How Much Strength You Have Determines How Heavy a Burden You Must Bear

On the other side, after leaving the meeting, Director Johnson waited outside the restaurant for a while, smoked two cigarettes, gritted his teeth, and drove to Michael's house.

Michael's Wife has finished her hospital treatment. Her physical bruises and injuries have all healed. What remains is psychological treatment, which may last from three to six months, or even longer, depending on the situation.

The lengthy psychological treatment also meant substantial expenses, and Michael's work had to be put on hold, cutting off the entire family's income.

Although he still had some money in his bank account, about 20,000 yuan, he was still unable to cover the various expenses that followed.

In fact, psychotherapy is a typical rich man's disease to ordinary people, especially the poor living in the Lower District. The girls living in the chaotic streets of the Lower District have almost grown up in a state of harassment.

From verbal harassment to physical harassment, and even the possibility of violent harassment, one would think these people would all be abnormal or self-destructive, but that's not entirely the case.

Some of them have indeed gone on to self-destruction, but some are still living strong and optimistic lives.

Pain can hurt people, but it can also give them the courage to be strong. It is only because we are in darkness that we yearn for light even more. — All of the above is nonsense. Life is about living, and to live, you must be strong.

When Director Johnson parked his car outside Michael's house, he saw a police car parked on the side of the road and two police officers having afternoon tea.

They glanced at Director Johnson briefly before turning their attention back to their sweet coffee and chocolate-covered donuts.

Although Michael has left the Police Station, he is still under surveillance and cannot leave his residence unless necessary, nor can he communicate with outsiders alone.

However, considering that he had once been a licensed person, the police relaxed their surveillance on him slightly, and he did not need to have police present when he was talking to others.

Director Johnson had visited Michael's home more than once, several times in total. Each time, he felt that Michael was lucky, with a happy family and a harmonious career. The whole room was filled with an uplifting and wonderful atmosphere.

But this time, the moment he pushed open the door, a putrid smell, like that of a grave, rushed out of the room. It was unpleasant and made his mood plummet instantly.

The room was dark, and some windows were covered by curtains. Perhaps because of Michael's Wife's heartache, Michael was shrouded in darkness.

The door opened, letting in the light from outside, which brightened the room considerably and made more details visible.

Michael sat gauntly on the sofa, noticeably thinner than he had been two weeks ago, his entire body almost deformed from thinness.

His unkempt, gray stubble made him look slovenly, especially his uncombed hair, which had already turned gray. Time seemed to have sped up a little on him, making him look like he had entered old age prematurely.

Michael glanced at Director Johnson, but only for a moment before looking back at the unlit television screen, probably lost in thought.

A surge of anger rose from the soles of Director Johnson's feet. He was already considered easy to talk to in the Revenue Service, and he thought he would get along well with everyone. But looking at a guy like Michael, it was impossible not to be angry.

Even if it might seem disrespectful to others, he should at least show some gratitude or appreciation. When he was in trouble, the director himself came to visit him, yet he Short Selling him like he was invisible.

Soon, his anger dissipated. If he had really been angry, he probably would have been driven to death by those sluts long ago.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked, a hint of mockery in his voice. "To give me my final verdict?"

Director Johnson paused for a moment, then his gaze was drawn to the newspapers on the coffee table. He knew where the problem lay.

The newspapers have been discussing one thing these past two days: whether there is some personal grudge between Michael and Lin Qi, and whether Michael might use his position to settle a personal score.

The personal vendetta and the excessive use of law enforcement power are unrelated; they remain separate and isolated incidents. On the contrary, it was Michael's personal vendetta that affected the Tax Department and law enforcement departments. The more severe the public criticism of these departments was beforehand, the more remorse they felt afterward.

In addition, some people have connected Michael, his son Little Michael., and Lin Qi's past experience of reporting a theft to the police.

Michael is a mentally and physically healthy adult with clear values and independent thinking. He understands that when the media's stance begins to shift, it means that someone is behind it all.

The media clearly want to use him as a bad example; they themselves would never do such a thing because their focus is on the issue of law enforcement power.

What could make them change was the people behind them who were about to abandon them. This was Michael's takeaway from the past two days, and it was also the reason why he showed a sense of resistance towards Director Johnson.

Director Johnson remained silent, unsure how to begin. This silence only intensified Michael's disappointment and despair, making him realize that he wasn't just scaring himself; everything had come true, and he had been abandoned.

His throat suddenly felt itchy, and his voice instantly became hoarse, as if there was a layer of sand in his throat, with every word and every letter filled with a distinct grainy texture.

"Why?"

He turned to look at Director Johnson. "Why did this happen? Whose decision was it?"

Director Johnson's face flushed slightly, and he sighed, "The decision from above has put the entire system in a very passive position..."

"You're going to abandon me just because I'm being passive?" Michael said, becoming agitated. His face flushed red, white saliva appeared at the corners of his mouth, his hair and beard stood on end, and he seemed to be in a bad mental state.

Seeing Michael lashing out at him, Director Johnson suddenly calmed down and became composed. His eyes were also changing, becoming something Michael couldn't quite understand and was a little afraid of.

"You've always been impulsive and have a bad temper. I've said this about you more than once..." Director Johnson's voice carried a hint of nostalgia for the past. "Since I took office as chief, in the past ten years, complaints against you alone have accounted for more than half of the complaints in the entire Sabine City Revenue Service mailbox."

"You like to threaten your targets, you like to act arbitrarily, you like to insult or humiliate others, and you often act without proper procedures. You have too many bad habits..."

Johnson looked at Michael with a serious expression. "Don't feel wronged. This is what you deserve. I've warned you, but you always do things your own way!"

"Times have changed. This is a new era. Our society is progressing every year. In the past, we may not have been able to cleanse ourselves of our wildness and barbarity, but now we have."

"Even if you don't meet Lin Qi, you will meet someone like Zhi Qi or Mai Qi. If you don't change yourself, you will definitely stumble."

"Don't say we abandoned you, you abandoned yourself!"

Director Johnson's words made Michael calm down again, but also frustrated. He held his head in anguish. He knew that Director Johnson was right, but once this working style was established, it was hard to change.

No, it should be said to be an inherent concept. In Michael's eyes, criminals have no human rights, and he did indeed solidify his belief through several people such as Newspaper Boss.

As long as they aren't killed, they'll pretend nothing happened, because they're inherently unclean and dare not speak out; they'll just silently endure it.

Until he met Lin Qi, a criminal who used the law and the police as weapons, he was completely ruined.

He couldn't understand why it was Lin Qi, why it was him, why it was his family—that bastard didn't follow the rules! Just then, the upstairs door opened, and Michael's Wife, looking unwell, stood anxiously in the hallway, watching the two people in the Living Room downstairs.

Director Johnson glanced back, then placed his hand on Michael's shoulder and gave it a squeeze...