"So, what have you decided?" Lin Chuan asked.

"For Old Luo's sake, I'm all in," Li Minghua took a drag on his cigarette, and through the smoke, Lin Chuan could see the ferocity on Li Minghua's face.

"Good," Lin Chuan nodded and said, "But right now, I need solid evidence of the Song brothers harming Old Luo."

"Those two bastards have always been careful with their actions," Li Minghua sighed and said, "So, there's basically no one who can catch them red-handed."

Lin Chuan took a puff of his cigarette, slowly exhaling, and remained silent for a while.

"However, these two bastards have connections with someone nicknamed Thirteen Grand Protectors," Li Minghua took a deep breath and said, "I think we can make a breakthrough from there."

"Thirteen Grand Protectors?" Lin Chuan was somewhat taken aback, what kind of thing was that,

"Thirteen Grand Protectors is a thug in our Dongcheng District," Li Minghua said with a smile, "Apart from Thirteen Grand Protectors, there's also someone called the Northeast Tiger. These two guys are entrenched in Dongcheng District's territory, and basically no one dares to cause trouble in Dongcheng District anymore."

"I've heard about this Northeast Tiger," Lin Chuan said with a smile, "But I truly didn't know about this Thirteen Grand Protectors."

"The real name of Thirteen Grand Protectors is Feng Taibao, who later changed to a gangster name when he mingled in society," Li Minghua said with disdainful laughter, "He split his surname and directly goes by Thirteen Grand Protectors. However, these two have substantial influence in Dongcheng District, owning several companies and accumulating considerable wealth over the years, so basically, they're also considered legitimate businessmen now."

"Wow, a cultured thug is truly the scariest," Lin Chuan remarked with surprise and a bemused smile.

"That's for sure," Li Minghua snorted with a sneer, "Both Feng Taibao and Northeast Tiger are no good. Only those with ruthlessness can carve out a business. Now, business is booming for both of these guys, each worth tens of millions. They're not to be messed with."

"So, it's only natural for the Song brothers to be in cahoots with them," Lin Chuan narrowed his eyes.

"Right," Li Minghua nodded.

"The Song brothers are just simple-minded muscleheads," Lin Chuan sneered, "With the capabilities of Feng Taibao, he definitely wouldn't take those two seriously. That means the network behind Feng Taibao is probably not that simple, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Minghua instantly understood what Lin Chuan was getting at, his mind instantly becoming clear, he looked at Lin Chuan in disbelief: "Without evidence, you can't just talk nonsense like that."

"What's wrong with saying it?" Lin Chuan sneered, "Half the time, for a businessman to succeed, there must be some degenerates from the government supporting them from behind. It's a perfectly normal thing. Besides, the person behind Feng Taibao himself isn't exactly clean."

"Lin Chuan, careful, the walls have ears," Li Minghua gave Lin Chuan a stern look.

Although Lin Chuan didn't specify who he was talking about, Li Minghua knew very well in his heart, since Feng Taibao took such good care of the Song brothers, it must be because of their backer, Song Ming.

Song Ming in Jiangbei City is someone whose stomp could cause tremors three times over; although he is the Executive Deputy Secretary, his power is even greater than the City Secretary's. He's truly the almighty figure in Jiangbei City. If someone with intentions heard what Lin Chuan had said, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Forget it," Lin Chuan said with an easy smile, "If this person doesn't offend me, I can't be bothered to squabble with him, but as for his two nephews, I must find a way to teach them a lesson."

"But we must do it cleanly and thoroughly," Li Minghua added.

"Don't worry," Lin Chuan nodded.

"Lately, I'll keep showing goodwill to the Song brothers, striving to gain their trust," Li Minghua nodded and said, "When the time comes, if there's any clue or news, I'll notify you right away."

"Good," Lin Chuan patted Li Minghua's shoulder, "You're still a good brother after all."

"I'm also doing it to help Old Luo," Li Minghua nodded.

After spending a full hour and a half at the coffee shop, the two finally left. On the way back, Lin Chuan kept thinking about one question: why would the Song brothers always remain as drivers at the City Committee? Those two are, after all, Song Ming's own nephews. If he truly cared for his nephews, he would have found them some real power-holding official positions.

After thinking for a long time, Lin Chuan seemed to have figured it out.

The reason why Song Ming put his two nephews in the position of drivers undoubtedly was because he couldn't conveniently give this position to someone else. Only those he trusted could be up to the task. Who else could be trusted if not these two nephews? This also means that Song Ming must often send these two brothers to do some shady tasks for him.

With this thought, the corners of Lin Chuan's mouth slightly lifted; it was clear that he had seen through the critical point. Perhaps, starting from these two brothers as a breakthrough, one could find Song Ming's records of corruption, bribery, and criminal offenses.

However, he didn't have much time to spare on this at the moment. The most important thing he needed to do now was to take revenge for Old Luo. No matter who was the one who viciously targeted Old Luo, he had to pay them back in kind. Old Luo, such an honest and upright fellow, had only turned against the Song brothers under his influence. He couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

When he returned home, it was already nighttime.

The lights were still on in the house.

"Chuanzi, is that you coming back?" Mrs. Lin asked curiously.

