In a high-end villa area of Zhonglou District, inside a spacious luxury villa.
Fan Zihong sat ashen-faced in the center of the living room sofa. The floor in front of him was a mess, littered with shards of ceramic, clearly indicating that the second young master Fan had just thrown a tantrum.
His trusted follower, He Lin, stood with his hands at his sides, his face grave. On the sofa to Fan Zihong's left sat a weeping middle-aged woman. Her expensive Gucci suit was soaked, with streaks of tears or snot visible on her heavily made-up face, making her look utterly comical.
This middle-aged woman was Luo Xiuli, Fan Changtian's lover. After Fan Changtian was summoned for questioning by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Luo Xiuli panicked and rushed to Fan Zihong for help.
Luo Xiuli wiped away her tears and cried, "Zihong, you must save your Ninth Uncle! This is political persecution! This is aimed at our Fan family!"
Fan Zihong was disturbed by Luo Xiuli's crying. The news of Fan Changtian's downfall reached him immediately, catching him off guard. Just last night, Fan Changtian had called to report on the progress of the case, saying that Chen Yang could be arrested today, his tone smug and eager for reward.
Unexpectedly, only a day had passed. Not only was Chen Yang unharmed and swaggering out of the Zhonglou District Public Security Bureau, but Guo Li was also immediately released from "double regulation" and reinstated. Meanwhile, Fan Changtian had gone from hunter to prey in the blink of an eye, and was now seemingly imprisoned. When things were going well, Fan Zihong was arrogant and domineering, but once trouble arose, his political acumen proved completely inadequate. He was utterly confused about the situation and couldn't figure out where the problem lay. How could Chen Yang, this country bumpkin, have wielded such power overnight?
"Aunt Jiu, the situation is still unclear. You should go back and wait for news!" Fan Zihong said, frowning. Luo Xiuli was, after all, his elder, and a woman, so he couldn't afford to give her a hard time.
"Ah Lin, drive Aunt Jiu back!" Fan Zihong instructed again.
"Yes, young master," He Lin replied respectfully. Luo Xiuli didn't dare disobey Fan Zihong's wishes. Hearing this, she reluctantly stood up and couldn't help but say again,
"Zihong, you must help Changtian! They're framing him..."
Fan Zihong nodded impatiently, leaning back wearily on the sofa and closing his eyes slightly. Inwardly, he cursed:
Fraudulent my foot! Don't I know what kind of person Fan Changtian is? The boiler factory restructuring cost him three million in one go, and that outfit you're wearing is enough for half a year's salary for him! And he still has the nerve to cry foul here!
Seeing Fan Zihong remain silent, Luo Xiuli didn't dare say anything more. Wiping away her tears, she followed He Lin out of the villa.
"Damn it!" Fan Zihong couldn't help but curse, kicking the mahogany coffee table to the ground.
Just then, the phone that Fan Zihong had casually tossed aside suddenly vibrated. Impatiently picking it up, Fan Zihong shuddered at the sight of it and quickly pressed the answer button:
"Dad..."
"Fan Zihong! What are you up to in Southeast Province? Huh? What's going on with your ninth uncle?" Fan Zihong had barely uttered a word when Fan Zhenguang roared from the other end of the line.
"I...Dad, it must be the Fang family pulling the strings..." Fan Zihong stammered, trembling. He had a premonition that this was directly related to his plan to get back at Chen Yang; otherwise, it couldn't be such a coincidence—Chen Yang had just been arrested by the Zhonglou District police, and Fan Changtian had fallen from grace shortly after.
However, in front of his father, Fan Zihong dared not say a word.
"Bullshit!" Fan Zhenguang cursed mercilessly, "The Fang family can control Han Ming? Are you out of your mind?!"
"This..." Fan Zihong was speechless for a moment. "Get back to Beijing right now! If I don't see you by tonight, I'll break your legs!" Fan Zhenguang said sharply, then slammed down the phone without waiting for Fan Zihong's reply.
Fan Zihong stared blankly at his phone, speechless for a long time. His bones seemed to have been ripped away, and he slumped weakly onto the sofa.
He could foresee the storm that awaited him upon his return…
In fact, the Fan family had already held an emergency meeting. While Fan Changtian was insignificant to the entire Fan family, the Southeast Province where he was located was extremely sensitive, a region strongly controlled by the Fang family. Was Fan Changtian's downfall a signal from the Fang family? Especially since this matter was handled entirely by Han Ming of the Han family, it carried an even more sinister undertone.
The other major families in Beijing also received the news immediately. The downfall of a minor official in the southeastern province quickly spread throughout the capital, and everyone was speculating about the various hidden messages behind the incident.
...
The atmosphere in the Han family of Beijing was tense.
