Volume 2 [513] Beating Up People with Power
Faced with the threat, Zhao Qiang glared at Officer Liu. At this moment, Zhao Ling stepped forward and said, "Officer, I want to call the police. Someone is being indecent."
Officer Liu was on edge when he shouted angrily, "Get out of the way!"
Zhao Mingming threw down the steel pipe in his hand and walked over, saying, "Officer, something's not right. Someone called the police and you didn't answer?"
Officer Liu's hands trembled slightly. He said to the police behind him, "Arrest them quickly!" How could he not be afraid when so many people started surrounding him?
Several policemen moved closer, threatening the people on the stage, "Don't move! Don't move, or we'll shoot!"
Zhao Qiang channeled the energy within his body, creating a faint mist that enveloped the gun in Officer Liu's hand. It would be extremely difficult for this thing to harm Zhao Qiang. However, fearing that ricochets might injure others, Zhao Qiang had taken precautions beforehand. Even if Officer Liu dared to fire, the gun would not fire because the trigger was stuck to the barrel.
"Stop! Stop!" Just as the battle was about to spiral out of control, someone ran in.
Officer Liu glanced back and said, "Who are you? You think you can just stop because you tell me to? Don't obstruct our law enforcement."
"Zhang Wenjing?" Zhao Ling wasn't sure, because the man's face was so swollen that it was unrecognizable, but the voice sounded like him. It was really terrible. If he didn't have the potential to be a hero, he shouldn't have stood out. He might have been disfigured this time.
Zhang Wenjing's lips were swollen, and her speech was a little unclear: "It's me, everyone, don't be anxious. I can testify that the bar was in the wrong. Their security guards were stealing from female customers and even beat me up, the one who stood up for justice."
Officer Liu chuckled, glanced at Wang Youcai who had remained silent, and said in a boastful tone, "What qualifications do you have to testify? I suspect you were involved in the fight, so take you with you."
Just then, another group of people rushed in and blocked the door. Officer Liu glanced back and was overjoyed, saying, "Director Liu? You've come just in time. These people are difficult to deal with; we must bring them to justice."
Director Liu had a gloomy face, with Tang Ziliang following behind him. Last time, Tang Ziliang borrowed money from Zhao Qiang and managed to get through the crisis. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in the branch office now. He would probably have been arrested long ago. Embezzlement of public funds is no small crime.
Director Liu first nodded and smiled politely at Zhao Qiang, as he couldn't afford to offend this man. Then he greeted Wang Youcai, who was standing to the side, and asked, "Boss Wang, what exactly happened?" He had to consider both sides, but Wang Youcai was still more important in Director Liu's eyes, after all, he was a local bigwig with a larger network of connections than this branch director.
Although Wang Youcai didn't seem to care much about the branch office staff, it was still a unit under his direct jurisdiction, so he didn't dare to be too careless. He greeted them and said, "Director Liu, you've worked hard. There are some people causing trouble here. You can handle it." Wang Youcai had already taken care of the higher-ups, and Director Liu knew exactly what to do. He knew how to handle it, otherwise all those benefits he had received in the past would have been for nothing.
However, Director Liu was now in a dilemma. If it were an ordinary person who offended Wang Youcai, they could be arrested immediately and detained for a few days on some pretext. But now it was Zhao Qiang and Zhao Mingming. He knew what kind of trouble these two could cause. But if he didn't arrest them, there was Wang Youcai, a big shot in Baiyuan City. He couldn't afford to offend him. Wang Youcai had already smoothed things over with people in the province. What right did a branch director like himself have to offend him?
After thinking for a moment, Director Liu called Wang Youcai aside and whispered, "Mr. Wang, there's something I don't know if you're aware of."
Director Liu's attitude puzzled Wang Youcai. In the past, the branch office would never hesitate to intervene in matters involving him. However, when Director Liu came in, he not only did not order an arrest, but also nodded and smiled at the other party. There was something wrong with this.
"What could possibly be causing you trouble, Director Liu?" Wang Youcai guessed that the troublemaker was probably someone of considerable status.
Director Liu said, "Mr. Wang must have heard of the two people who caused such a scene at the Municipal Bureau a while ago."
