"Old Qi, hurry! The commander has agreed to see you! We need to get there quickly, don't keep the commander waiting." Qian Dong rushed back, his face beaming with joy.

Qi Xiaowei nodded, signaling Wu Sen and the other "militia fighters" to follow. The group followed Qian Dong, passing through a series of exquisite gardens, and finally arrived at the manor that resembled a palace.

As soon as they reached the entrance of the manor, several guards stopped them.

"Hehe, just a routine check. Old Qi, you know, the commander's safety is no small matter," Qian Dong laughed.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiaowei nodded slightly. Since they were already here, there was no need to argue with the other party over such a trivial matter.

He gestured for Wu Sen and the others to stop, and they cooperated with the guards for a simple identity verification and security check.

The inspection process was rough, but Qi Xiaowei and his team remained calm and restrained.

"Alright, inspection complete, you may enter." The leading guard finally nodded, signaling for them to pass.

Qian Dong nodded slightly to the guards to express his gratitude, and then led Qi Xiaowei and the others into the manor.

Upon entering the manor, Qi Xiaowei was immediately struck by the sight before him.

Not only is the architecture magnificent, but the layout is also exquisite, with every detail revealing extraordinary taste and an aura of power.

This is an extremely cold and apocalyptic world, where the sea is practically littered with corpses of the starving, yet the so-called ruler lives in such a luxurious house—it's truly ironic.

Qi Xiaowei frowned slightly, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He knew all too well that in this resource-scarce and difficult world, every act of luxury could be the deprivation of another's life.

This Zhou Xuemin, even after all these years, is still a leopard that can't change its spots!

He adjusted his emotions, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress his dissatisfaction and anger for the time being.

Following Qian Dong, the group arrived at Zhou Xuemin's lavishly decorated office, which was still heavily guarded.

The door was gently pushed open, and a calm and dignified aura rushed out, as if even the air itself had frozen.

This time, the "militia fighters" were not allowed to enter; only Qi Xiaowei went into the office with Qian Dong.

The temperature inside the room was very comfortable, at least 10 degrees Celsius, which made Qi Xiaowei feel a bit stuffy.

Zhou Xuemin sat behind his large desk, his back to them, seemingly engrossed in reviewing the documents in his hands.

Hearing the noise, he slowly turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Qi Xiaowei, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Qi Xiaowei, haha~!" Zhou Xuemin laughed, "We haven't seen each other for many years."

"Hiss~ Ah~!" Suddenly, Zhou Xuemin's lips twitched.

Qi Xiaowei frowned upon seeing this, not understanding what tricks the other party was playing.

"Wait a moment," Zhou Xuemin said.

He waved his hand, and soon a young woman in a business suit slowly stood up from under his desk, looking at Zhou Xuemin with a resentful expression.

"Sweetie, come to my room tonight." Zhou Xuemin slapped the woman's buttocks with a smug look on his face, as if this was a unique understanding and flirtation between him and her.

"How annoying," the woman said with a charmingly reproachful tone.

She then took a few tissues from Zhou Xuemin's desk, straightened her clothes, regained her dignified demeanor, and quietly retreated behind Zhou Xuemin.

"Hehe, just relaxing a bit after work, please don't laugh at me," Zhou Xuemin said with a smile.

"Commander, you are busy with many affairs every day and have devoted yourself to the people of Haidu. It is necessary for you to relax appropriately." Qian Dong said with a fawning look. "Commander, in the past few days I have found a few more outstanding women and sent them to your residence. They are not only beautiful, but also have their own special skills. I believe they will add a lot of fun to your work and life."

As he spoke, Qian Dong took out a carefully prepared list from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Xuemin.

Zhou Xuemin took the list, glanced at it casually, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips. "Qian Dong, you're always so thoughtful. But our old friend is here today, so we can talk about these trivial matters later." He gently placed the list aside and refocused his gaze on Qi Xiaowei.

"So, Xiaowei, how have you been doing these past few years as the director of Anping?" Zhou Xuemin raised his voice and laughed.

"Zhou Xuemin, you disgust me." Qi Xiaowei's face showed disgust. "How can you do this to Yun'er?"

"Yun'er? Haha~!" Zhou Xuemin wasn't angry at Qi Xiaowei's attitude at all; instead, he burst into laughter. "A haggard old woman, and you still treat her like a treasure? Haha~"

The young woman standing behind Zhou Xuemin also covered her mouth and chuckled, as if she had heard something funny.

"Qi Xiaowei, you've gone too far! How dare you address your sister-in-law so intimately?" Qian Dong's face darkened, and his attitude towards Qi Xiaowei changed drastically.

"Hehe, it's nothing." Zhou Xuemin waved his hand. "Xiaowei, I know you've always held a grudge because I stole your woman back then."

"Over the years, you've always had Xu Yun on your mind. Well then, since you've come all this way today, I'll grant your wish and let her come and keep you company. How about that?"

Zhou Xuemin's words carried a hint of mockery and provocation, as if he were enjoying the thrill of putting Qi Xiaowei on the verge of embarrassment and anger.

"I'll beat you to death, you beast!" Qi Xiaowei's eyes were bloodshot as he swung his fist and charged at Zhou Xuemin.

Upon seeing this, Qian Dong quickly stopped him: "Qi Xiaowei, open your dog eyes and look around! What kind of place is this? How dare you run wild here?"

“Xiaowei, meeting an old friend should be a happy occasion, so why do you always have to make things so unpleasant?” Zhou Xuemin shook his head and sighed. “Just like back then, when Vice Mayor Xu betrothed his daughter to me, you insisted on interfering. And what did you get in return? In the end, you were kicked out of Haidu in disgrace.”

"Back then, you used despicable means to snatch Yun'er from my hands!" Qi Xiaowei said through gritted teeth.

"Is that so?" Zhou Xuemin sneered. "Xu Yun did indeed threaten to kill herself to save your life, but if you think I was the one who orchestrated this, then you are sorely mistaken."

"Who else could it be but you?" Qi Xiaowei glared at Zhou Xuemin, his voice trembling with anger. "Stop pretending to be innocent! Back then, Yun'er and I were in love, and Vice Mayor Xu had already agreed to let us be together. It was you who used your power to frame me and make me lose everything! Yun'er, she..." His words choked, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes.

"Qi Xiaowei, you're too naive," Zhou Xuemin interrupted him, his tone laced with disdain. "Do you really think Xu Xiangdong would marry his daughter to a powerless and insignificant police officer like you?"

"Admittedly, I did cause you a lot of trouble back then, but who is Xu Xiangdong? Do you think my little tricks could escape his notice, given that I'm just a small-time squad leader?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiaowei fell silent for a moment. He was no longer the naive young man he once was; he understood many things quickly.