Who was Dong Wencheng? He was none other than the Party Secretary of Tongzhou City, the capital of Jiangnan Province—the man truly in charge. He held unshakable influence throughout the city and even the entire province, commanding respectful greetings of "Secretary Dong" from every top leader he met. Not to mention, he was one of the giants of the provincial Party committee. His status was nothing short of terrifying.

But now? This kind of high-ranking official, one I thought I could only ever see on television, is suddenly appearing before me in the flesh... An absolute, deathly silence fell. Niuniu's brother, Chen Qun, felt like he had been scared stiff. His shock was immediately followed by the sound of his own ragged, heavy breathing, his face trembling uncontrollably.

Although he had mentally prepared himself, acknowledging that someone as impressive as Chen Fei wouldn't call just anyone a friend, he had never dreamed that this friend would be Dong... Secretary Dong Wencheng. This is more shocking than any daydream; it's completely absurd.

"Secretary Dong? What Secretary Dong?" Seeing this, Miss Chu Yan, who was still in a daze, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. Since she wasn't from Tongzhou City, the title "Secretary Dong" didn't carry the same weight for her.

"Shhh! Little Yan, be quiet!" Niuniu shot her a sharp look, her pretty face flushed with panic. "Secretary Dong is the Party Secretary of our Tongzhou City."

"Ah! The... the Party Secretary!?" Hearing this, Miss Chu Yan's eyes went wide. Her legs went weak, and she was left so dumbfounded she couldn't speak.

Good heavens... We women might not pay much attention to politics, but I have at least some common sense! The Party Secretary of Tongzhou City, the capital of Jiangnan Province, isn't just the top official in the city; he's one of the undisputed giants in the entire province. His position carries far more weight than the number one leader back in our Northern Mountain City. And now, this supreme official, who should only exist on TV, has appeared right in front of me, in the flesh... and he seems to know that big scoundrel really well? How could I not be shocked? No wonder... no wonder that Young Master Zhang Quan was as obedient as a grandson in front of him. He even had the nephew of the deputy director of the city's finance bureau arrested without a second thought... So that scoundrel really is this powerful. No, wait... This is too impressive, isn't it? We're talking about the Municipal Party Secretary!

"Recognized him now? Good, let me make the introductions." Chen Fei's eyes crinkled into a smile. "This is Uncle Dong Wencheng, and this is his secretary, Shen Kai." Then, he gestured toward his friends. "Uncle Dong, these are all friends of mine. This cheeky girl is Chu Yan, this is Chen Niu, and this is her brother, Chen Qun."

"Since you're all friends of Mr. Chen, please, don't be so formal. Everyone, have a seat. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dong Wencheng." Having climbed up from the lower ranks, Dong Wencheng was as astute as a monkey. Noticing the familiar way Chen Fei spoke of Chu Yan, he offered a warm smile and shook her hand first, then turned to shake hands with Niuniu and her brother.

Seeing this, and especially hearing Secretary Dong Wencheng address Chen Fei as 'Mr. Chen,' Chen Qun, Niuniu, and Chu Yan were almost scared witless. This is Secretary Dong Wencheng, after all. For a man of his status and position to address Chen Fei with the honorific 'Mr.'... what does that mean? It must mean Chen Fei isn't his junior but an equal, a peer! The mere thought was enough to make their legs feel weak. They couldn't help it. The reality of the situation was simply too incredible to grasp. Chen Fei was so young, yet he was interacting with a major official like Secretary Dong as an equal. The idea was so frightening it felt like a dream.

"Alright, Uncle Dong already said to relax," Chen Fei said, touching his nose with a slight smile. "If you stay this tense, dinner won't be much fun. Oh, right." He seemed to remember something and looked at Niuniu. "Later, you should tell Uncle Dong about your civil service exam issue in detail. It'll put your mind at ease. Don't worry, as long as your own record is clean, you have nothing to fear."

"Really!?" Upon hearing Chen Fei's words, Niuniu, despite her overwhelming nervousness, couldn't stop herself from jumping to her feet in excitement. Her brother and Chu Yan also looked at her, their faces beaming with joy.

After all, this is the Municipal Party Secretary, the undisputed top leader in Tongzhou politics! If a man of his stature is willing to listen and intervene in Niuniu's civil service exam problem, wouldn't it be solved in an instant?

