"If you're not going to settle it this way, what else do you want?" Huang Jianbin shot a dissatisfied glance at Huang Jianan and said, "The little sister is right; the orphanage issue was already wrong in the first place. Because of that matter, Zhou Bolong has started to have opinions about . Regarding this incident, let's not talk about whether Ye Qing did it or not—do you even have any evidence? Zhou Bolong and Liu Changping are surely on Ye Qing's side. If you don't have sufficient evidence, how are you planning to deal with Ye Qing? You should know a bit about Zhou Bolong's personality. If you truly provoke him, don't expect an easy ti yourself!"
Huang Jianan's face was full of indignation. "And what if that's the case? I don't believe he can do anything to !"
"Second Brother, what Eldest Brother said is actually quite reasonable!" Huang Jianxin chid in softly from the side. "Zhou Bolong is famously domineering, and he has ties with those old generals in the Capital; his background is deep-rooted. If you truly anger him and he decides to stir things up in the Capital, this matter could turn into a real headache."
"So you're saying we should let Bo Xiong just die for nothing?" Huang Jianan exclaid angrily. "Third Brother, Bo Xiong was your nephew too! Are you saying you don't feel any anger at all?"
Huang Jianxin glanced awkwardly at Huang Jianbin, who sighed and said, "Second Brother, I understand how you feel. Bo Xiong is my nephew too—there's no way I'd stand idly by when it cos to his matter. But this case is complicated; it would be best for us to observe for now. If we can uncover evidence that implicates Ye Qing, then we can deal with him appropriately."
"Eldest Brother, are you serious?" Huang Jianan's spirits lifted instantly. "If I manage to find evidence proving this was Ye Qing's doing, will you help deal with him?"
Huang Jianbin spoke gravely. "Bo Xiong is my nephew—he's part of the Huang Family. If you manage to find evidence proving Ye Qing was behind this, I certainly won't stand idly by."
Huang Jianan was ecstatic and exclaid repeatedly, "Great, great, great! Eldest Brother, I'll take charge of this matter! I will definitely find the evidence—I refuse to believe Ye Qing's plan is flawless!"
Seeing Huang Jianbin and Huang Jianan reach an agreent, Huang Jianxin finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Second Brother, I'll help you look too!"
"Good!" Huang Jianan nodded in satisfaction. Then, turning to Huang Jianbin, he asked, "Eldest Brother, before I find the evidence, I won't bring up dealing with Ye Qing anymore. But in the anti, can you help with another matter?"
"What matter?" Huang Jianbin asked curiously.
"Last ti, Bo Xiong went to Shenchuan City and was played by Ye Qing's people there—he couldn't swallow the insult. It was clear that Bo Xiong sought out Ye Qing to settle the score, but who'd have thought that trip would cost him his life!" Huang Jianan sighed heavily. "Eldest Brother, even if I can't prove Ye Qing was responsible for this, we can't let him off the hook. At the very least, we need to vent so anger on behalf of Bo Xiong!"
"What exactly do you want to do?" Huang Jianbin frowned.
"The orphanage matter hasn't been approved, so why hasn't Ye Qing's orphanage in Shenchuan City been shut down yet?" Huang Jianan said gravely. "Eldest Brother, I know Zhou Bolong has been aiding Ye Qing in keeping the orphanage running. I want Ye Qing's orphanage shut down as soon as possible—this will also infuriate him and allow us to vent so anger for Bo Xiong!"
Huang Jianbin sighed helplessly. "Second Brother, do you think this is aningful? The orphanage will eventually be closed—why rush it?"
Huang Jianan argued, "Even if it's just a little earlier, Ye Qing will feel angrier. This way, we can claim a bit more 'interest' for Bo Xiong!"
Huang Jianbin looked at Huang Jianan with a mixture of resignation and weariness. He knew that Bo Xiong's death had twisted his brother's mind sowhat. However, Huang Jianan's request was not sothing he could outright reject—after all, Huang Jianan was his blood brother, and Bo Xiong was his nephew. As the eldest of the Huang Family, if he couldn't secure justice for his own kin, what right did he have to lead the family?
"I'll speak with the people responsible for this matter..." Huang Jianbin said solemnly. "Second Brother, I'll help you with this. But you'd better tread carefully. Don't provoke Ye Qing before evidence is found—I don't want this matter stirring up conflict with Zhou Bolong."
Huang Jianan clenched his teeth and replied with determination, "Don't worry, I will definitely uncover the evidence to nail Ye Qing!"
Looking at Huang Jianan's face, contorted with anger, Huang Jianbin sighed again, choosing to say nothing further as he stood up and slowly left the room.
Instead of heading elsewhere, Huang Jianbin went straight to the ho of the Vice Governor responsible for managing the orphanage's closure and its aftermath. Fortunately, this person was aligned with Huang Jianbin, so he didn't need to go through any bureaucratic hoops for the visit.