"Mom, it's me," Lin Chuan replied hastily.

Mrs. Lin hobbled out, smiling as she said, "Silly boy, why are you back so late? Take a seat quickly."

"Mom, what's the good news?" Lin Chuan asked, puzzled.

"Here, take these two thousand yuan for now," Mrs. Lin hurriedly handed a red envelope to Lin Chuan.

"What...what's this about?" Lin Chuan's face filled with even more questions.

"Silly boy," Mrs. Lin laughed, "Sister Zhou from the neighborhood committee came by tonight and said the girl will be back from out of town tomorrow, and told you to get ready for the blind date. Your clothes from last time are all worn out, so take these two thousand yuan to buy a new outfit, and keep some change to take the girl out for a meal, watch a movie... isn't that what young people do these days?"

"Mom, how can I take your money?" Lin Chuan quickly tried to give the two thousand yuan back to his mother.

"Take it," Mrs. Lin glared at Lin Chuan, saying, "If you don't dress up and don't take her out for food and movies, what, are you planning to just walk down the street with her?"

Lin Chuan had no choice but to keep the two thousand yuan in his pocket obediently.

He really was short of money lately, having not reached a month at work, and couldn't count on his salary. The little money he had after coming back all went to his mother's medical expenses, and whatever he managed to scrape together after that was mostly 'donated' to Zhou Kai and the others for poverty alleviation. Lin Chuan didn't regret it – helping these kids was like helping the community, helping the whole big family.

"All right," Lin Chuan nodded and said, "When I get paid later, I will pay you back."

"No need," Mrs. Lin laughed, "Actually, as long as you bring me a daughter-in-law, I'll be perfectly content."

"Mom, you're at it again," Lin Chuan said with a wry smile.

This eagerness for a daughter-in-law was even more urgent than his own. But it was understandable why his mother was anxious. In the community, everyone about his age had already had children, or if not kids, they were married. Just waiting to hold a chubby little guy. Only he remained single. Every time he went out, there would always be people teasing his mother. Therefore, it was impossible for his mother not to be anxious.

...

The next morning, just before leaving work, Lin Chuan went to Tang Yumeng's office to ask for leave.

"Secretary Tang, I might need to take a leave of absence this afternoon," Lin Chuan smiled, "If you need the car, you can ask Li Minghua."

"What are you planning to do?" Tang Yumeng stared at Lin Chuan, suspicious. She had to be cautious; this kid seemed to be planning a fallout with the Song brothers. And asking for leave at this critical moment obviously wasn't right. Tang Yumeng feared Lin Chuan was going to seek revenge on the Song brothers.

"Blind date," Lin Chuan replied simply.

Snort…

Tang Yumeng had just taken a sip of water and immediately spat it out. Xiao Xue nearby covered her mouth and giggled. What era was this that people still went on blind dates? This was too surprising. But then again, Lin Chuan himself was a man of surprises.

"What?!" Tang Yumeng looked at Lin Chuan dumbfounded, "What did you say? Blind date?"

"Yes," Lin Chuan nodded.

"With whom?" Tang Yumeng asked curiously.

"Don't know them. If I did, it wouldn't be a blind date," Lin Chuan said awkwardly, scratching his head, "Anyway, they've arranged to meet in the afternoon, so...I won't be able to come to work then."

"Okay, I approve," Tang Yumeng nodded.

"Lin Chuan, why do you always come to Secretary Tang for everything?" Xiao Xue frowned, speaking discontentedly, "Don't you know how precious Secretary Tang's time is? You should apply for leave with the HR department. Find your department head, not bring every tiny, trivial matter to Secretary Tang."

"Alright, I'll remember next time," Lin Chuan nodded.

After Lin Chuan left, the office burst into laughter. Tang Yumeng chuckled, "Why do I suddenly find this kid kind of cute?"

"This guy is just like a block of wood," Xiao Xue huffed, "Not savvy at all. Otherwise, why would he need a blind date? He's Secretary Tang's driver; he could probably pick up a bride just walking down the street."

"Then would you be willing to be his bride?" Tang Yumeng asked with a smile.

"No way," Xiao Xue pouted, "I need to find a Mr. Right, not someone who makes me angry all the time and doesn't understand the rules."

"Little girl, do you even know what kind of man is your Mr. Right?" Tang Yumeng laughed.

"At the very least, someone who understands me, dotes on me, goes along with me," Xiao Xue said with a smile.

"That's a princess," Tang Yumeng glanced at Xiao Xue, "In a relationship, it's inevitable to have bumps and disagreements. For a woman, if you can find a man who would give his life for you, that makes a lifetime worth it."

"Secretary Tang, why... don't you find someone?" Xiao Xue asked curiously.

Tang Yumeng was already thirty-one years old, and also a very young bureau-level official. However, the most surprising thing was that she still didn't have a partner. Although there were many pursuers, including some from rich and powerful families, and even some wealthy men in their thirties or forties, she wasn't interested in any of them. This led to a lot of people gossiping behind her back, wondering if Tang Yumeng might be a 'comrade' (lesbian). And such rumors spread secretly within the City Committee; after all, with Secretary Tang's high position, no one dared to say it openly. If it got out and Secretary Tang became furious, then an investigation would cause trouble.

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