Secretary Liu, real name Liu Guangrong, was the nominal head of Chengyang County—the County Committee Secretary. However, with the transfer of his major backer, former North Mountain City Committee Secretary Mo Cheng, his situation had become somewhat awkward. He had grown much more low-key than before, though only relatively speaking.

It was normal for careers in officialdom to have their ups and downs, but the fall from being able to blot out the sky with one hand to now having to tuck his tail between his legs was a bitter pill to swallow. Our great Secretary Liu inevitably felt suffocated.

So when he answered the phone and heard that his own brother-in-law had been arrested by Wang Ye, the Director of the County Public Security Bureau, he snapped.

SLAM!

In his apartment in the County Committee's Building No. 1, Liu Guangrong, his greasy, acne-scarred face contorted with fury, slammed his hand on the table. He stood up and growled into the phone, "What? You're telling me Wang Ye arrested you? What the hell is going on? Tell me everything, from start to finish!"

"Brother-in-law, I'm in a police car right now. They're taking me to the County Public Security Bureau. As for what happened… I'll make it quick…" Wang Yifa said rapidly.

"What? You idiot! How could you dare do something like that right in front of Wang Ye? Do you really think his title as Director of the County Public Security Bureau is just for show? Did you get your head caught in a door? Kicked by a donkey?" The more Wang Yifa tried to explain, the more Liu Guangrong on the other end of the line blew his top, exploding like a barrel of dynamite.

"Brother-in-law, I just thought that with you around, the Director of the County Public Security Bureau would have to give you some face, right? There's no way a mere county-level Public Security Director is more badass than you, the County Committee Secretary, is he?" Wang Yifa said with a pitiful expression, laying the flattery on thick.

Upon hearing Wang Yifa's words, the officers from the County Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division in the car looked at each other, their expressions shifting slightly. In the end, though, they hesitated and remained silent.

"Shut your mouth! This isn't something for you to worry about," Liu Guangrong snapped.

"Yes, yes, of course, Brother-in-law. You're in a different league, way more badass than that Wang Ye. But Brother-in-law, Wang Ye knew full well I'm your man, and my company is under your protection. For him to be so disrespectful… isn't he looking down on you?" Although Wang Yifa detected the anger in his brother-in-law's voice, he stubbornly continued to fan the flames and sow discord.

Though he was a fool, even he knew that his brother-in-law had been forced to keep a low profile since his backer was transferred. He was nursing a bellyful of fire and was especially sensitive right now. At a time like this, anyone who didn't show him respect, or even dared to slight him, would likely touch a raw nerve and ignite a simmering volcano.

Damn it! So what if you're Wang Ye, the Director of the County Public Security Bureau? As long as my brother-in-law, Secretary Liu, makes a move, you're nothing but a fart! Wang Yifa thought viciously, completely oblivious to the magnitude of the disaster he had just triggered.

"Damn it, I told you to shut your mouth! Things in officialdom aren't as simple as you think. You don't know jack shit! Do I need you to teach me how to do my job?" Just as Wang Yifa predicted, although Secretary Liu cursed him out, his voice now carried an unmistakable edge of frustration and annoyance.

That's right. I'm Liu Guangrong, the esteemed County Committee Secretary, the nominal top official in this county. And now you, Wang Ye, arrest my brother-in-law without even giving me a heads-up? What is this supposed to be? Are you looking down on me, Liu Guangrong?

The thought made Liu Guangrong even more agitated.

"Brother-in-law, what about my situation now…?" Wang Yifa whispered, sensing his 'plan' had succeeded.

"I'm hanging up to call Wang Ye. I'll see what he thinks he's doing." SLAM. The line went dead. Seeing this, a 'victorious' smile spread across Wang Yifa's face.

Damn you, Wang Ye. Weren't you acting all high and mighty just now? You even dared to arrest me, Wang Yifa! Didn't you know what kind of status I have? Fine! Let's see how tough you are when my brother-in-law, Secretary Liu, calls you personally! Are you still going to act so tough? Are you going to release me or not?! Hmph! You really think being the Director of the County Public Security Bureau makes you a big shot?

Clearly, our CEO Wang Yifa was getting carried away again. Just because his brother-in-law was the County Committee Secretary, he really thought he was some hotshot, a real player. To look down on a Deputy Director-level County Public Security Bureau Chief… he was truly living in a dream.

Meanwhile, Director Wang Ye had just boarded the last police car with Chen Fei, Yi Shu, and Zhou Xuanzheng, preparing to return to the County Public Security Bureau, when his phone suddenly rang.

"It's Secretary Liu," Wang Ye said, his expression turning grim as he glanced at the caller ID.

"Secretary Liu?"

