Under the pressure of Qiao Zhen’s influence, the police chief ultimately chose the forr option. As Qiao Zhen said, although he had retired, his influence remained, and dealing with a police chief was a trivial matter for him.
"Very good." Qiao Zhen was pleased with the decision and nodded, "This ti solving a major case will greatly benefit your career. You should seize this opportunity. If you handle this matter well, you might rise even further."
Hearing this, a glimr of hope flashed in the police chief’s eyes. Having been in the system for so long, he naturally understood the implication behind Qiao Zhen’s words. Initially thinking he was finished, Qiao Zhen had closed one door for him but opened a window. If he did well and got Qiao Zhen to maneuver for him, his chances of promotion would increase greatly. As for Hong Wei... he was just a small figure, forced into it this ti; presumably, Hong Wei wouldn’t hold it against him.
Thinking of this, he imdiately arranged for soone to notify the dia and prepare for a news conference.
Clang!
With a sharp sound, a glass goblet shattered into pieces.
In a luxurious villa, Hong Wei sat on the sofa, watching the news conference broadcast on TV, his face stern and eyes filled with barely concealed anger.
"Mr. Hong," the butler standing behind the sofa asked, "Is there anything I need to do?"
Hong Wei took a deep breath, gradually calming his furious emotions. He glanced at the maid beside him and pointed to the wine glass on the table. The latter understood, refilled a glass of wine and handed it to Hong Wei. Taking the wine glass, Hong Wei swirled it gently, watching the red wine ripple, his tone indifferent as he said, "This ti, it’s my fault. I underestimated Ling Chen."
"What does sir plan to do?"
Hong Wei took a sip of red wine, watching the images on the TV, and said, "Do nothing. Since this encounter is lost, there’s no need to continue clashing hard; it’s not worth it. Butler, tell Yang Xun to take the fall for this. I’ll take care of his family. If he dares to reveal anything about , he knows the consequences."
"Yes, I know what to do."
"Also..." Hong Wei pointed at an elderly man in military uniform on the TV and asked, "You’re most familiar with the major figures in Beijing, do you know who he is? I’ve never seen him before."
"His na is Qiao Zhen, a recently retired General from the military who now holds a nominal post, living out his retirent in the military district compound."
"Retirent? Hmph! At such an age yet still stirring trouble. He’s tired of living, I see." Pausing, Hong Wei pondered for a while and then spoke, "Do you know his background?"
"I’m not very sure, there’s not much information about him. I suspect he was in charge of a secret departnt, only such people wouldn’t have too many records in the files. And although he’s retired, his high military rank indicates his important status. Mr. Hong, I believe we shouldn’t provoke him; after all, he’s a veteran of the military, and our relations with the military aren’t very strong. Once the linits are crossed, the military people definitely won’t stand idly by."
Hong Wei nodded, agreeing, "You analyze well. Indeed, we cannot offend the military. But, if this old man using his influence in the military insists on bothering , what should I do? Must I let him bully ?"
"I think we don’t need to worry too much. Though Qiao Zhen is military personnel, this matter should be handled by the police. Qiao Zhen has already overstepped, and I believe the military will step in to stop him to avoid tension between the military and the police."
"You an... let him off and not bother with him?" Hong Wei sneered, "Butler, you’ve been with for so many years. Do you still not understand my character?" Then, with his eyes narrowed, seeming to have made up his mind, Hong Wei said, "Get in touch with Mr. Zhu."
Hearing Hong Wei ntion ’Mr. Zhu,’ the butler’s expression slightly changed, asking, "Mr. Hong, are you sure you want to do this?"
"They’ve bullied beyond tolerance. If I do nothing, people in Beijing will think I’m scared. Just as well, I’ll take this opportunity to show everyone that I’m not easy to ss with. Rember, make it clean and tidy, preferably as an accident. I don’t want it to trace back to . Understand?"
"Yes, I know what to do." The butler nodded and turned to leave the living room.
In a rented room, Ling Chen, Tang Guolun, and others sat in front of the TV, watching the police’s news conference, a faint smile in their eyes.
"Well done," Tang Guolun said with a laugh, "Hong Wei has stumbled so badly; I bet he’s fuming right now."
"It was fortunate the old General arrived in ti, or we would have been in serious trouble," Ling Chen responded. Beijing, as a political center, is troubleso to operate in with many restrictions unless you have strong enough backing; otherwise, it’s hard to move an inch.
Moreover, this incident made Ling Chen aware of his weaknesses. Before, the old General had power, and the backing was large enough that even if sothing went wrong, there was little worry. But things are different now; the old General is retired and has moved from a position of power to a nominal position. Although Pang Jiulin, who succeeded Lonely Wolf, had a good relationship with him, Pang Jiulin’s standing in the military was too weak. Being only a colonel, he didn’t have much say and had to consult superiors for everything. So, his presence was far from Qiao Zhen’s while he was in power.
Therefore, in Beijing, his actions must be low-key, as low-key as possible, avoiding making a big scene which would be difficult to control.
Qiao Zhen knew this better than anyone. That’s why he forced the counterpart to hold a press conference imdiately, making the cris discovered at the nightclub public. In doing so, even if soone wanted to cover it up, they couldn’t. Had it not been for Qiao Zhen’s strong stance, this matter might have been suppressed, disappearing silently.
Even Qiao Zhen had to leverage the dia for exposure, indicating that he was also at tis rendered powerless.
"Ling Chen, what’s our next step?" Tang Guolun asked, "The nightclub incident has been taken on by soone else. Hong Wei is smart; he never directly involves himself in illegal acts but lets others handle them. This way, even if sothing goes wrong, soone else takes the fall, and he’s not implicated. If we want to bring down Hong Wei, we must find evidence directly linking him."
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