choice we make branches off into one or several paths. Some paths only separate temporarily, detouring or shortening the way, eventually merging back with the original road. But some paths, once taken, will split completely — perhaps you’ll have the chance to see each other from afar in the future, but you’ll never cross paths again. And now, Yunshu is facing three paths, all shrouded in thick fog. Beyond that heavy mist, one is a broad, beautiful road — though it’s rough and difficult at first, it will eventually rise to unimaginable heights. Another is an ordinary path, following the original direction — nothing to gain, nothing to lose, plain and uneventful. As for the last… just one step forward leads to a sheer cliff, and the only ending is shattering into pieces.”

“She’s about to reach that fork in the road, yet she remains completely unaware. Though she might still choose any of the three paths, right now, she’s closest to the most dangerous one.”

“Jing Ling, I can’t see your future, nor do I know whether you would have intervened in Yunshu’s choice. And because of this variable, I can’t see Yunshu’s future clearly either. Just like the three paths in front of her are obscured by fog, what I see is the same.”

“Though we haven’t known each other for long, I count her as a friend — and you too.”

“Jing Ling, you don’t have much time left.”

Yang Xinyao’s expression was one of a seriousness never seen before.

“Thank you, Xinyao!” Jing Ling said solemnly. “As for the help you asked for, there’s no need to think about it — I agree. I’ll tell you the details when I return.” This time, Yang Xinyao had come supposedly to ask for his help, yet she only mentioned it in passing and kept talking about Yunshu’s news. Regardless, he owed her for this.

“Be careful on the road. If anything unexpected happens, head toward water,” Yang Xinyao reminded him, then took her leave.

Jing Ling called Yunshu first, wanting to ask about the situation directly. Though he had mentally prepared himself, when he heard the ‘cannot be connected’ message through the receiver, he couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. He dialed twice more, but the result was the same, so he didn’t insist and instead called Shen Ze, asking him to book a ticket to Jiu’an.

The moment Shen Ze answered the call, he had a bad feeling. When he heard Jing Ling’s request, he instantly exploded, “My young master, can’t you stop acting on a whim like this? Didn’t we agree to spend New Year’s together tomorrow? Miss Tan is coming tomorrow too! It’s barely half a day away — you really can’t wait?!”

“Or is it that I’m too old to understand you youngsters’ thinking? You’re trying to pull off a romantic surprise, huh?!”

Jing Ling sighed lightly. “Ah Ze, be good — this time it’s serious. Yunshu might be in danger. I couldn’t get through to her, so I have to hurry over.”

Knowing how to weigh priorities, Shen Ze immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. “I’ll book the ticket right now. Be careful once you’re there!”

“Thanks, Ah Ze!”

Shuangshan Town, Safety Supervision Station Office.

In the small room, the curtains at both ends were tightly drawn. The lights were off, making the space dimly lit. At the center sat a combined office desk. On the far side, against the wall, Fang Wei leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, eyes staring straight ahead. There was the office computer, currently playing a newly released crime thriller. The image wasn’t very clear — you could vaguely see the edges of a movie theater screen, clearly a pirated recording.

The movie was at a climax. An undercover cop was hiding in the shadows, a drug dealer armed with a weapon was just a few steps away, searching for him. The tension was intense.

Just then, in the quiet room, a ringtone suddenly sounded.

Damn! thought the undercover cop. At the same moment, the drug dealer whipped around and fired several shots toward the sound.

As if influenced by the movie, Fang Wei’s phone, lying on the desk, started buzzing, its dark screen lighting up as the ringtone followed.

A call was coming in — it was a relative from home.

Fang Wei hit the spacebar to pause the movie right at the scene where the undercover escaped. He picked up his phone, swiped to answer, held it to his ear, and asked, “Uncle, what’s the matter?”

An elderly voice came through the receiver, carrying a hint of nervousness. “Da Wei, listen. This morning, when I was out cutting grass near the little pine forest, I heard people talking. I went to take a look — guess who I saw? That Ding Xiaofeng from the unlucky village behind ours, and your newly arrived, very pretty female deputy town mayor. I heard them talking about that death at the mine, and the dead accountant, and even something about an abandoned mine tunnel. It didn’t feel right, so I thought I’d better give you a call.”

