Chapter Ninety-Eight: Deputy County Magistrate Long (Second Update)

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Le’er naturally received the best medical care at the hospital, with the director personally bringing a reliable doctor for his examination. Fortunately, his body was robust. The main trauma from the interrogation room’s beating was concentrated on his abdomen, which was still experiencing gastric spasms but no other internal injuries. The knife wounds on his thigh were more troublesome, requiring two layers of sutures, five stitches each.

Li Ying was constantly in tears. At this moment, she no longer held the calm and wise demeanor she displayed in the business world; she looked like a frightened little girl.

Le’er was pushed out of the treatment room.

“Sis.”

Seeing Li Ying crying so uncontrollably, Le’er smiled warmly. His physical condition had improved significantly; with his strong constitution, his recovery was faster than most.

“Le’er, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Le’er replied nonchalantly. “I’m as strong as an ox; these injuries are nothing.”

Seeing Le’er like this, Li Ying finally managed a smile. Feng Shuya, who had been accompanying Li Ying the whole time, sighed in relief and quickly handed her some tissues.

“You scared me to death.”

Li Ying supported Le’er and took the tissues from Feng Shuya to wipe away her tears. In truth, Le’er’s leg wounds were painful, but he had to pretend otherwise, enduring the pain and walking as if nothing was wrong.

Le’er’s hospital room was arranged by Secretary Feng, who had called the director personally. It was a special care ward for county officials—single-room with a private bathroom. No sooner had Le’er entered the ward than the doctor and nurses arrived.

“Doctor, are Le’er’s injuries serious?”

Li Ying was the first to ask.

“No internal injuries,” the doctor answered warmly while looking at the beautiful woman. “The stomach was impacted and is now spasming, but medication will help. The only external injuries are on the leg, so he’ll need to stay in the hospital a few more days.”

The doctor instructed the nurse to set up an IV and then left with the nurse. Le’er saw Li Ying and Feng Shuya sitting by the bedside and asked them to find a place to rest. Li Ying shook her head; she refused to leave, and Feng Shuya was equally determined to stay.

She needed to stabilize Li Ying. If Le’er were to be taken back to Guangzhou now, all their hard work over this period would be wasted. Finding such a cooperative partner again would be extremely difficult, almost impossible. The combination of Li Ying and Le’er meant they had both the funds and the expertise. In resource-poor Longshan County, no investor would be willing to come otherwise.

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She intended to use this project as a launchpad. At twenty-three, she could no longer wait.

Le’er was exhausted and drowsy, soon drifting into a light snore. The two women quietly left the ward. A police officer was stationed at the door—Director Xie had taken security measures to prevent any further incidents. Seeing the officer, Li Ying felt a pang of emotion. It was rare for an ordinary citizen to receive such protection, showing how much the county committee valued them.

Feng Shuya quickly caught her expression and smiled inwardly. Yet she did not directly persuade Li Ying to stay in Longshan. The two went onto the nearby large terrace and chatted quite happily. Soon, they dropped formalities and called each other by their first names. They discovered they were both twenty-three, with Li Ying just over a month older than Feng Shuya.

Their relationship deepened, and Feng Shuya tentatively broached the subject.

“Li Ying, do you still want to go back to Guangzhou?”

“I can’t decide now. It depends on what Le’er thinks.” Li Ying shook her head. “It’s too chaotic here. I’m a bit scared. We were lucky this time that Le’er wasn’t seriously hurt. If he had been…”

“Don’t worry,” Feng Shuya said firmly. “Your safety will be arranged. Though I can’t promise anything now, I believe there will be proper measures. Besides, my father has made up his mind to crack down on the gangs in the county town. We might see results as soon as tomorrow.”

“Let’s wait and see,” Li Ying sighed.

They talked for a long time. When they returned to the ward, Le’er had woken and insisted they rest. Li Ying couldn’t refuse, so she went with Feng Shuya to her home.

