Chapter 67: Help a Brother Shift His Butt

Yin Qiurong is a person with no scruples; when she goes crazy, she'll do anything.

For safety's sake.

Lin Dongfan hired a full-time driver and bodyguard for Chu Lingxi at a high salary.

This person is Xie Xiaofeng, a responsible retired soldier who will from now on be in charge of picking up and dropping off Chu Lingxi for work and ensuring her personal safety.

This made the mother-in-law feel greatly relieved, as if she had not misjudged.

That morning.

Shen Junlan handed a bank card to Lin Dongfan: "Dongfan, this is Lingxi's salary card; all her savings from the past few years are in this card, about two hundred thousand, please keep it."

"Mom, we used your money for our wedding before; keep this money yourself." Lin Dongfan pushed the card back.

Shen Junlan laughed: "You child, I and your father have worked hard all these years, isn't it just to let you and Lingxi live without worries? Take it when I tell you to."

"But I really don't lack money now." Lin Dongfan boasted without modesty: "Mom, don't look down on my low salary; I'm good at stocks, I haven't lost money since I entered the market. If it weren't for Lingxi's love of dancing, wanting to achieve something in dance, I'd want her to stay home as a full-time housewife and do nothing."

"I know you've made some money from stocks, but hiring a bodyguard for her and later a postpartum nurse—none of that is cheap. I heard Lingxi say you also want to buy a villa."

Saying this, Shen Junlan forcibly shoved the bank card into Lin Dongfan's hand.

The mother-in-law looked at her son-in-law and found him more pleasing the longer she looked.

Shen Junlan smiled without showing her teeth, very gentle: "That girl Lingxi is scatterbrained, easily deceived, can't handle money. I'm entrusting the money to you; I'm relieved, I believe you won't let Lingxi down."

That last sentence is the point, the mother-in-law is trying to win people over with virtue.

Pushing further would seem a bit affected.

Lin Dongfan responded without hesitation with sincerity: "Mom, rest assured, as long as I, Lin Dongfan, am alive, I will never let Lingxi suffer any injustice."

"Don't talk nonsense; in a lifetime, who can avoid any grievance? I and your father can see how you treat Lingxi."

This reasonable speech left Lin Dongfan laughing helplessly.

Shen Junlan again cautioned Lin Dongfan: "In officialdom, hidden arrows are hard to guard against; from now on be more careful. Don't repeat your father's mistakes; keep your head up and watch the road."

"Okay, I'll pay attention; you don't need to worry about me."

"It's windy outside, take your coat."

"Sure."

Lin Dongfan took the coat Shen Junlan handed over.

While putting on his shoes as he went out, he reminded: "I've ordered a massage chair for you; it should arrive today. If a delivery comes later, please sign for it."

"Got it, drive slowly and watch for safety."

Since Lin Dongfan had a car accident, car accidents have become a shadow in Shen Junlan's heart; every time he leaves, she repeats the warning.

"Hmm."

Lin Dongfan has absolute confidence in his driving skills.

Back in college, he went with some rich-second-generation friends to join an amateur off-road rally and once took third place; his performance wasn't top-notch but wasn't bad either.

At the time, the saying in the circle was: "Whoever can finish the race is a real man!"

And a man who places in the top three is a man among men; it's not just a display of speed and passion, but a gamble with one's life.

Of course, the danger on the track is completely different from that in officialdom.

The adventure on the off-road rally track appears to be a competition between people, but in essence it is a confrontation between humans and nature.

First on the track, one must deal with ever-changing weather and complex, variable harsh terrain.

In that tense, stimulating environment, drivers must constantly overcome their psychological fear and pressure, staying calm and focused at all times.

While confronting nature, it is also a challenge to one's own psyche.

The peril in officialdom mainly stems from human wickedness; even if you know many people want to harm you, you never know what kind of hidden arrow will strike the next second.

No matter how good your driving skills, if someone deliberately tries to hit you, you may not be able to dodge.

Therefore, what the mother-in-law worries about has always been what Lin Dongfan guards against. In his previous life he died stifled once; in this life he must never be careless.

This morning rush hour, the city's main arteries are still as jammed as ever.

