[Adult City] Lonely Officialdom (Final Chapter) - 7

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Reencounter with Jiang Yan

In the morning, Zhang Bing went to President Qian's office to say hello and asked Huasheng Group to send someone to inspect the site as soon as possible. He said he would go back today to make preparations and ensure that the visitors would feel at home. President Qian smiled and patted Zhang Bing on the shoulder, repeatedly saying that Zhang Bing was cunning. He was clearly urging them to send someone, but he made it sound like Huasheng Group was organizing an employee activity, and that some people might even be grateful for Zhang Bing's attentive service. These words were too direct, leaving Zhang Bing only able to smile wryly and quickly pull Guo Zi to drive him away.

Having learned from his previous experience, Zhang Bing felt quite confident boarding the plane this time, no longer the flustered figure he had been before. But to be honest, he was still a little apprehensive. He kept his eyes glued to the seat back as he slowly moved towards his seat, as if the plane was shaking violently. And just like last time, he was the last one to board the plane. Last time, it was because he was reluctant to part with Li Huan, coupled with his fear of flying, that he deliberately dawdled. This time, however, time was really tight. After all, he had to say goodbye to Huasheng Group first, and the distance from the North Fourth Ring Road to the airport was quite far. So, the current situation arose, making everyone look at Zhang Bing with a solemn expression, wondering if something had happened on the plane. The questioning looks from everyone made him even more uneasy, after all, being afraid of heights and not daring to fly was not something to be proud of.

"Zhang Bing!" A girl's surprised voice suddenly rang out from where he had just passed, and a hand patted his shoulder heavily, startling Zhang Bing so much that his already weak legs trembled, and he fell directly to the ground. Although Zhang Bing felt a little happy about the chance encounter, he could only smile bitterly. He knew that voice all too well; he remembered it vividly from two days ago. He never expected to be tricked so badly by the same person on two separate flights, and he could only smile back in response to her smiling face. What kind of world was this, what bad luck had he encountered? He was already considering whether he should never fly again, to avoid running into this jinx again!

The woman behind him quickly grabbed his arms from behind to help him up, but she couldn't pull him up by herself, so she gave up and turned her face to Zhang Bing. Sure enough, it was Jiang Yan, the rich girl who had called him a clown and slapped him last time, the one who loved to daydream. Her delicate face was filled with sadness and regret. "Zhang Bing, I'm sorry, I was so happy to see you just now, I'm really sorry! Get up!" Zhang Bing slowly stood up, holding his shoulders, and could hear her muttering, "Who knew you were weaker than a girl, so frail, not like a man at all!" Zhang Bing was so angry that he really wanted to slap her back.

The passengers in the cabin were initially quite anxious when Zhang Bing fell, ready to help and even defend him. However, upon realizing it was a beautiful woman's doing, they backed down, prepared to watch the drama unfold, or perhaps step in at a crucial moment to win the woman's favor. It turned out the two knew each other; it was just a playful scare. Many shook their heads and went back, no one mocking Zhang Bing who had fallen to the ground in fright. Some even seemed quite envious seeing Zhang Bing, half-lying on the woman with one arm, perhaps thinking they could take advantage of him. Initially afraid of being laughed at, Zhang Bing paid special attention to the expressions of those around him. He found the envious looks strange, and noticing their furtive glances at those around him, he suddenly understood. Bored anyway, a clever idea struck him: he would play a joke to get revenge on Jiang Yan.

"Miss Jiang, I haven't settled the score with you from last time, and now you've embarrassed me again. What are we going to do?" Zhang Bing pretended to be in a lot of pain from the fall, leaning his body towards Jiang Yan as much as possible. He even took the opportunity to "intimately" whisper in her ear, making onlookers stare with envy.

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't talk in my ear, it tickles!" The simple-minded Jiang Yan hadn't noticed Zhang Bing's deliberate actions. She was focused on supporting his body, panting heavily. Her nose and ears immediately turned red from the effort, making her look even more beautiful. "You rascal, I didn't expect you to be so heavy. Let me help you to your seat. Where is it?"

Zhang Bing handed her the plane ticket he was holding. "Here, I'm counting on you! You know I'm not used to flying!" Then he whispered in her ear with a sly smile, "You have to take responsibility for me! Ah, it smells so good!"

The words were incredibly ambiguous, and with those actions, even the naive Jiang Yan knew he was deliberately trying to take advantage of her. She almost slipped her hand away. She was about to push him away when she heard this despicable man seemingly talking to himself in her ear, "He slapped me the day before yesterday, called me a clown, and then deliberately made me take someone home without paying for the ride. What's even more infuriating is that he forced me to go to the hospital in the middle of the night to treat someone's injury, which was just a few scrapes and a little blood, nothing serious. Now he's made me fall down but doesn't care if I live or die. Isn't this man heartless?" Zhang Bing deliberately said this to her, knowing the girl's weakness of kindness, so that she would feel guilty. This way, she would have to endure her shyness and anger and at least get herself to her seat. Making a beautiful woman willingly take advantage of you in public made Zhang Bing somewhat proud, and it was also a small revenge on this woman, haha.

Kind-hearted Jiang Yan didn't shake him off this time. She just glared at him and reluctantly helped him to his seat. Once there, she didn't complain. Instead, she spoke very kindly to a young man next to Zhang Bing, "Brother, could we please switch seats? My friend is injured, and I need to take care of him!" She then gave Zhang Bing a deliberately gentle look. The young man was flattered by the beautiful woman's request. Without a word, he took his things and left. He had witnessed the whole incident and knew where the woman's seat was. To leave a good impression, he politely said to Jiang Yan as he left, "Miss, you are so kind. I, Hu Huanian, greatly admire people like you who are beautiful, kind, and thoughtful. It's a pleasure to meet you!" He then placed his business card in Jiang Yan's hand, smiled calmly, and left.

As soon as the others left, Jiang Yan's expression changed immediately. She sat down close to Zhang Bing, placed her hand on his waist, and, feigning intimacy, leaned closer to him, pinching the soft flesh on his waist and gradually increasing the pressure. "Weren't you going to take advantage of me? Now I'm sitting next to you, so hurry up and do it!" Seeing Zhang Bing wince in pain but too embarrassed to show it and become a laughingstock, she continued to move closer to him. "I'm just afraid that some people might take advantage now, but won't be alive to enjoy it later. The plane is flying so high, so high, one wrong move and you could crash and die, hehe, so scary, I..." "I'm so scared, you have to protect me!"

Hearing this, Zhang Bing's heart trembled. He immediately understood the clever girl's intentions. Jiang Yan's kindness and innocence didn't mean she was stupid and easily manipulated. Having witnessed the darkness of officialdom since childhood, she was very shrewd. She changed seats and stayed next to Zhang Bing. Once the plane took off, she only needed to whisper a few words in his ear about how scary flying was and some stories of plane crashes. Zhang Bing's already somewhat fearful heart would definitely darken, possibly even to the point of vomiting and going crazy. This was a sure way to exploit his weakness!

Although Zhang Bing knew that the kind-hearted Jiang Yan wouldn't actually do something so evil, he dared not joke with her anymore. He immediately pitifully raised his hands in surrender, moving away from her. "Alright, alright, Miss Jiang, I surrender. I was just joking with you. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me, okay?" He muttered under his breath, "I wouldn't dare to really offend you. I'm afraid your family will point a gun at my head!" This last sentence was also said intentionally, just to lighten the mood and make the girl happy. Women are easy to talk to when they're happy.

Zhang Bing's pitiful appearance and the last joke obviously worked, making the girl smile triumphantly. After all, she had only said it casually, trying to scare Zhang Bing and save face. Besides, she had already made him feel enough pain from pinching him earlier, so she naturally knew when to stop. "Fine, you got off easy. Let's see if you dare to do it again next time." After saying that, she pinched him hard again before letting go.

"By the way, what a coincidence that we've run into each other again? Did your grandfather get better so quickly?" Zhang Bing didn't dare continue the topic and began to change her mind.

"I get so angry just thinking about it! It was all my dad's doing to trick me into going back. My grandpa has some minor health issues, and when I got back, I felt something was off. I pressed him for details and found out I'd been tricked. So I only stayed with him for a day before coming back. I don't want to be locked up in that cage at home again, haha!" Jiang Yan said excitedly. After all, she'd uncovered her father's scheme and even gotten her usually stern father to admit his mistake and promise not to bother her for a year. Of course, she was overjoyed—freedom was everything! "Oh, right, I was going to call you after I found out about this, but then I remembered you didn't even leave me your number! I'm so angry!" She then lunged at him to pinch him.

