Go find an impression named "Purple Flute Returns" in the additions section, press it, and listen to Zhang Dongsheng's self-introduction. Zhou Mi responded with a noncommittal "Oh," and then inquired, "Director Zhang, I heard that a detachment of Urban Management officers was illegally enforcing the law on Nanjing Road. I've come specifically to accompany the city government leaders to see what's going on. Do you know anything about this situation?"

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Zhang Dongsheng's forehead.

To hear the gong is to judge the sound; to hear words is to discern the meaning. If Zhang Dongsheng couldn't pick up on the distinct bias in Zhou Mi's words, he wouldn't have lasted long in the Urban Management ranks.

First, Zhou Mi's casual "I heard" was highly suspect. Heard from whom? Certainly not from anyone on the Urban Management side, nor was it gossip picked up while strolling down the street. It clearly came from the side of Shengshi Dynasty.

Secondly, Zhou Mi had already fixed the narrative of the incident in one sentence, stating clearly that this was illegal enforcement. The superiors of Zhang Dongsheng's superiors would treat Zhou Mi with deference. With just this single statement from Zhou Mi, the matter was already settled and confirmed.

Moreover, there was an even more crucial point. Zhou Mi was, after all, from the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. Logically, he belonged to the same system as Zhang Dongsheng. Even if he were here to back up Shengshi Dynasty, he shouldn't have condemned the Urban Management side outright without asking for any facts first. What was the reason? Zhou Mi had already laid it bare: he was specifically "accompanying" a "leader" from the city government. This meant the principal figure wasn't him, but the person beside him.

Zhang Dongsheng was not slow-witted. With a slight turn of his mind, he grasped the whole situation: he had just run straight into a wall. The person backing the other side was someone whom even Chief Secretary Zhou had to treat politely. Let alone a mere district Urban Management detachment chief like himself; even the top head of Jiangzhou City's Urban Management system would have to yield a few points in this presence.

"Se-Secretary Zhou, this, this..."

Zhang Dongsheng felt the muscles in his calves beginning to twitch. A small Urban Management director was nothing more than a grain of sand before the chief secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. A mere casual wave of the hand from the secretary could sweep him aside, threatening his livelihood.

The squad leader Wang Guangwen, standing nearby, knew things were going south the moment Zhou Mi stated his purpose. While Zhang Dongsheng was stammering, Wang Guangwen had already quietly stepped back two paces and signaled to the two men on the construction vehicle's crane boom to come down quickly.

Those two fellows, waiting with hammers raised, had a vantage point and could see from their height that the situation was amiss. Seeing Wang Guangwen wave, the two immediately slipped down, gathered their tools without a word, and hid behind the construction vehicle.

They both knew perfectly well: at this moment, they absolutely could not show their faces; showing up could only bring trouble.

"Inconvenient to say?" Seeing Zhang Dongsheng hesitating, Zhou Mi snorted coldly, not even granting him face. He said coldly, "Then don't say anything for now. I'll wait to hear what others have to say."

With that, he turned to the man who had exited the vehicle with him, offering a conciliatory smile, "Director Xiao, shall we go in and take a look?"

The man nodded faintly and said "Good." Zhou Mi stepped aside, letting him walk ahead, before following half a step behind.

For a mere director to warrant such respectful accompaniment from Chief Secretary Zhou left Zhang Dongsheng astonished, surprised, and bewildered for a moment. If he ran away now, Zhou Mi would certainly drag his family's ancestral graves out during the inevitable reckoning.

Upon reaching the second floor of Shengshi Dynasty, Zhu Yonglong and the others were shouting at Wang Zhuo through the door. The group was trying every means to intimidate and threaten Wang Zhuo, completely unaware that the tables had turned and their actions had already caused a grave offense.

Director Xiao stood at the top of the stairs without speaking. Zhou Mi's face had grown long and grim, while Zhang Dongsheng behind him looked like he had eaten a bitter melon, yet he dared not step forward to speak, fearing he might accidentally ignite Zhou Mi, who was like a stick of dynamite.

