The scene delivered a shock to the old man that was no less explosive than an atomic bomb detonating beside him.

The old man had been hawking his wares for many years and, on seeing the market inspectors—like a mouse facing a cat—he had only ever seen vendors grovel and ingratiate themselves to the inspectors. Never had he witnessed them apologizing to a vendor.

What was even more extraordinary was that the person offering the apology was the bureau chief.

For a moment, the old man was at a loss for words.

He stammered, "Chief... Chief Sir, I... I won't ever set up my stall haphazardly again, I... I know I was wrong..."

"Elder, don't we have the Starlight Night Market in our Qingling District? It's there for you folks to set up your stands. Why don't you go there?"

Chen Fang asked curiously.

The old man glanced at Gu Hang.

A bit hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Yu Zhengchuan stepped forward and said, "Elder, this gentleman is the Secretary-General of our city government."

"What rank does a Secretary-General hold? A high one?"

The old man blinked, asking.

"Let me put it this way—for everyone but the mayors and deputy mayors, he's the highest authority in the city government," Yu Zhengchuan explained.

Upon hearing this, the old man grew somewhat excited.

Grasping Chen Fang's hand tightly, he said, "Young man, you are a good official, a fine official. Without you today, this old bag of bones would've been done for..."

After finishing.

He wiped away a tear.

He continued, "I know about the Starlight Night Market, over by Industrial Road. I'd like to set up shop there too, but I can't afford it. The rental fee is a hundred yuan a day. I don't even earn that much selling watermelons all night long. How can we afford to go there?"

Chen Fang was taken aback.

He turned his head toward Gu Hang.

Seeing the embarrassed look on Gu Hang's face and his evasive eyes, Chen Fang knew there was a problem.

He questioned, "Comrade Gu Hang, I've seen the project documents for Starlight Night Market. Didn't it say just a nominal fee would be charged? A hundred yuan a night, that's three thousand a month. That's more expensive than some storefronts, isn't it? If these vendors had that money, why would they still need to set up a stall?"

Gu Hang paused for a moment.

He said, "Secretary Chen, you can't calculate it that way. The daily fee is a flexible consideration. You have to pay rent every day when you have a store, but stalls will definitely close in case of wind or rain, so compared to running a store, the fee for setting up a stall isn't that high."

"I'm asking you about the nominal fee mentioned in the project documents. You refuse to answer my question about the hundred yuan per day, but I'll ask someone else to tell me—and when that happens, you will bear all the consequences," Chen Fang threatened.

Under such intimidation.

Gu Hang dared not prevaricate further.

After hemming and hawing for a bit.

He sighed and said, "Secretary Chen, I'll tell you the truth. The Starlight Night Market has been outsourced. It's no longer a government project."

"Outsourced? To whom? At what price was it outsourced?"

Chen Fang asked again.

Gu Hang looked back at everyone, and after scolding them to leave,

He whispered to Chen Fang, "The contractor is Xie Shanglin, the mayor Zhu's brother-in-law, and the price... a stall's rent is roughly five to ten yuan per day."

On hearing this,

Chen Fang was dumbfounded on the spot.

The common people were charged a hundred yuan per day.

However, the cost to lease it from the government was merely five to ten yuan a day.

A profit margin of ten to twenty times.

He took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger, and asked, "Did you receive any benefits?"

Gu Hang waved his hands frantically, saying, "No, no, I didn't take any benefits at all, it's just that..."

"Just what?"

Chen Fang pressed.

Gu Hang pursed his lips and said, "It's just that Mayor Zhu instructed me to step up enforcement against unauthorized street vending, and I had no choice but to..."

With this statement, he attempted to absolve himself.

Chen Fang also picked up on something.

The high-pressure policy on street vending was,

after all, to serve the interests of Starlight Night Market.

The common people need to make a living.

If they can't just set up a stall on the street, their only option is to pay high rent at the Starlight Night Market.

This money, of course, ends up in Xie Shanglin and Zhu Kuang's pockets.

Under the guise of maintaining urban tidiness, in reality, it's a means of fattening their own wallets.

It's no wonder that when Chen Fang was still in Guyang City, Wulan City's culture and tourism bureau began to vigorously promote the Starlight Night Market, claiming it would boost Wulan City's night market economy. It turns out it was all for the sake of private interests.

Zhu Kuang is the deputy mayor in charge of the City Supervision Bureau.

Within the scope of his power,

there was no regulation over the pricing of Starlight Night Market.

As a result, whatever rent he decided went unquestioned.

Chen Fang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I've got it. I'll go see Mayor Zhu tomorrow."

"Secretary Chen…"

Gu Hang suddenly called out.

Chen Fang looked at him and saw that Gu Hang was hesitating and seemed to have more to say.

After a pause, he said, "Secretary Chen, well… there are some things... never mind, I'm just going to say it… you also know about the Starlight Night Market project, with nearly 400 stalls—it's not a small operation. Such a large project involves various interests, including Deputy Mayor Zhu Kuang who initiated it, and it's tied to multiple departments like supervision, culture and tourism, urban management... I... I advise you not to get involved…"

Although he hadn't spelled it out,

Chen Fang understood nonetheless.

Gu Hang was trying to tell him,

that with the abilities that Chen Fang had, he wouldn't be able to affect Starlight Night Market.

If he did intervene, it would trigger a series of chain reactions.

And then, it would be Chen Fang who might be in too deep.

Chen Fang sighed deeply.

He patted Gu Hang on the shoulder,

and said, "Okay, thank you Director Gu, I understand. I'll weigh my options carefully. That's it, you handle the rest, I'm heading back."

"Secretary Chen, the weather forecast predicts a heavy downpour starting tonight, shall I arrange a car to take you back?"

asked Gu Hang.

Chen Fang waved his hand and said, "No need, my secretary drove here."

Having said that,

Chen Fang helped the elderly man into his car and drove off.

"Director Gu, Director Gu, do we... do we still have a chance to make things right?"

As soon as Chen Fang left,

Liu Liangyou scurried up to him and asked.

Gu Hang glared at him,

and snapped, "Idiot, you have no sense at all. Anyway, all of you are suspended for now. We'll see how things turn out next."

"Turn out? What does that mean?"

asked Liu Liangyou.

Gu Hang snapped, "Don't ask what you shouldn't. Seeing you just annoys me, get out!"

Helpless,

Liu Liangyou could only leave dejectedly.

Now alone,

Gu Hang took out his phone and dialed a number.

As soon as the call connected, Gu Hang immediately said, "Mayor Zhao, I apologize for disturbing your rest so late, there's an emergency situation I need to report to you..."

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