Leaving you my number? That's like asking for trouble! I don't want your dad pointing a gun at my head! Of course, Zhang Bing could only think this to himself; saying it aloud would definitely get him killed by Jiang Yan. Thinking of this, he recalled the scene of taking Jiang Yan home.

When Jiang Yan took off her coat to check her arm injury in the taxi, she was shocked to find that it was quite serious. Five finger claw marks were clearly visible on her fair arm, deep enough to expose the flesh. There was also a lot of blood on her arm, even staining her underwear. It was a shocking sight, and Jiang Yan screamed in fright. She cried and demanded that Zhang Bing compensate her for the damage and take her to the hospital immediately. In fact, Zhang Bing found that the wound only looked scary and was not serious. However, since he was the one who caused the trouble, he had no choice but to agree to her request. He then used Zhang Bing's phone to tell her that her family would be home later. Only after a thorough examination at the hospital confirmed it was a minor injury and received treatment did the girl cheerfully tell Zhang Bing that she knew it wasn't serious and would be fine in a few days. However, she was afraid her family would worry if they saw it when she got home, and they would definitely drag her to the hospital for a very detailed and troublesome examination. So, she had to come to the hospital first to appease her family, which was why she had dragged Zhang Bing along. "Don't look so miserable. You scratched my arm like this, and I haven't even settled the score with you yet. Consider this interest!" the girl teased him, leaving him only to smile wryly. Guo Zi was still waiting for him at the hotel! But little did he know that even bigger trouble was yet to come. At the villa entrance, a middle-aged man with two young men was already waiting there, undoubtedly having received a call to pick up Jiang Yan. The middle-aged man greeted Jiang Yan, telling her to wait a moment, then turned to Zhang Bing, who was about to have the driver leave. "Young man, I need to trouble you with something. Let's talk about it. It'll be quick!" Although his words were polite, there was a hint of command in his tone.

"I am Jiang Yan's father." Leading Zhang Bing aside where no one else could hear, he introduced himself, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read aloud, "Zhang Bing, from Changxiang County, Hunan Province, a rural resident. He has parents and a younger sister. He worked in Beijing for five years in personnel management and is currently the village head of Songshang Village, planning the development of Hongqi Lake. Is the information I provided correct?"

Zhang Bing was taken aback. His first reaction was, "How does he know this? I don't know him." But his ingrained habit quickly calmed him down. Thinking about it carefully, he couldn't help but laugh. This man was a high-ranking official; checking his information would be a piece of cake. He must have found it using his phone number, after all, Jiang Yan had used his phone to call home twice. He could only marvel at the girl's family's wealth and his parents' doting on their daughter, while calmly looking at the middle-aged man, "Uncle, the information you've gathered is very detailed, but what's the use of it?"

"If you have nothing to hide, then it's useless!" The middle-aged man's tone remained calm, but the glint in his eyes almost made Zhang Bing unable to meet his gaze. "Can you tell me what happened tonight, and what happened to my daughter's hand injury? I have the hospital records; it seems someone grabbed her. As far as I remember, you two didn't know each other before."

Hah, so they suspect me of having designs on his daughter. I guess this kind of thing has happened many times before, which is why they're always so suspicious. Zhang Bing could only briefly recount what had happened since boarding the plane, then looked at him with a wry smile, "Uncle, I understand your concern for your daughter. Don't worry, I have no ulterior motives. Can I leave now? I have urgent business to attend to."

"You're very clever, and you seem quite helpful, not bad!" The middle-aged man, who had been listening to him with a very serious expression, finally showed a slight smile, but it quickly turned stern again, "I only have this one precious daughter, so please forgive my rudeness tonight. However, I still have to tell you, don't try anything with my daughter, and don't come looking for her again, otherwise, the guards at the door will have their guns pointed directly at your head!" Then he turned and left.

Zhang Bing knew there was no need to tell Jiang Yan this, otherwise her father wouldn't have needed to avoid talking to her, so he just smiled and said, "Why do you need my phone number? We've only met once, we're not even friends."

This remark, "I'll help you get projects

," displeased the girl. She looked at Zhang Bing carefully, tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then looked seriously into Zhang Bing's eyes. "You don't seem like such a heartless person. Did my father say something to you last time?"

Zhang Bing smiled but didn't speak, which made Jiang Yan even more suspicious. Last time at the villa, she hadn't expected her father to come and pick her up personally, and even pulled Zhang Bing aside to chat for so long. At first, she thought her father wanted to thank Zhang Bing, but then he pulled her away so quickly that she didn't even have time to say goodbye to Zhang Bing, which made her suspicious of the conversation. She was the only daughter in her family, and her grandfather doted on her, so she held a very high position in the family and even the entire clan. From childhood, she had been heavily protected by her family. Ever since her father exposed a senior in university who used his relationship to try and get a government job, to prevent her from being hurt again, her family frequently investigated and warned young men who approached her, even threatening a few with ulterior motives. Because her family's intentions were good for her, the intelligent girl didn't say anything even though she knew, which only strengthened her resolve to leave the protection of her family and live independently.

"Hey, say something! Is it really my dad who forbids you from dating me?" the girl still wanted to confirm.

Unable to answer the questions directly, Zhang Bing gave a vague reply, "What your father told me doesn't matter, right? I was just telling the truth. We've only met once, and you didn't ask for my phone number then." He then added a joke to change the subject, "I thought you didn't want to pay me back for the ride, so you didn't want to contact me."

Jiang Yan had indeed been worried that Zhang Bing would pester her because of her family's power, which was why she hadn't asked for his contact information. Besides, it's embarrassing for a girl to ask someone for a number. So, when her father pulled her away, she didn't insist on contacting Zhang Bing again. But she didn't expect them to meet again so soon. Reflecting on her interactions with Zhang Bing, she felt that he was quite interesting and didn't seem to have ulterior motives. So, she was considering continuing their relationship. After all, it was boring for her to be alone in Changxiang County without any friends. Having Zhang Bing as a friend might be nice to talk to. With this thought in mind, the girl was somewhat eager for the man's approval.

"Who said I'm renegeting on my debt? Tell me, how much did it cost? I'll pay you back! But—" The girl's eyes darted around, "We're friends, you can't let a young lady pay for the fare alone, can you? How about we split the bill?"

"Forget it, you said we're friends, paying for a friend's fare is nothing, no need to split it." Zhang Bing was naturally embarrassed to let Jiang Yan actually pay, and seeing that he had achieved his goal of changing the subject, he decided to do her a favor.

"Haha, now that you say we're friends, you were wrong about what you said earlier, weren't you? Since we're friends, you can't refuse to ask me for help in the future." The girl had a smug look on her face, as if she had tricked him, and then she stretched out her hand to him, "Give me your phone!"

What a cute girl! Zhang Bing admired her inwardly, knowing her little tricks, and obediently handed her his phone. Sure enough, Jiang Yan saved her number on Zhang Bing's phone, then dialed her own number and saved Zhang Bing's number as well. Then, she held up both phones with a smug look on her face, "Now we have each other's numbers, so you can't not answer the phone! I still want you to take me out to play. I don't know anyone in Changxiang County, and there are no classes scheduled for me at school. I'm so bored."

"How could I not answer Miss Jiang's call!" Zhang Bing took his phone, increasingly feeling that Jiang Yan and Ma Pei had many similarities in personality. Perhaps if the two got to know each other, they could become good friends. "However, I don't have time to play with you right now. I've been very busy lately. I told you about my work last time. The project investment hasn't been secured yet, so how could I have time to play?" Zhang Bing didn't need to explain so clearly, but he was afraid the girl would pursue him. She had told him some things last time, so he decided to say more to make it more believable. Besides, this girl was very approachable, making people unconsciously want to talk to her more.

"By the way, you said last time you were in a hurry to come to Beijing to attract investment. How's it going? You're going back so soon, are you having some difficulties?"

"Hehe, can't you say something nicer? Superstitious people will be driven crazy by you! I've reached an agreement with someone, and they'll be coming to inspect in a few days, so I have to entertain them and don't have time to play with you. Besides, the investment isn't enough, and after entertaining them, I have to go to other places." Zhang Bing was basically certain that Jiang Yan's trip was going to happen in the next few days, because she herself said that the school hadn't arranged any classes for her yet, and she had just arrived and everything was new to her. In order to avoid causing trouble, he explained to her in great detail.

"Wow, you have to go to other places? You've got quite a bit of influence, little village official! By the way, how big is your project, and how much investment is needed?"

