164: Chapter 164 It's Not Just About the Bounty

When he got home, the house was quiet.

Lin Ning had made up his mind; this time, he would be direct. To be honest, as long as he wasn't dealing with spies or vicious drug dealers, he wasn't afraid of exposing himself or offending people anymore.

Whether it was his own strength or Chen Zhi and the others backing him, he was no longer a small fry.

He might as well give them a piece of his mind!

He pulled out his phone and dialed Judge Zhao.

"I'd like to ask, how long will Sun Guoqiang be detained? Where can I see him?"

"..." Judge Zhao was a bit confused. "Judicial detention is for five days. What are you planning to do? Don't feel burdened by what the applicant said today; it's not your responsibility. We will restart the investigation."

Five days. Lin Ning felt frustrated, but there was nothing he could do.

Skipping the judge's question, he asked again, "Then which day and which detention center will Sun Guoqiang be released from?"

"...You, you know that any act of harm, restriction of freedom, or violent interrogation is illegal, right? Don't be impulsive."

Lin Ning: "..."

"No! What are you thinking? I'm just afraid he'll run away again after he gets out. I have things to ask him! At least let me get a few words in so I can give my family elders an explanation."

"Ask what?" Judge Zhao was still a bit skeptical.

Lin Ning was speechless; it wasn't easy coming across such a serious judge.

"How about you accompany me to see him? My Aunt's brother was his classmate; maybe he can persuade him to cough up some money?"

Lin Ning had started talking nonsense, but the identity and purpose were his to give, right?!

Judge Zhao was a bit tempted. He had seen many deadbeats who didn't even care about their own parents—would they care about an old classmate's advice? But what if it worked?

He hesitated and said, "You can't see him during detention. He comes out on the 15th. I'll accompany you to see him then."

Lin Ning hung up the phone and let out a long breath.

Then he frowned again. That grandson better have some hidden assets that can be seized!

Although Lin Ning wasn't exactly depressed, he couldn't help but think about those applicants.

He sat on the sofa and stared blankly for a while.

The light outside the window slowly dimmed.

The door sounded.

Jiang Yu entered the house carrying groceries and saw Lin Ning sitting on the sofa without the lights on.

She paused for a moment. "Hungry? I'll go cook; come help me."

She changed her shoes, went into the kitchen, and directed Lin Ning to start picking and washing vegetables.

She wrapped her arms around Lin Ning's waist, standing behind him and moving with his actions, full of dependence.

The muscles in Lin Ning's body gradually relaxed.

Jiang Yu took the ingredients Lin Ning had washed and began chopping and cooking; the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board filled the air.

Lin Ning stood at the kitchen door, leaning against the frame, watching Jiang Yu's back.

He suddenly noticed that Jiang Yu's cooking had a mysterious sense of rhythm; it looked smooth and graceful no matter how he viewed it.

Jiang Yu was busy with her back to him and didn't turn around.

"You messaged me saying you were going to the court. Did it go smoothly?"

"Yeah."

"Got the reward?"

"Yeah."

There was a moment of silence.

Jiang Yu still didn't turn around. "Did you see something that made you unhappy?"

Lin Ning didn't speak.

Jiang Yu scraped the chopped vegetables into a plate and rinsed the knife under the faucet. "Then don't think about it. Let's eat."

Dinner consisted of two dishes and a soup.

The two sat facing each other, and Jiang Yu talked about company matters. Wang Qiao couldn't figure out the K-line charts today no matter how hard he tried and almost cried from frustration. She couldn't help but laugh as she spoke.

Lin Ning listened, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

After dinner, Jiang Yu washed the dishes while Lin Ning slumped on the sofa like a 'Ge You' slouch, his gaze passing through the news on the TV as if looking at nothing.

The sound of water stopped, and Jiang Yu came out, sat next to him, leaned on his shoulder, and pulled out her phone to start scrolling.

Neither of them spoke.

Lin Ning could feel her weight on his shoulder.

At the same time.

Ministry of State Security, Minister's Office.

Director Li: "...The arson case has pulled out a new lead involving the USA. We've currently identified two main suspects by following the trail; now it's a matter of seeing how many fish we can catch..."

Minister Feng leaned back in his chair, flipping through the report in his hand from time to time and asking for details.

After finishing the report, Li Huaizheng relaxed a bit and took a few sips from his thermos.

The Minister was also leisurely drinking tea when he suddenly spoke, "Xiao Li, I heard you sent three 'achievements' to the Discipline Inspection Commission?"

Li Huaizheng's movements froze, and he almost spat out a mouthful of tea.

He held the thermos in one hand and subconsciously clutched his chest with the other, his expression odd. Recalling the awkwardness when those three investigation reports were delivered to him, he held it in for a long time.

"That Lin Ning I reported to you about—he took one look and said those three people had problems. I had someone check, and we really found clues of corruption, so I transferred them to the Discipline Inspection Commission."

The Minister put down his teacup and looked at him with great interest. "He really just took one look?"

Li Huaizheng clutched his chest and nodded, his tone carrying a hint of a helpless headache. "Just one look."

The Minister looked at him and asked amusingly, "What's with that expression? Isn't this a good thing?"

Li Huaizheng said with a bitter face, "Chief, he's a hot potato. His talent is great, but his ability to cause trouble is even greater. I don't even dare to imagine if one day he suddenly..."

He stopped mid-sentence, but Minister Feng understood his meaning.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Doesn't this remind you of your own style back in the day? I still remember how much of a headache Old Huang had because of you, hahaha..."

Li Huaizheng had nothing to say. It was karma.

Then his expression became serious, and his tone grew solemn. "Chief, it's not that I'm afraid of trouble, it's just that I feel someone like Lin Ning—no matter how much trouble he can cause—is a weapon of mass destruction as long as he's on our side. But the danger isn't small either. If he ever goes down the wrong path and colludes with foreign powers..."

The Minister's expression also turned serious, but his tone remained calm. "I'll ask you a few questions."

"First, has he used this ability to earn money he shouldn't?"

Director Li shook his head. "No. Just reporting for rewards and opening a company with friends—legitimate business."

Minister: "Second, does he like fame?"

Director Li shook his head. "He's afraid of people knowing. This kid is very low-key."

Minister: "Third, what about his private life? Does he lose his head over women?"

Director Li shook his head. "He just started dating a proper girlfriend. He's not the type to lose his way when he sees a woman."

The Minister paused. "Does he have any grievances against us?"

Director Li thought for a moment. "He thinks the sentences for spies and traitors are too light; he said they should all get the death penalty."

The Minister smiled. "A hawk, then."

He looked at Director Li. "Then that's that. Power, money, lust—he has the desires of a normal person, but he's not overly obsessed, and his ideology is fine. What could foreign powers use to entice him?"

Director Li actually thought quite highly of Lin Ning as well. However, suspicion and planning for the worst were etched into his soul, especially after witnessing Lin Ning's abilities firsthand. Even though he had already tested him, he still couldn't help but worry.

The Minister leaned back. "Xiao Li, don't mistreat him just because he's one of our own. We can invest heavily in targets worth bringing over to our side; should we be stingy with the talent we already have? If we give him enough ourselves, no one will be able to lure him away."

Director Li nodded, said nothing more, and took his leave.

He walked out of the office building and stood on the steps.

The national flag in the courtyard fluttered gently in the night.

Director Li stood for a while.

He walked down the steps and got into his car.

He said to the driver, "Back to the Bureau."

The car drove out of the courtyard and merged into the magnificent river of traffic in the Yanjing night.