The more he thought about it, the more Young Master Zheng Zhengbin felt that this Old Rascal was playing them. Otherwise, how could a country bumpkin from a place like Northern Mountain possibly have the qualifications, ability, or background to look down on him—Young Master Zheng Zhengbin? How dare he reject him!?

The thought made Young Master Zheng Zhengbin feel utterly humiliated, and his anger flared. He strode out from the corner toward Hua Ming and sneered, "Old Rascal, where is your backer? You dare to…"

But before he could finish, a cell phone began ringing incessantly. It belonged to the portly man standing nearby, Deputy Director Huang Kai of the Market Regulation Bureau.

The ringing of that phone, at that exact moment, made not only Young Master Zheng Zhengbin and Zhou Zhengxu's hearts pound, but also that of the portly Deputy Director Huang Kai himself. They all broke out in a cold sweat. For the call to come right now, of all times… could it be?

Huang Kai took out his phone to check the caller ID, and his face grew even more panicked. The number displayed was from the Municipal Party Committee.

"Stop! Stop right now!"

Huang Kai's face was a mask of shock, his complexion turning slightly pale as he barked at the men applying the seals. He then shot Hua Ming a peculiar, baffled look before carefully answering the phone.

An exceptionally authoritative voice came through the receiver. "Hello, this is Jin Zhenglin. Who is this? Is this Huang Kai?"

"Jin… Jin… Mayor Jin!?"

Hearing Deputy Mayor Jin Zhenglin personally calling him, the portly Huang Kai nearly jumped out of his skin. His face went white. "H-Hello, Mayor Jin," he said, his voice trembling with terror. "This is Huang Kai from the Market Regulation Bureau—Little Huang. What are your instructions?"

"I'm asking you, are you currently sealing a store named Jinnan Jewelry?" Mayor Jin Zhenglin's voice thundered through the receiver. "Who issued the order? Who told you to do this? Do you have the proper documents and approval?"

"No, no… Mayor Jin, please, let me explain! We received a report from a concerned citizen. It said that a large amount of the gold, silver, and gems sold by Jinnan Jewelry are counterfeit and substandard products. That's why… that's why we…" Hearing Mayor Jin Zhenglin's interrogation, Huang Kai's legs turned to jelly. He nearly collapsed from fright as he stammered out his explanation.

"A report? You seal a store just because of one report?" Jin Zhenglin demanded in a hostile tone. "By that logic, if someone reports me, Jin Zhenglin, should I be immediately dismissed and investigated? Listen to me now. I don't care who gave you this order or whether this is a matter of corruption and twisting the truth. Get back to the bureau immediately and thoroughly investigate what's really going on!"

"Mayor Jin, I, I, I…"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Huang Kai was scared witless. Sweat rolled down his forehead like raindrops, and his face turned ashen.

He'd never dreamed that a country bumpkin like Hua Ming from Northern Mountain could have such a terrifying backer. A single phone call had summoned the direct supervisor of their Market Regulation Bureau! And not just anyone, but the Deputy Mayor in charge of the city's economy and commerce. He had never dreamed that Chen Fei's earlier call would actually summon a leader, let alone one of the top officials in Dongzhu City! It was simply… unbelievable.

In officialdom, a higher rank can crush you. But was Mayor Jin only one rank higher than him? Damn it, how did this happen! In that instant, he was kicking himself with regret. This was clearly a clash of titans! Why did a small fry like him get mixed up in it? Wasn't he just asking for a death wish?

At that moment, Mayor Jin Zhenglin's icy voice came through the receiver again. "Hello? Did you not hear me?" How dare this minor deputy director ignore his call?

"I can hear you! I can hear you!" the portly director stammered, almost out of his wits. "Mayor Jin, rest assured, I'll immediately order them to stop sealing the store and return to the bureau to investigate this clearly."

"Report the results of the Jinnan Jewelry investigation to me as soon as you have them," Mayor Jin ordered again before hanging up.

"Yes, yes, yes…"

Deputy Director Huang Kai, still sweating profusely, kept repeating his assent long after the dial tone started buzzing. He gradually came to his senses, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and looked up to scold the officers who were casually applying the seals. "Are you all deaf? Didn't you hear me? Stop right now and take those seals down!"

Instantly, the men from the Market Regulation Bureau exchanged puzzled glances, wondering what on earth their director was up to.

