Chapter 584 - 584: Order to Release the Prisoner
"No need!" Ye Qing waved his hand and said, "This was arranged by Miss Liu at Director Liu's request. Don't overthink it; Miss Liu is simply repaying the kindness of her upbringing by her grandmother. As for you," he scoffed, "Director Liu has one condition—that you never harass Miss Liu again. Otherwise, Director Liu, who can arrange jobs for you, can also take them away. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The Zhou Family looked at each other, realizing the gravity of Ye Qing's words. They could only benefit from Liu Guiting this time; they shouldn't expect any more favors in the future. Moreover, Liu Guiting's gesture was merely to repay her grandmother's kindness; she actually had no fondness for them.
The members of the Zhou Family sighed. Zhou Binglin spoke in a low voice, "Mr. Ye, then... could you please convey to Tingting my thanks? Also, Ding Ding is of age to attend kindergarten. I know a good teacher; should we consider it...?"
"No need!" Ye Qing shook his head and said, "After these few days, Miss Liu and Ding Ding are going to Dongzhou. Director Liu will find a better kindergarten for Ding Ding. You don't need to worry about these matters!"
Zhou Binglin finally realized, and looking at Ye Qing, his eyes filled with despair. Liu Guiting was moving to the province capital; how could she possibly need their belated familial affection?
In the end, the members of the Zhou Family could only leave with sighs. Although their job matters were settled, they still regretted their past actions.
"Ah, who would have thought that this girl, abandoned by others, would turn out to be the daughter of a director!" Zhou Zhidong couldn't help saying, "Had we known this, we would have treated her better from the start, and we would now be related to the director's family!"
"It's all your fault!" Second Brother angrily stared at Zhou Zhidong and said, "If it wasn't for your wedding, would we have needed to marry her off so soon? If she were still with our family, she'd still be one of us, and none of this would have happened."
"How can you blame me?" Zhou Zhidong glared back and said, "Was any of you kind to her when she was with our family?"
"Were you kind to her?"
The three Zhou siblings immediately started arguing. Zhou Binglin furrowed his brow, his heart in turmoil, and suddenly turned and shouted, "Everyone shut up!"
The three Zhou siblings instantly fell silent, turning their heads in shock to look at Zhou Binglin who had never lost his temper like this before.
"Good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil retribution," Zhou Binglin sighed and said, "There are so many people in our family, yet none of us treated her well. This is all our own doing; we can't blame anyone else. However, fortunately, your grandmother raised her, and now that has finally brought some luck, resolving your employment issues. When you go back, make sure to burn more incense for your grandmother. And remember from now on to do more good deeds and accumulate blessings for our descendants!"
The three Zhou siblings looked at each other. If they had heard such words before, they would have scoffed, but now, they felt deeply touched. Life is just like that, without experiencing certain things, one can never understand these lessons.
After making the Zhou Family leave, Ye Qing picked up Old Wang Ba and rushed to Tianhui City. As for the two," Skinny" and "Fatty," Ye Qing had paid their medical bills, and they continued to receive treatment in Xishan City.
Skinny's injury was minor, and he could already move around. Fatty's injuries were more severe and required time to heal. Although Ye Qing didn't express much gratitude to the two, he remembered the deeds they had done for him. If there was an opportunity in the future, he must repay them!
Ye Qing had already spoken with Liu Changping and Zhou Bolong about Black Bear's case. Liu Changping arranged for his secretary to call, instructing the Tianhui City police to release Black Bear.
Strictly speaking, Black Bear's case in Tianhui City was minor, at most considered a brawl, worthy of only a few days in detention. If not for Zhou Changwu, father of Zhou Guangping, meddling in the situation, Black Bear and his friends would have faced only a fine. However, due to Zhou Changwu's influence, they faced criminal charges and were nearly sentenced.
In fact, the night Black Bear and his friends called the police, Tianhui City had not initially planned to intervene; Zhou Changwu intended for the Beggar King to eliminate Black Bear and his group. If not for Ye Qing's timely liaison with Huangfu Ziyu, who then arranged for her contacts within the Tianhui City police department to intervene, Black Bear's life, and those of his friends, would have been in danger.
However, by doing so, Deputy Chief Huang Baixiong of the sub-branch also faced risks. While Zhou Changwu sought to imprison Black Bear and collaborated with Municipal Police Chief Lin Zhichang to undermine Huang Baixiong, Huang held his ground. Just when he was about to give in, he received a call from the Provincial Police Department. Liu Changping personally intervened, ordering the Tianhui City police to release Black Bear, which was a great relief to Huang.
During these days, Black Bear and his friends were detained at Huang Baixiong's facility. Lin Zhichang made several attempts to transfer them, but Huang steadfastly protected them. Of course, this was also due to a promise of considerable reward from Huangfu Ziyu to Huang Baixiong; he was even ready to risk his position. But when the order from the provincial department suddenly arrived, it brought Huang great joy.
