Chapter 81

Half an hour passed, and Cheng Jemin and Jia Renxiong still had not come out. Zhang Chu stood at the stairwell entrance, anxiously waiting.

"Director Liu, should we go up and check? Why hasn't Deputy Mayor Cheng come down yet?" Zhang Chu finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Liu Tairan glanced at Zhang Chu and said irritably, "Forget it, save your energy. Don't disrupt Deputy Mayor Cheng's plan!"

Compared to the anxiety of these two, Li Tonghuai felt much more at ease. In his view, the fact that Cheng Jemin and Jia Renxiong could sit down and talk meant there was hope for reconciliation. As long as his son didn't go to jail, even if they lost everything, it would be worth it. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, one need not fear a lack of firewood. As long as his son was fine, everything was worth it; if he were to be imprisoned, his entire future would be ruined!

"Ha ha ha, Mr. Jia, when you have time, I'll treat you to a good meal to thank you for your support of our town's work!" Cheng Jemin's voice suddenly echoed from the stairwell.

Hearing this, Li Tonghuai and Liu Tairan hurriedly looked up. They saw Cheng Jemin and Jia Renxiong coming down, holding hands like good friends. Jia Renxiong patted Cheng Jemin on the shoulder and said, "Deputy Mayor Cheng, you are young and talented. It's a great honor to know you. Since you've come to Tianyuan City, it wouldn't be right for me to let you treat us. I'll host the dinner tonight!"

"Then, tonight, I'll set up a banquet at Xiaonanjiang in the West City. We'll have a good drink together."

Their conversation left Li Tonghuai utterly confused. He really wanted to stop Cheng Jemin and ask about his son, but years of experience made him hold back.

Jia Renxiong also saw Li Tonghuai and the others, hesitated for a moment, and then smiled, "I was a bit inconsiderate earlier. I'll treat you all to drinks tonight."

"Mr. Jia, we should treat you, but..." Zhang Chu, who worked for Jia Renxiong, naturally knew what kind of person he was. The fact that he was being so polite to them now meant he had hit a wall with Cheng Jemin.

His cousin had said Cheng Jemin had no backing. If that were true, how could Jia Renxiong's attitude change so quickly? This was the perfect time to bring up his cousin's case.

"Your workers' wages are already prepared by the finance department. Come and collect them at 2 PM this afternoon." Jia Renxiong said, then shook hands with Cheng Jemin again, "Deputy Mayor Cheng, see you tonight."

As he spoke, a black car stopped in the corridor. Jia Renxiong got in, and the car drove away lightly.

"Deputy Mayor Cheng, how did it go with Erzi?" Zhang Chu, seeing Jia Renxiong get into the car, asked anxiously.

Although Li Tonghuai felt things were moving in the right direction, he was still deeply concerned about his son. Hearing his cousin's words, he looked at Cheng Jemin nervously, hoping for good news.

Sure enough, Cheng Jemin said, "Mr. Jia just said we can go pick him up now, and he will withdraw the lawsuit."

"Really?" Zhang Chu felt the happiness came too quickly. He had been under tremendous pressure these past two days.

After all, his cousin's child was out with him. If he were to go to jail because of this, he would have no face to return home. Moreover, where would the workers get their wages from? He never expected Deputy Mayor Cheng to resolve the issue so quietly.

"He shouldn't lie to me." Cheng Jemin, thinking of Jia Renxiong's nervous sweating, smiled.

Li Tonghuai looked at Cheng Jemin, not knowing what to say. Although he had been polite to Cheng Jemin on the surface, his disdain for him made him feel a bit small.

"Deputy Mayor Cheng, this time..."

Cheng Jemin, not waiting for Li Tonghuai to finish, smiled and said, "Deputy Mayor Li, we are colleagues. If something happened to Erzi, how could I just stand by and do nothing?"

"Deputy Mayor Cheng, how did you convince Mr. Jia? He changed his attitude so dramatically," Zhang Chu asked curiously.

Cheng Jemin smiled and said, "Actually, it's nothing. I just reasoned with him and appealed to his emotions."

Reasoning? Zhang Chu almost laughed out loud. He thought to himself, Deputy Mayor Cheng, if you don't want to tell me the details, you don't have to fool me. Is Jia Renxiong the kind of person who listens to reason? If he had listened, my nephew wouldn't have hit him with a brick.

There must have been a powerful figure involved, which is why Jia Renxiong not only agreed to pay but also to release the person. Zhang Chu, feeling like his heart was being clawed by a cat, couldn't help but want to ask. But Li Tonghuai had already spoken, "Deputy Mayor Cheng, thank you so much this time. They say great kindness needs no thanks, but in the future..."

