Chapter 731

Ming Yuexin initially felt a sense of relief, because she could also see that Tian Xiaofei could not possibly let her go back in the seven days he had previously said; at the very least, it would take a month.

This was not merely an intuitive judgment; it was also the most primal reaction of her body.

It wasn't that she had completely lost her ability to move; she could still go back on her own, but the problem was that such a person might not help you with things, and if they tried to trip you up, it would be all too easy—at this moment she even regretted having met Tian Xiaofei.

But in an instant he felt something was off—how could that be? Just a moment ago, Tian Xiaofei didn't even want to leave this room, yet after a phone call he rushed off to attend a birthday celebration.

If attending a birthday were truly that urgent, someone would have warned him in advance; it couldn't have been handled so hastily.

This was clearly a sudden phone call, but she couldn't ask directly, so she said gently, "Really? I had originally wanted to spend a few more days chatting with you, Young Master Tian, but I've been following Geng Miao these past years, and he's not as strong and capable as you."

"Or else I could go with you to Jingcheng; you attend your birthday or whatever, I won't disturb you—I'll just open a hotel nearby so I can always be with you. What do you think?"

Hearing this string of coquettish words gave Tian Xiaofei goosebumps all over. If it weren't that this affair was destined to bring misfortune, and that everyone associated with Geng Miao would have to eat cornbread, he would certainly have been willing to bring Ming Yuexin along.

But this matter is of great importance; the call just now came from his uncle himself, ordering him to tighten his belt and rush back to Jingcheng immediately, to clean up everything related to Su Yang, and to sever any ties with anyone from Lieshan County.

At first he also thought it might be an overreaction—Su Yang is merely a vice‑county‑level official, just wrestling with these rustics in Lieshan County; he couldn't possibly pull strings from Jingcheng. But his uncle spoke firmly, saying he couldn't ruin himself over a woman.

But he couldn't let Ming Yuexin know his true purpose, so he smiled and said, "Our family upbringing is very strict; normally I would definitely take you with me—not just to Jingcheng, but we could travel the world."

"However, when the elders in the family celebrate their birthdays, only those who are already married may be brought back; others are not allowed at all. You might not know this, but the great families in Jingcheng have their own rules, which differ from those of ordinary common people."

"Unlike you lot, who after just two days of knowing each other haven't even held hands, yet you drag them home to meet the parents, swindle a red envelope, and then vanish."

"Some even demand a bride price and run off with someone every few days. All right, I won't say more—I have to go back. Oh, by the way, there's 20,000 yuan here; take it, knowing you're not short of money, you can use it to buy some jewelry or whatever you like."

This left Ming Yuexin bewildered; in her view, such a person would never give money—at most they'd just freeload.

Giving money meant wanting to cut ties clearly, so there must be something going on. Since Tian Xiaofei wouldn't say, she couldn't ask directly, and could only watch him put on his clothes and hurry out the door.

A moment later she realized it, and she undoubtedly felt humiliated—giving her money was like treating her as a take‑out order.

Giving money meant she was merely a commodity; after they enjoyed her, they paid her monetary compensation.

Afterward, the relationship would be cleanly severed.

As soon as Tian Xiaofei stepped out, Ming Yuexin called Geng Miao. Upon receiving her call, Geng Miao's frenzied, furious mood inexplicably improved a bit, though the feeling was fleeting; previously there had been no estrangement, nor any discomfort, and now he only felt a heavy haze over his head.

"How are you? Have you finished your work over there? We agreed you'd come back early—did something happen?" Geng Miao's enthusiasm carried a hint of coldness, which Ming Yuexin sensed instantly.

She also knew why, but there was no need to explain it.

No one had thought of using a private car as a taxi, but was that her voluntary choice?

She said, "Just now Tian Xiaofei answered a phone call and left, saying there was an important matter at home. I find it somewhat unusual, so I'm asking you—has anything happened in the county?"

Geng Miao replied, "I was just about to tell you—Old Three was beaten by Su Yang's people and has just been taken to the hospital."

Ming Yuexin asked, "What's going on? In Lieshan County, Old Three could still be beaten by others, and Su Yang is a vice county magistrate—how could he possibly personally strike someone? Besides, we have so many people under us."

Geng Miao didn't hide anything, recounting their earlier plan: "Now all their people are inside the Lie Shan Public Security Bureau; Old Three might have been beaten by Sun Chengjun's group, or possibly by Su Yang himself, but it's not hard to find out, since there are still others around."

"Regardless, this time they're practically asking for death. I intend to send all anonymous reports from the county to the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission right now, and have the municipal commission's personnel act tonight."

"First we detain the people, then we can proceed with the procedures from the provincial commission—there's no rush."

"As long as we first get Su Yang locked up, then dealing with Sun Chengjun will be just a matter of me flapping my lips; as for that woman, she's like fish on a chopping board—we can handle her however we wish."

"I will certainly avenge the grudge of Old Two and Old Three. As for matters in Jingcheng, we may not understand that family's various rules, but this Young Master Tian's departure is indeed rather abrupt. Regardless, if he leaves, you should come back; let's settle this quickly so we don't invite trouble."

After hanging up, he continually felt something was off.

On this side, Tian Xiaofei left the hotel and went straight to his uncle's house. Governor Zhao had just finished a meal and was about to head to his study when he saw his nephew rushing in anxiously and said directly, "Didn't I tell you to return to Jingcheng overnight? What are you doing here?"

Tian Xiaofei replied, "There are no flights tonight; the earliest is tomorrow morning around nine. Besides, I want to know what actually happened—I haven't done anything outrageous lately, so why must I rush back immediately?"

Governor Zhao looked at his nephew, shook his head, and sighed: "There are many young masters in Jingcheng, most of them in government service, some holding nominal posts in enterprises. Whichever one you pick, they possess exceptionally high political acumen and an unusually keen political sense."

"Why are you so useless here? If you really want to know, I can tell you: something happened in Lieshan County—the granddaughter of Old Liu from Jingcheng was almost forcibly insulted by local thugs, and the nature of that insult was extremely vile; fortunately she was rescued later."

"Even so, Old Liu is already furious. Therefore this time, not only Lieshan County but even Jinzhou City or Ganzhou Province will have no good outcome. As for the dirty deeds you have on your own backside, you think I don't know? If you don't want to be implicated, get lost at once."

But Tian Xiaofei felt wronged and said, "Uncle, what does this have to do with me? Have I really been involved? And at most, this is just their county's affair—what does it have to do with the province? Besides, you're the head of the provincial government; even if I moved against Su Yang, what could they do to me?"

"I just don't believe they'd dare to deny you face."