That evening, at the Xingcheng Grand Hotel, the family was celebrating Xu Chen's birthday. Wang Rong called her secretary to bring in a large cake, saying, "Chen'er, this is for you." Xu Chen smiled, opened the packaging, and began to eat. When the plastic knife reached the last piece, it pressed against something hard. Xu Chen peeled back the cream, revealing a clunky car key inside. Wang Rong smiled, "Chen'er, this is your eighteenth birthday present from Mom." Xu Chen picked it up, carefully wiped it, and put it in his pocket, saying, "Thank you, Mom." Xu Nan gave him a hand-knitted bracelet, warning him to wear it always. Xu Jianguo raised his glass to drink with Xu Chen, giving him a bear hug. As the family enjoyed their time together, the door opened. A stranger opened the door, saw everyone, and hurriedly said, "Sorry, wrong door." Xu Nan dismissed it as a minor accident. Xu Chen noticed the stranger's appraising gaze, scanned the room with his divine sense, and discovered someone about to enter. He calmly sat down and picked up some food.
A moment later, the door opened again, and a portly middle-aged man entered the private room, a wine glass in hand. His eyes gleamed with lewdness as he sized up Xu Nan and Wang Rong, then he smiled at Xu Jianguo, saying, "Mayor Xu, I heard from my men that you're dining here, so I came to offer a toast." Xu Jianguo inwardly cursed his bad luck, but still forced a smile, "Come on, Lao Huang, let's toast." Huang Youde immediately approached Xu Jianguo, "To Mayor Xu." The two drank in one gulp. After Huang Youde finished, he said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer. Mayor Xu, please enjoy your meal." His lewd gaze swept over Wang Rong, the beautiful wife, making her feel nauseous. Huang Youde then left the room. Xu Chen had recognized him as the man who had made the deal with Chen Mingyuan the moment he entered; Xiao Bai had said he was the deputy director of the police station. Meanwhile, in another private room, Chen Mingyuan and Huang Youde sat facing each other. Their presence here today was purely coincidental; it was only because Chen Mingyuan's secretary saw the hurried Xu Jianguo that the scene had unfolded. Huang Youde took a sip of tea, let out a comfortable sigh, and said to Chen Mingyuan, "Xu Jianguo's wife is truly something else; her figure and looks are undeniably stunning." Chen Mingyuan cursed the disgusting fat man inwardly. If it weren't for his fondness for married women, he wouldn't have been given such a huge handle by Xu Chen. Seeing Chen Mingyuan remain silent, Huang Youde smiled, "That Xu Chen, young but no ordinary person." Chen Mingyuan sighed inwardly, "Yes, who would have thought I'd be manipulated by such a young kid?" "Did you arrange for that man?" Huang Youde asked Chen Mingyuan, who lit a cigarette. "Yes, I arranged it perfectly." A fierce glint appeared on Huang Youde's face. He'd given money and still wasn't satisfied, wanting to film a video to hold him hostage. Was his wife really that valuable? Worth a million plus his official position? He deserved to die.
"Next, it's about how to negotiate with Xu Chen." Chen Mingyuan glanced towards Xu Chen's private room. Huang Youde sighed. Combining Chen Mingyuan's description of Xu Chen with his own observations, the young man was incredibly composed and confident, seemingly disregarding them. Was it Xu Jianguo's help? No, no, no. The whole thing started with those casino records. Xu Jianguo was unaware of them. Otherwise, with his connections, how could he have those records? Huang Youde had also subtly probed Xu Jianguo and found that he knew nothing about his son. Therefore, he and Chen Mingyuan believed that Xu Chen must have other connections and resources. As for whether Xu Chen obtained the video by chance, that was even more impossible. Their investigation revealed that the man they had 'arranged' had no connection with Xu Chen. Chen Mingyuan had only arranged to meet Xu Chen on a whim. It was unlikely that the honest man could have found out about this and then handed the video over to Xu Chen. If he had such methods, would he have staked out Chen Mingyuan's place at his workplace for years to film the video? As for secretly targeting Xu Chen? That's a joke. Xu Jianguo is still the head of Xingcheng City. If Chen Mingyuan gets caught, he'll be finished. "Why don't we go all the way and add some ingredients to the Xu family's food in the kitchen, get them all intoxicated, and then film Wang Rong to blackmail Xu Chen?" Huang Youde, driven by lust, recalled Wang Rong's still-charming figure and immediately switched from deep thinking mode to lecherous mode. Chen Mingyuan angrily said, "Director Huang, are you kidding me?" Huang Youde knew this was unlikely, so he lit a cigarette, puffing away, trying to suppress the lust burning in his lower abdomen.