"It's the largest reservoir in Changxiang County, with an area of about 6,000 mu of land, and the investment is about 1.5 billion yuan!" Zhang Bing was very familiar with these numbers and could answer them off the top of his head. Then he looked at the girl strangely, "Why are you asking these questions? Are you going to invest too and help me complete my mission?" The last sentence was obviously a joke.

Jiang Yan certainly wouldn't invest; she was just asking casually. But the question ignited her pride, and she remembered her parents' reasons for opposing her independence: Jiang Yan had never been independent before, and they feared she couldn't even make ends meet on her own. A young woman is also afraid of being cheated and taken advantage of. If she could help Zhang Bing secure investment, her parents would be astonished. They wouldn't be able to say she lacked independence anymore. If she could "scam" other people's money, who would dare say she couldn't be independent or suffer losses? Thinking this way, she was actually tempted. After all, many of her classmates and friends came from wealthy families, some even owning their own companies. She felt she had some resources she could utilize.

"I can't invest, but can't I at least help you secure investment? Tell me about your project, especially its unique features, and see if I'm interested," the girl said confidently, her mind already made up.

"Hehe, you're just a little girl, a rich young lady, how can you beg for investment like us common folk?" Zhang Bing thought she was throwing a tantrum, so she continued to joke. "But, since I'm bored anyway, I might as well tell you."

During Zhang Bing's narration, Jiang Yan actually noticed her interest. "You just said that your family has wooden houses and bamboo-walled buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties? Are these things within the scope of investment and development?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, the girl felt completely bewildered. These should be cultural relics, right? It seems that the local government hasn't clearly protected them and can demolish and use them at will. Isn't the cultural relics bureau being too negligent? However, if these cultural relics can really be used for investment and development, there are indeed many people who would be interested. She had heard about this when she was in school. Several of her classmates used their family connections to invest in real estate using some cultural relics and made a lot of money. Hehe, this investment is even more certain. "Zhang Bing, let's talk. When are you free? I'd like to visit your home. I've never been to the countryside before, and I'd love to go for a visit. Is that okay?"

Now Zhang Bing was in a dilemma. She had promised her father she wouldn't bother her and was trying her best to avoid it, but now this girl wanted to visit her home, using the excuse of investment. She couldn't keep saying she was too busy at home, could she? Fine, she'd go. It was her own idea; her family couldn't blame her for pestering her. "Okay, after I'm done with my work these next few days, call me next week when you want to come, and I'll come and borrow you."

"Yay! Finally, somewhere to go! By the way, can I stay at your place? You can't expect me to go back the same day, can you? What's the point of having fun then?" The girl had solved a major problem and started bargaining for her rights.

Unexpectedly, this girl was taking advantage of her kindness. Zhang Bing regretted getting into trouble. She could tell from the last time she hitched a ride with her that once this girl started relying on someone, she would become increasingly demanding, completely disregarding the potential harm others might cause her. How could she have forgotten that? He could only refuse jokingly, "That won't do. If you stay at my place, the neighbors will think you're my girlfriend, which is bad for your reputation. Why don't you just leave?"

"No way, I won't be back that day anyway. Staying at your place is fine too, you decide!" Seeing the man's bitter expression, she was a little annoyed, "Is this how you treat investment prospective investors? Maybe I really can bring you investment!"

Zhang Bing could only smile wryly, "Fine, fine, I'll arrange it. I'll make you an investor, okay, Miss?"

"You don't trust me that much?"

"I didn't say that!"

"You just don't believe me! Humph, let's make a bet. If I bring you investment, you'll have to spend half a month with me, and you'll be available whenever I call, no excuses, no arguments!" The girl was angry. From childhood, she had always been treated like a child and looked down upon. She wanted to prove everyone wrong. "You still have investment materials, right? Give me a copy!"

"Alright, Jiang Yan, stop fooling around. I still need the information I have. I believe you can help me attract investment. I'll play along with you from now on, okay?" Zhang Bing, of course, didn't believe her, but arguing with a woman out of spite was the most foolish thing to do.

"You obviously don't believe me, hmph, give me the information or not? If you don't, I'll find your weakness—" An angry woman is very serious. Jiang Yan's hand was already on Zhang Bing's waist, ready to give him a taste of his own medicine.

There was no other way; this girl had found his Achilles' heel. He had no choice but to take out the information from his bag and hand it to him. "This is still in the confidential stage for now. You can't just show it to anyone!" Zhang Bing was telling the truth. It contained a lot of county plans and policies that had not yet been made public.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely get investors to come and inspect your project within half a month, or I'll be a dog!"

Chapter 41 Airport Horror

Li Huan's mood was very complicated. Watching Zhang Bing and a pretty girl walking out of the airport terminal chatting and laughing, she felt like her emotions had been overturned.

Last night, Zhang Bing's last words on the phone shocked and terrified her once again: Was I running away and hiding something? He actually told me directly that he missed me, that he liked me—was that even possible? All along, she had wholeheartedly played the role of an older sister, always thinking of him, to make up for the guilt she felt towards her deceased younger brother over the years! But even her father could see that her feelings for Zhang Bing went beyond sibling affection. Although she had denied it to her father, could she deny her own heart? Those romantic nights and their intimate moments remained vividly etched in her mind, seeping into her very bones. She was a normal, still relatively young woman; she could feel her own needs. After that long, passionate kiss that night, she clearly felt that her role wasn't that of an older sister, but that of a woman, a woman who was flirting with a man, hoping to gain his affection. She was somewhat disappointed by Zhang Bing's honesty, his insistence on carrying her back to her room to sleep, his desire to sleep with her. She didn't know what kind of emotions had led her to say those shameful words. She was a very conservative woman, even if she occasionally acted provocatively to vent her frustrations. Looking back now, perhaps she was genuinely following her heart and hinting at her desires to that man. At that time, she didn't see Zhang Bing as a younger brother, but as a man—a man who could fulfill her needs, satisfy her physical desires, and give her love! Perhaps she wanted to use that night's indulgence to completely shatter the cage of sibling affection she had built for herself. Unfortunately, Zhang Bing respected her. Although she saw deep desire in his eyes, he still restrained himself and respected her decision. He was a good man, a good younger brother! After uttering this thought, she secretly changed her underwear, which was soaked with the desires of the night, and decided from then on to truly be a good older sister: this man respected her so much, she couldn't not think of him. She already had a child and was older than him; how could she selfishly possess his feelings? She only asked that this man remember her forever, that she be by his side as an older sister at all times. She would be content. She really couldn't ask for too much; that wouldn't be good for him, with his promising future! So, knowing Ma Pei's feelings for her, she decisively acknowledged his position. She had always wholeheartedly cared for her younger brother, even when she occasionally acted or behaved in ways that crossed the line of sibling affection, she deliberately avoided thinking about it. But now, Zhang Bing had confessed his feelings for her. How should she react? The struggle between resigning and her feelings was intense; she barely slept last night, but ultimately couldn't make a decision and could only let things take their course.

She didn't know the girl and knew it couldn't be Ma Pei. So, was she Zhang Bing's confidante in Beijing? He knew she would come to pick him up, and now he was showing up with that girl, looking very intimate. Was what he said last night a lie? Or was he angry that she hadn't responded to him last night and had truly decided to treat her as his older sister? The intense struggle from last night continued, and she didn't even notice Fei Fei breaking free of her hand and running towards Zhang Bing until Fei Fei shouted "Brother, Dad!" and jumped into Zhang Bing's arms, riding on his shoulders, bringing her back to her senses.

Zhang Bing and Jiang Yan chatted happily on the plane, even forgetting they were high in the air. It wasn't until the plane landed that he realized he felt no discomfort whatsoever, having completely forgotten about his fear of heights. This excited him greatly. Jiang Yan teased him, saying it was all her doing, "Without a beautiful woman like me chatting with you, would you have forgotten about your fear of heights? And yet, this guy is so ungrateful, always making excuses for a beautiful woman's requests, humph!"

Zhang Bing knew she was still angry about his disbelief in her ability to secure investment, so he simply ignored it. He figured the girl's temper would pass quickly. "I'll have a car pick me up later. Let's say goodbye here. Call me when you have time!"

"What? You're leaving me all alone? How can you be so heartless? You just said we were friends!" The girl didn't care about anything else anymore. This man was so unfair! How could he treat such a beautiful woman like this? It was clearly bullying her! She felt she'd gotten used to clinging to Zhang Bing. "No way, as a friend, and since I have no relatives or friends here, how can you let a young woman go home alone?"

