The group continued chatting in the private room.
Fang Shuiling wasn’t in a hurry to leave, and Zhang Dongfang and Sun Lihan were even less so. Their mission in the capital was focused on upgrading Jiaolin County to a city, and now that Director Li Xiao from the city had personally guaranteed it, they had nothing to worry about. Naturally, they felt relaxed. What intrigued them now was the shocking revelation from earlier—the incident involving Dong Xuebing. They had previously not taken the new county secretary seriously, but now they wanted to find out what kind of background this Secretary Dong had. So they began subtly probing Fang Shuiling for information.
Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang were curious.
Sun Lihan, however, had intentions of building a relationship with Dong Xuebing.
Each had their own goals and thoughts.
However, though Fang Shuiling looked like a typical student, she was cautious and discreet. Since she hadn’t gotten prior approval from Brother Dong, she didn’t feel comfortable revealing much. So she pretended not to understand their hints and said nothing helpful.
“Sis-in-law, I’m here!”
A teenage voice suddenly shouted from outside.
The door to the room was then flung open without so much as a knock—a teenager charged in, followed by seven or eight other teenagers. The group stormed in like a mini parade, all with aggressive looks. Their expressions suggested they were ready to fight, with some even rolling up their sleeves.
Zhang Dongfang was startled.
Xu Zhuang also tensed up.
Who were these kids? Were they here for payback—possibly people from the Chen family’s side?
Their concern was understandable, but when they saw Fang Shuiling’s relaxed expression, they sighed in relief. That wasn’t the case.
Fang Shuiling smiled. “Xiao Hao, what brings you here?”
The teenager was Xie Hao, who huffed angrily, “A friend of mine is here. He just called and told me you had a run-in with that bastard Chen Xiaoliuer. I was nearby, so I came right over with my crew. Where is he? Where’s that bastard? Sis-in-law, tell me! I’ll beat the crap out of him! How dare he bully my sis-in-law? He’s tired of living, huh? Tell that bastard his Bro Hao is here! I smacked him once already—guess he hasn’t learned his lesson!”
He burst into the room yelling loudly.
Fang Shuiling felt touched, but she still scolded him with a smile, “Who’s your sis-in-law?”
“You, of course,” Xie Hao replied without hesitation. “Aren’t you about to marry my brother? If you’re not my sis-in-law, who is? That Chen Xiaoliuer has lost his mind, daring to lay hands on you. Just tell me where he is—leave the rest to me. I’ll beat him until he’s convinced!”
“How dare he bully our sis-in-law!”
The other boys echoed loudly.
Fang Shuiling felt conflicted and amused. In the past, the Fang and Chen families had decent relations. They weren’t extremely close, but their elders communicated well and shared similar views. Meanwhile, these boys had no prior relationship with her, mainly because the Fang and Xie families were long-time enemies. Most of the kids with Xie Hao were from influential families close to the Xie family, a completely different circle. But now that she was marrying Xie Ran, things had taken a 180-degree turn. Chen Xiaoliuer, from a family that used to be friendly with hers, had a falling out with her, while Xie Hao, from a rival family, came to her aid. Life is like a drama—unpredictable and full of twists.
As the kids clamored about beating Chen Xiaoliuer—
As they kept calling her “our sis-in-law”—
Fang Shuiling felt genuinely touched. “All right, sit down, everyone. Stop yelling. He’s already gone.”
“Gone?” Xie Hao’s eyes widened. “Where’d he go? I’ll find him!”
“He went home. Where are you going to find him now?” Fang Shuiling rolled her eyes. “If you think of me as your sis-in-law, then sit down and listen to me.”
Xie Hao reluctantly plopped into a chair.
The rest followed suit.
Zhang Dongfang and the others still hadn’t figured out what was going on. Who was this kid who didn’t even seem afraid of the Chen family? Judging by his tone, he’d even fought with Chen Xiaoliuer before. Someone with a powerful background. What kind of day was this? One influential young figure after another kept popping up. Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang didn’t dare interrupt and listened quietly.
“So what exactly happened, Sis-in-law?” Xie Hao hadn’t gotten the whole story. He had rushed over upon hearing that she’d had a conflict, siding with family over reason. That’s the charm of capital kids. Right or wrong comes second. Blood comes first.
