Chapter 47

Chu Ying was well-versed in the way, and soon arrived at the courtyard of the Qingshan Town Government. Zhang Baogang’s Infiniti was no longer there, either driven away or to avoid suspicion, in any case, it was not as blatant as that night.

The gatekeeper was an old man over fifty. Ling Siyi had come a few times before regarding the contract, so he naturally recognized the beautiful boss and her luxury car, and let them pass without any hindrance.

After parking the car, Ling Siyi led Chu Ying into the office building. Zhang Gang’s office was on the second floor, at the corner, directly opposite the town secretary’s office, which had its door tightly closed. The two did not pay much attention and directly knocked on Zhang Gang’s door.

It was Zhang Baogang who opened the door. This guy was really scared. Since returning from the Mize Bar in Qingyang City, he had been hiding here, afraid to show his face, for fear of encountering Chu Ying, the scourge.

As the saying goes, what you fear will come to you. Zhang Baogang saw Chu Ying standing there with a smile on his face, and his facial muscles twitched. He forced a laugh, "Brother Ying, you’re here."

From Zhang Baogang’s expression, Chu Ying immediately dismissed any suspicion. If Zhang Baogang, in this state, still had thoughts of revenge, it would only be his own fault for misjudging him.

With Zhang Baogang ruled out, the range of suspects for last night’s attack on Huanzi narrowed down to Ma Tao and Huang Qiang.

"Is Mayor Zhang here?" Ling Siyi, seeing Chu Ying standing at the door without entering or speaking, had to push past him and say, "We’re here to negotiate today. I don’t want to start on a bad note, even though I dislike Zhang Baogang more than you do."

"Is it Ms. Ling? I’ve been waiting for you!" Zhang Gang came forward, with a friendly smile, seemingly having forgotten the incident when Chu Ying had sneaked into his house.

"Brother Ying is here too, please come in!" Zhang Gang smiled at Chu Ying and Ling Siyi, then turned to scold Zhang Baogang, "Can’t you see the guests are here? Blocking the door, no manners at all!"

Zhang Gang’s enthusiasm did not win any favor from the two. Chu Ying just sneered, while Ling Siyi, being a businesswoman, had to force a smile, "We’re not disturbing Mayor Zhang, are we?"

"Not at all, please sit down!" Zhang Gang led the two to the sofa and lit a Zhonghua cigarette for Chu Ying. He then took out a file from the file cabinet and said, "Let’s get straight to the point. The contract is here. Do you have what you promised?"

Ling Siyi was about to open her bag, but Chu Ying stopped her, teasing, "Mayor Zhang, you’re joking. We haven’t even seen the contract. How do we know it’s real? If we just exchange it like this, do you think that’s possible?"

Zhang Gang threw the file on the table and snorted, "Our lives are in your hands. Do you think we would fake this?"

Chu Ying took the file and handed it to Ling Siyi, smiling, "Better safe than sorry. We need to verify it before we hand over anything."

Ling Siyi read through the contract carefully from beginning to end and found no suspicious points. She told Chu Ying, "The contract is fine, but there’s only one copy."

Chu Ying knew that contracts usually come in two copies, one for each party. If Ling Siyi signed this single copy, it would be useless. Clearly, Zhang Gang wouldn’t hand over the other copy until he saw the diary and the memory card.

"I’ve done what I promised. Can you give me back my things now?" Zhang Gang said calmly, addressing Chu Ying.

"Give them to him!" Chu Ying didn’t hesitate. In this confined space, he could easily eliminate Zhang Gang and his son, so he wasn’t afraid of any tricks.

Ling Siyi pondered for a moment and then took out the diary and the memory card. The purpose of this trip had been achieved, and whether or not the Zhangs were brought down wouldn’t affect her much.

Zhang Baogang looked at the diary and the memory card as if they were the most beautiful women in the world, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light. He grabbed them and, clearly prepared, inserted the memory card into a card reader and connected it to the computer. After verifying that everything was correct, he let out a long sigh. With these two items in hand, their lives were finally safe.

Zhang Gang also checked the diary. The two men exchanged glances, both seeing a sense of relief in each other’s eyes. However, Zhang Gang’s eyes also had a hint of darkness, which Chu Ying noticed clearly, though Zhang Baogang did not.

"Here’s the other copy of the contract. Sign it, and we’ll be even," Zhang Gang said, taking out another file from the file cabinet, his voice tinged with barely concealed excitement, which Chu Ying also noticed.

Ling Siyi didn’t hesitate, comparing the two contracts and seeing no differences, she signed it and then took one copy and left Zhang Gang’s office with Chu Ying.

"Dad, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief!" Zhang Baogang was excited, thinking about the chance to finally have a good fight with that stinky brat.

Zhang Gang looked at the slightly open door, a cruel smile on his lips, and muttered, "Aren’t you afraid that Big Eagle might have copied the contents of the memory card?"

Zhang Baogang felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. His excitement vanished, and he stood there, stunned, his face pale. After a while, he recovered and asked anxiously, "What should we do? We’ve already given him the contract. If he makes more demands, what will we do...?"

Zhang Gang sneered, "Do you think having the contract means everything is fine? I can make you both disappear in three days, not thirty!"

"If you’re right, and Big Eagle did copy the contents, then we’re still in his hands," Zhang Baogang thought of Chu Ying’s methods and felt a deep fear. He would never forget Chu Ying’s eyes. If he really provoked Chu Ying, he might really kill.

Zhang Gang said, "So what if he copied it? The most important thing is that we have the diary." He waved the notebook and continued, "The videos on the memory card, while damaging, are just about my private life. At worst, it’s a matter of poor conduct, not enough to bring me down. A single video can’t bring down your father!"

Zhang Baogang pondered for a moment and nodded silently. He finally understood Zhang Gang’s point. TV often reports on officials’ scandalous videos, which create a huge public uproar and lead to the punishment of these officials.

But in reality, these officials are often reassigned to other positions through different channels, continuing their careers elsewhere.

With this in mind, Zhang Baogang said excitedly, "Dad, do you have a solution?"

Zhang Gang smiled confidently, "I’m tired of being the mayor of Qingshan Town. It’s a small position with little benefit. It’s time for a change."

Despite this, Zhang Baogang still felt fear towards Chu Ying and frowned, "If Big Eagle doesn’t come after us, I think we should just end it here. It’s better for both sides."

Zhang Gang slowly shook his head and sneered, "He’s just a tough thug. Since he’s offended me, Zhang Gang, he shouldn’t think it will be that easy to end it!"