Chapter 492: Soul‑Searching at Gold Gather Virtue Lane

The next day.

Chu Lingxi took the two "little ancestors" back to the military district compound early in the morning to cheer up her father, and the house instantly grew so quiet you could hear dust falling.

Lin Dongfan, who rarely got to sleep in, lay in bed and didn't get up until his phone rang at ten.

The caller ID showed Li Mingtang.

This real power figure of the Anti-Corruption Bureau is nominally Lin Dongfan's superior, but in fact Fan Ye is the true father; his stock‑market fortune came entirely from Fan Ye's guidance.

In private, the two are more like partners who've split loot together.

Lin Dongfan answered the phone lazily: "What are you doing up so early? Not letting people sleep?"

"Fan Ye, you're back in Jing and didn't even say a word." Li Mingtang's voice was full and hearty: "You free at noon? Let me treat you to a meal to wash off the dust."

"If the boss is treating, I definitely have time." Lin Dongfan laughed: "Where to eat? All Gather Virtue? I heard they've just come out with—"

"Cough cough!"

Li Mingtang cut him off immediately.

Like a thrifty householder: "All Gather Virtue is flashy but substance‑less, damn expensive! For us little guys scraping by, we won't praise All Gather Virtue. A newly opened Gold Gather Virtue has an auspicious name, authentic taste, and most importantly, it's affordable. That's the one—I'll send you the address; be there at noon or don't bother coming."

He hung up cleanly, ending the call as soon as he finished speaking.

Lin Dongfan looked at the address on the screen, checked the map—fine, it's on the second floor of a commercial street in an out‑of‑the‑way corner outside the Fourth Ring Road.

Damn it, stingy Li!

These years he's made a fortune from stocks, yet his miserly habit hasn't changed a bit.

Gold Gather Virtue?

It sounds like the same old Kang Shuai Fu routine—just selling knockoffs.

At noon, Gold Gather Virtue Roast Duck Restaurant.

The shopfront is small; the "Gold" character on the sign has chipped, revealing the "All" underneath, giving off a cheap‑trying‑to‑hide‑it vibe.

Few customers inside, the air thick with the smell of roast duck.

When Lin Dongfan found a corner booth, Li Mingtang was already there.

This Anti-Corruption Bureau chief wore a slightly worn‑down jacket, holding the menu, his finger tracing the price list, brows furrowed as if studying a major case report.

On the table sat a plate of complimentary, limp fried peanuts.

"You're here? Have a seat."

Li Mingtang looked up, greeted him warmly, and shoved the menu over: "See what you want, don't stand on ceremony. Their duck set comes with a free half‑duck‑bone soup—real bang for your buck."

Lin Dongfan glanced at the menu; the duck picture looked dull, the skin unlikely to be crisp.

He casually ordered two cold dishes: "That'll do—I'm not hungry in the cold."

"Sure." Li Mingtang seemed to relax, shouting to the server: "One duck set! And a jin of loose‑pour erguotou, no water added."

After giving the order, he finally turned his full attention to Lin Dongfan.

He gave Lin Dongfan a once‑over.

He clicked his tongue and laughed: "Look at you, all skinny again. Is it that Haishan lacks grease, or that the Haishan there ate too much and burned his mouth?"

"Mainly because Haishan has too many beauties—I've been drained."

Lin Dongfan deliberately struck a carefree, indulgent pose, and instantly Li Mingtang flared with envy, jealousy, and hate—only regretting that officials dare not play like that.

The complimentary barley tea was bland.

Li Mingtang picked up his chopsticks, speared the biggest peanut, and asked: "The Haishan case… is it all wrapped up?"

"Pretty much—everyone on the list's been nabbed; Jian Sining will handle the interrogations." Lin Dongfan spoke concisely.

"Guo Lichun, Zheng Canghai, Li Yongyuan… and Chen Yongnian of the Sea Dragon Society died suspiciously." Li Mingtang chewed the peanut, his words muffled but his eyes sharp: "How did Chen Yongnian die, and who's behind it?"

"Wu Changsheng, Wang Daochen's chief aide." Lin Dongfan didn't beat around the bush.

Li Mingtang nodded, seeming unsurprised.

He lifted his teacup, didn't drink, just rubbed the rim: "Where's the evidence?"

"Before he died, Chen Yongnian got a message reading 'Mazu guides,' like a death god's order. He smashed his own phone, but we recovered the data technically. The sender was an encrypted number, preliminarily traced to Wu Changsheng's backup phone—details still need verification. His two bodyguards: one dead, one missing, no bodies found. The bullet found at the scene was a specially made silencer round, hard to trace."

Lin Dongfan stated it calmly.

