Chapter 167: Consider Yourself Lucky You Weren't Beaten to Death!

Cao Debiao swaggered into Zhong Hui's office.

Zhong Hui was burying his head in a mountain of files on his desk.

Sensing someone had entered, he cast a glance at Cao Debiao.

Cao Debiao instantly caught the disdain in Zhong Hui's eyes, but he was not annoyed; he grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth yellowed by smoking, and joked, "Town Mayor Zhong, no welcome for me?"

Zhong Hui was busy to the point of exhaustion and had no spare time to deal with Cao Debiao. While continuing to flip through files, he waved his hand at him, "Old Cao, I have a pile of urgent matters on hand and really have no time to entertain you. Make yourself at home!"

Cao Debiao acted as if he hadn't heard Zhong Hui's order to leave.

He walked over to the sofa in a carefree manner, sat down with a thud, and crossed his legs.

"Old Zhong, I plan to mooch a lunch before I leave; you'd better arrange it."

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Zhong Hui's mouth as he retorted, "Why should I be the one to arrange it?"

The smugness on Cao Debiao's face became even more apparent. He leaned forward and said with a boastful tone, "Just because I helped you clear the obstacles in your way."

Zhong Hui was stunned for a moment, but he instantly understood the meaning behind Cao Debiao's words. He slammed his pen onto the desk with a loud "Clap!", "What do you mean? You were the one who reported Tang Ye?"

Seeing that Zhong Hui had guessed it, Cao Debiao tilted his head back and laughed triumphantly, his laughter echoing in the office.

"That's right, it was me who reported him by name! Tang Ye hasn't even been in Pinghu for a year, yet he's stirred up so much trouble and driven away all the old-timers in our town. Cause and effect are cyclical; now it's finally his turn to be unlucky."

Zhong Hui frowned and countered, "Old Cao, one must have a conscience in how they act and behave. Everyone has seen Tang Ye's contributions to Pinghu."

"Pah!" Cao Debiao spat on the floor, his face full of disdain. "You're actually still speaking up for him? As far as I know, you've been so suppressed by him that you can barely breathe, and your position as Standing Committee Deputy Town Mayor is just a title without substance."

Zhong Hui did indeed harbor some resentment toward Tang Ye in his heart; after all, the two had different approaches to work and many disagreements.

But with Tang Ye away these past few days, all the affairs had fallen squarely onto his shoulders, and those complex, trivial matters had left him nearly suffocated.

It was precisely at this moment that he finally understood why Tang Ye often worked late into the night—it wasn't just for show, but because he was silently handling many thorny and trivial matters properly.

At this moment, Zhong Hui's mood was extremely complicated.

On one hand, from a selfish perspective, he did not want Tang Ye to return and continue to divide the power in his hands;

Yet on the other hand, he had to admit it.

When Tang Ye was there, although he was suppressed, his work pressure was much smaller. Now that he truly had to shoulder everything alone, he felt somewhat inadequate.

Zhong Hui took a deep breath to calm his emotions, "Old Cao, one thing is one thing. I have disagreements with Tang Ye, but that is a matter of work stance. On a personal level, I admire him."

Cao Debiao waved his hand dismissively, "Don't you worry. There won't be any more disagreements in the future. He's been placed under 'internal disciplinary investigation' by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. The evidence is ironclad, and a whole group of people wants him dead. He won't be able to turn things around this time. Fighting with me, humph!"

Zhong Hui blurted out, "A whole group of people?"

The sinister look on Cao Debiao's face grew even heavier, "He toppled Wei Jian, offended the Old Secretary, and now he's provoked the leaders of the City Bureau. Do you think he could avoid the backlash? This time, he's completely finished."

Listening to Cao Debiao's words, Zhong Hui only felt that this person was becoming increasingly repulsive.

He stood up, walked a few steps to stand before Cao Debiao, and pointed toward the door, his voice trembling slightly with anger, "Get out. You aren't welcome here."

