Chapter 321: Loyalty and Filial Piety Have Never Been Easy to Have Both

"Let's talk about your situation instead."

Yu Dazhang pulled the topic back again.

If they kept going, he was afraid he'd be expelled from the sect.

"You've already laid out my situation." Hong Liuwen watched Yu Dazhang with keen interest:

"Go on, I really want to see how far you can reason it out."

He admitted it… a thrill rose in Yu Dazhang's heart.

There was another layer in Hong Liuwen's words: everything you'd said before was right.

Since he'd already admitted it in this roundabout way, why not say it himself?

He could have taken the initiative to come clean, yet he chose to let others keep guessing.

Could it be that…

He couldn't say it himself?

"You have concerns?" Yu Dazhang stared at him and asked.

Hong Liuwen said nothing, neither denying nor admitting.

"No, it's not concerns—you're worried." Yu Dazhang read his thoughts and went on:

"As a criminal investigator dealing with danger year after year, you've long been used to it, so you're not worried about your own safety."

Hong Liuwen remained silent, but his expression visibly eased.

Seeing this, Yu Dazhang felt a little more confident.

Until now, every inference he'd made rested on the premise that Hong Liuwen was "not his own master."

And now, Hong Liuwen's silence and the shift in his expression were unmistakably a confirmation of his reasoning.

This made Yu Dazhang all the more certain of his own judgment.

It also made him decide to keep digging from the angle of "not his own master."

"What you're worried about—is it your family?" Yu Dazhang asked in an even voice.

The question made Hong Liuwen's face change slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.

"The only thing I can think of that would make you throw away your bottom line is your family."

Yu Dazhang's mind was racing:

"Your parents live in the countryside back home, after the divorce you basically don't keep in touch with your ex-wife, your daughter is abroad…"

He paused here, as if something had occurred to him, and his eyes flew wide:

"The problem lies with your daughter!"

"If I were the one trying to control you, I'd go after your family too—it's the safest and most effective way."

"Going after your relatives at home, you probably wouldn't give in, but abroad is different—it's beyond your reach; you'd have no choice but to compromise."

"So those people are using your daughter's safety to threaten you!"

When Yu Dazhang delivered his final conclusion, he used a statement, not a question.

And his words made Hong Liuwen's expression change.

He stared at Yu Dazhang in disbelief:

"You actually know my situation this well—did you read my file?"

Yu Dazhang nodded:

"Your personal file isn't exactly classified; for casework needs, pulling files is perfectly normal."

He noticed that ever since the daughter was mentioned, Hong Liuwen's emotions had been especially obvious, even a touch nervous.

This confirmed his inference even further.

Hong Liuwen fell silent once more.

But this time a look of struggle appeared on his face; he was wrestling with something, or rather making some hard decision.

At this point, Lu Zhongxin and Zhang Sen's expressions also grew complicated.

Their gazes met, and in each other's eyes they both saw surprise and puzzlement.

Then their eyes, as if by unspoken agreement, settled on Yu Dazhang.

He had not only deduced that the other side was using family to threaten Hong Liuwen, but had also precisely zeroed in on his daughter.

Bear in mind, Hong Liuwen hadn't said a single word.

Simply by checking the personal file and observing Hong Liuwen's reactions, he'd reached a conclusion this quickly and accurately.

Such thinking and judgment made the two feel Yu Dazhang was sharper than before.

"Are you under the impression that once you're exposed, the other side will simply let it go and stop making things hard for your daughter?"

Yu Dazhang's face darkened:

"Given your experience and knowledge, you really shouldn't be entertaining such an idea."

"The moment you lose your usefulness, your daughter will still become a pawn they can toy with at will."

Yu Dazhang's voice dropped lower, radiating a chill that made one's blood run cold:

"As long as they still hold that pawn in their hands, you would never dare leak any information about them, nor show the slightest resistance."

"Clearly you've long been aware of this, which is why you've chosen silence all along."

Toward the end, he couldn't help but sigh.

The merciful cannot command troops, the good cannot serve as police.

That saying was embodied to the fullest on Hong Liuwen.

A police officer should sacrifice the small family for the greater one, but if Hong Liuwen truly did that, he'd lose his only child.

From this angle, Hong Liuwen's heart still wasn't hard enough.

Some people would give up everything for their loved ones, including their faith and their very lives.

As long as their family could be safe, they would pay any price.

Hong Liuwen is exactly that kind of person.

Of course, not everyone is like that.

There are also people who would sacrifice everything for their career, putting the greater good first, even giving up family ties.

Such people are rare.

But no matter which kind they are, they are all human — they simply make different choices.

Since ancient times, loyalty and filial duty have been hard to have both.

Most of the time, people act because they have no choice.

At this moment, Hong Liuwen no longer dared to meet Yu Dazhang's eyes; instead he lowered his head, rubbing his hands together without cease.

Yu Dazhang glanced at Lu Zhongxin, and the instant their eyes met, he tipped him a wink.

Lu Zhongxin understood, turned, and left the office.

When his gaze fell back on Hong Liuwen, Yu Dazhang shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

He had originally still harbored doubts about Hong Liuwen's earlier natural performance, suspecting he was deliberately putting on an act.

Only now did Yu Dazhang understand that he had not been acting — he had truly let go.

He had long foreseen that such a day would come; he had even grown a little impatient waiting for it.

"If you were me, what would you do?"

When Hong Liuwen said this, his head was still lowered, as if the question were not only directed at Yu Dazhang but also at himself.

If he could do it all over again, would he still make the same choice?

"I refuse to answer any questions about human nature."

Yu Dazhang looked at him coldly:

"On questions like this, no one can give an exact answer, because a person can never guess what tomorrow's self will be like."

The meaning he expressed was very simple.

It was like when teachers at school would ask students: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Most answers were: a scientist, a musician, or some wanted to be a policeman catching bad guys.

At the time, it all sounded wonderful.

But once they truly entered society, the vast majority ended up doing the ironman triathlon: food delivery, courier, ride-hailing.

Once older, they became the three auspicious treasures: security guard, janitor, nanny.

Those who actually became scientists were few and far between.

Therefore, when it comes to questions about the future, there is no exact answer.

"You're too rational."

Hong Liuwen suddenly raised his head to look at Yu Dazhang, a glint flashing in his eyes:

"But the more someone like you, the more you care about family. If this kind of thing fell on you, you would definitely choose to save your family first."

(End of chapter)