Chapter 39 On-Site Administration (Subscribe to Snatch Ten Thousand Rock Coins)

"I'm over here," Yun Ketian called out, waving to the newcomer.

The portly man looked over and immediately saw a police officer approaching Yun Ketian with a pair of handcuffs. At once, he bellowed, "Stop right there! Are you all out of your minds?"

The policeman, who had been about to cuff Lu Ming, turned his head at the shout and was startled.

"S-Secretary Zhang, what brings you here?" the officer stammered as the heavy-set man strode rapidly toward them.

Zhang Jianmin, leader of Baofeng City, closed the distance in a few quick steps and confronted the officer with a stern face. "What is going on here?"

The policeman hesitated before answering, "Someone just reported that a person here broke another man's arm. We're here to bring them in for questioning."

This portly man was none other than Zhang Jianmin, the top official in Baofeng City. As soon as he received a call from Yun Shenguo, he rushed over without delay. After all, Yun Shenguo was the very man who held sway over his fate. Yun Shenguo's precious son had come to his city—he had to see to it that everything went smoothly, without the slightest mishap.

What’s more, Secretary Yun had mentioned his son had run into a bit of trouble and asked him to help sort it out. If anything happened to the most prominent young master in the Northwest right here on his watch, his own career would come to an abrupt end.

Upon hearing the policeman's explanation, Zhang Jianmin paid him no mind and instead turned to Yun Ketian with a smile. "Young Master Yun, I apologize for arriving late. I hope you weren't alarmed?"

The moment Zhang Jianmin said this, Wang Liu felt his heart sink, sensing grave trouble ahead. The other officers turned pale as well, beads of sweat forming at their temples. For the top leader of Baofeng City to speak so respectfully—who exactly was this young man?

Li Xiujuan, for her part, was utterly stunned. Zhang Jianmin was Baofeng’s most powerful figure, often appearing on local television. Who didn’t know him? Yet here he was, treating this young stranger with such deference—Li Xiujuan was completely dumbfounded.

At that moment, Yun Ketian smiled and said, "Just now, a group of men armed with clubs stormed in and tried to attack us without so much as a word. If it weren’t for Brother Lu’s skills, you might not have seen me at all."

As these words left his lips, Zhang Jianmin broke out in a cold sweat. Someone dared lay hands on Yun Ketian? This was the beloved son of the most powerful man in the province! If anything happened to him here, Zhang Jianmin's own life would not be worth a farthing.

He turned, face dark, and demanded of the officer, "Is this true?"

The policeman, sensing things were dire, realized that anyone drawing such attention must be of considerable importance. He chose his words carefully. "The complainant said there was a conflict over a meal, and then his arm was broken. We're simply here to investigate."

Now that the officer understood the gravity of the situation, he no longer dared claim they were there to take anyone away, only to clarify the facts.

Zhang Jianmin sneered. "What's your name, and your position?"

"My name is Wang Xinbing. I'm the deputy chief of the county bureau," Wang Xinbing replied nervously.

The gap between his rank and Zhang Jianmin's was astronomical. The oppressive difference left him sweating uncontrollably.

"Who is your chief?"

"Our chief is Jin Yongchao, Director Jin."

"Call him here immediately," Zhang Jianmin ordered coldly. "I will personally oversee this; we'll get to the bottom of what happened right here and now."

With the top boss giving orders, Wang Xinbing dared not utter a word of protest and quickly began dialing his superior.

Zhang Jianmin then turned, his expression softening into a smile as he sat beside Yun Ketian. "Young Master Yun, please rest assured, I will see to it that this incident is thoroughly investigated and justice is served."

Li Xiujuan, sitting next to Lu Ming, was already reeling from shock. Though only a waitress, she could tell that even before any investigation, Zhang Jianmin had already made up his mind. Just how influential was this young man?

Yun Ketian nodded in acknowledgment.

Zhang Jianmin then looked at Lu Ming, Chen Bing, and Li Xiujuan. "Young Master Yun, are these your friends?"

Yun Ketian nodded. "This is Brother Lu, this is his friend Chen Bing, and this is Chen Bing’s childhood friend, Li Xiujuan."

