The Tempting Road to Becoming an Official

But soon.

The woman's expression returned to normal.

She nodded slightly, shifted her gaze to Qin Shuqiang, and asked, "And who are you?"

"I am Qin Shuqiang, the chairman of Rummi Group."

Qin Shuqiang tried his best to portray a cultured and refined demeanor as he spoke to the woman.

"Rummi Group, I've heard of it. It's a small company, right?"

Small company?

This assessment nearly made Qin Shuqiang explode on the spot.

One must know, although Rummi Group is not a listed company, its scale is not small either, and his personal assets exceed two billion. In any place, it shouldn't be considered a small company, right?

However, in order to reconcile with this mysterious woman.

Qin Shuqiang smiled and said, "Yes, I do run a small business."

The woman sneered, "If you had spoken like this from the start, things would have been much smoother. I'm not one to meddle, since we've gone this far, let's just forget about it."

After saying this.

The woman stood up.

Looked at Chen Fang, and said, "Mr. Chen, let's go."

"Miss, you can go, but Chen Fang has to stay."

Just as Chen Fang was about to leave with this stranger woman, Qin Shuqiang suddenly called out.

The woman paused.

Turned to look at Qin Shuqiang and asked, "So, this issue isn't resolved yet?"

"Miss, I see you're not acquainted with Chen Fang. There's no need to make trouble for yourself over someone else. You can leave, and we won't stop you, nor hold any grudges, but we still have some unsettled matters with Chen Fang, so... please..."

Qin Shuqiang gestured for her to leave.

This meant that the woman should leave first, Chen Fang's issues were unrelated to her.

Upon hearing this.

The woman surprisingly sat down again.

Still in a lazy manner.

She said to Qin Shuqiang, "Alright, in that case, I'm not leaving either. Show me what you've got."

"Miss, are you determined to involve yourself in this affair?"

"Yes!"

The woman said firmly.

The expression on Qin Shuqiang's face gradually turned sinister.

He nodded and said, "Alright, if that's the case, don't blame me for being impolite. Looking at you, you seem to come from a prominent family. You must have heard of the Hou Family, one of the three major families in Yuanjing, right?"

Upon hearing the name Hou Family.

The woman burst into laughter.

She glanced at Chen Fang intentionally or unintentionally, then asked Qin Shuqiang, "So? Are you on good terms with the Hou Family?"

Qin Shuqiang displayed a look of pride.

Raising his head, he said, "More or less, the second child of the Hou Family, Hou Yuanzhe, is a close friend of mine."

The Hou Family had been undergoing significant changes recently.

But these changes were strictly confidential.

The outside world was completely unaware.

This was why Qin Shuqiang attempted to intimidate using the Hou Family.

"Really? Why don't you give your close friend a call, see if he'll help you?"

The woman chuckled.

Thinking the woman did not believe in his relationship with Hou Yuanzhe.

Qin Shuqiang snorted coldly, "Sure you won't shed tears until you see the coffin, alright, I'll call Minister Hou. I don't care what your background is; by then, it'll be too late for any regrets."

As soon as he said this.

Xu Maochai, Xiang Tianhong, and Su Li, their eyes all showed excitement.

They all knew Qin Shuqiang's good relations with Hou Yuanzhe.

Yet, they hadn't had the chance to meet such a significant figure.

Having him step in would give them bragging rights in the future.

Qin Shuqiang pulled out his phone, found Hou Yuanzhe's number.

After pressing the dial button.

He took a triumphant glance at the woman and Chen Fang, muttering, "Just wait, today you'll witness what a behemoth is."

"Sorry, the number you dialed is turned off."

The voice from the phone left Qin Shuqiang awkward.

He quickly explained, "Maybe he's busy, people like him frequently have meetings, I'll call his secretary."

After that.

He dialed another number.

From the other end, it was the same response.

Qin Shuqiang became somewhat anxious.

He said, "I also know the third child, Hou Yuanshu, I'll make another call."

Frantically, he dialed another number.

The result was the same, the phone was still off.

This time, Qin Shuqiang was genuinely flustered.

He was not afraid of the woman and Chen Fang, but feared losing face and others thinking he was bluffing.

Just as he was about to continue looking for numbers.

The woman laughed, "Don't waste your time, even if you call until your phone dies, none of these calls will go through. Mr. Chen, don't you think so?"

Chen Fang paused.

This woman's background was not simple.

She even knew about the downfall of the Hou Family.

It seemed she had a background in the governmental sector as well.

And a deep one at that.

Chen Fang didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent.

The woman stretched lazily.

Said, "Alright, since your tactics are exhausted, it's time for me to show mine."

As soon as she said this.

The woman's eyes narrowed.

Her previously gentle eyes now carried a hint of fierceness and cruelty.

She pointed her fair finger towards Xu Maochai, and said, "You're the first."

"I... What about me? What can you do to me?"

Perhaps to bolster his courage.

Or perhaps unaware of the woman's terror.

Xu Maochai replied with hostility.

As soon as the words fell.

Hasty footsteps resonated from the corridor.

A woman in a sharp suit hurried breathlessly to the door, shouting, "Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu, something terrible has happened."

Xu Maochai was startled.

Asked, "What's happened?"

The woman, who looked like a lobby manager, pointed outside and said in a trembling voice, "A lot of... many people have come downstairs, from... industry and commerce, food, fire safety, tax departments... They... they want us to close down... for rectification..."

"What? Impossible! I've greased all the right palms."

"It's... it's from the city level."

Upon hearing this from the lobby manager.

Xu Maochai's expression instantly froze.

What she referred to as from the city level was equivalent to the provincial level elsewhere.

Regardless of how upscale a place is, if scrutinized meticulously, some issues can be found.

The sudden arrival of such high-level joint enforcement made it apparent—even to a fool—the intrigue within.

His blank gaze fell upon the woman.

Hesitated for a moment.

Then trotted over to her.

Knees buckled.

He collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Beautiful lady, no, auntie, auntie, please show mercy. I failed to recognize a great person, I spent everything to start this shop and owe a lot to the bank. Shutting it down is like taking my life..."

Xu Maochai pleaded tearfully.