Chapter 87

Chapter 25, The Backup (Part 2)

Sure enough, after An Zai Shan returned with a few people involved in the Tianma Mountain assassination attempt, He Longbin began to feel nervous. Citing the seriousness of the case, he took full control of the "Tianma Mountain Assassination Case" that was originally handled by An Zai Shan.

He also arranged for his trusted subordinates to personally interrogate the few individuals.

While this made An Zai Shan furious, he also secretly thanked his lucky stars that County Magistrate Yang had kept a backup and had not brought the key witnesses, such as Hei San, back with him.

Otherwise, He Longbin would likely have found an excuse to take them over, and Hei San and the others would definitely have recanted their statements!

...

Yang Zixuan did not bring the driver Xiao Chen; the fewer people who knew about this, the better. He drove to the outskirts alone and met up with a few of An Zai Shan's trusted subordinates at the designated time.

Hei San and the others were handcuffed, their heads hanging low, looking extremely haggard, clearly having been severely tortured by Old Liu.

Yang Zixuan had the police officers put Hei San and the others into the Santana and headed for Daming City.

By the time they reached the city, it was almost 8 PM. Yang Zixuan bought boxed meals for everyone in the car to avoid drawing attention from prying eyes.

Yang Zixuan parked the car outside the parking lot of the Municipal Party Committee's residential compound, not driving in. After all, entering the compound required passing through the security booth, and having several prisoners in the car would be very troublesome.

After parking the car, Yang Zixuan saw Xu Yin's car drive into the residential compound.

Yang Zixuan gave a few instructions to the police officers in the car and hurriedly followed. The security guard at the booth, seeing Yang Zixuan's unfamiliar face and his disheveled appearance, with one hand wrapped in white bandages, stopped him.

"Who are you looking for?" A middle-aged security guard walked out of the booth, his attitude somewhat arrogant and his tone unfriendly, glancing sideways at Yang Zixuan's attire.

Being a security guard is important, and one must be good at judging people and vehicles.

This security guard at the Municipal Party Committee's residential compound had been working there for a few years and knew the cars and faces of the leaders and their children and important relatives by heart.

Most of the people who came here were from society, trying to deliver gifts and seek favors.

In the eyes of these security guards, as long as they delayed these people a bit, they would usually receive a small red envelope or a few packs of high-end cigarettes, which served as extra income each month.

Now, seeing Yang Zixuan dressed plainly, with an injured hand and no car, the security guard looked down on him.

More importantly, Yang Zixuan only had a file bag and no large gift boxes or bags, which made the security guard even more disdainful. How dare someone with such an appearance come to the Municipal Party Committee's residential compound to seek favors from the leaders?

"I'm here to see Deputy Mayor Xu Yin," Yang Zixuan knew that these security guards at the Municipal Party Committee were seasoned and shrewd, and as long as he offered a pack of high-end cigarettes or a small red envelope, he would likely be let through.

However, Yang Zixuan had left in a hurry and had not brought any cigarettes or money, as he had been recuperating in the hospital.

He did not expect to be stopped by a security guard.

"Who are you to him? Deputy Mayor Xu's car just went in. Why didn't you come with him?" The security guard asked, hands on his hips.

"I am the County Magistrate of Hongshui County, and I have come specifically to report to Deputy Mayor Xu Yin!" Yang Zixuan answered patiently.

As soon as he finished speaking, another security guard in the booth burst out laughing, and the one blocking Yang Zixuan joined in.

"Brother, you should know your limits when joking or lying. At your age, if you said you were a clerk in a government office, we might believe you, but saying you are a county magistrate is a bit too much!"

"Who knows, maybe he started working from the womb and has been working since birth. After twenty years, it's not strange that he's become a county magistrate!"

The two security guards echoed each other, thoroughly mocking Yang Zixuan.

"Since you claim to be a county magistrate, show us your work ID," the security guard said seriously.

Yang Zixuan searched his body but found no work ID. It was left on the clothes he wore when he went to Tianma Mountain, which Lu'er had taken off, and he did not know where she had put it. He could only smile bitterly and say, "I left in a hurry and didn't bring it."

"Little brother, stop acting. We see people like you every few days. The Municipal Party Committee's residential compound is not an ordinary place. It houses the most powerful leaders and their families in Daming. It's not a place for casual visits. Young people are naturally curious about the lives of these high-ranking officials, but curiosity is just curiosity. After admiring them, you still have to live your own life. Blame your fate."

"So, go back and live your life honestly. Don't dream of being a county magistrate!"

Yang Zixuan did not expect these two security guards to deliver such a preachy speech, which made him both angry and amused.

