Before leaving the capital, Jiang Lan said with a smile, "We should at least make some preparations in Fuhe City. We can't let Zheng Yang and his wedding procession come all the way to the capital to pick up Bingjie, can we?"
These words were spoken so kindly that Xu Zhengyang felt a warm glow inside, and Li Bingjie's face flushed.
In just a few days, the temperature had risen, and the chill of early spring was gone. Two cars, one black and one white, sped south on the highway.
In the black Audi A8, Qingling was driving, with Wu Ma in the passenger seat. Since Li Bingjie was getting married, Wu Ma was definitely coming along, and Jiang Lan and Li Bingjie were naturally in the back seat. In the white Audi A4 behind, Chen Hanzhe was driving, Zhu Jun was in the passenger seat, and Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang were sitting in the back.
To be honest, Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun weren't there to act as bodyguards for Jiang Lan and Li Bingjie, but rather... to protect Xu Zhengyang.
That's right. Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing didn't want anything to happen and for their son-in-law to act like a reckless hothead and go about his business.
After leaving Beijing and entering the territory of Hedong Province, Chen Chaojiang said, "Zhengyang, I want to go to Hedong University to see Chaohai."
“Okay, no problem.” Xu Zhengyang agreed without hesitation.
He knew that Chen Chaojiang still cared about his younger brother. More than a week had passed since the incident in Anping City. Although Mu Zigang and the others had been arrested and were under investigation, the case wouldn't be closed so quickly. These kinds of cases wouldn't be settled in less than two or three months.
Moreover, all parties are now vying for control of this case.
Xu Zhengyang took out his phone and called Li Bingjie in the car in front, telling them to go back first. He and Chen Chaojiang would then turn towards Anping City. Then he said to Chen Hanzhe, "Take the Anping City exit and go check out Hedong University."
"Okay." Chen Hanzhe nodded in response.
Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun both genuinely liked their new leader, Xu Zhengyang.
Judging from their appearances, Xu Zhengyang initially thought they were at least twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. Goodness, their serious demeanor and rigorous training made them look much more mature than ordinary people, especially their eyes, which always radiated a chilling light.
Who would have thought? These two are only twenty-three years old.
That day, when the two of them were assigned to be Xu Zhengyang's bodyguards, Xu Zhengyang asked about their ages. After learning that they were only twenty-three years old, Xu Zhengyang chuckled and said, "Well, so you two have to call me 'brother' after all this time..." Goodness, Xu Zhengyang was really generous. He took out his bag and quickly wrote two checks, each for 100,000 yuan.
"Take it and spend it!"
"We can't accept this money. We are paid." Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun quickly shook their heads and refused. For them, who had received absolute ideological education, giving them money would be a desecration of their sacred identity and responsibilities.
Xu Zhengyang laughed, "Don't be so polite with me, this isn't a bribe. I'm a careless guy, and you can't possibly pay for all my expenses yourself, can you? Take it, take it. Don't keep asking me for reimbursement every few days, you'd feel bad, wouldn't you? Besides, your salary and my salary are two different things. Take it..."
Li Chengzong, watching from the side, was both amused and exasperated. However, knowing that Xu Zhengyang meant no harm, he smiled and told Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun to take the money. The two then awkwardly accepted the check.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang also wanted to dispel the unpleasantness between the two and try to get closer to each other.
To be honest, Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun were extremely reluctant to accept this assignment. What was this all about? They were originally being groomed to be elite bodyguards for high-ranking officials. Now, instead of being with Jiang Lan, they were being transferred to Xu Zhengyang's side.
This isn't about money. The key issue is Xu Zhengyang's attitude.
Moreover, as long as major principles are not violated, who has a grudge against money?
Following such an approachable and generous leader, someone who's like a friend or an older brother, makes you feel relaxed, doesn't it?
The car slowly drove off the highway and headed east along the outer ring road towards Hedong University in the city center.
Xu Zhengyang narrowed his eyes and made contact with Li Haidong, the acting judge of the City God's Mansion, in his mind.
These past few days, Li Haidong has been in charge of overseeing the entire case in Anping City. As for the other ghost messengers, after Xu Zhengyang left Anping City for the capital, apart from Wang Yonggan who still followed him, the others have all gone off to do their own things.
...
At Hedong University, Chen Chaohai was overjoyed to receive a call from his brother. He had been worried sick about his brother's health these past few days, even though the call had confirmed his wound was healing well. He couldn't put his mind at ease until he saw him in person. Besides, at his brother's insistence, he hadn't told the family about his injury, to avoid causing their parents worry.
