Yuan Xinyu didn't even have time to wash his feet, just pulling on a pair of socks before driving straight to the Jin'an Residential Complex. His feet, still coated with the salt-and-milk residue, felt strangely slick, and shoving them into shoes and socks was deeply awkward, but he simply had no time to dwell on such trivialities.

This was the kind of embarrassing affair Yuan Xinyu could hardly detail to his old classmate; he had left the man at the foot spa, instructed the owner to treat him well, and rushed over alone. Dressed in plain clothes, Yuan Xinyu drew little attention upon his arrival at the complex.

About half an hour had passed since the conflict, and clusters of residents still stood around the grounds, murmuring about the recent events. The two dogs, one dead and one crippled, had already been quietly removed by security, though by whose orders remained unknown.

Yuan Xinyu was just over fifty, short in stature, with an alcohol-tested belly resembling a large rubber ball and hair slightly receding at the crown. In casual attire, people would truly fail to recognize him as a leading figure in the Huangjiang District Public Security system.

As soon as he stepped into the property management lobby, he spotted several bruised and battered security guards slumped listlessly on the benches lining the walls. Yuan Xinyu didn't need to ask; these laggards had clearly been beaten by that man, Wang, and they deserved every bit of it.

Seeing Yuan Xinyu enter, the few police officers standing in the lobby quickly stepped forward to greet him, calling out "Director Yuan, Director Yuan!" Yuan Xinyu had no patience for pleasantries; he waved a hand dismissively and asked in a low voice, "Where is the person?" The officers simultaneously pointed toward an office nearby. Yuan Xinyu gave a slight nod and strode toward it.

The office door was ajar. Yuan Xinyu slowly pushed it open, his first sight being two faces beyond recognition, which he immediately identified: they were those two young men, surnamed Li and Qin, who were very close friends with Yuan Ye.

One was a second-generation rich kid whose father ran a real estate business; the other was the son of a state-owned enterprise executive. Both were known hangers-on of Yuan Ye.

As it happened, Yuan Xinyu had some slight acquaintance with the fathers of these two, but given the current situation, it seemed highly likely their reputations were about to be severely tarnished. His gaze swept past the two men, then caught sight of a tall, beautiful woman standing near them—easily over five-foot-seven, with a slender waist, long legs, and stunning looks.

Even in Jiangzhou, a city famed for its beauties, someone of her caliber was a rarity. Yet, Yuan Xinyu’s eyes passed over her in less than half a second, landing instead on the tall young man beside her.

This man was Wang Zhuo. He was currently seated at the office desk, slurping down a bowl of cold noodles.

There were five people in the office: Wang Zhuo, Guan Yingying, Yuan Ye, Li Runqian, and Qin Zeyu. Currently, only Wang Zhuo was seated.

Li Runqian and Qin Zeyu stood near the door, Yuan Ye was on the opposite side, and Guan Yingying remained standing next to Wang Zhuo. Shooting Yuan Ye a fierce glare, Yuan Xinyu forced a conciliatory smile and addressed Wang Zhuo, "The traffic was terrible, I apologize for being a bit late.

Have you been waiting long?" Wang Zhuo simply responded with a grunt, raising his hand in a dismissive wave. The flash of silver handcuffs on his wrist caused a jolt in Yuan Xinyu’s heart.

He instantly spun around, glaring at Yuan Ye, and barked in a deep voice, "What is the meaning of this? Why haven't these restraints been removed?" Yuan Ye, looking miserable, was about to explain, but Guan Yingying interjected coolly from the side, "We feel it’s best to wait until we receive a satisfactory explanation before removing them.

Keeping them on for now seems appropriate." Yuan Xinyu internally groaned. These handcuffs weren't just restraining Wang Zhuo’s wrists; they felt as if they were clamped around his own neck!

"Don't worry," Yuan Xinyu declared with the utmost sincerity, thumping his chest. "I will handle this matter thoroughly and give you a satisfactory account!" "Yuan Ye, get over here and tell me what happened!" Yuan Xinyu commanded, dragging over a plastic chair from the side and sitting down next to Wang Zhuo.

Yuan Ye had already been briefed by Yuan Xinyu and had prepared his narrative, so he concisely recounted the story as rehearsed: he received a call from Qin Zeyu saying Wang Zhuo had injured the complex's security guards, so he came to handle it, but admitted to being unprofessional and losing his temper, thereby offending Wang Zhuo. After finishing, he turned to Wang Zhuo with extreme sincerity and said, "Wang Zhuo, I apologize.

I was too impulsive just now, I acted without thinking. Please forgive me." Wang Zhuo paused his chopsticks, listened to the end, and sneered, "I cannot forgive you.

You know exactly why." Yuan Ye looked helplessly toward his uncle, unsure what to do next. Wang Zhuo was not letting this go… Yuan Xinyu’s tension spiked.

He glared at his nephew, "Hurry up and tell it again! Tell me the truth!" Yuan Ye instantly understood—his uncle wanted the real story.

He glanced at the two troublesome brothers, thinking to himself, My own neck is already on the line. You two caused this mess, don't blame me for saving myself first.

You're on your own. "Uh—actually, they called me and said they wanted to take care of someone, and then I came over." That was better.

Wang Zhuo asked with a faint smile, "Were their calls of a public nature, or private?" Yuan Ye glanced at his uncle, interpreted the look, and whispered, "...Private calls." Wang Zhuo scoffed, "You responded to a private call by bringing in the police team to arrest me and applying restraints? That sounds like misuse of public office, doesn't it?

