Chapter 3

After leaving the hospital, Bao Feiyang found a public phone and called Bao Guoqiang's home. The one who answered the phone was Aunt Xue Hanmei.

"Aunt, it's me, Feiyang. Is Uncle going to Japan today? What time is his flight?"

"What do you want?" Xue Hanmei's mood was clearly not good.

In her view, Bao Feiyang was calling for only one reason: to ask Bao Guoqiang to bring back some new gadgets from abroad. In the past, when Bao Guoqiang had the chance to travel abroad, Bao Feiyang had done this many times.

If it were in the past, Xue Hanmei wouldn't have minded such a small request from Bao Feiyang. After all, he was her husband's only nephew, and bringing back a few gadgets wasn't much trouble. However, this time, Xue Hanmei felt extremely annoyed. Her husband had just lost his position as the mayor of Zhongtian and was sent abroad under the pretext of a delegation visit. Under these double blows, his mood must be terrible. If Bao Feiyang were smart and considerate, he wouldn't disturb his uncle at this time and let him have some peace.

If Bao Feiyang hadn't experienced his previous life, he wouldn't have noticed the annoyance in Xue Hanmei's tone. But with the experience of over thirty years from his previous life, how could he not hear the impatience in Xue Hanmei's voice?

"Aunt, it's like this," Bao Feiyang said, lying without hesitation, "a classmate of mine is from Wuyishan. This time, he brought back a few ounces of wild rock tea from home. I heard Uncle is going to Japan for a long time, so I want him to take it with him for the journey."

Bao Feiyang didn't have a classmate from Wuyishan, nor did he have any wild rock tea. He said this because he knew Bao Guoqiang liked rock tea, especially wild rock tea. However, wild rock tea was very rare. Even when Bao Guoqiang was the acting mayor of Zhongtian, he hadn't obtained much authentic wild rock tea. Using wild rock tea as an excuse, he could get Bao Guoqiang's flight information from Xue Hanmei. As for telling the truth to Xue Hanmei, Bao Feiyang never considered it.

First, even if he told Xue Hanmei his real purpose, she wouldn't believe him. How could he explain how he knew about Lu Zhongcheng's detailed plot? Could he tell Xue Hanmei that he had the memories of his previous life and had been reborn?

Second, after experiencing so many ups and downs and setbacks in his previous life, especially after being betrayed by the director of his laboratory, Bao Feiyang had become extremely cautious. If the ruler is not secretive, he will lose his ministers; if the minister is not secretive, he will lose his life.

After the Ninghai railway incident, Bao Guoqiang was a key target of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) investigation, and there was the cunning Lu Zhongcheng watching closely. Who could guarantee that Xue Hanmei's phone wasn't being tapped? If the CCDI got the information, it would be better, but if Lu Zhongcheng found out, who knew if the tragedy of his previous life would repeat itself? In his previous life, Lu Weiguo had killed him for the sake of a few billion yuan in economic benefits. Now, the situation involved significant political interests. If the truth were revealed, Lu Zhongcheng and Lu Weiguo might spend the rest of their lives in prison, or even face the death penalty. In such a life-or-death situation, it wouldn't be surprising if Lu Zhongcheng or Lu Weiguo took desperate measures and tried to kill Bao Feiyang.

Therefore, Bao Feiyang was willing to make up an excuse to deceive Xue Hanmei rather than tell her the truth over the phone.

"Oh, wild rock tea?" Xue Hanmei was surprised. She had always thought Bao Feiyang was an immature child, but she didn't expect him to have such a thoughtful gesture for his uncle. "Your uncle's flight is at 3:30 PM, the flight number is CZ31XX. It's already 2:00 PM. Even if you rush now, you might not make it in time."

"3:30 PM?" Bao Feiyang was startled. "I'll try my best!"

After hanging up, Bao Feiyang looked at his watch; it was already 2:05 PM. Xin Youmei Ceramic Company was in the western suburbs, while Zhongtian Airport was in the eastern suburbs. Bao Feiyang had once taken a taxi from the western suburbs to Zhongtian Airport to pick someone up, and he knew that even at the fastest speed, it would take at least two hours.

It was clear that taking a taxi was out of the question!

But if a taxi wouldn't work, what could he do? No matter what, Bao Feiyang had to reach the airport before Bao Guoqiang boarded the plane. Although he had the advantage of foresight from his rebirth, he needed Bao Guoqiang to mobilize resources to uncover the real evidence of Lu Zhongcheng's criminal activities. If Bao Guoqiang flew to Japan, relying solely on Bao Feiyang, where could he find the resources to dig up the evidence?

Now, it seemed that Lu Zhongcheng had carefully planned to have the provincial party committee agree to send Bao Guoqiang abroad, using the pretext of preventing him from interfering with the Zhongtian municipal election. The goal was to cut off Bao Guoqiang's influence in Zhongtian, making it impossible for him to clear his name in the Zhongtian Petrochemical project. By the time Bao Guoqiang returned from Japan in half a month, the election would be over, and Lu Zhongcheng would have been elected mayor. Even if Bao Guoqiang's innocence in the Zhongtian Petrochemical project could be proven, it would be too late for the provincial party committee to remove Lu Zhongcheng and have Bao Guoqiang run for mayor again.

