"Xiaofei, thank you so much for today. Without you, I don't know how much longer I would've been stuck in there. Come on, this first drink is for you," Yi Shu said, raising his glass in sincere gratitude to Chen Fei, Aunt Deng, and the others as they sat back down at the table.

On the way back, he had learned that Chen Fei was the one who had pulled some strings, convincing Du Yuanbing, the chief of the Xicheng Police Station, to agree to his release. Otherwise, there was no way he would have been freed by now—he'd probably still be languishing in a dark police cell.

By now, he naturally understood that Chen Fei, the kid who used to trail him everywhere, had truly made something of himself. Not only had Chen Fei earned a fortune in Northern Mountain City and bought a million-yuan luxury car like the Mercedes GL400, but he had also managed to pull enough strings to make the chief of the Xicheng Police Station do him a favor.

Yi Shu, though honest to a fault and admittedly reckless, was acutely aware that this was no small feat. This was especially true given that the situation involved the brother-in-law of Liu Guangrong, the Chengyang County Party Secretary. If it were just an ordinary connection, how could Du Yuanbing have released him so quickly and decisively?

So now he was certain: the friend Chen Fei had asked for help had to be someone of incredibly high status, perhaps even a major figure from the city government.

Thinking of this, Yi Shu couldn't suppress the grievance he felt. Holding his cup, he cautiously asked Chen Fei, "Xiaofei, can you give me the lowdown on what happened today, Brother Yi Shu to you? Who exactly is this friend of yours? Are you close? Do you think you could ask him…"

"Shut your mouth! What nonsense are you spouting now, you brat? Are you trying to land yourself back in that police cell?" A mother knows her son best. Aunt Deng immediately cut him off.

Seeing this, the stylish Little Mei also chimed in earnestly, "Look, Yi Shu, you're lucky to be out at all. Stop fixating on this. Do you really think the powerful person backing that scoundrel Wang Yifa is just for show? That's the County Party Secretary! Do you have any idea how high-ranking an official that is?"

"But no matter how powerful he is, he can't just steal our hard-earned money! Besides, Mom, Aunt, this isn't a small amount—it's nearly six or seven hundred thousand!"

Embarrassed by the scolding from his mother and aunt, Yi Shu sullenly drank his wine. With a tone of dissatisfaction, he continued, "Xiaofei, I know your friend must have gone to a lot of trouble to get me out. Logically, I should be content with that and not push it. But… but I just feel so wronged…"

Just imagine it. He'd led his construction team, working day and night, toiling for half a year to finally complete their task. Just when it was time to reap the rewards, they were met with such blatant bullying! How could he possibly swallow this insult?

"Shut your mouth!"

But just then, Aunt Deng slammed her bowl on the table. "We're dropping this matter!" she said angrily. "Don't ever bring it up again. Money can be earned back, but what if a life is lost? What would you have me do then, a widow with an orphan?"

"Mom!"

Hearing the gravity in his mother's voice, Yi Shu could only fall silent, his face a mask of pained conflict. What else could he do? That was his mother, after all.

"Sister Deng, I don't think you should be so hasty," Lin Ling intervened, giving her son a meaningful look. "Why don't we first ask this kid about his friend? What's his status? If he really has a way to help, maybe things could change."

Even she was quite curious about which friend her son had contacted. While the chief of a county police station might not be a top-tier official, he was still an official. Anyone with real say in those circles had to have considerable clout.

"Well…" Chen Fei hesitated, then looked at Yi Shu instead of answering directly. "Brother Yi Shu, can you tell me exactly what happened, in detail? Also, I heard the labor contract they signed with you was fake. If it was, how did you not notice when you signed it?"

"I don't get why the Labor Bureau said my contract is fake!" Yi Shu said, growing indignant at the mention of it. "I specifically had a lawyer review it. Before we even started work, the company's representative went with me to a notary office to have it notarized. It can't be fake!"

"You had a lawyer review it? And it was notarized? Where's the contract now? Can I see it?" Chen Fei asked, his interest piqued. This situation seemed much more promising than he had imagined.

"That bastard Wang tore up the original, but I secretly made a few copies. They're at home, I'll go get them right now!" Yi Shu exclaimed, immediately running home to fetch the photocopies he had hidden away. The contract was several pages long.

"Director Gao, it's me. Can you check this contract for me? Are there any problems? Is it legally valid?" Chen Fei took photos of the contract and sent them to Gao Zhinan. A few moments later, a message appeared on his phone: *It's real and fully legally binding.*

"Looks like they were bluffing, Brother Yi Shu. The contract is solid," Chen Fei said with a grin upon receiving the text. This should make things much simpler.