The “unlucky village” mentioned in the call referred to the place where Ding Xiaofeng and others with similar experiences lived. These people didn’t originally come from the same village — they were relocated together after certain incidents. Officially called the ‘resettlement area for guaranteed placement,’ there were indeed residents moved there due to demolition or disasters. But people like Ding Xiaofeng, who were considered appeasement targets, were housed separately. Most of their families had encountered some sort of misfortune. Though no one spoke of it openly, behind their backs, people called that village the ‘unlucky nest.’ The town leaders had privately remarked that putting all these unstable elements together made them easier to monitor and manage.

Shuangshan Town had a unique situation. Stability maintenance wasn’t just the political-legal system’s responsibility — nearly every department was involved. Especially in recent years, when scrutiny had tightened, they’d stressed repeatedly to pay extra attention to all high-risk individuals. But since things had remained peaceful for years, no one really took it seriously — until incidents started happening. One case last year, another this year — an accountant and a widow. Fortunately, they were handled promptly; otherwise, who knows what kind of mess would have blown up.

Fang Wei hadn’t thought along those lines at first. But after hearing his uncle’s account, he realized something wasn’t right. As head of the Safety Supervision Station, a post he’d held for nearly twenty years, he knew many of the hidden dealings and had even been involved in some. When Tan Yunshu, the deputy town mayor, arrived, everyone had speculated whether she’d been sent down by higher-ups. But once they saw her in person, most of those suspicions vanished.

She was too beautiful. Her behavior and manners didn’t look like those of an ordinary person. Even her lifestyle spoke of high standards. Someone like her couldn’t possibly be undercover — she seemed more like a privileged insider sent for gilding her resume. There’d been similar cases before, where senior leaders sent people down for temporary posts, only for them to be transferred and promoted as soon as the term ended.

With that kind of bias and gender prejudice, everyone pegged Yunshu as the second type.

But now, this incident had thrown everything into question.

After hanging up, Fang Wei immediately called Deputy Mayor Liu, who was in charge of political-legal affairs, to report and see what the higher-ups would decide.

Deputy Mayor Liu — full name Liu Chaogang — happened to be in his office when Fang Wei called, so he told him to come up and explain in person.

Fang Wei entered Liu’s office, closed the door, and quietly relayed everything.

After listening, Liu Chaogang pondered for a moment, then opened the door and called for the person on duty. “Zhang Jun, come to my office for a bit!”

“Coming, Mayor Liu!” came a reply from the office outside. Soon after, a tall, slender young man in his twenties walked in. “Mayor Liu, what’s the matter?”

“How long has Tan been out?” Liu Chaogang asked.

Zhang Jun thought for a moment and replied, “About two hours, I guess.”

“Did she take the driver?”

“Not sure. Let me check.”

Zhang Jun found Tan Yunshu’s driver’s number and dialed it. After two rings, the call was picked up, and he asked about the situation.

“Liu Zhen, Deng Hongxing said Tan didn’t call him.”

Liu Chaogang nodded. “Got it. You can go now. And close the door on your way out.”

After Zhang Jun left, Liu Chaogang said to Fang Wei, “Old Fang, something doesn’t feel right. Although Xiaosonglin isn’t that far, walking there still takes some time. Leaving aside how Tan Yunshu got in touch with Ding Xiaofeng, it’s already suspicious that she went out without calling her driver. Especially with the business at the mine and that accountant—we still haven’t found what he hid. We don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s a major hidden threat.”

“It’s hard to say what Tan Yunshu’s real background is now, but it won’t hurt to stay alert.”

“I’ll report this to Mayor Zhou first and see what he says.” After saying this, Liu Chaogang called Mayor Zhou and briefly explained the situation before sharing his own thoughts.

Mayor Zhou paused for a moment, then gave his instructions. “This matter must be taken seriously. We can’t afford even a bit of carelessness! Call the police station and have them send someone to the resettlement area to question Ding Xiaofeng. Also, have Fang Wei check the safety bureau’s records to see how many abandoned mine tunnels there are in town. Confirm the range, then take people to search them one by one! Chaogang, keep an eye on this. I’ll be right over!”

“Understood. Got it, Mayor Zhou!”

After parting with Ding Xiaofeng, Yunshu didn’t return to the government office. Instead, she headed straight for the abandoned mine. It was quite a distance away. Following Ding Xiaofeng’s instructions, Yunshu stayed on the old road she had come by earlier until she saw a dense bamboo grove by the roadside. She then followed a path through the bamboo, which led downhill to the riverside. A narrow path barely wide enough for one person ran alongside the river, winding its way upward. After crossing a slope, the abandoned mine entrance came into view from afar.

