Chapter 4

Under Mei Lifeng's skilled driving, the Songhua River minivan sped past car after car, its siren wailing, ignoring traffic lights, and crossing one intersection after another.

Pao Feiyang's thoughts drifted back into his memories.

In his previous life, after Pao Guoqiang returned from his inspection trip to Japan, although he was very disheartened, he did not engage in any passive resistance. He cooperated with every order issued by Mayor Lu Zhongcheng. However, who could have thought that while Pao Guoqiang had no intention to harm, Lu Zhongcheng had the intention to harm. On the surface, Lu Zhongcheng treated Pao Guoqiang politely, but in secret, he incited people to falsely accuse Pao Guoqiang, sending him to prison. He then went on to persecute those who spoke up for Pao Guoqiang, such as Pao Guosheng and Xue Hanmei, leading to the downfall of the Pao family.

Now, it seems that the struggle between the Pao family and the Lu family is a matter of life and death, with no other way out. If Pao Feiyang cannot bring down Lu Zhongcheng this time, the tragedy that befell the Pao family will surely be repeated.

The distance from the western suburbs to Zhongtian Airport is too far. Although Mei Lifeng had done his best to maximize the speed and privileges of the police car, they did not arrive at the airport until 3:05 PM.

"Feiyang, I'm sorry, my skills are poor, and I'm five minutes late." Mei Lifeng looked at Pao Feiyang with a guilty expression.

"It's okay, I'll go inside and check. Maybe the flight is delayed!" Pao Feiyang didn't have time to say more and jumped out of the car, running towards the airport terminal.

After just a few steps, he heard the airport's announcement: "Passengers, the flight CZ31XX from Zhongtian to Beijing has already taken off... Passengers, the flight CZ31XX from Zhongtian to Beijing has already taken off..."

Pao Feiyang's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed on the spot!

It's too late, it's still too late! After being reborn, he almost didn't waste a single minute, quickly obtaining information about Pao Guoqiang's flight and rushing to the airport, but he still missed Pao Guoqiang's flight by just a few minutes.

Is it true that even after being reborn, fate cannot be changed?

Is it true that his uncle, father, and mother, who are upright and kind, are destined to fall at the hands of a despicable person like Lu Zhongcheng?

Is it true that the Pao family can only be at the mercy of a shameless person like Lu Weiguo?

Pao Feiyang's mind flashed back to the moment in his previous life when he was hit by a truck and saw Lu Weiguo and Xu Qiang laughing in the car. He screamed: "I won't give up! I won't give up!"

Pao Feiyang's face turned red, and he clenched his fists, shouting to himself: "No! I can't give up, absolutely can't give up, and absolutely can't just give up!"

As long as the final result is not reached, I must put in 100% effort!

"Feiyang, are you okay?" Mei Lifeng parked the car and ran over. Seeing Pao Feiyang's poor condition, he quickly went to support him.

"I'm fine, Brother Mei." Pao Feiyang forced a smile, his mind racing, thinking of ways to make up for it.

"It's all my fault, I delayed your affairs."

Even if Mei Lifeng was slow, he could see that Pao Feiyang's visit was not just to deliver tea. Besides, Pao Feiyang was wearing only a single layer of clothes and had empty hands. Where was the tea?

"It's okay, Brother Mei, it's not your fault." Pao Feiyang patted Mei Lifeng's shoulder, his face looking much better as he remembered something. If he acted quickly, there might still be a chance to save the situation.

Thinking about it, Pao Feiyang's eyes scanned the area, looking for a public phone. At that moment, he saw a man in his early thirties walking out of the terminal, and his eyes lit up.

"Yan!" Pao Feiyang quickly approached.

This man in his early thirties was Pao Guoqiang's driver, Yan Hongfa. He was also quite surprised to see Pao Feiyang.

"Feiyang, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Uncle."

"Are you trying to get the mayor to bring something for you?" Yan Hongfa glanced at Pao Feiyang. "Unfortunately, you're too late. The mayor's flight has already taken off."

Pao Feiyang didn't have time to explain to Yan Hongfa. He directly asked, "What time is Uncle's flight from Beijing to Tokyo?"

This was the question Pao Feiyang had just thought of. In 1992, there were no direct flights from Zhongjiang Province to Japan. To go to Tokyo, one had to transfer in Beijing. Pao Feiyang was looking for a public phone to call Aunt Xue Hanmei and ask about the flight time from Beijing to Tokyo.

"4:50 PM." Yan Hongfa shrugged. "You're thinking of going to Beijing? I don't think it's a good idea. There's only one flight to Beijing per day. Even if you take a plane, the mayor will already be in Japan by the time you get there."

Yan Hongfa was not usually talkative, and he wouldn't be so harsh. But seeing his boss implicated in a fabricated corruption case and losing the mayor's position, and seeing the mayor's nephew trying to get him to bring things from abroad, he couldn't help but say a few more words.

