113: Chapter 113 The Sound of Sirens

"Don't rush." Xiao Bei's gaze followed the pearl necklace around County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's neck—it was exactly the same as the one in the photo fragment. "Let her perform first."

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head to look in their direction. Her eyes flickered when they met Xiao Bei's, and then she bloomed into an even brighter smile.

"Especially the laboratory!" She raised her voice. "And the class schedules for the functional rooms must correspond with the provincial curriculum standards and the classroom schedules! One functional room must have all eight types of schedules fully prepared; the supervisory team loves to look at these details!"

A suppressed sigh rose from the audience below. An elderly female teacher rubbed her aching waist; her shirt was covered in dust—she had been doing cleaning work for eight hours since six in the morning, even having to sweep away spiderwebs. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a janitor.

"County Magistrate Xiao!" County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu suddenly waved at Xiao Bei. "You've come just in time. Won't you give us some guidance on the inspection preparations?"

Xiao Bei walked slowly onto the stage. As he took the megaphone, he noticed that County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's fingertips were abnormally cold. She was truly a cold-hearted person.

"I will only say one thing." Xiao Bei's voice was not loud, but it made the entire playground go quiet. "The essence of education is teaching and nurturing people."

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's smile froze on her face. A young teacher in the audience couldn't help but applaud, which immediately triggered a wave of suppressed applause.

"Well said!" A booming voice came from the school gate. Everyone turned around to see Factory Director Li Lei standing there, wearing washed-out work pants and carrying a bulging canvas bag.

"But some people just don't understand this principle." County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's face turned deathly pale in an instant. She walked quickly off the stage, her high heels tapping out a rapid rhythm on the marble steps. "Factory Director Li, why are you here?"

Factory Director Li Lei ignored her and walked straight toward Xiao Bei: "County Magistrate Xiao, could we speak in private? I have some information regarding the school uniform procurement..."

"Li Lei!" County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu interrupted shrilly. "As far as I know, your factory is holding a staff meeting this afternoon. Why aren't you back there preparing for the meeting instead of doing this!"

Factory Director Li Lei turned around and looked directly into County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's eyes for the first time: "County Magistrate Xuan, the Rainbow Garment Factory hasn't been able to pay wages for three months. The workers are all asking, where exactly did the profits from those high-priced school uniforms go?"

The playground fell instantly silent. County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's chest heaved violently, and the pearl necklace glinted coldly in the sunlight. She suddenly laughed: "Factory Director Li, are you perhaps too tired? Would you like to go to the hospital for a check-up first?"

Even the most obtuse person could hear the threat in that sentence. Xiao Bei stepped forward, blocking the space between the two: "Factory Director Li, we were just about to go have lunch. Would you like to join us?"

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu wanted to say something more, but her phone suddenly rang. After answering the call, her expression changed subtly: "County Magistrate Xiao, Director Qi from the County Procuratorate needs to see you urgently."

Xiao Bei ignored County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's words, and as he turned, he gave a chuckle and winked at Team Leader Zhang Yining. Team Leader Zhang Yining understood, quietly fell a few steps behind, and blended into the group of teachers.

...

In a private room at the County Government cafeteria, Factory Director Li Lei's hands were trembling continuously. He poured three cups of tea, spilling half of it onto the tablecloth.

"This is the real ledger for the Rainbow Group." He pulled a USB drive out of his canvas bag. "The password is my son's birthday, 0913."

Xiao Bei took the USB drive: "Why are you only bringing this out now?"

"My son..." Factory Director Li Lei's Adam's apple bobbed. "They said they could help him get a sentence reduction!"

"Then why are you bringing it now?"

"...After all, a life has been lost. It's a blessing that there was no death penalty. We have failed Chen Zhihao, and we have failed Wang Sufen..."

His words were interrupted by a sudden phone ringtone. Factory Director Li Lei glanced at the screen, and his face changed drastically: "It's County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's assistant!"

"Answer it." Xiao Bei pressed the record button. "Put it on speaker."

A sickeningly sweet female voice came from the other end of the line: "Factory Director Li, County Magistrate Xuan asked me to inform you that everything has been taken care of. As long as Li Dong behaves well, he will get a sentence reduction."

Factory Director Li Lei's hand gripped the tablecloth tightly.

"Also," the female voice suddenly lowered, "County Magistrate Xuan says you need to attend to your own duties. You had better go back to the factory now and take inventory of the sample room. The provincial supervisory team might come to visit tomorrow."

After the call ended, cold sweat seeped from Factory Director Li Lei's forehead: "The sample room... there is..."

Xiao Bei stood up abruptly: "I will go to the Rainbow Garment Factory for you."

"It's too dangerous!" Factory Director Li Lei grabbed Xiao Bei's wrist. "The sample room is on the top floor, and there is no surveillance. Last year, a quality inspector was..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Bei's phone rang. It was a photo sent by Team Leader Zhang Yining—County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu had left the school and was getting into a car in front of the County Government building.

"It's too late. I don't know what they are up to." Xiao Bei grabbed his car keys. "Stay here and don't go anywhere!"

The iron gate of the Rainbow Garment Factory was half-open, like a hungry mouth. Xiao Bei parked his car in front of a convenience store two hundred meters away and approached on foot. His phone vibrated—it was a text message from Director Qi of the County Procuratorate: [Sincerely invite County Magistrate Xiao to attend the meeting.]

Xiao Bei turned on airplane mode and went around to the side of the factory building. The rusted fire escape looked like a dying snake in the twilight. He had just stepped onto the first rung when he heard the sound of heavy objects being dragged from the top floor.

When he climbed to the fifth floor, a dull thud came from above, followed by the crisp sound of shattering glass. Xiao Bei quickened his pace, but at a corner, he bumped into a man in work clothes running downwards.

"Stop!" Xiao Bei shouted sternly.

The man jumped down the stairs without looking back and disappeared into the darkness. By the time Xiao Bei rushed to the top floor, the door to the sample room was wide open, and a figure was standing unsteadily on the windowsill.

"Factory Director Li?"

The person turned around—it was Factory Director Li Lei! His forehead was bleeding, and his eyes were unfocused: "She... they injected me with..."

"How did you get here? Didn't I tell you not to come!" Xiao Bei approached slowly. "I'll catch you!"

Factory Director Li Lei's mouth suddenly curled into an eerie smile: "An innocent youth has already been killed; I cannot let anything happen to you. It was also them... who dragged me here... My son... he is not bad by nature... let him live well..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his body leaned backward, drifting out of the window like a withered leaf.

Xiao Bei lunged to the window, but only managed to touch a piece of clothing. Factory Director Li Lei's falling figure bloomed into a glaring red flower on the concrete ground. The canvas bag in his arms burst open, and countless school uniform labels flew like snowflakes.

The sound of sirens came from the distance. Xiao Bei turned back to look at the empty sample room; the red light on the surveillance camera in the corner had gone out at some point.

Xiao Bei looked down and discovered a micro USB drive stuck in a crack on the windowsill. When he pulled it out, the police cars downstairs had already surrounded the scene, and leading them was County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's black sedan. As she got out of the car, her pearl necklace glinted with the light of blood under the illumination of the police lights...