Title: Reborn Qi Tongwei, who defies fate by half a move and refuses to kneel

Chapter 78 Faith Shattered, Hou Liangping Finally Wakes Up

Jingzhou Public Security Bureau, Temporary Detention Center.

At three in the morning, the incandescent light bulbs emitted a buzzing sound, illuminating the floor in a stark white light.

Hou Liangping sat behind the interrogation table, clutching a yellowed photocopy of an A4 sheet of paper. The paper was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it felt as heavy as a lead plate in his hand. Opposite him, in the interrogation chair, Zhao's old butler, Old Huang, slumped over, as if his spine had been removed, muttering, "Strive for leniency."

"Did you see clearly?" Hou Liangping's voice was a little hoarse, as if he had swallowed a handful of sand. "Did he really write these words?"

Old Huang raised his eyelids, his cloudy eyes darting around: "Director Hou, I'm already this old, that's something I use to save my life, how could I dare to talk nonsense? Back then, the Crescent Lake project was stuck at the Environmental Protection Bureau, and Young Master Zhao... Zhao Ruilong went directly to Secretary Gao. That night I waited outside the study and personally watched Secretary Gao sign the document. I was careful, I secretly made a copy and hid it under my shoe insole."

Hou Liangping remained silent.

His gaze was fixed on the bottom right corner of the paper.

There was a line of strong, bold handwriting: "Development approved, handled as a special case, environmental issues to be rectified later. Gao Yuliang."

This handwriting is so familiar.

It was so familiar that it made him want to vomit.

That was the handwriting he had been imitating for four years. During his time in the Department of Political Science and Law at Handong University, his greatest admiration was for Gao Yuliang's beautiful running script. Professor Gao once held his hand and taught him to write the two characters "rule of law" on the blackboard, telling him, "Liangping, your handwriting reflects your character; it should be upright and straightforward."

Now, these words felt like resounding slaps to his face, burning with pain.

"Director, Lao Liu from the handwriting identification department just called." The recorder carefully put down the landline receiver, glanced at Hou Liangping, and said, "The preliminary comparison results are in... 99% match, confirming it is... Secretary Gao's handwriting."

Hou Liangping's hand trembled violently.

The paper floated lightly onto the table.

He felt as if a wad of wet cotton was stuffed into his chest, a suffocating tightness. He had always considered himself the embodiment of justice, an imperial envoy wielding the sword of authority. He had come to Handong to arrest corrupt officials and uphold the dignity of the law. He had even once looked down on Qi Tongwei, feeling that his old classmate had changed, becoming mercenary, scheming, and devoid of integrity.

But now?

His most respected mentor, the legal scholar who spoke of benevolence and morality and denounced corruption in front of him, was actually the protector hiding behind the scenes, opening the door to convenience for the Zhao family!

Hou Liangping, on the other hand, was like a clown who was being played around, wielding the so-called "imperial sword" and almost taking the fall for this biggest hypocrite.

"Oh……"

Hou Liangping suddenly laughed, but the laugh was dry and unpleasant to hear.

He grabbed the hat from the table and staggered out.

"Chief Hou, the interrogation isn't over yet..."

"That's it." Hou Liangping waved his hand without turning his head. "You can handle the rest. I'm going to get some fresh air."

……

That night, the archives room of the Jingzhou Municipal People's Procuratorate stayed lit all night.

Hou Liangping locked himself inside, surrounded by documents that Gao Yuliang had approved over the years and lesson plans for his lectures.

He compared the photocopy with each of the other documents like a madman.

He was looking for that slight possibility of "not being the same".

Even the smallest bit of evidence could prove that the writing was forged, that Qi Tongwei framed him, or that Lao Huang lied.

But no.

Every stroke, every dot, even the habitual upward flick at the end of the character "良" is exactly the same.

This is irrefutable evidence.

The sky outside the window gradually turned a pale white, and the first rays of morning sunlight shone through the dusty glass window, illuminating Hou Liangping's bloodshot eyes.

He leaned against the filing cabinet, still clutching the piece of paper in his hand.

His mind was filled with the words Qi Tongwei had said before.

"Liangping, you're too naive."

"Some roads, it's not a matter of whether you want to take them or not, but that you have to take them."

"Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a knife in someone else's hand."

At the time, he only found it jarring, thinking it was Qi Tongwei's excuse for his depravity. Now, looking back, he realizes that every word was Qi Tongwei tearing open the bloody reality for him to see, but unfortunately, he was blind to it.

"So... I really was stupid."

Hou Liangping folded the paper and put it in his inner pocket. He stood up, stretched his stiff neck, and his joints cracked.

He was going to see someone.

……

Eight o'clock in the morning, in the office of the director of the Jingzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Qi Tongwei was sitting behind his desk eating breakfast.

On the table were two baskets of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), a bowl of tofu pudding, and a steaming cup of Americano—a combination that felt somewhat odd, a fusion of East and West.

On the sofa opposite him, Ye Cunxin was sitting cross-legged playing on a tablet.

This girl has changed her style today. The aggressive motorcycle leather jacket from yesterday is gone, replaced by a large white men's shirt—one that Qi Tongwei kept in the lounge as a spare.

The shirt was large, the hem barely covering the top of her thighs, revealing two dazzlingly white long legs. She was barefoot on the dark gray carpet, her toes round and cute, painted with black nail polish, and dangling casually.

Three buttons on her collar were still undone with a bold flourish, revealing a patch of smooth, jade-like skin and delicate collarbones. Her long, purple-streaked hair was casually tied into a bun, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks, exuding a languid charm that seemed to have just woken up.

She was holding a fork, poking at a fried dough stick on her plate, muttering, "What a lousy game! My teammates are all idiots, it's infuriating!"

"Bang!"

The office door was violently pushed open, and the door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

Ye Cunxin was so startled that her hand trembled, and the fried dough stick on the fork fell onto her shirt, leaving an oil stain.

"Who is it! Are you looking for death?" Ye Cunxin's eyebrows shot up, and her peach blossom eyes instantly turned sharp. The lazy kitten-like energy she had just exuded instantly transformed into a bristling tiger.

Hou Liangping was standing at the door.

His once-proud prosecutor's uniform was wrinkled and crumpled, his tie was askew, his eyes were sunken, and he had a long stubble on his beard, making him look like a homeless man who had just escaped from a refugee camp.

But his eyes were frighteningly bright, like two balls of fire burning inside.

Qi Tongwei slowly sipped his tofu pudding, not even lifting his eyelids: "Director Hou, knocking before entering is basic courtesy. Looks like no one taught you that last night?"

Hou Liangping ignored his sarcasm and strode to his desk.

"Snapped!"

He slammed the neatly folded photocopy onto the table, making the steamed bun in front of Qi Tongwei jump.

"Is this what you wanted me to see?" Hou Liangping's voice was hoarse, filled with barely suppressed anger. "You knew all along, didn't you?!"

Qi Tongwei put down his spoon, pulled out a tissue, and wiped his mouth. He glanced at the tissue and smiled.

"What do I know?" Qi Tongwei retorted. "Do I know that Gao Yuliang is corrupt and lawless? Or do I know that he's treating us students like fools?"

"Since you knew all along, why didn't you tell me?!" Hou Liangping braced his hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared intently at Qi Tongwei. "You watched me act like a fool, pledging my loyalty to him, watching me be used as a pawn against you. Don't you find that ridiculous?!"

"It's really quite ridiculous."

Qi Tongwei nodded, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

"You!" Hou Liangping was so angry that his face turned red.

"that……"

A cool voice came from the side.