Chapter Thirty-Eight: Transformation

Ever since Li Weiwei returned from Tanghua, Secretary Zhou had felt that she was somehow different. In the past, Li Weiwei had always been resentful of her family's tight control over her, and every visit home was reluctant at best. She had absolutely no interest in the work her family had imposed on her, moving through the company like a soulless shell, listlessly arriving and leaving with drooping spirits.

But ever since her trip to Tanghua, Li Weiwei had become so much more engaged at work. She often took the initiative to ask questions, interacted more with colleagues, and would even approach Secretary Zhou for advice when faced with problems she couldn't solve on her own.

Secretary Zhou sometimes wondered if she was dreaming—was this really Li Weiwei, or perhaps a lookalike stand-in?

What surprised Secretary Zhou even more was that Li Shaoxian, Li Weiwei's father, also remarked on how different his daughter had become. She no longer wore a perpetual frown at home, spoke more with family members, occasionally accompanied her mother and sister on shopping trips, and no longer locked herself away in her room. She had even become more considerate toward her father, praising Secretary Zhou's guidance and expressing gratitude for her help with Li Weiwei.

One day, Secretary Zhou saw Li Weiwei sitting alone in her office, gazing out the window with a silly grin. Unable to resist, she walked in and asked, "Director Li, what are you thinking about?"

Li Weiwei turned and, seeing it was Secretary Zhou, said, "Aunt Zhou, when it's just us, please don't call me Director Li anymore. It feels strange—just call me Weiwei!"

Secretary Zhou smiled, replying, "Alright, then when it's just us, I'll call you Weiwei."

Li Weiwei nodded.

Secretary Zhou continued, "So, what are you thinking about, smiling to yourself like that?"

Li Weiwei replied with a smile, "Aunt Zhou, I suddenly feel incredibly fortunate. I have the love of my family, your care, and like-minded companions. Actually, I've always lived in happiness, haven't I? I've never gone hungry, never been forced to sleep outdoors, never been bullied, and never had to worry about money."

Secretary Zhou looked at Li Weiwei with a smile. She knew Li Weiwei had grown up in a wealthy family, enjoying comforts beyond most people's reach—at least materially. But Li Weiwei had never realized this before. What had happened today to make her so aware?

Secretary Zhou said, "Yes, you have so much to be grateful for—enough to make anyone envious. But what's brought this on? Why the sudden realization?"

Li Weiwei smiled and said, "It's nothing, really. I used to think my family interfered too much, leaving me no freedom. But now I realize it's because they love me, care about me, and don't want me to endure hardship—they want me close to them."

She paused, then added, "I've come to realize that compared to many people, I’m actually very free. I don't have to live on others' charity, don't have to tread carefully, never need to sell my soul to survive, nor become a slave to money or resort to crime."

Secretary Zhou looked at her and said with a smile, "You’re having some unique thoughts today. What happened?"

Li Weiwei met her gaze. "It was the case I handled in Tanghua. The main culprits were brothers who grew up with no one to care for them, always bullied and mistreated. To escape that childhood, they did everything they could to make money, even breaking the law. It made me realize that I've always lived in happiness—I just didn't see it before."

Secretary Zhou smiled, "Not everyone in this world is as blessed. Many struggle greatly, and some can barely get by. The world isn't kind to everyone; not everyone gets to have a family like yours."

Li Weiwei nodded, "When I learned about their background, I understood why they turned to crime. I couldn't even blame them—they were desperate. For someone with no other way out, crime becomes the last resort. When someone is constantly beaten down by society's injustice and indifference, it's inevitable they might choose that path."

Secretary Zhou thought for a moment and said, "But even if society has hurt you, that's still no excuse to hurt innocent people. No matter how many excuses there are, crime is still wrong."

Li Weiwei nodded, "Yes, that's what Captain Hai said too. He said everyone must pay for their wrongdoing, no matter the reason. Only then will good people trust the law and society—only then can there be hope for this country."

"He also said that our existence is to give good people hope—to let them believe in a brighter future, so they won’t resort to crime just because of present hardship."

Secretary Zhou looked at Li Weiwei and felt that she truly had found good companions. Being with them, Li Weiwei had not only regained her smile but had become more mature and understanding. At that moment, Secretary Zhou grew deeply interested in this Captain Hai. He must be a fascinating person. If possible, she even wanted to meet him and Li Weiwei's companions, to see just what kind of people they were to inspire such change in her.

Meanwhile, Wen Yuxin had already returned to Jinghua and was accompanying her son at the amusement park.

In the past, Wen Yuxin had always been absorbed in her work, constantly busy, believing that a successful career would provide her son with a better life. Later, when Li Weibing's affair came to light, her mood became a mess. She no longer had the energy to care for her son and left him in the care of her parents. Her son had often asked to go to the amusement park, but Wen Yuxin had always refused. This time, however, she had volunteered to take him.

Wen’s mother sat on a bench with Wen Yuxin, watching her grandson play happily. She asked, "Is work less busy these days?"

Watching her son, Wen Yuxin nodded and replied, "Yes, things have settled down in Mingzhou for now. I’ve taken leave from the academy too. I want to spend more time with my family."

Wen’s mother was taken aback. Her driven, competitive daughter had always pushed through even when ill, never asking for time off. Why now? Was she still struggling with the divorce?

Sensing her mother's confusion, Wen Yuxin smiled and said, "It's not because of the divorce, and I'm not feeling down. I've just realized I haven't spent enough time with family, especially with Longlong."