"Ugh, so what do you mean? You're not going to make me take you home again, are you? This time you have money and a phone!" Zhang Bing smiled wryly. This was a big problem. He didn't know what Huan Jie would think when she saw him, but it seemed she was definitely going to cling to him. Jiang Yan never treated her best friends politely once she developed feelings for someone—she herself had said this when analyzing her own personality, and Zhang Bing had confirmed this possibility through observation.

The girl smiled slyly, quickly took out her wallet and phone and stuffed them into Zhang Bing's trench coat pocket, then spread her hands. "Okay, now I'm broke again. You can't just leave me to die, can you?"

Ugh, in her twenties and still playing childish tricks. Zhang Bing knew further words were useless, so he waved his hand and led the way into the passageway. Seeing that he had given in, the girl followed him triumphantly, as happy as a lark.

Zhang Bing had just hoisted Fei Fei onto his shoulders and hadn't even introduced her to the girl beside him when the phone rang. He answered with a chuckle, "Director Deng, hello! When do we have time to get together?"

The voice on the other end was urgent. "Zhang Bing, don't ask any questions. You're in danger! Someone's plotting to beat you up at the airport. Get out of there!" Then the call ended abruptly.

Danger? Plot? This joke was too much! And in a public place like an airport! That was Zhang Bing's first reaction. He hadn't offended anyone, nor had he prevented anyone from gaining anything. Why was the other person calling him? But then he realized something was amiss. Deng Chunguang was the deputy director, and they weren't that close. He wouldn't joke like this, especially since the other person's tone was genuinely anxious and concerned. Zhang Bing's heart skipped a beat. He quickly grabbed Jiang Yan's hand and dragged her straight to Li Huan. He shoved Fei Fei, who was happily playing on his neck, into Li Huan's arms, pushed the two women aside, and shouted loudly to the two bewildered women, "Run! It's dangerous here!" In Zhang Bing's mind, even if there was a conspiracy, it was aimed at him. He couldn't let the child and the two women get hurt.

But danger had already arrived. While the two women and the child were still stunned by Zhang Bing's sudden expression and words, more than ten young men who looked like thugs had already surrounded them, forming a circle around the four of them and looking at them with strange smiles.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Bing knew from the commotion that he was in for a rough time, and that the women and children would be in trouble too. He quickly pulled the two stunned and panicked women behind him and demanded an explanation. He could only hope that the airport security would notice the anomaly soon; he couldn't count on anything else for the time being. He hoped to play dumb and talk to these people to buy some time. He dared not even think about calling for help; any rash action might provoke an attack. So he secretly stopped Li Huan from making a phone call.

"Heh, what are you doing? Zhang Bing, right? You should know what's going on!" A tall, blond-haired young man, seemingly their leader, looked at Zhang Bing with a sneer. "You've offended the wrong people, so you're just asking for trouble. See if you can even remember anything?" Since his men had surrounded their prey, those outside couldn't see what was happening inside, so the blond-haired man wasn't in a hurry. He enjoyed teasing his prey and seeing them tremble.

"I don't know, please explain! You must have mistaken me for someone else." Making conversation, Zhang Bing could only stall for time.

"Oh, you don't know? Very well, I thought it was just you, but I unexpectedly saw such a beautiful woman along the way. Brothers, an unexpected gain!" The blond-haired man stepped forward arrogantly in front of Zhang Bing, then prepared to bypass Zhang Bing and harass the woman behind him. "Haha, one innocent, one gorgeous, I'm really lucky today! Let's touch this tender chick first, she seems to be a virgin, pretty hot!"

Zhang Bing hurriedly rushed over to stop the dirty hand reaching for Jiang Yan's beautiful face, no longer caring about anything else, and shoved the blond-haired man aside. The blond-haired man never expected that Zhang Bing, a skinny scholar, would dare to resist. Caught off guard, he almost fell over from the push. After regaining his balance, he grinned maliciously, "Hehe, kid, you're pretty tough, daring to push your grandpa? Little Five, Little Six, this kid is yours, pin him to the ground and watch me play with his woman!" He then continued towards the terrified Jiang Yan.

A shout rang out from the crowd, and two burly, menacing-looking youths emerged. They weren't very tall, but were muscular and well-built, clearly typical thugs. They exchanged a glance, then approached Zhang Bing with disdain; one even beckoned to him with a finger. By the time Zhang Bing was trying to stop the blond-haired man, the two were already beside him. One threw a punch straight for his eye, the other a kick aimed at his abdomen—the attacks were ruthless. Although Zhang Bing had never fought before and was quite thin, most rural people had some strength, and he was relatively agile and sturdy. He knew that fighting these two was pointless; his main priority was to stop the blond-haired man from harming the woman. If he could keep the blond-haired man occupied, his men wouldn't touch the woman. So, he twisted his body to dodge the kick to his waist and abdomen, choosing to use his left arm to block the incoming punch. Ignoring the pain in his left arm, he used the momentum to charge at the blond-haired man, who was already close to Jiang Yan. However, he underestimated the two thugs' abilities. The two were frequent fighters, and if they let Zhang Bing escape so easily, they would be finished. After taking a punch, Zhang Bing had just started to move when a series of kicks swept towards his feet. He jumped up to dodge and kicked the man's thigh in the process, but was hit hard on the back of the head, making him see stars. He stumbled forward and was then punched directly in the abdomen by the guy who had pulled back his sweeping kick. The pain was excruciating, and he curled up like a shrimp, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, Huang Mao had already grabbed Jiang Yan's arm, which she was using to protect herself. He leered and slowly began to grope her delicate face, uttering profanities. Suddenly, a loud shout rang out, "Stop!" Before the words even finished, two large holes appeared in the human wall formed by the thugs. Three or four men were knocked to the ground by two burly men who rushed over. One continued sweeping at the other thugs, while the other went straight for Huang Mao, lifting him up like a monkey before he could react, and slapping him twice across the face. "You're asking for it!" he shouted, then forcefully snapped Huang Mao's left arm. A crisp sound of breaking bone and Huang Mao's deafening scream of pain rang out. Then, the other burly man unleashed his full power, quickly knocking down the remaining dozen or so thugs. Even the two henchmen who were dealing with Zhang Bing were caught before they could get close, each struck on the neck and knocked unconscious. Ignoring the thugs begging for mercy, he helped Zhang Bing up and walked towards Jiang Yan.

After Li Huan anxiously wiped the blood from Zhang Bing's mouth, Zhang Bing was no longer in so much pain. Just as he was about to thank the two burly men, Jiang Yan, who had been staring at them up and down, stopped him. The girl showed no panic, but instead had a frosty expression. She frowned and asked the men rudely, "Special forces? Did my father send you to follow me?"

Only then did Zhang Bing realize that the two men hadn't even looked at him. They were just standing next to Jiang Yan, looking very serious, as if they were going to follow Jiang Yan's instructions. Jiang Yan had just been concerned about him and hadn't paid any attention to them. Upon hearing the girl's question, a slightly taller man immediately replied respectfully, "Miss, the master instructed us to follow you here to protect you, and to be at your disposal at any time!"

The girl's playful and lively demeanor when speaking to Zhang Bing vanished, replaced by an expression of knowing this all along. Her voice was even colder than before, "I don't need your protection. You two should return to the capital immediately and are not allowed to follow me. Tell my father that if he sends anyone else, I will consider it a breach of contract, and I will stay here and not go back!" With that, she ignored the two men and walked towards Zhang Bing.

Zhang Bing felt that Jiang Yan was completely unfamiliar at this moment, and was quite displeased with her treatment of her two saviors. He was about to go over and apologize to them, but Li Huan, who seemed to have noticed something, pulled him back and shoved the terrified and crying Fei Fei into his arms, preventing him from paying attention. Just then, the airport security and police, who had been suspiciously silent, finally appeared and rushed towards the scene of the incident.

Chapter 42 Investigating the Truth

The police took Zhang Bing and the dozen or so thugs lying on the ground back to the nearby police station. The two burly men who had rescued them were nowhere to be seen; given their skills, Zhang Bing figured it was understandable they wanted to slip away and avoid trouble. What annoyed Zhang Bing was that, as victims, they had been relentlessly questioned by the police for a long time. Their statements were written long ago, but they weren't released. Finally, Zhang Bing had to call Director Liu, and only after the police station chief personally apologized profusely did they finally leave.

