Chapter 814: Chapter 810: Sharing the Same Breath.
A higher official can crush a person, and Lu Hongming isn’t just a rank or two above Ye Fan, plus he’s already calling Ye Fan affably, so Ye Fan couldn’t refuse and got into the car.
Although Ye Fan hadn’t interacted much with Lu Hongming, he held a favorable impression of this deputy county head, who was capable of doing real work, had a small bureaucratic air, and was willing to help juniors—such people are as rare as pandas in today’s officialdom.
Lu Hongming started the car and asked, “Ye Fan, is your work going well?”
Ye Fan nodded, “With Director Zhao taking the lead, my workload isn’t actually heavy.”
Lu Hongming nodded and said, “I forgot to tell you, I used to work in the police department too, served as a political commissar for eight years, so seeing a young person like you, I actually feel quite familiar.”
What’s the meaning of this? Ye Fan thought, you’re a deputy county head, there’s no need to get cozy with me!
“The night before last, has your department figured out the situation with the cosmetics factory in the planning area?” Lu Hongming suddenly asked.
Ah, so this is what he’s waiting for, Ye Fan thought to himself. Just as he was about to respond, Lu Hongming added, “Conflicts in the business world involve lots of disputes and are quite troublesome.”
Lu Hongming talked about other things afterward, then dropped Ye Fan off at his residence, and when Ye Fan went upstairs, he kept pondering over Lu Hongming’s words.
In official circles, the norm is always to leave things unsaid, making people guess; it’s like a long-standing tradition in Chinese officialdom, and not even someone like Lu Hongming is an exception.
After thinking for a long while, Ye Fan roughly guessed at the underlying meaning of the deputy county head’s words.
Given that he served as a political commissar in the police department for eight years, there are certainly his informants in that department. Ye Fan’s excessive enthusiasm regarding the cosmetics factory incident probably hasn’t escaped his notice. Additionally, mentioning business disputes afterward makes the intent easy to guess: Lu Hongming is reminding, or warning, him not to get involved.
Why is he doing this? Is it a simple reminder, or a warning? If it’s the latter… does he have some connection with Hongguang Real Estate?
“This is really troubling.” Ye Fan muttered.
Wei Ziling brought over a plate of vegetables and asked with concern, “Have you caught a cold?”
Ye Fan waved his hand, “It’s nothing, let’s eat.”
The table was filled with dishes, and the waiter said, “All the dishes are here, please enjoy.” Then exited the private room.
Outside the window, the sky darkened, and the city lights began to shine.
Wang Xianzhong looked at the full table of dishes and glanced at the unopened premium Moutai, the 53-degree crown jewel of liquor, just this bottle alone was worth nearly two months of his salary. He turned to look at Wang Qiang beside him and asked cautiously, “Wang Qiang, who exactly sent you here?”
Wang Qiang chuckled, “Is it not allowed for me to treat you to dinner, my dear Deputy Team Captain Wang?”
“You?” Wang Xianzhong glanced at him coldly, “You’re probably figuring out a way to deal with me, right? Just with this meal, these dishes, and this wine, it would cost over ten thousand, even if it’s a Hongmen Banquet, isn’t it a bit too extravagant?”
Wang Qiang rubbed his head and chuckled, “Deputy Team Wang, let me give you a little hint. I do indeed have grievances against you, but that’s minor. If I want to continue mixing in the West City, don’t I still have to deal with you? The road ahead is long; foes are better resolved than kept! Moreover, I didn’t pay for this meal; my big boss did.”
“Your boss?” Wang Xianzhong remarked sardonically, “Who could possibly tame you, the Demon Lord of Mayhem?”
“Haha, look at you,” Wang Qiang glanced at his watch, “the boss will be here shortly.”
After another four or five minutes, just as Wang Xianzhong was beginning to get impatient, the door to the private room was pushed open from outside. Standing at the door was a man in a floral shirt, thin but well-built—it was the head of Hongguang Real Estate. Occasionally appearing on local TV news, so Wang Xianzhong recognized him.
“How did Wang Qiang get connected with the head of Hongguang Real Estate? What business does this person have with me?” Wang Xianzhong frowned, only to find the boss stood aside respectfully, making way.
A young man came in, with an aura that was anything but ordinary. Although Wang Xianzhong didn’t recognize the brand of the clothes he wore, he could tell they weren’t cheap.
Who could make the dignified boss of Hongguang Real Estate willing to play doorman? Wang Xianzhong was filled with shock.
The young man extended his hand, offering a polite smile, “Are you Deputy Team Captain Wang? Hello, my name is Xie Liping.”
An hour later, reeking of alcohol, Wang Xianzhong stumbled out of the private room, unsteady even walking, while Zhang Kun drove him back to his residence.
Under the apartment building, after Zhang Kun drove away, Wang Xianzhong suddenly straightened his posture, with not a trace of drunkenness left.
He took out his phone and called Fan Feipeng.
“Hey, Brother Wang, what’s up?” Fan Feipeng asked.
Wang Xianzhong said, “Captain Fan, there’s something I want to discuss with you now.”
“Yes, now. I’ll be at the usual place waiting for you.” Wang Xianzhong hung up the phone, went upstairs, returned home, and after seven or eight minutes, reopened the door, already having changed clothes, with an added baseball cap on his head.
Fifteen minutes later, Mingde Hotpot Restaurant, Room 6 on the second floor.
Fan Feipeng asked with a laugh, “Brother Wang, calling me over so urgently, what’s the matter?”
“Captain Fan, take a look at this first.” Wang Xianzhong handed over a sealed bag.
“What’s this?” Fan Feipeng asked while taking the sealed bag, opening it, and browsing through it. He first frowned but then a strange light began to shine in his eyes.
After quickly finishing the review, Fan Feipeng raised his head abruptly, incredulous, “Brother Wang, how did you get your hands on these things?!”
Within, there were photos, documents, and information all related to Ye Fan, among which, the most critical piece was Ye Fan’s personal-named investment into Mo Yan Group.
Although the exact amount wasn’t clear, more than five million had been invested so far.
These past few days, Fan Feipeng had his trusted subordinates investigate day and night, only managing to capture a slightly intimate photo of Ye Fan and Mo Xiaoyan. He couldn’t believe that a mere Deputy Team Captain of a public security detachment could outperform his subordinates, nor that Wang Xianzhong could investigate to this extent.
Wang Xianzhong recounted the afternoon’s events in detail, and upon Fan Feipeng’s questioning, remembered some details he’d previously overlooked.
“Xie Liping?” Fan Feipeng squinted his eyes slightly like an old fox, “Never heard of this person.”
Wang Xianzhong said, “Has a grudge with Director Ye, should be a prominent figure from Hua Hai.”
Fan Feipeng flicked open his Zippo lighter, “Hey, now this is getting interesting.”