"Oh, the civil service exam matter?" Dong Wencheng's eyes glinted. "Little girl, I'll just call you Little Chen... Little Chen, rest assured. You can tell me all about any problems or trouble you've had in a moment." Then, he gestured toward Chen Fei. "Mr. Chen, let's not just stand here. Please, take the seat of honor."

Hearing Secretary Dong Wencheng say those words—*Please, take the seat of honor*—sent another shock through Chu Yan, Niuniu, and her brother. Only Secretary Shen Kai seemed somewhat prepared for it. The three of them trembled. Did we hear that right? Did the esteemed Municipal Party Secretary, Dong Wencheng, just invite Chen Fei to take the seat of honor? He's the Party Secretary! A giant in the Provincial Committee! At a dinner with such a powerful figure present, he's deferring the main seat to Chen Fei? What does that even mean? The implication was both thrilling and terrifying. Just how formidable is Chen Fei?

"Ah, alright then." Seeing the situation, Chen Fei felt a bit awkward himself, but since things had already progressed this far, being overly polite seemed pointless. He simply smiled, nodded, and took the seat of honor, leaving Chu Yan, Niuniu, and Chen Qun staring in utter disbelief.

After Chen Fei was seated, the dishes began to arrive. Chu Yan, Niuniu, and her brother had never dined with such a high-ranking official before, and the mix of nervousness, excitement, and other complex emotions was indescribable. But as the saying goes, a few glasses of wine are all it takes to loosen anyone up. As the toasts began and the cups were raised, everyone's initial restraint slowly faded, and the atmosphere grew lively and boisterous. Their faces were all flushed, giddy with excitement.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Dong Wencheng turned to Niuniu with a kind smile. "Little Chen, about that matter of yours. Could you tell me the specifics now?"

"Of course. Secretary Dong, it was like this…" Hearing his question, Chen Niu's heart leaped into her throat. With a mixture of apprehension and excitement, she recounted the entire story of her civil service exam and the trouble she had encountered, telling it exactly as it happened without any embellishment.

"And something like this happened?" After hearing Chen Niu's story, Dong Wencheng gently set down his wine glass, his eyes narrowing as he muttered to himself. This is outrageous! Someone dared to play tricks on one of Mr. Chen's friends during the civil service exam? How could I not be furious? At that moment, he finally understood the true purpose of Chen Fei's dinner invitation.

Thinking of this, Dong Wencheng couldn't help but turn to Chen Fei with a self-reproachful tone. "Mr. Chen, my apologies. It's my fault for not managing my people well, allowing such degenerates to appear in our ranks. This was a dereliction of my duty."

"Uncle Dong, there's no need to blame yourself. Human nature is hard to fathom, and it's inevitable that some parasites will infest the system. As long as they're discovered and dealt with seriously, and we ordinary people get our justice, that's what matters. If you need it, I can have someone assist you," Chen Fei said nonchalantly, casually picking up a piece of food and eating it.

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Mr. Chen?" Hearing this, both Secretary Dong Wencheng and Secretary Shen Kai felt a slight chill. Dong Wencheng narrowed his eyes, his expression turning grave. "Are you asking me to dig up more people?"

Even though this sort of thing angered him, he knew that nepotism and backroom deals in the civil service exams were all too common in their circles. People would pull strings to secure good prospects for their children and relatives, or simply as favors to one another. Dirty dealings were bound to happen. That's why I initially thought Mr. Chen just wanted me to handle the people directly involved in this specific case. But from his tone, it seems he's not planning to let this go so easily.

"It's not a matter of just digging up a few more people. It's that for every one of these parasites in the ranks, one must be eliminated. For every pair, you take down the pair. Take that deputy director of the Municipal Finance Bureau, for example. Don't you think he has skeletons in his closet, Uncle Dong?" Chen Fei asked, his eyes narrowed and his tone chillingly cold.

If I hadn't come across this, I could have ignored it. But now that I have, I can't just turn a blind eye.

When Chen Fei finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the room. Chu Yan, Niuniu, and her brother stared at him in shock and fear. Both his tone and the implications of his words were truly frightening.

"Fine, Mr. Chen, I know what to do. Tomorrow, I will personally organize the work to handle this matter," Dong Wencheng said, nodding slowly. This scene left Chu Yan and the others even more bewildered, so nervous they could barely hold their glasses steady.

Just who in the world is Chen Fei? Why does it feel like he's the real high-ranking official here, and even Secretary Dong is his subordinate!?

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