And the penalty for that seems rather severe?" Yuan Xinyu quickly interjected, "Wang Zhuo, Wang Zhuo, calm down, calm down. Let me say a few words." Wang Zhuo looked at him and grunted an acknowledgment.

Yuan Xinyu hastily waved at Yuan Ye, "Take those two into the next room first. Don't let anyone go anywhere!" The three men shuffled out sheepishly.

Yuan Xinyu followed, shut the door, and upon returning, offered Wang Zhuo a wry smile. "Wang Zhuo, I know you’ve been grievously wronged in this matter.

Anyone in your position wouldn't let it slide so easily. But there is a limit to mercy; you should give them a chance to make amends.

Yuan Ye is my newly acknowledged nephew; even if you don't show favor for the sake of the monk, at least don't strip him of his badge, okay?" "We’ll discuss his situation in a moment," Wang Zhuo replied noncommittally. "You must know a thing or two about the background of those two boys, Director Yuan.

Tell me what you know." Yuan Xinyu secretly wiped a bead of sweat. He knew this marked the start of the negotiation phase—Wang Zhuo would now name an exorbitant price, and Yuan Ye and the other two would pay on the spot.

He had heard tales of someone punching a young master and ending up compensating him with an entire villa. While Wang Zhuo wasn't exactly a trust-fund kid, he was close enough, and furthermore, he was clearly in the right.

Illegally setting dogs on someone, mobilizing security, and calling in the police—these were all exceptionally grave offenses. He suspected a major financial bleeding was imminent.

Steeling his resolve, Deputy Director Yuan thought, Let it bleed. It’s not coming out of my pocket anyway.

I’ll settle accounts with Yuan Ye later. "The kid whose nose you broke is surnamed Li.

His father is..." Mid-sentence, Yuan Xinyu’s phone rang. He saw an unfamiliar number and was about to decline the call, but the string of eights in the number made him hesitate.

Seeing Wang Zhuo nod his assent, he answered. "Director Yuan, this is Li Huifeng." It seemed that speaking of the devil brought him right there.

Li Huifeng was, in fact, Li Runqian's father, the CEO of Huifeng Real Estate. Yuan Xinyu hadn't been able to reach him on the way over.

Clearly, Li Huifeng had gotten wind of the situation through other channels and was calling him now. With a bitter smile, Yuan Xinyu said, "Mr.

Li, your son is in deep trouble. If you have time, perhaps you should come over?" Li Huifeng was already on his way.

When his son had called for help earlier, he hadn't grasped the severity of the situation. But the fact that this person could summon Yuan Xinyu so casually indicated strength far surpassing that of a local snake like Yuan Xinyu.

Li Huifeng knew his own standing was roughly equal to Yuan Xinyu's, meaning his son had stirred up a massive problem this time. Hearing Yuan Xinyu's bitter laugh, Li Huifeng's heart sank.

After a moment of hesitation, he lowered his voice slightly and asked, "Brother Yuan, would it be convenient to disclose who we are dealing with over there?" As a gesture of good faith, Yuan Xinyu sat only about two meters from Wang Zhuo. At such close range, even Guan Yingying, who was standing, could clearly overhear their entire conversation, let alone Wang Zhuo.

Yuan Xinyu sighed, "Mr. Li, your son has caused a catastrophe this time.

But don't overthink things; I believe if your apology is sincere enough, the other party might still accept it." Li Huifeng understood immediately. He took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll be there right away!" As soon as he hung up, Li Runqian called him back immediately.

He not only described Yuan Xinyu’s deferential attitude toward Wang Zhuo but also revealed Wang Zhuo’s background. After listening, Li Huifeng gasped for air.

His son had provoked that young man rumored in the underworld, the one whom Qin Xue was willing to antagonize the former Municipal Party Secretary over! This young man was reportedly highly favored by the Qin family and was the childhood sweetheart of Qin Xue’s only daughter; they had even attended the same university, and Old Master Qin Jingzhong had already designated him as his future grandson-in-law.

It must be said that Li Huifeng interacted less with the public security and judiciary systems and more with the urban construction departments. Thus, the information he received was third-hand gossip, repeatedly embellished.

If not for Qin Xue’s recent promotion and others dredging up this old rumor, he might never have even heard of Wang Zhuo. His son had offended the Municipal Party Secretary's prospective son-in-law?

Li Huifeng was beyond cursing. Damn it, Li Runqian!

You raise a few dogs and cause such a disaster? You're sabotaging your own father!

On the other side, Qin Zeyu's father, Qin Xiangrong, was equally troubled. Despite sharing the surname Qin, the gulf between Qin Xiangrong and Qin Xue was immense.

One was the acting Municipal Party Secretary and Mayor, while the other was the general manager of a large municipal enterprise—a clear superior-subordinate relationship. Therefore, Qin Xiangrong knew far more about Wang Zhuo than Li Huifeng did.

Even setting aside Wang Zhuo's actual status, the single act of his son setting dogs on someone and then calling police friends to arrest and deal with the victim was enough for Qin Xue to have him dismissed and demoted. Furthermore, Qin Xiangrong knew his own situation intimately: he had always been aligned with the former Municipal Party Secretary, obstructing Mayor Qin Xue for several years.

Now that such a massive liability had fallen into Qin Xue's hands, demotion was the least of his worries; he could very well be purged from the party and public office entirely.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.