Therefore, Bao Feiyang had to reach the airport by 3:30 PM. If the plane took off, Bao Guoqiang wouldn't return for half a month. By then, Lu Zhongcheng would be the mayor, and Bao Guoqiang would have limited options. In such a situation, Bao Feiyang's foresight would be useless, and the Bao family might face another tragedy...

Bao Feiyang gritted his teeth!

If a taxi wouldn't work, he would take a police car. With the siren on, it would clear the way and save time at traffic lights. There were over thirty traffic lights from the western suburbs to the eastern airport, and he could save at least twenty minutes.

Bao Feiyang quickly thought through his relationships and locked onto his target: Mei Lifeng, who worked in the criminal investigation team of the Western Suburbs Public Security Bureau. He quickly dialed the number.

"Brother Mei, it's me, Feiyang!"

"Which Feiyang? Oh, Yangyang? Hello. Why are you calling me today?"

Hearing Mei Lifeng call him Yangyang, Bao Feiyang felt a chill. He suppressed the urge to hang up and said, "Brother Mei, my dad asked me to deliver a can of tea to Uncle. His flight is at 3:30 PM, and he's going to Japan for a visit. I'm in the western suburbs and afraid I won't make it in time. Can you take me in a police car?"

Mei Lifeng was the younger brother of a colleague of Bao Feiyang's father, Bao Guosheng. He was a rural soldier who, five years ago, had been transferred to the city with the help of Bao Guosheng. After five years, he had become a deputy team leader in the criminal investigation team, a position he had earned through hard work. He was always grateful to Bao Guosheng and often visited his home. He and Bao Feiyang were also very close. Whenever the Bao family needed help, Mei Lifeng would step up without hesitation.

Hearing that Bao Guosheng had asked Bao Feiyang to deliver tea to Bao Guoqiang, Mei Lifeng immediately perked up. If not for Bao Guosheng and Bao Guoqiang, he would still be farming potatoes in the countryside. How could he stay in the provincial capital and become a police officer, let alone a team leader? Now, one benefactor was asking to deliver tea to another, and he needed a police car. Was this even a question? Even if he thought about it with his navel, the answer would be the same: go!

"Yangyang, where are you?"

"I'm at the entrance of the Xin Youmei Ceramic Company hospital."

Getting a positive response, Bao Feiyang felt relieved. He had indeed chosen the right person! He remembered that in his previous life, when he and his mother went to Kangzang to pick up his father's ashes, the passengers on the plane refused to let them board. After waiting for several flights, his mother had burst into tears. In the end, he called Mei Lifeng, who immediately flew to Kangzang and used his police ID to force the ashes onto the plane. Soon after, Mei Lifeng was dismissed from the police force on a pretext. Later, when Bao Feiyang worked at Yuehai Ceramic Company, he met Mei Lifeng once. At that time, Mei Lifeng was a security guard at a private company in Yuecheng. Bao Feiyang even went to Yuecheng to have a drink with him. Later, he heard that Mei Lifeng had moved to Shennan, and then he lost track of him. After Bao Feiyang became successful and became the owner of a large ceramic company, he sent people to look for Mei Lifeng multiple times but couldn't find him. Even Mei Lifeng's brother, who worked at Zhongtian University of Technology, didn't know his whereabouts.

Mei Lifeng knew why he had been dismissed from the police force. When Bao Feiyang met him in Yuecheng and they had drunk nearly twenty bottles of beer, Mei Lifeng said that he knew he would offend Lu Zhongcheng and Lu Weiguo when he flew to Kangzang. As the mayor of Zhongtian, Lu Zhongcheng had immense power. As a mere deputy team leader, daring to go to Kangzang to pick up the ashes of Lu Zhongcheng's enemy was clearly a challenge to Lu Zhongcheng.

Mei Lifeng said he didn't regret it. Even if the situation were to repeat a hundred times, he would make the same choice. Without the help of the two uncles, he would have been farming potatoes in his hometown. Now, even if he went back to farm potatoes, he had already gained a lot because he had been a police officer in Zhongtian for five years, including a year and a half as a deputy team leader!

"I gained a lot!"

"I was worth it!"

"Lu Zhongcheng and Lu Weiguo, you bastards!"

Thinking about how he had lied to the straightforward Mei Lifeng, Bao Feiyang felt ashamed. But he truly couldn't tell Mei Lifeng the truth. With Mei Lifeng's personality, if he knew the real reason, he would insist on getting involved. Bao Feiyang had already dragged Mei Lifeng into trouble once in his previous life and didn't want to do it again.

A few minutes later, with a sharp siren, a white police van stopped in front of Bao Feiyang.

"Yangyang, get in." Mei Lifeng opened the door.

"Brother Mei, hurry, I'm in a rush." Bao Feiyang jumped into the passenger seat without being polite.

"Alright! Let's go!"

Mei Lifeng stepped on the gas, and the police van sped towards the eastern suburbs of Zhongtian Airport, the siren blaring.