Chapter 428: Cheng Lüxing (Part 1)

Wu Ying was not inherently delicate, but her status dictated a life of comfort. In Lingxi, she was accustomed to being treated with deference; wherever she went, she was met with smiles and flowers. She had never encountered such rough treatment. In her memory, such incidents belonged to the distant era of the educated youth, not to her current reality.

Deep down, however, Wu Ying felt a vague, indescribable emotion. Looking at Hou Weidong—young, heroic, and full of vitality—she was suddenly reminded of another pair of eyes, slightly childish and lost in thought.

Her expression, however, remained stern and angry. "Make the call right here," she said. "Summon the county leaders to come here personally. Let them experience the public security situation under their own jurisdiction. Do not mention my identity. I want to see with my own eyes what these hooligans are capable of. I want to see if Chengjin County is still under the rule of the Communist Party."

Her last two sentences were heavy with implication. Hou Weidong hesitated internally. Zhang Yongtai, the Party Secretary of Chengjin County, was a trusted subordinate of Zhou Changquan. If this incident led to Wu Ying blaming Zhang Yongtai, it would certainly be an outcome Zhou Changquan did not want, nor did Hou Weidong.

Yet, the matter could not be avoided. Hou Weidong dialed Zhang Yongtai’s number directly. The result was "out of service area." Paradoxically, this made him feel relieved. Before coming to Chengjin, he had saved the mobile numbers of both the Party Secretary and the County Mayor. Unable to reach Zhang Yongtai, he called County Mayor Jiang Xiangyu.

"County Mayor Jiang, this is Hou Weidong from the Municipal Party Committee Office. Please come to the Dongmen Halal Restaurant immediately."

Jiang Xiangyu and Hou Weidong had no personal friendship; they had only met in professional contexts. Hou Weidong’s impression of Jiang was faint, but Jiang’s impression of Hou was deep. In Shazhou, there were four county mayors and three district mayors, but only one secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary.

Jiang Xiangyu was dining at the Shazhou Hotel, sitting next to Vice County Mayor Li Taizhong. The man known as "Gold Necklace" Li Dongfang was Li Taizhong’s nephew. At that moment, Li Dongfang was frequently involved in such incidents in Shazhou, and people generally turned a blind eye. Jiang Xiangyu and Li Taizhong were unaware of the current situation.

Upon receiving Hou Weidong’s call, Jiang Xiangyu was puzzled. There was no prior notice. Why is Hou Weidong here? And why so serious? Halal Restaurant… Halal Restaurant… Could Secretary Zhou have arrived? Yes, it must be Secretary Zhou. Otherwise, why would Hou Weidong suddenly appear in Chengjin?

Li Taizhong also heard the greeting. "Director Hou? Which Director Hou?"

Jiang Xiangyu, convinced that Zhou Changquan had arrived in Chengjin, did not want Li Taizhong to be present. He pretended not to hear Li’s question. Turning to the others at the table, he said, "You take your time eating. I have something to attend to." He deliberately added a coarse remark, "Damn it, disturbing me even during mealtime."

Before leaving, he told Li Taizhong, "Taizhong is the host today. You others shouldn’t just sit here like fishermen waiting for fish. Be proactive."

As he went downstairs, he noticed that many seats in the lobby were empty. Jiang Xiangyu did not pay much attention, his mind focused on one question: In the past, whenever Zhou Changquan came to Chengjin, he would notify Zhang Yongtai in advance. Why is he calling me today? This thought reminded him that Zhang Yongtai had taken the members of the Economic Construction Leading Group into the mountains, where there was no mobile signal. The city leadership likely had been unable to contact him.

An opportunity. This is an opportunity. Jiang Xiangyu felt a surge of secret joy.

The driver asked, "Should we wait for Secretary Zhu?"

Jiang Xiangyu replied, "That kid, who knows where he’s run off to. We won’t wait for him. Go straight to the Halal Restaurant."

After the car started, Jiang Xiangyu called his secretary, Xiao Zhu. "Come to the Halal Restaurant." He then buried his head in thought, reviewing Chengjin County’s economic figures and the various measures implemented this year, preparing for any inquiries from Zhou Changquan.

Soon, the car arrived at the Halal Restaurant. Jiang Xiangyu saw six or seven cars parked in front of the establishment from a distance. Some of the vehicles looked familiar. This scene did not match his expectations. He blurted out, "What’s going on? Why are there so many cars?"

The driver, having heard that Li Dongfang had been beaten by outsiders, recognized Li Dongfang’s car and recalled the incident. "Li Dongfang was beaten by outsiders at the Shazhou Hotel. He brought people to search the city. It’s likely the outsiders are at the Halal Restaurant, and Li Dongfang has found them."

Jiang Xiangyu’s heart skipped a beat. He recalled Hou Weidong’s tone, which had seemed unpleasant. It’s over. We’ve caused trouble. He reacted quickly, taking out his mobile phone to call Li Taizhong, but then restrained himself. "Don’t get too close," he told the driver. "Park nearby. Let me see what’s happening."

Knowing that Li Taizhong’s son, Li Dongfang, was the one who had caused trouble, Jiang Xiangyu felt a twinge of schadenfreude. After the car stopped, he checked his watch and decided to wait five or six minutes before going over. Li Taizhong, you want to play games? Today, I’ll play you to death.

Inside the Halal Restaurant, Hou Weidong and Zhu Ziyong had blocked the attackers, including "Gold Necklace," at the staircase.

Zhu Ziyong was a university teacher, usually unassuming and deferential to Meng Ning. But at this critical moment, he stepped forward bravely. His movements were clean and decisive. Hearing the harsh screech of brakes downstairs, he was the first to rush to the window. Seeing twenty or so fierce-looking young men pouring out of six or seven cars, he knew things were bad. He quickly pushed a heavy, old-fashioned wooden table to the staircase entrance, then picked up a wide chair. Together with Hou Weidong, he guarded the stairs, one on each side.