"It's real? I knew it! I had a lawyer check it specifically, how could there be a problem?" Yi Shu exclaimed, suddenly thrilled.

"Xiaofei, I'm not trying to pour cold water on this, but even if the contract is valid, what can we do?" Aunt Deng said, her face still etched with worry. "They're refusing to acknowledge it, and they have the County Party Secretary backing them. We're just ordinary people; we can't fight them. Let's just drop it."

"Mom! This is a society ruled by law now. No matter how powerful Liu Guangrong is, can he really cover the sky with one hand?" Yi Shu shouted defiantly.

"Exactly! Aunt Deng, in a society ruled by law, a mere County Party Secretary can't cover the sky. Besides, any deputy mayor or deputy Party secretary from the city has way more clout than he does," Chen Fei immediately chimed in. Truth be told, a mere County Party Secretary didn't even register on his radar.

"Are you saying you know deputy mayors and deputy Party secretaries, young man?" Lin Ling couldn't help but interject, sizing up her son with a strange expression.

After all, knowing deputy mayors and deputy Party secretaries wasn't something to joke about. How many of them were there in a city? They were among the absolute top leaders at the municipal level. How could her son, a "top student" from a Third-Tier university, possibly have any connection with such figures? It was ridiculous.

However, Chen Fei just grinned. "I don't know any deputy mayors or deputy Party secretaries," he said. "But I do know Huang Tao." After all, Huang Tao had already been promoted to mayor, so calling him a deputy would be inappropriate.

Just then, the Northern Mountain City news channel playing on the TV broadcast a segment announcing that Huang Tao, the former Executive Deputy Mayor of Northern Mountain City, had been appointed as the new mayor. Everyone froze.

"You… you… you're saying you know *him*?" the stylish woman asked, her hand trembling as she pointed at Huang Tao's face on the screen, her own filled with disbelief.

"If there isn't another Huang Tao in Northern Mountain City, then that should be him," Chen Fei said with a modest smile.

THWACK!

The next moment, Lin Ling whacked him on the head. "Hey! We're talking about serious matters, and you're cracking jokes?" she said irritably. Clearly, even she couldn't bring herself to believe her son could know the mayor of a city.

Such a person, while perhaps not on the level of the figures in the Capital City, was still a heavyweight in Northern Mountain City, and even in the entire Jiangnan Province. How could her son possibly claim to know someone like that?

"I… I… I… Ouch." Chen Fei rubbed his head, utterly speechless. What's the big deal about knowing Huang Tao? Why is it so hard for anyone to believe the truth these days…

Though feeling terribly wronged, he didn't dare show it in front of his mother. Instead, he turned back to Yi Shu. "Brother Yi Shu, if you trust me, do exactly what you did before. Go back to their company this afternoon and cause a scene again. But this time, I guarantee it! Not only will you get back the project funds they owe you, but every person responsible for this wrongdoing, along with anyone who protected them, will face the full force of the law! Not one will get away!"

His declaration left everyone stunned by his audacity. Only Lin Ling seemed to see her son in a new light, a thoughtful glint appearing in her tranquil eyes. Could it be that her son hadn't been joking earlier? Did he really know the newly appointed mayor, Huang Tao?

"It's no use, young man. Do you have any idea who is protecting that Wang Yifa? It's the biggest official in Chengyang County, County Party Secretary Liu Guangrong. So…" The fashionable woman still refused to believe Chen Fei had such capabilities.

Hearing this, Aunt Deng nodded, her face full of anxiety. "She's right, Xiaofei. The County Party Secretary is the top leader in all of Chengyang County! That's such a high-ranking official! We ordinary people can't fight that. Let it go, really, just let it go."

To her, this was simply the reality of the world. They had power and influence. What good would anger or resentment do? It was useless. People like them could never win.

"Mom, I believe Xiaofei! Why don't we give it one more try? Just one last time!" Yi Shu suddenly exclaimed, his face a mask of inner conflict as he held his cup. He really, truly wanted to try one last time.

"Aunt Deng, have I, Chen Fei, ever made empty boasts in front of you?" Chen Fei said, his expression turning cold. "Why should we just let these bastards walk all over us without fighting back? Just trust me this one time! I'd like to see just how outrageous that Wang Yifa can possibly be."

From the very beginning, his plan was to blow this whole affair wide open and get justice for Brother Yi Shu and his family. Now, he was even more resolved not to let the matter rest. He wouldn't just bring Wang Yifa to justice; he would bring down every single official who protected him. If Chen Fei said he could do it, he absolutely would. No question.

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