206: Chapter 206 Zheng San the Scoundrel

General Manager Hu Dakuan returned home and sat in the living room for a long time. The ashtray was filled, emptied, and filled again.

He still felt uneasy. Deputy Director Gao Qiang and Deputy Director Li Wenfu had agreed to help, but those two were, after all, only deputy directors of the City Public Security Bureau.

And who was Xu Weidong?

He was the Executive Deputy County Mayor, County Mayor Bai Weijun's staunch brother, and the apple of Secretary Wei Kuan's eye!

If Deputy Director Gao Qiang made a call to Secretary Wei Kuan, how much face would Secretary Wei Kuan actually give him?

Having spent most of his life in officialdom, he knew the ins and outs all too well.

A local official is better than a distant superior; no matter how much face Deputy Director Gao Qiang had, it couldn't outweigh the weight Xu Weidong held in County Mayor Bai Weijun's heart.

He stubbed out his cigarette and picked up his phone, scrolling to a number.

This was his trump card, one he had been reluctant to use, and his final protective amulet.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. The voice on the other end was languid, raspy from excessive indulgence in alcohol and women.

In the background, there was the delicate laughter of women and some indescribable, ambiguous sounds.

"Who is it?"

"Third Master, it's me, Dakuan. Hu Dakuan from Cuican Fireworks."

There was a silence on the other end for a few seconds, as if trying to recall who this person was.

Then that voice spoke up again, sounding a bit more energetic than before.

"Ah, Dakuan, what is it? Third Master is busy right now."

General Manager Hu Dakuan heard a woman's soft gasp in the background, followed by another woman saying something in Japanese.

He quickly apologized with a smile, lowering his voice: "Third Master, I know you're busy, but I really can't handle this matter on my own. I have to ask you to step in."

"The Changyuan County Work Safety Administration wants to inspect my factory. A deputy county mayor came, and his attitude is very tough. It doesn't look like they're just going through the motions."

"Third Master, you have equity in our factory. If they shut down the factory, your dividends will be gone."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, followed by a rustling sound, as if someone were getting dressed.

Then the background on the other end of the phone went quiet. Zheng Ze's voice became much clearer, but it carried the impatience of someone who had been disturbed.

"Which deputy county mayor? What's his name?"

General Manager Hu Dakuan opened his mouth, nearly blurting out the name "Xu Weidong," but swallowed the words back.

He quickly calculated in his mind: if he said Xu Weidong, would Third Master back down?

Third Master had been abroad for two years and might not know who Xu Weidong was.

Even if he did, given Third Master's temper, he might just get even more worked up.

After all, who was Third Master?

He was Zheng Dongguo's youngest son, the former little tyrant of Lvjiang City.

So what if it was Xu Weidong?

In this little territory of Lvjiang City, the Zheng family's face had never been challenged.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and kept that name to himself.

"It's just a newly arrived deputy county mayor. I don't remember his surname, but he's in charge of the Safety Supervision Bureau."

"Third Master, you know how it is. Those people at the County Work Safety Administration, they're petty officials who treat a feather as a command arrow."

"For you, this is just a matter of saying one word."

"If you say a word to Mayor You Chuan, and Mayor You Chuan says something to Secretary Wei Kuan, would those underlings dare to make a peep?"

"Third Master, Cuican Fireworks is where it is today all because you've been looking out for us. You can't just ignore this."

Zheng Ze gave a grunt on the other end of the line, neither agreeing nor refusing.

General Manager Hu Dakuan quickly added, his voice filled with a flattering smile: "Third Master, I've arranged two people for you at the Oasis Hotel. They're from the Sakura Country, proper university students who can speak Chinese."

"If you're free tonight, why not go take a look? They've already arrived and are waiting for you at the hotel."

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the line, filled with a satisfaction that every man understood.

"Fine, tell them to wait at the hotel. I've noted your matter; I'll have a word with Deputy Secretary You Chuan later."

"It's no big deal. A deputy county mayor—can he really turn the world upside down?"

