Chapter 804

Zhou Hongwei, wearing handcuffs and sitting in the Discipline Inspection interrogation room, first lashed out at Yuan Ben Zhong of the Land Bureau; this matter somewhat involves a personal grudge.

Ten years ago, Yuan Ben Zhong was merely a section-level official.

At that time, Zhou Hongwei's sister built a villa in the countryside; after completion it was deemed an illegal structure, and the person who directed the construction team to demolish it on site was Yuan Ben Zhong.

At that time Zhou Hongwei was also a section-level official; he personally went to Yuan Ben Zhong to ask for leniency, but Yuan Ben Zhong gave him no face, and from then on they became enemies.

Yuan Ben Zhong surely never expected that the grudge he formed ten years ago would now come crashing down on his head with a bang.

Saturday morning.

In the suburbs of Wuzhou, the Bibo Pond recreational fishing ground.

This place is touted as the city's most high-end fishing spot, charging by the hour.

The innermost pond, reserved exclusively for VIP bigwigs to fish, costs two thousand yuan per hour, and any fish caught are bought back at market price.

The best fishing spot by the pond is already occupied by a middle-aged, greasy-looking man in his early fifties.

Wearing professional sun-protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, with two fishing rods set up before him, and on the small table beside him are tea set, fruit platter, and a small cooler.

This man who knows how to enjoy life is the deputy chief of the Land Bureau, Yuan Ben Zhong.

Beside him is Zhao Tianyu's brother-in-law, Su Qingyu, the boss of Green Wild Landscaping. Right now Su Qingyu is busy baiting Yuan Ben Zhong's fishhook, his movements practiced like a professional lackey.

"Bureau Chief, today's weather is not J, definitely gonna blow up." Su Qingyu said with a grin: "The boss said they didn't feed last night, the fish have been hungry all night, so they'll probably go crazy looking for food."

Yuan Ben Zhong held his teacup, narrowed his eyes at the water, looking like an expert: "Fishing depends on timing, location, and harmony; weather is one aspect, but more important is skill."

He pointed at his gear: "See? This rod, imported Japanese carbon-fiber fishing rod, the blank alone costs over eight thousand. This reel, German-made, one of these tops your whole set. And this line…"

When it comes to bragging and showing off, Yuan Ben Zhong never beats around the bush.

He tugged the fishing line, proudly telling Su Qingyu: "Nanotech—this 0.8 line can pull a twenty-jin fish."

Su Qingyu nodded repeatedly: "That's right, Bureau Chief, you're an expert."

"Not that I'm bragging..." Yuan Ben Zhong put down his teacup, picked up the rod and tested its weight: "In this pond, that eighty-plus-jin big grass carp—I've had my eye on it for a while. The previous times I came, either the weather was bad or the bait was wrong. Today it's a sure thing; watch me do this and it'll be done—I'll definitely land it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the float suddenly plunged down.

"Here it comes!"

Yuan Ben Zhong's eyes lit up, and he swiftly lifted the rod.

The fishing line instantly straightened, the rod bending into a bow shape.

Yuan Ben Zhong broke into an excited smile, reeling in the line while telling Su Qingyu: "See? Said it would bite, and it did! This pull is at least twenty jin and up…"

He hadn't finished speaking.

"Crack!"

A sharp sound.

The rod snapped in the middle.

Yuan Ben Zhong held the broken half of the rod, stunned on the spot.

The line at the other end instantly went slack; obviously, the big fish in the water had taken off with the hook.

The air suddenly fell silent.

Su Qingyu opened his mouth to say something, then swallowed it back.

Yuan Ben Zhong stared at the broken rod in his hand, his face gradually darkening.

He slowly set the broken rod on the ground, took off his hat, and wiped his forehead—whether it was sweat or water splashed from his excitement, he couldn't tell.

"This rod…"

Yuan Ben Zhong awkwardly squeezed out: "Damn, the quality's faulty."

Su Qingyu hurriedly chimed in: "Exactly, definitely the rod's problem! A rod costing over eight thousand just snaps like that—what quality! This is nothing but a black-hearted merchant…"

"It's not entirely the rod's quality problem."

Before Su Qingyu could finish his flattery, Yuan Ben Zhong suddenly blurted this out, leaving Su Qingyu embarrassed and swallowing his unfinished words.

Yuan Ben Zhong sat back down, lit a cigarette, seemingly pondering how to regain his lost face.

He took two puffs.

He suddenly stood up again and shouted angrily at the opposite shore: "Boss! Get your ass over here!"

The fishing ground's boss, a man in his forties named Chen, heard the shout and hurried over at a trot, not daring to show the slightest delay.

Chen Lao Ban wore a beaming smile: "Bureau Chief, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" Yuan Ben Zhong pointed at the broken rod on the ground: "What's going on in this pond?! My eight-thousand-plus rod just snapped like that—did it get snagged on the bottom?"