Fang Shuiling replied, “It wasn’t a big deal. These are your brother-in-law’s coworkers.” She then introduced Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang.
Secretary Dong is his brother-in-law?
Zhang Dongfang and the others were mentally processing this. The revelations today were overwhelming.
Fang Shuiling continued, “County Chief Xu accidentally spilled tea on Chen Xiaoliuer, and he overreacted. Even I couldn’t calm him down.”
Xie Hao slammed the table. “That bastard’s asking for it!”
“What happened next, Sis-in-law?” one boy asked anxiously.
“Yeah, did he do anything to you?” another chimed in.
Fang Shuiling smiled. “He didn’t dare. I told him you were all Brother Dong’s coworkers. As soon as I mentioned his name, Chen Xiaoliuer ran off.”
Xie Hao snorted, “At least he has some brains.”
One boy chuckled. “No wonder we couldn’t find him. He got scared off.”
Another said, “Of course he ran. Who doesn’t know Brother Dong’s infamous reputation? He wouldn’t dare challenge Brother Dong in a million years. They’re not even on the same level.”
Xie Hao was annoyed. “Infamous reputation? Watch your mouth.”
The boy laughed and corrected himself. “I mean legendary reputation!”
Fang Shuiling said, “Thanks for rushing over like that. Have you eaten? If not, I’ll treat you.”
Xie Hao patted his stomach. “We ate, but I’m hungry again.”
“You little foodie,” she laughed and called the waiter over with the menu.
As Xie Hao picked dishes, he muttered, “If that bastard Chen Xiaoliuer hadn’t run off, I swear I’d have put him in the hospital for a month.” After ordering, he looked at Fang Shuiling. “Sis-in-law, if anything ever happens again, just call me. I’ll be there.”
Fang Shuiling smiled warmly. “Okay.” She was growing fonder of the Xie family’s dynamic. Unlike the Fang family, where the relationships were more complicated and appearances deceiving, the Xie family was united from top to bottom. The younger generation didn’t treat each other as distant cousins but as real brothers. That’s why Xie Hao rushed over without hesitation. In the Xie family, nothing came before family—that was something Fang Shuiling deeply admired.
Another round of eating began.
Xie Hao and his gang devoured the food like wolves.
Watching them, Fang Shuiling smiled, then turned to Zhang Dongfang and said, “County Chief Zhang, it’s getting late. If you’re in a hurry to leave—”
But having received such immense help, Zhang Dongfang and his group naturally couldn’t just leave. “No rush. We’ll have a few more bites, hehe.”
One of the boys warned them, “That Chen Xiaoliuer holds grudges. You better be careful—he might retaliate.”
Xie Hao sneered, “He wouldn’t dare.”
Fang Shuiling agreed with a smile. “Yeah, I doubt anything will happen.”
Xie Hao scoffed, “You think my brother-in-law’s reputation is just for show? That Chen Xiaoliuer knows better.” Then, he turned to Zhang Dongfang and said, “If you run into trouble in the capital again, just mention my brother-in-law’s name. Perhaps he can’t help with official business, but I guarantee that no one will bother you. He walks through Beijing like he owns the place. Anyone with any standing knows who he is. His name works better than anything.”
Zhang Dongfang blinked. “Xuebing is really—”
Xie Hao took a swig of beer and started boasting, “You heard about someone from City National Security getting beaten by my brother-in-law?”
“What?” Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang were stunned.
“Oh, looks like you don’t know much,” Xie Hao said.
Zhang Dongfang asked in disbelief, “You mean Beijing City National Security? And he hit one of their leaders? Secretary Dong wasn’t punished?”
Fang Shuiling gave Xie Hao a look, but he was too into his story to notice.
“Punished? Who’d dare punish my brother-in-law?” Xie Hao boasted. “My uncle—his father-in-law—is the City Party Secretary of Beijing. In this city, who wouldn’t give him face? And with his temper and fighting skills? Anyone who messes with him better think twice.”
The City Party Secretary of Beijing?
That’s Secretary Dong’s father-in-law?
Zhang Dongfang and Sun Lihan were stunned. Secretary Dong’s wife is Xie Huilan, and the Party Secretary of Beijing is Xie Guobang—they’re both surnamed Xie…