Halfway there, Yunshu slipped by accident. Though she wasn’t hurt, her phone fell out of her pocket into the water with a splash. She had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as it sank. That particular spot happened to be unusually deep, and since there was a mine nearby, the polluted water was murky, making it impossible to see the bottom.

Yunshu stood there for a moment but had no choice except to move on.

Both sides of the narrow path were overgrown with weeds. Though it was past noon, the overcast sky hid the sun, and the heavy dew hadn’t dried yet. By the time Yunshu struggled to the top of the slope, her pants were so damp they could be wrung out. She leaned against a dead tree, catching her breath, and scanned the area carefully. On the hillside, partly hidden among dead branches and grass, she spotted a man-made cave entrance haphazardly boarded up with planks. Faint traces of abandoned machinery and tracks remained nearby. A road branched off from the main road at the foot of the hill, leading toward it.

That must be the mine Ding Xiaofeng mentioned.

Yunshu rested for a while, caught her breath, and then continued down the path toward the mine.

When Liu Chaogang called, Tan Yong had just hung up a call from home. “Liu Zhen, what is it?” he answered.

Liu Chaogang briefly explained the situation and relayed Mayor Zhou’s orders.

Tan Yong furrowed his brows tightly. “Got it. I’ll go check it out now.” After hanging up, he left his office, stopped by the front hall to get the patrol car keys from the on-duty officer, then drove out from the rear parking lot toward the resettlement area.

The resettlement area wasn’t far from the police station, but the road was narrow and rough. To make things worse, he got stuck behind a car for a while. He lost count of how many times he honked before the owner finally came and moved it.

The police car arrived at Building 4 of the resettlement area, where Ding Xiaofeng lived.

Tan Yong killed the engine, pulled out the key, got out, and locked the door in one smooth motion before heading straight up to the seventh floor. At the corner of the fifth floor, he heard a door closing upstairs. He didn’t pay much attention, just paused to catch his breath and continued up.

He reached Ding Xiaofeng’s door and knocked a few times, calling out, “Ding Xiaofeng! Are you in?”

He knocked for nearly two minutes with no response. Then he knocked on the door of the apartment across the hall. The door quickly opened, and a woman in her thirties stood in the doorway. She glanced at him with a slightly impatient expression and asked, “Director Tan, what now?”

Tan Yong pointed at Ding Xiaofeng’s door. “I’ve been knocking forever, but no one answered. Do you know if she’s home?”

The woman sized him up for a moment and shook her head. “I was napping earlier. Didn’t notice if she was home. Why don’t you just call her?” With that, she slammed the door.

Tan Yong cursed under his breath and pulled out his phone to call the village office for Ding Xiaofeng’s number. Once he got it, he dialed.

Beep… Beep… “Sorry, the number you dialed is on another call. Please try again later.”

He tried again—still busy. He paced around the seventh floor a few times and dialed once more. This time, the phone was powered off! Furious, he kicked the stainless-steel handrail.

His phone started vibrating—Liu Chaogang was calling.

“Hello, Liu Zhen.”

“Tan Yong, any luck?” Liu Chaogang asked.

“Ding Xiaofeng’s gone. Knocked on the door forever—no answer. Got her number from the village, but it’s switched off now. No contact.” Tan Yong summarized the situation.

“If you can’t find her, let it be. But give the village a heads-up—tell them to keep an eye out for her and let you know if they see her. Fang Wei checked the records. Turns out there are quite a few abandoned mine tunnels around town, and they’re spread out. It won’t be easy to search. Go to Dashu Village, to Fang Wei’s uncle’s place. See if you can get any useful information there.”

“Understood. I’m on my way!”

Tan Yong hung up, grabbed the handrail, and hurried downstairs.

His footsteps faded in the empty stairwell, followed by the sound of a car engine starting. The police car drove away from Building 4, heading down the main road toward Dashu Village.

Suddenly, a door on the fifth floor opened. A plainly dressed, hunched-over woman holding a small boy’s hand came up the stairs to the seventh floor. She took a key from her pocket and opened the door Tan Yong had been knocking on for so long.

It was Ding Xiaofeng and her grandson.

The door had just opened and wasn’t yet closed when the door across the hall opened again. The same woman who had been curt with Tan Yong stuck her head out and said, “Sister Ding, Director Tan from the police station came by just now and knocked on your door. He didn’t look too happy. I heard him on the phone with Liu Chaogang from the town office—sounded like he got your number from the village, but couldn’t reach you. What are they up to this time?”