General Manager Hu Dakuan hung up the phone after profusely thanking him. He let out a long sigh, leaned back against the sofa, and stared blankly at the ceiling for a long while. He didn't know if this move he'd made was right or wrong.

Zheng Ze was Zheng Dongguo's youngest son, but this Third Master's reputation as a scoundrel was known to everyone in Lvjiang City.

He hadn't learned to be good since he was a child, and relying on his father's influence, he ran rampant in Lvjiang City.

When he was a teenager, he did something to his own sister... In a fit of rage, the old man kicked him out of the Zheng family and forbade him from ever stepping foot in the house again.

But blood ties couldn't be cast away. The old man said he didn't recognize this son, but every time Third Master got into trouble outside, wasn't it the old man who stepped in to fix it?

In those years, Third Master had done everything in Lvjiang City: running casinos, lending money at usurious rates, forcibly seizing construction projects, bullying market competitors—he did whatever brought in money the fastest.

Which of the organized crime forces in Changyuan County hadn't paid tribute to him?

When Sihai Group was still around, they had to send Third Master several million every year, begging him not to cause trouble.

The old man knew about the things he did and was so angry he smashed several teacups, but in the end, he still cleaned up his messes.

Later, as the wind from the province's Crackdown on Organized Crime grew stronger and Xu Weidong's actions in Changyuan County became more significant, the old man feared this scoundrel son would be implicated, so he found a way to send him abroad.

He had been gone for several years. Now that the old man was dying, his eldest son was a mayor in Lin City, Handong Province, and couldn't come back; his second son was doing business in Caiyun Province and couldn't make it back; and his daughter was married far away in Yancheng and couldn't be counted on either.

Only this scoundrel son who had been kicked out of the family had rushed back from abroad and was keeping vigil by the old man's sickbed, though it was unclear whether he was truly filial or just waiting to divide the family assets.

The subordinate sent by General Manager Hu Dakuan stood respectfully to the side and briefly explained the sequence of events. Naturally, he omitted Xu Weidong's name and background, only saying that the County Work Safety Administration wanted to rectify the fireworks industry and that Cuican Fireworks had been listed as a priority.

"Third Master, General Manager Hu said he's counting on you for this matter."

"The people at the County Work Safety Administration are checking strictly right now. It's not just targeting Cuican Fireworks, but General Manager Hu is worried they'll treat a feather as a command arrow and expand the scope."

"As long as you say a word to Deputy Secretary You Chuan and have him tell Secretary Wei Kuan, the people below won't dare to act recklessly."

Zheng Ze picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp, then handed the empty glass to the woman beside him, who quickly refilled it.

He leaned back against the sofa, a trace of disdainful smile on his lips, as if he had heard a joke not worth mentioning.

"Is that all? I thought it was something big."

"Deputy Secretary You Chuan was promoted by my father. Now that he's a mayor, he can still give me this much face."

"I'll give him a call. It's no big deal."

The subordinate quickly apologized with a smile, said a few more flattering words, and then tactfully retreated.

What Zheng Ze didn't know was that his father, Zheng Dongguo, hadn't eaten anything for three days and was relying on nutrient solution to sustain his final breath.

His eldest and second sons were still on their way, and his daughter was booking her flight.

What Zheng Ze also didn't know was that the connections his father had cultivated in Lvjiang City for decades were breaking one by one as he lay terminally ill.

Those who once surrounded the Zheng family, flattering them, sending generous gifts, and kneeling while calling out "Old Master," were now quietly edging closer to the new rising powers.

Although Deputy Secretary You Chuan was Zheng Dongguo's protégé, he was now a mayor, not the small official who needed the Old Master's promotion back then.

Whether he would answer this call, whether he would agree to help after answering, and whether he would actually do it after agreeing, were all unknowns.

What Zheng Ze didn't know even more was that the deputy county mayor he intended to handle tonight was surnamed Xu, named Xu Weidong.

And Xu Weidong's father was someone his own father couldn't afford to offend in this lifetime.