About twenty minutes later, Chen Fei made a call from a secluded convenience store to Secretary Dong, who was far away in Tongzhou City of Jiangnan Province. Ever since he had cultivated the "Meditation Sutra," an Immortal's Technique, his five senses had become extremely sharp, and his memory was excellent. He could remember any phone number he had seen or heard.

On the other end of the line, Dong Wencheng was in the city government conference hall, holding an important meeting with the leadership of Tongzhou City. When his phone rang, he saw it was an unknown number and reflexively frowned, ready to hang up. After all, although he was the top official in Tongzhou City, he was in a very serious setting. If it were just an ordinary call, answering it so casually would be somewhat disrespectful to everyone present.

However, just as he was about to hang up, his peripheral vision, as if guided by some unseen force, landed on the caller ID location displayed on the screen. Hong Kong… Could it be?

Dong Wencheng's expression changed abruptly, as if he had suddenly remembered something. No longer caring about the solemnity of the occasion, he answered the call and spoke cautiously, "Chen, Doctor Chen, is that you?"

Good heavens! The people qualified to sit in the Tongzhou City government conference hall were, without a doubt, important political figures of this provincial capital city in Jiangnan Province. They were expected to be composed and imperturbable. Yet, they were watching their superior—the very leader of Tongzhou City, the capital of Jiangnan Province, and one of the twelve powerhouses of the provincial party committee. And now, this same Secretary Dong was speaking on the phone with such a cautious tone. One by one, their minds seemed to jam, and their expressions turned extremely odd.

Who was Secretary Dong? He was the bona fide top official of Tongzhou City, the provincial capital of Jiangnan, and one of the twelve heavyweights of the provincial party committee, with a rank that was quite high. Furthermore, it was said that Secretary Dong had connections with an elder of great power and influence in the Capital City, which was why his career had been so smooth. At his "young age," he already held a high-ranking position, second only to a provincial governor, with a boundless future ahead of him.

But what had they just heard? They had actually heard Secretary Dong say the word "please," and with such a cautious tone at that. In an instant, the entire city government conference hall fell into an eerie silence as everyone stared at Secretary Dong's phone with an inexplicable sense of awe.

Having reached their positions, none of them were fools, nor were they dense. They naturally understood that the person on the other end of the line must be someone of immense influence. Could it be someone from the Capital City? But surnamed Chen, a Doctor Chen... They'd never heard of such a person. Could it be... someone from the Chen Family?

BANG!

"What did you say? Doctor Chen, you were attacked? Where? Are you all right?" At that moment, Secretary Dong suddenly slapped the table and shot to his feet, not even noticing the overturned water bottle. His expression tensed as he fired off four questions in one breath, stunning the others who had been listening with trepidation. A hint of panic now tinged their already strange expressions.

What? No way... an attack?!

This was someone whom even Secretary Dong spoke to cautiously, someone suspected to be a major figure from the Capital City, and now he was saying he'd been attacked? A cold sweat broke out on everyone's forehead, and a flicker of fear passed through their eyes. If this was true, then something catastrophic had just happened.

"Secretary Dong, there's no need to be so tense. I'm fine. Could you please give me Ms. Dong's phone number? Or perhaps just have her call this number. I was a bit busy saving myself just now, and my phone broke," Chen Fei said calmly. But to Dong Wencheng's ears, it was the calm before a storm, a prelude to a furious eruption that made him tremble.

"Doctor Chen, please hold on a moment. I'll have Shuxian call you on this number right away. Mr. Chen, please wait."

Dong Wencheng hung up, his face fraught with panic. He took a deep breath and said hoarsely to the bewildered crowd, "Let's pause the meeting. I have another, very important matter to attend to. My apologies." After speaking, he swiftly strode out of the city government conference hall.

BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...

After stepping out of the conference hall, Dong Wencheng dialed his sister's number. The usually innocuous ringing tone now struck his heart like a heavy hammer, making him feel as if he were suffocating. The seconds dragged on like years, his fingers gripping the phone tightly.

"Brother, what's wrong? Is there a problem?" Finally, the call connected, and Dong Shuxian's slightly weary voice came through.

"Shuxian, didn't I tell you to take good care of Mr. Chen?" The next moment, Dong Wencheng's hoarse and stern voice reached Dong Shuxian's ears. She was taken aback, a flash of panic appearing on her weary face as she said blankly, "Brother, no, Chen Hao was just being impulsive. He didn't mean to offend Mr. Chen."

