Chapter 81: Confrontation

Xie Zhao smiled brightly.

“You got it, Sister Ye!”

This “Sister Ye” made Mrs. Ye beam with joy.

She took the coordinated outfit, picked up her bag, and left happily.

As she opened the door, she ran right into Ye Haodong, who had just rushed back.

“What kind of treasure did you get to make you so happy?” Ye Haodong asked.

Mrs. Ye gave him a playful glare. “Can’t a woman be happy about buying new clothes?”

She took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back. “Little Xie has great taste. Don’t make things difficult for him!”

Ye Haodong chuckled. “I know, I know!”

He waved his hand and turned to walk inside, the smile instantly vanishing from his face.

“Xiao Zhao, you can step out first,” he said to his secretary.

“Yes, sir.”

Xiao Zhao quickly replied, turned, and tiptoed out, quietly closing the door behind him.

Ye Haodong walked past Xie Zhao, sat down behind his desk, and fixed his gaze on him, quietly sizing up the young man.

The room fell into a sudden silence.

Xie Zhao stood quietly in place, not saying a word.

After a moment, Ye Haodong suddenly burst into laughter.

“Comrade Little Xie, why are you standing? Sit down, please!”

He said, “Have you had some tea? It’s the finest Yuqian Longjing Tea. Try it and see if you like it. If you do, I’ll have Xiao Zhao pack a couple of pounds for you to take home!”

Xie Zhao smiled and said, “Thank you, Deputy Chief, but I’ve already tried it. It’s delicious. However, no one in my family drinks tea, so taking it back would be a waste. It’s better left here with you, Deputy Chief, for someone who truly appreciates it. That would be putting it to its best use.”

Ye Haodong stood up and brewed a cup of tea for himself.

He observed Xie Zhao for a moment. Seeing his natural, poised demeanor, he couldn’t help but feel surprised.

Could it really have been just a chance warning?

He pondered for a moment and decided to get straight to the point.

“Comrade Little Xie, in that case, I won’t beat around the bush. Since you warned Cheng Gang about this operation, it proves we are on the same side.”

Ye Haodong said in a low voice, “Can you tell me where you got this information?”

Xie Zhao let his smile fade, took a sip of water, and looked at Ye Haodong. “Have you ever considered, Deputy Chief, that the issue might be from within?”

Ye Haodong’s expression shifted slightly.

“I’m just a small business owner, and I happened to overhear it.”

Xie Zhao said, “But I heard them mention someone named Qian Mingkui. Do you know him, Deputy Chief?”

At that moment, Ye Haodong’s face changed dramatically!

In reality, finding the mole was easy.

For a reincarnated soul like Xie Zhao, it was child’s play.

Official positions were like musical chairs; one only had to look at who benefited after Ye Haodong fell.

In his past life, Xie Zhao had seen the personnel changes in the Tobacco Bureau.

Ever since Cheng Gang got into trouble, Qian Mingkui had become the second-in-command of the Tobacco Bureau. He had even made a major contribution and was commended in the newspapers.

As for where that credit came from, it went without saying.

“It was him!”

Ye Haodong’s expression turned incredibly dark.

“Damn it! I worked so hard to drag him up to his current position, and he actually betrayed me!”

Ye Haodong stood up abruptly, knocking over the teacup in front of him. It shattered on the floor.

He clenched his fists in rage, but remembering Xie Zhao was still there, he forced himself to rein in his loss of composure.

“Comrade Little Xie, I must thank you for this!”

Ye Haodong looked at Xie Zhao, his eyes burning. “Tell me, what do you want? I can grant you anything!”

At that moment, it was impossible not to be tempted.

Money?

Power?

Or perhaps something more practical, like houses and shops?

Many options flashed through Xie Zhao’s mind, but as he calmed down, he rejected them all.

Ye Haodong’s actions were like walking a tightrope; there was no guarantee he wouldn’t fall one day.

