80: Chapter 80 Family Upheaval

...

He took out two exquisite envelopes. "My birthday is next month. This is an invitation to a private party, and please pass the other one along."

The gold-leaf edges of the envelopes shimmered under the car's interior lights, but Xiao Bei did not take them immediately:

"This is a good thing. Why doesn't Chairman Lin Shicheng send it directly to Mayor Qin's current secretary?"

Chairman Lin Shicheng's smile stiffened for a moment:

"This... it's not very convenient."

He sighed. "To be honest, there was a small misunderstanding regarding a project with Mayor Qin last year, and I wanted to take this opportunity to explain it in person."

The car stopped downstairs at the dormitory, and Xiao Bei finally took the envelopes.

"I will pass it on."

Xiao Bei pushed open the car door. The night breeze brushed against his face, making him feel a bit clearer-headed. "However, I cannot make decisions regarding Mayor Qin's schedule."

"That's fine. Where there's a will, there's a way, and I believe in Secretary Xiao's abilities."

Chairman Lin Shicheng got out of the car himself and only left after Xiao Bei had walked into the Town Government compound.

Xiao Bei returned to the Town Party Committee dormitory; the first thing he did after closing the door was to dial that rarely used private number.

The phone rang five times before it was answered, and Qin Ruoxi's distinct, slightly lazy voice came through the receiver:

"Xiao Bei? It's so late, is something wrong?"

"Mayor Qin, sorry to disturb your rest."

Xiao Bei stood by the window, gazing at the lights still on on the second floor of the guesthouse. "Chairman Lin Shicheng from Hongyuan Group came for an inspection today and proposed an investment of one hundred million."

On the other end of the line, Qin Ruoxi was silent for a few seconds:

"This is a good thing. Bishi Town needs such a leading enterprise to drive growth."

"But he gave me this."

Xiao Bei opened the gold-leaf envelope, which contained an invitation.

"An invitation to his birthday banquet. He wants to pass it to you through me."

The other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds, followed by Qin Ruoxi's light laughter:

"Interesting. This Chairman Lin Shicheng is still using the same old tricks."

"You know him?"

"He previously wanted a city center redevelopment project, but I didn't approve it."

Qin Ruoxi continued, "Later, he pulled strings in the province, but that deputy director ended up being investigated for disciplinary violations. He probably thinks I was the one pulling strings behind the scenes."

Qin Ruoxi's voice turned cold. "Xiao Bei, what do you think of this?"

The locust trees outside the window rustled, and Xiao Bei's gaze drifted involuntarily to the opposite side.

"He wants to use this investment to get connected with you."

Xiao Bei carefully chose his words. "But I don't understand why he chose Bishi Town. With Hongyuan Group's scale, he could easily participate directly in the city's key projects."

"Because of you."

Qin Ruoxi hit the nail on the head. "You are my former secretary, and now you are achieving results at the grassroots level. Approaching me through you is more natural than coming directly to my door."

She paused. "Chairman Lin Shicheng's investment can be accepted, but it must follow the rules. That water source protection area must absolutely not be touched. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

Qin Ruoxi continued, "Xiao Bei, proceed with the reception normally tomorrow and sign the letter of intent as planned. As for the invitation..."

She chuckled. "Tell him I will consider it."

"Very well, Mayor Qin, I will pass that on."

...

Bzzzz~

Xiao Bei had just hung up with Qin Ruoxi when his phone vibrated urgently again.

The name "Su Yun" was particularly striking on the screen in the dark. He frowned and quickly pressed the answer button.

"Xiao Bei..."

Su Yun's voice was trembling noticeably. "Something happened at home, and I need to rush back immediately."

"What happened? Do you need help?"

Xiao Bei stood up straight subconsciously, his fingers tightening involuntarily.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, with only rapid breathing audible.

"It's nothing major, I can handle it myself."

"Where are you?"

Xiao Bei had already picked up his jacket and car keys. "I'm coming to find you now."

"No need, I've already called a car..."

"Su Yun!"

Xiao Bei raised his voice, a rare occurrence. "Tell me your location."

Ten minutes later, Xiao Bei's black Passat stopped in front of the Town Government guesthouse.

Su Yun stood under a street lamp, her thin figure cast in a long shadow. She was wearing simple jeans and a white T-shirt, her hair tied loosely into a ponytail, and her eyes were red and swollen—she had clearly just been crying.

As soon as the car door closed, Xiao Bei caught a faint scent of jasmine.

"Where is your home?"

Xiao Bei turned the car around and headed toward the highway.

"Qinglin Town, Beijiang County..."

After reporting the address, Su Yun turned her head to look out the window, her fingers gripping her bag strap tightly, her knuckles turning white.

The night was as dark as ink, with only scattered car lights passing by on the highway. Xiao Bei glanced at Su Yun in the passenger seat; she was curled up in the seat, as if trying to hide herself.

"Can you tell me what happened now?"

Xiao Bei softened his voice.

Su Yun's shoulders trembled slightly, her voice so low it was almost inaudible:

"My younger brother... he borrowed money from loan sharks for business and lost it. Those people... they showed up at our house tonight."

Xiao Bei's pupils contracted sharply, and the veins on the back of his hand on the steering wheel bulged.

"Did you call the police?"

"I did, but..."

Su Yun gave a bitter laugh. "Those people said it was useless even if the police came because they have... loan notes."

Xiao Bei immediately understood the subtext—the local police might have already been paid off.

He calmly pressed down on the accelerator, and the speedometer needle slowly drifted to the right.

"How much did your younger brother borrow?"

"Two hundred thousand... it rolled up to eight hundred thousand in three months."

Su Yun's voice was filled with despair. "My parents' life savings were all poured into it, but it's still not enough..."

Xiao Bei's temples throbbed. He knew all too well what eight hundred thousand meant to an ordinary family.

As the Party Secretary, he had dealt with similar private lending disputes before, but he had never felt such visceral pain as he did at this moment.

"Don't worry, there will be a way."

He said softly, his right hand briefly covering Su Yun's cold hand before quickly pulling it back.

Two hours later, the car drove into a dilapidated residential complex. Half of the streetlights were out, and the mottled walls were covered with various small advertisements.

In front of Unit 2 of Building 3, several young men with cigarettes in their mouths were pacing back and forth. Seeing the headlights, they immediately surrounded the car.

"Yo, isn't this the eldest miss of the Su family?"

The leader with yellow hair knocked on the car window, revealing a mouthful of uneven teeth. "Did you bring the money?"

Xiao Bei held down Su Yun, who was about to get out of the car, and pushed the door open himself.

His one-meter-eighty stature cast an oppressive shadow in the night. He coldly scanned the few thugs:

"Move."

"Who are you?"

The yellow-haired man was shocked by his presence and took a half-step back, then braced himself and puffed out his chest. "Paying debts is only natural! Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he'd still have to be reasonable!"

Xiao Bei took out his work ID from his inner pocket:

"I am Xiao Bei, the Party Secretary of Bishi Town. I am going up now to see the situation."

"Se... Secretary?"

...