"My friend asked me to look for him," Chen Feng replied perfunctorily. Professor Zhou was an intellectual, not someone involved in power politics. Explaining too much to him would be pointless.
"Then did you find a way to meet Lin Wu?" Professor Zhou continued to ask curiously.
"I tried. It seems Lin Wu doesn't meet strangers, especially those who specifically seek him out. He turns them all away. Perhaps it has something to do with his nickname, 'The Impartial Judge,' and his fear of people asking him for favors," Chen Feng stated truthfully.
"Chen Feng, then tell me honestly, did your friend ask you to find Lin Wu because he wants to pull some strings?" Professor Zhou asked earnestly.
"Professor Zhou, I am the director of the Development and Reform Commission of Mingshan District. In the capital, I'm a very minor official. Think about it, what kind of case would a friend of my level require the intervention of the capital's High Court?" Chen Feng quickly deflected. Professor Zhou was a righteous person; it was best not to discuss power plays and connections with him.
"Then what exactly does your friend want with Lin Wu?" Professor Zhou pressed. If Chen Feng wasn't up to no good, he could consider playing matchmaker. It turned out that Professor Zhou's student was Lin Wu's wife, and with that connection, matchmaking would be easy. However, if Chen Feng was seeking Lin Wu for something nefarious, then he couldn't play matchmaker.
"Professor Zhou, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. However, I can guarantee that my friend is definitely not looking for Lin Wu to do anything bad," Chen Feng replied, evading the core issue.
"In that case, I'll help you two arrange a meeting. I believe you. If you were a bad person, you wouldn't have such a strong sense of responsibility towards the Huaxia integrated reconnaissance and strike drone," Professor Zhou said. With that, Professor Zhou directly called Lin Wu's wife and arranged a dinner for that evening.
"Professor Zhou, thank you for doing me such a big favor. Oh, and Professor Zhou, you must attend the dinner tonight," Chen Feng said sincerely.
"Never mind, I won't be attending. As you know, I'm in academia. I'm not interested in these power-related gatherings. I'd rather go back to the lab and do more experiments," Professor Zhou replied truthfully. Chen Feng didn't press further upon hearing this.
That evening, Chen Feng arrived at the hotel private room an hour early. He waited for a full hour before Lin Wu arrived. This, as they say, was the unwritten rule of the power circle. When a subordinate dines with a superior, the subordinate must arrive early; it is absolutely forbidden to be late.
"You know Professor Zhou?" Lin Wu asked, puzzled.
"Yes, Elder Lin." Chen Feng's palms were slick with sweat. As the saying goes, if Lin Wu liked money, it wouldn't be a problem; one could simply throw money at it. The issue was that Lin Wu didn't like money, which made things rather tricky. There was a saying in the power circle: problems that can be solved with money are not problems. Conversely, problems that money cannot solve are big problems.
"Speak, what do you need me for?" Lin Wu stared intently at Chen Feng.
Chen Feng's mind went blank. He had thought of many possibilities, but he hadn't expected Lin Wu to be so direct and to the point.
"Elder Lin, it's like this. Aren't you going to Jiangcheng City soon with the inspection team for research? I was hoping you could put in a good word for Xiang Wentian and Wang Hai." After a moment of bewilderment, Chen Feng quickly adjusted his demeanor. Since Lin Wu was straightforward, it was best for him to be equally direct. He had to follow the superior's line of thinking.
"Young man, you're quite bold. Knowing I'm the 'Impartial Judge,' you still dare to come to me for favors." Lin Wu looked at Chen Feng with a stern expression.
"Elder Lin, it's like this. On the surface, I want you to put in a good word for Xiang Wentian and Wang Hai, but in reality, it's a diversion..." After a moment of thought, Chen Feng brought his talent for navigating the power circle to full play. Since Lin Wu didn't like money, there was no point in trying to bribe him with it. Everyone in this world has flaws. Everyone is like that! Lin Wu indeed didn't like money, but he did like fame. To put it plainly, Lin Wu greatly enjoyed the honor his nickname, 'The Impartial Judge,' brought him. By appealing to this sense of honor, he should be able to win Lin Wu over.
"Diversion? What do you mean?" Lin Wu became instantly interested.
"Elder Lin, it's like this. On the surface, you're going to Jiangcheng City to speak well of Xiang Wentian and Wang Hai, but in reality, that's a smokescreen. Your attention is actually on a major case in Jiangbei City, a neighboring city." Chen Feng spoke the words "major case" very loudly. Appealing to one's interests was the way to win over a high-ranking figure.
"A major case? That's interesting. Continue," Lin Wu was indeed hooked. Chen Feng stopped hesitating and directly narrated a major case from Jiangbei City in recent years that had had a severely negative impact. People from other regions might not be very familiar with this case in Jiangbei, as Jiangcheng City had strictly controlled information about it. However, the locals in Jiangcheng City were well aware of the case's background.
The case in Jiangcheng City was not complicated. Jiangcheng City was a renowned excavator manufacturing base in China, and its excavators held a significant market share both domestically and globally. Logically, with such a large market share, merchants in Jiangcheng City should be delighted. However, in reality, they were not happy for a simple reason: there was an excavator association in Jiangcheng City. While it was called an association, it was actually a tyrannical group that, relying on its connections, had been wantonly plundering the profits of the excavator market in Jiangcheng City. Simply put, any company related to excavators in Jiangcheng City had to "pay tribute" to the excavator association. If they refused, the association had myriad ways to make them go bankrupt. As a result, owners of businesses in the excavator-related industrial chain in Jiangcheng City found it very difficult to make money, and the excavator market in Jiangcheng City had been shrinking rather than booming in recent years.
The citizens of Jiangcheng City had complained to the authorities many times, but to no avail. All their reports and denunciations were met with fierce retaliation from the excavator association.
"Is this really happening?" Lin Wu's eyes shone with a sharp gleam. He didn't particularly care about the hardships of the Jiangcheng City citizens; he was excited that he finally had an opportunity to shine. As the 'Impartial Judge,' he had to pass impartial judgments. Without a doubt, the current criminal syndicate in Jiangcheng City was the perfect subject for an impartial judgment.
"It's absolutely true. Elder Lin, if you think this is something you can handle, I can help collect solid evidence..." Chen Feng responded.
"We must handle it!" Lin Wu exclaimed excitedly.
"Elder Lin, the Jiangcheng City Excavator Association has far-reaching connections, so we cannot act openly. We must feign opening a plank road while secretly crossing a river, catching them completely off guard," Chen Feng suggested in a low voice.
"That can be arranged," Lin Wu said with a smile.
"Then, regarding Xiang Wentian and Wang Hai, Elder Lin..." Chen Feng asked, seizing the opportunity.
"As long as Xiang Wentian and Wang Hai have not committed any obvious mistakes, it won't be a big problem for me to say a few good words for them during this inspection tour in Jiangcheng. However, there is one thing you must remember: the evidence for the Jiangcheng City Excavator Association case must be in place..." Lin Wu said seriously.
"Elder Lin, please rest assured. The citizens of Jiangcheng City have long been indignant about the Jiangcheng City Excavator Association case, but they have been longing for an upright official to champion their cause..." Chen Feng seized the moment to flatter Lin Wu.
"Hmm, the dark forces in Jiangcheng City have become too rampant. It's time to clean them up," Lin Wu said, feeling rather pleased with himself.
"By the way, Elder Lin, when the time comes, Jiangcheng City wants to produce a documentary special on combating crime. What are your thoughts?" Chen Feng asked, striking while the iron was hot.