81: Chapter 81 The Forces Behind the Scenes

Yellow-Hair's expression changed instantly, and the others looked at each other in dismay.

In a small place like this, a Town Party Secretary was already a big shot they usually couldn't even dream of coming into contact with.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Xiao Bei pulled Su Yun and hurried upstairs. The door to Room 402 was left ajar, and the sound of stifled sobbing came from within.

The moment she pushed the door open, Su Yun let out a short gasp of shock.

The living room was in shambles—the television screen was shattered, the coffee table had a broken leg, and shards of glass and fragments of ceramic bowls were scattered all over the floor.

Su Yun's father was sitting on the only intact chair, a bloody gash on his forehead, while her mother was trembling as she wiped it with a towel.

"Dad! Mom!"

Su Yun rushed over and knelt before her father, tears streaming down her face. "Are you hurt badly? Let's go to the hospital..."

"It's nothing, just superficial wounds."

Her father managed a weak smile. Seeing Xiao Bei, he struggled to stand up. "And this is..."

"Please sit, Uncle."

Xiao Bei stepped forward quickly to support the old man. "I'm Su Yun's friend, Xiao Bei."

Xiao Bei then crouched down to carefully examine the wound on the older man's forehead. It wasn't deep, but the blood had already dried in the wrinkles, looking particularly jarring.

"Uncle, besides your forehead, are you hurt anywhere else?"

Xiao Bei's voice was calm and steady.

The older man shook his head, his cloudy eyes filled with exhaustion:

"They just shoved me a few times; my old bones can still take it."

Heavy footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. Yellow-Hair burst in with three accomplices, waving a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

"Old man Su, don't think that just because you found some official you can welsh on your debt!"

Yellow-Hair slapped the IOU onto the table. "It's all here in black and white, signed and thumbprinted by your son!"

Xiao Bei stood up, his tall frame making the cramped living room feel even more crowded. He picked up the IOU and scanned it quickly, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

"A loan of two hundred thousand, with a monthly interest rate of thirty percent?"

Xiao Bei sneered. "According to the law, any part of an annual interest rate exceeding 36% is not protected. You are already suspected of the crime of usury."

Yellow-Hair's expression changed, but he immediately forced himself to appear calm:

"Don't try to scare me with the law! In Beijiang County, Brother Long's words are more effective than the law!"

"Brother Long?"

Xiao Bei's eyes sharpened. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about Xiang Jinlong, would you?"

Yellow-Hair was visibly stunned:

"You... you know Brother Long?"

"I've heard of him. During last year's county-wide crackdown on organized crime, this Xiang Jinlong almost ended up behind bars."

Xiao Bei calmly took out his phone. "Shall I call Police Chief Zhao Zhigang of the County Public Security Bureau right now and ask him if he knows your Brother Long?"

The room fell instantly silent; even Su Yun's mother stopped sobbing. Yellow-Hair and his accomplices exchanged glances, their bravado clearly waning.

"Secretary... Secretary Xiao."

Yellow-Hair's address now carried a hint of respect. "We're just doing this for someone else; please don't make things difficult for us..."

Xiao Bei folded the IOU and put it into his pocket. "I'm keeping this IOU. Go back and tell Xiang Jinlong that the Su family's debt is to be recalculated according to the legal interest rates stipulated by the state. If there is any further harassment..."

He paused. "I wouldn't mind paying him a personal visit."

Yellow-Hair's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he finally gritted his teeth and nodded:

"Fine, but..."

He gave Su Yun a sinister look. "We have to go back and ask Brother Long for instructions. If he doesn't agree..."

"Get out."

Xiao Bei uttered only one word, his voice not loud but as sharp as a blade.

After the thugs slunk away, Su Yun's legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.

Xiao Bei was quick to support her; through her thin T-shirt, he could feel her body trembling.

"It's okay now," he said softly. "They won't come back to harass you for the time being."

Her father struggled to stand up, tears streaming down his face:

"Secretary Xiao, I can't thank you enough! If it weren't for you..."

"Please don't say that, Uncle."

Xiao Bei helped the old man sit down. "This is what I should do."

Su Yun's mother brought over two cups of hot tea, her hands still shaking so much that half the tea spilled. Xiao Bei took them with both hands, his fingertips brushing against her rough palms, feeling the thick calluses there.

"Xiao Bei."

Su Yun had finally calmed down, though her voice remained hoarse. "Do you really know Director Zhao of the County Public Security Bureau?"

Xiao Bei took a sip of tea, the bitterness of the low-quality tea leaves spreading across his tongue:

"Of course, and we're quite close."

Su Yun's eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed again:

"But the people backing them..."

"Don't worry."

Xiao Bei put down the teacup. "I will contact Director Zhao tomorrow and explain the situation. A usury gang like this will be taken down sooner or later."

He glanced at the old-fashioned wall clock; it was past one in the morning. Outside the window, the occasional sound of dogs barking only made the night seem deeper.

"You should get some rest tonight."

Xiao Bei stood up. "I'll keep watch in my car downstairs, just in case they come back."

"That won't do!"

Her father was agitated and tried to stand up. "But you are..."

"Uncle."

Xiao Bei smiled and interrupted him. "Working at the grassroots level, staying up late is common. Besides, my car is quite comfortable."

Su Yun bit her lip and suddenly said:

"I'll walk you down."

In the narrow stairwell, their footsteps overlapped. When they reached the corner on the first floor, Su Yun suddenly turned around and accurately embraced Xiao Bei in the darkness.

"Thank you..."

Her voice was muffled against Xiao Bei's chest, carrying a damp warmth.

Xiao Bei froze in place, his hands hovering in mid-air before finally landing gently on her trembling shoulders. There was a faint scent of jasmine in Su Yun's hair, mixed with the saltiness of her tears.

"Don't be afraid."

He heard himself say, "I'm here."

This sentence was like a promise, falling heavily into the night.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Jinlong Group, in the top-floor office.

Yellow-Hair stood trembling in front of the leather sofa, sweat beading on his forehead and rolling down.

Xiang Jinlong had his back to him, fiddling with a string of obsidian beads in his hand. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows lay the night view of all Beijiang County.

"Brother Long, that guy named Xiao said... said he knows Director Zhao..."

Yellow-Hair's voice grew quieter and quieter.

Xiang Jinlong spun around abruptly, and the bracelet slammed onto the marble coffee table with a "clack":

"Useless trash! Who told you to take action?"

"It's... it's because that kid from the Su family kept dragging his feet and wouldn't pay back the money..."

Yellow-Hair's legs went weak, and he nearly knelt down. "We just wanted to scare him a little..."

"Scare him?"

Xiang Jinlong grabbed Yellow-Hair by the collar. "Do you fucking know who Xiao Bei is? He's not just the Jiangshui Town Party Secretary, he's also a member of the County Party Committee Standing Committee!"

The few subordinates in the office changed expression upon hearing this. Financial Director Lao Xu pushed up his glasses:

"Brother Long, I've checked. This Xiao Bei was previously Mayor Qin Ruoxi's secretary, and he was only parachuted into Jiangshui Town not long ago."

Xiang Jinlong released Yellow-Hair and irritably loosened his tie. He picked up his phone and dialed an encrypted number. The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

"Director Mou, it's me."

Xiang Jinlong's voice immediately became respectful. "There is a situation I need to report to you..."