Chapter Sixty-Four: Enmity Across the World

Liu Jingye collapsed directly onto the floor. Chen Yuxin rolled her eyes and said, "Can you stop talking nonsense? Let me tell you, you've become the subject of my focused interview. But don't worry, I only want to understand you; I won't expose your secrets. So I hope you'll cooperate."

Liu Jingye smiled wryly—he really couldn't fool her.

Seeing his concern, Chen Yuxin patiently coaxed, "Come on, tell me about yourself and your experiences. Let's just treat it like a matchmaking session, okay?"

Liu Jingye said nothing. Chen Yuxin continued, "If you don't say anything, I'll just rely on my imagination and write a random article. It won't be on TV, but I'll publish it in my column. Who knows what kind of impact it might have—so don't blame me then."

Still, Liu Jingye remained silent. Chen Yuxin gritted her teeth, strode over to his computer, opened a document, and began typing furiously.

Liu Jingye watched quietly from the side as a moving, heroic tale sprang to life on the screen.

The gist was: at eighteen, he enlisted in the army, participated in many battles, distinguished himself with outstanding achievements and countless scars. After retiring and returning home, he witnessed injustice—corrupt officials and criminal gangs rampant—so he bravely stepped forward, becoming an underground judge, upholding justice in his own way, punishing evil, protecting the innocent, and safeguarding fairness.

Liu Jingye was drenched in cold sweat. Her fabricated story was barely any different from his real life. Was she making it up, or could she read minds?

"What do you think of this story?" Chen Yuxin finished quickly and snapped her fingers for him to take a look.

Liu Jingye wiped his forehead, pretending nonchalance, and said, "It's not bad, especially the first half—two points stand out. But the second half is a bit rough, too much filler, and there's an obvious loophole."

Chen Yuxin shot to her feet, her face flushed, and scolded, "Don't give me your so-called 'subtlety.' I'm not naive!"

"If you're not willing to cooperate, then forget it," she said angrily. "And this matchmaking is off. You're just a hedgehog, refusing to let me understand you at all, no sincerity."

Matchmaking? Understanding? It was clearly probing for secrets.

Liu Jingye smiled bitterly. "I also think this face-to-face matchmaking is unnecessary. Next time, I suggest you ask the guy to drive on the main road during rush hour. The worse the traffic jam, the better. You can judge his financial situation from the car he drives, his character from how he handles the jam, and his kidney function from how long he can hold his bladder."

Chen Yuxin stared at him and enunciated, "You're so annoying!"

With that, she stood up and walked straight to the door. Liu Jingye immediately followed, exuberantly seeing her out.

"Leaving already? Not staying a bit longer? Oh dear, I'm so sorry—I didn't even offer you tea. Such poor hospitality," Liu Jingye feigned. "When you see my second aunt, please say something nice about me. It's not that I don't want to take matchmaking seriously, it's just that your requirements are too much for me."

"I got it," Chen Yuxin replied irritably. He wasn't really seeing her off, just dealing with his second aunt.

Her car was parked outside—the same black cab she’d given Liu Jingye a ride in yesterday. He rushed enthusiastically ahead to the driver's side, offering to open the door for her, but Chen Yuxin hurried forward too, intent on opening it herself.

Suddenly, Liu Jingye's expression turned icy. He shoved Chen Yuxin to the ground, his hand still on the car door handle, but he dared not make another move.

"What are you doing?" Chen Yuxin fumed, suddenly knocked down, her knee scraped. She wouldn’t be able to wear skirts for quite some time—otherwise, people might think she'd been a little too wild lately!

"Get as far away as you can!" Liu Jingye said coldly.

Chen Yuxin was startled by the murderous aura he emitted, her legs instinctively scooting backward.

Liu Jingye, meanwhile, stared intently into the car. The moment his hand touched the door handle, he sensed something amiss. Now, peering inside, a glint of cold steel confirmed his suspicions.

"Go even further," Liu Jingye said, his tone reminiscent of Sun Wukong warning Tang Seng. Dressed in her suit, Chen Yuxin twisted and ran far away, feeling a strange trust in him.

Liu Jingye returned to the yard, fetched a long hemp rope, carefully tied one end to the car door handle, and slowly let out the rope, retreating step by step until he was behind his own courtyard wall.

He looked out—the distance between Chen Yuxin and the car was over thirty meters. He still signaled for her to lie down. Chen Yuxin hesitated, but, clad in her expensive suit, lay flat on the ground.

A local celebrity, a stunning news anchor, now lay in the dirt, both embarrassed and irritated. If Liu Jingye dared make a fool of her, she'd fight him to the end.

Just then, Liu Jingye suddenly yanked the rope. The car door handle pulled outward, the lock popped up—and a deafening explosion followed. The blast shattered all the surrounding windows, shaking the earth, and the car was blown to pieces, glass shards flying everywhere, instantly becoming a ball of fire.