Pao Feiyang inwardly sighed. It wasn't Yan Hongfa's fault for looking at him with suspicion. In his previous life, whenever his uncle had the chance to go abroad, he would always pester him to bring gifts. Now, Yan Hongfa's assumption that he came to find Pao Guoqiang for gifts was a form of retribution!

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?"

Mei Lifeng, standing nearby, couldn't stand it and was ready to stand up for Pao Feiyang. He knew that as a deputy captain of the criminal investigation team, he wasn't much in front of the mayor's driver. But seeing Yan Hongfa's words, he couldn't help but speak up.

"Brother Mei, don't worry." Pao Feiyang quickly stopped Mei Lifeng, pulling him aside and said in a low voice, "I have something important to discuss with Yan. Brother Mei, you go back first."

"Then what about you later...?"

"I'll take Yan's car later."

Hearing Pao Feiyang call him "Yan" and repeatedly call him "Brother Mei," Mei Lifeng's self-esteem was greatly satisfied. He patted Pao Feiyang's shoulder and said, "Okay, I'll go back first. If you need anything, you can call me on the pager."

Mei Lifeng handed Pao Feiyang a business card with a long string of pager numbers.

"Thanks, Brother Mei!"

After waving goodbye to Mei Lifeng, Pao Feiyang saw that Yan Hongfa was about to leave and quickly caught up.

"Yan, you misunderstood me. This time, I came because Uncle gave me an important task. I just found out and came to report to him."

With no other choice, Pao Feiyang continued to lie.

"Oh? An important task?" Yan Hongfa stopped and looked at Pao Feiyang skeptically. "Why didn't the mayor give it to me or Secretary Zhou?"

Yan Hongfa was referring to Pao Guoqiang's secretary, Zhou Shugang. They were the two people Pao Guoqiang trusted the most, and he would entrust almost all his tasks to them. Therefore, Yan Hongfa and Zhou Shugang knew almost all of Pao Guoqiang's secrets. It was precisely because of this that Yan Hongfa knew that Pao Guoqiang had not been involved in any corruption in the Zhongtian Petrochemical project and was falsely accused, which is why he strongly defended Pao Guoqiang.

This time, as a secretary, Zhou Shugang naturally accompanied Pao Guoqiang to Japan. The driver, Yan Hongfa, had to stay behind.

Hearing Pao Feiyang say that Pao Guoqiang had given him an important task, Yan Hongfa naturally didn't believe it, thinking Pao Feiyang was deceiving him.

Seeing that Yan Hongfa didn't believe him, Pao Feiyang didn't say more. He leaned close to Yan Hongfa's ear and whispered, "Zhongtian Petrochemical, Lu Zhongcheng..."

"What?"

Yan Hongfa's face changed, and he grabbed Pao Feiyang's arm, looking at him in disbelief. "You mean, the Zhongtian Petrochemical incident is related to... Lu Zhongcheng?"

His voice was also very low, but in his excitement, it became somewhat broken.

"Shh!"

Pao Feiyang put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

"This isn't the place to discuss this." He looked around and then at Yan Hongfa, saying, "Did you drive here? Let's talk in your car."

"Of course. It's parked in the lot outside." Yan Hongfa gestured, "Let's go, get in the car."

A black Crown with the license plate ZHA00003 was quietly parked in the lot. This was Pao Guoqiang's official car, the third special vehicle in Zhongtian City.

Yan Hongfa opened the door and let Pao Feiyang in. Pao Feiyang, however, waved his hand and said to wait. Then he crawled under the car, lying on the ground and carefully inspecting the underside, occasionally touching hidden areas. After a thorough inspection, he asked Yan Hongfa to open the trunk and the hood and inspected them carefully. Only after confirming there were no issues did he get into the car and carefully checked the interior.

Once everything was confirmed to be safe, Pao Feiyang let out a long breath and told Yan Hongfa to close the door, saying, "Okay, now we can talk."

"Are you looking for a bug?" Yan Hongfa, seeing Pao Feiyang's caution, nodded in approval. No wonder the mayor entrusted such an important task to him! Although Pao Feiyang was over a decade younger, his caution was something Yan Hongfa couldn't match.

"Yes, a listening device." Pao Feiyang nodded.

In 1992, radio communication technology was far less advanced than in later years. Pao Feiyang believed that even if Lu Zhongcheng could eavesdrop on the phone calls at his uncle's home and Aunt Xue Hanmei's office, it would be impossible for him to obtain the small, advanced radio bugs of later years. If a tape recorder was used, it would be large enough to be found by visual inspection and touch. As for whether the national security system had more advanced listening devices at the time, Pao Feiyang wasn't entirely sure. But at this point, Lu Zhongcheng was only the deputy secretary of the municipal committee and had not yet become mayor. It would be almost impossible for him to command the national security system, which was not under his jurisdiction, to act secretly.

After confirming there were no listening devices, Pao Feiyang felt much more at ease. He asked Yan Hongfa, "Can you help me contact Uncle now?"