The Halal Restaurant was a century-old establishment. The staircase from the first to the second floor was an old wooden structure, quite narrow. The wooden table blocked the entrance tightly.

Wu Ying, seeing the urgency, turned pale with anger. She stood coldly, watching the crowd at the stairs.

Meng Ning had already contacted the Director of the Shazhou Public Security Bureau using the number Hou Weidong provided. The Director was so startled his hair stood on end. "Don’t worry," he said immediately. "Within five minutes, officers from the Chengjin Public Security Bureau will arrive at the scene."

Facing the approaching group led by "Gold Necklace," Meng Ning was not afraid. After hanging up, he said to Hou Weidong with interest, "It’s done. They’ll be here in five minutes. Now I can watch the show. Zhu Xiaoyong exercises every morning, and Hou Weidong is in good shape too. You two are quite capable fighters. You should be able to hold the stairs."

One of Chen Dongfang’s men tried to move the table. Zhu Xiaoyong did not hesitate, smashing the chair into him. The man fell flat. Zhu Xiaoyong sneered, "Whoever comes next, I’ll aim for the head."

Hou Weidong held up his work ID, his voice stern. "I am from the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee Office. County Mayor Jiang Xiangyu and officers from the Chengjin Public Security Bureau will be here shortly. Retreat to the ground floor immediately and wait for the police to handle this. Otherwise, you will bear all consequences."

Chen Dongfang, being the son of an official, had vomited all over the ground at the entrance of the Shazhou Hotel earlier. Most of the alcohol had left his system, and his mind was now clear. Hearing Hou Weidong state his identity and seeing the seemingly genuine work ID, he remembered that the two cars blocking the way were high-end models. His eyes darted around. He hid the machete in his hand behind his back and said, "Just because you are a municipal cadre, can you beat people on the street? This is a society governed by the rule of law. Beating people on the street will be punished by law."

The people behind Chen Dongfang had not yet realized who their opponents were and continued to shout, trying to rush up.

"Stop it," Chen Dongfang called out. He looked down at his subordinate nicknamed "The Strategist" and said, "Go call the police. Let the police station handle it. Put away the knives."

He then looked up and declared, "I will call the public hotline for the Municipal Party Secretary and Mayor. I will report that a municipal cadre is beating innocent citizens in Chengjin County without cause. Municipal cadres do not reason."

"The Strategist" gave a few orders. Chen Dongfang’s men passed the knives back, and the last few wrapped them in clothes. As they just got into their cars, the sound of police sirens was heard.

Jiang Xiangyu had waited five or six minutes before arriving at the entrance of the Halal Restaurant. As he stepped out of the car, he heard the loud sirens.

"What are you doing? I am Jiang Xiangyu. Get out of the cars, all of you!" Jiang Xiangyu entered the lobby and shouted at the people on the stairs.

Hearing Jiang Xiangyu’s voice, Chen Dongfang thought, This time, I’ve really gotten into trouble. He was also glad that he had reacted quickly enough to hide the knives.

By the time Chen Dongfang and his men came downstairs, two cars of fully armed police had arrived. Seeing Jiang Xiangyu, the leading officer from the Public Security Bureau immediately came over to report. "We received a call from the Municipal Bureau. I was ordered to bring officers here within five minutes."

Hearing that the Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau had called personally, Jiang Xiangyu was even more certain that Zhou Changquan was upstairs. With a gloomy face, he pointed at Chen Dongfang and his group. "Handcuff them all. Not a single one is allowed to leave."

Going upstairs, Jiang Xiangyu was surprised to see only Hou Weidong and three strangers. Zhou Changquan was not there. He breathed a sigh of relief, though he felt a faint sense of disappointment. "Director Hou, I’m late. To have such an incident in Chengjin… I am ashamed."

Hou Weidong glanced at Wu Ying before replying politely, "It was just a minor dispute. I apologize for troubling County Mayor Jiang."

Jiang Xiangyu shook hands with Hou Weidong, then with Zhu Xiaoyong. "I am Jiang Xiangyu, County Mayor of Chengjin. Forgive my poor eyesight. May I ask who you are? To have such an incident in Chengjin brings shame to my face."

After putting down the stool, Zhu Xiaoyong returned to his usual gentle demeanor. "I am Zhu Xiaoyong, a teacher at Lingxi University."

Jiang Xiangyu now had a basic understanding of the situation: Hou Weidong must have brought Zhu Xiaoyong and his family from Lingxi University to Chengjin. A conflict occurred with Chen Dongfang at the entrance of the Chengjin Hotel. Chen Dongfang lost out, so he brought people to the Halal Restaurant for revenge.

Realizing this, Jiang Xiangyu said with deep regret, "Today is the eightieth birthday of the father-in-law of Executive Vice County Mayor Chen Taizhong. The old man is a former County Mayor of Chengjin. I never expected Chen Dongfang to be so foolish. This time, we will strictly enforce the Public Security Administration Punishments Regulations. There will be no leniency."

At that moment, Hou Weidong’s mobile phone rang.

"Bastard! I sent you to follow Wu Ying. What was the purpose? Do you have a pig’s brain? Come back and write a self-criticism." Zhou Changquan used coarse language for the first time in front of Hou Weidong. He cursed for a full two minutes before saying, "I’ll settle accounts with you later."

Wu Ying took the phone from Zhou Changquan. After speaking for a while, her expression softened. "Xiao Hou is quite good. Brave and resourceful. Don’t scold him. When we return, I’ll treat him to a meal."