Wang Youcai was somewhat surprised: "You don't mean it's this group of people in front of us, do you?"
Director Liu said, "How could it not be? One is named Zhao Qiang, and the other is named Zhao Mingming."
Wang Youcai gasped. Director Liu seized the opportunity to say, "Boss Wang, it's not that we're afraid of them, it's just that Zhao Qiang has Chen Guangwei's support behind him. We can only take action against him with Mr. Chen's permission."
If it were just Chen Guangwei's support, that would be simple. Hearing this, Wang Youcai snorted: "Director Liu, you don't think the Chen family only has Chen Guangwei, do you?"
Director Liu gasped, "Does Mr. Wang have even stronger connections?"
Wang Youcai said, "Director Liu, you must not have heard that Chen Guangwei has been kicked out of his home by Chen Kezong. Now, Chen Guangmin and his son are in charge of the Chen family, so you don't need to be afraid."
Director Liu gave Wang Youcai a thumbs up: "Boss Wang is indeed well-informed, but even so, can we afford to offend Chen Guangwei? I'm not sure. You know my official rank is low, so why don't we consult Director Wang about this matter?"
Wang Youcai said, "You arrest them directly, and I'll contact Wang Yifan."
Few dared to address Director Wang by his full name. Director Liu's admiration for Wang Youcai was boundless; he held a high position. However, Director Liu still dared not arrest him. He said to Wang Youcai, "Mr. Wang, please hear me out one more time."
Wang Youcai put down the phone and said, "Director Liu, what are you worried about? Arrest them!"
Director Liu lowered his voice and said, "Boss Wang is a big shot in Baiyuan City. In principle, I should help you settle this matter. You can ignore Chen Guangwei, but do you know why Zhao Qiang and Zhao Mingming were able to cause such a big mess in the Municipal Bureau?"
Wang Youcai hadn't actually investigated this. He said, "Could it be that besides the Chen family, there's someone else with powerful connections? But Baiyuan City is in the south; here, besides the Chen family, who else has a stronger backer?"
Director Liu said, "If it were just a matter of having powerful connections, that would be easy to handle. With Boss Wang's prestige, he could easily overpower them. But does Boss Wang know that this Zhao Qiang is a person with special abilities?" Director Liu had no choice but to reveal the secret, otherwise, it would be a difficult task for him to go up and arrest people.
"Special abilities?" Wang Youcai was taken aback. Ten or twenty years ago, this term was all the rage in mainland China, but in recent years no one has mentioned it anymore. The matter was beyond the realm of common sense, and not many people believed in it.
Director Liu said, "Yes, it's a special ability. The armed police had already entered the city bureau compound, but they just couldn't get into the room where Zhao Qiang was being held. Isn't that strange? So I think we need to be careful about this."
Director Liu spoke earnestly. Initially, he, like Wang Youcai, had looked down on Zhao Qiang, but ultimately suffered the consequences. However, Wang Youcai found his words extremely offensive. He snorted, "Just arrest him. Why make so many excuses? If you can't do it, I'll find someone who can." The unspoken message was that if Director Liu wasn't going to arrest him, he should get out of there; he shouldn't be occupying a position without doing anything. Wang Youcai would use his connections to find someone who would obey him to become the branch director.
After saying this, Wang Youcai ignored Director Liu. Director Liu, feeling helpless, realized he couldn't persuade Wang Youcai and could only consult with Zhao Qiang. However, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to handle the matter personally, so Director Liu decided to send Tang Ziliang to do it, since Tang Ziliang was familiar with Zhao Qiang.
At this moment, Tang Ziliang was scolding Officer Liu: "Are you out of your mind?" As a senior, Tang Ziliang had the right to say that. Officer Liu was just a newbie who got into the system through connections. He didn't understand many things at all. He was always flattering this person and that person. Tang Ziliang seriously disapproved of this.
Officer Liu was somewhat angry: "Officer Tang, my rank isn't lower than yours, is it? What do you mean by saying that to me?"
Tang Ziliang said, "What do you mean? You don't even know how you died?"
