Chapter 355: Chapter 351: 351: Unceasing (Second update to celebrate alliance leader Xiao Yu)

Zhang Hongfei composed himself and spoke in a deep voice, “May I ask President Feng, where exactly am I being foolish?”

“Am I your dad? Do I have an obligation to answer you?” Feng Jun grinned with bared teeth before his expression darkened, “On the day the notice was delivered, did you say ‘may I ask’ to my gatekeeper?”

“What are they? Nothing,” Zhang Hongfei’s response wasn’t thought through; he was simply enraged by Feng Jun’s insult.

After speaking, he regretted it, but it was too late for regrets, so he went straight to the point, “The incident yesterday, you did it, right?”

This direct approach was his tactic, not necessarily to gain the upper hand from the start, but it helped undermine the opponent’s arrogance and observe them more closely, surmising their mindset.

“Yes, I did,” Feng Jun nodded with a smile, gazing at him, “Left you a dog’s life, are you disappointed?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hongfei took a sharp breath. He knew the other party was rampant, but he hadn’t expected such audacity.

It went beyond his calculations, and it took him quite some time before he managed to speak, “President Feng, you’re rather unrestrained. Aren’t you afraid I might be wearing a wire? Or do you have a… counter-surveillance device? Let me remind you, those things aren’t reliable!”

Counter-surveillance devices, indeed popular in recent years, but he was right, most of them… of questionable quality.

Feng Jun didn’t even look at him, just sneered with contempt, “Counter-surveillance device… to use against you? Who do you think you are?”

Upon hearing this, even the anger in Zhang Hongfei’s heart abated somewhat, overwhelmed by mixed emotions.

Setting aside feelings of anger, hatred, and humiliation, what he felt the most was a sense of powerlessness—yes, the fact that the other party could speak so openly meant he was unable to restrain them.

Is having money really that powerful, to the point of not even considering state apparatus? Society is indeed a paradise for the privileged.

Of course, he didn’t reflect on how just the night before, he was contemplating how to use his official position to extort benefits from the other party.

He composed himself before speaking again, “Are you sure I’m not wired? Can I leave now?”

“Get lost!” Feng Jun waved his hand dismissively, “Remember, you’re a police officer, not a thug who takes by force.”

He wasn’t being arrogant about overlooking the possibility of recording devices; he was certain that Zhang Hongfei simply didn’t have one on him.

Since you’re asking for a beating, if I don’t scold you a bit, I’d be letting this golden opportunity slip by.

Seeing that the other party did not hesitate to let him go, Zhang Hongfei felt somewhat hurt. At this moment, he had forgotten his original intent to adapt to the situation and simply nodded as he stood up, “Alright, Boss Feng, you’re tough. We’ll see about that.”

“Please,” Feng Jun scoffed disdainfully, “Consider it a favor that I let you off today because you weren’t wearing a wire.”

Zhang Hongfei gave him another look before turning and descending the stairs to leave.

Stepping out of the villa, he still felt unsettled, sensing that something about his visit today was amiss.

He didn’t rush to leave and instead lit a cigarette, standing silently in the courtyard reflecting: was it because he miscalculated and didn’t bring a recording pen?

Just then, a chubby man came by, looking him up and down before scoffing, “You, trying to take on a master? You’re asking for death!”

The chubby man had a bit of a Zhengyang accent, though not quite authentic. Zhang Hongfei gave him an expressionless glance and couldn’t be bothered to respond—if he could handle Feng, this lackey would be nothing to him, easily crushed with a mere gesture.

But it seemed the chubby man didn’t think much of him either, walking away after that single comment.

Zhang Hongfei was now slightly annoyed. How dare such a lackey be so audacious?

After finishing his cigarette, still unable to pinpoint what was wrong, he tossed the butt away and crushed it underfoot, then prepared to leave on his motorcycle.

He had only taken a few steps when he sensed something behind him and abruptly turned, only to witness a stunning scene.

A crow had landed on the ground, carrying a cigarette butt in its beak. It placed the butt beside the one he had just extinguished, aligning the two, then picked them both up again.

Feeling observed, the crow even turned its head to look at him with a disdainful gaze.

Yes, a look of disdain. Although it was a crow, Zhang Hongfei distinctly felt its scorn.

Having been a policeman for many years, Director Zhang was quite confident in his observational skills.

But the more confident he was, the more astonished he became. What the hell, you’re just a crow!

The crow, unconcerned, flew to a trash bin and dropped both cigarette butts into it with a flick of its mouth.

A watt? Zhang Hongfei’s thoughts went blank: a crow that understood how to clean up trash?

Director Zhang didn’t realize how he left the villa. When he came to his senses, the gatehouse was already in sight.

He halted his motorcycle with one foot on the ground, then took out his mobile phone and dialed a number, “Lao Zhang, aren’t you on good terms with Sheng Tang Construction? Could you help me find out about a chubby guy close to Feng Jun, what’s his background?”

