Chapter 453

Lin Dongfan finished his last push‑up, rose slowly, grabbed a towel from the side and wiped his sweat, smiling as he said, "Secretary Yu, your grand visit—just to tease me?"

"Haha, just based on Zhang Yinlan's demeanor, it's worth you doing a thousand push‑ups."

"Comrade Yu Huacheng, who is usually so proper, today actually started joking about food and sex, even getting into pimping."

This surprised Lin Dongfan quite a bit.

Earlier I had heard that when Old Yu first arrived in Haishan, a female cadre from Jiangqu District paid him a late‑night visit to report on work, frightening him so much he didn't dare close his door.

Wind and snow pressed on him for over half a year; he dared to be angry but not to speak.

Living such a precarious life, he dared not misstep even a step, and his every word and deed were cautious, fearing he would fall into a deep pit dug by the local gang and be buried alive on the spot.

It seems……

I, Lin Dongfan, am someone he trusts more; otherwise he wouldn't joke like this.

Lin Dongfan made an inviting gesture with relief: "Please sit and chat." Then he turned and called Yu Youwei, who lived next door, asking her to bring a pot of tea.

Soon after.

The warm and generous Yu Youwei came in with a tea tray: "Secretary Yu, I don't know what tea you like, so I brewed a pot of West Lake Longjing; if it doesn't suit your taste, please forgive me."

"You're too kind, thank you, Manager Yu."

Yu Youwei's appearance surprised Yu Huacheng quite a bit; he hastily rose to receive the tea.

It wasn't that he was shocked by Yu Youwei's myriad charms, but rather he hadn't expected that in Lin Dongfan's world she would merely be a tea‑pouring attendant.

She is, after all, the finance director of Zhengtong Capital and holds a 1% stake in Zhengtong Capital.

Her net worth exceeds a hundred million!

Someone like her, when she goes out, is a prominent figure; at least in the financial world she carries some social influence.

Yu Huacheng glanced at Yu Youwei, then at Lin Dongfan.

The more he looked, the more puzzled he became: a financial elite worth over a hundred million serving him tea and water like a maid, while the Provincial Committee's Number One was fuming over the phone about his arrest!

It's truly unfathomable how someone in his thirties could possess such terrifying influence.

Yu Huacheng collected himself, then asked cautiously and concernedly: "Director Fan, after your arrest yesterday, I heard they interrogated you all night—were you unharmed?"

"My luck's been okay; the two investigating officers I met were quite decent."

During last night's interrogation, the officer named Ye Yong, although he brought the tiger bench and chili water, ultimately didn't use them.

He merely shut the door and put on a show, having Lin Dongfan scream a few times in agony.

The effect of that ploy was also obvious.

When those outside heard the screams, they believed Ye Yong's interrogation intensity, so they didn't switch interrogators, allowing Lin Dongfan to survive until dawn.

While chatting and laughing, Lin Dongfan stretched his arms, showing Yu Huacheng his unharmed muscles: "With my physique, ordinary torture to extract a confession really can't do anything to me. I just fear they'll go all the way, kill me outright, and then pin a 'suicide to avoid punishment' label on me."

"No one reported to me last night; I only found out about your arrest this morning."

Yu Huacheng avoided discussing Wang Daochen's order to release him.

He adopted a righteous, solemn posture.

He launched into a self‑righteous tirade: "This morning I summoned Li Yongyuan to the office and gave him a dressing‑down; at first he wouldn't yield, as you know, he always follows Guo Lichun's lead. In the end I had no choice—I was forced to speak harshly, to sacrifice everything, and with a strong attitude order him to release the person immediately……"

Mid‑sentence, Yu Huacheng lifted his tea, took a sip to moisten his throat.

He continued to Lin Dongfan: "As for monitoring your residence and restricting your freedom of movement, that's the City Bureau's condition for releasing you; I really have no alternative. After all, the case of Cai Yang's killing remains unresolved, and before your suspicion is cleared, I can only compromise. I hope you can understand."

In other words, I, Yu Huacheng, have protected you and done everything I could.