After all that fuss, it was almost noon. Li Huan asked Zhang Bing if he wanted to go to the hospital, but Zhang Bing refused. Then he suggested going to eat first, but that was also refused. Zhang Bing felt that the airport incident today was far from simple. Judging from the situation, someone clearly hated him and wanted to take his life in revenge. Luckily, he had been rescued; otherwise, he would have died with Li Huan and the others humiliated. Now he had to investigate the matter thoroughly, otherwise, if similar incidents continued to occur, he didn't believe he would always have such good luck. Deng Chunguang had reminded him of this matter, but judging from his vague tone, he must have some reservations. Asking him directly wouldn't yield much result. However, he thought of the Zhu brothers because of Deng Chunguang's position, and of the only person he had ever clashed with, Young Master Zhu. But it was said that the guy had been detained by Director Liu at the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Back then, the Zhu brothers came to him begging for his release. Could it be that he had been released after some connections were made? Otherwise, given his crimes, he should at least be in jail for two years, right? So he had to find Director Liu immediately to find out. In the phone call just now, besides asking Director Liu to put in a good word for him, he also invited Director Liu to his house for lunch, and he wanted to bring Ma Pei along. So Zhang Bing ignored Li Huan's question and glanced at the two women before speaking very seriously to Li Huan, "Sister Huan, what happened at the airport was premeditated and aimed at me. I just received a warning call from a friend before it happened, which is why I told you to run. Now I have to investigate this matter. I just made an appointment with Ma Pei to go to her second uncle, Director Liu's house at the Municipal Public Security Bureau. I suspect this matter is related to the two of us, so I can't have dinner with you." Li Huan knew everything about Zhang Bing except for Zhang Qingyun's matter, so he told her the truth.

Actually, Li Huan had already sensed something was wrong from the situation and the conversation, but she had held back from asking. She knew Zhang Bing would tell her when she got back that night. Since he was saying this now, it meant he had a target. Ignoring her slight jealousy, she nodded understandingly, "Be careful. Do you need my help?"

Li Huan meant to use Vice Governor Li's influence, but Zhang Bing felt it wasn't necessary yet. So he shook his head, kissed Fei Fei, who was clinging to him, and handed her to Li Huan, "If I need anything, I won't hesitate to ask, Sister Huan!" Then he pointed to Jiang Yan, who was deep in thought, "Sister Huan, you've met Jiang Yan before. She's a friend I met on the plane, from Beijing. She just got assigned to teach at the county experimental high school. You two seemed to be getting along very well, so you can take her home. I'll take a taxi myself!"

“I feel quite compatible with Miss Jiang Yan. Why don’t you join us for a shopping trip to the provincial capital? I need to go shopping for my daughter.” Li Huan didn’t answer Zhang Bing’s question but instead extended an invitation to Jiang Yan. She had witnessed Jiang Yan’s capabilities at the airport and, being a member of the elite, she understood what a special forces bodyguard meant. Since this girl was wealthy and influential, she should be able to help Zhang Bing’s career. Therefore, she was happy to help her younger brother and took the initiative to befriend Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan was worried about how to spend her time before leaving, so she was naturally delighted to hear the invitation. Moreover, she could see that Zhang Bing cared a lot about this woman and child. She also liked the little sprite Fei Fei. Building good relationships with friends of friends is a good way to promote friendship, so she certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity. “Great! Great! I love shopping the most. It’s perfect to have Sister Huan accompany me to get acquainted with the area and buy a gift for our lovely little princess Fei Fei!” After saying that, she playfully pinched Fei Fei’s nose.

"How about this, we'll go to the provincial capital together, then we'll go out for dinner and shopping. You drive to Director Liu's house, and then come find us, okay? I still need to buy you some clothes; you don't have enough!" Li Huan finally decided on the plan.

This plan naturally received the highest approval from everyone, especially Fei Fei. She had just been frightened at the airport and had been clinging to her brother and father, refusing to get down. Now that Zhang Bing was still able to stay with her, she was naturally happy. Once in the BMW, Li Huan drove, and Zhang Bing called Ma Pei to come to Director Liu's house for dinner. Ma Pei happily agreed. Then he thought for a moment and called Deng Chunguang, "Brother Deng, thank you for what happened earlier!"

"Hehe, you're too kind, brother! Are you alright?" Director Deng chuckled on the other end.

"I'm fine. A few thugs got dealt with and are now in the police station. By the way, when are you free to grab a drink?"

"Great! I've been looking forward to treating you to drinks, brother. Last time, I was wrong to put you in such a difficult position. How about this, I know you've just returned and are busy. You'll be going home tonight, right? Let's go to your town for drinks. I need to go home for a bit."

"Alright, see you at Chunya Manor tonight! Didn't you say you're really close friends with Mayor Huang and Director Huang? Should we invite them to keep you company, a leader from the city? I'd like to get some favor from Mayor Huang!" Local officials have more influence than distant ones. If Zhang Bing could get Deng Chunguang from the city to call him "brother" in front of Mayor Huang's brothers, he'd definitely make a good impression on Mayor Huang. He didn't need Mayor Huang to think highly of him, just that he wouldn't make things difficult for him, since he'd need the town's support for future investment promotion. Besides, Zhang Bing was sure Mayor Huang was extremely busy today and wouldn't have had time to report to the mayor during the day, but not reporting immediately would be disrespectful. So, inviting Mayor Huang over for drinks would allow him to report on his work as well.

After arranging everything, Zhang Bing dropped off the women on a famous pedestrian street in the provincial capital and drove straight to Director Liu's house. Upon knocking on the door, she was greeted by Ma Pei's delighted and radiant smile. Ignoring her aunt's gaze behind her, she rushed into Zhang Bing's arms, and after a while, blushing, she took his long-awaited arm and led him inside. The food was already on the table. Director Liu and his wife chuckled at their happy niece for a while before calling to Zhang Bing, "Come on, Xiao Bing, are you hungry? Come and eat!"

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Director Liu stopped his small talk and looked at Zhang Bing seriously. "What happened? Tell me!"

Zhang Bing put down his chopsticks and looked directly at Director Liu. "I just got off the plane this morning and was beaten up in the airport lobby. Luckily, someone came to my rescue, otherwise I would have been half-dead! The attackers were a dozen or so thugs. They specifically named me, saying I had offended someone I shouldn't have. A minute beforehand, someone called me to warn me of a conspiracy against me. With both of these things combined, I naturally suspected certain people, so I immediately came to you for help." Zhang Bing tried to downplay the incident, afraid of frightening Ma Pei, who looked tense beside him.

Director Liu's face darkened. His niece's boyfriend had been beaten up—how could this be tolerated? Although Zhang Bing didn't mention his injuries, being a veteran policeman, he could tell he had internal injuries. Frowning, he glanced at Ma Pei's worried face and still asked reproachfully, "Are you seriously injured? Why didn't you go to the hospital?"

These words startled Ma Pei, who immediately dropped her chopsticks and rushed to Zhang Bing, anxiously checking him over. "Brother Bing, where are you hurt? Are you alright? Let me see!" She then tried to drag Zhang Bing to the hospital, with her aunt chiming in.

"I'm fine, they just kicked me a few times, it doesn't feel like much," Zhang Bing quickly explained, looking at Director Liu pleadingly.

Director Liu understood his meaning and beckoned the anxious Ma Pei to sit down. "I can see you have internal injuries. You should go to the hospital for a checkup. Pei, don't worry, I'll take you to the designated hospital of the Municipal Public Security Bureau nearby later. Let's finish what we have to say first." Then he turned to Zhang Bing, "Who informed you?" "

Deng Chunguang, the deputy director of the Furong District Public Security Bureau. You introduced us at the last party. We're from the same hometown, so we know each other a bit. Last time, he even treated Ma Pei and me to dinner on behalf of his direct superior, Director Zhu. Director Zhu is the uncle of that young master Zhu we offended at the karaoke bar last time." Zhang Bing answered the question in detail, with a hidden meaning.

Director Liu understood his meaning, and thought for a moment, "Have you offended anyone else recently?"

"No, only him! Director Liu, I want to ask, has that young master Zhu been released?" Zhang Bing answered confidently.

"Oh—right, that kid should have been sentenced to two years, but his family pulled a lot of strings, and I felt you hadn't suffered any major losses, so I released him the day before yesterday." Director Liu seemed to be considering something, his expression somewhat heavy.

"Uncle, how could you release him so easily? That guy is utterly wicked, I wanted him locked up for a few more years!" Ma Pei was unhappy. She had overheard some details; it seemed that the young master Zhu had been released because her uncle had taken pity on him, and then he had sought revenge on her sweetheart, even injuring him, which made her very angry.