"Brother, why didn't you discuss such a big matter with us? Sending Han Ming to the southeast personally—wasn't that stirring up a hornet's nest?"
The speaker was Han Lingfei's second younger brother, Han Junfei, Chen Yang's maternal uncle in this life, who held the official position of Standing Committee Member and Organization Minister of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee. Hearing about the matter that morning, Han Junfei flew directly to Beijing.
Han Junfei's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Junfei, this is just Han Ming's normal business trip for handling a case. Don't overcomplicate things..." Han Lingfei sat in the middle, his expression calm.
Han Lingfei pondered the cryptic message in Chen Yang's email for a long time afterward, vaguely guessing Chen Yang's intention. After careful consideration, Han Lingfei also felt that this could help improve the current precarious situation of the Han family, so he decisively adopted Chen Yang's suggestion and instructed Han Ming to let him personally lead the team to the Southeast Province.
However, Han Lingfei couldn't reveal this now, and only he knew about Chen Yang's situation. Even Han Xuehua's own second brother, Han Junfei, was unaware of his younger sister's whereabouts.
The Han family was a powerful and influential clan with complex internal relationships. Before all these relationships were sorted out, Han Lingfei would absolutely not reveal a single trace of Han Xuehua and Chen Yang's identities. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover, and he couldn't guarantee that everyone in the Han family cared about his younger sister as much as he did. Once this news leaked out, Han Lingfei couldn't guarantee that some members of the Han family wouldn't harm Chen Yang and his mother.
Therefore, he didn't even tell his own son, Han Wenhai, but instead assigned him to Nanpu County, where Han Xuehua lived, intending to reveal the information to him only if necessary.
"It's not that simple!" Han Junfei exclaimed anxiously, seeing Han Lingfei feigning ignorance. "Brother, do you really think the Fan family would think that way?"
"Yes, brother! The situation is already dire enough. If Han Ming makes this scene, won't it just make things worse?"
The speaker was Zhou Xifu, Han Ming's brother-in-law. His wife, Han Meizi, was Han Lingfei's cousin. Zhou Xifu was the vice chairman of the state-owned coal group, a ministerial-level enterprise, holding a vice-ministerial rank. Although he was the head of a state-owned energy company, he was still a corporate cadre and less influential than Han Lingfei and Han Junfei, the direct descendants of the Han family. He didn't usually have much say in the Han family, but today he couldn't help but echo Han Junfei's sentiments.
If the Han family fell into misfortune, Zhou Xifu's life would inevitably become difficult as well.
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. Han Lingfei waved his hand and said seriously:
"Alright! Han Ming went to the Southeast on my personal orders. According to his feedback, this Fan Changtian is rotten to the core. Preliminary statistics show that the amount involved in his case is over 20 million yuan, and his lifestyle is extremely decadent. He is keen on keeping young female students as mistresses, and has kept five mistresses in Fuzhou and Xiamen for many years! Shouldn't such a parasite be rooted out? Isn't this Han Ming's job?"
Seeing the fleeting indifference on Han Junfei and the others' faces, Han Lingfei changed the subject and continued:
" "I know you're worried about the Fan family. So what if Fan Changtian is a member of the Fan family? Does that mean he can act lawlessly and corruptly? If the Fan family holds a grudge against the Han family because of this, or even attacks us, then so be it! I, Han Lingfei, will take it! I'll show them whether the Han family is a pushover!"
Han Lingfei, the eldest brother of the Han family and a former soldier, naturally possessed an air of dominance due to his years of military service. His words silenced the restless Han family members below, including Han Junfei.
Han Lingfei had another thought unspoken: "So what if Fan Changtian and Fan Zihong are members of the Fan family? Are they allowed to bully my Han family's nephews, but we're not allowed to fight back?" Han Lingfei's sharp gaze swept across the room, and those whose eyes met his righteous gaze lowered their heads. His tone softened slightly as he said,
"Don't worry, everyone. I, Han Lingfei, am not a mindless brute. I have my reasons for doing this. The Han family is in a difficult situation right now, and I hope everyone can unite as one against external threats!"
Having said that, Han Lingfei looked at his younger brother, Han Junfei. Han Junfei nodded involuntarily, while also sighing inwardly. He knew his elder brother's mind was made up, and this matter was already a fait accompli, so he secretly worried about the future of the Han family.
"Everyone, disperse! Just do your jobs well! Don't overthink it!" Han Lingfei said, then turned to Han Junfei, "Junfei, you rushed over as soon as you got off the plane. Haven't you visited Grandpa yet?"
"Oh… Brother, I'll go now!" Han Junfei quickly stood up and said respectfully. "Okay, go ahead..." Han Lingfei nodded slightly.
The capital was in an uproar. The Han, Fan, and Fang families were on high alert, while Chen Yang, the instigator of all this, was happily walking on his way to a date...