"Old Gu, you found out so quickly."
Wan Yunting, who was on the phone with Gu Yuanbai, turned to look at Chen Fu sitting beside him and smiled as he spoke.
"Little Wan, Luo Tang said you're going to see the county's drug dealer now. Is it dangerous?"
Gu Yuanbai, having received an anxious call from his granddaughter, immediately called Wan Yunting and said, "This is too risky. You should wait for Mayor Hu to send someone before you meet him."
"Give me a cigarette…"
However, Wan Yunting reached out to Chen Fu for a cigarette, which made Chen Fu stare at him blankly. But Chen Fu still took out his own pack and gave him one.
Wan Yunting, holding the cigarette, smiled calmly at Gu Yuanbai on the phone and said, "Old Gu, don't worry. I'm just going to talk to him. It won't be dangerous, right?"
The last sentence was directed at Chen Fu, who snorted.
"But I still think what you're doing is too risky. If you can't agree, what if they make a move on you? After all, you're not in our Huadushi right now." Gu Yuanbai was still worried, knowing how complicated things were in the county.
Wan Yunting, with the cigarette in his mouth, took out a lighter, lit it, and exhaled smoke slowly, smiling, "On this point, Old Gu, you can rest assured. I'm confident we can reach an agreement, and nothing will happen."
Hearing his confident tone, Gu Yuanbai also knew that Wan Yunting was no ordinary fighter, otherwise, he wouldn't have received a special commendation medal from the police and become an anti-drug hero. "Alright, then be extra careful, and contact me anytime if anything happens."
"Okay, Old Gu, goodbye for now."
Wan Yunting finished speaking with a smile and hung up the call with Gu Yuanbai. He then turned to look at Chen Fu beside him, a smile curving his lips.
Suddenly, his phone displayed another incoming call, a string of unfamiliar numbers. Wan Yunting didn't recognize the number, but he still answered politely, "Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, may I ask if this is Wan Yunting?"
The caller's voice was that of a middle-aged man.
"Yes, who are you?" Wan Yunting asked.
The person on the other end chuckled, "I am Mayor Hu's secretary, Geng Bo. Mayor Hu has appointed me to go to Xuwen County to assist you in investigating the incident involving the medical institutions there."
"Oh."
Upon hearing that it was Mayor Hu's secretary, Geng Bo, Wan Yunting couldn't help but glance at Chen Fu beside him and say with a smile, "Alright, when will you arrive in the county town?"
Geng Bo, already on his way, couldn't help but speculate upon hearing Wan Yunting's words. "I'm already on my way and should arrive around 9 PM."
"Perfect, I'm heading to the county town now. Give me a call when you arrive tonight, and I'll pick you up." Geng Bo nodded and said, "Then, Mr. Wan, goodbye for now."
"Alright, goodbye."
After the conversation ended, Wan Yunting put down his phone and noticed Chen Fu's gaze fixed on him from time to time. He took a puff of his cigarette and smiled, "A friend is coming down to Xuwen County to visit."
Chen Fu tossed the butt of his cigarette out the car window and said indifferently, "You don't need to tell me this useless stuff."
Wan Yunting rolled down the car window, the wind blowing in. He brushed back his long hair and smiled, "Just chatting, otherwise the journey would be too boring."
Chen Fu glanced at him and snorted, "Don't worry, you'll have plenty to talk about when you meet President Liu."
Wan Yunting's lips curved into a smile. "From what you're saying, have you dug a pit for me to jump into?"
Chen Fu let out a cold laugh. "Aren't you very confident? What, are you scared now?"
"Of course, I'm scared. After all, this isn't my territory. If that President Liu and I really can't agree, and you dig a pit and bury me on the spot, wouldn't I have died a tragic death?" Wan Yunting exhaled a cloud of smoke and said slowly with a smile.
Chen Fu narrowed his eyes, looking at this young man, and fell silent.
