In Chen Hai's home, Chen Hai, Lu Yi Ke, and Lin Hua Hua were having dinner and drinks with Hou Liang Ping, who had come from afar.
Hou Liang Ping, true to his nickname "Monkey," was anything but docile. He went into the kitchen and pulled out two crabs from the cabinet.
It wasn't that Chen Hai was being stingy, unwilling to offer the crabs to his guests. It was simply that two crabs weren't enough for four people.
Hou Liang Ping didn't bother to be polite with Chen Hai. He barged into the kitchen, grabbed the crabs, and asked Lu Yi Ke to steam them.
After finishing one crab, Hou Liang Ping picked up the last one and asked, "There's one left, who wants it?"
Lu Yi Ke and Chen Hai exchanged a smile. Chen Hai said, "Alright, Monkey, stop pretending. These two crabs were leftovers from my little Pi Qiu's birthday. If I had time to go buy them today, I would've bought a whole basket for you to eat your fill."
Hou Liang Ping quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no. Even a three-year-old knows that good things are meant to be shared. I can't possibly eat more than my share. Why don't you two ladies have it?"
Lu Yi Ke teased, "I think you're here to stir things up! One crab for three people, and we're not even going to fight over it? Just eat it. Consider it maintaining world peace."
Lin Hua Hua nodded emphatically, echoing, "Yes, Chief Hou, thank you for helping us out."
Hou Liang Ping looked at the crab in his hand and said pointedly, "Two crabs. One is already gone. If this one is still alive, it's definitely clinging to life."
His words immediately stifled the cheerful atmosphere at the table, and no one responded.
Hou Liang Ping placed the crab back on the dish and asked, "Chen Hai, do you know why I came to Han Dong in person to handle the handover?"
"I know," Chen Hai put down his chopsticks and said in a deep voice, "Ding Yi Zhen escaped right under our noses. He's like this crab clinging to life. The problem is, he escaped from my hands."
Hou Liang Ping said, "That's what I can't understand either. Of all the people involved in that operation, only you and I knew about it."
Lu Yi Ke was immediately unhappy. She questioned, "Chief Hou, what do you mean? Are you suspecting Chen Hai? You've been acting like you're here to accuse him since you walked in."
Not satisfied with her question, she continued, "I can tell you that I was working with Chen Hai on the day of the arrest. Yes, there are many suspicious points regarding Ding Yi Zhen's escape. If you investigate, I'll cooperate fully."
Lin Hua Hua, standing in solidarity, followed, "Me too. I'll cooperate with the investigation."
They both had roles. Lu Yi Ke was the chief in charge of monitoring one of Ding Yi Zhen's locations, while Lin Hua Hua was one of the two people directly responsible for keeping an eye on Ding Yi Zhen.
To be objective, regardless of whether there was an informant, the primary responsibility for Ding Yi Zhen's escape lay with Lu Yi Ke, Lin Hua Hua, and the other person watching Ding Yi Zhen, Zhou Zheng.
Zhou Zheng wasn't here for lunch, but Lu Yi Ke and Lin Hua Hua's assertive demeanor, as if Ding Yi Zhen's escape had nothing to do with them, was only tolerable because their bureau chief was Chen Hai.
If it were a more demanding bureau chief, he would surely have reprimanded Lu Yi Ke and Lin Hua Hua until their heads were spinning, and then investigated their dereliction of duty. If they had kept a close eye on Ding Yi Zhen, even if someone had informed him, he wouldn't have been able to escape.
Ding Yi Zhen was cunning, but he was just an ordinary person, not a trained special forces soldier or a ruthless extremist. He didn't have the ability to go head-to-head with the law enforcement officers Lu Yi Ke had brought.
If only Lin Hua Hua and Zhou Zheng had been more diligent and focused, instead of chatting idly; if only Lu Yi Ke had arranged for people to guard every exit of the hotel, instead of being so careless, Ding Yi Zhen wouldn't have had a chance to escape.
…
Chen Hai wouldn't pursue the matter with Lu Yi Ke and Lin Hua Hua, but Li Da Kang would. However, not now. Li Da Kang was busy. After finishing his work, he would have to meet with Zhao Rui Long in the evening.
After arriving in Han Dong, Zhao Rui Long called Li Da Kang, saying he wanted to visit his "older brother" tonight. Li Da Kang didn't refuse. Without letting Zhao Rui Long hit a wall, the Shan Shui Group wouldn't behave.
At 8 pm, Zhao Rui Long arrived as promised. Tian Xing Zhi brewed two cups of tea and brought them over, one for Li Da Kang and one for Zhao Rui Long.
Li Da Kang reminded, "Xing Zhi, Zhao doesn't drink tea, he drinks cola."
Tian Xing Zhi quickly said, "Oh, I'll go buy some cola."
Zhao Rui Long politely said, "No need, the tea is fine."
"Oh, then you two chat." Seeing that the guest wasn't being polite, Tian Xing Zhi turned around and left.