"Deputy Mayor Li, if you keep saying that, you'll be looking down on me! It was just a small effort, no need to take it so seriously," Cheng Jemin said earnestly, but he was secretly pleased with Li Tonghuai's reaction. He had helped Li Tonghuai to achieve this result.

After all, Li Tonghuai was a key member of the leadership in Kuanyang Town, crucial for his work there.

Liu Tairan didn't speak, but watching everything, he became even more convinced: Deputy Mayor Cheng must be a person of great influence. Not only did his deputy director change because of a word from him, but even Mr. Jia, whom even his friends at the local police station couldn't handle, was convinced by Deputy Mayor Cheng's few words.

It seemed that in the future, he should closely follow Deputy Mayor Cheng. If Deputy Mayor Cheng had offended a powerful figure, and if there were no powerful figures backing him, how would that powerful figure have the time to deal with him?

"Right, let's go pick him up," Liu Tairan quickly echoed Cheng Jemin.

Li Tonghuai, who most wanted to get his son out, hurriedly went down the stairs.

Just as they reached the courtyard gate, a black Santana car stopped beside them. A young man, smiling broadly, said, "Leaders, Mr. Jia said I should serve you today."

Zhang Chu recognized the driver, who had been very arrogant when they dealt with him before. Now, he was all smiles, acting like a servant to the leaders.

He didn't get in immediately but quickly opened the car door, "Deputy Mayor Cheng, please get in."

Cheng Jemin, seeing Zhang Chu's cautiousness, thought to himself, I really just reasoned with Jia Renxiong, and he was afraid of you. But sometimes, it's better to play dumb. Cheng Jemin didn't get in but smiled at Li Tonghuai, "Deputy Mayor Li, please get in."

If Cheng Jemin had said this before, Li Tonghuai would have gotten in without hesitation. But now, Cheng Jemin's words felt like a scald, and he humbly declined, "Oh, Deputy Mayor Cheng, you go first!"

Cheng Jemin didn't refuse again and got in with Li Tonghuai. The back seat of the Santana could fit three people, but it wasn't very spacious. After Cheng Jemin sat down, he noticed some extra space beside him and saw that Zhang Chu and Li Tonghuai were sitting very close together.

Cheng Jemin sighed lightly at this small detail but didn't say anything. Sometimes, one needs to maintain a certain authority.

Having a dedicated car made a big difference. In just a few minutes, they were back at the police station. This time, everything went smoothly. The station's instructor personally helped with the procedures, and within ten minutes, all the necessary paperwork was completed.

"Director Liu, you guys are really capable. Finding someone who can make Jia Renxiong submit is like hitting the nail on the head. Well done, tsk tsk!" Liu Tairan's acquaintance, who was also helping with the procedures, handed the completed paperwork to Liu Tairan and whispered in admiration.

Liu Tairan laughed, "Thanks to your guidance, brother. Otherwise, we would have been groping in the dark!"

The acquaintance's face lit up with pride, as if he were really involved. He immediately grabbed Liu Tairan's hand warmly, "Old Liu, I haven't had a chance to welcome you to Tianyuan City. I'm not on duty tonight, so how about we have a good drink together?"

While Liu Tairan and his acquaintance were talking, Li Tonghuai listened quietly, feeling deeply grateful to Cheng Jemin. His son's case could have been serious, and Jia Renxiong was a very arrogant person. It would have been hard to calm him down after being hit. Now, not only was his son released, but he was also being paid. This must have involved a powerful figure, as Liu Tairan's acquaintance suggested.

What was most admirable was that Cheng Jemin did all this behind the scenes without acting like a savior. He spoke lightly about it, which was quite rare. Who would help you and not show it?

Seeing his son walk out with his head down, Li Tonghuai's eyes almost welled up. He quickly went over and touched his son's somewhat thin shoulder, then kicked him in anger, "Brat, learn your lesson. Some things can't be solved with violence. If it weren't for Uncle Cheng, you might have gone to jail."

As he spoke, he pointed at Cheng Jemin, "Go thank Uncle Cheng quickly!"

Erzi had suffered a bit in the police station. After being scolded by his father, he felt a bit dizzy. But he wasn't stupid. From the conversations of those who brought him food, he knew his case was serious, and Jia Renxiong wouldn't let it go easily.

Just when he thought things were going badly, he was unexpectedly released. Seeing his father, he understood a lot. When his father told him to thank Uncle Cheng, he loudly said, "Thank you, Uncle Cheng!"

However, when he looked up and saw Cheng Jemin's face, he couldn't say anything else. This uncle was too young!

PS: Today's update is a bit late due to a meeting. Apologies! Please click, collect, and recommend!