Chapter 51: Just a Layer of Window Paper Away!

The fourth page of the Huainan Public Security Daily featured a serialized special report titled "The Anti-Crime Storm in Hanzhou."

This report had generated quite a positive response throughout the provincial public security, procuratorate, and judicial systems.

Holding the newspaper, Liu Fang sat down beside Du Xi.

"These consecutive reports are genuinely well-written. The writing is smooth, the plot is compact, the progression is full of twists and turns, and it has the feel of a detective novel when you read it. Do you think there's any chance a director might notice this and adapt it into a television drama using this case as material?"

"You really dare to imagine things!"

Because her report was exceptionally well-written, Du Xi had received high praise from Captain Wu during the meeting. Therefore, she had been in a good mood these past few days, feeling as though the blemishes on her face had faded significantly.

However, Liu Fang's words were undeniably an exaggeration!

"Of course! What touched me the most, though, is that the article exudes your genuine emotions.

Take this sentence, for instance: 'If our daily life could have more grassroots cadres like Comrade Tang Ye—candid, resourceful, undeterred by powerful authorities, and brave enough to stand against evil forces—our society would become even more harmonious and wonderful.'"

Noticing that Liu Fang's voice had suddenly grown louder, Du Xi quickly covered her friend's mouth and cast a reproachful, sideways glance at her. "That's enough!"

Liu Fang broke free from Du Xi's hand and playfully poked Du Xi's slender waist. "You're usually so carefree, but the moment you encounter Tang Ye, you change completely. Your face turns red, your eyes dart away, and you start smiling."

Du Xi pinned Liu Fang's wrist and retorted, "I do no such thing! Stop talking nonsense. He and I are just classmates. There's none of that messy stuff you're imagining."

With a beaming smile, Liu Fang observed the subtle changes in her best friend's expression.

Sure enough, her pale complexion was turning faintly rosy...

"An onlooker sees most clearly; stop deceiving yourself."

Intentionally deflecting the topic, Du Xi said, "Don't always talk about my business. How do you feel about Sun Hai?"

Liu Fang quickly cupped her hands in a gesture of pleading for mercy. "Don't try to play matchmaker and pair us up—that guy is a pervert!"

Puzzled, Du Xi asked, "Why would you say that? Sun Hai has a great personality, very optimistic and cheerful."

Liu Fang glanced left and right, then leaned close to Du Xi's ear to whisper her grievance, "We were chatting just fine at first, but then he suddenly changed the subject, asked for my measurements, and said he wanted to send me some underwear. Good grief, the guy gets familiar much too fast! What does he take me for? I blocked him immediately."

Du Xi burst into laughter, rocking back and forth for a long while before finally stopping to wipe away tears of mirth with her finger. "Oh you, you misunderstood him. He invested in an underwear factory in Pinghu Town, and he genuinely wanted to give you a piece of his own factory's product—he wasn't trying to harass you on purpose."

A sudden realization dawned on Liu Fang. She covered her mouth and said with a look of chagrin, "So that's how it was. I wronged him after all."

Smiling, Du Xi remarked, "You're usually willing to chime in on any topic whatsoever; why didn't you keep the conversation going? If you had chatted a bit more, you would have understood his intentions. I find you rather strange—could it be that you're actually starting to take this seriously?"

Giving a haughty, coquettish huff, Liu Fang waved her hand and said, "Not at all. I genuinely took him for a smooth-talking, major creep."

Du Xi picked up her phone and dialed Sun Hai's number.

Sun Hai was helping pack boxes in a warehouse and found a quiet corner to answer the call.

"Officer Du, what are your orders?"

Du Xi deliberately put on an angry tone. "Why did you bully my Fangfang?"

It took Sun Hai a few moments to collect his wits. "Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare bully a people's police officer! She asked me what I'd been busy with the other day, so I thought about sending her some of our latest homemade products. I had barely started bringing it up before she misunderstood. I hurried to call her back, but she had already blocked me. I even tried calling from other people's phones, but she wouldn't answer those either. Well, I suppose it's also my fault for not explaining things clearly. Please help me apologize to her."