Hearing this, Ding Xiaofeng immediately thought of what happened that morning. The image of Tan Yunshu’s beautiful face flashed through her mind. Her first reaction was to doubt whether she had mistaken the person. But when she remembered the look in that girl’s eyes back then, it didn’t seem like the face of a bad person.

“Yufen, let me borrow your phone for a second.” She asked her neighbor for a phone, pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her clothes, unfolded it, and read off a number. She dialed.

Time seemed to slow down, each second stretching endlessly. Though it felt like forever, only a few seconds passed before the voice came through the receiver—

“Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.” The Chinese message repeated in English, twice, before the busy tone sounded and the call ended.

Holding the phone in one hand and the wrinkled paper in the other, a wave of fear surged inside Ding Xiaofeng, mixed with regret. She feared the unknown of what might happen next—and regretted taking a gamble by trusting someone so easily.

 

Chapter 124

 

Jing Ling had relatively good luck—his flight wasn’t delayed. By the time he arrived in Jiu’an City, it was exactly 4:00 PM. Pingli County wasn’t far from the airport, and Shuangshan Town was also quite close to the county seat. He hailed a taxi outside the airport, and when he told the driver he wanted to go to the Shuangshan Town government office, the driver straightforwardly said he wouldn’t go.

“I won’t use the meter. You tell me how much?”

The driver gave him a few skeptical looks and then quoted a price. Jing Ling nodded, paid upfront, and made only one request—drive fast.

Since he paid so readily, the driver was just as efficient at doing his job. He started the engine, stepped on the gas, and the car shot forward.

As the Lunar New Year was approaching, there weren’t many cars on the wide road leading to the county seat, so the taxi drove like it was flying. The mountains and landscaped trees on both sides of the road flashed past rapidly. At one point, he even saw a shimmering, brightly colored lake. Even through the car window, he could hear the sound of air friction against the car body.

It took one hour and five minutes from Jiu’an Airport to the Shuangshan government office. After getting out of the car, Jing Ling found a secluded corner. He went in looking one way and came out looking another. With a wig, non-prescription glasses, a drawn-on mole, and some facial contouring, the whole process took less than ten minutes—showing just how skilled he was.

On the way to the government building entrance, he tried calling Yunshu again, but still couldn’t get through. Though his worry had grown stronger, he didn’t obsess over it, since there wasn’t just one way to find someone. He more or less knew why Yunshu had been transferred here. According to Yang Xinyao, Yunshu was in great danger—most likely because of that matter. She had probably discovered some evidence that threatened certain people’s interests or even their future, leading them to harbor malicious intent.

Those people were also looking for her. This was their turf, and with their manpower, they theoretically had a better chance of finding her than Jing Ling did. So, he could totally start by probing them for information—or at the very least, be in a position to know when they found Yunshu.

Acting like he knew nothing, he went to the government office to look for Yunshu. In this situation, the way those people behaved was practically like writing the word “suspicious” on their faces. When he finally stated his relationship with Yunshu, their reactions were quite intriguing.

“Deputy Mayor Tan is in charge of safety and production. There was a minor accident at the mine, so she went on-site to direct operations.”

“The signal’s bad in the mountains. It’s common not to get through on the phone. We happen to be heading there too. You can come with us.”

After thanking them, Jing Ling rode in a government vehicle heading for the mine. There were five people in the car—he sat in the back, flanked by a person on either side, as if they were afraid he’d run away. The person in the front passenger seat was the police station chief. His phone rang frequently. At first, he even let slip a few words, but after a suspicious backward glance, he started speaking more cryptically.

Not that it made any difference to Jing Ling. At this distance, in such a confined space, he could clearly hear everything said on the phone.

They hadn’t found Yunshu yet—they were still checking abandoned mine shafts one by one.

Yunshu had slipped through a gap left by a decayed wooden plank blocking the entrance and entered the mine. The difference between inside and outside felt like stepping from dusk straight into night. It was especially quiet around her—she could faintly hear the sound of dripping water, drip drip drip.

She had a flashlight in her bag. The moment she switched it on, the beam of strong light illuminated the area ahead. Holding the flashlight up, she gave her surroundings a quick once-over.