These past few days, Chen Chaohai has been the talk of the school. Everyone knows his older brother is a chivalrous figure. He's incredibly skilled, single-handedly taking on over a dozen knife-wielding thugs outside the school gates. He's invincible, extremely cool, even more awesome than those fictional characters in movies.
So when Chen Chaohai told his roommate in class that his brother was coming, the guy immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Chen Chaohai will be here in a little while!"
Buzz...
The whole class, boys and girls alike, went wild. Goodness, let's go admire this hero!
As the car drove into the school and turned at two intersections, Chen Chaojiang frowned and muttered, "What happened?" when he saw Chen Chaohai's dormitory.
"Huh?" Xu Zhengyang opened his eyes and looked ahead. Good heavens, a huge crowd of people...
Upon seeing the white Audi A4, Chen Chaohai and several roommates quickly stepped out of the crowd and waved awkwardly in their direction.
The car pulled over to the side of the road. Xu Zhengyang looked at the students, whose faces were filled with curiosity and admiration, and roughly guessed what was going on. So he smiled and said, "Chaojiang, you go ahead. I'm going to the office building."
"Oh." Chen Chaojiang pushed open the car door and got out of the car.
The white Audi A4 drove toward the school's office building.
During his conversation with Li Haidong, Xu Zhengyang learned that the school principal, Wang Duanhong, had returned to school after being investigated for two days. As for the so-called gag order, Wang Duanhong had sufficient reasons; it was likely to prevent rumors from spreading and causing further trouble, wasn't it?
Moreover, the case progressed so quickly that Wang Duanhong's actions have not yet had a very negative impact.
Considering his position as the president of a university in Hedong Province, and to avoid excessive social impact, his responsibility will not be pursued for the time being.
However, in Xu Zhengyang's view, how could they not investigate?
Others may not know what kind of shady dealings you, Wang Duanhong, have been doing in private, but I know it all perfectly well.
The car pulled up in front of the office building and stopped. Zhu Jun got out first to open the door for Xu Zhengyang. Xu Zhengyang smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to do that anymore. This guy was too pretentious. Xu Zhengyang was very shy.
Xu Zhengyang strode ahead, followed closely by Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun, as they walked into the office building.
The two security guards who came out of the office building widened their eyes when they saw Xu Zhengyang. Good heavens, what's this guy doing here again? That day, this guy went into the principal's office and beat the principal up, then left nonchalantly. At the time, no one knew what had happened. It wasn't until later, after the principal called the police from his office, that he came out and shouted for the security guards to arrest the man.
Later, I heard that this guy got into a fight with a group of thugs outside the school, and one of his own was shot.
Why is this guy here again today?
Why wasn't he arrested?
"Hey, what are you doing?" Two security guards quickly stopped Xu Zhengyang. Well, they didn't want him to go in and beat up the principal again, or they would be in big trouble.
Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun immediately stood beside Xu Zhengyang, leaning slightly forward and coldly watching the two security guards. When they accepted this task, Li Chengzong told them that no matter what happened, they must try their best to prevent Xu Zhengyang from taking action.
"I'm here to see Principal Wang," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
"Damn it, he really is here to see the principal..." The two security guards couldn't help but shudder. This was a huge problem. They had heard that this guy had taken down more than a dozen thugs wielding machetes; his skills were incredible. The two of them, tied together, weighed over 300 pounds. Could they withstand this guy's attacks? Moreover, judging from the two men with him, both of them had cold expressions and hard faces; they were no pushovers either.
"Wang, Principal Wang is not here."
One of the security guards had a sudden inspiration and said...
"Stop talking nonsense, move aside!" Xu Zhengyang curled his lip and stepped inside.
The two security guards tried to stop them again, but Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun pushed them aside.
The three strode into the building.
The two security guards quickly contacted the security office to get backup, as the principal was likely going to get beaten up.
Upon receiving the report, the school's security office and guard room dispatched more than a dozen people to the scene.
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang had already gone up to the second floor and was heading towards the principal's office.
Before I even reached the office door, I saw three women and two middle-aged men arguing and making a scene as they retreated from the principal's office. The three women still had tears on their faces, while the two men's faces were flushed.
Wang Duanhong, wearing glasses, came out of the office and shouted, "Don't come again! If you cause trouble again, I'll call the police. This is ridiculous!"
Having said that, Wang Duanhong turned to go back to his office with a face full of anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a seemingly familiar face, and immediately stopped, turning to look at the end of the corridor. He was instantly stunned. Good heavens, why is this young master here again?