Director Liu ignored his niece, still deep in thought. After a long while, he finally looked up. "It seems I underestimated this matter. The important thing now is to determine whether this airport incident was a personal act of revenge by Young Master Zhu or if it was supported by his father and uncle. If it's the latter, then we're in trouble. Xiao Bing, find Deng Chunguang as soon as possible. He should know the situation. See what he has to say." "

I've already invited him to dinner tonight. He's very willing. I guess he'll say something."

"Okay, tell me the situation as soon as you're done so I can make arrangements. I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup right now. By the way, the Zhu brothers are staunch supporters of Executive Vice Mayor Lin Quanhua. Last time, it was Vice Mayor Lin who intervened, and I only let them go because I couldn't refuse." The last sentence was an explanation to his niece. After all, she was the family's darling, and if he didn't explain, he, as her uncle, would suffer if she got angry.

Chapter 43 The Three Women Gather at

the Hospital The hospital examination shocked Zhang Bing. He was diagnosed with internal bleeding in his liver and spleen, and was advised to rest for a month, with strict dietary restrictions and no spicy or irritating foods. The doctor suggested hospitalization for the best possible care and examination, but Zhang Bing firmly disagreed. A mountain of things awaited him at home; staying in the hospital for a month was worse than death. He was racing against time; any delay would postpone many things and disrupt his plans. He had given himself a year to fulfill his role as village chief, after which he had to take the civil service exam. The road needed to be repaired and the development of Hongqi Lake completed within a year—a daunting task. Therefore, he resolutely refused. Even Ma Pei's tears couldn't persuade him, and the doctor reluctantly agreed to let him go home to recuperate. His colleague prescribed a large amount of medication, mostly important and requiring decoction, which Zhang Bing shook his head at: "Where do I find the time to decoct all this? I rarely even get to be at home!"

Under Ma Pei's insistence, Zhang Bing put all his medications in the car and promised to take them on time. Only then did Director Liu leave, relieved. After all, it was he who had released Young Master Zhu, leading to Zhang Bing's injury, and he knew his niece would hold a grudge.

"Alright, are you going back to school or home? I'll take you." Zhang Bing finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Director Liu leave. Without the elders around, this little girl was much easier to deal with.

"Brother Bing, whose car is this red one? The color is so bright, you must have tricked some girl!" Ma Pei had wanted to ask this for a long time. What woman would lend such an expensive car to Zhang Bing? And Zhang Bing had just returned today, so the owner of the car must have picked him up. Their relationship must be more than just casual. The little girl couldn't be evasive for the sake of her rights.

Ugh, here we go again. Women are terrifying. They can think of so much from such a small thing. Zhang Bing had sensed something was off from Ma Pei's gaze when she saw the car, but he hadn't thought much of it yet. Now that she had asked, of course he knew what she was thinking. There was no way to hide it; he had to confess honestly. "Sister Li Huan picked me up from the airport today, this car is hers!"

Ma Pei's eyes twitched, a pang of jealousy rising in her heart. Why didn't he ask me to pick him up? He definitely values Li Huan more than me! But she didn't show it. She knew it would be unwise to show jealousy in front of the man she loved and put him in a difficult position. Instead, she seemed genuinely happy. "Sister Li Huan picked you up! She's such a good sister to you! Where is she now? Has your darling Feifei arrived yet? I really like that little girl!" This was actually her true feeling. She had heard the name so many times and longed to see her in person; she truly liked Feifei, and they had gotten along very well last time.

"They're shopping on the pedestrian street, buying some new clothes for Feifei," Zhang Bing replied helplessly, but he didn't want the two of them to meet. "I'm going to the county now to report to your father about my work in Beijing. Do you want to come with me?"

"Brother Bing, after you finish your work report, won't you have to come back to pick them up? Why don't we go to the pedestrian street first and help them buy clothes before going to the county? I'll call my dad right away and tell him you'll be late because you're helping me shop, okay? Let's set it for 5 o'clock!" The little girl, to achieve her goal, shamelessly made all the decisions for Zhang Bing, and before he could object, she took out her phone and explained everything to County Chief Ma. The county chief, of course, agreed that his daughter should spend more time with Zhang Bing.

"Okay, then let's go together." Zhang Bing understood Ma Pei's motives, so he took the initiative to invite her; it was inevitable anyway. "I'll call Sister Huan first and see where they are."

Li Huan's heart skipped a beat when she heard Ma Pei was coming. What was she coming for? To show off or to test him? She had already acknowledged Ma Pei's status, and logically, Ma Pei was now Zhang Bing's official girlfriend, while she was merely his sister. However, Zhang Bing had never admitted this. He had told her that Ma Pei had confessed her feelings to him, but he had only given her perfunctory replies and hadn't agreed to a romantic relationship with her. Therefore, the relationship between the three of them was quite complicated, and it was hard to imagine what would happen later. Moreover, there was Jiang Yan, who was more powerful than Ma Pei, just as young and beautiful, and also quite interested in Zhang Bing. Oh my god, what was she going to do? Li Huan was in a state of turmoil and had lost interest in shopping, so she simply sat there waiting for Zhang Bing to arrive.

Jiang Yan didn't have any particular thoughts when she heard that another beautiful woman was coming; she just thought that this seemingly unremarkable man seemed to have good luck with women. But after seeing Ma Pei get out of the car, some ideas began to form in her mind. She was very confident in her looks, so although Li Huan was also a great beauty, she was much older and slightly less attractive than her, so she didn't feel anything special. But Ma Pei was younger and more innocent than her, and their looks were comparable, which made her feel resentful. There were just too many beautiful women in the South! However, what surprised and resentful her even more was what followed. When she saw Li Huan and Ma Pei standing on either side of Zhang Bing, gazing affectionately at the man in the middle, who was also holding an incredibly cute little girl, almost everyone on the street was radiating envy. Ma Pei's brain completely shut down: This man is nothing special, so why is he so popular with two beautiful women? No, he's deeply in love with them. Does this leave no room for other men?

Zhang Bing breathed a sigh of relief. He had expected a confrontation, or even a fight, but not only did it not happen, the beautiful women got along quite well, chatting and laughing as they walked together. Li Huan and Ma Pei, in particular, were clearly complimenting each other to gain favor. They also consciously positioned themselves around Zhang Bing, standing close to him, but not with their arms around him as usual. In fact, he couldn't offer his arm to either of the two beauties, because there was an even more elegant and beautiful woman who needed to monopolize his arm: the excited little Fei Fei was riding on her brother and father's shoulders, swinging from side to side, pointing east and west! This was more advantageous for Zhang Bing, as the adults had to obey the child's every whim, and the women didn't have as much time to argue about who Zhang Bing treated better or gave whoever a second glance.

Three women, all equally beautiful and with high-ranking official backgrounds, surprisingly overcame their initial awkwardness and quickly became acquainted. Perhaps it was their similar backgrounds that made their views and topics quite compatible, and they chatted more and more happily. At first, the conversation focused on Zhang Bing, since all three women knew each other because of him. But later, Zhang Bing could barely get a word in edgewise, and even when he spoke, he was met with collective disdain from the three women. Well, it was good; he hadn't played with his precious Fei Fei for several days. Taking advantage of this brief time, Zhang Bing wholeheartedly cultivated a relationship with Fei Fei, completely dissolving the little resentment the princess held towards him. Of course, they also had another task: to keep trying on clothes picked out for them by the three women. After the women nodded in approval, they would pack the clothes and take them away. Zhang Bing felt he had enough clothes and didn't want any more, but Li Huan, acting as his older sister, gave him a stern lecture: "What are you muttering about! Three beautiful women are shopping with you, and you're still complaining? Don't be ungrateful! Your clothes are so tasteless, I don't like them at all. You're going to be someone important in the future, how can you dress like you're in the countryside? You're just here to be my clothes hanger today, and you'd better shut up!" Zhang Bing, looking pathetic, pretended to be pitiful and stopped talking. The two beautiful women and the younger one next to them laughed without any regard for their image. Even Li Huan couldn't help but laugh and chased after Zhang Bing, pinching him a few times to vent her anger. They only stopped when they couldn't carry any more, and even agreed to come back together next time. Zhang Bing was completely dumbfounded!

