Chapter 746

Li Jun glanced at the outstretched hand, expressionless, extended his own, shook it briefly, then immediately pulled his hand back.

“It seems Commander Li is a man of haste.”

Zhou Dong turned his palm upward in a gesture inviting him to sit, then smiled and said:

“I thought you’d stay silent or wait to see how things developed—after all, most people would do exactly that—but I didn’t expect you to react so quickly.”

He paused slightly, then dropped his smile and continued with a serious expression:

“I had someone leave you a business card so you could call me anytime you need anything—anything at all. I think you understand what I mean.”

His voice was gentle and warm, radiating confidence and composure, as if everything lay perfectly within his control.

Upon hearing this, Li Jun did not respond immediately.

After sitting down, he placed the paper bag on the table, then reached inside and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

“Ashtray.”

He pointed to the crystal table across from him, signaling Zhou Dong to bring it over; the next second, he lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

Li Jun did not ask whether smoking was allowed here—not out of rudeness, but to make a statement:

Your tricks don’t work on me!

How could a branch team commander within the system be intimidated by someone’s posturing?

Not even Lu Zhongxin would give Zhou Dong a second glance if he were here.

As long as one walks upright and acts with integrity, no pressure can shake them.

“That’s not an ashtray.”

Though he denied it verbally, Zhou Dong still pushed the crystal table over:

“Fine, just use it as an ashtray—I don’t smoke, so I didn’t prepare one.”

He added quickly:

“By the way, no outsider has ever entered this study before—you’re the first, and the first person to smoke here.”

This was a gesture of goodwill—clearly, he meant to show Li Jun he was being treated with special regard.

“Let’s get to the point.”

Li Jun ignored his words, flicked ash into the crystal table, then pushed the paper bag across the table:

“There’s two hundred thousand here. Thank you for everything you’ve done for my family, but I don’t need it.”

“I’ve calculated it—my father’s hospital expenses and subsequent nutritional supplements—two hundred thousand is more than enough.”

His tone was calm and firm:

“I’ve brought the money. Please give me a receipt.”

Li Jun’s family wasn’t just him—he had two older sisters.

Last month, his father was hospitalized due to illness.

Due to work obligations, Li Jun couldn’t stay by his bedside, so his two sisters took turns caring for him.

Elderly people suffer many ailments; his father had been hospitalized before, so Li Jun didn’t think much of it.

But on the third day of hospitalization, the doctors and nurses suddenly showed extraordinary enthusiasm toward Li Jun’s father.

They treated him with special care and moved him to a premium ward.

His two sisters initially objected, but when they heard it was arranged by Li Jun, they gladly accepted.

Not only that, someone had already paid all his medical bills and even pre-deposited a substantial sum.

Li Jun’s sisters weren’t the type to overthink—they assumed their younger brother had connections at the hospital and used personal ties.

Only when Li Jun came to take his father home did he learn the truth.

As a branch team commander of the district bureau, he immediately recognized the seriousness of the matter and reported it to Inspector Liu Ju.

But there was a complication with this case.

If you call it bribery, the other party didn’t ask him for any favor—not even showing their face.

If you say it isn’t bribery, why would someone randomly pay medical bills and upgrade someone to a premium ward without cause?

When Li Jun found out about this, he didn’t even know who the person was.

Later, someone came to his home with a pile of nutritional supplements to visit the old man, and upon leaving, left behind a business card—only then did Li Jun learn the identity of the person.

Inspector Liu Ju’s instructions were clear: return the money and make your stance known—if they persist, handle it by the book.

Why not arrest them outright for bribery?

That requires explaining a technical point.