119: Chapter 119 The Tip of the Iceberg

Xiao Bei sat down opposite her and signaled for the recorder to turn off the camera. Once the door closed, only the two of them remained in the interrogation room.

"Speak. Why did you ask for me?"

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu suddenly laughed, her laughter like shattering glass. She leaned forward, her handcuffs emitting a harsh, grating sound.

"I want to tell you a story first—a story about how a silly girl went from being a minor school teacher to a school Youth League secretary, and then to a county magistrate."

Her gaze became unfocused, as if she were lost in memories: "Ten years ago, I was just an ordinary teacher at the county high school. The children all called me 'Sister Xuan.' I worked so hard, so desperately! I had to work overtime constantly just to climb to the position of a small team leader. One day, Secretary Wang Chunlin came for an inspection and took a liking to me..."

Her mouth twitched. "He said I was smart and pretty, good material for an official."

The shadows of trees outside the window cast eerie, mottled patterns on County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's face. Her voice grew lower: "The first time was in the school conference room. He said it was a 'political lesson' that every female official had to take."

Her fingernails dug into the tabletop. "Haha... just after that first time, I suddenly became the school's Youth League secretary! Everyone greeted me with smiles, even the leaders who used to push me around! So, this was the shortcut..."

She paused to reflect before continuing, "Later, it was hotels, tea houses, cars, and every dinner party he arranged..."

Xiao Bei felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He had seen too many cases like this—power is the best aphrodisiac, and women often become the sacrificial lambs.

"Do you know what's the most ridiculous thing?"

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu suddenly raised her voice. "Secretary Ma Wendong, from the same mentorship! The teacher said my abilities were stronger, but just because he was a man, he could rise through the ranks by drinking with leaders and playing the dog! And me..."

Her voice came to an abrupt halt, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I had to be slept with by one man after another, passed around like a gift..."

Her body began to tremble. "Secretary Wang Chunlin sent me to leaders in the city, to connections in the province... Each time he said, 'This is the last time.'"

She shook her head frantically. "There was no last time! Never!"

Xiao Bei silently passed her a tissue. County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu slapped it away, and the tissue fluttered to the ground.

"Are you pitying me?"

She shrieked the question. "I don't need it! I saw through it long ago! In this system, if you don't have power, you're nothing! Women only have two paths—either be a plaything or be a figurehead!"

Her gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Why should Qin Ruoxi be an exception? She must have..."

"Enough!"

Xiao Bei interrupted her. "Not all women are like what you imagine."

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu was stunned for a moment, then let out a harsh, jarring laugh. "Hahaha... have you been bewitched by her too? All men are the same!"

She suddenly lowered her voice. "Do you know my husband? A small section chief at the County Education and Sports Bureau... It's been ten years, and he's still a small section chief."

Her expression twisted. "He watched as I was called away to 'accompany leaders' time and time again, yet he didn't dare to say a damn word..."

Her voice suddenly choked with emotion. "Last month... he sent me a divorce agreement... He didn't even want to see me... Even though I had become a powerful county magistrate... he wouldn't even look at me straight..."

Tears ruined the remnants of her eyeliner, leaving black streaks on her face.

Xiao Bei seized this psychological breakthrough point. "You hate Secretary Wang Chunlin, you hate this system, you hate these greedy men. We can take them down right now. Now is your chance for redemption—tell us everything you know."

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's breathing gradually steadied.

She stared at Xiao Bei for a long, long time...

Xiao Bei looked at her calmly, just waiting like that.

...She finally spoke. "The safe in my office—the password is my birthday in reverse order. Inside, there are records of all the transactions Secretary Wang Chunlin has made through me over the years... as well as some other men, besides the ones on that USB drive. I only know this much; he was very cautious and wouldn't let me touch anything else..."

Xiao Bei immediately dialed Director Zhao Ming's number to arrange for people to retrieve the evidence. After hanging up, County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's expression became unusually calm.

"Xiao Bei, I can't go back anymore."

She said softly, "From the moment Secretary Wang Chunlin pressed me onto the conference table that first time, I couldn't go back."

Her gaze drifted. "Sometimes I wonder, if I had refused him back then, what would I be like now..."

Just then, Director Zhao Ming pushed the door open in a hurry, his face grave. "News from the hospital—Secretary Wang Chunlin is dead."

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's body shuddered violently, and then she burst into hysterical laughter. "Hahahaha, retribution! It's all retribution!"

Her laughter ceased abruptly, and her eyes filled with terror. "I'm the next one... They won't let me go..."

Xiao Bei and Director Zhao Ming exchanged a look.

Director Zhao Ming immediately arranged for manpower to surround County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's detention room airtight. Two special police officers with guns stood at the door, and patrols passed through the corridor every two hours. Surveillance cameras operated 24 hours a day, with footage transmitted in real-time to the Special Investigation Team's command center.

"Not even a fly can get in."

Director Zhao Ming said to Xiao Bei, tapping his finger on the surveillance monitor.

Xiao Bei nodded, but his gaze lingered on the woman curled up in the corner on the screen.

County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu was hugging her knees, her hair disheveled, her complexion sallow; it was as if she had aged several years in a few days, completely devoid of her former sharp demeanor. She looked up at the camera from time to time, her eyes a mix of fear and some strange anticipation.

"How is the check of the items in the safe going?"

Xiao Bei asked.

Director Zhao Ming took a thick file folder out of his briefcase. "It's even more explosive than we imagined. Photos, videos, ledgers, recordings... everything is there. This woman, County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu, is not simple; she recorded every single 'transaction' clearly."

Xiao Bei took the documents; the dense numbers and names on the pages were dizzying. The school uniform procurement by Rainbow Group was just the tip of the iceberg; the ledgers also involved municipal projects, land transfers, personnel transfers... covering almost every important sector in Jinhe County.

He pulled out a few photos and spread them on the table.

In the photos, County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu was in intimate contact with various men in various settings—hotel rooms, offices, and even school conference rooms. On the back of each photo, the time, location, and amount were noted.

"These are just the tip of the iceberg."

Director Zhao Ming pointed to a photo. "But look here, at this man wearing sunglasses."

Xiao Bei leaned in to look. The photo was taken in a private room of a high-end restaurant; County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu was raising her glass with a middle-aged man. And at the edge of the frame, a man wearing sunglasses was peering inside through a half-open door gap.

"This is..."

"Dai Lumao, County Magistrate Xuan Lingyu's husband."