Chapter 5

Pao Feiyang reached into his back pocket and pulled out a half-pack of wrinkled soft Zhonghua cigarettes. These were the ones he had found in Bao Guoqiang's study during the May Day holiday. Although Pao Feiyang had kept them in his pocket, he had never really smoked them. At this moment, he took them out, which seemed to have a flavor of "taking from the people and using it for the people."

"Come, have a cigarette." Pao Feiyang extended his hand and offered one to Yan Hongfa, then took another for himself and carefully put the wrinkled pack back into his pocket.

Yan Hongfa, though young, was a standard old smoker. He had been so worried about Bao Guoqiang's situation that he had temporarily forgotten to smoke. Seeing Pao Feiyang offer him a cigarette, it immediately triggered his craving. He snatched the cigarette from Pao Feiyang, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep drag, almost burning half the cigarette. He held his breath for a long time, then leaned back in the chair and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

Pao Feiyang's nicotine addiction was not as severe; he smoked mostly for fun. He held the cigarette and slowly puffed, saying nothing. After Yan Hongfa finished the entire cigarette, Pao Feiyang suddenly spoke: "Brother Yan, tell me the truth, how has my uncle treated you?"

Hearing Pao Feiyang call him "Brother Yan" for the first time with such seriousness, Yan Hongfa also became solemn: "The mayor has been a great benefactor to me. Without the mayor, I would have either been killed or locked up in prison."

Pao Feiyang had heard about Yan Hongfa's situation from his parents' casual conversations before. He knew that Yan Hongfa was not just flattering him but speaking the truth.

At that time, both Bao Guoqiang and Lu Zhongcheng were vice mayors in Zhongtian City. The only difference was that Bao Guoqiang was the executive vice mayor and a member of the city's Party committee, while Lu Zhongcheng was just an ordinary vice mayor. Yan Hongfa was originally a driver for the city government's car pool.

Yan Hongfa had a younger sister named Yan Xiaolei, who was very beautiful. Once, the wall of their family's courtyard in their hometown collapsed, and his father asked Yan Xiaolei to go to the city government's car pool office to get money from Yan Hongfa to repair the wall. It happened that Yan Hongfa was out on a job, so Yan Xiaolei waited in the car pool office for him to return.

By around 8 PM, Yan Hongfa still hadn't returned, and all the drivers in the car pool office had left, leaving only Yan Xiaolei waiting. At this time, Lu Weiguo, drunk, came to the city government and somehow ended up at the car pool duty room. He was immediately attracted by Yan Xiaolei's beauty and approached her, trying to molest her. Yan Xiaolei screamed and tried to run out, but Lu Weiguo grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.

Just as Yan Xiaolei was about to be violated, Yan Hongfa returned from his job. He heard Yan Xiaolei's screams before he even reached the car pool office. He rushed in and saw Lu Weiguo about to force a kiss on Yan Xiaolei. Yan Hongfa was furious and lunged forward, giving Lu Weiguo a beating that made him howl in pain. At this moment, the security personnel arrived and rescued Lu Weiguo from Yan Hongfa's hands.

Lu Weiguo, having suffered a great loss, was not willing to let it go. He falsely accused Yan Xiaolei of being a thief, stealing from the car pool. He claimed that he had caught her in the act and was attacked by her accomplice, Yan Hongfa, who had been hiding nearby. He demanded that the security department severely punish the thief Yan Xiaolei and the accomplice and attacker Yan Hongfa.

Although the security personnel knew that Lu Weiguo was making a fuss, they could not ignore the fact that he was the son of a vice mayor. Yan Hongfa was just an ordinary driver. It would be a loss to offend the son of a vice mayor for the sake of an ordinary driver. Therefore, they had to detain Yan Hongfa and Yan Xiaolei first. It was then that Yan Hongfa realized he had beaten the son of Vice Mayor Lu Zhongcheng, causing a major disaster. He didn't care about his own punishment, but he was worried that his innocent sister would be ruined if she was sent to the police as a thief.

So, Yan Hongfa told the security personnel that he would take all the blame if they would release his sister. A senior security officer, moved by his sincerity, advised Yan Hongfa to seek help from Executive Vice Mayor Bao Guoqiang. After hearing Yan Hongfa's story, Bao Guoqiang sent someone to verify the situation and confirmed that Yan Hongfa's account was true. He then instructed the security personnel to release Yan Xiaolei and drop the case.

However, when Lu Weiguo learned that the security department had released Yan Xiaolei and her brother, he was not willing to let it go. But upon hearing that it was Executive Vice Mayor Bao Guoqiang's instruction, he finally gave up.

Not long after, Bao Guoqiang's driver, Old Feng, retired, and Bao Guoqiang personally appointed Yan Hongfa as his driver. With this experience, Yan Hongfa naturally became loyal to Bao Guoqiang. Combined with his good work ability, he and Secretary Zhou Shugang became Bao Guoqiang's trusted confidants.

