anwhile, in a governnt complex in Jiangnan Province, a decrepit old man in his fifties or sixties was looking through a report when his private cell phone suddenly rang. The caller ID prominently displayed the na "Elder Chief Xiao," which surprised him.
Why would Elder Chief Xiao personally call him? Has sothing happened?
While he wondered this, he didn't dwell on it, quickly pressing the answer button. He spoke respectfully, "Hello, Elder Chief. This is Hee Zhengqin. May I ask…" It was clear the old man was none other than Hee Zhengqin.
"Ah, Zhengqin, it's been a long ti. Is your work going smoothly lately?" ca the aged voice of Elder Mr. Xiao from the phone.
"Thanks to your blessing, Elder Chief, my work has been quite smooth lately…" Hee Zhengqin was clearly startled, not understanding the intention behind Elder Mr. Xiao's words.
But the next mont, the words that ca through the phone startled and puzzled him even more. Elder Mr. Xiao's aged voice said, "Smooth, is it? That's good. If things are going smoothly, don't let your mind wander, and don't casually intervene in certain matters, lest you bring trouble upon yourself. Understand?"
"No, Elder Chief…" Hee Zhengqin found the Elder Chief's words completely baffling. Just as he was about to ask for clarification, the line went dead.
Shortly thereafter, a man arrived at his ho in a rush. It was his old classmate and the head of the Light Departnt, Cheng Yangsong.
"Eh, you old rascal, what brings you here? Ca for a few drinks? Perfect timing, I was just thinking the sa. Shuyi, how about you whip up a couple of dishes for us?" Hee Zhengqin was still troubled by the Elder Chief's call and hadn't figured it out yet. The craving for a drink had surfaced, and he hoped to relax a little.
"Not really… but a couple of drinks sounds good. Sorry to trouble you, sister-in-law," Cheng Yangsong had intended to refuse, but on second thought, it seed like a good idea. So things are best discussed over drinks—a Huaxia tradition—so he nodded in agreent.
"You two drunkards. Give a minute. You two chat first," said Hee Zhengqin's wife, Shuyi. She was also an acquaintance and forr university classmate of Cheng Yangsong, so she smiled and didn't mind at all.
"Alright, out with it. What's the matter? You're not one to visit without a good reason," Hee Zhengqin teased as soon as his wife went into the kitchen. Clearly, he was no fool and understood his old friend wouldn't show up acting so strangely unless sothing important had happened.
"Sigh, it's about that worthless brat Wan Long. He went to the Caesar Grand Hotel for dinner with so friends today, but…" Hearing his old friend get straight to the point, Director Cheng Yangsong didn't bother beating around the bush. He knew this was more than he could handle and that he had no choice but to ask his old classmate for help.
"Wan Long was arrested? Wait a minute…" Hee Zhengqin furrowed his brow, about to make a call to find out what was going on, when he suddenly seed to rember sothing. His expression changed dramatically.
"Old He, what is it?" Cheng Yangsong asked, completely baffled by the sight.
"...Hold on, let make a call first." Hee Zhengqin was silent for a mont. His strange gaze made Cheng Yangsong's skin crawl before he finally spoke, taking out his phone to dial Elder Chief Xiao Zhengguo's number.
"Hello, Zhengqin?" The call connected quickly, and Elder Mr. Xiao's calm voice ca through the receiver.
"Elder Chief, it's , Zhengqin. I wanted to ask you about sothing," Hee Zhengqin said, taking a deep breath and speaking cautiously.
"Oh? What is it? Go ahead," Elder Xiao Zhengguo replied, sounding slightly surprised at first before his tone beca even.
"It's about what you ntioned earlier… Did it have to do with what happened tonight at the Caesar Grand Hotel?" Hee Zhengqin licked his dry lips and asked slowly.
"So you know? If you know, then pretend you don't. This matter has nothing to do with you, so don't ddle." Hearing Hee Zhengqin's question, Elder Mr. Xiao seed to drop all pretense. His blunt words made Hee Zhengqin's scalp tingle.
BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…
In an instant, Elder Mr. Xiao had hung up.
On his end, Hee Zhengqin couldn't help but shake his head, his gaze flickering. "Old Cheng, I'm sorry, I can't help you with this… and I suggest you drop it, too."
"Drop it? Old He…" Seeing his friend's sudden and drastic change in attitude, even a man as shrewd as Director Cheng Yangsong was stunned and confused.
"Old Cheng, it's not that I'm turning my back on you. This matter is just too big," Hee Zhengqin said, shaking his head. He didn't elaborate, but as a seasoned player, he knew Cheng Yangsong would understand the implication.
As expected, Cheng Yangsong's expression changed. After a long silence, he couldn't help but ask, "Can you at least give a hint?"
Hee Zhengqin downed a mouthful of liquor and uttered a na: "Elder Chief Xiao…"
"What?!" Cheng Yangsong's face went pale.
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