The No. 1 VIP room was located in the northeast corner of the clubhouse, with three sides made of transparent glass walls, offering stunning river views from every angle. It was the best-located and most luxurious VIP room in the entire Riverside No. 1 Clubhouse.
Seeing that Chen Yang had actually booked this VIP room, even Kan Xufeng and Xie Fangzhi, the deputy director of the Housing Management Bureau, were secretly astonished. They thought to themselves that this young man was indeed extraordinary. This VIP room was extremely difficult to book; it wasn't just a matter of money. Without a certain status and position, no matter how much money was offered, the club wouldn't reserve the No. 1 VIP room for him. It could be said that the No. 1 VIP room was always on standby, and once it was used, it was definitely for extremely distinguished guests.
The manager had already replaced the original huge round table in the VIP room with a moderately sized table, making the already large VIP room seem even more spacious. The group didn't refuse much and took their seats according to their status as host and guests. Guan Weiping naturally took the central seat, with Kan Xufeng to his right and Xie Fangzhi to his left. Chen Yang sat opposite him, in what's commonly known as the "payer's seat."
"Mr. Fang, what drinks would you like?" A young, beautiful, and elegant waitress approached Chen Yang, bowing slightly as she asked softly.
Chen Yang had already ordered the food upon arriving at the club, so the waitress went straight to asking what kind of alcohol he preferred.
Chen Yang smiled slightly and said,
"I brought my own alcohol. Hmm… two pitchers of freshly squeezed cucumber juice, please! We'll add the honey ourselves!"
"Okay!" the waitress nodded in response.
Chen Yang placed the plastic bag he had brought on the table and asked with a smile,
"Director Guan, you two leaders, guess what kind of wine I brought today?"
Guan Weiping immediately looked at the bag with interest and said with a chuckle,
"What kind of wine doesn't the No. 1 Club have? Since you brought your own, it must be something special!"
"Haha, Chen Yang, stop being so mysterious, just open the bag!" Kan Xufeng said with a hearty laugh.
Xie Fangzhi, not as familiar with the two as Kan Xufeng, simply smiled and watched the spectacle.
Guan Weiping chimed in,
"Open it! Open it! Old Kan is a master of wine; if you keep being mysterious, he might just do it himself!"
Chen Yang, with a mysterious smile, opened the plastic bag, took out two bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor), placed them on the table, and then quietly sat down, watching the three people opposite him. As soon as Chen Yang took out the wine, Kan Xufeng's eyes immediately fell on the wine box. His eyes widened slowly, his face filled with disbelief. After a long pause, he murmured, "Little Jiang's inauguration commemorative wine?"
Chen Yang smiled and nodded. This was a gift from Ning Kuncheng, specially brought to Rongcheng by Ning Qiaoqian as a present for Chen Yang. Chen Yang had helped him greatly with the calligraphy request last time, and this time, despite Ning Qiaoqian's objections, Ning Kuncheng insisted on bringing Chen Yang a case of his treasured Little Jiang's inauguration commemorative wine.
Ning Qiaoqian didn't like Chen Yang drinking, so she hadn't given it to him and had kept it a secret from him until today when Chen Yang asked for her membership card. Hearing that it was for entertaining important guests, Ning Qiaoqian took out the case of wine. Chen Yang brought two bottles to the private room, and the remaining four were temporarily placed at the club's service desk.
"Are you kidding me?" Kan Xufeng exclaimed. "This wine is an antique! You can't buy it even if you have the money! You're actually going to drink it? That's a complete waste!"
Kan Xufeng was knowledgeable about wine. Thirty years ago, things were very different. Back then, commemorative inauguration wines from the other side of the strait were limited editions. They were already scarce, and with the passage of time, this kind of wine was now practically a collector's item. Even an empty bottle could sell for over a thousand yuan. You could say that this kind of wine was something money couldn't buy; every bottle consumed meant one less available.