In the past few days, he had also heard about some things that happened at the school, in Anping City, the day after the car accident.
After the young man who had beaten him up left, he got into a fight with a group of thugs arranged by Mu Zigang at the school gate. The young man was then arrested and taken to the Dongshi District Public Security Bureau.
To the astonishment of the entire city of Anping, a group of heavily armed soldiers marched into the Public Security Bureau.
According to Zhang Zhiqiang, the instructor at the police station, everything that happened was because of this young man named Xu Zhengyang. The purpose of the soldiers' visit was to protect Xu Zhengyang and prevent Mu Zigang from taking revenge.
To make such a big fuss for a young man, it's clear he must be a princeling.
Wang Duanhong still vividly remembers Xu Zhengyang's arrogant attitude and reckless violence in his office that day.
What is he doing here again?
"Hello." Wang Duanhong's mind raced, and he quickly turned around, extending his hand to greet Xu Zhengyang as he walked over.
Xu Zhengyang ignored him and looked at the people who had just been kicked out of Wang Duanhong's office, asking, "What are you here for?"
Upon hearing Xu Zhengyang's question, the group sized up the young man. While his clothes were decent, they weren't exactly high-end. However, his kind expression carried an air of quiet authority. The two men were still wondering who this young man was, while the three women continued their weeping without a care.
That's right. When ordinary people, especially women, are suffering endless pain, they naturally want to cry and complain to everyone they see.
It turned out that they were the family members of the two girls who were in a car accident that night.
One of the girls died on the spot, and the other girl was seriously injured.
The families came to the school hoping for relevant documentation and an explanation. Most importantly, they wanted some compensation. Unfortunately, Wang Duanhong was still seething with anger and had no interest in providing any documentation or compensation. He told them to go ask Mu Zigang and his son for it! What responsibility would the school bear for them?
Xu Zhengyang frowned and asked Li Haidong in his mind, "What's going on?"
Li Haidong said helplessly, "After Mu Zigang and his son were arrested, the case is still under investigation and trial. Moreover, because Mu Zigang is involved in organized crime, the process is much slower. As for compensation, it cannot be provided before the case is settled."
"Why? There's another one in the hospital! It costs money." Xu Zhengyang was furious.
"Mu Zigang's assets have all been seized and frozen. Who will collect the money?"
Xu Zhengyang stopped asking questions and said to the family members, "It's alright, just wait here, you'll get the money in a little while!"
Everyone was stunned. Who was this young man? Why was he speaking so arrogantly?
Wang Duanhong's face turned green, and he forgot to retract his outstretched hand.
"Come on, let's talk in your office." Xu Zhengyang walked past Wang Duanhong with a gloomy face.
Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun stared coldly at Wang Duanhong.
With a helpless look on his face, Wang Duanhong turned his head and returned to his office with a heavy heart.
Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun exchanged a glance, and then Zhu Jun went inside, while Chen Hanzhe stayed outside.
A woman, wiping away her tears, asked Chen Hanzhe with some curiosity, "Who is this young man?"
Chen Hanzhe didn't want to pay attention, but seeing the pitiful looks of the five parents, he could only whisper, "Chief, Chief..." For a moment, Chen Hanzhe really couldn't think of a more suitable word to describe Xu Zhengyang's identity in order to properly match Xu Zhengyang's words and attitude just now.
The five parents were delighted, but then puzzled. Such a young man, could he be a high-ranking official?
Inside the room, Xu Zhengyang sat down behind Wang Duanhong's desk, his face grim, and said, "What? Do you feel that these two female students who met with misfortune have caused you trouble? Huh?"
"No, no..." Beads of sweat appeared on Wang Duanhong's forehead as he stood in the middle of the room, shaking his head repeatedly. The myriad emotions swirling within him were beyond the comprehension of others. A man in his fifties, the president of a prestigious university—a man of considerable stature—was being lectured like a child by a young man. The humiliation he felt was unimaginable. Yet, at this moment, this professor-principal, who held considerable authority in certain areas, had no choice but to submit.
It wasn't just because of Xu Zhengyang's status as the heir apparent; the most important reason was that Wang Duanhong felt guilty. If the higher-ups investigated him, there would be a lot of trouble: plagiarism, framing, embezzlement, bribery...
"Then why don't you hurry up and give them the money?" Xu Zhengyang said angrily.
"The school does not bear primary responsibility for this..."
"Is there any responsibility?"