Zhou Xuanzheng, the Deputy Director of the Labor Bureau, heard this and gave a wry, internal smile. He quickly shot another glance at Chen Fei, who remained perfectly calm, a complex look flashing in his eyes. He understood perfectly now: this was a clash of titans, and mortals like him would suffer the consequences. All that remained was to see which side was more powerful.

After all, even though Secretary Liu's star was fading after that incident in the city—and he no longer commanded the same authority or respect—a County Committee Secretary was still a County Committee Secretary. As long as that official hat, the biggest in all of Chengyang County, remained on his head, he was still nominally the top leader. No one could afford to take him lightly.

"Answer it. Let's see what he has to say," Chen Fei said, noticing Wang Ye's questioning gaze.

"Yes, Mr. Chen."

Wang Ye nodded and answered the phone with practiced enthusiasm. "Secretary Liu, good afternoon." Obviously, before things turned openly hostile, when a man of the County Committee Secretary's stature called personally, one had to show the proper respect. There was no point in giving people a reason to gossip.

"Old Wang, still out there handling cases in this heat. That's tough work," Liu Guangrong said with a laugh from the other end.

"Not at all. As a police officer, it's my job and my duty. It's no hardship. Secretary Liu, what can I do for you?" Wang Ye replied with the usual official pleasantries before cutting straight to the point.

"I wouldn't dare give you instructions on how to handle your cases. However, it seems my brainless brother-in-law has had some sort of misunderstanding with our Director Wang. Why don't we have dinner tonight? A few drinks, a good meal, and the misunderstanding will be cleared up. What do you think, Bureau Wang?" Secretary Liu said, his voice a humorless parody of a smile.

"Your brother-in-law? Oh, right, you mean Wang Yifa, the boss of Sheng'an Real Estate Company? Secretary Liu, you see, it's not that I, Wang Ye, am trying to disrespect you. But he dared to commit such a flagrant violation of the law right in front of me, the Director of the County Public Security Bureau. He destroyed crucial evidence. It puts me in a very difficult position, you know?" Wang Ye's tone grew colder.

"Director Wang, you're making this sound very serious."

Hearing Wang Ye throw around grave accusations like "flagrant violation of the law," Liu Guangrong couldn't help but frown. His voice turned frosty. "Are you implying that I, the County Committee Secretary, lack the basic ability to tell right from wrong? Director Wang, I'm simply asking you to dinner. Are you telling me you won't even grant me that little bit of face?"

He was clearly getting angry. After all, even if his influence was waning, he still held his post; the hat hadn't been taken from his head yet. He had thought that by humbling himself and personally making the call to smooth things over, the other party would be happy to grant him this favor. But to his surprise, Wang Ye was still giving him the runaround with no intention of letting the man go.

Has my, Liu Guangrong's, face really become so worthless? He dares to disrespect me?

"Secretary Liu, now you're the one being too serious. We can certainly have dinner. But as for your brother-in-law Wang Yifa's case, please forgive me, but I am powerless to help. We in the police will not let a single criminal go, nor will we wrong a single innocent man. If it's truly a misunderstanding, then nothing will come of it. On this point, Secretary Liu, you can rest assured," Wang Ye replied coolly.

SLAM!

In his apartment, the greasy-faced Secretary Liu Guangrong once again slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "Wang Ye, what do you mean by that?" he snarled. In his eyes, for Wang Ye to say such a thing was a direct slap in the face.

What did he mean, 'we won't let a single criminal go, nor will we wrong a single innocent man'?

Liu Guangrong usually turned a blind eye to the shady business at his brother-in-law's real estate company, but he was well aware of how dirty it was and how many skeletons were in that closet. If there weren't, he wouldn't have had to make this call in the first place.

But now, Wang Ye had laid it all out on the table, leaving him no room to argue or maneuver. Was he really planning to give me, Liu Guangrong, no face at all?

At this thought, Liu Guangrong's expression turned hideously dark, and he snarled through gritted teeth, "Wang Ye, Secretary Mo may have been transferred, but I, Liu Guangrong, am still the County Committee Secretary of Chengyang County! The top man! Do you have any respect for me left in your eyes at all?" He was now utterly convinced that Wang Ye was looking down on him, daring to disrespect him, and it had struck that raw, sensitive nerve deep in his heart.

If this had happened a month or two ago, before Secretary Mo fell from power and was transferred, who in all of Chengyang County would have dared to speak to me like this? The Director of the County Public Security Bureau, who was also a member of the County Standing Committee? He wouldn't have been nearly qualified! But now Wang Ye dares to refuse me publicly, to disrespect me so openly. Does he really think that just because Secretary Mo is gone, I, Liu Guangrong, am completely finished? If he pushes me too far, I swear I'll risk it all and fight him, even during this sensitive period! I, Liu Guangrong, refuse to believe that a mere Director of the County Public Security Bureau can turn the heavens upside down right in front of me! Absolutely impossible!

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