Zhao Rui Long, who was usually high-profile, toned down his demeanor here. He expressed his gratitude again, "Thank you, Brother Li. All these years later, you still remember my little details."
When he was talking to Gao Xiao Qin, Zhao Rui Long acted like he didn't care about Li Da Kang, but when he was actually facing him, he didn't dare to act recklessly.
Li Da Kang smiled, "How could I forget? I followed the old secretary for five years. By the way, I heard that the old secretary's heart isn't good. How is he doing?"
Zhao Rui Long said, "He had surgery. They put in a few stents. He's recovering well, don't worry."
Li Da Kang nodded, "That's good. When you go back, give my regards to the old secretary. Tell him to take care of his health and not get worked up about things."
Zhao Rui Long seized the opportunity to bring up the main topic, "My old man is prone to getting worked up, especially about people and things in Han Dong."
Li Da Kang feigned ignorance, "That's understandable, considering the old secretary has worked in Han Dong for over thirty years."
Zhao Rui Long went on to explain, "Brother, the old man's point is that the great achievements of reform and opening up in Han Dong are hard-earned. For example, private enterprises have thrived in Han Dong. They've made outstanding contributions to Han Dong and deserve more support."
This time, Li Da Kang didn't play dumb. He chuckled, "You said great achievements and private enterprises that made outstanding contributions to Han Dong. Are you referring to that food city on the Lu Zhou Lake or the shares of the Shan Shui Group?"
Zhao Rui Long said with a gloomy tone, "Brother, you know I have shares in the Shan Shui Group. Why did you still make the Shan Shui Group fork out another 60 million? You're not giving me any face!"
Li Da Kang feigned surprise, "You actually have shares in the Shan Shui Group?"
Zhao Rui Long knew Li Da Kang was playing dumb, so he simply admitted, "Yes, I've had them for a long time. It's not like it just happened today."
Li Da Kang asked curiously, "How much stake do you have? Majority control?"
Zhao Rui Long wasn't stupid enough to reveal everything. He chuckled dryly, "That's a trade secret. I can't tell you."
Li Da Kang waved his hand, "Let me guess... This Gao Xiao Qin, she's not working for your family, is she?"
Zhao Rui Long immediately denied it, "What are you talking about? Gao Xiao Qin is the kind of person who just works for anyone?"
Li Da Kang nodded, "This Shan Shui Group's share dispute with the Da Feng Factory, you were involved in that, right?"
Zhao Rui Long took the opportunity to accuse, "If you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have known how to mention it to you. Now that we're talking about it, you really need to take care of it. What was it called? They signed a demolition agreement with your Jingzhou City Government, but now they're flipping their lid and refusing to honor it."
As he talked about it, he became more and more agitated, "And what about the resettlement fees? We already paid them. Now they're clinging to us and demanding we pay again. Is there no justice left in this world?"
Li Da Kang nodded, "Rui Long, I admit that you did give 35 million as resettlement fees for the Da Feng Factory workers. However, the bank froze the money. It didn't reach the workers. In the end, this is a problem with Cai Cheng Gong, not the Shan Shui Group."
This afternoon, Gao Xiao Qin had sent the video recording of her discussion with Cai Cheng Gong about the resettlement fees, as well as the transfer records to Cai Cheng Gong. The Shan Shui Group had indeed paid 35 million in resettlement fees.
However, as soon as the money entered Cai Cheng Gong's account, the bank froze it because Cai Cheng Gong owed the bank money. Ultimately, it was Cai Cheng Gong's problem, not the Shan Shui Group's problem.
Zhao Rui Long was immediately displeased, "My brother, the bank froze the money, that's Cai Cheng Gong's problem. He owes the bank money and hasn't paid it back. Why should we pay the resettlement fees again?"
Li Da Kang said in a heartfelt tone, "Rui Long, this is indeed Cai Cheng Gong's responsibility, but there are so many eyes watching. I think it's best to just pay up and let it go. Don't make a big fuss and cause a mass incident."
Zhao Rui Long stubbornly and angrily said, "We already paid the resettlement fees. We're in the right. There's no reason to pay again. Whoever wants to pay can pay."
Li Da Kang was amused by his arrogance, "Rui Long, I hope you can tone it down a bit."
Zhao Rui Long protested, "How am I not toning it down? Brother, I haven't taken on any projects from you in all these years, have I? The investment in the Shan Shui Villa is legitimate, right?"
Li Da Kang said seriously, "It would be good if it were truly legitimate, but I'm afraid it might be extortion. Think about the 1,300 Da Feng Factory workers who lost their livelihoods because of this. You even make money from this, can you sleep at night?"
Zhao Rui Long was also annoyed and said with disdain, "Why can't I sleep? I didn't steal or rob. It's money I earned fairly. Why can't I sleep?"
Li Da Kang was tired of arguing, so he bluntly stated, "You're making hundreds of millions from this Da Feng Factory project, but you won't even cough up 60 million. You're forcing me to be in a difficult position. That's not right, is it?"
…