"I always thought that working hard and earning money was the only way to make my family happy, to make Longlong happy. Now I realize the greatest love is company. Spending more time with Longlong is what makes him feel loved. I want to spend more time with you and Dad too. I’ve been so focused on my career that I neglected you both. Before I knew it, you’ve grown old."

Her mother smiled and said, "You don't have to push yourself so hard. Your father and I never expected you to achieve great things. Sometimes, seeing you so exhausted makes our hearts ache."

"Your father and I can look after ourselves, but you really should spend more time with Longlong. When he was little, both you and your husband were too busy, so we took care of him. But you’re his parents. Every time you left, Longlong would cry for ages before we could calm him."

"After the divorce, you didn’t look after him, and his father never bothered to visit, not even willing to pay his living expenses. The child has really suffered."

Wen Yuxin said, "I know. After a divorce, it's the child who suffers most, but what could I do? Li Weibing had a new love—I couldn't keep him."

Wen’s mother patted her back and said, "You did nothing wrong. I support your divorce. Infidelity, once it happens, will happen again. You shouldn’t keep someone like that. I just feel sorry for you—you’re older now, raising Longlong, and it's hard to find someone suitable. Your father and I won’t be around forever. What will you do when we’re gone?"

Seeing her mother wipe away tears with her sleeve, Wen Yuxin felt a pang of sadness. She took her mother’s hand and said, "It’ll be alright. Things will get better. I believe I’ll meet someone who can be my true partner. After all, your daughter is beautiful—being alone forever would be hard!"

Her mother was amused by her teasing and laughed, "Yes, yes, you’re the prettiest. I remember when you were in school, you’d get love letters from boys all the time. Your father intercepted so many—those letters must have made the campus shop a fortune in stationery!"

Wen Yuxin hugged her mother and said, "So, don’t worry about me. I will find my other half. I won’t be alone in my old age. Right now, I just want to spend more time with you, Dad, and Longlong. I’ve only now realized that the greatest happiness is a family together and happy."

Meanwhile, Li Mengyang was sitting alone on a bench at Mingcheng University’s stadium, his mind replaying the image of the script manual seized from the debt-collecting company and the voice of "Teacher Song."

He remembered that Sun Zhengtao had mentioned a "Teacher Song" when he confessed, saying that was the person who provided the script. Could these two "Teacher Songs" be the same person? Could it be his ex-girlfriend, Tang Xin?

As a criminal psychology expert, Li Mengyang had a keen understanding of language patterns and habits. He knew everyone had their own linguistic quirks, evident in their speech, work, even their writing. The two script manuals both bore a distinctive linguistic marker that, in his memory, only one person used: Tang Xin. He recalled meeting Tang Xin in Qingdong before Sun Zhengtao’s arrest.

Were these two "Teacher Songs" actually one person? Was it Tang Xin? And if so, what was she doing now? If both a fraud ring and a loan shark group were connected to her, what was her role?

The thought gave Li Mengyang a headache. Was he overthinking things? He couldn’t believe Tang Xin would choose a criminal path. She had such a good education—surely hardship wouldn’t drive her to crime.

But he was also uncertain. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and the low cost and high profit of online crime made it all too tempting. It was no surprise if someone chose that path.

Li Mengyang knew that if the police didn't do their job and crack down on cybercrime, the internet would become a lawless realm. In today’s world, with its endless temptations, the allure of easy, high-profit crime would attract many.

Elsewhere, after returning from Tanghua, Hai Feng immediately reported the White Tiger Unit’s work to Qiu Zhiyong. Qiu Zhiyong listened with a smile and, when Hai Feng finished, said, "Your White Tiger Unit really made a contribution this time. I suppose Liu Zhiyang didn’t complain about having nowhere to use his talents?"

Hai Feng replied, "Not at all. In fact, it was all thanks to Liu Zhiyang. If he hadn’t kept us on the right track and obtained a breakthrough from Zhang Yue, the case might have fallen apart."

Qiu Zhiyong nodded, "Liu Zhiyang deserves a lot of credit, as do the rest of you. You’ve brought honor to Mingzhou. Do you want to know what Director Qiao Yuqian from Tanghua said to me? He thanked you and the White Tiger Unit for eliminating such a big problem for Tanghua. Imagine the harm Xu Dong might have caused to their police force if left unchecked."

"He also said he hopes you’ll visit Tanghua again and help him build a unit like the White Tiger. Cybercrime is rampant and giving them a headache—he wants a trustworthy team like yours."

Qiu Zhiyong couldn’t help but laugh, "He even seriously said that if I’d be willing to part with the White Tiger Unit, he’d pay any price, even if Tanghua’s Public Security Bureau had to sell the family silver to raise the money."

Hai Feng replied with a laugh, "Director Qiao is truly a great leader."

Qiu Zhiyong nodded, "Yes, a rare comrade indeed."

He then asked, "What are your plans now?"

Hai Feng said, "Let everyone rest for a while. After such a long investigation, everyone’s exhausted. There’s still some follow-up work on this case too. We’ll see about everything else once it’s wrapped up."

Qiu Zhiyong nodded, "I agree. Let the team recharge, and you should rest too. Spend time with your family—don’t let your wife call me to complain again that you’re neglecting home."

After chatting a while longer, Hai Feng bade farewell and left.

Watching Hai Feng’s departing figure, Qiu Zhiyong felt a surge of pride, thinking to himself: "With such a trustworthy group of young people, perhaps the tragedy of people like Huang Guan will never happen again."