Xiao Fei's home is in the bungalow area, to the east of the factory. His house is not far from Lin Chuan's; Lin Chuan's is in the second block of the bungalow area and Xiao Fei's in the fifth. The distance between them is only a little over a hundred meters.

Xiao Fei's family is in a tough situation, with both his grandparents bedridden due to illness, relying only on a tiny pension for sustenance. Xiao Fei's parents also pick up temporary jobs outside to earn a living, having lost tens of thousands of yuan from a business failure in early years.

The family can only live in this cramped house.

As a group of people walked to the door, Lu Dapao shouted, "Xiao Fei, come out here."

"Control yourself, you must control!" urged Zhou Kai urgently.

"Control my ass," Lu Dapao cursed irritably, "Dammit, this ungrateful bastard."

Soon, Xiao Fei walked out of the house. He was pale and his eyes somewhat unfocused. Xiao Fei was not tall and was skinny, wearing a gray coat and black pants.

"Brother Pao," Xiao Fei said timidly, glancing at Lu Dapao.

"I'm asking you, where were you the night before last?" Lu Dapao looked at Xiao Fei irritably.

"I…" Xiao Fei hesitated, then awkwardly said, "No... I didn't go anywhere!"

"Do I really need to expose you?" Lu Dapao glared at Xiao Fei with a sneer, "Is it you who hid the drugs inside Feixiang Company?"

"Ah!" Xiao Fei was startled and quickly shook his head, saying, "No… that's not true. I don't know, I don't know anything!"

"If you don't know, why so nervous?" Lu Dapao sneered, "Now, tell me what were you sneaking around the company for at past midnight the day before yesterday? And where did you get the keys to the company?"

"I…" Xiao Fei was shocked, his hand involuntarily stuffing into his pocket.

Lu Dapao moved swiftly, grabbing Xiao Fei's arm on the spot, then sneered, "What are you hiding in your pocket? Take it out and let's see."

"No!" Xiao Fei exclaimed in panic.

Before he could react, Lu Dapao had already fished out a key from his pocket, the very key to Feixiang Company's rolling shutter door. Lu Dapao laughed, "Xiao Fei, what were you doing with the company keys hidden?"

"I... I didn't!" Xiao Fei shook his head vigorously.

"Confess honestly, did you do this?!" Lu Dapao bellowed.

"Brother Pao, I... I don't know anything," Xiao Fei said in full panic, almost at the brink of collapse, anxiously looking at Lu Dapao and pleading, "I really don't know, I really don't know anything, Brother Pao, please spare me, I truly know nothing."

"Useless trash." Lu Dapao kicked him and roared, "So you still refuse to admit it? Looks like I have to talk to your mom about this, and you shouldn't come to my Feixiang Company anymore. You're not one of us from Jvyi Gang."

"No, Brother Pao, I was wrong!" Xiao Fei hurriedly said.

"Confess honestly, who instructed you to do this!" Lu Dapao glared at Xiao Fei.

"Brother Pao, I... I was wrong." Xiao Fei immediately knelt down.

"You bastard, did you really do this?!" Lu Dapao, unwilling to forgive, kicked and beat Xiao Fei furiously. Xiao Fei didn't dare resist at all and could only protect his head desperately with his hands wrapped around it.

After a brutal beating, Lu Dapao demanded angrily, "Tell me, who instructed you to do this."

"I... I don't know," Xiao Fei shook his head furiously, then said, "A few days ago, a stranger approached me, offering me five hundred thousand to do him a favor. When I heard about the money, I agreed. But... I didn't know it would end up like this, I found out too late. Then I heard that Brother Chuan was arrested."

Bang...

Lu Dapao threw a punch.

Xiao Fei fell to the ground at the sound, already beaten into a mess by Lu Dapao, his face swollen and nose bleeding. Xiao Fei covered his nose and sat on the ground, crying out, "I didn't know it would be like this, if I had known, not even a million would have persuaded me."

"You little bastard, I'll deal with you later," Lu Dapao roared.

Zhou Kai was already calling Lawyer Zhong.

After hearing about the situation, Lawyer Zhong hesitated a bit: "Legally, Xiao Fei's statement implicating himself is invalid because he is considered one of you. Any testimony from family or friends won't count."

"So, what do we do now?" Zhou Kai asked urgently.

"We must find the person who bribed Xiao Fei. Only then do we have a chance to completely turn this around," advised Lawyer Zhong urgently.

"Okay," nodded Zhou Kai, "I'll do my best!"

After hanging up, Zhou Kai looked at the half-dead Xiao Fei, and said, "Xiao Fei, the situation is very complicated, I hope this afternoon you can consider how Brother Chuan has treated us well and stand up to help us."

