The Tempting Road to Becoming an Official

The interrogation of Zhao Yunpeng had yielded exactly the kind of results Chen Fang had anticipated.

Keeping Zhao Yunpeng under house arrest wasn't about extracting conclusive evidence from him.

Xiao Xiao, ever so cautious, certainly wouldn't have allowed Zhao Yunpeng to get hold of too much leverage against her.

That didn't mean she wasn't anxious.

She would definitely be anxious.

Even if Zhao Yunpeng confessed to anything, it wouldn't threaten her, but it would make earning money from the project at the Vocational Technical College impossible.

360 million.

An astronomical sum.

Xiao Xiao, so fixated on money, would never let this well-planned windfall slip through her fingers.

Half past twelve.

A Passat sedan belonging to the county government pulled into the parking lot of Tonight's Gathering.

Getting out of the passenger seat was Sun Yan.

In a rush, he ran to the back seat and spoke a few words through the window.

Then, four police cars and a police van followed suit.

Nearly thirty police officers quickly formed a line.

He Zixiong, the head of the Public Security Brigade of the County Public Security Bureau, also rushed to the back seat window, saluted respectfully, and said, "Reporting to the leader, the Public Security Brigade has assembled. Awaiting your orders."

Ding Yuan nodded.

He said, "Go ahead."

The group, led by He Zixiong, marched with great fanfare to the entrance of Tonight's Gathering.

Just as they were about to enter...

Lulu, dressed in red, suddenly appeared, blocking their way.

Lulu's face was full of allure.

She smiled coyly, "Yo, Captain He, long time no see. What brings you..."

Before finishing her sentence,

Her eyes glanced over the queue behind them.

He Zixiong stepped forward.

He said, "Miss Lulu, we're on official duty. Please step aside."

"Official duty? What kind of official duty?"

Lulu asked with confusion.

He Zixiong replied impatiently, "Do I need to explain my official duties to you? Move aside quickly."

Upon hearing this, Lulu changed her expression, swayed her hips forward a step, and said, "Captain He, Tonight's Gathering is my territory. I always run a lawful business. You bring a bunch of cops here and scare my customers; how am I supposed to do business after this?"

He Zixiong took out a piece of paper from his pocket and flashed it in front of Lulu.

He said, "Take a good look, Lulu. This is an order signed by the County Public Security Bureau. We have received reports that Tonight's Gathering is involved in illegal activities of prostitution and soliciting. We are now going to search the premises."

Lulu took the paper from He Zixiong's hand,

Gave it a cursory glance,

Then tore it up right in front of him.

"Lulu, you..."

He Zixiong was momentarily stunned.

Lulu said with a laugh, "Captain He, you surely know what kind of business I run here at Tonight's Gathering, don't you? I remember you're a frequent guest. If there's prostitution going on here, wouldn't that make you a client too? And there are quite a few of your brothers behind you whom I find quite familiar. They come here often too, right? What is it? After enjoying the services, feeling good, now you're reneging on recognition?"

As she said this,

Many, including He Zixiong,

Had an embarrassed look on their faces.

"Lulu, stop fooling around. We are just performing our duties. Let us in, we'll report back, and that's it,"

He Zixiong said in a low voice.

Lulu gave a faint smile.

She said, "It might be okay usually, but not today."

"Why not?"

"No reason. I say it's not okay, so it's not okay,"

Lulu stated, folding her arms in front of her chest with a bit of defiance.

He Zixiong was also feeling a headache.

It would have been okay to skip the raid on a normal day, but not today; after all, Ding Yuan and Guan Cunzhong were right there in the car behind him. If they didn't go in, it would mean defying a superior order.

Amidst the standstill,

The car door opened.

Ding Yuan and Guan Cunzhong both alighted.

Walking toward them,

"What's happening? Why haven't you gone in yet?"

Ding Yuan approached, frowning, and asked.

Before He Zixiong could speak, Lulu said, "Oh, it's Deputy Magistrate Ding. It's not that Captain He won't go inside, it's me, Lulu, not allowing them in."

"What gives you the right to prevent the police from entering?"

Ding Yuan asked arrogantly.