Du Xi switched her phone to speaker mode.

Liu Fang heard every word clearly and could no longer refrain from speaking up, "You don't need a middleman; I forgive you."

As if granted a pardon, Sun Hai said with a laugh, "That's wonderful. Let me treat you to a meal this weekend to make amends."

Smiling brightly, Du Xi pressed further, "Are you only inviting her?"

The first page of the report...

Sun Hai hastily replied, "Of course I'm inviting you too! Please do me the honor of coming."

With a playful smile, Liu Fang reminded him, "You're still not thoughtful enough!"

"Haha, I'll drag that fellow Monk Tang along as well." Sun Hai reacted quite quickly.

After hanging up, Liu Fang asked Du Xi, "Does your mom agree with you and Tang Ye being together?"

Startled for a moment, Du Xi emphasized, "We are not together at all!"

Liu Fang exposed her, "The two of you clearly harbor mutual affection for each other; you're just waiting for the final layer of paper to be pierced. Let me tell you, since you like him, you need to be more proactive. He's very handsome and extremely capable. If you're even a step too slow and someone else snatches him away, you won't even have tears left to shed."

Though her heart was tangled in conflicting emotions, Du Xi still put up a verbal defense. "I don't have any feelings for him!"

At that moment, Liu Fang received a call from her leader. Uttering a quick "I have an urgent matter to handle," she trotted away.

The thought of meeting Tang Ye over the weekend brought an involuntary, gentle smile to the corners of Du Xi's lips.

...

Chen Zhihua took the Provincial Public Security Daily and sought out Tang Ye.

"Your classmate writes really well. I've been following the serialized case reports every issue. As soon as I finish one, I start looking forward to the next—it reads just like a novel."

Tang Ye instantly grasped Chen Zhihua's subtle underlying thought and smiled. "Secretary Chen, barring any unexpected changes, your name will appear in the next installment."

Chen Zhihua was immensely excited. "Really? Then I must properly collect the newspaper for the next issue. Oh, by the way, I just received a call from the County Party Committee's Organization Department. Wan Ming is being transferred to the county bureau to serve as deputy director, leaving the position of police station chief vacant. They were asking for our opinions on the matter."

Personnel arrangements generally fell under the purview of the Party Secretary, and Chen Zhihua held the ultimate decision-making power. The fact that he consulted Tang Ye on his thoughts demonstrated a high level of respect.

Tang Ye stated his view directly: "The position of police station chief is of vital importance. If the county arranges for someone to be sent over who is unfamiliar with the situation in Pinghu, it could easily lead to numerous problems. Therefore, we must insist on appointing a cadre who is thoroughly familiar with grassroots work.

Wan Ming has immense prestige in Pinghu. Even though he is leaving, we should still respect his opinion.

Many people will be eyeing this position. Once a candidate is finalized, we should report it to Secretary Du and strive for his support."

Chen Zhihua was rather surprised. Although Tang Ye had expressed his views, he hadn't explicitly named any candidates, which also showed his acute sense of boundaries and his full respect for Chen's authority in personnel decisions.

Smiling and nodding, Chen Zhihua said, "Alright, I'll meet with Comrade Wan Ming later to nail down the successor."

Seeing that Chen Zhihua was about to leave, Tang Ye quickly stood up and escorted him to the door.

Even though he and Chen Zhihua shared a good relationship forged through shared hardships, Chen Zhihua was now Tang Ye's superior, and he still needed to show him the utmost respect.

After concluding a private discussion with Wan Ming, Chen Zhihua agreed to appoint Ren Jun as the chief of the police station.

Tang Ye held a favorable impression of Ren Jun. Having served as a scout, Ren was said to have nearly been selected as a special forces soldier, missing out only due to an injury, which led him to choose retirement and return to his hometown for resettlement.

