Like dogs driven from their home, Xie Bingyi and Ye Ru hastily grabbed some cash and piled into one of the company's debt-collection vans. With Ye Peng at the wheel, they fled in panic toward the Yangqing Expressway entrance.
All her usual composure gone, Ye Ru called her sister-in-law, Li Ruoyun, from the van. "What do we do? Bingyi's affairs have been exposed online! Someone from Qingyuan just called me and said Wang Zhenghe from the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission came in person. Su Baicheng, Zheng Li, and Ji Lin have all been taken away! It's over. Everything's over!"
Li Ruoyun's calm voice came through the phone. "Don't panic. It's not that serious. Get out of Yangcheng first. I'll call Bingkun right now and discuss what to do. Where are you now? Are you safe?"
Ye Ru hurriedly replied, "We're safe for now. I've asked Peng to drive us out to Sitong Township so we can hide in the countryside."
"All right, just wait. I'll make the call right now!" Li Ruoyun said in an exceptionally gentle voice.
Then she immediately made a call.
Then Director Zhou received a call.
Then, about forty minutes later, police cars from the Patrol Police Brigade and the Public Security Management Brigade surrounded a gray van on the country road leading to Sitong.
Driven to despair, Xie Bingyi pulled out the Type 54 Pistol he carried, ready to go down fighting, but Ye Ru snatched it away.
"Give it up, Bingyi. There are police everywhere!"
Ye Ru shook her head as she spoke, her face deathly pale.
She knew perfectly well that Xie Bingyi would face certain death once arrested, but she and her brother would, at worst, receive fixed prison terms.
Husband and wife might share a nest, but when disaster struck, each