Ma Pei wasn't actually very happy today. After comparing herself to Li Huan, she realized that the gap between them and Zhang Bing in Zhang Bing's eyes was bigger than she had imagined. Seeing the natural family-like interaction between Li Huan and her mother and Zhang Bing, she felt a little unsure about securing the position of girlfriend. Of course, it was just a small dissatisfaction. Overall, she was still very happy because she had made two good friends, and these were Zhang Bing's brother's circle of friends. In addition, Li Huan took special care of her, so the overall feeling was still good. But on the way back to the car after shopping, that little bit of dissatisfaction finally erupted, revealing the invisible superiority of being Zhang Bing's girlfriend. "Sister Li Huan, could you please do me a favor?"

"Don't be so polite, just say it." "

You know that Brother Bing was beaten up at the airport today. Before coming here, he forced me to take him to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor said the injuries were very serious; his liver and spleen suffered internal injuries, and he needs to be hospitalized. But he disagreed, so the doctor prescribed a lot of medicine for him to take on time, otherwise the injuries will affect his health in the future. But many of those medicines are Chinese herbs that need to be decocted. I live in the county and can't take care of him. Could you help me make sure he takes his medicine on time?" Ma Pei's request was just a spur-of-the-moment idea; more than anything, it was a way for her to flaunt her status: I'm his girlfriend, you're his sister, and I care about him so much. I even forced him to go to the hospital for a checkup when I heard he was injured. I'm the one who cares about Brother Zhang Bing the most!

Before Ma Pei could finish speaking, Li Huan's expression changed. She turned angrily to Zhang Bing, who looked guilty, and asked, "Xiao Bing, what Xiao Pei said earlier was true? You suffered a serious internal injury?"

Zhang Bing knew she was doomed the moment Ma Pei brought it up; she was sure to be scolded by Sister Huan. She could only bite the bullet and answer, "Actually, it's not as serious as the doctor said. I feel perfectly fine. I'm walking around you normally, aren't I?"

"You still say it's normal?" Li Huan's eyes were already red, and tears streamed down her face. She rushed to Zhang Bing and started hitting him repeatedly. "I told you to go to the hospital, but you wouldn't go and said it was nothing. If Xiao Pei hadn't pulled you to get checked out, how could I face you if you had health problems later? You bastard, you're the one who makes me so sad!"

The others quickly stepped forward to stop the angry and remorseful Li Huan. Once her crying subsided, Zhang Bing took the opportunity to grab her hands and sincerely apologized, "Sister Huan, don't be angry anymore. I promise I'll listen to you from now on, okay? Xiao Pei just said you should supervise me taking my medicine. I promise I'll take my medicine obediently from now on, and I'll even trouble you to brew it for me, okay?"

Li Huan had calmed down a bit. She felt a little embarrassed being grabbed by Zhang Bing in front of everyone, so she didn't scold him anymore. They just agreed that she would take the medicine for a week and then go for a follow-up check-up. If her injury didn't improve, Zhang Bing would have to be hospitalized no matter what. Zhang Bing had no choice but to agree.

Knowing about Zhang Bing's injuries, Li Huan was determined not to let him work any harder. She drove herself, first taking Jiang Yan back to school, then taking Ma Pei home. However, when Ma Pei got out of the car and waved goodbye, she stirred up a hornet's nest again, "Brother Bing, don't forget we're going to your house on Saturday. You have to come pick me up early. I want to eat the best farm-style food!" Zhang Bing smiled bitterly, and when he looked back at Li Huan, his face was indeed noticeably gloomy and dissatisfied after hearing her words.

When they arrived at the county government, Li Huan and Fei Fei were waiting in the car, telling Zhang Bing to hurry back. Fortunately, County Chief Ma, understanding that he had just returned from Beijing and was exhausted, told him to keep it brief. He recounted the process of meeting the investors and learned that they would be coming to inspect the site next week, with an investment of approximately 500 million yuan. He was very pleased and praised Zhang Bing highly. "You will still be in charge of the reception. The county will allocate a special fund to your town for all expenses. I will host a banquet for them in the county when they arrive, and then your town will be responsible for their reception. Is that alright? Of course, if needed, I can also send a full-time deputy county chief to receive them. You will need to communicate with them about this. I'm just worried that assigning a deputy county chief might hinder your autonomy. You need to understand!"

This was very clear. Zhang Bing was no fool. Not only would a deputy county chief take away his credit, but if something happened and this person, who was clearly not on County Chief Ma's side, disregarded Zhang Bing's opinions and made decisions drastically, even if he went to County Chief Ma, he would be powerless. Obviously, this would reduce Zhang Bing's autonomy, so he certainly couldn't accept it. Besides, the inspection team leader was Guo Fei, and brothers can discuss anything. They probably wouldn't care if a deputy county head accompanied them.

Chapter 44 Eradicating Evil Completely

Half an hour later, Zhang Bing returned to the car. Most of the work was done, and Zhang Bing breathed a sigh of relief. His body, exhausted from the day's work, sank into the seat and didn't move for a long time. Li Huan felt a pang of sympathy, stopped the car, and gently wiped his dusty face with a damp towel. "Xiao Bing, look how busy you are today! You're working too hard; your body won't be able to take it."

"Sister Huan, there's no way around it. I have no power or influence now, and I need others' approval for everything. Of course, I have to be busy. Besides, time is tight; I can't afford to delay!" Zhang Bing felt his sister's gentleness. "Sister Huan, I'm going to sleep for a while. I barely slept in Beijing; I'm so tired! Call me when we get to Chunya Villa; they're probably already waiting." With that, he hugged the already asleep Xiao Feifei and closed his eyes.

Li Huan affectionately patted his head, took a blanket from the back seat and covered him and her daughter. Looking lovingly at the two sleeping peacefully, the thought that had lingered in her mind countless times suddenly resurfaced: If this man really were her daughter's father, how wonderful and heartwarming that would be! Alas, the child is still too young to understand the meaning of "father," and perhaps she will only ever be able to call him "brother" and "Dad"! She shook her head and focused on driving.

Zhang Bing had arranged the meeting at 6:30 PM because he was worried about things getting complicated. When they arrived, the others hadn't arrived yet, so Zhang Bing took the opportunity to discuss the arrangements for receiving the inspection team with the resort owner, Yu Jie, and chatted with his sister, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Zhang Hong, the younger sister, has always been supportive and loving towards her brother. Seeing that he looked tired, she urged him to rest more. "By the way, brother," she said, "the village is building roads and developing Hongqi Lake. There are so many infrastructure projects. Why don't you take advantage of this opportunity to start a construction team and make some money? It's better to benefit yourself than others. You can guarantee the quality if you do it yourself!" The family

's financial situation had been poor for years, and the sister was afraid of being poor, so she encouraged her brother to take some risky steps. Zhang Bing's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't the kind of arrogant fool. As long as it wasn't shoddy work, why not let relatives or acquaintances do the work? Yes, he needed to see if he could find a few reliable people in the family to handle this. He could use road construction as a small project to practice; the main focus would be on the Hongqi Lake development. He had initiated the entire investment promotion process, and he had a lot of say in it—he was confident in that. "Hehe, you make a good point. I was just too busy with work and didn't think of that before. So, do you have suitable people or a construction team?" His sister's words were definitely purposeful, and Zhang Bing, as the brother, was happy to do her a favor.

"Brother, if you agree, I want to start my own construction team. There's no future in working here." His sister had clearly thought it through carefully; her tone was firm.

"As long as you can endure the hardship, I support you. I was just thinking of finding someone from the family to do construction, but since you want to do it yourself, I feel more at ease."

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll ask my uncle to help. He's an expert, experienced, and can gather people. But you have to provide the funding; I don't have any money!" The two siblings had a very good relationship. Zhang Bing's sister had supported him through university, so she was very straightforward.

"I'll ask Huan-jie to lend you 500,000 yuan. If I bring in a project, I'll get a bonus, probably a few million. I'll pay it back then. You just focus on doing a good job, okay?" Zhang Bing made the final decision.

The two siblings immediately spoke to Li Huan about the matter. Li Huan readily agreed, as she now considered Zhang Bing family and, out of affection for Zhang Bing, treated Zhang Hong very well. She suggested that the company start off on a large, established path for future growth, and offered to provide 1 million yuan in funding. Li Huan's ex-husband had a very successful business, leaving her a substantial inheritance, so she would never have to worry about money.

After finishing their business, Deng Chunguang and the Huang brothers' car pulled up at the door. Zhang Bing and Li Huan quickly went to greet them. The others were surprised to see Li Huan there, and their gazes towards Zhang Bing became somewhat meaningful. Actually, Zhang Bing had originally planned to come alone, but Li Huan firmly disagreed, fearing that he would drink more at the banquet and worsen his injury. Therefore, she strictly took on the role of a housekeeper, warning Zhang Bing that she must be present at any future banquets until he recovered.