"I'm willing to do anything if it could redeem me," Xiao Fei said, nodding eagerly.

"Good, now think carefully, what exactly did that person look like?" Zhou Kai said urgently, "This person is now the key to whether Brother Chuan can regain his freedom. If we can't find him, Brother Chuan's life will be ruined."

"Yes, yes!" Xiao Fei nodded.

Zhou Kai found a master who was skilled in sketching and then had him begin to draw the person's appearance based on Xiao Fei's description. This was probably the only method available at this point. After the sketch artist had outlined the person's appearance, they would let the Jvyi Gang members take a good look to see if they recognized him; then, they would track down the person for comparison and let Xiao Fei identify him.

The brothers of the Jvyi Gang were continuously striving. Tang Yumeng never gave up either; she was all over the place, visiting colleagues and friends in the Ministry of Justice, hoping they could offer some help. Supposedly being the top leader in Jiangbei City, shouldn't Lin Chuan's charges be dismissed just by her saying so? However, all of Tang Yumeng's official powers were tightly controlled by Song Ming, leaving her no opportunity to intervene.

City Committee, Song Ming's office.

Several of the core subordinates were already sitting in Song Ming's office.

With Lin Chuan detained, Song Ming was in a good mood, personally brewing tea in the office. A tea enthusiast, Song Ming was very meticulous about the art of tea-making, a practice he regards as improving one's moral character. Years ago, Song Ming had even personally learned the craft of tea-making. Unfortunately, very few people had the chance to drink the tea personally brewed by Song Ming.

"Secretary Song, you seem to be in a good mood today," Minister Chen chuckled.

"Heh heh, the thorn in my eye is finally going to be removed; how can I not be pleased?" Minister Li joined in the laughter nearby.

Lin Chuan was that thorn in Song Ming's eye, the bone in his throat. He wouldn't be comfortable until that thorn was removed. Now that finally, this thorn, this bone was to be removed, Song Ming was naturally very happy.

"Heh…" Song Ming gave a light smile, then said, "You see, when the mood is good, the body naturally feels relaxed. Today my mood is excellent, so I'm personally brewing tea. Give it a try, everyone."

"Secretary Song's tea-making skills are truly remarkable," Minister Li hurriedly said, "I've always wanted to try, but never had the chance. Today is a good day for that."

"Haha..." Everyone laughed heartily.

Today, with Song Ming in a good mood, everyone could joke unrestrainedly and seemed quite unbridled.

Song Ming's skill in tea-making had been systematically trained. The tea he brewed was undoubtedly excellent. Furthermore, the tea stored in Song Ming's drawer was all top-quality Da Hong Pao.

This tea could not be compared with those so-called Da Hong Pao available on the market. This Da Hong Pao was an official special supply.

It's said that this tea had long been earmarked by officials, guarded by assigned personnel, only yielding about a hundred kilograms per year. The central leadership would take up almost half of the supply, with the rest largely divided among local officials. The tea leaves Song Ming possessed were some that he managed to get from a high-level official in the central government, thus having this stock.

The first infusion of tea was poured over a golden toad, and only the second infusion was used for drinking.

The individuals gathered around were very anticipative, curiously observing Song Ming's tea-brewing technique.

"Secretary Song, your way of brewing tea is quite different from others," Minister Li flattered continuously.

The other subordinates did not want to be outdone.

"That's right, which tea house has cups stronger than those of Secretary Song?"

"The tea leaves that Secretary Song has are not something ordinary people can obtain."

Hearing his subordinates' flattery, Song Ming appeared somewhat proud; he deliberately performed a clever maneuver, and the cup spun around in his hand, as if it became one with his hand.

Crack...

Suddenly, the cup slipped from his hand, bouncing off his thigh and shattering on the floor.

Everyone was instantly shocked.

"Peace from the broken pieces!" Minister Li quickly reacted.

"Right, right, better broken," Minister Chen laughed, "This indicates that Secretary Song is truly extraordinary. Secretary Song, your future is destined to be smooth and bright."

Song Ming smiled, commenting, "Look at what you're saying, it's just a broken cup. Aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

"Isn't it?" Minister Li quickly said, "This is indeed a tradition. When a bowl was broken in the countryside in my childhood, the elders always said it was a good thing."

"Exactly, it's the same with spilling wine," Minister Chen grinned, "That's called 'surrounding hall red'!"

The crowd laughed together.

Song Ming, holding the Merit Cup, poured tea for everyone.

The subordinates, very respectful, held the cups with both hands, portraying a humble demeanor.

"Come, have a taste of the tea brewed by yours truly, Song!" Song Ming gestured invitingly.

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