Yan Hongfa, now without any resistance towards Pao Feiyang, thought hard for a long time before shaking his head and answering, "The mayor has a pager, but there's no roaming service in China. Once out of Zhongtian City, it's useless. The only chance is to contact the airport when the mayor is transferring in Beijing and ask the airport to broadcast a message for the mayor to call back."

"That won't work!" Pao Feiyang immediately rejected Yan Hongfa's suggestion, "It's too conspicuous!"

Pao Guoqiang was removed from the mayoral candidate list due to the Zhongtian Petrochemical case. Although he was sent to Japan for an inspection, there were certainly control measures in place within the inspection team to prevent Pao Guoqiang from fleeing if he was indeed guilty of corruption. As long as the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) had not concluded the investigation into the Zhongtian Petrochemical case, these control measures would remain in place. Moreover, given Lu Zhongcheng's cunning, he would certainly have planted one or two trusted confidants in the inspection team to monitor Pao Guoqiang. If the airport broadcast method were used, it would not only contact Pao Guoqiang but also alert the CCDI staff and Lu Zhongcheng's confidants in the inspection team. If the CCDI followed the trail and suspected Pao Feiyang of being involved, they might detain him. How could Pao Feiyang then use the information from his previous life to bring down Lu Zhongcheng and clear Pao Guoqiang's name? If Lu Zhongcheng's confidants informed him, Lu Zhongcheng would become more cautious and make corresponding arrangements, making it even harder for Pao Feiyang to find evidence of Lu Zhongcheng's crimes.

Currently, Pao Feiyang had only two advantages: first, he had the memories from his previous life, knowing many of Lu Zhongcheng's secrets. Second, he was in the dark, while Lu Zhongcheng was in the open. Lu Zhongcheng probably never imagined that Pao Guoqiang's 19-year-old nephew, a college senior, was plotting to bring him down.

"Ah!" Yan Hongfa sighed, shaking his head. "There's no other way. If you had come half an hour earlier, you could have asked the mayor to bring you a gift from abroad. No one would have suspected, and you could have talked quietly."

"What's the point of saying that?"

Pao Feiyang waved his hand and fell silent. Without contacting Pao Guoqiang, he couldn't use Pao Guoqiang's resources to uncover Lu Zhongcheng's past and change the current situation. But if he contacted Pao Guoqiang, it might attract the attention of the CCDI special task force. If he were mistakenly detained, he would lose the chance to turn the tide. Moreover, regarding Lu Zhongcheng's matters, it would be impossible to convince Pao Guoqiang with just a few words over the phone. It was uncertain whether Pao Feiyang's plan would gain Pao Guoqiang's approval.

Moreover, it was May 11th, and the National People's Congress (NPC) session would begin on May 16th. If he couldn't find substantial evidence to remove Lu Zhongcheng from the mayoral candidate list within the next five days, once Lu Zhongcheng was elected mayor, many people who were previously undecided would likely support him. Lu Zhongcheng would then use his resources to take further action against Pao Guoqiang. If Pao Guoqiang were falsely accused and imprisoned, even if Pao Feiyang found solid evidence of Lu Zhongcheng's crimes, he would have no way to report it to higher authorities. A slight mistake could even result in Pao Feiyang's own life being at risk.

At that moment, a small handbag on the dashboard started beeping. Pao Feiyang was surprised and asked, "You have a pager? When did you get it?"

"It's not assigned; I bought it myself about half a month ago." Yan Hongfa said somewhat awkwardly, "The mayor criticized me for being too showy. I don't usually carry it, only secretly put it in the handbag."

"If I had known you had a pager, it would have been better." Pao Feiyang sighed, "I couldn't call Uncle, but I could secretly call you!"

Then he shook his head. Even if he could reach Yan Hongfa, what could he do? There were many things that, even if Yan Hongfa received the call and returned it, could he convince Pao Guoqiang to delay his boarding by half an hour? How could he make Pao Guoqiang believe him with just a few words over the phone? Besides, the delegation's schedule was set, and Pao Guoqiang, as a temporary deputy leader, couldn't change the schedule just because of his request...

Yan Hongfa had already opened his handbag and taken out the pager, a fashionable and popular Motorola Chinese display pager at the time.

After pressing the buttons to read the message, Yan Hongfa looked up, "Director Li just got off the train and is on his way to the airport. He said if possible, the mayor shouldn't board the plane immediately and should wait for him."

Director Li?

Pao Feiyang quickly asked, "Is it Deputy Director Li Yifeng of the Municipal Public Security Bureau?"

"Yes, it's Li Yifeng." Yan Hongfa shook his head, "True friendship is seen in times of difficulty! This time, no one came to see the mayor off when he went abroad. Those officials who usually fawn over the mayor were nowhere to be seen. Only Director Li, who just returned from a case in Hohhot, immediately came to the airport to see the mayor off. Unfortunately, he's a bit late."

"Maybe it's not too late!"

Pao Feiyang's eyes lit up.

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