'Tight hugs, teary screams': Cheng Lei's China nightmare ends

The end to her incarceration on trumped-up national security charges was achieved by quiet diplomacy which allowed the Chinese government to save face by claiming she had pleaded guilty and served out her sentence. It was the end of a three-year nightmare for Cheng, 48, and her family. She was detained by China's Ministry of State Security while heading to work in Beijing early on August 13, 2020. There was no indication previously that Cheng, a respected business journalist, might be in trouble with the authorities. Weeks before she disappeared, she posted photos on social media of her young son…