Xu Kuo stepped forward, faced Secretary Wen, and, neither humble nor arrogant, gave a concise account of what had happened.
"Finally, what I want to say is that this Wang Cheng is not fit to be an official at all; he only knows how to oppress the people."
"You're spouting nonsense!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng was terrified. He no longer cared about saving face and pointed at Xu Kuo, screaming in a distorted voice.
“Secretary Wen! Don’t listen to his nonsense! It’s his woman who was shameless and seduced my brother-in-law first! My brother-in-law is honest and kind, and she bit him! My wife was furious and went to confront her, and this guy started hitting her! He slapped my wife several times! I… I’m just seeking justice for my family! I’m innocent, Secretary Wen!”
He desperately tried to turn black into white and to smear Xu Kuo and Jiang Xiuying.
"Ha," Xu Kuo let out a short, cold laugh, full of disdain. "Manager Wang, your ability to distort the truth has truly opened my eyes. Jiang Xiuying seduced Liu Erleng and even bit him? Do you even believe that yourself?"
He suddenly raised his voice, looking around at the growing crowd: "Fellow villagers! You all saw it! Who started the physical altercation and acted like a hooligan? Who bullied others by abusing their power? Justice will prevail! Please bear witness for Secretary Wen!"
The crowd immediately erupted in uproar.
Wang Cheng usually bullied and oppressed small vendors in the market, and there had been many grudges against him.
Seeing that Secretary Wen and Captain Sheng were backing them up, and with Xu Kuo leading the way, everyone's suppressed anger finally found an outlet.
"That's right! We all saw it! It was that Liu Erleng who started it, and he was swearing at us!"
"Yes! Wang Cheng's wife is also very fierce; she went up and grabbed the girl's face!"
"Comrade Xu Kuo fought back to protect his target! Well done!"
"Wang Cheng is just using his position to settle personal scores! He even ordered the security team to arrest people! This is outrageous!"
"Secretary Wen! You must stand up for the people!"
...
A cacophony of accusations overwhelmed Wang Cheng, leaving him dizzy and pale.
Wang Cheng panicked completely. Looking at the indignant crowd and listening to the merciless accusations, his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.
His lips trembled as he tried to explain, but he found his throat blocked and couldn't utter a single word. He could only look at Secretary Wen with pleading eyes in despair.
Just then, Sheng Xu added another sentence without batting an eye, his voice calm, yet every word was piercing.
"Secretary Wen, it is worth adding that Comrade Xu Kuo recently assisted our public security organs in cracking a major corruption and theft case, and rooted out the scourges hidden in the cadre ranks. He is a meritorious official."
Sheng Xu's words were like a thunderclap in Secretary Wen's mind!
Assisting in solving a case? Earning merit? Exposing corrupt officials?
She immediately thought of Shi Jixing, the deputy secretary who had been personally taken down and sent to prison by Sheng Xu not long ago!
She has only just secured her position as secretary and is in a critical period of consolidating her power. The worst thing she can do is make any mistakes or get tainted in any way!
That Wang Cheng! He's utterly stupid! He's more trouble than he's worth!
They were so blind as to offend someone whom Sheng Xu valued and who had even made contributions to them! And they even caused such a terrible scandal.
If this isn't handled properly, and I get dragged into this mess, affecting my political future... the consequences would be unimaginable!
Secretary Wen's eyes sharpened instantly. She turned her head sharply and stared intently at Wang Cheng, who was still trembling and trying to gain sympathy.
She already had a good impression of Xu Kuo. A young man who could run such a thriving business even in dire straits didn't seem like the kind of troublemaker and illicit person Wang Cheng described.
Moreover, she had met Jiang Xiuying a few times; she was pretty and quiet with clear eyes, definitely not the kind of dissolute person Wang Cheng described!
Combined with Sheng Xu's words and the indignant crowd before them... the truth is already obvious!
That Wang Cheng! He's completely blinded by greed!
"Wang Cheng!" Secretary Wen's anger finally erupted completely, his voice suddenly rising, filled with undisguised disgust and fury.
"How dare you! The country entrusted you with managing the market to serve the people and maintain order, not to bully others, oppress women, protect your relatives, and distort the truth! Do you have any respect for the organization, discipline, or the people?!"
Every word struck Wang Cheng like a hammer blow to the heart, leaving him pale and drenched in cold sweat.
"I...I..." Wang Cheng stammered, his mind blank, filled only with endless fear.
"Smack—!"
A crisp, loud slap suddenly rang out in the noisy market!
In a fit of anger, Secretary Wen raised his hand and slapped Wang Cheng hard across the face!
This slap not only stunned Wang Cheng, but also shocked all the people around him!
No one expected that this seemingly refined female secretary would be so decisive and efficient when she took action!
"Ouch! You old hag! How dare you hit my man!"
Just then, a sharp, piercing female voice rang out like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
Liu Fangling, who had just caught up, immediately saw her husband being slapped by a strange woman. She couldn't care less about anything else.
She charged forward like a madwoman, roaring, and shoved Secretary Wen hard!
Liu Erleng, who was following behind her, also had a fierce look on his face, clearly there to cause trouble.
Secretary Wen was pushed so hard that he stumbled, but fortunately Sheng Xu, who was standing nearby, caught him in time and prevented him from falling.
Even so, Secretary Wen's expression remained grim.
"Fangling! Are you crazy! Apologize to Secretary Wen right now!" Wang Cheng was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that he didn't even care about the burning pain on his cheek. He grabbed Liu Fangling, who was still throwing a tantrum, and his voice was distorted by extreme fear.
"What are you apologizing for? Wang Cheng, you coward! You coward! You got beaten up and you still defended the outsider! What kind of man are you!" Liu Fangling was still angry and didn't realize the seriousness of the problem. Instead, she cursed Wang Cheng, spitting everywhere.
Wang Cheng was sweating profusely with anxiety, wishing he could strangle this stupid woman on the spot. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word because of fear and anger.
"Ha..." Secretary Wen was so angry at the absurd scene before him that he laughed.
She rubbed her arm, which had been shoved, and coldly swept her gaze over Wang Cheng, Liu Fangling, and the roguish-looking Liu Erleng. "Fine, very well. It seems that the Wang family is truly used to being lawless."
She stopped looking at Wang Cheng's desperate face, turned to the security guards standing solemnly beside her, and her voice regained its authority: "What are you all standing there for? Arrest these three people who obstructed official business, provoked trouble, and intended to attack state cadres! Take them back! Interrogate them thoroughly!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
