Chapter 151: Chapter 151: The Outcome—Treating Fang Zhengping

At the same time, Chen Jiadong, who had been pressured by Fang Zhihai to severely punish Xu Jianguo, was overjoyed when he saw the news report. It was as if a fish had found water—he was ecstatic. Now, he could deal with Xu Jianguo without offending anyone, and everything would fall into place naturally.

As for Zhang Jili, the director of the Revolutionary Committee, he was like an ant on a hot pan—anxious and restless. He never imagined that someone would blow this matter up into such a huge scandal. All he wanted was to protect one person, but now he himself was deeply implicated. He regretted it so much that his guts turned green.

The news fermented throughout the day, and by evening, the outcome was clear. Several charges against Xu Jianguo had been established: adultery, illegal detention, intentional injury, assaulting people in public, and using his position to harm others illegally—enough to land him in serious trouble. Public shaming, big-character posters, and criticism rallies were inevitable. As for how many years of reform through labor he’d get, that was still unclear, but with multiple charges, it would definitely be no less than ten years.

Director Zhang Jili was also dragged out for strict investigation due to the news. People like him were bound to have skeletons in their closets; his downfall was only a matter of time. Zhang Zheng, together with his backers, delivered a fatal blow to Zhang Jili, and it was believed that he would soon rise in rank because of it. This was thanks to his usual self-discipline—despite being surrounded by corruption, he never let his guard down.

On Fang Zhihai’s side, after reading the news, he found it quite interesting and became even more intrigued by Xu Huaian’s capable wife. Although he had promised Tang Zhenye to help deal with Xu Jianguo, all he could do was ensure Xu Jianguo received the punishment he deserved. As for the people behind the scenes, it wasn’t something he could just handle at will—too many were involved, and pulling one thread would unravel the whole tapestry.

This news report was even more effective than his own words—it rallied everyone instantly. See? Those hiding in the shadows were all coming out to stir up trouble. The capital was constantly being reshuffled; who knew when it would finally be clean? Still, rooting out one corrupt official was already a good thing.

At this moment, Xu Huaian and Gu Qinghuan were sitting in the car sent by Fang Zhihai, on their way to visit the Fang family. To put it bluntly, they were going to help treat an illness.

Through various channels, they had learned of Fang Zhihai’s identity: the city’s First Party Secretary. Gu Qinghuan had come fully prepared, bringing some spiritual spring water with her.

The Fang family lived in a heavily guarded government compound. The courtyard wasn’t large, but it was a symbol of power. Xu Huaian and Gu Qinghuan remained calm, got out of the car without looking around, and walked into the yard.

Fang Zhihai was already waiting at the door.

“Xiao Xu, this must be your wife!” Fang Zhihai greeted them warmly.

“Secretary Fang, this is my wife, Gu Qinghuan. Qinghuan, this is Secretary Fang,” Xu Huaian introduced simply.

Gu Qinghuan smiled and stepped forward. “Secretary Fang, nice to meet you. This is a small gift, just a token of respect.”

The gift Gu Qinghuan prepared was similar to what she had given Zhang Zheng and Xu Lei before: mountain goods produced with spiritual spring water. They looked ordinary but were actually very beneficial to health.

Fang Zhihai accepted the gift naturally. “Don’t call me Secretary Fang, that’s too formal. Call me Uncle Fang. My son is about your age. You’re too polite—next time you come, don’t bring anything.”

Fang Zhihai always had a soft spot for talented young people who knew how to behave appropriately.

Gu Qinghuan and Xu Huaian obediently called him Uncle Fang.

“Oh, by the way, was that news article your doing, Xiao Gu?” Fang Zhihai asked casually.

Gu Qinghuan nodded awkwardly.

“Haha! The new generation really does surpass the old. You young people are truly impressive,” Fang Zhihai said, clearly appreciative.

As soon as they sat down on the sofa, a graceful woman came from the kitchen carrying two cups of tea and a plate of fruit. Mrs. Fang naturally set the tea on the table.

“Old Fang, your guests are here? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Fang Zhihai quickly introduced them. “This is my wife, Comrade Ou Sumei. These two are the young comrades recommended by Old Tang—Xu Huaian and Gu Qinghuan.”

Ou Sumei clearly already knew why they were here. “Sorry to trouble you both. To be honest, ever since my son fell ill, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep. Young lady, I heard you have a way to treat this illness? What is it? If you can really cure my son, Old Fang and I will be forever grateful.”

