Chapter 393: Finally Solved

The young man in the military cap was momentarily at a loss for words; their purpose in lying on the tracks was to get the superiors' attention.

Now that a senior leader is willing to report on their behalf, this is already the best outcome.

But he still can't be sure whether Lu Cheng, this senior leader, will, like others, just string them along.

"How, don't you trust me?"

Hearing Lu Cheng's words, the military‑cap youth startled; no matter what thoughts he tried to hide, they couldn't slip past this senior leader.

"I—I'm not not trusting you, but you said we need more time; there must be a deadline, otherwise we'll just wait forever, waiting until the Year of the Monkey and the Month of the Horse."

These Educated Youth are indeed hard to fool, so Lu Cheng reluctantly raised a finger: "One year."

The policy will be adjusted at the end of the year; as long as these Educated Youth agree not to cause trouble for a year, the problem will naturally be resolved then.

But the military‑cap youth disagreed; a year is too long—they can't wait.

"No, we can only give two months, and we must see the corresponding policy adjustments; otherwise we'll keep speaking out."

This time the military‑cap youth was very resolute; Lu Cheng, having no choice, could only tentatively agree: "Three months."

To be honest, this talk was like haggling at a vegetable market; Lu Cheng didn't want it, but now he could only stall them.

Just adding another month, the military‑cap youth readily said: "Fine, three months, we'll withdraw."

Watching the Educated Youth recede like a tide, Lu Cheng let out a long sigh.

"Little Deng, has my tea gone cold? My mouth's all dry from talking just now."

Deng Hairong stepped forward: "I'm not the one saying it, you're addicted to acting! The Educated Youth have all left, and you're still calling me Little Deng here!"

Lu Cheng looked over: "That's pointless. The reason the Educated Youth left is all thanks to me, and you're being a bit ungrateful."

Deng Hairong laughed: "Alright, alright, consider it a Merit for you. But are you really planning to report this upward?"

Lu Cheng sighed: "What rank am I? Just a lowly Deputy Section, I can't even get through the higher doors; where could I report this?"

Yang Xing understood Lu Cheng's aim; the reason he had just spoken to the Educated Youth that way was solely to stall them.

"Lu Jingzhang, didn't you say that some sociologist claimed it would take a year for policy adjustments? Yet now you can only stall three months—what will you do after those three months?"

Even though stalling three months is already pretty good—at least during that time the Educated Youth won't cause trouble and the railway line can run normally—but it's still not a complete solution.

Lu Cheng didn't mind; through today's contact, he felt these Educated Youth were communicable, at least willing to listen to reason.

"Never mind, Train Captain Yang, when they cause trouble after three months, I'll come back to talk to them."

Then I'll keep bluffing, saying the problem is under discussion and being solved, dragging them out step by step.

Now we can only do this for the time being; Train Captain Yang Xing sighed, grateful that Lu Cheng was brought in this time.

Even though the method is a bit unsavory, at least it temporarily bought us some time.

After the train departed, Lu Cheng stood by the window, still worrying about Captain Lei's health.

These past few days, because of the Educated Youth, Train Captain Yang Xing hasn't been able to visit the hospital, so the details are unclear.

After returning to the Capital City, Lu Cheng planned to go to the hospital as soon as he stepped off the train.

The station staff told him that Captain Lei had already been discharged and was working in the office.

This old man is literally a workaholic; can't he just rest at home for a few days?

Lu Cheng went straight to the Traffic Police Unit; after knocking, he found Lei Zhan Ge wearing a coat, correcting documents, his complexion visibly haggard.

Seeing that, Lu Cheng felt a pang of sympathy for a moment.

In just over two years of work, starting as an intern at Xizhimen Station and now promoted to Deputy Section and police chief, he's already ahead of many youngsters.

And he'll soon obtain a graduate certificate from Qingbei, ensuring his official career will no longer be limited by education.

All of this wouldn't be possible without Captain Lei's mentorship.

Lu Cheng is sincerely grateful from the bottom of his heart.

"Captain Lei, I heard you're ill—why aren't you resting at home? Just hand any work over to Director Wang."

Lei Zhan Ge waved his hand, gesturing Lu Cheng to sit, tightened his coat and said, "I'm fine; this little ailment is nothing. Back when I was hit by a bullet, I was down for only half a month and then bounced back."

Lu Cheng wanted to say that now it's not like back then; his age is a factor.

At Lei Zhan Ge's current age, he could fully retire and enjoy his twilight years.

Based on his previous Merit, his retirement benefits wouldn't be lacking; he could spend his days strolling with birds and tending flowers.

But saying that, Lu Cheng didn't dare to speak.

This old man is extremely stubborn; anyone who dares to say he's old would instantly get his ire.

"Yes, yes, Captain Lei, your physical condition surpasses that of younger people, but some proper rest is still necessary. Captain Lei, what illness do you have?"

Lei Zhan Ge set the documents aside, couldn't help coughing twice; Lu Cheng grew more worried, just as he was about to stand, Lei waved his hand.

"Sit down, sit down—it's nothing serious, just a minor ailment, a few medicines will fix it. By the way, I heard from Director Wang that you were on duty with the train this time; were those Educated Youth particularly troublesome?"

Lu Cheng had to sit down again; although he was very worried about Captain Lei's health, the old man deliberately changed the subject.

"It's already resolved; you don't need to worry."

"Resolved?" Lei raised his eyes, surprised: "How was it resolved?"

According to his knowledge, the Educated Youth were causing trouble to return to the city, and this time it was a large‑scale group incident, clearly determined; they wouldn't stop unless they achieved their goal.

But he didn't expect that Lu Cheng actually solved it.

Lu Cheng knew his solution was a bit dubious, and he thought of just glossing it over.

"Ah, just said some nice words, communicated with them, and they stopped causing trouble."

"So simple?" Lei, though ill, his Eagle Eye still pierced like before.

Lu Cheng chuckled: "Just that simple."

"Do you really think I'm old? I'm still your captain now."

At the sound of Lei Zhan Ge's serious tone, Lu Cheng realized he couldn't dodge it and had to honestly speak out.

"Then we agreed in advance that you can't criticize me."

Hearing Lu Cheng's words, Lei Zhan Ge roughly guessed what it was; he knew Lu Cheng never acted by the book, so this must be another rotten scheme.

And indeed, Lei Zhan Ge became genuinely curious for a moment—what exactly had Lu Cheng done to make this group of impulsive Educated Youth obediently stop causing trouble?

"Go ahead, I won't criticize you."