Officer Liu snorted: "Officer Tang, I strictly follow the procedures in enforcing the law. Are you trying to bend the law and pull strings? Let me tell you, those people not only violated public security regulations, but Boss Wang is not someone you can offend. I advise you to recognize the situation."
Tang Ziliang was so angry he could hardly breathe. He said, "Fine, fine, you'll have your day." After saying that, Tang Ziliang went on stage and tried to curry favor with Zhao Qiang.
Tang Ziliang handed Zhao Qiang a cigarette and said, "Zhao Qiang, what's going on? Did you get into a fight with Wang Youcai? That guy's not weak."
Zhao Qiang said, "I didn't want this either. Zhao Ling and Xin Xin were playing here, and someone was bullying them."
Tang Ziliang nodded: "That's true. They're both so beautiful. You'd better keep them at home, otherwise it's easy for problems to arise, especially in a place like this where all sorts of people mingle."
Zhao Qiang said, "Wouldn't staying at home be suffocating? With you people's police maintaining order, I don't think there's anything to be afraid of."
Tang Ziliang gave an awkward smile: "We police can't keep an eye on every place every day, can we? This has caused trouble. You know Wang Youcai, right? He has a lot of protection from higher-ups. You need to be careful and try not to get into trouble with him."
Zhao Qiang nodded: "I understand, thank you Officer Tang, but I won't call back if I'm scared."
Tang Ziliang said, "Don't mention it. If it weren't for your help, I would have been detained by now."
Director Liu dawdled as he went up on stage, hoping to stall until Wang Youcai brought in Director Wang Yifan of the Municipal Bureau so he could shirk responsibility. Just then, Tang Ziliang walked over and said, "Little Tang, didn't you talk to Zhao Qiang and tell him to back down? Boss Wang isn't someone to be trifled with. When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. Why bother?"
Tang Ziliang said, "I don't think it's going to work out. Wang Youcai's men harassing Zhao Qiang's girlfriend. Even I can't tolerate this."
Director Liu was quite troubled: "Are we really going to arrest him? We don't have the guts. Does he have special abilities?"
Tang Ziliang said, "Let's delay as long as we can."
Director Liu nodded. The two men kept talking back and forth without issuing any orders, which infuriated Wang Youcai's men.
Wang Youcai naturally saw that Director Liu wasn't doing his job properly, so he didn't mince words and actually called Wang Yifan. He didn't elaborate on his 'misfortune,' only saying that something had happened at Yelaixiang and asking Wang Yifan to come and take a look. Wang Yifan, as expected of someone who had been bombarded with sweet talk, immediately told Wang Youcai, "I'm already on my way and will be at Yelaixiang in three minutes." Wang Youcai was very satisfied with this attitude; it was worth the large investment he had made in Liu before.
Glancing at Director Liu, who was dawdling by the stage, Wang Youcai said, "Director Wang from the Municipal Public Security Bureau will be here soon. You'd better get started. Stop making excuses, or you'll regret it."
Wang Youcai's attitude was very impolite, which showed that he had a lot of opinions about Director Liu. However, Director Liu had no way to express his grievances. He really couldn't afford to offend Zhao Qiang, who was a person with special abilities. What was he? But he couldn't afford to offend Wang Youcai either, so he could only smile and say, "Yes, yes, I have already asked Officer Tang to do some persuasion and education. It will be over in a little while."
Wang Youcai snorted. "What 'it'll be ready in a minute'? That's just an excuse to stall for time. Even a blind man could see that."
Soon after, another group of police officers poured in, and now there were more police than customers in the bar's lobby. Wang Yifan led the way, setting an example that was admirable. He looked anxious and solemn as he entered, glancing around. Director Liu and Wang Youcai quickly went to greet him. As a high-ranking city official, even if Wang Youcai looked down on him, he had to put on a smiling face.
"Director Wang, it really warms our hearts that you personally went out on a call." Wang Youcai laughed and said. Director Liu shook hands gently to show his respect for his leader. Now that he could hand over power, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't offended either side too much and there was still room for maneuver.