"That's it?"

Li Mingtang set down his cup, leaned forward, and lowered his voice: "This evidence alone won't do. He's Wang Daochen's man—moving against him is slapping Wang Daochen in the face. What are you going to do about it? If we can't get solid proof, are we just going to leave it hanging?"

Lin Dongfan didn't answer right away, picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a peanut, chewed twice—it was soft and soggy.

He lifted his eyes to Li Mingtang.

He then smiled and asked: "Bureau Chief, you invited me to eat just to interrogate me?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Li Mingtang said bluntly: "I'm looking out for you—you stirred up a huge mess in Haishan and earned merit, but if you don't clean up the loose ends, trouble will follow. Wu Changsheng is a poisonous snake; if you don't kill him, he'll bite you once he recovers. And Wang Daochen—if you go after his secretary, do you think he'll just let it slide?"

Just then, the server brought out the duck.

The duck was small, its color dark, the carver's technique average—slices uneven in thickness. The bone broth was clear and watery, with a few wilted yellow leaves floating in it.

Li Mingtang's attention snapped to it.

He picked up a lotus leaf bun, eyed it critically: "This bun's a bit thick. Sauce? Give me more sweet bean sauce." When the sauce arrived, he carefully spread a layer, wrapped a piece of duck meat, shoved it in his mouth, chewed twice, and frowned: "Hmm… this duck… the heat's off."

Watching Li Mingtang's penny‑pinching, fault‑finding attitude, Lin Dongfan felt the irritation of being questioned rise again.

He didn't touch his chopsticks, lifted the glass of loose‑pour liquor, took a sip to warm up.

"Director Li,"

After setting down his cup, Lin Dongfan smirked at Li Mingtang: "I'm risking my life rounding people up in Haishan while you're in Jingcheng pinching pennies over roast duck—is that how you lead?"

"You're Fan Ye—you're the real leader, and your whole family are leaders."

Li Mingtang truly doesn't see himself as a leader—at least in front of Lin Dongfan he never puts on airs, mainly because his stock‑market wealth came entirely from Fan Ye's guidance.

Just love his shameless, thick‑skinned demeanor.

Lin Dongfan laughed and said: "Haishan's case — I led the charge up front, making arrests, conducting interrogations, and seeing the operation through despite the pressure. Now the loose ends are tricky, and you casually ask me what to do? Is the evidence supposed to drop from the sky? If we don't investigate, don't touch anything, will the evidence just grow legs and walk onto your desk?"

He paused.

Lin Dongfan looked at Li Mingtang's somewhat unpleasant expression, his tone softened a bit, but his words cut deeper: "As for Wang Daochen, whether he has any ideas is none of my business. I, Lin Dongfan, investigate cases based solely on where the evidence chain points. If his rear is clean, I can't touch his secretary even if I wanted to! If his rear is not clean..."

"Enough."

Li Mingtang's expression kept changing, and he put down the half-roll of duck meat in his hand.

He looked at this sharp-edged "God of Wealth" before him, guessing that this fellow must be somewhat vexed by Wu Changsheng's case.

He then expressed with a smile: "Investigate, however it needs to be investigated! For anything requiring coordination from the General Bureau, just speak up. If Wang Daochen's side really brings pressure to bear, you hold firm, and I'll pretend to have the strength to back you up."

Lin Dongfan gave a sideways glance, wondering if that was even human speech.

Or maybe drinking is more comforting.

Lin Dongfan picked up the loose-pack baijiu and took another sip, saying contentedly: "By the way, your stingy habit really needs to change. Next time you entertain guests, if you again book this 'Jin Ju De', I'm afraid I won't be able to resist flipping the table. It's not that I look down on the 'Gold' sign; mainly, you've made plenty from stock trading."

"Having something to eat is already good enough; my little money isn't even enough to buy a siheyuan on the Second Ring Road." Li Mingtang laughed modestly, rolled up another piece of duck meat and stuffed it into his mouth, this time not complaining about the doneness.

Lin Dongfan laughed and scolded: "You're thinking about buying a siheyuan on the Second Ring Road, yet here you are pretending to be poor. How shameless can you be—how did you even become Bureau Chief?"

"All thanks to shamelessness."

No matter how Lin Dongfan retorted, Li Mingtang kept his focus on eating; you do your rebuttals, I'll do my eating.

It's just that the roast duck's flavor really isn't that great.

Lin Dongfan again urged: "Hurry up and eat; once you're full, come with me to find someone."

"Who?" Li Mingtang glanced up.

Lin Dongfan spoke plainly: "That kid is Xu Jijun; he's trying to hit on my wife. You know the Jingcheng area well—take me there, and I'll go meet him."