Chapter 1919

Zhou Andong stepped forward. Lan Yibin frowned; he was a man with some depth of character.

Originally, he was happy to see Huang He act as the vanguard to teach Zhou Andong a lesson.

But he never expected Zhou Andong's audacity to be so boundless that he would actually dare to assault a superior official.

This matter was too egregious; no matter where it was reported, Zhou Andong would find it difficult to escape severe punishment.

However, if he didn't stop Zhou Andong and the situation escalated further, neither he nor Huang He would have a good outcome.

"Zhou Andong!"

Lan Yibin took a few steps forward, blocking Zhou Andong, and shouted sternly.

"What are you trying to do?"

He looked solemn and his voice was severe, but his heart was in his throat, fearing Zhou Andong might suddenly reach out, and he remained on high alert.

"It's not what I'm trying to do, but what you are trying to do," Zhou Andong looked coldly at Lan Yibin. "You keep pinning big labels on me one after another.

What is this? If I don't sell the company to the little devils, the country can't develop, reform and opening up will stop, and foreign investment can't proceed, is that it?

I didn't even know that the country couldn't function without me. I, Zhou Andong, am actually this important."

Lan Yibin's scalp began to tingle because he saw more than a dozen security guards surrounding them, and more were running over.

They were all wearing uniform attire, holding rubber batons, standing straight as boards—they were clearly retired soldiers.

Only then did Lan Yibin regret it; this was the man's home turf, and he really shouldn't have provoked Zhou Andong here.

"Um, Director Zhou!"

Lan Yibin's tone softened; this was the reality of having to bow one's head when under someone else's roof.

Huang He had already been slapped, and if he still didn't know what was good for him and got slapped too, he would only have himself to blame.

"If Yuzhou Technology and Sony can cooperate, it would indeed have a benchmark significance for reform and opening up and attracting investment, and the ministry leaders are very concerned.

Division Chief Huang was just anxious, which led to such irrational behavior. I apologize on his behalf; please forgive him."

Zhou Andong laughed, which made Lan Yibin shudder violently.

"Oh, so your ministry leaders are very concerned about this matter? Fine. Once I'm done dealing with this idiot, I'll personally call your ministry leaders to plead guilty."

Zhou Andong stepped toward Huang He again. This fellow had truly been slapped into a daze; he remained sitting on the ground, his eyes staring blankly.

Lan Yibin braced himself and tried to block Zhou Andong again, but a security guard raised a baton and pointed it at his face.

"Don't look for trouble. Stand there honestly and don't move."

Lan Yibin immediately became obedient; he was regretting it to the core now.

"You—what are you trying to do?"

Seeing Zhou Andong walk up to him, Huang He finally reacted, kicking his feet desperately against the ground, scrambling backward in a panic.

"Don't come over, don't come over."

Huang He roared desperately; he still hadn't recovered from the slap and kick Zhou Andong had given him earlier.

His head was still buzzing, his face was swollen to the point of numbness, and his stomach was still aching with a twisting pain.

"Do you know why I hit you?" Zhou Andong squatted down and looked coldly at Huang He. "I don't care about you pinning labels on me.

Calling me stupid is even less of an issue; if I bothered with you over such trifles, it would just be gilding your face. But, your talk about a 'rift in the friendship between China and Japan'—that needs to be discussed properly."

"What is there to discuss?" Huang He roared, his voice fierce but his spirit weak. "Sino-Japanese friendship is a matter at the national level. Do you dare to oppose it? Besides, the war ended decades ago; we should forgive Japan, not keep remembering the hatred from back then."

"Smack!"

Without warning, Zhou Andong raised his hand and slapped Huang He hard on the other side of his face. Now, our Division Chief Huang's face looked much more symmetrical.

"What right do you have to replace the ancestors who lie in their graves and forgive the damn little devils?"

Zhou Andong's roar startled not only Lan Yibin, but even Gu Bing and Wu Huilin shuddered.

Zhou Andong stood up and stomped his foot hard. "Right here, just a few meters beneath my feet, if you took a shovel and dug into this soil, look closely—you could still see the blood our ancestors spilled on it."

Zhou Andong pointed toward the Martyrs' Cemetery. "There are over 12,000 ancestors lying in the Jiangzhou Martyrs' Cemetery, but only 241 have names. The rest are nameless martyrs.

They gave their blood for this country, for this nation, and so that our descendants wouldn't be enslaved by the little devils, and they didn't even leave behind a name. Who the hell do you think you are, daring to forgive the little devils on behalf of those ancestors?"

Huang He was already stunned, not knowing if it was from the scolding or the beating.

Lan Yibin's eyelids twitched wildly, especially when he saw the security guards. Their eyes were filled with a fanatical fervor when looking at Zhou Andong, but when they looked at him, their eyes turned murderous.

Qian Zhen and Du Chunlai were also deeply moved after hearing Zhou Andong's words.

Gu Bing blinked his eyes and looked up slightly, cursing Zhou Andong in his heart.

This damn brat, hitting him and scolding him was fine, but why did he have to say all that stuff?

Wu Huilin tilted her head, looking at Gu Bing, who was looking up and blinking incessantly.

"What's wrong with you?"

Gu Bing shook his head. "The wind is a bit strong today; it's irritating my eyes."

Wu Huilin smiled slightly and held Gu Bing's hand.

She was from Hong Kong and didn't know much about the history of those years.

But she had been working in Jiangzhou for nearly two years and had visited the Liaoshen Campaign Memorial Hall twice.

She had also visited the cemetery last month, and she felt the same indignation regarding the crimes committed by the little devils.

Especially given Gu Bing's family background, she could understand his mood even better.

Zhou Andong waved his hand. "Take these two and follow me."

The security guards didn't hesitate, grabbing Huang He by the arms and hauling him up.

Lan Yibin was sensible; before the guards could move, he said,

"I'll walk myself."

Then, a large group of people followed Zhou Andong to the guardroom.

"Director!"

Old Zhao stood at attention and gave a standard salute.

Zhou Andong nodded, entered the guardroom, and spoke toward the outside.

"Let them in."

Lan Yibin walked in himself, followed by the guards hauling Huang He, and then Gu Bing followed them in.

Zhou Andong sat in a chair, pressed the speakerphone button on the telephone, and dialed a number he had kept in his heart for a long time but had never dared to dial.

After ringing for a while, the other side answered: "This is Chen Quan. Who is this?"

Lan Yibin and Huang He, whose head was swollen like a pig's, felt a thunderclap in their brains and looked at Zhou Andong simultaneously, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Even when they needed to find their superiors, they had to call the official line managed by secretaries, who would then transfer the call.

Yet Zhou Andong had called the leader's office directly. What was even harder for them to understand was how Zhou Andong knew this number.

"Uncle-in-law, it's Dongzi. I've wanted to call you for a long time, but I was afraid of disturbing your work, so I never dared to."

That "Uncle-in-law" was like a bolt of lightning, striking Lan Yibin and Huang He hard.

Their heads were buzzing, and they looked at Zhou Andong with unfocused eyes, as if they had lost their souls.