Chapter 172 Encounter

d achieve."It's from a huge embezzler, swindled money. Instead of letting him squander these ill-gotten gains on extravagance and luxury, why not let us build our foundation with it Haven’t you always...Chapter 172: Meeting Up

The sky was just beginning to lighten when Tian Tian lay in bed, gazing out of the bedroom window on the second floor of the semi-detached house. Through the tall paulownia leaves outside, she could see fluffy clouds.

It wasn't quite dawn yet.

Lying in bed, Tian Tian's heart was conflicted and complicated as she counted the petals of dried flowers in a vase next to her large queen-sized bed, muttering to herself, "Get up or don’t get up. Get up or don’t get up."

The previous bed had been 1.8 meters long; it had accompanied her for over six or seven years since she moved here. She used to count love letters while lying in bed and spent many nights studying with just a single lamp for company during high school and university days. However, two months ago, her mother replaced the old bed with this larger one. According to her mother's words, they would eventually need such a large bed.

It seemed that she had already started being pushed out before she even married.

The matter concerning Xu Dong was always something discussed and planned by women at her mother’s level. The most proactive person in the family about her entering the Xu family was none other than her own mother, while Xu Dong's mother was determined to have Tian Tian as her daughter-in-law.

Every year she would receive a red envelope with 1000 yuan from Xu Dong’s mother. This amount was quite considerable compared to the red envelopes given to Tian Tian every year. She used to wonder why Xu Dong's mother gave so much money in red envelopes. Now that she has grown up, she finally understands: last year, Xu Dong's mother gave 3000 yuan, and this year it directly increased to 5000 yuan.

Holding the thick red envelope, she feels a sense of responsibility brought by these sums of money. Tian Tian thinks that when she receives such a large amount in red envelopes next year, perhaps she will already be circulating among various banquet circles with Xu Dong, being praised and envied like a celebrity on a fashion show. By then, she would have to smile.

She is not without anxiety; her best friend Zhang Xi once said, "You should feel content. Who else can match Xu Dong in terms of family background, conditions, talents, and character From childhood till now, you've known each other intimately. What more do you want Look around at Yang Jiaqian marrying Lu Xiafu; she got a QQ car which she polishes daily as if it were a BMW. Guo Shurang married Zhao Xing, but he plays games all day long, and even if his father is a bureau chief, he'll remain just a small civil servant for life, not to mention how ugly he looks. Do you think it's appropriate to continue being picky and saying things like 'not ready' or 'lack of depth' There’s nothing left to choose from now; time flies so quickly, and once youth passes, it never returns."

The thought that "there's nothing left to choose" used to make Tian Tian feel stifled and anxious. Today in bed, she felt the same way, counting petals until the last one: "Get up."

She finally got out of bed; having half-slept and half-insomnia throughout the night, she still had some energy left. She looked at the pillow by her bedside where someone had drawn a map of Russia, making Tian Tian feel so angry that she hugged the pillow and threw it around in frustration, muttering, "You made me cry again; I haven't cried since graduating from university. Damn outsider."

Thinking back to last night's argument with Su Can, when her anger flared up, she often spoke too harshly. Now, looking at the blood on her mouth caused by brushing vigorously due to emotional agitation, Tian Tian rinsed her mouth and frowned slightly, "Who let him be so aggressive"

Although she thought this way, Tian Tian still opened her front door at around 6:45 as usual and pulled the outer iron gate with a creak. She then ran along the public path that was slightly foggy and chilly in the morning.

On her route, she passed by Su Can's house several times but saw no movement inside the small building. There were two paulownia trees sprouting new buds in the yard.

However, during the time it took for her to run and return home, she did not see that figure running around the yard every morning again.

Tian Tian opened her front door with a creak; at this moment, her heart felt empty as if something important had been lost.

**Su Can slept till dawn. The previous day was a rollercoaster of emotions that messed up his biological clock and almost made him unwilling to get off the sofa. It was finally Su Richen's phone call in his room that woke him up.

Then everyone got up, washed, and brushed their teeth. As Su Can and Tang Wu were heading towards the washbasin, Little Wu (Tang Wu) blushed and turned to walk into the bathroom when she saw Su Can, seemingly afraid that her feelings would be noticed by his sharp eyes.

Lin Luoran appeared upstairs with a waterfall of hair. She was listening to Lin Zouwan on the phone while walking down in slippers. Perhaps Lin Zouwan didn’t know what happened in Phoenix City and wouldn’t let him know at this moment either, so he just called to ask how Lin Luoran was doing here, where she stayed, whether she stayed with Su Can, if they were together, and whether she was okay.