The next morning, Le’er awoke to bright sunlight. The nurse had already opened the window, revealing tall green trees outside, with birds chirping merrily and fresh air flowing in.

“County Chief Long is here, in this room.”

Le’er heard this from his special care nurse. Soon, a nurse in a white coat entered with a man and a woman.

“Sha Le’er, County Chief Long came to see you.”

The nurse looked at Le’er with curiosity. Who was this young fellow? Not only was he in a special care ward, but the Deputy County Chief came to visit him. Her gaze held a certain distinctness.

Le’er stared in surprise at the tall man walking ahead—about forty, slightly overweight, not very tall, smiling but exuding the same imposing aura as Secretary Feng.

“You’re Comrade Sha Le’er, right?” Deputy County Chief Long smiled. “I’m Long Chaoyun. I heard you were injured, so I came to check on you. Xiao Wu, put the things down.”

Behind him followed Secretary Xiao Wu, a woman about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She smiled slightly and placed a large bag of fruit on the table.

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“Deputy County Chief Long, please have a seat.”

Though surprised, Le’er had grown accustomed to meeting important figures lately and remained calm. He recalled the man who fought him was surnamed Long, as was the chief of the Chengdong Police Station. Naturally, he connected the two.

“Heh… don’t be so formal,” Long Chaoyun said, sitting casually by the bedside. “Your injuries aren’t too serious, right?”

“Ouch…” Le’er pretended to turn over, groaning theatrically. “It hurts a lot—all over. Stomach hurts, chest hurts… and this leg wound keeps me awake at night…”

Hearing this, Long’s face slightly changed.

“I see. Then take good care of yourself,” he smiled and stood. “I have many things to handle, so I won’t stay long. Xiao Wu will keep you company.”

With that, he gave Xiao Wu a look and walked out.

“Deputy County Chief Long, take care.” Le’er pretended to get up again. “Ouch…”

No one else came, but this Deputy County Chief arrived so promptly. Was there some hidden agenda? A weasel paying respect to a chicken—is this genuine? After all that happened, Le’er’s mind was sharper. He liked to think things through instead of acting on impulse. If Deputy County Chief Long wasn’t connected to the man named Long who fought him, would he show such kindness? Surely last night Secretary Feng and Director Xie made a major move. The delinquent surnamed Long and the Chengdong Police Chief were arrested. Whether Deputy County Chief Long was implicated, Le’er didn’t know, but he was certainly anxious.

Secretary Xiao Wu took a seat, her sly eyes half-closed.

“Secretary Wu, if you have things to do, please go ahead… Ouch… this pain is killing me—every bone aches, and my head’s spinning…”

Wu watched Le’er’s performance quietly. She had already asked the doctors and nurses; Sha Le’er’s body was fine—he was just pretending. She was anxious because Deputy County Chief Long was very anxious. His two younger brothers had been arrested, and overnight, all the gangs in Chengdong were swept up. These gangs were connected to his brothers.

These gangs were not only the cancer of city security but also involved in organized crime—extortion, protection rackets, even drugs. This time Secretary Feng seemed determined. It was a surprise to everyone, including the county government. Such a large-scale anti-gang operation usually required a proposal by the Standing Committee and consensus by the county government, but this was Secretary Feng’s sudden decision, unknown to the committee. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be caught so off guard.

The two brothers were disobedient, and he was frustrated. Now, not only could he not save them, but he might also be implicated. His visit to Sha Le’er served two purposes: to show a gesture, of course for Secretary Feng and higher-ups, hoping to gain favor; and to try to open a channel through Sha Le’er, playing the emotional card. He and Secretary Feng were not on the same side, but now he had no choice but to take this stance and signal his weakness.

Whether Secretary Feng would buy it was another matter. Secretary Wu clearly understood her master’s intentions. However, watching Le’er, she felt strong dislike and found him utterly detestable.