Chapter 252

Xie Wendong patted Sanyan’s shoulder and said, “I’m going to find Peng Shulin.” Sanyan replied, “I’ll go too.” Xie Wendong shook his head, “You’d better stay at home to keep things under control. I’m worried the guys down there might cause trouble.” Sanyan understood and nodded, “Then be careful, Dongge.” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

Since Peng Shulin held a special position at the central level, his treatment locally was even better than that of regular department-level officials, so his residence was naturally beyond ordinary comparison. Instead of going to Peng Ling, Xie Wendong chose to go straight to Peng Shulin’s house. He didn’t want to involve Peng Ling in his relationship with the police, especially since she was his daughter. Located in a residential area, Peng Shulin’s small villa wasn’t very large—two stories high with an interior area of about 200 square meters. Though not luxurious, it was something an ordinary person could only dream of having for a lifetime. That was Peng Shulin’s home. Only he and a middle-aged nanny lived there; sometimes Peng Ling would come back and stay for a day or two.

It was already past 11 o’clock when Xie Wendong arrived, yet there was still light in the villa. It seemed Peng Shulin hadn’t gone to bed yet! Xie Wendong sat in the car, thinking to himself. Joining him were Jiang Sen, Gao Qiang, and Ren Changfeng. The four got out of the car. The cold wind was biting, and thick snowflakes drifted down from the sky, stinging their faces as they melted instantly, causing icy water to drip down their cheeks. Xie Wendong wiped his face and walked to the door of the villa, pressing the bell gently. “Ding dong!” As soon as the bell rang, a woman’s voice came from inside, “Who are you looking for?”

Xie Wendong spoke in a gentle voice, “Is Director Peng at home?” “Who are you…?” “My name is Xie Wendong. Director Peng should know me.” There was a clear pause on the other end before she replied, “Oh! Then please wait a moment.”

Five minutes later, the door opened. A middle-aged woman in her forties stood beside it, with an ordinary appearance and some gray at her temples. Xie Wendong nodded and smiled, “Director Peng is at home, right?” The woman sized him up from head to toe, a hint of surprise in her eyes, before nodding and saying, “Yes, he asks you to come in.” Xie Wendong thanked her again, brushed off the snow from his clothes, and stepped inside slowly. Jiang Sen and the others followed closely behind. All of them thought the same thing: What great influence!

“Th-thank you, Mister. Please follow me.” The middle-aged woman led the way. She was somewhat unsure how to address Xie Wendong and eventually decided to just call him Mister, though the title didn’t quite fit his appearance. She stopped in front of a room, knocked gently on the door, and turned to say, “Please come in!” Xie Wendong entered without hesitation. The room was quite large, seemingly prepared specifically for guests. At first glance, there were at least eight or nine people sitting or standing inside. One of them was someone Xie Wendong recognized—someone who was also quite close to Jiang Sen. He hadn’t expected to see this person here as well. The man appeared to be in his thirties, with a handsome face covered in bruises, a white bandage on his forehead, sitting in a wheelchair with his legs in casts. It was Du Tingwei, who had received considerable care from Jiang Sen. Next to him sat another middle-aged man in his fifties, with still black and thick hair, a resolute face, and large, bright eyes that seemed carved into his face, though there were already lines at the corners of his eyes. Xie Wendong thought to himself that in his youth, just those eyes alone could have captivated countless girls, and they were exactly like Peng Ling’s eyes. Needless to say, this middle-aged man must be Peng Ling’s father, Peng Shulin. There were also several burly men standing around. Though they all seemed hostile toward Xie Wendong, he paid them no attention. He didn’t even glance at Du Tingwei, who was glaring at him, only suspecting his identity. It seemed Du Tingwei had a special relationship with Peng Shulin, but if he remembered correctly, Du Tingwei hadn’t known Peng Ling before—which was confusing. Since he couldn’t figure it out, he decided not to think about it. He walked up to the middle-aged man, smiled, and said, “I suppose you must be Uncle Peng. It’s our first meeting. I hope you’ll take good care of me from now on.” It was indeed their first meeting.