Just as Chen and Huang were silent, Xu Chen, who had already locked onto them with his divine sense, pushed open the door and entered. Chen Mingyuan was startled: "Xu Chen? How did you get in? Where are my bodyguards?" Huang Youde looked at Xu Chen with the same look of surprise and suspicion. Xu Chen pulled out a chair, sat down, and smiled, "Oh, you mean those two outside? They're sleeping outside." Then, he calmly picked up the teapot and examined it closely. Chen Mingyuan was furious just looking at Xu Chen. A high school student, treating him so disrespectfully. So he asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing here?" He wasn't interested in how Xu Chen knew they were here, because this kid couldn't be judged by ordinary standards. Huang Youde also carefully examined Xu Chen. Xu Chen put down the teapot, cracked his knuckles, and looked at Huang and Chen, saying, "Director Huang just came to our private room to toast us, and I recognized you at a glance. When old acquaintances meet, I have to return the favor, so I came." Huang Youde understood that Xu Chen's words had a hidden meaning, so he simply stated it directly, "Regarding the video, give me your request, and Old Chen and I will do what we can for you." Xu Chen stared at Huang Youde and said, "Director Huang, although we are strangers, I have known you for a long time in my dreams, so I know you quite well."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mingyuan thought to himself, "What do you know? You can't possibly understand this fatso, even if you analyze that video perfectly." Seeing their disbelief, Xu Chen didn't waste any more time and directly said, "Huang Youde, deputy director of the Xingcheng City Police Department, has a son named Huang Liang who studies at a dubious university in the US. He has many mistresses, all of whom are married. However, you seem to have a particular fondness for a mistress named Liu Yan, a policewoman under your command. You took her to hotels over two hundred times in a year." Cold sweat poured down Huang Youde's forehead, his face filled with panic. Chen Mingyuan's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. Huang Youde looked at Xu Chen, "What exactly are you trying to say?" Xu Chen didn't answer immediately, his face darkening as he loudly said to Huang Youde, "Huang Youde, Huang Youde, are other people's wives really that appealing? Hmm?" Huang Youde understood Xu Chen's meaning; it must be something he had just... Xu Chen overheard Wang Rong's ramblings outside the door. "No, no, Brother Chen, you've misunderstood. Just now..." Before Huang Youde could finish explaining, Xu Chen stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Huang and Chen, interrupting Huang Youde, "I don't want to make enemies with anyone. I told you about your petty affairs just to give you a warning, so you won't cause trouble for me or my family. As for the video, you can rest assured, because taking you down won't benefit me personally at all, right?" Xu Chen was two-faced, manipulating a deputy police chief to indirectly make him Xu Jianguo's "lackey," eager to help Xu Jianguo solve problems, making the old city renovation go more smoothly. After the renovation, whatever the power-money transaction videos or hotel records were, he'd just send them to the disciplinary committee, newspapers, and Huang Youde's mother-in-law's house, and hey, that's it. This was all thanks to Xu Chen's experience watching political dramas recently. Huang Youde wiped his sweat. "Old Chen, see Young Master Xu off." Chen Mingyuan quickly took out his bag, wrote down a check, and caught up with Xu Chen as he left. "Brother Chen, this is a small token of our appreciation." Xu Chen took the check, put it in his pocket, and patted Chen Mingyuan on the shoulder. Chen Mingyuan watched Xu Chen walk away, then looked at the two bodyguards snoring on the ground, lost in thought.
Back in the private room, Xu Chen saw his sister and mother shaking their drunken father, trying to wake him up. He thought to himself, "Only ten minutes have passed; he's gotten drunk so quickly!" He pressed Xu Jianguo's temples, massaged them, and channeled a wisp of spiritual energy. Xu Jianguo slightly awoke, looked at his four sons, and raised his glass: "Son, you're back from the restroom. Come on, let's keep drinking." Xu Chen gestured for the two women to go get a taxi, and he carried Xu Jianguo on his back, following behind. The family quickly went home.
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