Only after the sharp-eyed Urban Management personnel spotted the situation here, signaling and nudging to stop their colleagues, did Zhou Mi speak with a cold smile: "Director Zhang, is this the method your Urban Management officers use for enforcement?"

Zhang Dongsheng pursed his lips, utterly speechless.

Seeing that the newcomer spoke to Zhang Dongsheng with such lack of courtesy, the Urban Management officers on the second floor were instantly stunned. Those quicker on the uptake immediately hid the pipe wrenches, large monkey wrenches, and similar tools behind their backs, while the slower ones stood there dumbly, momentarily confused about the situation.

"Have them come downstairs and wait. You follow me."

Zhou Mi commanded coldly. Zhang Dongsheng hurriedly waved his hand, shooing Zhu Yonglong and the others out as if they were bothersome flies.

The ground was littered with fragments of surveillance cameras. One of the Urban Management officers, rushing out in haste, had even dropped a massive pipe wrench over sixty centimeters long. Zhou Mi glared fiercely at Zhang Dongsheng, thinking these people were completely unreliable. Such a weapon, if it struck someone, would certainly break several bones, if not leave them maimed. This wasn't the way Urban Management enforced the law; it was more like a uniformed organized crime group.

Wang Zhuo inside the room had seen everything with his clairvoyance. He was slightly surprised the moment Xiao Wanjun stepped out of the car. He had initially thought the other party would just make a few calls to sort things out, but he hadn't expected him to come in person. Indeed, this was showing considerable respect.

Actually, Wang Zhuo's initial assumption should have been correct. But there was something he only knew part of. After Qin Xuesheng became the acting secretary, Xiao Wanjun's influence had also risen sharply. Logically, he shouldn't have shown up for such a small matter. However, he had once seen that "Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate" jade pendant in Qin Xue's study, and by coincidence, he had heard Qin Siqing tell him the origin and story of that pendant. Connecting this with the fact that the new plaque for Shengshi Dynasty bore Qin Xue's personal calligraphy—once these pieces of information were synthesized—he felt it necessary to make this personal visit.

This was the lucky charm of the Boss, and also his own lucky charm, Xiao Wanjun. Furthermore, Nanjing Road was only about ten minutes from the city government headquarters, so what did a quick trip matter?

With the offending parties mostly gone, Xiao Wanjun gave Zhou Mi a slight nod with a smile and walked toward the office.

With that single nod from Secretary Xiao, Zhou Mi immediately felt that this trip had been well worth it.

Reaching the office door, Xiao Wanjun knocked lightly twice and said calmly, "Wang Zhuo, I'm Xiao Wanjun. Open the door."

After waiting a few seconds, the door opened. Seeing the muddy footprints on Wang Zhuo's clothes and the bruises on his face, Xiao Wanjun let out a wry smile. "You could have just brought my name up if there was an issue. Why did you have to fight them?"

"Well, they had to give me a chance to bring it up first..." Wang Zhuo also gave a wry smile, but he had already placed the blame squarely on the Urban Management officers.

Did he have a chance to bring it up? Absolutely. But why didn't he? Because he deliberately wanted to escalate the situation, to establish his reputation and deter petty troublemakers from bothering him again in the future.

"These Urban Management guys, tsk..." Xiao Wanjun stopped short of saying more. He needed to save face for Zhou Mi, but in truth, everyone present could tell that Secretary Xiao couldn't even be bothered to comment on the actions of the Urban Management officers.

Entering the office, Xiao Wanjun directly invited Zhou Mi to take a seat. Wang Zhuo directed the two of them to the sofa. Whether intentionally or not, all three of them treated Zhang Dongsheng, standing to the side, as if he were air.

Zhang Dongsheng stood there obediently. In truth, even if he were granted ten times his current courage, he wouldn't dare to sit down now.

As soon as he settled in, Zhou Mi asked with a smile, "Director Xiao, introductions, please?"