Lin Dongfan saw through but didn't expose it, smiling and saying, "I understand, thank you, Secretary Yu, for saving my life." Inside, however, he gave Yu Huacheng a big negative rating.

After he was released today, as soon as his feet stepped out of the Public Security Bureau, he received a call from Jian Sining, already knowing that Wang Daochen had cursed Yu Huacheng on the phone, a torrent of abuse.

All of this is pressure exerted behind the scenes by Lord Wang!

I really didn't expect that.

That scoundrel Yu Huacheng actually shamelessly claims credit, polishing himself into a monument of great merit, such that anyone passing by must bow and worship.

To say I'm not disappointed would be false.

Lin Dongfan's impression of him had been pretty good, but now he suddenly uncovered his hypocritical side; this heart‑wrenching sense of letdown is like a waterfall plunging three thousand feet, not even matching the affection Wang Lun once showed me.

Lin Dongfan pondered left and right.

He straightforwardly challenged Yu Huacheng: "Secretary Yu, all I want to know now is when you can clear my name?"

You can't keep me under soft detention in Haishan forever.

The New Year is just around the corner; I still need to go home to be with my wife and children.

My wife has a temper; if she learns I'm under soft detention by the Haishan police, she'll surely say the Haishan officials are so clueless.

We've poured real money into this place to boost local industrial upgrading, adding luster to your political achievements, yet you treat us like prisoners.

On what grounds?

Pouring in hundreds of billions, are we supposed to take the fall for a murderer?

Given my wife's temper, she'll definitely order me to withdraw the investment! Our country is vast; with money we still fear having nowhere to invest.

By the time he said that, the atmosphere on site had become extremely awkward.

But the embarrassed person wasn't Lin Dongfan.

It was Yu Huacheng, caught off guard by the outburst, who, even if he were stupid, would realize this had nothing to do with Lin Dongfan's wife—it was just Lin Dongfan venting.

Put plainly, Lin Dongfan is threatening to withdraw investment.

Withdrawing investment is no small matter.

Leaving aside whether the Fishing Port New City mega‑project might turn into a stalled construction, more importantly, the Yu and Guo factions are currently in a covert struggle.

Before the outcome is decided, withdrawing troops midway is a major military taboo!

Yu Huacheng, worried and anxious, calmly expressed his stance to Lin Dongfan: "From now until the New Year there's still over a month; before the New Year I'll give you a satisfactory explanation."

Lin Dongfan smiled upon hearing that: "Secretary Yu, with those words my heart feels much more at ease. Come, I'll substitute tea for wine and toast you."

Don't mention it, this is what I should do.

Both secretly thought the other was no pushover, but on the surface they clinked tea cups instead of wine, drinking quite happily, like old comrades who had shared life and death.

He finished the cup of tea.

Yu Huacheng said to Lin Dongfan again: "I came here today mainly to talk to you about the Fisher Harbor New City project. That project has been stalled there, which is no solution. What do you think about this: you add a bit more compensation, placate the families of the deceased. As long as the relatives don't cause trouble, this matter should be settled."

"Secretary Yu, is this really a matter of money?" Lin Dongfan said with a smile: "Now Guo Lichun is trying every means to deny our company's engineering qualifications, wanting to take the project back from my hands and give it to Zheng Canghai. Zheng Canghai is secretly pressuring the families to cause trouble—do the families want money or their lives? Think about it carefully."

"I understand what you're saying." Yu Huacheng looked helpless: "Let's give it a try—money can make ghosts push a mill."

"The key breakthrough point is not with the victims' families, but with the driver at fault, Huang Hai." Lin Dongfan said bluntly: "Huang Hai took money from Zheng Canghai; as long as we obtain this evidence, Guo Lichun and Zheng Canghai's scheme will collapse on its own. Earlier, Chen Shaokang was after this evidence, which is why he was beaten and sent to the hospital."

"So now, do you still have confidence in getting the evidence?" Yu Huacheng looked somewhat anxious.

Lin Dongfan said: "If it weren't for the sudden outbreak of the Cai Yang case, which disrupted my earlier schedule, I would have already obtained the evidence. Rest assured, there will be results in a few days."