49: Chapter 49 Dawn

Xiao Bei shook his head. "Please, get some sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Qin Ruoxi wanted to protest, but suddenly noticed that a patch of Xiao Bei's shoulder was soaked through with blood.

Her heart tightened. "Your wound has reopened!"

Xiao Bei glanced down at it, then smiled nonchalantly. "It's nothing. I won't die from it."

"You stubborn guy..."

Qin Ruoxi's eyes grew hot with frustration. She scrambled to tear a piece of dry cloth from her cotton coat and pressed it against his wound. "Why didn't you say something sooner?!"

Xiao Bei let her continue, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Sis, are you worried about me?"

Qin Ruoxi's hand paused for a moment before she pressed firmly on his wound. "Shut up!"

Xiao Bei hissed in pain, but his smile only widened.

The tractor hit a pothole, jolting violently.

Qin Ruoxi lost her balance and fell into Xiao Bei's arms. Their eyes met, their breaths mingled, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

"Ahem, ahem..." The old man in front suddenly coughed loudly. "Young folks, we're almost there!"

Qin Ruoxi hurriedly sat up straight, her cheeks burning.

Xiao Bei cleared his throat awkwardly and looked toward the city skyline, which was gradually becoming clearer in the distance.

"We're finally here..." Qin Ruoxi murmured, her gaze turning resolute. "Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui, just you wait."

After a while, the tractor finally drove into the suburbs of the provincial capital. Qin Ruoxi forced herself to climb off the vehicle, only to find that Xiao Bei's face had turned deathly pale, his lips tinged with an unnatural purplish-blue.

"Xiao Bei? Xiao Bei!" She tapped his face; it was burning hot to the touch.

Xiao Bei barely managed to open his eyes, but his gaze was unfocused and dim. "Sis... I'm fine..."

Before he could finish, he slumped forward.

Qin Ruoxi caught him, her heart nearly stopping. "Driver! Hurry! To the nearest hospital!"

She flagged down a taxi, and the driver immediately helped lift Xiao Bei into the car.

Qin Ruoxi held him tightly, feeling his body shaking violently, his breath alarmingly hot.

"Just hold on a little longer, we're almost there..." Her voice trembled, her fingers gripping his sleeve tightly.

Ten minutes later, Xiao Bei was rushed into the emergency room of the Provincial Hospital.

"High fever caused by a wound infection. If you had arrived any later, it would have been dangerous," the doctor frowned. "The patient needs an IV immediately. A family member needs to go handle the paperwork."

Qin Ruoxi nodded and quickly completed the admission procedures.

When she returned to the ward, Xiao Bei had been settled into a hospital bed with an IV line in his arm. His face was still pale, but his breathing had finally stabilized.

She stood by the bed, watching his furrowed brows, a pang of heartache washing over her.

If he hadn't protected her with his life along the way, she would have probably already...

"Sis..." Xiao Bei suddenly murmured, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible.

Qin Ruoxi leaned over quickly. "I'm here."

"Evidence..." He moved his lips with difficulty. "Inner lining of my jacket..."

Qin Ruoxi was startled, then realized what he meant and immediately checked the clothes he had changed out of.

Sure enough, in the secret pocket of his jacket's lining, she found a tightly wrapped plastic bag containing a USB drive and several folded sheets of paper—the key evidence of the corruption and bribery by Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui and the others!

Her eyes grew warm. She gripped the evidence tightly and whispered, "Get some rest. Leave the rest to me."

Xiao Bei seemed to want to say something, but the high fever left him delirious, and he ultimately just nodded slightly.

Qin Ruoxi took a deep breath, turned, and walked out of the ward. She said to the nurse at the door in a low voice, "Please take good care of him. If he wakes up, tell him..."

She paused. "Just tell him I went to take care of business."

Leaving the hospital, Qin Ruoxi flagged down a taxi and headed straight for the Provincial Party Committee compound.

The rain had stopped, but the sky remained overcast.

She checked the USB drive in her pocket—the evidence she and Xiao Bei had protected with their lives, documenting all the crimes of Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui's collusion with organized crime and his corruption and bribery.

The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection office building was solemn and imposing. The guards at the gate recognized Mayor Qin and let her pass directly.

She took the elevator to the eighth floor, where Party Secretary Tian Fusheng's secretary was already waiting at the door.

"Mayor Qin, Party Secretary Tian is waiting for you." The secretary looked grave. "Would you... like to change your clothes first?"

Only then did Qin Ruoxi notice her disheveled appearance—mud-soaked trouser legs, messy hair, and an obviously twisted right foot.

She shook her head and said, "There's no time. Take me straight to see Party Secretary Tian."

When the door to Party Secretary Tian Fusheng's office was pushed open, the nearly sixty-year-old Party Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission was reviewing documents.

Seeing Qin Ruoxi's state, he immediately stood up, his brow furrowed. "Xiao Qin, what happened to you..."

"Party Secretary Tian." Qin Ruoxi's voice was slightly choked, but she quickly steadied herself. "Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui sent people to kill me."

Party Secretary Tian's face turned livid instantly.

He strode to the door and instructed his secretary, "Cancel all my upcoming appointments. No one is to disturb me."

Then he closed the door and pulled Qin Ruoxi to sit down. "Start from the beginning. What exactly happened?"

Qin Ruoxi took a deep breath and began from when she first took office in Canglan City, detailing the experience of being framed by Director Yan Jinghui and others, and the various obstacles and threats she encountered while collecting evidence.

"Last night, Xiao Bei and I were preparing to drive to the provincial capital to see you, but we didn't expect that someone had tampered with the car. The brakes failed."

Qin Ruoxi's voice trembled slightly. "They wanted to stage a car accident. Xiao Bei took me and we jumped from the car to escape. We hid in the mountains all night and only caught a tractor to enter the city this morning."

Party Secretary Tian slammed his fist heavily on the desk. "Lawless! A Deputy Party Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee actually daring to try and kill a mayor!"

After hearing Qin Ruoxi's account, Party Secretary Tian's expression was terrifyingly gloomy.

He picked up the red landline on his desk and dialed a number. "Notify the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection investigation team immediately. We will hold an emergency meeting in half an hour!"

After hanging up, he turned to Qin Ruoxi. "Xiao Qin, the evidence you provided is critical. Go to the hospital to treat your injuries first. I will organize the Special Investigation Team immediately."

"Very well, Party Secretary Tian." Qin Ruoxi nodded and withdrew.

The time came to the next morning. Inside the Canglan City Municipal Party Committee building, Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui was leisurely sipping tea.

His confidant, Secretary Wang, walked in quickly and whispered, "Party Secretary Tang, the on-site investigators have returned. They found Mayor Qin's car at the bottom of the cliff; it was burned beyond recognition."

Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui curled his lips into a cold sneer. "Did they find the body?"

"Not yet, but from such a high cliff, plus the explosion and fire..." Secretary Wang made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Very good." Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui put down his teacup. "Notify the Municipal Party Committee and the Public Security Bureau. Say that Mayor Qin encountered a car accident while out on an inspection tour. We are deeply saddened. Prepare for a memorial service."

Secretary Wang hesitated. "What about that Xiao Bei?"

"Just a little secretary who didn't know his place. If he's dead, he's dead." Deputy Party Secretary Tang Jianhui waved his hand. "Go make the arrangements."