Chapter 1889: Caught Red-Handed

On this matter, Zheng Tulu didn't shield his own, and besides, in his eyes, security guards were nothing more than watchdogs. Just as he was listening intently to the **Bureau, Li Fang paused. Hu Tao grew anxious, raised his hand to nudge Li Fang's arm, and said with an eager expression, "What happened after you hit them? Go on, tell us!"

Li Fang shot a fierce glare at Hu Tao, then turned her face, wearing an apologetic expression, and said to Zheng Tulu in a gentle tone, "Director Zheng, the people under me are all a bunch of roughnecks. Since they hurt the security guards at your Construction Committee, I, Li Fang, am here to apologize to you." As she spoke, she cupped her hands in a chivalrous gesture, waiting for Zheng Tulu's response.

Zheng Tulu looked at Li Fang. On the surface, she appeared to be a charming young married woman with a beautiful face and figure. In particular, those two meat buns, wrapped in a tight striped shirt, looked exceptionally firm and towering, stretching the shirt until it was round and bulging, giving off a feeling that they were about to burst out. Yet, inside, she was truly a woman full of chivalrous spirit. With her delicate fists cupped and a serious expression, she really looked the part.

This was Zheng Tulu's first time dining with such a beautiful young woman from a martial arts novel. Seeing her like this, the old guy, who wouldn't have been angry with her over security guards anyway, how could he bear to blame her? So, he acted as if nothing had happened, chuckled, and said, "If they were hit, they were hit. As long as it's not serious, it's fine."

"It's not serious, just a bloody nose," Li Fang said, lowering her cupped fists.

Zheng Tulu smiled even more nonchalantly and said, "Then it's nothing."

Li Fang, however, felt a bit bad for Zheng Tulu, as the security guards were innocent after all. So, she picked up her wine glass and said to Zheng Tulu, "Many thanks to you, Director Zheng, for your magnanimity. I, Li Fang, will punish myself with a glass to apologize to you, Director Zheng!" Saying this, without waiting for Zheng Tulu or Hu Tao to say anything, she raised her glass, tilted her head back, and downed a glass of Wuliangye in one go.

"Keep talking. After you hit that little punk, what happened? Did that little punk call people to bully you?" Hu Tao asked, anxiously speculating along the lines of a detective novel.

Li Fang raised her hand to wipe the corner of her mouth, shook her head, coughed twice, and said, "No, after I hit that little punk, I don't know who called the police. Then the people from the police station came, and they scared off more than half of the people I brought."

Upon hearing this, Hu Tao couldn't help but interject, cursing, "Damn it! Every one of them patted their chests saying they would go through fire and water for me, but the moment they hit a snag, they ran. Damn it!"

Li Fang looked at Hu Tao, and after he finished venting his dissatisfaction, she continued, "Dazhuang and the others were bluffed by the police. Deputy Director Liu saw the situation and took the opportunity to call me into the office to negotiate. Originally, I wanted to follow Director Zheng's instructions and find an opportunity to make things difficult for that fox spirit surnamed Lan, but that Zhao Desan must have seen through my reservations. He bargained with me and deliberately protected that fox spirit. In the end, I really had no choice. For the sake of my brothers, I reached an agreement with Deputy Director Liu: I would temporarily stop pursuing Lan Mei's responsibility, but the condition was that he had to let the police at the station release Dazhuang and the others..." At this point, Li Fang paused again, took a sip of water, and looked at Zheng Tulu and Hu Tao, who were watching her intently, waiting for her to continue.

"What was the name of the police officer who came from the station?" Zheng Tulu asked.

Li Fang squinted her eyes and thought for a while, then suddenly remembered. She said to Zheng Tulu, "The one leading them was named Xu... something, he's the station chief."

"Xu Min," Zheng Tulu added.

"Yes, yes, that's it, his name is Xu Min," Li Fang said.

"And then? Did Xu Min give you a hard time?" Zheng Tulu asked.

Li Fang shook her head and said, "He seemed to have a pretty good relationship with Deputy Director Liu. Deputy Director Liu put in a good word for him, and he let Dazhuang and the others go. Later, I got the note from Deputy Director Liu. Before leaving, I was afraid that the little punk named Wuzi wouldn't let it go, so I specifically gave him some money, wanting to send him away. But that Wuzi didn't want the money and even shouted, 'Th... this won't do? H... how can I, your father, take this money? Are you trying to stop me from surviving in society!' So, I handed the money to Deputy Director Liu for him to handle. Originally, I thought it was over, but when I walked out of the Construction Committee and got into the car, I noticed that Wuzi was sneakily following me. Based on my understanding of that little punk's performance, he should be a reckless man with brawn but no brains, and wouldn't engage in such sneaky tailing. I'm a bit suspicious—did Deputy Director Liu tell him something?"

Hu Tao had expected Li Fang to tell some thrilling, earth-shattering story. Seeing that she hadn't been harmed or threatened, he said dismissively, "Hi, I thought you were going to say something. You're completely overthinking it. What kind of climate can a little punk create? If he really dares to seek revenge on you, I'll have Big Bear beat him to death!"

After listening to Li Fang's account, Zheng Tulu lowered his eyelids, smoked his cigarette, and seemed to fall into deep thought. After a moment, he raised his eyelids and said slowly, "Manager Hu, I don't think this matter is as simple as you say! Perhaps this is that brat Zhao Desan not trusting Xiao Li and wanting to use Wuzi to probe her background!" Zheng Tulu was indeed an old hand in the world; after a little thought, he saw through the surface to the essence of the matter.

"Probe my background?" Hearing Zheng Tulu's speculation, Li Fang immediately looked at Zheng Tulu with surprise.

"If that little punk really finds out, wouldn't... wouldn't that implicate you, Director Zheng?" Hu Tao speculated, following this line of thought.

Zheng Tulu, however, appeared very dismissive and said, "A little punk probably doesn't have that much energy. Besides, today is the first time Xiao Li and I have met, and we might not see each other often in the future. What could that little punk possibly find out!"

Hearing Zheng Tulu's words, Hu Tao breathed a huge sigh of relief. On one hand, he relaxed his vigilance because the little punk couldn't find the mastermind behind the incident; on the other hand, he breathed a sigh of relief because of Zheng Tulu's second half of the sentence. If the old guy could say that, it at least meant he wouldn't deliberately seek out Li Fang. Hu Tao didn't want his capable 'general' to be taken a fancy to by this old guy; if that happened, wouldn't he have to endure the pain of parting with her! Hu Tao chuckled and said, "That's true, a little punk can't amount to much. Come, Director Zheng, let's drink. I'll toast you." As Hu Tao spoke, he picked up a glass of wine and raised it toward Zheng Tulu.

Zheng Tulu never refused a toast from others in front of women. He picked up his glass in a very easygoing manner, clinked it gently with Hu Tao's, and then, also tilting his head back, downed the glass of wine in one gulp.

Li Fang was like a lubricant between the two, and she acted as a bartender, helping them pour wine. Zheng Tulu glanced at Li Fang, who was filling his glass, and said thoughtfully, "Although this plan is complete, it seems there are still some variables."