He didn't even need to deliberately reduce speed; the car could only crawl like a snail. Jian Sining called, asking when he could arrive, saying Lao Leng wanted to hold a meeting.

"Soon."

Lin Dongfan also didn't know how long the jam would last; the 2010 navigation system still couldn't show real-time traffic congestion across the whole area from the map.

This backward 2010 year, technology still needs improvement.

Lin Dongfan lowered the car window, rested his elbow, and lit a cigarette.

A motorcycle that squeezed through gaps slowly pulled up beside him, tapping the roof of his car: "Grave-digging boss, we meet again."

Saying that, he took off his helmet.

Lin Dongfan immediately recalled the guy's name—Zhang Yong, who had issued the warning when they dug up graves in Cheng Family Village, a petty policeman driven mad by children's homework.

"Where are you headed?"

Lin Dongfan passed over the opened cigarette case.

Zhang Yong took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it, took a puff, and slowly said: "I came specially to find you; I didn't want to go to the Municipal Party Committee compound this early morning, so I tracked you down here."

"You looking for me for something?" Lin Dongfan asked, puzzled.

Zhang Yong bluntly said: "Our superiors now check my attendance every day, I can't play with my phone; if caught, it goes straight into the yearly evaluation. Two consecutive years of failing to meet standards, and I'll be sent back to the Organization Department."

"Oh my, you've offended someone, brother." Lin Dongfan's face showed slight surprise.

Zhang Yong took a depressed drag of smoke: "It wasn't like this before; I suspect it's because of the Cheng Family Village incident. When you dug up Cheng Dao's ancestral grave, I didn't stop you."

"That really is my fault; I've implicated you." Lin Dongfan asked: "Now that you've come to find me, do you have any plans?"

Zhang Yong looked embarrassed: "If I weren't forced into a corner, I wouldn't want to cause you trouble. Your father-in-law is a political-legal bigwig; can you help me move somewhere?"

"Just that?" Lin Dongfan doubted.

Zhang Yong said: "Just that, nothing else requested."

"This matter doesn't need the political and legal bigwig to show up." Lin Dongfan said with a smile: "I'll call Yang Qing at the Changming Branch later; he can handle it, but..."

"No 'but's; as long as I can be moved somewhere, anywhere will do." Zhang Yong said: "Even if they transfer me to guard a reservoir in some remote mountain corner, that's better than waiting to die at my original unit."

Lin Dongfan smiled: "Don't make it so tragic. What I mean is, if Yang Qing handles this, he can only transfer you into the Criminal Police Brigade. Are you interested in being a criminal police officer?"

"Cri... criminal police!!!"

Zhang Yong was stunned for a moment, and by the time he came to, his face was filled with excitement.

This excitement could be compared to a son at home suddenly figuring out the algorithm for the chickens-and-rabbits-in-a-cage problem.

Zhang Yong got off the motorcycle.

Excitedly, he leaned against Lin Dongfan's car window: "Boss, you've given me a huge surprise—suddenly letting me avoid years of struggle. What did that political teacher say again? Ungrateful tadpoles never evolve into frogs. I think I have the makings of a golden toad. What do you think of this?"

"Combining knowledge of politics, language, history, and biology, he could be called a police ace, a fresh stream in the world of flattery." Lin Dongfan gave a thumbs-up: "Awesome, your three years of tutoring Dad weren't for nothing."

"It's already the fourth year now." Zhang Yong couldn't stop grinning.

At that moment, Lin Dongfan's phone rang again; the caller ID showed Jian Sining's name, presumably urging him again about when he could arrive.

Lin Dongfan got out of the car and looked ahead; the traffic stretched forward as far as the eye could see.

No one knew how long the jam would last.

Lin Dongfan swung onto Zhang Yong's motorcycle: "The boss is urging me to go to a meeting; I'm borrowing your bike for a bit. Please ride it to the Clear Lake Guesthouse; I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

"I'll treat you tonight." Zhang Yong said.

Lin Dongfan twisted the throttle, roaring with a street-shaking engine sound: "With your measly salary, you couldn't even afford a hammer. Hurry up and go find Yang Qing at the Changming Branch—first, get your ass transferred..."

Before his words even finished, Lin Dongfan had already sped off on the motorcycle.

Ahead.

A tough interrogation awaited him.