This is how it always went between Lin Luoran and Lin Zouwan; after a few sentences on the phone, both would pretend to be polite but would secretly scheme against each other. In their childhood, they fought, and when slightly older, although Lin Zouwan no longer dared to fight back physically, he tried to persuade her to use words instead of fists. However, Lin Luoran never acted as expected; she often beat him up with a black eye while also falsely reporting the situation to their parents, leaving Lin Zouwan getting scolded by his own folks and holding grudges.

When they grew older, Lin Zouwan would act more insidiously under Lin Luoran's ever-increasing shine. They looked so different from each other—she was slender while he was plump—that people often had the impulse to help a damsel in distress. With this sense of grievance, Lin Zouwan couldn’t stop mentioning that he needed someone to tame her demon-like behavior. He thought that once she got married and became a worthless piece of water thrown out, under the husband's authority with the three obediences and four virtues, he could finally vent his grievances from being bullied in the past, achieving a glorious comeback as an elder brother.

Who would have thought that Lin Luoran wouldn’t be affected at all; she was still lazy and told her brother on the phone, "Not only are we living together but also sleeping together. There’s no need for you to know more details." Then she hung up under the shocked voice of Lin Zouwan.

As usual, she walked lazily past Su Can who was foaming at the mouth and with wide eyes, glancing up at him with a smile and saying "Good morning."

Then she took her cup and toothbrush to another washbasin. Throughout this process, Su Can felt like an abandoned woman being ignored.

Zeng Ke prepared breakfast—steamed buns and soy milk. Tang Wu used chopsticks to pick up a bun, chewing slowly, eating a couple of bites before drinking some soy milk. It was pleasant just watching her eat. Lin Luoran held the bun and pulled off small pieces to put in her mouth while teasing Li Pengyu from time to time. Apparently, that demure and weak demeanor she had last night was only a fleeting scene; most of the time, she was still an Amazonian woman ready to slay demons at any moment.

A table set before steaming soy milk presents a mild yet visually appealing scene.

But within the Huáng City Municipal Committee staff compound, probably only this small villa in the northwest corner exudes such warmth and tranquility.

The dense storm arrived as expected. Su Licheng received several phone calls and even threw a tantrum in his study.

After finishing his meal, Su Cen also made some calls to make arrangements. This was no time for negligence; he immediately instructed Lin Guangdong to contact the powerful Shandong News Group behind the magazine. Lin Guangdong had heard about this incident and felt both relieved that Tang Wu and Lin Zhuoran were safe but concerned about Wang Yue. The Mercedes-Benz S350, a brand new car less than a month old with registration just two weeks ago, reportedly needed major repairs on its front wing, steel frame, radiator, engine—total repair costs would be around five to six hundred thousand yuan. However, when Su Cen said that the group's CEO Guo Changsheng would contact him, Lin Guangdong was still puzzled, "Mr. Gu is a retired figure who rarely comes out except for taking his grandson on European tours or playing golf in places where the golf industry has recently flourished. He may wield influence but he let Shandong News Group be handled by Jiang Jiwen and others at the provincial level. Could there have been a misunderstanding Do you have confirmation"

"Just wait for him to arrive," Su Cen replied.

Shortly after, someone from the Shandong News Group contacted Lin Guangdong saying that Guo Changsheng had just arrived at his office and wanted to meet with him. Upon entering the office, Guo Changsheng said, "A single phone call from Secretary Wang summoned me back; it seems my old bones are still useful in critical moments."

Very quickly, special reporters dispatched by the Shandong News Group began arriving in Huáng City.

After making arrangements for Lin Guangdong's side, Su Cen stood up and left with Li Pengyu to fetch a car. They were heading to the provincial inspection team's office to record incidents and report accordingly, as they needed to work closely with Geng Luoxiang.

The provincial inspection team's office was bustling with activity; both the chief and deputy chiefs of Huáng City Public Security Bureau had arrived. Seeing Su Cen and others, they warmly welcomed them. Zeng Ke was concerned for everyone and thought it best to handle matters personally since this was a serious situation. Chief Fu Xinren of the city bureau sized up Zeng Ke and Su Cen before approaching with a smile, "Are you Mrs. Mayor Su The municipal bureau has already started investigating; we will certainly give you a satisfactory response."

