Chapter 163 Case 113

Chapter 163: Case 113

It took a tremendous effort for Jiang Luo to open his eyes and focus his vision, finally discerning the familiar, deeply worried face of Huo Zongzhuo gazing intently at him.

"Thank goodness," Jiang Luo thought.

Though weak, Jiang Luo managed to pull his facial muscles into a happy smile.

Huo Zongzhuo's face was close, his hand gripping Jiang Luo's tightly, his expression etched with anxiety, his voice trembling. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

Jiang Luo's breath misted his oxygen mask as he weakly responded, "Am I still alive?"

Huo Zongzhuo, eyes red and brimming with tears, gently stroked Jiang Luo's forehead. "No, you won't die."

"You've safely passed the critical period. You've been rescued; everything's alright now."

"We're out of the mountains, in Shenzhen."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Luo closed his eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness.

Huo Zongzhuo caressed his forehead and kissed the back of his hand, tears still flowing.

The "distant ocean fishing" incident was officially classified as an extremely egregious case of public officials abusing their power for kidnapping and extortion. Designated by the Guizhou Provincial Department as the "113 Major Case," it was not only taken over by central authorities for investigation but also made national headlines.

In the local He Xu area, a total of 99 officials, from the Party secretary to the town mayor and police chief, were summarily dismissed. The investigation extended to Bimu City, even to Guiyang and the provincial department, implicating over 200 individuals.

The news broadcast footage of Bi Kang's illicit private residence:

The property was registered under the name of someone completely unrelated to Bi Kang.

Bi Kang's declared home was merely an old, rural dwelling.

That house appeared ordinary, even somewhat dilapidated, but the discovered private residence had been constructed by illegally seizing over a thousand acres of local farmland. Inside, it was not only lavishly decorated but also yielded hundreds of millions of RMB in cash, unearthed from a cellar and behind a false wall—a scene both shocking and outrageous.

Jiang Luo watched the news, nestled in Huo Zongzhuo's arms. When he saw the room overflowing with money found behind the wall, he finally grasped why Bi Kang had dared to demand sixty million USD and hundreds of millions of RMB from him, and why he had uttered the phrase, "I thought it would be fatter."

Indeed, when it comes to being "fat," corrupt officials are in a league of their own.

The news also showed footage of Bi Kang's arrest: surrounded by police, handcuffed, head bowed, expressionless.

Huo Zongzhuo watched, his own expression equally blank.

Huo Zongzhuo informed Jiang Luo: "Bi Kang admitted to kidnapping me and extorting you. But regarding other matters—how he amassed wealth over the years, whether he bribed superiors—his statements remain vague."

"I heard he's very calm, not making any fuss after being arrested."

"When discussing his time in He Xu with the prosecutors, he showed no sign of the expected remorse."

"He won't regret it," Jiang Luo stated, understanding the situation. "Being an official in such a poor, remote mountainous area, he was essentially a local emperor."

"Have you ever seen an emperor feel remorse?"

"He's been embezzling for so many years, dominating the area for so long, living lavishly for much of his life. Even now, arrested, looking back, he's probably full of pride and self-satisfaction."

"Even if they put a bullet in him now, send him to his death, he wouldn't feel remorse."

"His half-life has been better than several lifetimes for others."

"Now that he's caught, he's already enjoyed everything he wanted, so of course he's calm, not making a scene."

"And probably a lot of the money he embezzled has already been transferred out."

"With him arrested, his parents, children, wife, relatives—they'll likely live luxuriously for generations off that money."

"Disgusting."

That was Jiang Luo's sole assessment of Bi Kang.

After waking up and being completely out of danger, with Huo Zongzhuo safely back, recalling the confrontation with Bi Kang, Jiang Luo admitted he had been somewhat reckless—he shouldn't have tried to grab the gun, nor should he have antagonized Bi Kang so prematurely.

At that time, Wang Junqing had already kidnapped Bi Kang’s parents, wife, and son. Bi Kang cared so much about his son that he would have been hesitant to harm them and would have released them.

If Jiang Luo hadn't been impulsive, hadn't tried to grab the gun, he wouldn't have been unlucky enough to get shot.

Now, he was stuck in the hospital every day, and making Huo Zongzhuo worry so much.

But Jiang Luo, "once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten," seeing how worried Huo Zongzhuo was, staying by his side in the hospital every day without leaving, he began to enjoy himself again—it was perfect for sticking to Huo Zongzhuo all day, having Huo Zongzhuo clean him up, feed him meals and medicine, massage his legs and feet, etc. Happy, so happy.

Moreover, they hadn't publicized the incident; almost no one knew what Jiang Luo and Huo Zongzhuo had been through, let alone that Jiang Luo had been shot and was in the hospital. So the hospital's private room became their own little world.

Especially right after waking up, Huo Zongzhuo was incredibly attentive, never leaving his side. Apart from the pain of the wound, Jiang Luo could almost say he was enjoying it:

Lying there, he'd softly complain that his wound hurt, and Huo Zongzhuo would lean over, kissing him gently, again and again.

Lying there, he'd say he was dry, thirsty, and Huo Zongzhuo would drink warm water and transfer it mouth-to-mouth to him, then kiss him again, comforting him.

Still lying there, he'd say he was hungry, Huo Zongzhuo would ask what he wanted to eat, and whatever he desired, Huo Zongzhuo would find a way to get it and feed him.

"Husband~"

Lying there, Jiang Luo's body grew soft, and he naturally learned to behave affectionately.

Huo Zongzhuo would kiss him, press their faces together, snuggle, talk with him, chat, read him poetry, pamper him constantly, incredibly gentle and accommodating.

Ah~~

Jiang Luo couldn't help but rejoice inwardly: Getting shot was so damn worth it.