While Xie Wendong was sizing up Peng Shulin, Peng Shulin was also sizing up him. After staring for a long time, Peng Shulin felt disheartened. He simply couldn’t understand how such a young man under twenty could have built an organized crime syndicate as powerful as Wendong’s. What was even harder to comprehend was that his own daughter could be attracted to such a young brat. Unable to suppress his doubts, Peng Shulin confirmed, “Are you Xie Wendong?” Before Xie Wendong could speak, Du Tingwei rushed in, saying, “Uncle Peng, it’s him—he’s Xie Wendong…” In his urgency, the muscles in his face hurt so much that tears almost streamed down; he couldn’t finish speaking, only staring at Xie Wendong with murderous eyes. It was a shame his gaze couldn’t kill, otherwise Xie Wendong might already have turned into meat chunks. Xie Wendong ignored him, remaining calm, and said to Peng Shulin, “Uncle Peng, I am Xie Wendong.”

Peng Shulin leaned back in his chair and said, “No one comes to my place without a reason. Though this isn’t some sacred hall, I doubt you’d have come otherwise. And stop calling me ‘uncle’—I can’t bear it.” Damn it! Why are you so arrogant?! Ren Changfeng was furious. If not for Jiang Sen constantly pulling at his sleeve, he would have slapped Xie Wendong in the face right then. Unperturbed, Xie Wendong continued smiling and said, “No matter from which perspective, I ought to respect you. Calling you ‘uncle’ isn’t excessive. Whether you accept it or not is your decision. If I should call you that, I will. And,” Xie Wendong paused, locking eyes with Peng Shulin, “I’ll also do what needs to be done.” With that, he snapped his fingers, and Gao Qiang silently brought a chair from the side and placed it behind Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong sat down carelessly and took out a cigarette from his pocket. “Now, Uncle Peng, let’s talk about serious matters!”

No matter Xie Wendong’s age or status, the natural aura of a leader he exuded was truly impressive. Du Tingwei, though much older, couldn’t help but admit his superiority. But the more at ease Xie Wendong seemed, the more resentful Du Tingwei became. He slammed the table and shouted at Xie Wendong, “Who do you think you are? What place is this? If you think you can act recklessly here…” Annoyed, Xie Wendong frowned. Du Tingwei’s presence made him feel like a fly buzzing in front of his eyes. With a casual flick, his cigarette flew out and landed right in Du Tingwei’s open mouth, numbing his tongue instantly, leaving him unable to speak further.

The six or seven burly men in the room, seeing Xie Wendong suddenly take action, started shaking their shoulders, ready to step forward. Jiang Sen and the others, sensing trouble, reached for their weapons, ready to fight at any moment. Arrows were nocked, knives drawn—everything was on the verge of explosion. At that moment, Peng Shulin’s expression darkened as he coughed heavily, then turned to the burly men and asked in a stern voice, “What are you doing?”
The burly men clearly feared Peng Shulin and stepped back, turning to look at Du Tingwei. The latter covered his mouth, his pale face turning purplish-blue. He glanced at Xie Wendong, then at Peng Shulin, his teeth grinding together. Finally, he let out a deep groan and shook his head slightly at the burly men. Only then did they retreat to their original positions, though each of them became more cautious. Peng Shulin looked at Xie Wendong and said, “Young man, don’t go too far. Don’t forget, this is my home!” Xie Wendong nodded seriously and replied, “That’s exactly why he’s still alive.”
Without needing to ask, everyone in the room knew who Xie Wendong meant by “he.” Peng Shulin chuckled and said, “You’re very confident. Confidence is a good thing, but sometimes it can also harm others. I was confident too when I was young, thinking I was the best in the world. But as I got older, I kept running into setbacks.”
Xie Wendong said, “I also face setbacks often. Maybe I’m just lucky—my confidence hasn’t diminished even now.” He took out another cigarette and offered it to Peng Shulin, who shook his head. Xie Wendong smiled, put it in his mouth, and lit it. Then he got to the point and said, “The law and order in City H has been good lately, but I heard the police shut down several dance clubs tonight. I wonder why?” Peng Shulin knew he was asking out of curiosity and smiled, saying, “Law and order is good, but crimes hidden in peace still need to be eradicated.” Du Tingwei seized the opportunity, smiled triumphantly at Xie Wendong, and quickly added, “Exactly. Crime is crime. If not dealt with promptly, who knows what kind of chaos might arise later.”
Xie Wendong was smart enough to guess something from his expression. This time, Peng Shulin’s action was almost certainly related to Du Tingwei. Not sure yet, he asked tentatively, “In the past, there were also crimes. The police didn’t eradicate them, yet no chaos occurred. Sometimes, it’s better to let things be. Every city has its own underworld and legitimate world. If things get too chaotic, it might backfire. What do you think, Uncle Peng?”