Even Zhou Zhengxu looked confused. He approached and asked in amazement, "Director Huang, what is the meaning of this?"

But the portly Huang Kai had no time for Zhou Zhengxu. This was a man who could summon Mayor Jin Zhenglin with a single call; one could only imagine how deep Jinnan Jewelry's connections were. The store might belong to a close friend of the mayor, or perhaps Mayor Jin Zhenglin himself was its backer.

At that thought, even more sweat beaded on Huang Kai's forehead. He had already sealed one branch of Jinnan Jewelry and was in the process of sealing another. If he didn't salvage the situation and appease their anger, could he keep his position as Deputy Director when they inevitably flew into a rage? After all, this was Vice Mayor Jin Zhenglin! Even Young Master Zheng's father, the dignified Deputy Commissioner of the Provincial Bureau, was probably nothing special in his eyes—perhaps even a step below. And yet, he had sealed the man's—or his friend's—shop. This was… this was…

In short, the portly Huang Kai was truly dazed, his heart in turmoil. After a moment, he gritted his teeth, forced a smile, and hurried toward Hua Ming.

Everyone present then witnessed a shocking scene. They saw him gently push aside Young Master Zheng Zhengbin, who was standing in front of Hua Ming. With a fawning and eager expression, he clasped Hua Ming's hands and said earnestly, "Boss Hua, look at what a fool I've been. I'm so sorry. My apologies for putting you through this trouble."

Although he had mentally prepared himself, Hua Ming was still startled by the dramatic turnaround and took a moment to recover.

As for Young Master Zheng Zhengbin, his expression changed instantly. He couldn't believe how quickly Huang Kai had changed his tune, even daring to push him. More than that, he was shocked that a single phone call could wield such power.

Just then, the phone in Hua Ming's pocket vibrated a few times, and the ringtone chimed. It seemed a text message had arrived.

Hua Ming immediately took out his phone. Sure enough, the message was from Chen Fei.

It contained only two words.

*Ignore. Leave!*

Seeing those words, a strange light flashed in Hua Ming's eyes. Finally, a heavy weight lifted from his heart, and he relaxed. He turned to the portly Deputy Director Huang Kai and smiled. "Not at all. Since Director Huang believes there's an issue with our jewelry store, please, go ahead and seal it. We must follow the rules, after all."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned with a cold smile, preparing to leave.

Seeing this, Huang Kai's expression changed.

"Boss Hua, Boss Hua, it's all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding…"

Although the portly Huang Kai was seething with rage inside—he had already taken the first step to bow his head, yet this country bumpkin, Hua Ming, dared to put on airs and give him attitude—he was helpless. Who else could summon Mayor Jin Zhenglin with a phone call? If he didn't handle this well, he would surely lose his position and might even suffer a worse fate. So, he immediately forced a smile and scurried after him, his face a picture of obsequiousness.

"Boss Hua, Elder Brother Hua! It really is a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! The Bureau won't be sealing Jinnan Jewelry anymore!" Huang Kai shouted.

"Not sealing it anymore?"

Hua Ming smirked. "Director Huang, your Bureau decides to seal or not seal on a whim. Do you think this is a game? I'm sorry, but another shareholder of Jinnan Jewelry is very unhappy right now and insists that you *must* seal our store. So, for now, don't bother taking the seals off our Jade Carving Factory. It would be pointless."

"Boss Hua, there's no need to make things so tense, is there? We were just following orders, responding to a complaint," the portly Huang Kai said, his face turning ghastly. He couldn't believe this country bumpkin dared to be so ungracious and continue making a fuss.

He was truly regretting it now. Why had a small fry like him meddled in a clash between titans? Now he had sealed a branch of a jewelry store connected to Mayor Jin Zhenglin. If this matter escalated, and especially if he couldn't placate them, the investigation from above—from Mayor Jin—would be the end of him.

"Wait!"

Just as the portly deputy director's face grew ugly and his mind raced in panic, Young Master Zheng Zhengbin suddenly shouted, his expression and tone turning exceptionally nasty.

He strode up to Huang Kai and said with displeasure, "Director Huang, what is the meaning of this!? This isn't what we agreed upon. If we don't seal this trashy jewelry store, are we supposed to let them stay open and keep scamming consumers?" He was indignant. What was his status and position? How could he be ignored by some minor deputy director from the municipal bureau? Did his words mean nothing anymore!?

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