Only then did a twinge of fear arise in her heart, and she blamed herself for being reckless. Though the small path she had taken earlier was remote, there were still farmlands and traces of human activity nearby. But inside this abandoned mine, it was a truly deserted place no one would ever pay attention to. If something happened here, forget about calling for help—even if her body decayed into a skeleton, it might never be found.

She shone the flashlight deeper into the mine. The beam stretched into the distance, but the end was still swallowed by dense darkness.

For a moment, she felt like turning back. But that thought lasted only a second before she tossed it aside.

She had come all this way and already reached her destination—how could she retreat so easily?

Suppressing the urge to leave, she didn’t start searching right away. Instead, she stood near the entrance, trying to imagine the mindset of the accountant who had hidden the items, while scanning her surroundings with the flashlight.

From what Ding Xiaofeng had described before, she had a rough idea of what kind of person the accountant was—meticulous and suspicious by nature.

He kept changing hiding places. Shortly before his death, he came to this long-abandoned mine. It couldn’t have been just for sightseeing or reminiscing. So even though Ding Xiaofeng hadn’t personally seen him stash anything here, there was a very high possibility that he did.

Taking into account the psychological pressure and danger of going deep into the mine, Yunshu limited her search range to the entrance of the cave. After that, she continued thinking further.

In a place like this, where no one would come by mistake, hiding things didn’t require the kind of careful consideration of other people’s thoughts like at home or in other frequently visited places. Even casually throwing something into a corner would achieve a high level of safety. But since there was still a possibility of bad luck, “casually” wouldn’t mean carelessly tossing things around…

Combining the terrain she had just observed and identifying a few key areas, she began searching with her flashlight. Soon, she found something in the second area. A few rotten planks pressed on top of it, covered with a tattered burlap sack, and a corner of a black bag faintly sticking out. When she pulled it out, it looked very much like a courier package bag.

Holding the bag, Yunshu searched the surroundings again. After confirming there was nothing else, she left the mine with it, planning to return along the small path she came by. But as soon as she stepped out of the cave, she heard the sound of a car engine. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have cared, but given the place and timing, it was too much of a coincidence. She quickly glanced around and immediately turned right, crouching as she moved through the bushes and grass, climbing up the mountain.

While doing so, she heard the engine circling nearby, not going far. It seemed they had driven up along that overgrown side road.

The sound was very close now. Yunshu hadn’t actually gotten far, and afraid of being discovered, she dared not move further. She crouched behind a bush, holding her breath and listening intently for any movement below.

There came the sound of a car door slamming, followed by voices. Although she couldn’t catch every word, she pieced together enough to guess that these people had come for whatever was in the mine. Then came knocking sounds—probably them removing the wooden boards at the entrance.

Yunshu could only hope they would be careless and not notice any traces. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as she wished. Before long, she heard a shout from below, “We found something!” Although her view was blocked and she couldn’t see what was happening, she could imagine everyone rushing inside like a swarm.

While worrying about being discovered, Yunshu was also pondering one question—how did the people in town know about this?

Tan Yong, sitting in the front passenger seat, got another phone call. After answering, Jing Ling heard the person in charge of checking abandoned mines report that they had found footprints and signs of disturbance, but no one was in sight. It was likely the person had already taken the item and left. Whether out of urgency or because he simply didn’t care about exposure at this point, Tan Yong directly gave orders to the person on the other end of the call, “She shouldn’t have gone far. Hurry and search. We didn’t see anyone on the main road on our way here. Check if there are any side paths nearby and search along them.”

He then urged the driver to speed up and called someone in the other vehicle to report the situation. Only after finishing did he glance at Jing Ling, though his expression was completely fearless, unlike the slight worry he had shown earlier when he let something slip.

“Why is Chief Tan looking at me?” Jing Ling asked casually. This actually surprised the other man a bit. He frowned, studied Jing Ling for a moment, then shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Oh…” Jing Ling responded, then lowered his head to play on his phone.

The car quickly reached the destination. Two vehicles, nine people in total, got out one after another. Together with those already present, more than a dozen people soon surrounded the cave entrance. Although there wasn’t much in the mine, they still rushed in eagerly, temporarily ignoring Jing Ling. He stood by the car, leaning against the door as if admiring the scenery, but in fact, he was observing the surroundings.

From the phone call Tan Yong had received earlier, there was actually quite a bit of useful information to be gleaned.