Chen Yang, a faint smile on his face, said:
"Director Kan, wine is brewed to be drunk; otherwise, what's the point of its existence?"
Guan Weiping wasn't very knowledgeable about wine, but seeing Kan Xufeng's exaggerated reaction, he couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Old Kan, is there anything special about this wine?"
At the mention of wine, Kan Xufeng, a former soldier, immediately perked up and said:
"When that little Chiang Kai-shek came to power on the other side in 1978, the authorities produced a limited-edition commemorative batch of wine. Two bottles of them are now placed in front of us…"
Kan Xufeng went on and on, detailing the wine's history and present, before exclaiming with a glare:
"Chen Yang is actually going to open them and drink them! Director Guan, don't you think that's a waste?"
Chen Yang looked at Kan Xufeng with a smile, his goodwill towards this outspoken police chief with a military background growing even stronger. Chen Yang picked up the bottle of wine on the table and deftly opened it, releasing a capful of intoxicating aroma that was refreshing and delightful.
"Sigh..."
Kan Xufeng, standing nearby, couldn't stop him in time and looked at the bottle in Chen Yang's hand with a pained expression. Chen Yang stood up and walked between the two men, pouring wine for Guan Weiping while smiling and saying:
"Director Kan, these two bottles of wine are definitely going to be drunk today. If you want to keep them, that's fine too. I've already told the front desk to put them in the three leaders' cars by now. Everyone gets a share! It's not much, just one bottle each! It's a small token of my appreciation!"
"No, no! This wine is too precious, we can't accept it!" Kan Xufeng immediately waved his hands.
Chen Yang turned and poured wine for Kan Xufeng, saying,
"It's just a bottle of wine. Does Director Kan not value it? Actually, this wine was a gift from an elder. There's only one case in total; otherwise, I wouldn't have only given each of you leaders one bottle."
The elder naturally referred to Ning Kuncheng. From Ning Qiaoqian's perspective, Chen Yang's statement was certainly correct. However, Kan Xufeng and Xie Fangzhi naturally interpreted this as referring to an elder from the Fang family. They were even more convinced that Chen Yang was an outstanding member of the Fang family. Receiving a whole case of such precious vintage wine was something an ordinary junior couldn't do.
Guan Weiping smiled as he watched them. He was fully aware of Kan Xufeng and Xie Fangzhi's thoughts. Knowing Chen Yang's background, he didn't expose him, secretly admiring Chen Yang's methods while also being quite curious. Chen Yang certainly had a knack for interpersonal relationships; he was remarkably sophisticated, and you couldn't tell he was a college student from a rural area. If he hadn't personally investigated Chen Yang's background, he would have had the illusion that Chen Yang was a descendant of the Fang family.
Guan Weiping spoke up:
"Old Kan, Director Xie, since it's Chen Yang's kind gesture, let's accept it!"
Seeing that Guan Weiping had already spoken, Kan Xufeng could only nod helplessly. As for Xie Fangzhi, his attendance at this dinner was entirely due to his previous favor to Chen Yang. At his level, it was usually very difficult for him to interact with leaders of Guan Weiping and Kan Xufeng's caliber. Seeing that both leaders had accepted the wine, he repeatedly thanked Chen Yang and accepted the bottle of wine as well.
Chen Yang personally filled the bottles for the three of them, then returned to his seat and poured himself a glass as well. At this moment, Guan Weiping raised his glass, smiling, and said:
"Thanks to Chen Yang today, we can all enjoy this beautiful setting, admiring the stunning river view while savoring this fine wine. I suggest we toast Chen Yang first!"
Chen Yang quickly stood up and said:
"Director Guan, I dare not accept such praise! Several leaders have given me great help recently; this toast should be mine. I'll drink it first!"
With that, Chen Yang downed his glass of baijiu in one gulp, and Guan Weiping and the others also readily downed their glasses.
"Good wine!" Kan Xufeng put down his glass, smacking his lips in appreciation.
