"Yes, sir!" The security guards had long disliked Wang Cheng, and now, having received Secretary Wen's order, they pounced on him like wolves.
"What are you doing! Let me go! I'm telling you, my man is in charge of this market! You dare arrest us? Just wait until he gets out, you'll be sorry!"
Even after the security guards had her hands tied behind her back, Liu Fangling continued to scream hysterically and make foolish threats.
"Smack—!"
Another resounding slap!
But this time, it was Wang Cheng who made the move!
He used all his strength to slap Liu Fangling hard across the face, who was still yelling wildly. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was contorted with rage: "Shut up! You idiot! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!!"
Liu Fangling was completely stunned by the slap. She covered her face and looked at her husband in disbelief: "Wang Cheng...you...you hit me?"
"Hit you? I'd rather kill you!" Wang Cheng shoved her away, his voice hoarse and desperate.
"Do you know who you just cursed? Do you know who you just pushed?! That's Secretary Wen from the town committee! Secretary Wen!! Our entire town is under her jurisdiction! You stupid woman, you've really messed things up!!"
He then pointed to Xu Kuo, who stood beside him with a cold expression, his voice trembling with tears: "And him! Xu Kuo! He's someone who has rendered great service to Captain Sheng! Even Captain Sheng protects him! Can we afford to offend him?! Huh?!"
The town party secretary?!
He performed a great service?!
These two words struck Liu Fangling and Liu Erleng beside her like a bolt from the blue.
The roguish air on Liu Erleng's face vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly paleness and terror. Liu Fangling's body went limp, her eyes glazed over, and she finally realized just how foolish she had been.
"Brother...brother-in-law...what...what should we do?" Liu Erleng stammered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Liu Fangling asked in a trembling voice, her voice trembling with tears, "Then what do we do..."
"What to do? How the hell should I know what to do!" Wang Cheng suddenly collapsed to the ground, his eyes lifeless, his face ashen, completely losing all strength and hope.
It's over, everything is over...
"Hmph," Secretary Wen looked at the three guys who had instantly gone from arrogant and domineering to pathetic, feeling no sympathy, only cold disgust. "What are you all standing there for? Take them away!"
Without further hesitation, the security guards lifted the three limp men and began to drag them outside.
Just then, Wang Cheng, who was lying on the ground, suddenly came to his senses. As if he had grasped the last straw, he scrambled to Xu Kuo's feet and knelt down with a thud!
"Comrade Xu Kuo! Brother Xu Kuo! I was blind to your greatness! I was a fool! I deserve to die! Please, please, have mercy on us, plead with Secretary Wen to let us go! I'll pay you back! I'll pay you back! I'll give you as much as you want! I beg you!"
He kowtowed and begged incoherently, his face covered in snot and tears. He was no longer the imposing figure he had been when he was in charge of the market.
Liu Erleng and Liu Fangling also realized what had happened. Ignoring the pain and humiliation on their faces, they scrambled to their knees before Xu Kuo and kowtowed to beg for mercy along with Wang Cheng: "Comrade Xu Kuo, please forgive us! We were wrong! We were really wrong!"
Xu Kuo looked at the three men kneeling before him, making a complete fool of themselves. His face was expressionless, except for a fleeting glint of cold mockery in the depths of his eyes.
"If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?" His voice was calm, but it carried a coldness that kept people at a distance. "Manager Wang, this is your own fault, you can't blame anyone else."
He turned away from the three men and nodded slightly to Secretary Wen: "Secretary Wen, thank you for your trouble. Please take them away quickly so as not to disrupt market order."
Secretary Wen nodded and waved to the security team members.
The security guards immediately stepped forward, ignoring the three men's cries and pleas, forcibly dragged them up, and escorted them away from the market.
The oppressive atmosphere only eased slightly after Wang Cheng and the others were completely taken away.
Secretary Wen took a deep breath, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, walked up to Xu Kuo, and put on a solemn apology.
"Comrade Xu Kuo, I am truly sorry to have frightened you and your partner. It was my inadequate supervision that allowed such a bad apple to run rampant in the market, affecting everyone's normal business operations and lives."
"Secretary Wen, you flatter me." Xu Kuo said calmly, as if the turmoil just now had no effect on him. "This matter has nothing to do with you; it is simply the fault of certain people."
The more nonchalant he appeared, the more Secretary Wen felt that this young man was no ordinary person.
She nodded, said nothing more, calmed everyone down, and then hurriedly left with her secretary.
She still needs to go back and properly handle the aftermath of Wang Cheng's matter.
After Secretary Wen left, Xu Kuo immediately pulled Jiang Xiuying, who had been standing silently beside him, to a slightly quieter corner.
He grasped her wrist, which had just been scratched by Liu Fangling, and looked at the several clear red marks on it. His brows furrowed instantly, and his eyes were filled with heartache and lingering fear.
"Does it hurt?" His voice softened unconsciously.
Sheng Xu and Zhang Zhihe exchanged a glance and followed, both with a hint of concern on their faces.
Jiang Xiuying shook her head gently, her face still pale with shock, but her eyes were filled with reassurance as she looked at Xu Kuo: "It's nothing, it's just scary to look at."
Xu Kuo didn't ask any more questions. He carefully took out a small white porcelain bottle from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and a faint, strange medicinal fragrance wafted out.
He dabbed some of the cooling ointment on his finger and gently applied it to the red marks on Jiang Xiuying's wrist.
"Hiss..." The ointment stung slightly when it touched the wound, but it was quickly replaced by a cool sensation, which made it much more comfortable.
Zhang Zhihe looked at the medicine bottle in Xu Kuo's hand, then at Jiang Xiuying's visibly relaxed expression, and curiosity overcame his restraint.
"Comrade Xu Kuo, what... what kind of medicine is this? It looks quite effective." Zhang Zhihe leaned closer and couldn't help but ask.
Xu Kuo didn't even look up, focusing on his hands: "It's a folk remedy I made myself, just something I did for fun."
You composed this yourself?!
Sheng Xu and Zhang Zhihe exchanged another glance, this time with genuine surprise.
This kid is not only quick-witted, good at business, and skilled at appraising antiques, but he's also a master of magic tricks. Now he even knows medicine!
Is there anything he can't do? The two silently raised their opinion of Xu Kuo even higher.
After carefully applying the medicine to Jiang Xiuya, Xu Kuo finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Sheng Xu and Zhang Zhihe: "Captain Sheng, Comrade Zhang, the entertainment program at the party shouldn't be over yet, right? Why are you two out here too?"
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