Cao Debiao hadn't expected Zhong Hui to turn on him so suddenly. He was stunned for a moment, then a flash of disdain crossed his eyes, and he sneered.

"Zhong Hui, I see you've gotten used to being a dog and have lost all your ambition. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance. As long as you're willing to cooperate with me, I guarantee you'll smoothly become Town Mayor. With Pinghu's potential, future success will be a breeze. Otherwise, even if Tang Ye is gone, the position of Town Mayor won't fall to you."

Zhong Hui was disgusted with Cao Debiao to the extreme at this moment, "Those with different paths cannot make plans together. Get out of here immediately!"

Seeing that Zhong Hui still looked down on him, Cao Debiao sneered again, stood up, and walked straight toward the door.

Just then, a burst of noisy footsteps came from outside the door.

A group of people was marching aggressively toward the Town Mayor's office.

Someone in the crowd shouted loudly.

"That's the one who complained about Town Mayor Tang!"

"Town Mayor Tang is such a good person, and he actually framed him!"

"He's a corrupt official, beat him to death!"

Cao Debiao was so scared that his face turned deathly pale instantly. He hurriedly covered his head and ran desperately toward the stairs like a stray dog.

Even though he ran as fast as he could, the angry crowd still caught up, and fists and kicks rained down upon him.

Amidst the crowd, Guo Liang watched Cao Debiao's fleeing figure with cold eyes.

He had seen Cao Debiao enter Zhong Hui's office and immediately called Tian Daming.

Upon learning the news, Tian Daming hurriedly brought the villagers of Qianjin Village over.

Cao Debiao finally managed to shake off the entanglement of the villagers and walked panting toward the official car waiting for him.

When he reached the car, he found several people standing by it.

"Isn't this Police Station Chief Ren? You saw those villagers hitting people, right? Why aren't you arresting a few of them yet?"

Cao Debiao shouted at Ren Jun as if grabbing a life-saving straw.

A cold sneer hung on the corner of Ren Jun's mouth as he said slowly, "Did they hit someone? I only saw someone beating a dog."

Seeing Ren Jun's attitude, Cao Debiao was trembling with rage. He turned to the Town Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Chen Cheng for help, "Secretary Chen, you are the Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary. Ren Jun's attitude is clearly corruption and dereliction of duty. Aren't you going to do something about it?"

Chen Cheng's expression was stern, his gaze like a torch as he stared at Cao Debiao and said, "Cao Debiao, I advise you to behave yourself. You dare to be this arrogant in the Pinghu Government; it's your good luck that you weren't beaten to death."

Only then did Cao Debiao wake up as if from a dream, suddenly realizing that he seemed to have come to the wrong place.

Having worked in Pinghu Town for decades and been driven away by Tang Ye, he had intended to return in glory once Tang Ye was placed under 'internal disciplinary investigation'.

But he never imagined that everywhere here was now his enemy.

Cao Debiao gritted his teeth and reached out to pull the back door of the car. Just then, Ren Jun was quick-witted and fast-handed, pinning the car door shut tightly.

"What do you mean by this?" Cao Debiao questioned angrily.

"Sorry, I've received instructions from superiors; you aren't going anywhere now," Ren Jun said expressionlessly.

"Ah? What crime have I committed?" Cao Debiao was full of terror.

"You are suspected of framing and slandering others. People from the City Bureau are already on their way, and you need to come with us."

Before Cao Debiao could react, Ren Jun took a step forward, grabbed his wrist, and with a "Click!", put silver handcuffs on him, pressing his face against the car door...

Once Cao Debiao was escorted into the police car by the people from the City Bureau, Guo Liang dialed Tang Ye's phone number.

"Cao Debiao has just been arrested. Town Mayor Tang, everyone knows you are innocent. When will you return to preside over the work?"

"I am not yet clear on that for the time being..."

He hung up the phone.

Tang Ye stepped into the office of the County Party Secretary...