Just as Chen Fei and the others got into Niuniu's Volkswagen Beetle, preparing to head to Tongzhou City's famous high-end five-star hotel—the Ziyue Grand Hotel—to make a reservation, Chen Fei quietly took out his mobile phone and sent a text message.

In Jiangnan Province, within the Tongzhou City Municipal Party Secretary's office, Dong Wencheng was looking through a report when he suddenly heard a sound from the personal mobile phone on his desk.

DING.

"A text message?"

Dong Wencheng's brow furrowed slightly. He initially thought it was just another spam message from a service provider or something similar and was about to ignore it. But then his gaze seemed to catch a word on the display screen of his personal phone—was that the name "Chen"!?

Chen? Wait, could it be...

A flicker of surprise and doubt crossed his eyes, and without hesitation, he put down the report and picked up his phone.

"Is it really Mr. Chen?"

When he finally saw the sender's name displayed boldly on the screen as 'Mr. Chen,' an even stronger sense of astonishment filled his eyes.

He knew Chen Fei's character well; the man never sought people out unless it was for a good reason. So why would he suddenly send a message? Without another thought, he swiped his finger to open the text.

The message read: 'Uncle Dong, this is Chen Fei. Are you free for dinner tonight?'

Dinner?

Seeing the text, Dong Wencheng was momentarily taken aback, but his fingers had already started typing involuntarily: 'Of course, I'm free. Where?'

DING.

Chen Fei's reply came quickly: 'It should be at the Ziyue Grand Hotel. My friends and I are heading over to book a room now. Just give me a call when you arrive later, Uncle Dong.'

'Alright, I'll head over after work,' Dong Wencheng quickly composed and sent his reply.

Why would Mr. Chen suddenly invite me to dinner? Could something have happened? After sending the text, it was clear Dong Wencheng had lost all interest in his report. He slowly stood up, pulled open the office curtains, and mumbled to himself with a slight frown.

Just then, there was a knock on his office door.

"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK."

"Is the Secretary in? This is Shen Kai," Secretary Shen Kai called out respectfully from the other side.

"Come in." Seeing that it was his personal secretary, Dong Wencheng temporarily put aside his thoughts about Chen Fei.

"Secretary."

Upon hearing Dong Wencheng's voice, Secretary Shen Kai pushed open the office door and walked in. Looking at Dong Wencheng standing by the window, he said slowly, "Secretary, there's a situation I feel I must report to you."

"Oh? What is it? Go on," Dong Wencheng said calmly, a trace of curiosity flashing in his authoritative eyes.

"Well, this afternoon, Mr. Chen Fei gave me a call." After hearing Dong Wencheng's words, Secretary Shen organized his thoughts and began, "This is what happened…" He then proceeded to give Dong Wencheng a complete account of the afternoon's events.

"Are you saying some other shortsighted fool went looking for trouble with Mr. Chen?" After hearing Secretary Shen's account, Dong Wencheng finally understood what had happened. His expression darkened as he spoke with simmering anger.

What a joke.

Who is Chen Fei? What is he capable of? Dong Wencheng might not have been clear about it in the past, but now... As someone who considered himself at least partially a part of the Martial Forest, he knew about the utterly shocking event that took place on the Summit of Tiankui Peak in the Lingnan Mountains. Although news was currently being suppressed by a joint effort of the major hidden sects involved, his status allowed him to pick up on a few clues. Those beings he considered practically non-human, Innate Experts from the hidden sects, had fallen one after another to Mr. Chen. What did that mean? The implications were staggering. And now, a major figure like Mr. Chen, someone who could single-handedly affect social stability, had been provoked by some shortsighted fools right here in his jurisdiction! How could he not be furious? How could he not be enraged?

No wonder Mr. Chen had invited him to dinner. This must be the reason.

"Alright, you may go now," he said to Secretary Shen, gesturing for him to leave with a seemingly calm wave of his hand. However, the sharp-eyed Secretary Shen Kai noticed that Secretary Dong Wencheng's fingers were trembling slightly…

***

Evening slowly fell, and Chen Fei and his companions had already booked a private room at the Ziyue Grand Hotel, a renowned five-star establishment in Tongzhou City.

Moreover, to show his gratitude and keeping in mind the friend Chen Fei had mentioned, Niuniu's brother, Chen Qun, had gone all out, booking the most luxurious, top-tier room in the hotel.

A meal like this would undoubtedly cost at least five figures.