...

That evening, Wan Ming hosted a gathering.

It was a farewell banquet prior to his departure.

Aside from his colleagues from the police station, he had specifically invited Tang Ye.

After three rounds of drinks, Wan Ming felt the time was right. He grabbed Ren Jun by the arm and gave him a solemn instruction:

"Junzi, both you and I need to thank Mayor Tang. If not for him, I couldn't have exacted my revenge, nor would I have gained the recognition of the county bureau's leadership. Only because I am leaving do you have this opportunity to move up. Always carry a heart of gratitude and keep Mayor Tang's words at heart in the future. If you ever betray him, as your master, I will never let you off."

Ren Jun stood up, picked up his wine glass, and said with a smile to Tang Ye, "Mayor Tang, from this moment on, wherever you point, I will strike. I guarantee complete cooperation with your work."

Ren Jun had witnessed firsthand everything Tang Ye had done to help Wan Ming.

This was no ordinary exchange of favors or interests.

It was built upon one glorious merit after another.

For those walking the path of public security, playing a decisive role in one major case after another was the kind of hard strength permanently etched into one's official file.

Tang Ye stood up and clinked glasses with Ren Jun. "Let's work hard together and strive to make our work even more solid. With Bureau Chief Wan looking out for us from the county, I believe Pinghu's work will rapidly break new ground. The brothers' work will have a brighter prospect, and life will only get better and better."

Seeing Tang Ye drain his glass to the last drop, Ren Jun quickly finished his drink in one gulp, picked up a piece of fatty pork to force down the alcoholic fumes, and then spoke again.

"Mayor Tang put it wonderfully. Bureau Chief Wan, I toast you—you must continue to help our brothers secure more benefits from the county in the future!"

Wan Ming cast a glance at Ren Jun. "The two of us master and apprentice will have plenty of chances to drink later; don't neglect Mayor Tang."

Tang Ye smiled and said, "Once you go to the county bureau, the chances to drink with you will become scarce. Everyone, cherish this opportunity!"

Today, Tang Ye did not resort to slipping away under the pretext of visiting the restroom, because he knew most people's attention was focused on Wan Ming.

With just a little clever guidance, a tide of fierce attacks would be launched against Wan Ming.

In high spirits and possessing a bold, uninhibited temperament, Wan Ming turned down no challengers.

After several rounds of bombardment, under the influence of alcohol, the tone and rhythm of Wan Ming's speech began to shift.

When Ren Jun raised his glass to toast him once more,

Wan Ming felt the alcohol surging upward. He barely managed to stand up, then froze rigidly in place;

Suddenly, his eyes closed, and he slid down beneath the table...

Tang Ye had prepared in advance and caught him in time, preventing him from collapsing to the floor.

...

The following afternoon, Tang Ye went to the city on official business.

After finishing his work, Tang Ye headed to the hospital to visit Han Ze.

Upon seeing Tang Ye, Sister Wu was emotionally stirred. "Mayor Tang, thanks to your help, the medical expenses and compensation were credited in a timely manner."

Tang Ye modestly replied, "It's mainly because the county leaders paid close attention to the matter, which is why it went so smoothly."

With reddened eyes, Sister Wu looked toward her son on the hospital bed and choked out, "He can't walk, and he doesn't even recognize me anymore. Alas, I don't know how long it will take for him to recover."

Tang Ye quickly offered comfort. "He's very young; his recovery speed will be quite fast."

Sister Wu wiped away her tears. "It's already a miracle that he survived. No matter what condition he's in, I will take good care of him."

Tang Ye could not help but be moved.

After comforting Sister Wu for a while, he bid her farewell and left.

Outside the hospital ward, tucked away in a corner,

A slender-figured woman stood with her shoulders trembling continuously.

She tried her utmost to suppress the sound in her throat, yet she still could not stop the sobs from spilling out.