Although he still didn't know Wang Zhuo's background, the tone Xiao Wanjun had used with him gave Zhou Mi enough reason to believe that this young man's connections were definitely not simple, and that he likely had ties to the Qin family faction.

Zhou Mi understood clearly: if this were Xiao Wanjun's own connection, he wouldn't have been summoned to support the situation. Although this incident had caused quite a stir, for influential figures close to the top leaders, it was a matter easily resolved with a few phone calls.

Therefore, Zhou Mi absolutely had to adopt a warm and engaging posture. This way, he could foster a good relationship with the other party while also showing respect to Xiao Wanjun.

"Come, come, Director Zhou, let me introduce you," Xiao Wanjun said enthusiastically. "This is Wang Zhuo, the boss of Shengshi Dynasty, and also a freshman at Jiangzhou Medical University this year."

Zhou Mi smiled, shook Wang Zhuo's hand warmly, and then heard Xiao Wanjun deliver the crucial information he was most concerned about: "Wang Zhuo has a good rapport with the Old Master, and it was he who persuaded the Old Master to be hospitalized some time ago."

Zhou Mi suddenly understood: the Old Master was Qin Xue's father, one of the few founding marshals remaining in the Republic! With such a connection, Xiao Wanjun making a personal trip made perfect sense.

However, another question flashed through Zhou Mi's mind: these matters should have been discussed privately. Although the pretty girl next to Wang Zhuo seemed unlikely to need discretion, why did Xiao Wanjun bring up such sensitive information in front of Zhang Dongsheng?

Zhang Dongsheng was still standing there dutifully, playing the statue. Based on the information he could gather through observation, he still couldn't gauge the true extent of the trouble he had caused today.

Xiao Wanjun then introduced to Wang Zhuo, "Wang Zhuo, this is Director Zhou, Zhou Mi. He is the chief secretary of the Jiangzhou City Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, a favored figure around Director Xia. You must not be slight in the future!"

Hearing Xiao Wanjun make the introduction so casually, Wang Zhuo also laughed, "How could I dare? If Brother Zhou visits my little shop again in the future, he'll definitely enjoy a discount!"

Jiangzhou was a municipality directly under the central government. The Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development actually had a longer, less memorable official name, so people usually referred to it privately as the Department of Housing. The department head, Director Xia, was also a member of the Municipal Party Committee, holding a rank equivalent to a vice-provincial official. Therefore, Zhou Mi's director title, while perhaps not a high placement for a secretary, was genuine.

Upon hearing the name Xiao Wanjun announced, Wang Zhuo didn't react much, but Guan Yingying, standing beside him, was secretly startled. She knew perfectly well what kind of powerful department the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development was. In recent years, with so many prime land deals appearing and prices soaring, the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development had been largely responsible. People knew the Department of Transportation was a major hotbed for corruption due to its immense funding and power, but few realized that in recent years, the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development had rapidly emerged, closing the gap.

Accepting a two-hundred-million-yuan bribe to approve a national highway route? That was the power held by department-level leaders. Here, in the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, simply approving a piece of land, with a silent collusion between officials and businessmen, could generate tens or even hundreds of millions in profit out of thin air. Otherwise, why would the name of the department include the words "Urban and Rural Construction"? A single stroke of the pen could transform rural land into urban property, with vast fortunes flowing into private hands.

Therefore, this Zhou Mi was absolutely a key figure in a department of real power. Although a secretary was classified as a "non-leading position," he held more influence than some lower-level leaders.

It was this very figure of genuine authority who had been summoned, specifically to support Wang Zhuo, over a petty matter like an Urban Management officer smashing a plaque. This was an immense favor being shown.

Looking at the person sitting next to Zhou Mi, Guan Yingying had heard Wang Zhuo mention earlier that he had called Qin Xue's second secretary. That must be him. Guan Yingying knew this was another powerful figure who would soon become the second secretary of all Jiangzhou. Even this person had shown up in person, indicating that Wang Zhuo's current maneuver to leverage influence was even more successful than anticipated.