Wang Youcai and Director Liu were both trying to curry favor, but they never expected Wang Yifan to pull them aside and ask anxiously, "Wenjing, where is Zhang Wenjing?"
Zhang Wenjing, who had been sitting in the corner looking aggrieved, finally spoke up, "Uncle Wang, I'm here."
The blond-haired man and the bearded man who had stayed behind exclaimed in surprise. The pretty boy they had just beaten to a pulp had connections, and the head of the city's Public Security Bureau had come to look for him personally. What a lapse in oversight! This was terrible! Could he be some kind of prince? They were blind to have failed to recognize him.
Wang Youcai also let out a surprised sound. In fact, although Wang Yifan was someone he was trying to win over, he wouldn't fawn over him like a dog. Moreover, Wang Yifan knew about Wang Youcai's power. Usually, they would be polite to each other when they met. But Wang Yifan's behavior surprised Wang Youcai. What was wrong with him? He didn't even bother to greet him.
Zhang Wenjing came out, and Wang Yifan exclaimed, "You, you're really Wenjing? What happened?"
Zhang Wenjing said aggrievedly, "Uncle Wang, the security guards at Yelaixiang acted like hooligans and even hit me. You have to stand up for me!"
Wang Yifan said, "Don't worry, your uncle will definitely stand up for you today."
Wang Youcai remembered something and stepped forward, saying, "Are you Zhang Feng's son, Zhang Wenjing?" As someone who worked in Baiyuan City, Wang Youcai had a fairly comprehensive understanding of the children of officials.
Zhang Wenjing snorted: "You must be the owner here. I saw what happened just now. Good job smashing it." As she spoke, Zhang Wenjing gave Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming on the stage a thumbs up.
Wang Youcai's expression changed: "Zhang Wenjing, aren't you being a bit too arrogant? I'm calling your dad." Wang Youcai knew that Mayor Zhang Feng had a son, but he had been studying abroad, so he didn't recognize him. However, that didn't matter. In Wang Youcai's eyes, Zhang Feng wasn't some powerful figure, and his son dared to talk to him like that. He really needed to be disciplined. He must not know his true strength. It seemed that his father needed to teach him a lesson.
Wang Youcai made a phone call, and Zhang Wenjing also made a phone call. Wang Youcai addressed her as "Mayor Zhang," while Zhang Wenjing addressed her as "Jingjing." It was unclear who they were, but their names even shared some similarities.
“…I was beaten up. It was done by a guy named Wang Youcai from Baiyuan City,” Zhang Wenjing said briefly. “You handle it. If you can’t, don’t contact me again.” Then she hung up.
Volume 2 [514] Who Has the Strongest Backing?
Wang Youcai hung up the phone. Zhang Feng had said on the phone that he would definitely discipline his good-for-nothing son. Wang Youcai was very satisfied. Zhang Feng wouldn't dare to go against him, although he had to respect Zhang Feng—it was a matter of principle; if you treat me with respect, I'll treat you with even greater respect—but Zhang Feng wouldn't dare to offend him.
Wang Yifan whispered in Zhang Wenjing's ear, "What do you think, Wenjing? This Wang Youcai has powerful connections. If we can't afford to offend him, we should apologize. If you have any special abilities, you should use them quickly, otherwise we'll be at a disadvantage." Wang Yifan knew some inside information and background; otherwise, with his shrewdness, he wouldn't have gone against Wang Youcai. He had weighed the pros and cons and found that winning over Zhang Wenjing was much more advantageous than currying favor with Wang Youcai.
Zhang Wenjing said, "Uncle Wang, thank you in advance. I'll have to wait a while to find out the specifics."
Wang Yifan said, "No rush, no rush. Your Uncle Wang still has the final say here. But we need to give Wang Youcai an explanation. After all, he's not a nobody. We need to give him a way out, otherwise it will be awkward for everyone."
Zhang Wenjing nodded: "I know, Uncle Wang. I'll definitely thank you when I have the chance."
Wang Yifan said, "Why are you being so polite? Your uncle and your dad are old colleagues. How could I stand idly by if you have something to do? Don't blame your dad for speaking harshly to Wang Youcai earlier. It was just polite talk. Don't take it seriously."