Neighbors were alarmed, rushing out to see the blazing car gradually turning to charcoal, stunned and helpless.

Chen Yuxin scrambled up, running straight behind Liu Jingye, clutching his sleeve, afraid to move.

Helpful neighbors called the police. Firefighters arrived and quickly extinguished the fire. Once things calmed down, Chen Yuxin contacted her insurance company, reporting the incident as a spontaneous car explosion, and compensated neighbors for their broken windows.

After everyone left, Chen Yuxin's face was pale as paper, cold sweat pouring down. She hid behind Liu Jingye, not daring to glance at the scorched vehicle.

"What on earth just happened?" she asked, her voice trembling even though she had a few guesses.

Liu Jingye shrugged. "Seems you've offended someone—someone wanted to scare you."

"Scare me? This was outright murder!" Chen Yuxin said, both frightened and furious.

"Someone used a thin fishing line, one end attached to the car door lock, the other to a hand grenade. Opening the door would pull the pin and trigger the explosion," Liu Jingye explained bluntly. "Who did you offend?"

"I don't know!" Chen Yuxin protested. "I just do my job. Maybe it's because a few days ago, in a café, I secretly filmed a bureau director and an enterprise boss exchanging money, then exposed it—perhaps they're retaliating now?

Or maybe last time, when I posed as a karaoke hostess and filmed a government official's indecent behavior in a brothel.

Or perhaps it's about the hospital director I reported for taking huge kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies.

Could it be the bank executive I exposed for illegally granting loans to real estate firms?"

Chen Yuxin counted off her fingers, listing them like treasured possessions.

Liu Jingye was speechless. "I never thought the society that appears so glamorous on the surface could be so filthy underneath. And these people not throwing a grenade directly at you is already quite merciful."

"But that can't be..." Chen Yuxin analyzed. "After my exposés, these people either ended up in prison or are under investigation—the lightest punishment is dismissal and expulsion."

Liu Jingye said, "Maybe you're currently investigating something, haven't exposed it yet, but you have evidence that threatens someone, so they're trying to silence you."

"Recently?" Chen Yuxin thought for a moment. "Lately I've only been doing that 'Test Your Courage' show, and hosting daily news—no other investigations. If you want to talk about investigations, the only target is you... Wait, could it have been you?"

"Sister, use your brain, please! If it were me, would I have saved you?" Liu Jingye replied helplessly.

"Maybe it really was you," Chen Yuxin said, squinting. "You set the trap, then saved me at the crucial moment—scared me, then made me grateful."

"Sister, with imagination like yours, you're wasted as a reporter," Liu Jingye sighed. "But there's one problem—from the moment you entered, we've been facing each other and chatting. Tell me, if I wanted to plant a bomb in your car, would I use cloning or teleportation?"

"Maybe you have accomplices?" Chen Yuxin responded, as if she already saw through everything.

Liu Jingye felt like jumping up and screaming—this woman was too infuriating.

He simply pulled out his phone. "Let's call the police—let them investigate."

"No," Chen Yuxin quickly stopped him. "Fine, I admit this has nothing to do with you. It's probably related to something I'm secretly investigating."

"Then why did you insist it was me?" Liu Jingye asked, puzzled.

"I just wanted to blackmail you," Chen Yuxin admitted openly. "If I blame you, you'll want to prove your innocence by letting me stay close to you. Then I can seek your protection."

Liu Jingye glanced at her. "Sister, you really rack your brains for me."

"What?" Chen Yuxin snapped.

Liu Jingye quickly raised his hands. "I meant rack your brains..."

"Hmph!" Chen Yuxin snorted, her expression dimming. "I never thought they'd go so far—to try to kill me."

"Who are you investigating?" Liu Jingye asked, bewildered.

"I shouldn't say—since I don't have concrete evidence," Chen Yuxin said. "But now that they've rushed to attack me, my investigation must be on the right track. Remember I mentioned interviewing Huang Weiwei a few days ago?"

Liu Jingye nodded, and Chen Yuxin continued, "She posted on Weibo to report Liang Hong. I tracked her down and found out she said she was forced by you, with some secret in your hands, so she had no choice but to report Liang Hong. But she never revealed what leverage you had. She agreed to the interview just to prove she had nothing to do with the Liang Hong case, only that she was his lover.

The interview was conducted at her house. By chance, I saw a small booklet. She said Liang Hong left it behind, and she knew nothing about it. But from my observation, it was probably Liang Hong's ledger—recorded in special codes and language, detailing the bribes he took, his collusion with gangs, and his dealings with senior officials.

I suspect one of those people is none other than the city's Secretary-General!"