Rebirth in the 1970s: Refusing to Be a Side Character

Chapter 44: Lu Yao's Arrest

◎ A Day of Tension and Anxiety ◎

Song Guangming acted swiftly; by noon that day, Lu Yao was taken away. She was initially thinking about how to win back He Chengjun's heart but found herself imprisoned in the Armed Forces detention center the next moment.

Lu Yao was taken from the Lu family's home, with five or six armed personnel not only making the arrest but also searching the house. The scene was quite frightening.

The Lu family residence was located in the family quarters of the Transportation Bureau, not a sensitive or secretive department. The surrounding neighbors had never witnessed such a commotion, leaving them stunned and scared.

Everyone in the Lu family was now under scrutiny.

Lu Kangping was at work, and Lu Ming had returned to the military. At home were only Lu Songbai and Du Juan. Du Juan fainted from crying, and it was Lu Songbai who, despite his shaky state, made calls for help.

His first call was to Lu Jinzhu. However, with no mobile phones available and Lu Jinzhu on leave, only Li Xiang knew his exact location.

When Li Xiang received Lu Songbai's call, he did not disclose Lu Jinzhu's whereabouts, only saying he would pass on the message.

With no other options, Lu Songbai had to call Lu Ming back.

As for his son Lu Kangping, Lu Songbai didn't expect much from him. But even without a direct request, Lu Kangping had to return due to the suspension for investigation.

The entire Lu family faced investigation, including Lu Songbai's eldest daughter, Lu Meihui, who was summoned for questioning by her superiors and sent home to reflect. It was uncertain when or if she could return to work.

Lu Meihui was shocked and, with her husband Yang Jianan, ran back to the Lu family home, only to find a house full of distressed relatives.

Not only was Lu Kangping suspended, but Lu Ming was also temporarily unable to return to his unit. They were under strict orders to stay put and be ready for questioning at any moment.

Though there were no visible soldiers or police around, everyone knew they were likely under surveillance. Any sign of attempting to flee would result in arrest, just like Lu Yao.

Lu Meihui was terrified, pale-faced, and clung to her husband, continuously exclaiming, "Jianan and I are innocent. We've only been working and taking care of the kids. We had no contact with Lu Yao and know nothing about this!"

"Be quiet!" Lu Songbai scolded his daughter. "Are you saying only you and Jianan are innocent? Are the rest of us guilty?"

Yang Jianan tried to defend his wife, "Dad, Meihui is just anxious; she didn't mean it like that."

Lu Songbai snorted and said no more.

Suddenly, Yang Jianan noticed Lu Jinzhu was not there. With such a serious situation, how could the most capable brother-in-law not be present?

He asked Lu Songbai, "Dad, where is Jinzhu? Isn't he supposed to be contacted?"

Given Lu Jinzhu's special work, he could be out of contact for months at a time. Yang Jianan's question was timely, as Lu Jinzhu was indeed at a small villa, diligently cleaning while Li Xiang reported to him.

"... According to Lu Yao's statement, her contact in the black market is called Cao Da. He has strong counter-surveillance capabilities and has not been captured yet. Director Song suspects he has fled Lingnan and is coordinating with neighboring cities for the search."

The military's interrogation methods, when applied to someone like Lu Yao, were quite effortless. They had barely used any tools, only intimidating her a little, and she had already confessed everything.

It was so easy that people started to doubt if Lu Yao was really a spy. If she were a spy, her psychological resilience seemed too weak.

Lu Jinzhu had long predicted that Lu Yao didn't have the brains to be a spy. The evidence now supported this view.

However, Song Guangming uncovered some information about Dong Jiaojiao that raised more suspicion. Compared to Lu Yao, Dong Jiaojiao's situation seemed even more dubious.

They had captured Deng Weidong and Lin Xiaoqiang, who truthfully explained their dealings with Liu Sanjie (Dong Jiaojiao). As for the rice and apples, they had been sold off quickly due to high demand and limited supply. It was fortunate, as it would have been hard to explain if Song Guangming had seen them, given their quality was evidently not from Lingnan.

Nonetheless, there were still doubts. For instance, how had Dong Jiaojiao, a newcomer to the city, obtained these goods? Song Guangming's preliminary investigation into Dong Jiaojiao's network found no one supplying her.

This secrecy made Song Guangming suspicious. After all, such high-quality goods couldn't just appear out of nowhere.

Dong Jiaojiao's connections with suppliers seemed very covert, almost like the behavior of a spy. Particularly since she divorced He Chengjun and then married Lu Jinzhu so soon after.

Song Guangming reasonably suspected that Dong Jiaojiao was part of a honey trap set up by enemy forces against Lu Jinzhu.

Li Xiang reported these findings and Song Guangming's suspicions to Lu Jinzhu. At the end, Li Xiang asked hesitantly, "Director Lu, should we have Director Song interrogate Comrade Dong?"

This "interrogate" was not just a casual inquiry but a formal interrogation. If Song Guangming were to get involved, the nature of the case would change significantly.

Lu Jinzhu paused for a moment and then quickly replied, "No need. The rice and apples matter was arranged by me. Dong Jiaojiao is not involved. Tell Song Guangming not to waste any more energy investigating her. Focus on capturing Cao Da. I'll handle Dong Jiaojiao's matters myself. He can rest assured."

With this assurance from Lu Jinzhu, Li Xiang felt more certain. He finally understood why the boss had suddenly married. It seemed he had been pursuing Dong Jiaojiao for a while and even arranged for her to be a source of goods for speculation.

Li Xiang also recalled the time he caught Dong Jiaojiao in disguise. No wonder the boss took her to the apartment and sent him away, leaving them alone...

It turned out they were already involved at that time.

As for whether Dong Jiaojiao was divorced at that point, it didn't matter now. She was married to the boss, and as a special assistant, Li Xiang knew not to question what was not his business.

Upon receiving the feedback, Song Guangming was similarly puzzled and had his illusions about Lu Jinzhu shattered. The old saying proved true: even heroes are not immune to the charms of beautiful women, and Lu Jinzhu was no exception.

Lu Jinzhu didn't care about public opinion; his wife's reputation was more important to him. Even if the investigation eventually cleared her name, it could still affect their relationship. He couldn't risk losing the wife he had fought so hard to marry.

So, public opinion or reputation didn't matter as much as his wife's well-being.

As for the secrets behind his wife, Lu Jinzhu decided to investigate them personally. But that could wait. The most pressing matter was picking her up from the factory.

Dong Jiaojiao, unaware of the chaos that had unfolded, was focused on when she could next talk to Lu Yao. However, with her work schedule, she could only wait until after work to get information from Lu Jinzhu.

When Lu Jinzhu came to pick her up, he was as high-profile as ever, making sure everyone knew he was married to Dong Jiaojiao. Dong Jiaojiao could only blush and hurry away amidst the teasing.

On the way home, Dong Jiaojiao eagerly asked Lu Jinzhu about the situation, but he remained tight-lipped. It wasn't until bedtime, after Dong Jiaojiao agreed to a series of unequal terms, that she learned about the dramatic events of the day.

Dong Jiaojiao was indifferent to whether Lai Mazi was dead or alive; she even preferred the latter as it would keep her actions a secret. What concerned her was Lu Yao being arrested as a spy. She was shocked to learn that Lu Jinzhu had orchestrated it.