"Snagged on the bottom?"

"Are you sure it wasn't the big fish getting unhooked?"

Chen Lao Ban blinked, bent down to pick up the broken rod and examine it, then glanced at the water surface: "Bureau Chief, we've cleared the pond bottom; it shouldn't be snagged…"

"Shouldn't be?!" Yuan Ben Zhong's voice instantly rose eight degrees: "You mean it's my fault? I've been fishing for thirty years—do I not know when it's snagged?!"

"No, no..." Chen Lao Ban hastily waved his hands: "Bureau Chief, I'm not doubting your skill; I mean to say…"

"What are you saying—say it!"

Yuan Ben Zhong angrily cut off Chen Lao Ban's words.

He emphasized firmly: "I'm telling you, this pond has a problem! There aren't any big fish in the water at all! And you're claiming an eighty-jin grass carp—are you trying to scam people?!"

Those harsh words made Chen Lao Ban's face flush red then turn pale.

A few nearby anglers also turned to look.

They whispered among themselves.

Yuan Ben Zhong grew more heated: "And your charging two thousand yuan an hour! For this lousy pond? The water's so murky, the bottom's full of hidden rocks! You know this is defrauding consumers, right?!"

Seeing the boss being berated like a grandson, he didn't dare even to breathe.

Su Qingyu hurriedly urged: "Bureau Chief, calm down, calm down…"

translation

Yuan Ben Zhong pulled Su Qingyu to one side, pointed at Chen Lao Ban and angrily shouted: "Every time I see you, I suspect your fishing pond involves illegal operation and false advertising! There are safety hazards!"

Saying that, he pulled out his phone and was about to dial, ordering the relevant authorities to come and investigate.

Chen Lao Ban panicked at once, thudding to his knees: "Bureau Chief! Bureau Chief, please show mercy! My small business really can't take this..."

This kneeling drew everyone's attention around.

Yuan Ben Zhong held up his phone, looking down at Chen Lao Ban kneeling on the ground, the anger on his face growing stronger! But he didn't tell Chen Lao Ban to get up, nor did he say not to investigate.

Stuck like that, the crowd of onlookers kept growing.

Su Qingyu worried about the bad impact, hurried forward to help Chen Lao Ban up: "Old Chen, get up first, let's talk properly..."

Chen Lao Ban refused to get up.

Tears welled up in his anxious eyes: "Bureau Chief, I really don't know how I've offended you. We clean this pond twice a year, there really are no hidden rocks. How about I compensate you with a rod?"

"Damn, what the hell is this!"

Seeing the crowd of onlookers grow larger, Chen Lao Ban still knelt refusing to rise, so Yuan Ben Zhong turned and walked straight to the fishing pond's air-conditioned rest area.

After Yuan Ben Zhong left,

Su Qingyu pulled Chen Lao Ban again: "Don't kneel, get up quickly. Kneeling like this in public, what does it look like? It's adding fuel to the fire, you know? Get up."

Upon hearing "adding fuel to the fire," Chen Lao Ban finally realized he had overstepped.

He trembled as he stood up, his pants covered in mud.

Chen Lao Ban pleaded pitifully with Su Qingyu: "Boss Su, I'm not educated. To run this fishing pond, I poured all the demolition compensation into it. If this fish farm is shut down, my whole family will have no livelihood. Please help me say a few good words to Bureau Chief Yuan; I will surely remember this great kindness."

"Alright, alright, I know your situation."

Su Qingyu looked around; the crowd of onlookers was really quite large, making some things inconvenient to say publicly.

So Su Qingyu pulled Chen Lao Ban to one side.

He quietly advised Chen Lao Ban: "Old Chen, it's not me saying this. In business, you need to know the rules; you don't even understand the basics of offering incense at a temple? Bureau Chief Yuan isn't the first time coming here to play, but you're truly clueless."

"Boss Su, I've never taken any money from Bureau Chief Chen, honestly, not a cent." Chen Lao Ban put on a pitiful, honest face: "Others who come to fish at the big pond pay two thousand per hour..."

"But Bureau Chief Yuan's rod broke, which embarrassed him; you have to take responsibility for this." Su Qingyu said: "Bureau Chief Yuan says it got snagged, so it got snagged—understand?"

"I... I had no idea there were so many tricks involved..."

Chen Lao Ban only felt utterly wronged; he wanted to argue a few words but dared not, and at this moment he knew that whether right or wrong, he had to swallow it.

"Alright, alright, this isn't some irreparable big mistake."

In the course of comforting him, Su Qingyu patted Chen Lao Ban's shoulder.

He then turned his head to look at the air-conditioned rest area.

Then he said to Chen Lao Ban: "Bureau Chief Yuan is resting over there; come with me, and later I'll smooth things over for you—you also need to be sensible and show an apologetic attitude."