“Oh…” Peng Shulin pondered for a long time without saying anything. Du Tingwei thought he was hesitating and hurriedly said, “Uncle Peng, don’t listen to him. What so-called unspoken rules? Look at my injuries—these were caused by him… by those scoundrels from the underworld. Is this really what good law and order looks like? If my father found out I was harmed here, I wonder what he’d think of H City’s situation?!” Seeing Peng Shulin still hesitant, fearing he might change his mind, Du Tingwei quickly brought up his own father. Du Tingwei wasn’t stupid; his family background was extraordinary. He knew Xie Wendong’s identity—he was a rising star in the Political Department and the behind-the-scenes leader of the Wendong Gang. He also understood that the Political Department was best left alone; even someone as powerful as his father couldn’t influence them. Claiming he was beaten by Xie Wendong would be useless. It was better to blame it on the Wendong Gang, under Xie Wendong’s control, giving a legitimate reason to crack down on criminal forces. Without the Wendong Gang, Xie Wendong would be nothing but a lone commander, a lion without its minions. In that case, he would no longer be useful to the Political Department, and getting rid of him would be easy. Du Tingwei’s calculations were sound, and he smirked at Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong sighed, unable to understand why he was smiling, as he could see Peng Shulin’s brows gradually furrowing at Du Tingwei’s words. No matter who it was, being threatened by others was never a pleasant thing. Even if it were true, admitting it would bring shame, especially since Peng Shulin was a deputy director sent down from the central government. Seeing the situation, Xie Wendong said calmly, “It’s already great that you weren’t killed. You should know that nothing in the world is more shameful than rape.” Du Tingwei’s face turned red as he glanced at Peng Shulin, who was also looking at him in shock. He quickly retorted loudly, “What are you saying? Don’t spread lies!” Xie Wendong sneered, “You don’t need me to go into detail about what you did, do you?” Then he turned to Peng Shulin and said, “Uncle Peng, I have something to discuss with you alone.” Du Tingwei naturally refused, saying urgently, “Uncle Peng, don’t listen to him…” His intense reaction was obviously abnormal, even to a fool. Peng Shulin subtly gave them an order to leave, rubbing his forehead as he said, “Enough. I’m tired. We can talk later. All of you, go now.” After that, he said to the middle-aged woman outside, “Xiao Liu, see them out.” He felt in his pocket and said to Xie Wendong, “I’ve run out of cigarettes. Please give me one.”

Xie Wendong smiled, placed the whole box of cigarettes on the table, stood up to say goodbye, and left the room with Jiang Sen and the others. Even Du Tingwei, with his thick skin, felt too embarrassed to stay any longer. He stood up and said, “Uncle Peng, I’m leaving too. Get some rest. Don’t believe his words—he’s just a scoundrel!” Seeing Peng Shulin nod impatiently, he cursed inwardly and led the group of men out of the room. He was pushed out in a wheelchair, and by then Xie Wendong was already seated in the car, slowly starting it. With a shrewd glance, he ordered one of the men behind him, “Stay back. Keep an eye on Peng Shulin secretly and watch for any moves he makes.” The man nodded in agreement. At that moment, someone stepped forward to help him, but he pushed them away, got up from the wheelchair, and limped toward the car, muttering fiercely, “Xie Wendong, remember this—this grudge isn’t over!”
As he had predicted, Xie Wendong drove around the city in the car before ordering Jiang Sen to head back. Ren Changfeng and the others were puzzled and asked, “Brother Dong, they’ve already asked us to leave—why go back?” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “To get my cigarettes back.” “What cigarettes?” “Peng Shulin only asked for one, but I gave him a whole box. Of course, I need to get the rest back!” Xie Wendong said calmly. “No way, Brother Dong! It’s just a box of cigarettes—do you really need to be so petty?” “You have to be serious about things!” The three of them shook their heads in unison.
The car slowly drove back to the residential complex and stopped in front of the villa. Xie Wendong got out of the car and went to the villa door again. Before he could knock, the door opened. This time, it wasn’t the middle-aged woman who opened it, but Peng Shulin himself. He showed no surprise at seeing Xie Wendong return; instead, he smiled and said, “You’re indeed a very smart young man.”