Zhang Bing smiled wryly to himself, pretending not to notice the stares from the others. Everyone sat down in the private room, placing Deng Chunguang in the head seat, given his high rank. Deng Chunguang, however, smiled wryly to himself; he had come to ask Zhang Bing for a favor. So he pulled Zhang Bing aside, much to the surprise of Mayor Huang and his brother, who were astonished at how many important figures this small village official knew. They resolved to cultivate a closer relationship with him in the future.

What did Deng Chunguang need from Zhang Bing? This all started with the airport incident. The Zhu brothers had orchestrated this after their son's departure. Director Zhu had arrogantly mobilized the Furong District Public Security Bureau, including two thugs who were actually police officers in disguise. However, realizing things were going badly, they fled, escaping the airport police station's attention. Since the police force had been mobilized, Deng Chunguang, who had been watching Zhu's plans to replace him, naturally knew about it. However, he wasn't sure who would win this struggle. He thought to himself: if Zhang Bing was killed, then everything would be meaningless. The Ma family would never turn against Zhu and his backer, Deputy Mayor Lin, for an outsider. So he would stay put. Even if Zhu wanted to investigate his advance warning, he could say it was a favor he should do as a friend. After all, he had only given Zhang Bing the information one minute in advance, which was practically useless. So he estimated that Zhu wouldn't pursue the matter too much. If Zhang Bing didn't die or even won, then there would definitely be an investigation afterward. The intensity of the investigation would reveal which faction had the upper hand. If Director Liu's side had the advantage, then he would help them bring down Zhu and gain both fame and fortune. But he never expected Zhang Bing's influence to be so vast. He suspected Zhang Bing had more than just Director Liu as a backer. His people at the airport told him that two special forces soldiers had taken care of the group, and these two soldiers were actually bodyguards for the girl who had come with Zhang Bing. He was stunned upon receiving the news. Special forces bodyguards? He knew very well what that meant—it was something only high-ranking officials at the provincial or ministerial level or nationally renowned wealthy individuals could possess. Therefore, he immediately decided to help Zhang Bing at all costs, even to the point of following him. He believed his promotion would be rapid, which is why he had taken the initiative to come to Chunhua Town to show his flattery and consideration for Zhang Bing.

So, after everyone was seated, Deng Chunguang was the first to stand up. "Everyone has pushed me to sit in the head seat; that's a great honor for me, and I'm quite ashamed! This meal is my own invitation to Brother Zhang Bing, so don't try to take it from me later, or I'll fight you! Alright, bottoms up, consider this a toast from me, the host!" These words left Mayor Huang and his brother speechless. What was going on?

Fortunately, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to something else. Director Deng noticed that when he toasted everyone, Li Huan had switched Zhang Bing's wine glass with her own tea glass. He immediately protested, "Director Li Huan, what's wrong with you? If you want to drink, we'll pour you some right away. You can't take Zhang Bing's glass!"

Li Huan hadn't expected her sneaky action to be discovered, so she had to be upfront, "Director Deng, you probably know what happened at the airport today. Xiao Bing was hit a few times and injured her internal organs. The doctor said she can't drink alcohol for a month, so I, as her older sister, can take your place. Is that alright?"

"Oh? Zhang Bing, where are you injured? Is it serious?" Director Deng immediately asked with concern. He had come to ask for a favor, so he naturally adopted a humble attitude. Knowing the reason, he wouldn't force Zhang Bing to drink, so he didn't ask any further questions.

Seeing Director Deng's concerned expression and the questioning looks from Mayor Huang and his brother, Zhang Bing could only smile wryly and tell Mayor Huang about the incident at the airport, while also explaining why he hadn't reported to the mayor in time. "Mayor Huang, because I spent a long time in the hospital, and then rushed to report to County Magistrate Ma, I didn't have time to report to you during the day. I was planning to report to your office tomorrow morning, but Director Deng said he was going back to our town and asked me to accompany you for drinks tonight. I thought it would be a good opportunity to report to you about my work in Beijing, so I'll stop here. Hehe, please don't be disrespectful, Mayor!" Seeing everyone's expressions of understanding, and after Mayor Huang indicated that he didn't mind, he continued, "Mayor, then I'll take this opportunity to tell you..." "Report? Well, the Beijing Huasheng Group has agreed to send an inspection team, which is expected to arrive next week. Their representative said that if the deal is finalized, the investment will be around 500 million yuan, which should meet our initial development needs. Heh, we've certainly lived up to expectations! Mayor, what do you think? Do you have any instructions regarding the reception or anything like that, so I can prepare accordingly?"

Mayor Huang naturally had no objections in this situation, and having just once again witnessed the remarkable qualities of this village official, he praised him highly and entrusted Zhang Bing with full authority, with everyone else in the town cooperating fully.

"Alright, Zhang Bing, that's enough of your report to the leadership. Let's talk about something else, otherwise I might even be tempted by what you said to join this project, haha." Director Deng quickly changed the subject. He and the Huang brothers were best friends, with an excellent relationship. Today, Zhang Bing had taken the initiative to ask them to come along, which he could interpret as Zhang Bing also wanting to use him to win over the two brothers, so he had to make a good impression. "By the way, what did Director Liu of the Municipal Bureau say about you being beaten?"

"Haha, what can he say? First, we need to investigate thoroughly. Don't we need Director Deng's help to figure out which powerful figure I offended more quickly?" Zhang Bing also probed him with a grin.

"Hehe, don't worry, I invited you here today to tell you the whole truth, otherwise it would be a waste that we're from the same hometown, and that you've called me 'Big Brother,' wouldn't it?" Turning to the Huang brothers, he said, "Mayor Huang, you're wondering how I know Zhang Bing, aren't you? Your subordinate has a lot of influence. Director Liu of our Municipal Public Security Bureau treats him like his own son, and has taken him to many of our bureau's parties. That's how we met, hehe. Oh, by the way, Director Liu is also the brother-in-law of your County Magistrate Ma. Everyone in your county's government knows Zhang Bing; he's a favorite of County Magistrate Ma, you didn't know that, did you?"

After the Huang brothers finished their polite exchanges with Zhang Bing, Director Deng continued, "Zhang Bing, you should be able to guess who's behind this. Let me give you a hint: who have you offended recently, and who's connected to me?"

This was obvious and direct. Since things were out in the open, Zhang Bing didn't mince words, "I want to know, was it Young Master Zhu's own actions, or did his uncle and father interfere?"

"Without bigwigs involved, how could the plan be so meticulous, and how could they know exactly when you'd be back?"

"Why did they arrange it at the airport?"

"The airport isn't their area of influence. Even if someone suffers because of this, it won't affect them. In Chunhua Town and the county, it's your territory, they wouldn't dare do anything; in the city, everyone in the districts knows you well, and with Director Liu protecting you, it's inconvenient; the airport belongs to Huanghua Town, the town mayor and the police station chief aren't from their faction, and their influence isn't very strong, so even if they know it was them, they can't retaliate. More importantly, the thugs they hired have deep connections with the airport police station, so even if something happens and they're arrested, they can get out quickly and won't implicate them, that's another reason."

"How do you know so much about their operations?"

"Hehe, speaking of which, this matter is related to you. You refused their request, and the Zhu brothers finally decided to side with Mayor Lin. With their powerful backing, they became even more arrogant than before, openly using the resources of our bureau. Do you think I didn't know? I was worried about you after I found out, so I kept people waiting at the airport. That's why I called you as soon as I saw you; I just didn't expect you to be even more audacious, bringing special forces bodyguards. My men didn't even have time to show up before you were finished." Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, and Deng Chunguang was a master; this was an explanation he had prepared beforehand.

"Hehe, thank you, Director Deng. Here, let me offer you tea instead of wine! I know what to do!"

"Zhang Bing, I just want to remind you, eradicate evil completely! You were too lenient with Young Master Zhu last time, so he was released in a few days, which meant his father was demoted as punishment. As a result, they dared to come and kill you! So this time, no matter what, you have to be ruthless, otherwise you'll be the one who suffers in the end. This is my advice, and also a piece of advice from my experience in officialdom! Moreover, this matter can't be handled by Director Liu alone. You have to use all your strength!" Deng Chunguang meant that Zhang Bing should use the power of the capital to suppress the situation from the capital. Let alone a district public security bureau chief, even Vice Mayor Lin would be in trouble!

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