Zhang Wenjing said, "I understand. Actually, I didn't mean to cause him trouble, but look at how they beat me up like this without even knowing what happened. If I just accept it, wouldn't that be foolish?"
Wang Yifan said, "Of course we can't admit it. We also need to use our connections to suppress Wang Youcai." This was Wang Yifan's real purpose; he had his eye on the influence of the person behind Zhang Wenjing.
Zhang Wenjing's phone rang urgently. She answered quickly, and the voice on the other end was somewhat coquettish: "Wenjing, it's all done. Someone will contact you soon to resolve the issue. I miss you so much, and you're injured. I want to go to Baiyuan City to see you."
Zhang Wenjing said, "We'll talk about it later. I'm waiting to resolve things. Goodbye." After hanging up the phone, Zhang Wenjing said to Wang Yifan, "Uncle Wang, it's done. Just wait, it will be resolved soon."
The two sides murmured amongst themselves and temporarily stopped what they were doing. Zhao Mingming was a little puzzled and asked Zhao Qiang, "Brother-in-law, why is it no longer our business?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Just watch. Now is the time for others to compete, not for us to solve problems with our fists."
Indeed, Zhao Qiang's fist policy did not work very well in the southern city. This was mainly because his background lacked power. Unlike in the north, where so many powerful figures had cleaned up his messes, Zhao Qiang had to be more cautious. After all, Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin were just ordinary people. If he caused trouble, these two women would not be able to handle it. This was a special requirement under special circumstances.
Wang Youcai snorted at Zhang Wenjing, "You'd better leave right now, or I'll teach you a lesson too. This is the authority your father gave me." Wang Youcai was very imposing; even Zhang Wenjing's father had to give him face. What was this little brat Zhang Wenjing, so arrogant and ignorant?
Zhang Wenjing wiped the dust and blood from his face. He had no idea what the so-called resolution would be. He had been beaten like this for trying to help someone in need. Even if his father saw this, he would probably curse Wang Youcai. If justice couldn't be served, then society had truly degenerated to an incomprehensible state.
The phone rang. "Hello, this is Wang Youcai... Ah... Yes, yes, I understand. I'm sorry, it was my mistake..." The more Wang Youcai listened, the more surprised he became, and the more respectful he became. After hanging up, he suddenly took two steps forward and stood in front of Zhang Wenjing. His demeanor changed completely from a minute ago, and he said respectfully, "So you're Mayor Zhang's son. It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."
Zhang Wenjing also lost her composure. Who could remain composed after being beaten like that? Moreover, Wang Youcai's sudden change of attitude meant that her side had pulled strings. So Zhang Wenjing burst out, "Misunderstanding my ass!"
Wang Youcai could only endure the scolding; the phone call earlier must have played a decisive role. He turned to the blond-haired man and the bearded man and said, "Who hit Zhang Wenjing? Step forward!"
The blond-haired man and the bearded man didn't actually do anything, so they used their position to intimidate their underlings, shouting, "Step forward!"
So several people stepped forward, and Wang Youcai personally stepped forward and slapped each of them twice across the face, the impact making his hand sting. He said, "Slap yourselves until Mayor Zhang's son is satisfied." This wasn't just a 'misunderstanding' anymore; it seemed the phone call earlier had put a lot of pressure on him.
Wang Youcai personally ordered these people that if they dared to show any temper, they should immediately slap themselves, and each slap had to be harder than the last. Anyone who tried to cheat would be deceiving Wang Youcai, and their fate would be even worse. The sound of slapping continued, like applause.
Seeing that their faces were starting to turn bloody and mangled, Zhang Wenjing couldn't bring himself to be ruthless and said, "Alright, I won't hold it against them."
Wang Youcai then said to the group, "Get lost. It's your good fortune that Young Master Zhang spared you. Remember to greet him when you see him in the future." The group didn't even have time to say thank you before turning around and running away.
After reprimanding his subordinates, Wang Youcai smiled and asked Zhang Wenjing, "Wenjing, who are you with those people...?" Wang Youcai pointed to Zhao Qiang and Zhao Mingming and the other three on the stage.