"Young Master Fang... Hello, hello!" Yan Songshan hesitated for a moment when it came to addressing Chen Yang. He knew nothing about Chen Yang, but judging from the situation at the scene that day, Chen Yang was most likely a junior of Secretary Fang of the Provincial Party Committee, so he still used the usual way of addressing playboys.
Facing Yan Songshan's outstretched hand, Chen Yang shook it lightly and said casually:
"Hello, Director Yan. I dare not accept the title of Young Master Fang. I am just an ordinary student. You can just call me Chen Yang."
"Of course, of course. Young Master Fang... Are you entertaining friends here today?" Yan Songshan said with a smile. Throughout, Chen Yang remained seated on the sofa, while Yan Songshan stood by with his hands at his sides. This scene left Yan Huiming speechless with astonishment. From the billiard hall incident until now, Yan Huiming had been completely out of touch, and his perception of Chen Yang remained that poor country boy with decent calligraphy and painting skills. Chen Yang's expression remained calm and composed. He glanced at Yan Songshan's expectant, chubby face and said,
"Oh, just getting together with some friends. By the way... Director Kan from your bureau will be attending too."
Yan Songshan finally got the answer he wanted. He subtly breathed a sigh of relief, his smile widening, and wisely refrained from pressing further.
Turning back to look at the shocked Yan Huiming, Yan Songshan's face hardened, and he coldly snorted,
"Yan Huiming, why don't you come over and apologize to Young Master Fang?"
Yan Songshan's purpose in bringing Yan Gaoshan and his son Yan Huiming today was very clear: to apologize to Chen Yang. The previous incident had genuinely threatened his current position. Since his reprimand by the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Discipline Inspection Commission, the investigation into him had never stopped. Although no problems had been found yet, Yan Songshan knew best whether there were any issues. After so many years as the head of the Public Security Bureau's branch, how could he be completely without problems? Even if no substantial problems are found, finding a pretext to punish him is a simple matter, isn't it? This isn't alarmist; it's already a reality. Yan Songshan received fairly certain information: the Municipal Public Security Bureau had proposed transferring him to Rongtai, a remote suburban county, to serve as its police chief. In the relatively independent and vertically managed public security department, once a decision is made, the local government will generally support it.
The thought of himself, a dignified district branch chief and deputy district head, possibly being demoted to a suburban county dozens of kilometers away as police chief, and likely no longer holding the title of deputy county head, his rank changing from a substantive deputy division chief to (but with) deputy division chief benefits, made Yan Songshan anxious. Having worked in the public security system for so many years, he still had some social connections. After some maneuvering, he finally made some progress. Keeping his position as the head of the Cangshui branch was impossible, but there was still hope for a deputy division chief position in the provincial department.
To be fair, a deputy director position in the provincial public security bureau might not necessarily be better than a county public security bureau chief position, but this is a powerful department, and more importantly, the director's position is vacant. If Yan Songshan could go there, he would preside over the work as deputy director, and it wouldn't be a problem for him to be promoted to director within two years. If that happened, it would be a blessing in disguise.
However, the deputy director that Yan Songshan approached also said that the matter depended on the municipal bureau's opinion. If the municipal bureau insisted on transferring him to Rongtai County, the provincial bureau couldn't interfere too much.
It should be noted that Kan Xufeng is also a well-known deputy director-level official, and his strong personality is famous throughout the public security organs of Southeast Province. This deputy director didn't want to offend him unnecessarily.
Yan Songshan then racked his brains to try and get rid of Kan Xufeng, but this time it was Kan Xufeng who wanted to target Yan Songshan. His hostile attitude towards Guan Weiping that day had put Kan Xufeng in a difficult position, and the relationship between the parties involved subtly pointed to Yan Songshan. Therefore, although no obvious problems were found, Kan Xufeng was determined to marginalize him. Under these circumstances, it was almost impossible for Yan Songshan to succeed.
However, it seemed that every cloud has a silver lining. Just when Yan Songshan was almost in despair, he received news from a friend at the Municipal Bureau: Director Kan would be appearing at the Jiangbin No. 1 Club that evening, invited by Director Guan of the Provincial Party Committee Office.
Normally, such confidential information would be impossible to obtain, but his friend at the Municipal Bureau happened to overhear this while delivering documents to Kan Xufeng's office. Remembering that Yan Songshan was struggling with how to get close to Kan Xufeng, he relayed this information to him.
Yan Songshan immediately thought of Chen Yang, the instigator of the incident at the billiards hall. Almost without thinking, he concluded that tonight's banquet must have been initiated by Chen Yang. Anyone who could rise to the position of police chief wasn't a fool. Yan Songshan quickly realized that to resolve his own problems, he still had to rely on Chen Yang. The one who tied the knot must untie it; if Chen Yang was willing to reach a settlement, then Kan Xufeng would likely stop pressing the issue.
Yan Songshan knew perfectly well that everything that had happened before was Yan Huiming's doing. Now that he needed Chen Yang's help, he definitely needed to make his stance clear. Therefore, he brought Yan Huiming and his son to the club ahead of time.
Upon hearing Yan Songshan's words, Yan Huiming froze, his face flushing red and then pale, his expression shifting rapidly, while his mind raced.
