Elder Xiao Zhengguo... Those words seed like an imnsely heavy mountain that instantly crushed all of Director Cheng Yangsong's thoughts and aspirations.
After all, an elder of that stature was not to be trifled with. He was the Sea-Calming Divine Needle of the Xiao Family—the preeminent noble family in Jiangnan Province, the forr commander of the Provincial Military Region of Jiangnan Province, with disciples all over the world. The fact that such a major figure was now personally paying attention to this matter spoke volus.
"I... Old Hee, I understand. I won't give this matter any more thought. Let's respect Elder Chief Xiao's wishes in everything," Cheng Yangsong said, his expression pale. He seed to have aged years in an instant, and his brow was furrowed with a hint of panic.
He wasn't foolish; on the contrary, he was quite intelligent. Otherwise, he never would have climbed to his current position. At this mont, he was acutely aware that the people his son had offended were likely far more formidable than even Vice Governor Hee Zhengqin. This was not sothing he, Cheng Yangsong, could possibly interfere in. In fact, he could only pray that their anger wouldn't be directed at him. Otherwise, despite his current status, he would likely face consequences far too severe for him to handle.
"Ah, a loss can be a blessing. That boy Wan Long is a bit too reckless at tis, so let's just consider this a lesson for him," Vice Governor Hee Zhengqin sighed, shaking his head.
And so, our Young Master Cheng Wanlong tragically found no powerful backer to co to his rescue. Instead, his father, Director Cheng Yangsong, was implicated in his son's troublemaking. The very next morning, before the sky had even brightened, he was visited by mbers of a special departnt and taken away for questioning.
As for what happened next... news began to spread that the forr director of the provincial broadcasting bureau, a man surnad Cheng, had been reassigned as the director of the Party History Research Office. The announcent stunned a great many people.
It was well-known that the Party History Research Office was a bureaucratic cold palace, a place for careers to go to die and officials to gracefully retire. Yet now, a forr bureau director who everyone had seen as having a bright future had been inexplicably transferred to such a powerless sinecure. Although it was still a departntal-level position, the implications were self-evident.
News in official circles always travels quickly, and the downfall of a major provincial official like Cheng Yangsong was a focal point of attention. The story had spread throughout the entirety of Jiangnan Province's officialdom almost as soon as it happened, causing quite a tremor.
Among those most shaken by the news was undoubtedly Vice Governor Hee Zhengqin. Others might not know why Cheng Yangsong had suddenly run into trouble, but he knew all too well.
"This... this..."
Even with his status, when Vice Governor Hee Zhengqin heard the news, he couldn't stop his heart from pounding wildly, and a twitch started in his eye. His face was a mask of disbelief, ashen pale.
Logically, he had assud the matter was over. After all, his godson Cheng Wanlong had been arrested, and their side had made no further moves—a clear sign they were swallowing their pride and accepting the situation. Shouldn't that have been enough to give the other party face? He thought that whoever they were, they should have been satisfied and ready to turn the page. But now...
The director of the provincial broadcasting bureau, a high-ranking official with substantial influence, had been toppled over such a trivial matter, reassigned to a powerless post like the Party History Research Office. What kind of terrifyingly powerful and capricious person could manage sothing like this? Vice Governor Hee Zhengqin broke out in a cold sweat.
At this mont, he finally understood why his old chief—Elder Mr. Xiao—had personally called him. Perhaps, if it weren't for that call, my own situation would be no different from my old friend Cheng Yangsong's right now!
"Thank goodness, thank goodness..." At that thought, even the Vice Governor's eyes filled with unconcealable shock, and he was left speechless for a long ti.
As for the other main party in this affair, Chen Fei had already put the matter out of his mind. The next day, he had a al with Guan Shiyin, Zhou Xinyi, and the others. That night, he invited his peers Dong Jianhui and Guo Kun for a lively karaoke session. On the third day, Guan Shiyin left, as her vacation had co to an end.
Thus, Chen Fei returned to his normal life. He hadn't forgotten the real reason he had co to Tongzhou City: to find a suitable location for the Provincial Branch of the Green Bamboo dicinal Cuisine House.
"Brother Fei, Xiao Hao has already handled all the paperwork. You just need to sign here, and the Xiao Group's storefront on Changchun Road is yours," Dong Jianhui told Chen Fei one day, presenting him with a property transfer contract.
Changchun Road was one of the most central streets in the provincial capital, Tongzhou City. Land there was worth its weight in gold, and it was a highly contested area for businesses.
"Xiao Hao? What's with the change of heart? Didn't he want to break the contract before?" Chen Fei asked, surprised.
"Break the contract?" Dong Jianhui scoffed, a look of admiration and awe filling his eyes. "Brother Fei, you even took down his uncle, Xiao Qianrang. Nobody even knows where he's being held right now. No matter how bold Xiao Hao is, he wouldn't dare break a contract with you now, would he?"