Lulu smiled and responded, "This is my turf. If I say you're not allowed in, you're not allowed in. Do you think I have the right?"

"How outrageous, Lulu, I warn you, don't think that just because you have some fame in Jinde County, I wouldn't dare to touch you. This is Jinde County, even if I were to lift your rooftop, you wouldn't have any way to deal with it. Don't believe me? Let's give it a try."

Ding Yuan was a man of narrow mind and not exactly a good sort.

But tonight, he hadn't made a single appearance here, which you could say was "keeping himself pure."

Having never patronized this place, naturally he had no hold over him in Lulu's hands.

"Give it a try? Let's give it a try, then!"

I had assumed that these words would be enough to scare her.

But she didn't show any sign of fear and instead countered with a cold voice.

Ding Yuan flew into a rage.

As the Deputy County Magistrate, if he couldn't deal with the owner of a bathhouse, then what was he good for?

He shouted angrily, "He Zixiong, I command you, go in there right now. If anyone obstructs you, take them into custody immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Faced with Ding Yuan's order, He Zixiong had no choice but to agree, albeit reluctantly.

Lulu sneered disdainfully.

She declared, "You have your men, do you think I don't have mine? Brothers, come out!"

At her command,

Two rows of people suddenly emerged from both sides of the nightclub's main hall.

They swiftly lined up behind Lulu, easily numbering thirty or forty.

They formed a confrontational stance against the police.

Seeing Lulu not only refuse to comply but also daring to gather a crowd to challenge them,

Ding Yuan bellowed, "Lulu, don't make the mistake of refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Playing this game with the police? I don't think you want Tonight's Gathering to stay open any longer."

But Lulu paid him no attention whatsoever.

She called out coldly, "Brothers, today, without my permission, if anyone so much as sets foot in Tonight's Gathering, let's not care about our damned lives and have a good play with them. I really want to see who dares to take responsibility for any injuries or deaths!"

This statement from Lulu,

Actually startled Ding Yuan.

You see, his current suspicion was that Chen Fang had hidden Zhao Yunpeng in Tonight's Gathering.

But he had no solid evidence.

If a group incident did occur and casualties arose at the scene, Ding Yuan wouldn't be able to bear the consequences either.

Moreover, the search of Tonight's Gathering tonight was an order he had issued himself.

When it came to accountability from above later on, he didn't even know how to explain.

There was another reason.

Why did Tonight's Gathering dare to be so arrogant in Jinde County?

Which of the different levels of local officials hadn't frequented this place? Who knew if Tonight's Gathering held any compromising evidence about them? If things really escalated, Ding Yuan also feared he would be attacked by the group.

Across the street from Tonight's Gathering,

Inside a black sedan,

Someone was witnessing this scene unfold.

Noticing that the police and Tonight's Gathering were still at a stand-off, Zhou Shengtie, seated in the driver's seat, turned to Xiao Xiao in the back seat and said, "Boss, I don't think Ding Yuan dares to escalate things."

Xiao Xiao's gaze was gloomy.

She hadn't anticipated that Ding Yuan and Guan Cunzhong, two County Committee Standing Committee members, would be completely ineffective against a mere bath center.

What to do?

Would she have to step in herself?

If this situation dragged on, once Chen Fang learned about the dirty dealings of the Vocational Technical College project from Zhao Yunpeng's mouth, Yongfu Education Group would certainly react. In that case, wouldn't all that money be wasted?

The more she thought about it, the less she could accept it.

Xiao Xiao let out a long sigh.

She said, "Go call Ding Yuan and Guan Cunzhong over here."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shengtie shuddered slightly and asked, "Boss, are you suggesting...?"

"At this point, I can't worry about that much anymore. We must take Zhao Yunpeng right away before it's too late to do anything about it," she declared.

Zhou Shengtie nodded.

He replied, "Alright, I'll go call them now."

After saying this,

He got out of the car and walked towards the entrance of Tonight's Gathering.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Meanwhile,

On the third floor of Tonight's Gathering, two pairs of eyes were also closely watching downstairs.

One belonged to Chen Fang, and the other to his secretary, Qin Yi.