"… The mayor not only saved me but also saved my sister!"

Pao Feiyang nodded and looked at Yan Hongfa, saying, "Brother Yan, have you ever thought about what would happen if Lu Zhongcheng became the mayor?"

Yan Hongfa's heart trembled. This was a question he had been unwilling to consider for days. He had been pretending to be ignorant, but deep down, he hoped that Lu Zhongcheng would not have the character to win the upcoming election. Now that Pao Feiyang had brought it up, he could not help but think seriously about it.

"Ah, what could happen?" Yan Hongfa sighed, "If I can't avoid it, I'll just follow the mayor and try to stay out of the Lu family's sight."

"But what if even my uncle can't protect himself, what will you do?"

"Mayor Bao can't protect himself? Impossible!" Yan Hongfa widened his eyes, "Even if Lu Zhongcheng becomes the mayor, Mayor Bao can still step down as vice mayor and remain a member of the city's Party committee, right? Besides, even if Lu Zhongcheng is the mayor, he's only a half-level above Mayor Bao. It would be hard for him to do anything to Mayor Bao, wouldn't it?"

"You're being too naive," Pao Feiyang shook his head, "If a tiger doesn't intend to harm a person, the person might still harm the tiger! My uncle, as a long-serving member of the city's Party committee and deputy secretary, and having served as acting mayor for so long, is still higher in rank and seniority than Lu Zhongcheng. Yet, he mysteriously fell into a trap and lost his candidacy for mayor. Now, the situation is about to reverse, and Lu Zhongcheng is likely to become the mayor in a few days, surpassing my uncle. If Lu Zhongcheng is determined to harm my uncle, the outcome is obvious, isn't it?"

"You're right!" Once Pao Feiyang pointed it out, Yan Hongfa couldn't help but shudder, "Lu Zhongcheng is vengeful and cunning. With the mayor's straightforward character, if Lu Zhongcheng really decides to act, he will definitely suffer a great loss."

"What do you mean 'if Lu Zhongcheng really decides to act'?" Pao Feiyang sneered, "Lu Zhongcheng has already made his move! Brother Yan, I ask you, as soon as my uncle lost his candidacy for mayor, Lu Zhongcheng appeared. Do you believe that the Zhongtian Petrochemical incident was not orchestrated by Lu Zhongcheng? Since Lu Zhongcheng has already shown his true colors, he will definitely continue to target my uncle after he becomes the mayor, and he won't stop."

"You're right!" Yan Hongfa suddenly remembered, "Feiyang, is the matter Mayor Bao asked you to investigate related to Zhongtian Petrochemical? Has the mayor also noticed something? Have you already found out that Lu Zhongcheng is behind this?"

"If it is Lu Zhongcheng behind this, what do you think we should do?" Pao Feiyang did not answer Yan Hongfa's question but asked a counter-question.

"What should we do? We should find a way to expose Lu Zhongcheng's plot!" Yan Hongfa clenched his fist.

"Brother Yan, you need to think carefully. If we fight against Lu Zhongcheng and fail, the consequences will be severe," Lin Yuanfang deliberately said with a stern face.

"Damn!" Yan Hongfa punched Pao Feiyang in the chest, "You're trying to provoke me, aren't you? I understand this better than you. Even if I don't fight against Lu Zhongcheng, once Mayor Bao is brought down, my fate will be just as bad. Without the skin, where will the hair go?"

Yan Hongfa quoted a proverb and then continued, "I, Yan Hongfa, am a man. Regardless of anything else, for the sake of Mayor Bao saving my sister, I will risk my life to help expose Lu Zhongcheng's plot!"

"Brother Yan, you're a good man. I didn't misjudge you," Pao Feiyang rubbed his sore chest and laughed.

"Don't give me this flattery," Yan Hongfa snorted, "Tell me, how can we help the mayor? The mayor is going to Japan for half a month, and we can't contact him now... Are we going to wait for him to come back in half a month? By then, it might be too late!"

"Being unable to contact my uncle doesn't mean we can't do anything," Pao Feiyang handed Yan Hongfa a cigarette, "From the intelligence I have, the engineering accident at Zhongtian Petrochemical and the Ninghai Railway incident are closely linked, and it's almost certain that they were orchestrated by Lu Weiguo, Lu Zhongcheng's son. What we need to do is find solid evidence before the two sessions and submit it, to take back the mayor's candidacy that Lu Zhongcheng obtained through deceit!"

"That makes sense," Yan Hongfa smoked and smiled bitterly, "But there are only six days left until the two sessions. With just the two of us, even if we know it was Lu Weiguo, where can we find the evidence?"

"Who said it's just the two of us?" Pao Feiyang laughed and pointed at Yan Hongfa's Motorola digital display, "Didn't Director Li say he would be here soon?"

"You mean we should seek help from Director Li?" Yan Hongfa's eyes brightened, then dimmed, "With Director Li's position, how can we command him?"