"Alright, even if you don't believe me, I really have an urgent matter to discuss with Deputy Mayor Xu. Do you have a phone here? I'll call Deputy Mayor Xu's house."

Yang Zixuan did not want to argue with the security guards any longer. He did not know the current situation in the city and wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

The two security guards, seeing Yang Zixuan's stern face, which seemed to carry some official authority, did not dare to stop him. After all, he was right there, and if he was lying, they could teach him a lesson.

Yang Zixuan had almost memorized the office and home phone numbers of the main leaders of the Municipal Party Committee. He dialed Xu Yin's number confidently: "Hello, Deputy Mayor Xu, this is Yang Zixuan. Yes, I'm at the entrance of the Municipal Party Committee's residential compound. I just saw your car go in..."

The two security guards, seeing Yang Zixuan speaking confidently on the phone, almost dropped their eyes in shock. It turned out this young man really knew Deputy Mayor Xu.

For the next ten minutes, the security guards were in a state of unease, watching Yang Zixuan stand straight and wait at the entrance, too afraid to approach him.

Xu Yin's residence was not far from the entrance, in Building 9. Hearing that Yang Zixuan was stopped at the security booth, he came out to meet him.

"Why did you leave the hospital in Hongshui County to come to the city? You should be resting and recuperating," Xu Yin said with a tone of feigned scolding, showing his closeness and trying to build a closer relationship.

"Ah, Deputy Mayor Xu, I was born to work hard. I can't afford to be sick," Yang Zixuan said with a bitter smile. "You didn't see that as soon as I fell ill, people started complaining to the Municipal Party Committee. I can't afford to be sick!"

"Look at you, being a county magistrate is not as tiring as being a deputy mayor," Xu Yin patted Yang Zixuan's shoulder and laughed. "Let's go inside and talk."

Yang Zixuan nodded, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two security guards hiding in the booth, staring in shock.

Yang Zixuan waved at them and smiled, almost scaring them. They quickly ducked their heads, not daring to look at him.

After Xu Yin and Yang Zixuan walked away, the two security guards slowly poked their heads out, their foreheads covered in cold sweat.

"That was close. We didn't expect that young man to really be a county magistrate."

"Look how warmly Deputy Mayor Xu treated him. We're lucky we didn't say anything more, or we might have lost our jobs."

"Do you think he'll hold a grudge and come back to get us?"

"He doesn't seem like the type to hold grudges, and with his high position, he wouldn't bother with us small fry..."

...

Xu Yin's wife and children lived in the financial department's residential compound in the provincial capital and did not come to Daming City. Therefore, Building 9 of the Municipal Party Committee was quite empty, with only Xu Yin living there.

Yang Zixuan followed Xu Yin to the study on the second floor and sat down.

The shelves were filled with economics books from both domestic and foreign sources, not just for show. Many of the books were old, indicating that Xu Yin read them frequently.

"Deputy Mayor Xu's spirit of continuous learning and keeping up with the times is something we should all learn from," Yang Zixuan said, looking around the bookshelves and smiling.

"Every position has its challenges. If you don't learn and think, you'll become out of touch with your environment and eventually be eliminated," Xu Yin sighed.

Yang Zixuan nodded and said, "Deputy County Magistrate Fang hasn't returned to Hongshui yet. I haven't seen her in a few days."

Xu Yin frowned and said, "Did she catch you in some wrongdoing? I just reported to Secretary Lin Pei, and he mentioned that the Municipal Party Committee will hold a standing committee meeting tomorrow to discuss your personal issues!"

Yang Zixuan was taken aback. "Is it that serious? They're holding a standing committee meeting to discuss my issues?"

"Of course!" Xu Yin got up, poured a cup of water, and took a few sips. "I suspect this standing committee meeting will be full of tension, and your future will be uncertain."

"There's no reason for this. Mayor Tang Lu might have a grudge against me and is pushing for the meeting to criticize me, but Secretary Lin Pei has no reason to act so rashly!" Yang Zixuan fell into deep thought.

"Without Secretary Lin Pei's support, the standing committee meeting wouldn't be held. Unless Mayor Tang Lu has concrete evidence of my misconduct. But I, Yang Zixuan, have always walked the straight and narrow and have no weaknesses to be exploited. Why is this happening?" Yang Zixuan said, feeling frustrated.

"Hearing you say this, I also think something is off. Secretary Lin Pei is not an impulsive or rash person. Before calling the standing committee meeting, he would definitely have sought detailed information from the main leaders of Hongshui County. In theory, unless it's a serious violation, your issue shouldn't be discussed at the standing committee meeting."

Xu Yin looked at Yang Zixuan with some admiration.

This young man has a very meticulous mind and can always spot issues that others miss. He is a promising talent.

...

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