Wang Meng’s steps came to an abrupt halt, and his body stiffened.
Damn it—if trouble’s coming, there’s no escaping it.
He turned around.
“Who said I was leaving? I was just—” Wang Meng stopped mid-sentence, his mouth dropping open in shock.
Over a dozen Tianhe Gang members lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain, after being taken down in the blink of an eye by a young man.
“Officer Wang, you sure showed up right on time.” Lin Hai clapped his hands together and called out to Wang Meng.
“Young Master Lin!” Wang Meng’s pupils contracted sharply. He was about to walk over when a short, stocky man ran up to him.
“Officer Wang, perfect timing! Arrest this bastard right now! He dared to hit my wife and injure my brothers! This time, no one’s gonna—” Before Zhu Tu could finish, Wang Meng shoved him aside.
“Young Master Lin, you’re here too?” Wang Meng hurried over to Lin Hai with a sycophantic grin.
“Officer Wang, you—” Zhu Tu was completely baffled.
“What ‘you’? Show me your ID! You’re gathering a mob to cause trouble—do you want me to throw you in jail?” Wang Meng’s expression turned stern as he barked at Zhu Tu.
“My ID?” Zhu Tu was even more confused. Hell, they’d been drinking together just two days ago, and now this guy was asking for his ID? Did he not recognize him or something?
“Wait, Officer Wang, I’m Zhu Tu from the Tianhe Gang!”
“I don’t care if you’re Pig Head or Dog Head—behave yourself!” Wang Meng scolded loudly.
“Screw this!” Now Zhu Tu was losing it. “Wang Meng, are you out of your damn mind?! I’m Zhu Tu, squad leader of the Tianhe Gang!”
“I don’t care who you are. As a police officer, it’s my duty to protect the lives and property of the people. Today, you brought people here to assault Mr. Lin. If I don’t arrest you, how can I answer to the citizens of this city? Men, take them all back to the station!”
Wang Meng waved his hand, and a group of officers rushed in, dragging out the dozen or so men who had just gotten to their feet, along with the fat woman and Biaozi.
“Nice! Way to go, officers!” The crowd burst into applause.
“Wang Meng, have you lost your mind?! How dare you offend the Tianhe Gang?” Zhu Tu couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Hmph! The police serve the people. To protect public safety, it doesn’t matter if it’s the Tianhe Gang or even the Heavenly King Gang—I’ll arrest them all! Take him away!”
As soon as Wang Meng finished speaking, two officers grabbed Zhu Tu and dragged him out.
“Wang Meng! I’m a squad leader of the Tianhe Gang! If you dare arrest me, the Tianhe Gang will—”
Before Zhu Tu could finish, he was shoved into the police car, and the door slammed shut.
Watching Zhu Tu being taken away, Wang Meng curled his lip.
Damn it—the only people in the Tianhe Gang I actually fear are the big shots. A small-time squad leader like you? You’re nothing!
Besides, the guy you just pissed off next to me—that’s a real heavyweight.
Your Tianhe Gang’s backing is at best a deputy director at the municipal bureau. But this guy? He’s the kind of person who drinks and chats with Deputy Mayor Tang and Director Peng.
Arrest him for you? Do you take me for a fool?
“Young Master Lin, are you hurt? It’s all my fault for being late.” Wang Meng immediately put on a different face when he turned to Lin Hai, smiling brighter than if he’d seen his own father.
“Do I look hurt to you?” Lin Hai shrugged with a smile and walked out with Liu Xinqing. Wang Meng quickly jogged after him.
“Um, Young Master Lin, I was wondering if you have any plans tonight? I…” Wang Meng rubbed his hands together nervously as they stepped outside.
“What’s up?” Lin Hai gave him a puzzled look.
Wang Meng hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself.
“I’d like to invite you to dinner, if you’d be willing to honor me with your presence?” Wang Meng said, looking at Lin Hai with some anxiety.
He’d mustered up a lot of courage to say that—after all, Lin Hai was someone who dined with mayors and directors. Who knew if a small-time precinct chief like him would even be worth the guy’s time?
“Dinner?” Lin Hai frowned. He’d only met Wang Meng a few times, and they weren’t exactly close. What was there to eat over?
Seeing Lin Hai’s frown, Wang Meng’s heart sank. He let out a quiet sigh.
A small fry like me, after all, just isn’t worthy of his attention.
A wave of disappointment washed over Wang Meng, and his face visibly dimmed.
“Huh?” Lin Hai noticed and was taken aback.
“Officer Wang, is there something you need? If there is, just say it.”
“Well…” Wang Meng glanced at Zhang Weisheng, who was standing respectfully nearby, and hesitated.
Zhang Weisheng was sharp enough to realize that his presence was making Wang Meng uncomfortable.
“Young Master Lin, I still have some matters to attend to, so I won’t see you out.” Seeing how respectfully Wang Meng treated Lin Hai, Zhang Weisheng was even more convinced that Lin Hai was no ordinary person. His reverence for Lin Hai deepened, and his tone grew even more courteous.
“Let’s talk in my car.” Lin Hai led Liu Xinqing straight to his vehicle.
Wang Meng felt a surge of hope and quickly followed.
“Officer Wang, this is my sister-in-law—she’s family. Just say what’s on your mind.” Lin Hai sat in the car and took a sip from a bottle of water.
Wang Meng took a few deep breaths. Damn it—time to roll the dice!
“Young Master Lin, I want to follow you.”
Pfft!
Lin Hai sprayed the water he’d just drunk all over Wang Meng’s face.
“Cough, cough, cough—sorry, sorry!” Lin Hai choked and coughed.
“What… what did you say?” Lin Hai looked at Wang Meng with a strange expression.
“I said, I want to follow you.” Wang Meng was so nervous he didn’t even bother to wipe the water off his face.
“Seriously? You’re a cop—what’s there to follow me for?” Lin Hai found it amusing.
Wang Meng thought for a moment, then made up his mind.
“Young Master Lin, let me be straight with you.”
“As you probably know, in the official world, if you don’t have someone backing you, you won’t get far. I came from a military background and have no connections. I worked hard and gave it my all to get to this precinct chief position. But I’ve been stuck here for almost ten years now, and every time a promotion comes up, I get passed over.” A hint of dejection crept into Wang Meng’s voice.
“I know the truth. Even though I’ve cracked a lot of major cases, been injured countless times, and earned plenty of merits, none of it matters if no one upstairs speaks up for me.” His words carried a trace of resentment.
“Everyone wants to move up in life. I don’t want to spend my whole career as just a precinct chief. By some stroke of luck, I had the fortune of meeting you, Young Master Lin. So today, I’m taking a leap of faith and asking you to give me a hand.” Wang Meng’s eyes were fixed on Lin Hai with desperate hope, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was in his throat.
Maybe the next second would decide his future and his fate.
Lin Hai was silent for a long time after hearing him out.
Wang Meng’s words were earnest and sincere—Lin Hai could tell he meant every bit of it.
But this was officialdom. Although he knew Tang Sen and Peng Tao, their relationship wasn’t all that deep. It didn’t feel right to just barge in and ask them for favors.
Yet here was Wang Meng, asking him for help with such sincerity. And regardless of his motives, Wang Meng had always sided with Lin Hai whenever things came up. If Lin Hai refused, he’d feel guilty about it.
Damn it—should he help or not? Lin Hai’s head started to ache.