Evidently, since Xiao Qianrang had been taken away by the Flying Leopard unit along with Xiao Nanshan, he had not been seen again. As a result, Young Master Xiao Hao, who had relied on him as his primary backer, saw his status plumt to rock bottom, both within the Xiao Family and in their social sphere, the Inner Circle of Jiangnan Province. Of course, he wouldn't dare break his contract with Chen Fei. And even if he 'dared', the Xiao Family behind him would never allow it.
"...Get out of here. Since when did you learn to crack jokes? Xiao Qianrang brought it on himself and got what he deserved, understand?" Chen Fei said, montarily taken aback before rolling his eyes in annoyance.
"Heh heh. I'm just admiring you, Brother Fei! I an, you took down Xiao Qianrang, the CEO of the Xiao Group. Isn't that incredible? But... what's this Herbal Cuisine Workshop you ntioned? Are you planning to open one?" Dong Jianhui asked curiously.
"An old classmate of mine started it. It seed interesting, and since I was bored with nothing to do, I invested a little money for fun. Oh, right, I set aside so shares for you. When the Herbal Cuisine Workshop opens in Tongzhou, rember to help look after things," Chen Fei said.
"Really? Thanks, Brother Fei! Don't worry, you can leave everything about the Herbal Cuisine Workshop to !" Dong Jianhui exclaid, thrilled and overjoyed as he unhesitatingly took on the responsibility.
It wasn't about the shares or the money, but about what it signified about his standing with Brother Fei. The fact that Chen Fei had thought of him for this was proof that he held so weight in his eyes, which was certainly cause for excitent and happiness.
"That's good. In a couple of days, I'll call the other partners to Tongzhou. We'll all have a al, get to know each other, and make it easier to work together in the future. By the way, one more thing. Do you know of any good channels for traditional dicinal ingredients?"
Chen Fei seed to have rembered sothing else. "The new Herbal Cuisine Workshop is quite large. Besides the branch here in Tongzhou City, we also plan to open more simultaneously in several other cities, such as Sky-reaching Cloud and the one run by the Qii Family. Because of this, we'll have an issue with sourcing raw materials."
"Traditional dicinal ingredients?" Dong Jianhui frowned for a mont, then his eyes lit up. "Right, I just rembered. Brother Fei, have you ever heard of Qianhong Pharmaceuticals?"
"Qianhong Pharmaceuticals? It sounds familiar. What about them?" Chen Fei asked, trying to recall.
"There are ten major pharmaceutical companies in our country, and Qianhong Pharmaceuticals ranked eighth last year. Even so, they're considered a leader among similar enterprises nationwide," Dong Jianhui explained, pausing briefly before adding, "Moreover, Qianhong Pharmaceuticals is from our own Jiangnan Province, and its headquarters is right here in Tongzhou. I also rember they have a large-scale dicinal herb cultivation base and teams of wild-herb gatherers! So if you need traditional dicinal ingredients, Brother Fei, you should try contacting them."
"I was classmates with the boss's youngest son. I can contact him directly to arrange it," he added.
"That's perfect. When? How about right now?" Upon hearing this, Chen Fei decided there was no ti like the present and prepared to settle the matter right away.
Of course, he wasn't solely concerned with supply channels for the restaurant. He had recently been considering that he needed a batch of rare and precious dicinal herbs to brew a strength-enhancing dicinal cuisine. He had found a recipe in the inheritance from that Cultivation World expert that could seemingly accelerate the consolidation of his Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire, an idea that greatly appealed to him.
However, while the recipe was relatively common in the Cultivation World, the ingredients it required were quite obscure here on Earth. He wasn't sure if he could find them all, so he wanted to seek professional help. After all, everyone has their specialization. Many traditional dicine companies employ nurous herb gatherers to venture deep into the mountains and forests to collect purely natural ingredients. These were treasures of nature, worth a fortune. Perhaps among them, he could find what he needed.
"Now? I suppose that works. Qianhong Pharmaceuticals' headquarters is in the high-tech park outside the city. It should take us about an hour or two to get there," Dong Jianhui said.
"An hour or two? Fine. Let's go have a look first."
Chen Fei nodded in agreent. A few monts later, a black Audi was heading toward the outskirts of the city.
anwhile, in an antique, aromatic teahouse in Tongzhou City, two venerable old n were sitting across from each other, sipping tea. One of them had graying temples, but his gaze was exceptionally sharp, like an eagle's; he was the sa elder surnad Ruan from before.
The other elder was none other than Chen Fei's master, Elder Ming Daocuan. He looked at his junior martial brother and said flatly, "Didn't I tell you not to disturb us? Have you forgotten again?"
"I didn't want to, Senior Brother, but the king's command is hard to defy... sigh! Do you really have to be so stubborn about this?" the elder surnad Ruan replied with a wry smile.
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