If that happened, whatever Xie Zhao took from him would become concrete evidence – a ticking time bomb!

He couldn’t get too deeply involved.

Xie Zhao gradually calmed himself. Finally, he looked at Ye Haodong and said with a smile, “Bureau Chief Ye, as you know, I just run a small business. If you really want to thank me, why not have Mrs. Ye patronize my shop more often? And if I run into any trouble in the future, just help me out with a good word.”

He had to leave himself some leeway.

If he wanted to open a shop in the future, whether it was renting a place or getting a business license, he would need connections.

Giving him a heads-up now…

…might just come in handy later.

Seeing that Xie Zhao didn’t open his mouth wide to demand a fortune, Ye Haodong couldn’t help but think much higher of him.

This kid has great self-control. He’s bound for great things in the future!

Feeling deeply impressed and genuinely grateful, he couldn’t resist pulling open his drawer and grabbing two cartons of Phoenix Cigarettes, shoving them into Xie Zhao’s hands.

“You must take these!”

Ye Haodong brooked no refusal. “My life is worth far more than two cartons of cigarettes!”

Helpless, Xie Zhao finally accepted them.

*

Once they followed Cheng Gang out of the Tobacco Bureau, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Cheng Gang grabbed Xie Zhao and headed straight for a roast chicken shop.

He ordered two bottles of liquor and three ducks, pushing them all in front of Xie Zhao.

“Come, come, come! One chicken for each of us! Once we drink this, we’re brothers who’ve faced death together!”

Cheng Gang poured the liquor to the brim, tore off a chicken leg for Xie Zhao, and said excitedly, “Brother Xie, you must drink this cup. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be eating lead by now!”

Xie Zhao was amused.

Unable to refuse, he drank a cup and pushed the glass away. “Brother Cheng, I’ve had the drink, and I consider you a brother too. There’s no need to treat me like an outsider anymore.”

Cheng Gang nodded vigorously.

“Right, right, right! It wouldn’t be good if my sister-in-law gets angry later!”

He stuffed the chicken leg back to Xie Zhao. “Eat up! Their chicken is the best! Try it!”

Xie Zhao took it, took a bite, and found it incredibly savory and juicy.

He couldn’t help but turn around and call the owner to order two more, having them packed to take home for his family.

Over the course of the meal, Cheng Gang poured his heart out, saying everything he should and shouldn’t have.

But the moment the events of that day were mentioned, both Cheng Gang and Huzi, who had remained silent the whole time, turned pale.

That feeling of hanging by a thread was truly terrifying.

“I’ve finally seen the light. What’s the point of making money if you aren’t alive to spend it? If it were just me, fine, but I can’t have the brothers under me taking bullets with me!”

Cheng Gang gritted his teeth.

Huzi fell silent as well.

Xie Zhao patted Cheng Gang’s shoulder reassuringly.

After a moment, he said, “Let’s put the cigarette business on hold for now. There are definitely a lot of eyes on us. Once the heat dies down, we can switch to another trade, and it should be fine.”

Cheng Gang let out a long sigh. “That’s all we can do.”

The two chatted for a while longer. By the time they finished the chicken, Cheng Gang suddenly remembered something. He turned to Xie Zhao and said, “You mentioned earlier that you’re running a river snail business over in the south of the city, right?”

“Yeah, for a while now.”

“Right. Be careful lately. No telling if some blind fools might target you.”

Cheng Gang let out a boozy burp. “But it’s nothing to lose sleep over. If they actually dare to cause trouble, I’ll make sure they get more than they bargained for!”

Having said that, he patted Xie Zhao’s shoulder again.

“Brother! If you run into trouble, you have to come find me! I’ll be staying in Alley No. 2 in the south of the city for the next few days. The scrap collector’s place is it! Just give my name!”

Xie Zhao smiled and raised his glass, draining the last of his liquor.

“Thanks, Brother Cheng!”