"Come on! Everyone, eat!" Chen Yang warmly invited.
After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table gradually warmed up. Although Chen Yang was a student, he was quite familiar with the topics Guan Weiping and the others were discussing, always managing to express his opinions at appropriate moments, and he got along quite well with the three officials. As they talked, the conversation naturally turned to the incident at the billiard hall that day. Kan Xufeng, with a hint of apology, said:
"Director Guan, Chen Yang, I'm truly sorry about what happened that day! I, Old Kan, failed to manage the team properly, causing you all this distress! Our investigation has confirmed that Yue Lei and his gang are indeed a criminal organization, and that deputy police chief named Yan Jinlong is their protector! Our investigation is complete, and the case has been transferred to the procuratorate. Prosecution will begin soon! This gang's actions are extremely heinous, and I believe the procuratorate will recommend a severe sentence!"
Kan Xufeng observed Chen Yang's expression as he spoke. Chen Yang remained seated with a smile, a result Kan Xufeng had already anticipated.
Kan Xufeng continued,
"Recently, our Rongcheng City Public Security Bureau conducted a major rectification campaign on work style and discipline with the theme of 'Strengthening Ideals and Beliefs, and Building a Solid Police Soul.' Every comrade in the bureau conducted in-depth self-analysis and wrote written self-examination materials..."
Kan Xufeng began to describe the rectification campaign within their Public Security Bureau. Guan Weiping and the others listened attentively without interrupting him. Only after Kan Xufeng finished speaking did Guan Weiping nod slightly and say, "Yes, Lao Kan, I fully support your approach! I've already seen the provincial department's report on your municipal bureau's discipline and conduct rectification!" Guan Weiping paused, then added meaningfully, "I delivered the report to Secretary Fang's office before leaving get off work... and placed it on top."
Kan Xufeng was overjoyed. He had only submitted the rectification materials to the provincial public security department last week, and he hadn't expected them to have produced a report and submitted it to the provincial party committee and government so quickly. Even more unexpected was Guan Weiping's thoughtfulness—placing the report on top so Secretary Fang would see it most easily. What was originally a bad thing had turned into a good thing, and Kan Xufeng was overjoyed. He continued:
"During this disciplinary rectification process, we also discovered problems such as some comrades not being serious enough in their work, lacking thoroughness in their work style, and wavering in their ideals and beliefs. Our bureau's Party Committee has reached a consensus, and we will soon make some adjustments to the leadership at the branch bureau level. By the way, Yan Songshan from the Cangshui branch who offended Director Guan last time, we plan to transfer him to the grassroots level for some training…"
Chen Yang, hearing this, smiled and asked:
"Director Kan, I heard that Deputy Director Xu intends to transfer Director Yan to the Provincial Department as the deputy director of the Economic Crime Investigation Division?"
"Is that so?" Kan Xufeng glanced at Chen Yang, not understanding his intention in asking this, so he simply pretended not to understand. Chen Yang was well aware of Kan Xufeng's mindset. He smiled and said,
"Actually, cross-appointment of cadres is something the central government has been strongly advocating in recent years. Director Yan has been in the position of Public Security Bureau Chief for too long. Personally, I think that from the perspective of cadre training, transferring him to the provincial department would be more beneficial to his personal development."
As soon as Chen Yang said this, Kan Xufeng immediately understood his meaning. Kan Xufeng knew that Yan Songshan must have persuaded Chen Yang, so Chen Yang was going to let him off the hook and not push him too far. Kan Xufeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief; now everyone was happy. He really didn't want to offend the deputy director of the provincial department unless necessary. Now that Chen Yang had spoken up, Kan Xufeng could go along with it. He nodded in agreement,
"I agree with your point of view! Working in a government agency is indeed more training and can enrich one's work experience! If the provincial department really has such a need, our municipal bureau will definitely support it!"
Chen Yang nodded with a smile. Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room.