Chapter 342: Praise Me Lightly, I Might Get Carried Away!

The two South Koreans were taken into the Police Station for detention; there was simply no possibility of them getting away in the short term.

However, Cao Lingling hoped that Feng Lin could step forward and use his connections to bail them out.

"That man surnamed Tang, what is his background exactly? Why are you so wary of him?"

Feng Lin sighed helplessly and said in a grave tone, "He is the secretary to Executive Vice Mayor Jiang Jing."

"Isn't he just a secretary? What's the big deal about that!"

Cao Lingling looked disdainful; she hadn't taken this Section Chief-level secretary seriously at all.

Feng Lin was well-versed in the recent political developments in Hanzhou, and he explained patiently, "Don't underestimate him. My dad mentioned before that Lin Ru was taken away by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection because he submitted incriminating evidence against her. Moreover, quite a few others have fallen because of him."

Hearing this, Cao Lingling widened her eyes and stared at Feng Lin in disbelief.

Lin Ru had once been her prospective mother-in-law; if it hadn't been for that incident, she wouldn't have broken up with her boyfriend.

"Then what should we do about these two South Koreans?" Cao Lingling asked anxiously.

"Their business is shady to begin with, and they are suspected of smuggling. Once a thorough investigation is launched, there will definitely be a mountain of problems. In any case, we haven't officially partnered with them yet; as long as we don't get involved with them, we won't get into trouble," Feng Lin analyzed calmly.

Cao Lingling stood frozen in place, her heart filled with shock.

She hadn't expected Feng Lin to be so rational and calm; by comparison, her ex-boyfriend was much easier to control.

At this moment, she couldn't help but start to wonder if choosing Feng Lin as a backup was the right decision after all.

"Stay at the hotel tonight and don't go out. After I go back, I'm definitely going to be grounded..."

Feng Lin sighed inwardly.

He was definitely going to get a harsh scolding from his old man.

Things hadn't been going smoothly lately; should he find a temple to pray at?

Upon returning home, Feng Lin saw his father with a dark face at a glance.

Feng Lin forced a smile onto his face and said in a somewhat ingratiating tone, "It's so late, Dad, why haven't you rested yet?"

Feng Kun swept a cold glance at him, his voice full of anger: "You've stirred up such a huge mess, how could I sleep?"

Feng Lin twitched the corners of his mouth helplessly and gave a bitter smile: "How was I supposed to know the other party was Tang Ye? Besides, hasn't the matter already been resolved? I've already apologized, too."

Feng Kun's face was gloomy, and he said in a deep voice, "Behave yourself lately and stop causing trouble. Especially Cao Lingling—see less of her!"

Feng Lin's smile froze on his face, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "Before, wasn't I told to maintain a good relationship with her?"

Feng Kun lowered his voice, his tone filled with warning: "The situation has changed; stay away from her!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Lin widened his eyes: "What happened?"

Feng Kun rubbed his chin, his eyes vigilant: "The Cao family is about to have problems!"

Feng Lin's expression changed instantly, and he quickly replied, "I understand!"

After completing the statement at the Police Station, Song Mingyu took the initiative to take out a business card and hand it to Xiaoyu, saying in a gentle tone, "If you want to change your work environment, feel free to contact me at any time."

Tang Ye thought to himself that Song Mingyu was quite meticulous; after such a major issue today, her original workplace was definitely no longer suitable.

Xiaoyu took the business card with both hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Thank you, Sister!"

Song Mingyu patted Xiaoyu's shoulder lightly and said with a smile, "Our meeting is fate. If you really want to thank someone, you should thank Section Chief Tang and Secretary Cheng properly. If they hadn't stepped in today, this matter wouldn't have been so easy to resolve."

Xiaoyu's eyes turned red; she turned to bow deeply toward Tang Ye and Cheng Lin, her voice choked with sobs: "Thank you, Section Chief Tang! Thank you, Secretary Cheng!"

Tang Ye smiled gently and encouraged her: "Follow Boss Song and work hard from now on. This is a rare opportunity; you must grasp it firmly."

After Xiaoyu left, Song Mingyu wore a smile on her lips and jokingly cautioned Tang Ye: "I've entrusted Cheng Lin to you; you must see her home safely."

Tang Ye immediately replied: "Mission guaranteed to be completed!"

The car arrived at the residential compound where Cheng Lin lived, and Cheng Lin said with a smile, "It's not far ahead; you don't need to get out of the car."

Tang Ye, however, was firm: "It's only a few more steps."

The two walked slowly along the quiet path.

Cheng Lin broke the silence and asked softly, "The matter regarding the Chengzhong District Administrative Center has been making a huge stir lately; how is the resolution going?"

Tang Ye sighed helplessly: "The issue with the Administrative Center involves Cao Zhengchun's wife; the situation is complex and not so easy to resolve."

Cheng Lin frowned slightly and revealed, "I heard Mayor Xiao went to Yanjing to visit his old leader."

Tang Ye nodded lightly: "He must have gone to seek support."

Cheng Lin revealed a meaningful smile: "To be able to force Mayor Xiao to this point, Mayor Jiang has truly grasped the key this time."

Tang Ye sighed with emotion: "Mayor Jiang mainly wants to improve Hanzhou's fiscal situation; without resolving these core issues, the goal will be hard to achieve." Cheng Lin looked at Tang Ye approvingly: "You are considering problems more and more maturely now."

Tang Ye was slightly stunned, then laughed: "Praise me lightly, or I'll get carried away!"

Watching Cheng Lin walk into her home, Tang Ye turned and left.

Back inside, Cheng Lin walked to the balcony to look out, but Tang Ye's figure had already disappeared into the night.

She couldn't help but sigh that Tang Ye had changed tremendously during this period; he was becoming increasingly mature and steady, and even more unfathomable.

Tang Ye returned to his place and walked into the bedroom on tiptoe.

He saw the bedside lamp was still on; Du Xi was curled up by the bedside, having fallen into a deep sleep while waiting.

He gently turned off the lamp, walked into the next room, turned on the desk lamp, and took out test papers to start drilling.

Although Tang Ye was confident he could easily pass the written test for this public selection based on his accumulated knowledge, he dared not be the least bit careless about the situation after entering the re-examination.

Even with connections like his father-in-law the Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee, his leader the Executive Vice Mayor, and his senior fellow apprentice the Municipal Party Secretary, he still felt immense pressure.

He was just afraid that people would say he only got his wish because of connections...

He secretly made up his mind that he must pull ahead of the others during the written test stage.

He was carrying too much on his shoulders now!

The expectations of relatives, the concern of friends, the trust of his lover, the jealousy of enemies...

He really missed the days when he was "barefoot"—he could travel light and fear nothing.

……

Thursday afternoon.

Under Jiang Jing's arrangement, Tang Ye arrived at a secluded hotel in the suburbs of the Provincial Capital.

Two months of closed-off investigative life.

The once graceful and charming Deputy Secretary-General Lin Ru had shed her former luster, appearing just like an ordinary middle-aged woman.

The moment she saw Tang Ye, Lin Ru's face was filled with astonishment.

Previously, the staff of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection had not disclosed any information about visitors.

"Secretary-General, I brought you some fruit; I remember you especially love eating green grapes."

"At this time of year, green grapes are not easy to buy..." Lin Ru's eyes instantly turned red, and she pulled a smile filled with guilt at the corners of her mouth, her voice trembling slightly: "Little Tang, it's hard on you to still remember."