Hearing the introduction, Zhang Jianmin was inwardly startled. Anyone addressed so cordially by the most prominent young master must not be ordinary. Although it was clear that Chen Bing looked down on his luck, and Li Xiujuan was clad in a waitress’s uniform, it did nothing to dampen Zhang Jianmin’s enthusiasm.

To dine at the same table as Yun Ketian meant one was worthy of respect. Their future prospects could change with a single word from him—who could say what heights they might reach someday?

Zhang Jianmin had barely sat down before springing up again to shake the hands of Lu Ming, Chen Bing, and Li Xiujuan with great enthusiasm.

Lu Ming remained calm, while Chen Bing seemed a bit uneasy. Li Xiujuan, however, was so nervous her palms were sweating and her hands trembled. Never in her life had she imagined shaking hands with someone so powerful.

Just then, the hotel owner, having heard the news, hurried over. From afar, he saw Zhang Jianmin shaking hands with Li Xiujuan and was taken aback. When had his waitress become acquainted with such a bigwig? He immediately made a mental note to pay closer attention.

The hotel owner jogged over to their table, bowing and beaming. "Secretary Zhang, what an honor to have you here!"

"And you are?" Zhang Jianmin inquired.

"I'm Zhu Weifeng, the owner of this hotel," he quickly introduced himself. The city secretary's presence was no small matter. If only he could snag a photo together, it would become a valuable asset and raise his hotel's profile.

"Mr. Zhu, we need to use your establishment to handle a matter. I trust you don't mind?" Zhang Jianmin said.

"Not at all, not at all! Please, use it as you wish."

Far from minding, Zhu Weifeng was thrilled at the prospect—the longer they stayed, the better for him.

"Very well," Zhang Jianmin replied. "All relevant expenses will be settled with you afterward."

"Secretary Zhang, what are you saying? You're here on official business. How could I possibly accept payment?"

"Business is business," Zhang Jianmin insisted. "The accounts must be kept clear."

Seeing Zhang Jianmin’s resolve, Zhu Weifeng dared not argue further and simply nodded repeatedly.

Li Xiujuan began to feel increasingly uneasy. As a waitress, sitting while her boss stood nearby bowing and scraping felt entirely inappropriate.

She stood up. "Please, you all continue. I still have work to do, so I'll get back to it."

After bidding the table goodbye, she prepared to leave. She had realized by now that Young Master Yun and Lu Ming were both of considerable background, and that Chen Bing likely had nothing to worry about. Relieved, she readied herself to depart—the people here were all either rich or powerful, and she felt out of place.

But just as she rose, Lu Ming caught her arm and gently pulled her back into her seat. "Xiujuan, you’re an eyewitness. You might be needed in a bit. Just stay for now."

Li Xiujuan looked hesitantly at her boss. "But..."

Zhu Weifeng quickly interjected, "Stay seated, stay seated! Don’t worry about anything else."

Seeing no other choice, Li Xiujuan sat back down. Zhu Weifeng, meanwhile, had already decided that once this was over, he’d immediately promote Li Xiujuan to lobby manager. After all, she’d just shaken hands with Zhang Jianmin himself—a fact that would surely become a valuable asset for the hotel.

At that moment, Lu Ming suddenly spoke up. "Sixth Master, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. We’re not through here."

Wang Liu, seeing how things were turning, had been preparing to slip away unnoticed. But no matter how stealthy his movements, he couldn’t escape Lu Ming’s attention. He had barely taken a couple of steps before being called out.

Wang Liu’s body went rigid, frozen where he stood. At the exact moment Lu Ming spoke, a wave of invisible force surged into Wang Liu’s mind, striking him like a bolt of lightning. His head spun, his body stiffened.

Lu Ming had used a touch of his mental power on Wang Liu—just enough to keep him from fleeing. Had he unleashed his full strength, Wang Liu would have been dead on the spot, bleeding from every orifice.

Zhang Jianmin turned to ask, "Is he involved in this matter?"

Yun Ketian chuckled. "Very much so. This Sixth Master is quite the figure here in the county. The man who reported the incident is one of his subordinates. In fact, just now, he was here championing his man’s cause."

Let’s set a small goal for now, such as remembering the mobile reading site: Book Guest Residence.