105: Chapter 105: They've Come to My Rescue

"Xiao Bei!" County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu interrupted sharply. "Whatever Secretary Ma says, goes! You were assigned to the education module before because it was easy to handle, but now that such a major incident has occurred and you lack experience, it is only natural for me to take over!"

Just as Xiao Bei was about to retort, his phone suddenly vibrated. Qin Ruoxi sent a message: "Hold on, reinforcements are on the way."

Xiao Bei looked up, meeting County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's triumphant gaze. He suddenly smiled. "Fine, I accept the change in responsibilities."

Xiao Bei returned to his office.

"County Magistrate Xiao!" Team Leader Zhang Yining pushed open the office door in a rush, interrupting Xiao Bei's thoughts. "The security guard called to say someone is at the entrance looking for you."

Xiao Bei looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. Ever since he was removed from the case investigation, his office had been deserted. Who would come to see him at a time like this?

"Did they say who it is?"

Team Leader Zhang Yining shook her head. "The security guard only said it was a female comrade driving a white SUV."

Xiao Bei's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately dismissed his own guess. Su Yun should still be in Beijiang County handling her transfer paperwork; it was impossible for her to have arrived in Jinhe County so quickly. He closed the investigation report that County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu had modified, stood up, and straightened his shirt collar.

"I'll go take a look."

Walking out of the government building, the early summer sun made him squint. A white SUV was indeed parked at the gate of the County Party Committee compound, and a familiar figure was leaning against the car, head down, fiddling with her phone. She was wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, her hair tied casually in a ponytail, with the sunlight casting a golden rim around her.

"Su Yun?" Xiao Bei's voice trembled slightly.

She looked up, her smile as bright as ever in the sunlight. "County Magistrate Xiao, don't you recognize me?"

Xiao Bei strode over in a few quick steps and, in full view of everyone, pulled her tightly into his embrace. The faint scent of jasmine on Su Yun drifted into his nostrils. He closed his eyes, feeling her warm body and strong heartbeat. The exhaustion, anger, and feelings of helplessness from the past few days vanished at that moment.

"Why did you come?" After releasing the embrace, Xiao Bei still held her hand tightly.

"The paperwork is finished." Su Yun shook the file bag in her hand. "As of today, I am an official employee of the Jinhe County Television Station. What, no welcome?"

Xiao Bei shook his head, his throat tightening. "It's not that… I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

"I heard you ran into some trouble here, so I rushed to finish the paperwork." Su Yun's gaze softened. "It seems I've arrived at just the right time, don't you think?"

Xiao Bei gave a wry smile and did not answer. He didn't want to dump his troubles on her the moment they reunited, but Su Yun knew him too well; she could tell something was wrong from the dark circles under his eyes and his tense jawline.

"Take me to see my place first; I rented an apartment near the television station." Su Yun opened the car door. "And tell me on the way: what exactly is going on with that student's fall from the building?"

Just as Xiao Bei was about to speak, his phone rang. It was Team Leader Zhang Yining.

"County Magistrate Xiao!" The voice on the other end could barely hide its excitement. "People from the city are here! Mayor Qin has sent an investigation team, and they are already in the County Party Committee conference room. Secretary Ma wants you to go over immediately!"

Xiao Bei's heart rate accelerated suddenly. "Who is it?"

"Bureau Chief Lin from the Municipal Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau is leading the team, along with comrades from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection! They have the investigation documents with you as the lead!" Team Leader Zhang Yining lowered her voice. "County Magistrate Xuan looks terrible."

After hanging up, Xiao Bei turned to Su Yun, his eyes reigniting with fighting spirit. "I have to go to the conference room immediately. Do you want to…"

"Go ahead." Su Yun patted his shoulder. "I'll wait for you in your office. We'll have dinner together tonight."

Xiao Bei nodded and turned to walk quickly toward the County Party Committee building. When he pushed open the conference room door, the conversation inside came to an abrupt halt. At one end of the long table sat Secretary Ma Wendong and County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu; at the other end were three strangers—two men and one woman, all dressed in formal attire with serious expressions.

"County Magistrate Xiao is here." Secretary Ma Wendong stood up, his smile forced. "This is Comrade Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang of the Municipal Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau, Comrade Director Zhao Ming of the Third Inspection Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, and Comrade Zhou Xue of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection."

Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang was a man in his early forties with an air of firmness between his brows. He stood up to shake hands with Xiao Bei. "Comrade Xiao Bei, Mayor Qin has sent us to assist in the investigation of the student death case at Jinhe No. 1 Middle School. This is the joint investigation document from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Municipal Procuratorate."

He handed over a document stamped with a red official seal. Xiao Bei scanned it quickly; it clearly stated: "Establish a Special Investigation Team, led by Comrade Xiao Bei, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the Chen Zhihao death incident and related issues."

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu suddenly stood up. "Secretary Ma, this is against procedure! The county has already established an emergency response team, and the case is currently under investigation…"

"Comrade County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu." Director Zhao Ming of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection interrupted her, his voice calm yet indisputable. "According to the information we have gathered, this case may involve disciplinary violations and illegal acts by public officials. It is in accordance with regulations for the higher-level Discipline Inspection Commission to intervene. Your county's emergency response team can continue to be responsible for public opinion management, but the case investigation must be led by the Special Investigation Team."

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze. Xiao Bei saw County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's fingers tightly gripping her folder, her knuckles turning white.

Secretary Ma Wendong wiped the sweat from his forehead and managed a forced smile. "Of course, we will fully cooperate with the investigation by our superiors."

"Then," Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang looked at Xiao Bei, "Team Leader Xiao, please introduce your progress."

Xiao Bei took a deep breath and recounted his findings and experiences over the past few days: the suspicious bruises on the deceased, the encrypted surveillance footage, the suspension of technical staff, the vandalism of his office… With every point he made, the expressions of the investigation team members grew more solemn.

"The most suspicious thing is this," Xiao Bei took out the note found on the deceased. "I found this at the scene. It says, 'Am I really wrong?' Combined with the injuries on the deceased, I highly suspect this is a death caused by school bullying, not a simple suicide."

Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang took the note and examined it carefully. "Has the handwriting on the note been analyzed?"

"Not yet." Xiao Bei shook his head. "The technical resources of the county bureau have been restricted."

"We will arrange for experts from the Municipal Police Bureau to perform the analysis." Director Zhao Ming was jotting something down, then looked up and asked, "Regarding those three students who appeared at the scene, do you have any leads?"

Xiao Bei handed over a folder. "These are some surveillance screenshots I was able to recover. Based on the style of the school uniforms, they should be third-year students at Jinhe No. 1 Middle School."

"Good, identify and detain those three students immediately." Bureau Chief Lin Liqiang made the decision. "At the same time, re-examine the scene and perform a second autopsy on the deceased. Director Zhao, please contact the Provincial Public Security Department for technical support."