Gu Qinghuan replied thoughtfully, “Auntie, could you tell me a bit more about the patient’s condition first?”

“Our Zhengping came back from a mission half a month ago. One day, he suddenly hurt someone for no reason. After an examination, they said it was a psychological problem and he had to get treatment. Especially these past few days, his temper has become very irritable. He smashes things at the slightest provocation, refuses to eat or drink, and locks himself in his room. We don’t dare mention his illness at home and just go along with whatever he wants, but it doesn’t seem to help. We’ve seen several psychologists, and they all say we should spend more time with him, but it hasn’t worked. His father even turned down a lot of work to stay home with him, but he won’t communicate with us—he seems to live in his own world,” Ou Sumei said, looking worried.

“Can I see the patient first? I need to understand his situation before I can prescribe the right treatment.”

“Of course!” Ou Sumei agreed readily. “But he always locks himself in his room. If he says anything rude, please don’t mind.”

“It’s fine, I won’t mind.” Gu Qinghuan followed her upstairs.

Xu Huaian stayed downstairs to chat with Fang Zhihai. Sometimes, too many visitors could make things worse for the patient.

Ou Sumei led Gu Qinghuan to a room on the second floor.

*Knock knock*

“Son, we have guests. Can we come in?”

No response. After about two minutes, still no sound.

Ou Sumei spoke again, “If you don’t say anything, we’ll take it as your consent.”

She gently opened the door.

Inside was a messy room, things scattered everywhere. There was a lump on the bed—presumably Fang Zhengping—hiding under the covers like an ostrich.

Ou Sumei gave Gu Qinghuan a helpless look.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t focus on Fang Zhengping, but instead looked around the room, trying to find clues about his life and interests. She quickly spotted some Go game records on the floor, with notes and annotations.

She whispered something to Ou Sumei, who left the room, half-believing.

“You like Go?” A female voice suddenly broke the silence.

Fang Zhengping peeked out from under the covers, saw Gu Qinghuan by the bed, and quickly ducked back in, the light apparently too bright.

Gu Qinghuan seized the moment. “I know a fun way to play chess—want to try?”

Fang Zhengping peeked out again, sizing her up. Deciding she seemed harmless, he asked, “What kind of chess?”

He prided himself on knowing all the chess games there were.

Gu Qinghuan replied kindly, “Gomoku!”

Fang Zhengping had never heard of Gomoku, which piqued his interest.

Ou Sumei brought in a chessboard and pieces at just the right moment. Previously, she had worried her son might hurt himself with the chessboard, so she had removed all sharp or dangerous objects from the room.

Gu Qinghuan politely asked Ou Sumei to bring them two glasses of water.

Ou Sumei was amazed to see her son actually talking to someone and immediately gained more confidence in Gu Qinghuan. “Alright, alright.”

Ou Sumei went downstairs. Fang Zhengping, still clutching his blanket, refused to get up. Sensing his embarrassment, Gu Qinghuan stepped outside the room.

Inside, there was the sound of rustling, as if he was getting dressed.

Gu Qinghuan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he reacted, she could treat him. If he didn’t respond at all, that would be truly worrying. Since he was still responsive, it meant his condition was in the early stages and not too serious.

Ou Sumei came upstairs with water and was surprised to see Gu Qinghuan waiting outside the door. Hearing movement inside, she realized her son had actually gotten up. She was overjoyed.

“Auntie, can I have some time alone with him?”

“No problem, no problem.” Ou Sumei quickly handed her the tray of water and ran downstairs to share the good news with Fang Zhihai.

“Old Fang, our son got up! Xiao Gu is amazing—she actually got him out of bed and talking!” This gave her hope.

Fang Zhihai was delighted. It showed that Gu Qinghuan really had some skills.

Xu Huaian also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn’t been sure what to expect, but it seemed Gu Qinghuan was handling things well.

Inside, there was no sound, so he must have been getting ready.

Before entering, Gu Qinghuan discreetly added some spiritual spring water to both glasses.

Sure enough, Fang Zhengping had tidied himself up and was sitting upright. She hadn’t noticed before, but Fang Zhengping was actually quite handsome, taking after his mother, Ou Sumei, with clear, striking features. A buzz cut really was the ultimate test of good looks. Although there was a trace of gloom between his brows due to his illness, it didn’t diminish his attractiveness.

Fortunately, he didn’t look like Fang Zhihai."