“I know that fatso, his last name is Xu, seems to be the son of a commander,” Lao Zhang answered on the other end of the line, “Boss Feng used to stay in a villa at Peach Blossom Valley before moving in here recently.”

“Alright, thanks,” Zhang Hongfei hung up the phone without a change in his expression.

After a long pause, he muttered softly, “Damn it…”

Being able to call the commander’s son “master,” crows that picked up trash, and that inexplicable hole on the hood of the car…

Zhang Hongfei finally realized where his sense of unease was coming from: How could Feng Jun be so certain that I wasn’t wearing a wire?

Thinking this far, he didn’t want to think any further, and he couldn’t help but shiver uncontrollably.

Normally, in armies and police forces—these state instruments of violence—few people should be superstitious, as places with the national emblem should banish ghosts and gods.

But in reality, that’s not the case, because they see life and death regularly and often find themselves in danger. Those people are actually more likely to be superstitious—even if they don’t really believe, burning a stick of incense for peace of mind is quite normal.

The more Zhang Hongfei thought about it, the colder his heart felt, and he wished he could slap himself hard: Am I possessed or what?

He himself tended to believe in folk tales of the weird and the supernatural. Although he couldn’t be sure that Feng Jun could communicate with spirits, such things are better believed in than not.

And who would dare to keep crows, such ill-omened birds, as pets?

Thinking this, had it not been for the tense conversation with Feng Jun just now, he would have wanted to go back and apologize to Feng Jun.

Zhang Hongfei rode his motorcycle slowly to the Men Gang, stopped, and gave each guard a cigarette, “You two have worked hard.”

The two guards looked at each other, hesitated not a whit to take and light them up, and then one of them said, “Thanks, boss, but next time you have to call President Feng before you come.”

Zhang Hongfei originally wanted to show some goodwill to the guards, hoping the message would reach the other party. Hearing their noncommittal response, he forced a smile, “No worries, I won’t come anymore. There are so many police at the station, whoever wants to come can come.”

In all fairness, that was truly what he felt from the bottom of his heart, and he hoped Feng Jun could hear it.

After Zhang Hongfei returned to his unit, the assistant policeman still inquired: How did it go with the issue?

Director Zhang hesitated for a moment, then said, “I met with President Feng, a very amiable person. As they say, misunderstandings stem from not understanding each other… Communicate more and you’ll find that he’s easy to talk to.”

Watt? The assistant policeman’s eyes blinked in disbelief, unable to trust his own ears. With Director Zhang’s reputation for never being at a disadvantage and his bullish behavior, he was now speaking in such a manner. Could it be… that his body has been snatched?

Zhang Hongfei was not in the mood to engage in these conversations. He immediately took leave from the station, claiming that he was too tired from work, his gallbladder inflammation was acting up again, and he wanted to check it out at the hospital.

The station chief didn’t think much of it and said that he should take a good rest for a few days.

Zhang Hongfei also did not withdraw the police report, surmising that in some matters it’s better to stop while you’re ahead, as being too overt can backfire.

After all, in his written statement, he did not mention Feng Jun—although privately, everyone knew that he had cursed out Feng Jun, but without written evidence, it didn’t count for much.

However, he had friends who were still persuading him to take action against Feng Jun, but Director Zhang said, I’ve already told you, no rush, just watch others make a move first… If any of you lose patience, don’t blame me for not treating you as brothers.

He certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone else how difficult Feng Jun was to handle—why cheapen the lessons I’ve learned the hard way by giving them away?

Others just assumed he was wary of other influential figures and did not take his reactions seriously. After all, with such a big piece of lucrative opportunity, there were too many interested parties.

Director Zhang might have cooled down, but the others were unfazed.

The next day, Wang Haifeng received another call, “How is Manager Wang considering our cooperation proposal?”

“Go stay wherever it’s cool!” Wang Haifeng hung up the phone without any politeness.

His attitude aroused strong dissatisfaction in a certain privileged son.

That same afternoon, the director of the town party and government office arrived. He did not meet Feng Jun but was received by Li Xiaotong.

The director stated coldly that there was a problem with the transfer of their contract. The previous area was designated for returning farmland to forest, and with the compensation funds transferred, some historical issues remained unresolved, which could have been negotiated with the original owner.

But now the contractor has changed hands, and things were not easy to deal with.

The director bluntly stated that this contractor was not a local, and many things would be inconvenient.

In short, the contract was problematic, and the town planned to terminate it.

Li Xiaobin was genuinely not adept at handling such matters, but having observed Feng Jun’s assertiveness lately, she gained some confidence, “We’ve already completed all the necessary procedures. If you want to cancel the contract, we won’t agree to it.”

The party and government office director was frank, “I’ve already delivered the town’s message. Let me give you a piece of advice, don’t refuse the toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.”

(Second update, congratulating the alliance leader “Xiao Yu’s beloved brother”)