That gunshot wound on his left side? Not a wound, it’s a man’s badge of honor!

Jiang Luo didn’t say it out loud, but he felt content: finally, he had ensured Huo Zongzhuo safely left those deep mountains.

For that, everything was worth it.

Even if he had died from the gunshot then, it would have been utterly worth it.

But what Jiang Luo didn't know was that after he was shot, without anyone attending to him, lying there losing so much blood, his condition had been critical at one point.

It was due to an experienced leader from the central inspection team who had come along, bringing a medical team with sufficient plasma and medical supplies, that Jiang Luo was pulled back from the brink of death in time.

Otherwise, when Huo Zongzhuo arrived, he might have actually found Jiang Luo’s corpse.

Jiang Luo also didn't know that from being transported out of the deep mountains, from Guizhou to the hospital in Shenzhen, Huo Zongzhuo had also gone through harrowing experiences along the way due to his condition—Huo Zongzhuo was overwhelmed with guilt.

He regretted having gone so willingly with the police who detained him.

He should have found a way to personally negotiate terms with Bi Kang in He Xu and secure his own release.

At the time, after he was taken away by the police, he noticed that they treated him with relative courtesy during the journey. When they arrived in He Xu, he was detained at the police station, but no one harassed him. He thought the situation wasn’t too urgent and believed that paying enough money would secure his release, allowing him to reunite with Jiang Luo. Little did he expect that Bi Kang was an unpredictable and extremely greedy madman, nor did he imagine that Bi Kang would be brazen enough to pull a gun on Jiang Luo.

If he had been more vigilant back then, if he had taken the initiative to negotiate with Bi Kang, perhaps everything could have been avoided.

Huo Zongzhuo was so consumed with regret that he wished he could have taken that bullet for Jiang Luo.

At that time, Jiang Luo had passed the critical stage but remained unconscious. Huo Zongzhuo stayed by his side, shedding tears unlike any he'd shed before.

He finally understood what it felt like to be afraid.

He was afraid Jiang Luo wouldn’t wake up, he was afraid Jiang Luo would die just like that.

He was terrified of losing Jiang Luo, his lover, terrified that for the rest of his life, he would only be able to caress Jiang Luo’s face in his memories, over and over again, recalling Jiang Luo’s pale, lifeless expression as he lay on the ground.

His fear bordered on sheer terror, dread of the worst possible outcome.

Fortunately, Jiang Luo eventually woke up. At the moment he awoke, Huo Zongzhuo was reciting, “The clouds disperse, the rain clears, and sunlight illuminates the world.” The moment Jiang Luo opened his eyes, Huo Zongzhuo’s world brightened again.

It was also at that moment that Huo Zongzhuo made a silent vow to himself: in Guizhou, it wasn’t just Bi Kang and his ilk—there were others hiding well who hadn’t been exposed. Sooner or later, he would make sure they paid the price they deserved!

That day, after lunch, during the midday break, in the single-patient room, Jiang Luo snuggled up with Huo Zongzhuo, who was leaning against the headboard.

Remembering something, Huo Zongzhuo gently held Jiang Luo’s hand in his palm and said softly, “Zhao Guangyuan arranged for people to accompany you to He Xu. After returning, he faced significant disciplinary action.”

“He’s long past retirement age. Having reached his current position, he could have continued to rise further.”

“Because of this incident, he likely won’t be able to advance any further.”

Jiang Luo leaned against his shoulder without saying a word.

Huo Zongzhuo rubbed his hand and said, “I know you’ve never wanted to have anything to do with Zhao Guangyuan. In this situation, you had no choice. He offered to help, and you couldn’t refuse.”

“He helped you, and in doing so, he cut off his future prospects. You’re soft-hearted, so you must feel like you owe him a huge favor.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can repay him for these favors.”

“If you don’t want to deal with him, just…”

“I won’t acknowledge him,” Jiang Luo stated decisively. “I can’t betray my past self.”

“He helped me, and I owe him a favor. I’ll repay the favor.”

Huo Zongzhuo hummed in agreement, “That’s what I meant too.”

“In the future, during holidays, we can prepare some gifts and have them sent to him.”

…

After discussing this topic for a while, they moved on. Jiang Luo changed the subject and said, “I never want to eat any fermented tofu or triple-flower liquor again.”

“And don’t bring me any local specialties either.”

“When you finish your business trips, come back early.”

“If the police come for you when I’m not around, even if you have to throw a tantrum, pretend to be crazy, or strip and lie on the ground, don’t go with them.”

“No,” Jiang Luo corrected himself, “You’re not allowed to go on business trips! Delegate all trips to others, or let me go in your place.”

“You’re not allowed to go anywhere!”

“Just stay in Haicheng. Besides Haicheng, you can only go back to Sucheng.”

“I was about to say,” Huo Zongzhuo replied, “from now on, you’re not allowed to go anywhere either.”

“You can’t even leave my sight.”

Jiang Luo laughed at that, laughing so hard that his shoulders and chest trembled, tugging at his wound and causing a bit of pain.

“Ah…” Jiang Luo winced in discomfort.

“Does it hurt again?”

Huo Zongzhuo couldn’t touch the wound directly, so he reached over and gently rested his hand near the wound over the blanket. He then leaned down and kissed Jiang Luo’s cheek to comfort him.

“I want more kisses.”

Jiang Luo lifted his chin, feeling that a kiss on the cheek wasn’t enough.

Huo Zongzhuo leaned down and gave him an intensely tender kiss. Afterward, Huo Zongzhuo whispered passionately, “I love you. No matter what happens in the future, I will never let you face danger again.”

“I love you too.”

Jiang Luo, like a little kitten, closed his eyes and gently nuzzled his forehead against the man’s face. “I know. I trust you unconditionally.”

“We’ll be together forever.”