However, this ti things turned out differently from what Huang Jianbin had anticipated. Upon arriving at the Vice Governor's residence, Huang Jianbin discovered an unexpected guest: Eastern Province Governor Chang Zhiguo.
Slightly stunned upon seeing Chang Zhiguo, Huang Jianbin felt an imdiate surge of hostility. Huang Jianbin had climbed his way up the ladder as a cadre in Eastern Province, and he had almost been promoted to Governor last ti—until Chang Zhiguo was parachuted in to fill the position. As a result, Huang Jianbin was stuck as Vice Secretary, with open and covert competition between him and Chang Zhiguo an open secret.
The Vice Governor, being Huang Jianbin's man, shouldn't have any connection to Chang Zhiguo—or so he thought. But now, why was Chang Zhiguo visiting today?
Huang Jianbin glanced at the Vice Governor, who noticed his discontent and awkwardly explained, "Vice Secretary Huang, Governor Chang just arrived monts ago."
"Oh." Huang Jianbin nodded, then sat down calmly in front of Chang Zhiguo with a faint smile. "Governor Chang, you seem to have so free ti today."
"Well, it's after work hours—I thought I'd stop by for a visit!" Chang Zhiguo smiled back, maintaining an air of tranquility, though the atmosphere in the room felt anything but peaceful.
The Vice Governor sat in between, sweating bullets and visibly anxious. Of all people, these two high-ranking officials—essentially political rivals—had shown up at his house one after the other, turning it into their battleground. Being caught in the middle, he was the most uncomfortable person in the room, knowing full well he couldn't afford to offend either of them.
"Two esteed leaders visiting my humble ho—what an honor!" The Vice Governor quickly picked up a tea cup and smiled obsequiously. "Please, have so tea."
Chang Zhiguo picked up his tea cup casually, giving the Vice Governor sothing to save face over.
Though annoyed, Huang Jianbin couldn't afford to act dismissively toward the Vice Governor—after all, this person was his trusted ally. If Chang Zhiguo gave due respect but Huang Jianbin didn't, the Vice Governor might start entertaining doubts. So, swallowing his frustration, Huang Jianbin followed suit and sipped his tea.
Seeing both of them engage peacefully, the Vice Governor sighed in relief. His biggest fear was that neither of them would show him any courtesy. At least for now, they seed rational, which made things sowhat easier for him.
"Governor Chang, what brings you here today? Any directives?" The Vice Governor deliberately asked this in front of Huang Jianbin, intending to show that there was no personal allegiance between him and Chang Zhiguo.
Huang Jianbin listened attentively to Chang Zhiguo's reply, keenly interested in uncovering his rival's true intentions. As soone who had painstakingly cultivated the Vice Governor as a loyal aide, the re thought that Chang Zhiguo might be trying to sow discord unnerved him deeply.
"Not directives exactly—more like a matter we need to discuss." Chang Zhiguo said with a smile. "Regarding the Shenchuan City private orphanage issue, the Party Committee has decided to let you handle the entire matter. How is your progress coming along?"
Huang Jianbin was taken aback. Why was Chang Zhiguo suddenly intervening in this? During the Party Committee eting, Chang Zhiguo had voted to abstain. Wasn't he supposedly indifferent to this issue?
The Vice Governor replied, "We're currently addressing it, tallying the number of children and preparing for their redistribution among districts to ensure smooth transitions."
"Transitioning smoothly isn't enough—we need to expedite the process!" Huang Jianbin interjected. "I've heard that the orphanage's owner, Ye Qing, may be involved in illegal operations. How can a man like that be allowed to care for these children? Children are the future—our nation's hope—and must not fall prey to such corrupt influences!"
"Yes, yes, I'll have them speed things up right away!" The Vice Governor quickly nodded.
"Surely there's no need to rush?" Chang Zhiguo remarked lightly, fixing his gaze on Huang Jianbin. "Vice Secretary Huang, where did you hear Ye Qing might be involved in illegal activities? Do you have any evidence?"
Huang Jianbin's expression darkened imdiately. Judging by Chang Zhiguo's tone, it seed he was standing up for Ye Qing. What was going on here?
While Zhou Bolong and Liu Changping supporting Ye Qing made sense—Ye Qing had helped Liu Changping reunite with his lost daughter and granddaughter, earning Liu's gratitude, and Zhou Bolong, being close to Liu, naturally extended that favor. But Chang Zhiguo's sudden defense of Ye Qing was puzzling. After all, he wasn't even connected to the man. Why would he step in?
Huang Jianbin's keen political instincts—which had kept him afloat in complex power structures—were ringing alarm bells. Sothing about this situation felt amiss. Chang Zhiguo clearly didn't know Ye Qing personally, yet he chose to speak up for him. This was no coincidence—had Chang Zhiguo stumbled upon so vital piece of information?
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