"What are you still standing there for?" Yan Songshan glared at him and scolded, causing Yan Huiming to shiver involuntarily. From a young age, he had held his uncle in high esteem. His current status, with its numerous followers, was largely due to his uncle's influence, and had little to do with his father, Yan Gaoshan. In terms of wealth, there were many people in Rongcheng richer than Yan Gaoshan.
Yan Huiming approached Chen Yang timidly, bowing his head and saying,
"Chen Yang, I'm sorry..."
At this moment, Yan Huiming was a far cry from the confident and spirited man he had been when he first met Chen Yang. He looked like a wronged little wife. Even if he didn't understand the situation, he knew Chen Yang wasn't as simple as he had imagined. Even his uncle had to speak to him humbly; he had absolutely no advantage over Chen Yang.
"Speak louder! Haven't you eaten?" Yan Songshan, seeing his nephew's lifeless state, was even more furious.
"No need! Director Yan," Chen Yang waved his hand, then turned to Yan Huiming and said calmly, "President Yan, I won't say more. Su He doesn't want you to bother her anymore, understand?"
Yan Songshan immediately understood. He knew his nephew's character better than anyone. Relying on his family's wealth and decent looks, he had ruined countless innocent girls. Unexpectedly, this time he had actually set his sights on Chen Yang's woman, and even after being thoroughly humiliated, he still showed no remorse. If Chen Yang hadn't been there, Yan Songshan would have slapped him twice.
Yan Huiming's face flashed with a fierce expression upon hearing Chen Yang's words, but seeing his uncle's dark face, he trembled and involuntarily said:
"I understand..."
As he spoke, Yan Huiming's hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles white, clearly trying his best to control his emotions.
Chen Yang witnessed all of this. Hearing Yan Huiming's insincere words, a slight smile played on Chen Yang's lips as he gave Yan Songshan a meaningful look.
Yan Songshan was a shrewd man. Seeing Chen Yang's expression, he knew he wasn't easily fooled. Anyone could talk a good game, so he gritted his teeth and turned to Yan Gaoshan, saying:
"Gaoshan, weren't you contacting Huiming about studying at the University of Manchester a while ago? Don't delay any longer. Send him off in the next few days!"
After saying this, Yan Songshan looked at Yan Huiming and said sternly:
"You'll stay home for the next few days. You're not allowed to go anywhere! Once you're in England, study hard. You're not allowed to return to China for two years! Do you understand?"
Yan Huiming was terrified by Yan Songshan's tone. He no longer cared about his grudge against Chen Yang. His face paled as he nodded, then stood there dejectedly. Yan Songshan immediately put on a smiling face again and said,
"Young Master Fang, what do you think…"
Chen Yang smiled faintly and said,
"Director Yan, this is your family matter. It's not appropriate for an outsider like me to interfere…"
Seeing the smile on Chen Yang's face, Yan Songshan felt relieved. He gave Yan Gaoshan and his son a wink, and they tactfully left first. Yan Songshan then sat down on the sofa next to Chen Yang and began to chat with him respectfully, mainly about his own affairs, though he spoke somewhat cryptically.
But who was Chen Yang? He quickly understood Yan Songshan's request and nodded slightly, saying,
"Yes! I understand. Director Yan, we'll meet in VIP room number one later."
Yan Songshan was overjoyed. He knew Chen Yang had decided to let him off the hook, so he bowed and scraped, saying,
"I understand! Thank you, Young Master Fang! Thank you, Young Master Fang!"
After saying this, Yan Songshan stood up and silently left the lobby reception area.
After Yan Songshan left, Chen Yang breathed a sigh of relief. The moment he saw Yan Songshan, he had guessed the other party's intentions, but Chen Yang still patiently talked with them for a while, wanting to see if Yan Songshan was smart enough.
Now it seemed that he wasn't stupid at least, and had shown considerable sincerity. Therefore, Chen Yang didn't intend to push him too far; it was better to leave room for future encounters. The one who had offended him was Yan Huiming, who was about to slink away abroad. As the saying goes, even a cornered dog will jump over the wall! Yan Songshan was, after all, a powerful police chief, so Chen Yang naturally had no reason to hold a grudge against him.
After this brief exchange, Chen Yang didn't have to wait long before he met Guan Weiping and two others who had arrived together. It turned out there was a provincial party committee meeting that afternoon, attended by cadres at the division level and above from units stationed in Fuzhou. After the meeting, the three of them simply rode in Guan Weiping's car, with Director Kan and Deputy Director Xie's cars following behind.
As soon as they entered, Guan Weiping saw Chen Yang waiting in the lobby and said with a smile from afar:
"Chen Yang! It's just a casual meal, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
Actually, Guan Weiping also had a membership card for this club—the kind that was complimentary and had no annual fee. Because of this, he knew how valuable the membership card was and how expensive the club's prices were, so he was somewhat curious about why Chen Yang was hosting a dinner here.
"You three are all distinguished guests, of course I wouldn't dare to neglect you!" Chen Yang said with a smile. "Please come in!"
With that, Chen Yang picked up the inconspicuous plastic bag on the ground and led the way for the three of them.