God-Level All-rounder Expert
Chapter 454 - 484, Slapped Again

Chapter 454: Chapter 484, Slapped Again

Fang Yi was about to be arrested, but the sudden entrance of this man caused the two guards who were about to arrest Fang Yi to involuntarily halt their movements. They then looked towards Li Yue, seeking his opinion, and Li Yue signaled with a glance to wait and see.

Song Hongye, whose once beautiful face had shown signs of disappointment, grew curious due to the intrusion of this man. She thought to herself, maybe he has arrived.

Previously, Song Hongye had thought that Fang Yi had no more cards up his sleeve and that his phone call was just a bluff. But now it seemed she might have guessed wrong.

Rarely did she ever guess wrong. She didn’t expect to be mistaken about this of all things. A slight blush formed on Song Hongye’s cheeks. Was she slapping her own face? The sensation and taste of that were genuinely unpleasant.

The man was dressed in a suit, looking elegant and proper. Li Yue vaguely felt he had seen the man somewhere before but couldn’t quite recall where at the moment.

The man walked over to Fang Yi’s side and smiled, "Fang Yi."

Fang Yi smiled back and said, "Secretary Hu, you’ve finally arrived. If you were any later, I would have been taken to the station."

Hu Guanqing said, "Sorry, I had to arrange some matters for Secretary Zheng before I could leave. After receiving your call, I hurried over as soon as I could. Fortunately, you haven’t been taken to the station."

Fang Yi sincerely responded, "Secretary Hu, I appreciate it."

Hu Guanqing said, "Not at all. Old Zhou is familiar with you, and I owe him many favors. Coming to help you with this small matter is the least I can do."

Fang Yi nodded and did not say any more, then turned his head to look at Li Yue.

At that moment, Li Yue could feel rolling sweat on his back.

He finally remembered. Secretary Hu, wasn’t he the secretary by the side of a superior official from Huacheng?

Li Yue had the fortune to have seen him once at a symposium held within the department. That time it was the superior giving a speech, and Secretary Hu Guanqing was the one who accompanied him.

The name Hu Guanqing wasn’t particularly well-known nor overly conspicuous. In fact, he was someone who could easily go unnoticed. But he was the secretary to a superior official. Knowing that such a secretary could wield significant power once posted locally, he would at the very least be equivalent to a superior official himself. With that position, he could easily ruin Li Yue!

In the bureaucratic system, never underestimate those secretaries. It is often these secretaries who hold the deepest influence. Currently just a secretary, but that’s merely gilding the lily. If he were truly assigned a local post, his prospects would be boundless. How could Li Yue, a mere captain of the Security Management Team, compare?

Fear struck!

Finally, Li Yue was truly afraid.

To some rich businessmen, Li Yue might carry some weight, but could those businessmen compare to the secretary before him now?

Not a chance!

He had hit an iron wall!

That was the only thought in Li Yue’s mind at that moment. He had come to solve a problem for Liu Bo, thinking that with his own status, he could easily handle it. But he had never imagined that the person Liu Bo had offended had the backing of someone like Hu Guanqing.

There was a trace of schadenfreude on Fang Yi’s face, and for good reason. Fang Yi had long seen through Li Yue’s thoughts. At this moment, he could roughly guess what Li Yue was thinking.

Of course, Fang Yi was also thinking that if Li Yue still couldn’t figure out who Hu Guanqing was, then he could certainly reveal Hu Guanqing’s identity. In the presence of a secretary by the side of a superior official, Li Yue, the captain of the Security Management Team, simply did not stand a chance.

Li Yue’s forehead was sweating; the situation was difficult to handle and just as hard to resolve. At that moment, Liu Bo beside him could no longer hold his peace.

In fact, Liu Bo had long lost his patience. He had been so close to catching Fang Yi, but now the latter was safe and sound, which infuriated him. What made him even angrier was being treated as an utterly insignificant presence, like a minor chess piece—such disregard was hard to bear.

"Uncle Li, what are you dawdling for? He hit me! You need to arrest him now!" Liu Bo urged impatiently.

Li Yue had been pondering strategies in his mind, but Liu Bo’s sudden outburst immediately irritated him. An inexplicable anger welled up, and he suddenly slapped Liu Bo across the face!

Damn it, I’m struggling to protect myself here, and you’re making a racket. Even if you called your dad, it would be no use. If it were your dad here instead of me, he’d probably beat you with fists and feet!

Li Yue was truly angry and had no regrets. His own future was at stake. Although it was said that a local official couldn’t compete with a directly present authority, his immediate superior was Liu Yuanguang. Although he had hit Liu Bo, there was still room to maneuver, but if he truly offended Hu Guanqing, then there would be no room left at all.

The slap wasn’t very painful, but it was enough to stupefy Liu Bo, who clutched his face, standing frozen and dumbfounded.

What the hell was going on? Did Li Yue lose his mind? Why was he hitting me?!

Li Yue then said angrily, "Liu Bo, have you got the courage of a bear and a leopard! Do you know who Secretary Hu is? As a friend of your father, I must properly discipline you on his behalf. You guys, take him out!"

No matter what, it was first necessary to stabilize the situation.

The guards who had come with Li Yue were also a bit bewildered, but they followed orders and led away the stunned Liu Bo. After that, only Li Yue remained.

To everyone’s surprise, Li Yue put on a full-faced smile and, bowing slightly, laughed obsequiously and said, "Secretary Hu, hello, hello. I am Li Yue, captain of the Security Management Team from the Guard Department. To encounter you here is truly my great honor..." He then extended his hand for a handshake.

It was like a subordinate trying to shake hands with a superior, but Hu Guanqing acted as if he hadn’t seen it at all, completely ignoring him.

Hu Guanqing gave Li Yue just one look. Frankly, in Hu Guanqing’s mind, someone like Li Yue was insignificant, especially with Li Yue’s face-changing act that was faster than flipping through a book, which greatly annoyed Hu Guanqing.

Hu Guanqing spoke coldly, "Captain Li, regarding today’s incident, what are your thoughts?" He asserted the air of authority that came with his position.

Thoughts? What thoughts could there be? Li Yue immediately said with a smile, "Regarding today’s incident, it’s entirely a misunderstanding. You are magnanimous, Secretary Hu. The young man from earlier is Director Liu’s son. I will report to Director Liu once I’m back."

Hu Guanqing said, "Fine, when you see Director Liu, tell him to properly educate his son."

Not wanting to say more, Li Yue took his leave and quickly departed. Staying there would only bring further humiliation.

However, this scene had a profound impact on He Dawei and others. It was Fang Yi who had thrown the first punch, yet Secretary Hu told Liu Yuanguang to properly educate his son, shifting the blame entirely onto Liu Bo. It truly showed that one rank higher in the official hierarchy could crush you.

Obviously, the yoga class could no longer continue. The men who had come to watch the drama left with their women, but He Dawei had the guts to come over, greet Fang Yi, and deliberately also greeted Hu Guanqing before leaving. However, Hu Guanqing didn’t take much notice of it.

After everyone had left, Fang Yi then thanked Hu Guanqing.

Hu Guanqing waved his hand and said with a smile, "Fang Yi, I was certainly surprised to receive your call. Helping you this time wasn’t a bother, but now I’d like to ask a favor of you, and please don’t refuse."

Fang Yi laughed; asking for help was indeed about owing favors, but his impression of Hu Guanqing was not bad, so he said, "Secretary Hu, please, just say it. As long as it’s within my power, I will not refuse."

Fang Yi only promised to do things within his means, and if not, well, that would be out of his hands.