Yunshu had been to this cave and had most likely taken something away. She probably didn’t know that the government was looking for her, so it was very likely she would head back. Jing Ling had observed carefully—there was only that main road they had taken in, so Yunshu couldn’t have gone back along it. As for the side paths, the surrounding terrain was actually quite simple, and with his sharp eyesight, it wouldn’t be hard for him to spot someone moving on the slope. But he hadn’t seen her. Either Yunshu had already left, or she was still nearby.

Jing Ling leaned more toward the second possibility.

To confirm his suspicion, he examined the area around the mine. Then, on the right side, he found traces mixed with messy footprints, leading up the mountain.

The government men were still focused on the situation inside the mine.

After glancing in that direction, Jing Ling followed the traces he’d discovered.

Below, snippets of conversation floated up. More people had arrived in addition to the few who had been there earlier. Yunshu heard a few familiar voices—they were the town leaders.

From where she was hiding, she could see the mountain on the opposite side. The small path she had taken earlier was faintly discernible. Amid the sea of withered yellow, a speck of red was slowly moving—it seemed someone was following the path back to search.

Yunshu’s heart tightened. Although she hadn’t been discovered yet, if things kept developing this way, sooner or later they would realize she hadn’t left and was still nearby. She might have a chance to change hiding spots midway, but it wouldn’t make much difference. She couldn’t return to town, and the surrounding area was a stretch of mountains unfamiliar to her. The locals were different. Plus, with so many people, the chances of her being found were high. If her phone hadn’t fallen into the water, she could have called for help. No matter how she looked at it, the situation was not in her favor.

She couldn’t stop thinking of the worst-case scenario when suddenly she heard footsteps approaching.

Her heart instantly leapt to her throat. Crouching behind the bushes, she dared not move a muscle, even slowing her breathing. At that moment, she felt as though she could hear her own rapid heartbeat.

 

Chapter 125

 

Yunshu, while worrying, subconsciously started thinking of countermeasures. She had just received the item, the packaging was intact and completely untouched. Although Ding Xiaofeng had told her quite a few things, it was all just empty words without any evidence. Judging by this, she could actually claim she knew nothing at all. Besides, she had lost her phone, which cut off the possibility of leaving any visual evidence. If they didn’t believe her, they could go search where it fell.

On the other hand, she could use curiosity as an excuse for coming over, though the credibility was low. But since she was transferred here by Governor Hu himself, it would likely be hard for the local township to check her background anytime soon. Before they figured things out, they would probably have some reservations.

However, this was all a rather ideal outcome — no one could guarantee things wouldn’t head in a bad direction. She also felt unwilling to give up, because opportunities like this didn’t come often. If she missed this one, the other side would become alert, and who knew how long she would have to wait for the next chance — or whether it would even come. Her only gain might be the audio in that voice recorder. Though it was a bit of a chicken rib — tasteless yet hard to discard — it was still better than nothing.

As countless thoughts flashed through her mind, Yunshu reached into her coat pocket, pulled out the recorder, and hid it in a pile of weeds behind her.

It felt like a long time had passed, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. The sound of footsteps drew closer. Through the gaps in the bushes, she could vaguely see a tall, upright figure. In just a short moment, the person had already come right in front of her. A few more steps and he would discover her hiding spot. But for some unknown reason, he suddenly stopped.

For an instant, hope flared up in Yunshu’s heart. She prayed silently — don’t come over, don’t come over, please don’t come over…

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from ahead.

“Yunshu, don’t be afraid. It’s me!”

The voice was so familiar it felt like a dream. It was Jing Ling. Her Jing Ling. He should have been thousands of miles away at Junshan filming — how could he possibly be here, right at the moment when she was most helpless?

Jing Ling followed the traces left between trees and bushes as he searched. As he got closer, he spotted a glimpse of crescent white behind the shrubs. The sound of rapid breathing mixed with the wind blowing through the valley. As he approached, it suddenly slowed and softened, as if being deliberately suppressed.

Clearly, the person hiding behind the bush was anxious and afraid. And this person was his Yunshu. It was the first time in her life she had ever been so close to danger. She probably never imagined that Tan Yong had even brought a gun. According to the current regulations, only the station chief at the police station was allowed to carry a firearm, and even then only for special operations. Yet he had brought one out on this occasion. This showed just how deep a secret Yunshu had stumbled upon.

Everything Yang Xinyao said before was spot on.

“Yunshu, don’t be afraid. It’s me!” Jing Ling softened his voice.

After a while, there was still no response from Yunshu. Jing Ling thought for a moment and immediately guessed what was going on. So he simply walked over, circled around the bushes, and saw her huddled there, head lowered, biting her lower lip until it turned white.