Meanwhile, she couldn't help but feel a mix of grievance and dissatisfaction. She felt aggrieved because it had been a long time since her brother had questioned her so sternly; she felt dissatisfied because she thought Chen Fei was being too petty. It was just a minor disagreement of a few words. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it, to go so far as to call and complain?

"Mom, what's wrong? Was that Uncle's call? Let me talk to him—I'll explain everything," Chen Hao, who was seated right next to his mother, said hurriedly, filled with self-reproach upon hearing the distress in her voice. If he had known things would escalate to this, with his own uncle—the top official of a provincial capital—personally calling to reprimand his mother, he would have answered every question honestly and never acted so impulsively.

"A call from your brother-in-law just because of that young man? That seems excessive." Chen Yaoyang frowned slightly, unable to believe such a seemingly mundane issue had blown up to the point of a personal call from the top official of a frontline Inland city. Even if that young man was the son of some central government leader, surely my brother-in-law didn't need to be this anxious? As a native of Hong Kong, he already held a certain disdain for the Inland's overt bureaucratic class consciousness and assumed his brother-in-law was overreacting.

"What did you say? Mr. Chen was just attacked!?" Just then, Dong Shuxian suddenly shot to her feet, covering her mouth as the words escaped in a choked cry, stunning both Chen Hao and Chen Yaoyang.

What? Attacked!?

Chen Yaoyang's face paled as he finally understood the reason for Dong Wencheng's call. Mr. Chen, the man in whom he and his wife had placed their hopes, had been attacked in Hong Kong, on his, Chen Yaoyang's, own turf! If this led to Elder Dong's condition worsening, or even his death, Chen Yaoyang would bear an inescapable responsibility. He might even sour his relationship with his esteemed brother-in-law, a man with a boundless future.

With that thought, he immediately composed himself and said to his wife with utmost seriousness, "Shuxian, give me the phone."

"Oh, okay, here." Dong Shuxian was also flustered and immediately handed the phone to her husband.

"Brother-in-law, it's me, Yaoyang," Chen Yaoyang said, taking a deep breath and trying to keep his voice steady.

Although he was the eldest son of one of Hong Kong's Five Great Tycoon Families, Dong Wencheng's status as the top official of a frontline Inland city was a position that left him far in the dust. After all, for someone to reach such a high position in their early fifties meant their future was guaranteed to be at least that of a provincial governor, and possibly even higher. Especially compared to his so-called commercial tycoon family, they simply weren't in the same league!

"Yaoyang, I'm giving you a phone number. Hang up and call it immediately. Mr. Chen is waiting. Remember! You must give him an explanation for this. If you can't, then I will come to Hong Kong myself!" On the other end, Dong Wencheng gave Chen Yaoyang no chance to speak, his tone direct and bone-chillingly cold.

"Yes, yes... Brother-in-law, don't worry. Our Chen Family still carries some weight in Hong Kong. I will ensure Mr. Chen receives a satisfactory explanation. I'm hanging up now!" Hearing Dong Wencheng threaten to come to Hong Kong himself, Chen Yaoyang broke out in a cold sweat and hastily gave his assurance.

Never mind what it would mean for the top official of a frontline Inland city to come to Hong Kong personally.

If Dong Wencheng really had to come himself over this, wouldn't that just prove that the Chen Family was incompetent, and that he, Chen Yaoyang, was a good-for-nothing? That was absolutely unacceptable!

"Yaoyang, what did my brother say?"

Dong Shuxian's mind was in utter disarray. A moment ago, everything had been fine, but now Chen Fei had been attacked by an assassin. If he was injured and, out of anger, refused to treat her father, how could she possibly face her gravely ill father, lying unconscious in his hospital bed, or her own brother?

"Shuxian, don't panic. Let me call Mr. Chen first," Chen Yaoyang said, seeing his wife's distressed state. He quickly offered reassurance while signaling their son with a look.

"Mom, don't worry, it's going to be okay, everything will be okay..." Chen Hao, though he understood the signal, was still too young and not composed enough. The gravity of the situation had flustered him, leaving him to repeat the same few phrases over and over.

Seeing this, Chen Yaoyang took a deep breath and dialed the number Dong Wencheng had given him using his wife's phone.

A moment later, the call connected, and Chen Yaoyang heaved a sigh of relief. Then, an exceptionally calm voice came through his ear, "Is this Ms. Dong? This is Chen Fei."

Hearing that calm voice, Chen Yaoyang felt his heart inexplicably seize with dread, a strange look flashing in his eyes as he immediately replied, "Hello, Mr. Chen. I am Chen Yaoyang, and Shuxian is my wife. Mr. Chen, are you all right over there?"

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