Huang Baixiong did not immediately release Black Bear and his group; instead, he first called Lin Zhichang to relay Director Liu's orders. It seemed as though he was seeking Lin Zhichang's opinion, but in fact, he was informing Lin Zhichang that Director Liu of the Provincial Police Department had personally intervened. What are you going to do now!
When Lin Zhichang received the call from Huang Baixiong, he was with Zhou Changwu. After hearing what Huang Baixiong said, Lin Zhichang immediately furrowed his brows—it had never crossed his mind that Liu Changping would personally intervene in this matter.
Lin Zhichang was slightly surprised but responded quickly, saying, "Since it's an order from Director Liu, prepare all the necessary procedures and release the people first!"
After hanging the phone, Lin Zhichang immediately turned to Zhou Changwu beside him and seriously relayed Liu Changping's order.
"Director Liu personally called?" Zhou Changwu also frowned. What status did Liu Changping have, and why would he intervene in these minor issues in Tianhui City?
"No mistake!" Lin Zhichang said, "It was Secretary Li who called, conveying Director Liu's order."
"Why would Director Liu personally intervene in this matter?" The look on Zhou Changwu's face turned ugly. If Liu Changping indeed wanted to intervene, Zhou Changwu feared he might be in trouble.
The most crucial point was, Black Bear and his group had beaten up Zhou Changwu's son in Tianhui City and then left unscathed. With Huang Baixiong opposing him in this manner, and Zhou Changwu unable to do anything to Huang Baixiong, if word got out, he wouldn't be able to mix in Tianhui City anymore!
Lin Zhichang looked at Zhou Changwu and shrugged his shoulders. He had a good relationship with Zhou Changwu, but if Director Liu personally issued an order, he dared not disobey, knowing well Liu Changping's assertiveness.
Lin Zhichang said, "No matter why Director Liu wants to intervene, since he made the call, these people must be released!"
"They must be released…" Zhou Changwu slowly nodded and said, "However, they must not be allowed to leave Tianhui City!"
Lin Zhichang furrowed his brows and asked, "Old Zhou, what do you mean by that?"
Zhou Changwu said, "Director Liu has ordered, so of course, we can't defy that and must release them. However, these people have made too many enemies in Tianhui City. Whether they can leave the city has nothing to do with us!"
Lin Zhichang's expression changed, and he looked at Zhou Changwu, saying sternly, "Old Zhou, you… are you planning to deal with them? I advise you not to do this. Since Director Liu has personally intervened, if these people die in Tianhui City, Director Liu will undoubtedly investigate to the end. By then, we can't explain ourselves to Director Liu!"
"Hmph, why do I need to explain anything to him?" Zhou Changwu coldly said, "This is just a very minor incident on our side in Tianhui City, it's none of his business, Liu Changping, to intervene. Even though he is the Chief of Dong Province Police Department, he's overstepping his limits. Things in Tianhui City aren't for him to meddle with!"
Lin Zhichang frowned at Zhou Changwu; Zhou Changwu's elder brother was the Deputy Chief of the Dong Province Police Department and not on good terms with Liu Changping. Like his brother, Zhou Changwu also had little regard for Liu Changping. Now that Liu Changping had personally intervened, Zhou Changwu was clearly very angry. However, if Zhou Changwu wanted to go against Liu Changping, that was his prerogative. Just don't drag me into it as well!
Lin Zhichang was quite frustrated; Zhou Changwu was incredibly impulsive and bold in his actions, even arrogant. Now he even dared to challenge the Chief of the Provincial Department. Wasn't this courting death?
"Old Zhou, let's not escalate this issue!" Lin Zhichang advised from the sidelines. "You know the methods of Director Liu. If he really wanted to investigate this thoroughly, neither of us would have an easy time!"
"Don't worry; I assure you he won't investigate this thoroughly!" Zhou Changwu sneered, "This old guy recently found an illegitimate daughter and is now in Xishan City, preparing to overhaul the Xishan City police system. Hmph, this old fool really thinks he's invincible. The waters there are too deep; is he even capable of stirring them? If he wants to reform Xishan City's police system, it must involve the entire Xishan City officialdom. When things get big, I'm afraid he won't be able to protect himself, let alone care about what's happening here in Tianhui City!"
Lin Zhichang slightly nodded. What Zhou Changwu said was indeed based on the facts. He was aware of these issues himself. The local governance of Xishan City was notoriously corrupt, and previous leaderships had tried but failed to reform it. Liu Changping, as the Chief of the Provincial Police Department, was trying to engage in anti-corruption, which seemed rather foolish. If things really escalated, he might just end up implicating himself!