The journey from Qianshan Town to the county town took about an hour. It wasn't until past seven in the evening that Chen Fu's car slowly stopped in front of the entrance of a private villa.
Wan Yunting got out of the car, surveyed the surroundings, and then looked at the two-story villa. The large gate of the courtyard was made of bronze, heavy and imposing. Two young henchmen stood at the entrance, nodded to Chen Fu, and opened the gate.
"Please."
Chen Fu turned and said to Wan Yunting behind him.
Wan Yunting smiled and strode into the gate, causing Chen Fu's eyes to turn sharp and a cold snort to escape his lips.
"Wow, quite impressive."
Upon entering the courtyard, there were rockeries, fish ponds, and an outdoor swimming pool. Several beauties in bikinis were frolicking in the water, with a few guards standing nearby.
And on the chairs by the pool sat two middle-aged men, each with a beauty in their arms. One of them saw Chen Fu and called out, "Hey, Old Chen is here…"
Seeing those two guys were also present, Chen Fu asked, "Where is President Liu?"
"President Liu is inside," the man said, pointing to the villa.
Chen Fu nodded, then turned to look at Wan Yunting and led him directly towards the villa…
The two middle-aged men glanced at Wan Yunting and exchanged glances.
Walking through the villa entrance and into the living room on the first floor, the luxurious decorations, various famous paintings and calligraphy hung on the walls, and a row of shelves filled with all sorts of antique vases and jade carvings. If Wan Yunting didn't know Liu Mingde was a profiteer, he would have thought he had walked into an artist's home.
Especially the wooden chairs in the living room, with their exquisite carvings and the visibly precious wood, exuded an air of grandeur and opulence, befitting the nouveau riche of Lingnan Province.
Then, on the stairs, a middle-aged man in a gray Chinese-style outfit with a protruding belly descended. He wore a jade Guan Yin pendant around his neck, a pair of rosewood prayer beads on his left wrist, and a large gold watch on his right wrist, looking as peculiar as can be.
Following Liu Mingde down was a woman dressed in a tight-fitting tube top dress, with dark red curly hair and heavy makeup, her arm linked with Liu Mingde's as they came down.
"President Liu."
Chen Fu stepped forward to greet him and then pointed to Wan Yunting, saying, "This is Wan Yunting, the Vice Chairman of the Lingnan Traditional Chinese Medicine Association."
"Oh."
Liu Mingde's arrogant eyes scanned Wan Yunting up and down. Seeing his ordinary attire, he felt even more contemptuous, but with a fleshy smile on his face, he said, "So you're the Vice Chairman. I'm truly sorry for not greeting you properly."
Wan Yunting smiled and said, "President Liu, your hospitality is lacking. You didn't even come out to welcome me. Your demeanor is rather small-minded."
Liu Mingde's fleshy face froze for a moment. He hadn't expected Wan Yunting to say something like this, which was rather unexpected.
Wan Yunting smiled and said, "President Liu, you called me all this way. Are you just going to stand here and not even invite me for a meal? You're showing very little sincerity."
This time, Liu Mingde reacted. His heart let out a cold snort, and the smile on his face diminished slightly. He said, "What are you saying, Vice Chairman? Of course, I invited you for a meal. Come, the food and drinks are already prepared outside."
"That's more like it."
Wan Yunting put on an arrogant demeanor, glanced at Liu Mingde, and turned to head outside first.
Liu Mingde's jowly face instantly turned grim. He had never expected this young man to adopt such an attitude!
Originally, he thought Wan Yunting would be timid and obedient when meeting him. After all, Liu Mingde was a prominent figure in Xuwen County and naturally wouldn't take such a minor character as Wan Yunting seriously.
But Liu Mingde never expected Wan Yunting to put on airs as if he were superior, not even considering Liu Mingde worthy of his attention. It was as if Wan Yunting himself was the protagonist of this conversation.
"Arrogant brat!"
This made Liu Mingde let out a cold snort, thinking that if this kid didn't cooperate tonight, he might as well just dig a pit and bury him…