He couldn’t kill anyone.

Killing wouldn’t solve problems – this wasn’t a battlefield but a society governed by law. Even when he heard Zhang Er Lai insulting Xia Xiao Lan, despite his intense anger, hadn’t he restrained himself from shooting the man? Zhang Er Lai was later sentenced to life imprisonment, which Zhou Cheng found barely acceptable.

Zhou Cheng wasn’t a murderous demon – inside him lived a caged beast. Anger easily made him lose rationality, and agitation would remind him of bloody war scenes. A person shouldn’t be ruled by their bestial nature. Zhou Cheng had initially wanted to teach Fan Zhen Chuan how to be human again, but the more he investigated, the more he understood that such scum shouldn’t even be allowed to exist as a person!

That would be difficult though – Fan Zhen Chuan wouldn’t simply surrender just because someone revealed their background.

Zhou Cheng hadn’t originally planned to involve Uncle Shao Guang Rong, but now he needed to meet Shao Li Min. Through the contact information provided by Kang Wei, he reached Secretary Hou. Secretary Hou showed much more genuine enthusiasm toward Zhou Cheng than he had toward Kang Wei.

Zhou Cheng’s father was influential, the Zhou family was powerful, and Zhou Cheng himself was exceptionally capable – why wouldn’t Secretary Hou respect such a high-ranking official’s son?

Kang Wei fell short in comparison; his position in the Kang family was nominal, and career-wise, while not exactly unsuccessful, he showed no particularly promising signs.

Zhou Cheng was different – his future was exceptionally bright.

However, no matter how powerful a young master was, he was still a young man who couldn’t escape the trap of beauty. What else would bring Zhou Cheng to Shang Du if not to see Xia Xiao Lan? With so many women from good families waiting for Zhou Cheng to choose from, Young Master Zhou had instead chosen a country girl. Besides her good looks, what other help could she bring to Zhou Cheng? On the contrary, without a background to match her appearance, she would only bring unnecessary trouble.

And here was Zhou Cheng, dealing with trouble again.

Zhou Cheng was very forthright: “Brother Hou, thank you so much for last time.”

Secretary Hou hurriedly dismissed the thanks, performing his role sincerely before Zhou Cheng: “Last time’s incident startled Miss Xia and caused Young Master Kang embarrassment – it was due to my lack of thoroughness in work.”

Zhou Cheng understood the situation well.

Last time, they had only helped because of Shao Guang Rong’s face – how could one expect perfection? Being strict with oneself and lenient with others made life easier. After waiting for over an hour, Zhou Cheng finally met Shao Li Min.

After briefly explaining the situation to Shao Li Min, he asked Zhou Cheng:

“Are you seeking revenge for your girlfriend, or is there another reason why you won’t let Fan Zhen Chuan off?”

“Getting justice for my girlfriend is half the reason. There are many injustices in the world, and we can’t handle them all, but when we encounter one, we should do something about it. If there were more people like me who ‘meddle’ in affairs, common people’s lives might be a bit better.”

Zhou Cheng didn’t hide his main purpose for coming to Shang Du.

If it hadn’t involved Xia Xiao Lan, how would Zhou Cheng have known whether Fan Zhen Chuan in He Dong County was good or bad?

Now that he knew, he could handle it within his capabilities – only then would his conscience be clear. If it were just for revenge, to prevent Fan Zhen Chuan from harassing Xiao Lan, Zhou Cheng would have other more direct and forceful methods. He came to find Shao Li Min because he wanted to handle this through official channels. This wasn’t just a personal grudge, and he couldn’t place himself above the law. In a society governed by law, following legal procedures was the way to establish oneself and go far.

Fan Zhen Chuan was like a pest, and He Dong County was under Shang Du City’s jurisdiction.

Whether to eliminate this pest was still within Shao Li Min’s authority.

Personally, Shao Li Min hoped for more young people like Zhou Cheng who were willing and able to involve themselves in such matters. But from an official standpoint, moving against Fan Zhen Chuan meant disturbing He Dong County’s stability. Shao Li Min had just established his position in Shang Du City, and he hadn’t fully dealt with the aftermath of the corruption case at State Cotton Mill Three.

He didn’t want to move too quickly, but Zhou Cheng was different from young wastrels like Kang Wei.

Shao Li Min was cordial to Kang Wei because of his friendship with his precious nephew Shao Guang Rong.

He wasn’t as cordial with Zhou Cheng because Zhou Cheng’s presence put him in a difficult position. Zhou Cheng wasn’t just Shao Guang Rong’s friend – the young man was so exceptional that Shao Li Min had to carefully consider every word.

In a few years, this young man’s words might completely represent the Zhou family!

After smoking two cigarettes, Shao Li Min made his decision: “Comrade Zhou Cheng, I agree with your view that some matters require intervention. However, I need evidence – how long will it take you to provide me with evidence? Not fabricated, but something that can withstand scrutiny and verification!”

“Tomorrow at the latest.”

Zhou Cheng left satisfied.

Shao Li Min called Secretary Hou in, “Keep an eye out for that young woman who was detained at the police station with Guang Rong last time.”

Secretary Hou was momentarily confused.

Why should he look after Xia Xiao Lan?

But Shao Li Min wouldn’t explain his thoughts to his secretary – a leader’s intentions were for the secretary to figure out themselves.

Leaving the office, Secretary Hou suddenly understood – the leader must see further and clearer than him. Zhou Cheng was serious, about pursuing marriage in this relationship. Secretary Hou believed the Zhou family wouldn’t approve of Zhou Cheng marrying a girl from Yu Nan Province’s countryside, but clearly, Shao Li Min thought differently.

Secretary Hou naturally chose to believe his leader’s perspective.

Hadn’t they invited her to the ribbon-cutting ceremony last time? Looking after her a bit more would be easy enough and wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Building good relationships couldn’t go wrong – you never knew when they might be useful.

When Liu Fang and Liang Huan returned home, Liang Huan’s heart was still pounding.

Her fair face showed an unusual flush, but Liu Fang assumed it was just from the heat. Liu Fang was eager to discuss strategies with Liang Bing An, “Old Liang, do you think this method will work? It’s only the first day, and there’s already been a fight at the shop’s entrance, then the police took everyone away.”

Liu Fang wasn’t worried – those young men weren’t hired by her and Liang Bing An, so even if the police questioned them, it couldn’t be traced back to the Liang family. Liu Fang also mentioned seeing Xia Xiao Lan’s boyfriend:

“Just a pretty boy!”

She was particularly disdainful – what use was good looks when Fan Zhen Chuan could crush him with one finger? If he were a local, they might worry about powerful connections, but what could an outsider do to turn things upside down in Yu Nan?

Liang Bing An heard that he looked spirited and very young, and like Liu Fang, didn’t take Zhou Cheng’s appearance seriously.

“Perfect, tomorrow you should talk to Auntie Li, and tell her that her boyfriend has come looking for her, and now she doesn’t want to marry into the Fan family.”

Liang Bing An thought they could use this point.

With Xia Xiao Lan refusing to marry and her boyfriend showing up, Liang Bing An was quite curious whether their love would prove stronger than everything else.

What was this little girl being so stubborn about love for? Liang Bing An would let her see clearly that young people’s love was completely useless in the face of power!