Zeng Ke responded, "I believe so, and I trust that Geng Chairman will handle the matter well."

Hearing Geng Luoxiang's name, Fu Xinren's expression changed. He repeatedly agreed. With Xu Changcheng having warned him beforehand to minimize the incident's impact, dealing with it without Geng Luoxiang overseeing would not have been a problem. However, now he could only rely on how much power and influence Xu Changcheng and Zhou Zhaofeng held. If Geng Luoxiang didn't cooperate, they could get him moved by issuing orders from the provincial department. Without pressure from the provincial level, wouldn't it be within their capability to resolve this matter given their power in Huáng City

After completing her report, Lin Zhuoran answered a call; it was her parents. Wang Bo knew about the incident immediately, but Wang Weiwei and other relatives might not have heard yet. Notifying Lin Zhuoran's parents was inevitable, however, this could invite further trouble. First came a call from Lin Guozhou in Beijing, followed by a call from her mother Lu Jiying: "Your grandfather knows too; see how you explain yourself when you return."

Lin Zhuoran’s grandfather is someone even Wang Bo would respect.

However, his personality was quite stubborn. Otherwise, Lin Guozhou and his wife, Lu Jiying, wouldn't have ignored him for years due to thinking he had no merit as a son-in-law. In recent years, things improved; with Lin Guozhou now doing well and frequently serving as the spokesperson of the State Department of Publicity, her grandfather, though seeing him less in person, often saw his image on TV, finding it easier to look favorably upon him.

Lin Luoran stuck out her tongue and said, "Fortunately, the New Year has passed. School will soon start again, bringing a year of peace. I won’t have to face my grandfather's thunderous expression."

Luo Jiying knew that even in front of him, his daughter was mischievous. He himself was serious and disapproved of Lin Luoran’s personality traits which were similar to those of her father, Lin Guozhou. This had always been a source of contention for him. As someone who worked at the Ministry of Public Security, Luo Jiying inquired carefully about the process of the incident involving Lin Luoran. He also asked about the implementation by the Phoenix City police force. His tone suggested that if he wasn’t satisfied, he would intervene forcefully.

It seemed as though overnight, Xu Dong’s case had become widely known news across Phoenix City, becoming a focal point of interest for all levels and aspects. He was arrested on charges of deliberately blocking and ramming another vehicle with his car and is currently being detained by the public security bureau for investigation. The situation to follow remains uncertain.

Many people found it hard to believe when they heard about this. Everyone knew that Xu Changcheng’s family had a prominent background in Phoenix City, with an extensive network of influence intertwined throughout various sectors. Any member of the Xu family was someone no one dared to offend easily.

Xu Changcheng himself had connections reaching some provincial officials. In recent years, he and Zhou Zhaofeng both enjoyed strong backing, such that even the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Li Yinliang and Mayor Yang Wanli could not bypass them when carrying out work. At times, they even faced pressure from higher-ups in the province, making their positions quite formidable.

Su Can’s actions were even more shocking. While it seemed like a rash act of anger, he had both severely beaten someone and put him away in jail. Anyone with a sharp sense could detect a shift in the atmosphere.

It was already late evening when Su Can returned home with everyone else. His father, Su Licheng, had been at home waiting for him; today he too had spent the day outside dealing with matters related to the Xu Dong case that directly impacted various aspects of this city, and some issues required his personal intervention.

By now it was too late to cook dinner at home, so Zeng Ke planned on making noodles instead. Su Can suggested to Tang Wu and Lin Luoran, "Why don’t we go out for barbecue There’s one nearby that serves seafood; I often went there with Li Pengyu before you arrived."

Zeng Ke prepared a bowl of noodles for Su Licheng while the others decided to go out. After tidying up, they left the compound.

Su Can received a call but after checking who was calling, he thought about it and didn’t answer.

Today alone, this had happened five times; not that he didn’t want to take the calls, but he wasn’t sure how to respond. He still hadn’t figured out what to do.

The group walked around a corner on their way out and were surprised to see two cars parked by the roadside near the entrance of the compound: one was a green Volkswagen Beetle and the other a black Chrysler Town & Country.

Seven people, some male and some female, had just stepped out from these vehicles and were standing beside them. It appeared that they had been talking endlessly due to an important matter; their expressions reflected anxiety. Then, from behind the flowering trees on another corner of the road, came two rings of a mobile phone in the night before falling silent again.轉碼失敗！請您使用右上換源切換源站閱讀或者直接前往源網站進行閱讀！