Jing Ling crouched down and pulled her into his arms.

“Yunshu, I’m here now!”

The delicate body in his arms stiffened for a moment, then suddenly softened like water. She reached out and hugged him back, arms circling his waist, fingers clasped tightly as if using all her strength — like a drowning person clinging to a life-saving plank.

“You came…” Her voice trembled slightly.

Jing Ling patted her back gently and replied, “Yes, I’m here.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Heng and his men had gone through the mine tunnel, checked around, exchanged a few low-voiced comments, and then came out. Zhou Heng cursed as he walked, “That bastard Yang Changzhi — no wonder we tore his place apart back then and still couldn’t find anything. He actually hid it here!”

Liu Chaogang beside him added, “And that b1tch Ding Xiaofeng! Took the money back then and now flipped sides, leaking such important information to an outsider! How did she even find Tan Yunshu — someone who’s been here less than a month? How could she trust her?”

“Who knows what the hell she was thinking!” Tan Yong said darkly.

“In the end, we were too careless!” Zhou Heng concluded. “We made the mistake of relying on experience. We were fooled by Tan Yunshu’s appearance from the start — underestimated her just because she’s a woman. If we had kept a close eye on her movements from the beginning like we did with those others, today wouldn’t have happened. We must find her and get the stuff back!”

“Her boyfriend walked right into our hands — maybe he’ll be useful.” Tan Yong said this while subconsciously glancing toward the car. It was empty. His eyes swept around the area — still no sign of that guy. He froze, his voice suddenly sharp, “That brat’s gone!”

The person who had clearly followed them here had vanished in the blink of an eye — suspicious enough to make them wonder if he had discovered something. And in this godforsaken place, the only person he could have discovered was Yunshu.

Zhou Heng and the others realized something was wrong and immediately called in their men to spread out and search the area. The wild grass, left to grow for years, showed a freshly trampled path that was actually very noticeable. They hadn’t thought to check in that direction earlier, so they missed it at first. But with more people searching now, it was quickly found.

“Over here, Chief Zhou!”

“Follow quickly! You must find them for me!”

A group of men followed the trail up the mountain. They hadn’t climbed far when they spotted their target.

“There they are!” The man who saw them first pointed and shouted. The others turned their eyes in that direction. Unexpectedly, instead of sneaking away or hiding, the person they thought would be fleeing was sitting calmly on a rock higher up, seemingly enjoying the view, holding something in his hands. Both of them were staring at it.

“Move faster!” Zhou Heng panted and shouted from behind.

The group closed in and finally reached the base of the rock. The man sitting there finally lifted his head, taking his eyes off the notebook in his hands and looking at them. His expression was relaxed as he spoke mockingly in a casual tone, “You’re all panting like this — you didn’t have to run so fast. I’m right here, not going anywhere.”

As Zhou Heng and the others arrived, catching their breath while leaning against nearby trees, they also noticed what he was holding — an old, worn-out notebook, its four corners curled and edges slightly frayed, showing signs of frequent use. But when he’d arrived earlier, he’d been empty-handed — clearly, this must be the thing!

In an instant, Zhou Heng’s face twisted with a ferocious expression. “Grab him for me!”

That was easier said than done. The slope was steep, and the other side held the high ground. Even though they had more men, before they could even climb up, they were kicked back down. The lucky ones grabbed onto nearby trees or grass to stop themselves from falling. The unlucky ones couldn’t help but have a close encounter with the ground.

They were just a bunch of rabble, knowing nothing about tactics or skill — only charging in a swarm. At best, some tried circling around for a sneak attack, but it was still useless. The other side easily kicked them back down without even lifting a hand.

The cannon fodder was used up in no time. Amidst a chorus of groans, the man on the rock looked down and asked in a calm voice, “Want to try again?”

He looked completely at ease, while most of them were more or less injured. Zhou Heng’s face contorted even more as he turned to Tan Yong, gritting his teeth, “Take out the hardware.”

No matter how skilled the man was, flesh and bl00d could never beat a weapon!

Tan Yong hesitated for a moment — after all, this thing was strictly controlled — but finally reached back to draw it. However, after patting around his waist, he found nothing.

At that exact moment, a voice came from above, “Chief Tan, are you looking for this?”

Tan Yong instinctively looked up — and saw the other man holding a gun in his hand, one that looked all too familiar.