"Xiaofei, when will your friend arrive? Should we go down to meet him?" Chen Qun asked quietly after the arrangements were mostly settled.

"When will he be here? Let me ask..." Hearing this, Chen Fei was just thinking he should probably call Secretary Dong to see where he was.

But before he could finish his sentence, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the call was from none other than Secretary Dong Wencheng. He had probably arrived.

"I'm going to take this call," Chen Fei said, waving his phone at Niuniu's brother.

He then walked toward the elevator entrance with a smile, pressing the answer button on his screen. "Hello, Uncle Dong, it's me... You've arrived? I'll come down to get you then… Oh, no need? Okay then. We're on the top floor. Got it, got it… In that case, I'll wait for you by the elevators."

As Chen Fei walked toward the elevator entrance, phone in hand, the discussion inside the private room had already begun.

"Hey, Little Yan, what's the story with Chen Fei's friend? Do you think he's as powerful and formidable as him?" Niuniu whispered, leaning close to her best friend Chu Yan's ear.

"Who knows. We should just play it by ear later. Eat more, talk less… That big jerk is pretty easygoing, but his friend is another matter entirely…" Miss Chu Yan sniffed cutely and mumbled under her breath.

Clearly, while she acted carefree and unrestrained around Chen Fei, it didn't mean she was actually clueless.

For that big jerk, who's such a big shot himself, to personally invite someone to dinner, they must have an extraordinary background, right? It's better to keep my mouth shut.

Just then, Niuniu's brother, Chen Qun, pushed the door open and came back in, saying quietly, "It seems Xiaofei's friend has arrived; he's coming up in the elevator." At his words, the two young women's eyebrows lifted, a strange sense of nervousness fluttering inside them.

"Uncle Dong, this is the room. Please, come in."

A moment later, they heard the door opening, followed by Chen Fei's warm laughter.

The next moment, a smiling Chen Fei pushed the door fully open. Behind him stood a middle-aged man in his fifties with thick lips, casual clothes, and faint streaks of white in his hair, exuding an air of authority. Following this man was another, slightly more reserved middle-aged man wearing black-framed glasses, who managed a strained but friendly smile. The moment Niuniu's brother, Chen Qun, saw his face clearly, however, he gasped as if he had seen a ghost.

"Sh-Sh-Shen… You're Secretary Shen!?"

It was obvious Chen Qun had never in his wildest dreams imagined that the renowned Secretary Shen Kai—the personal secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary Dong Wencheng and effectively the city's "number two"—would appear here. This... this, this... Am I dreaming?

"Oh? Brother Qun, you know Secretary Shen?" Chen Fei, Dong Wencheng, and Shen Kai were all clearly taken aback by Chen Qun's outburst before Chen Fei broke the silence with a peculiar smile.

"Th-that, um, I… I had the good fortune of seeing Secretary Shen from a distance once, and I see him on television often, so he left a deep impression… So, Xiaofei, your friend… could he be Secretary Shen?" Hearing this, Chen Qun felt dazed, his tongue twisting into knots.

It couldn't be helped. How big of a figure was Secretary Shen? He was the personal secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary Dong Wencheng. Even within the entire Officialdom of Tongzhou City, he was a man of considerable note. In Chen Qun's eyes, simply catching a glimpse of a major figure like Secretary Shen from afar was already a stroke of luck. He had never even dreamed of meeting him privately, let alone sharing a meal at the same table.

To be honest, this was something he wouldn't even dare to dream of, which is why he was so utterly stunned and disoriented.

However, witnessing this scene of adulation, Secretary Shen Kai didn't feel happy as one might expect. Instead, a helpless, bitter smile formed on his lips.

How could I possibly be happy? My big boss is standing right here, and yet I, the lowly secretary, am stealing the spotlight. Sigh, honestly…

"Oh, I see. But Brother Qun, why don't you take a closer look at this gentleman and see if he rings any bells?" Chen Fei said with a grin, nodding before gesturing mysteriously toward Dong Wencheng, who was standing beside him.

"You mean this gentleman… You, you, you're Secretary Dong!?"

At Chen Fei's words, Chen Qun was clearly stunned, his gaze instinctively shifting to Dong Wencheng's face. He hesitated for a long moment. Then, as an image from his memory began to align with the face before him, a violent shiver ran through his body, and his expression instantly turned to one of utter disbelief.

My… my god! It's really Secretary Dong Wencheng! H-how is this possible!?

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