"Although we can't command him, my uncle can!" Pao Feiyang said.

"But Mayor Bao is on the plane to Japan..."

Before he finished, Yan Hongfa suddenly stopped and looked at Pao Feiyang, "You're not asking me to falsely convey a message to Director Li, are you?"

"What false message? I was late and didn't have time to report to my uncle. If my uncle had heard my report, he would definitely have left a message for Director Li to investigate."

"Will Director Li not act?" Yan Hongfa thought for a moment and asked.

"You know Director Li better than I do, what do you think?" Pao Feiyang countered.

"Well, I'm not sure..." Yan Hongfa hesitated, "I'm just a driver, and I have nothing to lose. In the worst case, I'll lose my administrative position. But Director Li is the deputy director of the city's public security bureau and the head of the criminal investigation team. Without Mayor Bao's direct order, can he make the decision?"

"Ha! I can clearly tell you, he can, he can!" Pao Feiyang laughed, "Do you remember the major case at the Red Tea Dance Hall two years ago?"

"I remember!"

"The main culprit, Wen Mubai, who was sentenced to death, is Lu Weiguo's brother-in-law."

"Ah, there's that connection?" Yan Hongfa was surprised.

"Yes!" Pao Feiyang said, "This case was personally supervised by Director Li. He withstood pressure from all sides and made it an ironclad case. It was Director Li who sent Wen Mubai to the executioner. If my uncle falls this time and Lu Zhongcheng becomes the mayor, do you understand what will happen?"

"Director Li will definitely be held accountable!" Yan Hongfa scratched his head and asked Pao Feiyang, "Aren't you always buried in your studies at the university? Where did you get this information? I'm an old acquaintance of Director Li, but he never mentioned it to me."

Pao Feiyang smiled mysteriously and did not answer Yan Hongfa's question.

In fact, he knew about this insider information from his past life. In his past life, shortly after his uncle was framed and imprisoned, Li Yifeng was also removed from his position as deputy director of the public security bureau and was sent to be the deputy director of the Zhongtian City Fisheries Bureau. Before Pao Feiyang went to Yue Dong, he visited Li Yifeng at the Fisheries Bureau. Li Yifeng told him about this secret, sighing deeply.

As they were talking, a white Santana police car approached. Yan Hongfa, with his sharp eyes, recognized the license plate.

"It's Director Li's car, he's here." He got out of the car.

"Brother Yan." Pao Feiyang grabbed Yan Hongfa and whispered in his ear, "When you see Director Li, tell him that my uncle only left two messages for him. The first is, why did the villagers suddenly cause trouble? The second is, under a fallen nest, can there be any whole eggs? After that, I will speak!"

"Got it! I understand!"

Yan Hongfa nodded and got out of the car with Pao Feiyang, waving to the Santana police car.

The Santana police car stopped, and a lean, middle-aged police officer jumped out, immediately asking Yan Hongfa, "Yan, where's the mayor?"

"Director Li, you're a bit late. The mayor's plane took off over forty minutes ago."

"How could this happen?" Li Yifeng's sharp eyebrows furrowed, and he exuded a commanding presence, "Didn't I send you a message to have the mayor delay his flight and wait for me?"

"When you sent me the message, the mayor's plane had already taken off!" Yan Hongfa defended himself in a low voice.

"Let's not talk about that!" Li Yifeng waved his hand and said, "Do you know what happened with Zhongtian Petrochemical?"

"I don't know!" Yan Hongfa shook his head, "But I can guarantee that the mayor did not take a single cent in bribes or embezzle a single cent in the Zhongtian Petrochemical project!"

"Is that so?"

Hearing Yan Hongfa's words, Li Yifeng nodded. Since Yan Hongfa and Zhou Shugang were Bao Guoqiang's most trusted confidants, if Yan Hongfa said Bao Guoqiang did not embezzle or take bribes in the Zhongtian Petrochemical project, it was likely that Bao Guoqiang was being framed.

"Did the mayor leave any message for me before he got on the plane?" Li Yifeng asked, hands on his hips.

For the past few days, Li Yifeng had been leading a capture team on the vast grasslands, with no communication facilities. After catching the fugitive and returning to Eorhote, he called home and learned about the major changes that had occurred. As an experienced criminal investigator, Li Yifeng resisted the urge to call Bao Guoqiang and instead chose to return to Zhongtian as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights from Eorhote to Zhongtian, so he had to take a train. Despite his haste, he was still nearly an hour late and did not get to see Bao Guoqiang.

In fact, Bao Guoqiang did not know that Li Yifeng was coming, so he did not leave any message. But with Lin Yuanfang's instructions, Yan Hongfa would not say so.

"The mayor asked me to tell you two things. The first is, why did the villagers suddenly cause trouble? The second is, under a fallen nest, can there be any whole eggs?"

---

The page turned, and the advertisement began.

The page turned, and the advertisement ended.