Chapter 43: Earning Face for His In-laws
"Come in."
An authoritative voice called from within the office.
CREAK. Director Jiang pushed open the office door, and the group filed in.
There were three people in the office.
Shen Jiangnan and the Director of the Bureau of Commerce, Zhang Guoqiang, were sitting on a sofa in the lounge area. Shen Jiangnan’s secretary, Wu Fei, was serving tea beside them.
Upon seeing Shen Jiangnan,
Lin Xinghe, Hua Yao, and Lin Ruoxi were taken aback. ’Is it Brother Shen (Uncle Shen) who’s helping us?’
’It seems Brother Shen (Uncle Shen) still remembers our past friendship.’
The three of them suppressed their excitement and followed Director Jiang. Cheng Yuan also slowly trailed after the group.
Director Jiang, slightly hunched, approached the three men with mincing steps, bowing and scraping nonstop. The smile on his face was brighter than a foxtail flower.
"City Lord, Director, I’m Jiang Daolei from the operations department. I’ve brought the people you asked for."
Shen Jiangnan just let out a heavy, cold snort. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge Director Jiang, his gaze sweeping past him to the people behind.
Lin Xinghe forced a smile and subconsciously started to greet him, but Shen Jiangnan ignored him completely, turning to Cheng Yuan with a brilliant smile. "Xiaocheng, why didn’t you let me know you were coming here to take care of business?"
Cheng Yuan grinned. "Uncle, you’re so busy. How could I bother you with such a small matter?"
"Xiaocheng, there’s no need to be so formal between us. Next time you have business at the Municipal Government Office, just find Xiaowu."
"Alright, Uncle."
WHOOSH!
Jiang Daolei’s face went deathly pale. ’It’s over. This isn’t some random inspection; they’re here to hold me accountable! This Cheng guy knows the City Lord!’
The smile on Lin Xinghe’s face froze. His half-extended hand slowly retracted. So, Shen Jiangnan wasn’t here for his sake, but for Cheng Yuan’s!
Shen Jiangnan glanced coolly at Jiang Daolei. "Xiaocheng, I hear you ran into a bit of trouble?"
"There’s nothing wrong with our documents, but this Director Jiang demanded my wife treat him to dinner. He said if she didn’t, he would hold up our paperwork for a year and put us on a blacklist."
Shen Jiangnan laughed, but out of anger. Without even bothering to look at Jiang Daolei, he turned to Zhang Guoqiang and said coldly, "Director Zhang, is this the work ethic of your Bureau of Commerce?"
Zhang Guoqiang hastily denied it, then turned and unleashed a torrent of abuse.
"Jiang Daolei, you’ve got some nerve! Even I, the Director, wouldn’t dare hold someone’s paperwork for a whole year! And you wanted to blacklist them too? You’ve really brought honor to our Bureau of Commerce, haven’t you!"
Terrified, Jiang Daolei trembled all over. Not daring to argue, he decisively capitulated and bowed deeply to Cheng Yuan.
"Mr. Cheng, I was wrong. I didn’t know you knew the City Lord, I..."
Cheng Yuan mercilessly cut him off. "Director Jiang, by that logic, if I didn’t know my uncle, you would be free to push me around, is that it?"
"No, no..."
Jiang Daolei was so panicked he started to babble incoherently.
Shen Jiangnan cut Jiang Daolei off just as mercilessly. He said coldly, "Director Zhang, this is a man from your Bureau of Commerce. You deal with him. I don’t want to see this black sheep again!"
THUMP. Jiang Daolei collapsed to the floor.
He knew he was finished, completely finished!
Jiang Daolei was practically bursting with hatred for Cheng Yuan. ’If you knew the City Lord, why didn’t you say so earlier?’
’If you’d said something sooner, would I have given you such a hard time?’
’Aren’t you just deliberately trying to get me in trouble?’
Director Zhang quickly declared his position. "Rest assured, City Lord, I will suspend Jiang Daolei immediately! I will personally handle Mr. Cheng’s business and guarantee it’s green-lit all the way!"
"There’s no need to green-light everything. Just follow the normal procedures."
"Yes, yes, of course."
Having dealt with Cheng Yuan’s little problem, Shen Jiangnan took a slow sip of tea and said lightly, "Let’s conclude today’s inspection here. I am very disappointed in the Bureau of Commerce. I hope nothing like this ever happens again."
"Yes, sir."
Shen Jiangnan then took his leave of Cheng Yuan. "Xiaocheng, I have other work to attend to, so I’ll be going now. Come over to my place for dinner sometime."
"Alright, Uncle."
Shen Jiangnan nodded to Cheng Yuan and turned to leave, acting as if he hadn’t even seen the three members of the Lin family.
Lin Xinghe opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He felt a deep sense of loss. Society was just this pragmatic; Shen Jiangnan had also drawn a clear line between them.
Seeing Lin Xinghe’s disappointment, Cheng Yuan decided to give him some face. He called out in a warm voice, "Uncle, Ruoxi and I just got our marriage certificate. This is my father-in-law and my mother-in-law."
’Just got their certificate?’
’Father-in-law and mother-in-law?’
Shen Jiangnan stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao, a long-absent smile appearing on his face.
"Xinghe, my dear sister-in-law, you have good taste! You’ve found a fine son-in-law! I believe that one day, you’ll be able to return to the Lin Family in glory! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? When you’re free, you must come visit my home."
Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao were overwhelmed by the favor. They knew their son-in-law had earned them this face!
The two of them shot Cheng Yuan a grateful look, then warmly clasped Shen Jiangnan’s hands.
"Brother Jiangnan, we will definitely impose on your hospitality."
Shen Jiangnan turned his head and gave Lin Ruoxi a reproachful look. "Ruoxi, you came to Luocheng, so why didn’t you come find me? I’ll have to scold you for that!"
Lin Ruoxi gave Cheng Yuan a deep look and smiled. "As soon as I arrived in Luocheng, I found Manwen. She’s the one who arranged a place for me to stay."
"Hahaha, I remember you and Manwen have been close since you were children. I’m relieved to see you’re still as close as sisters."
After speaking, Shen Jiangnan gave a polite nod to Lin Ruoxi’s family of three and left in a hurry with Wu Fei.
Zhang Guoqiang turned to Cheng Yuan with an apologetic expression. "Mr. Cheng, it was my failure to manage my subordinates that caused you trouble. I sincerely apologize."
Cheng Yuan smiled. "Director Zhang, you were caught up in this unexpectedly. There’s no need for you to apologize."
"Leave the documents with me. I’ll personally handle your application. All the procedures will be completed within three days!"
Although Shen Jiangnan had said to follow the standard process, Director Zhang didn’t dare do that.
Cheng Yuan smiled. "Then I’ll have to thank you, Director Zhang."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Cheng Yuan’s family of four took their leave, not even bothering to glance at Jiang Daolei, who was like a puddle of mud on the floor.
Clinging to a final shred of hope, Jiang Daolei scrambled to his feet and begged, "Director, for the sake of my long and loyal service, I beg you to show mercy. Spare me, or even just transfer me to a sinecure department."
"You want a sinecure department? I’d love to spare you, but if I spare you, will the City Lord spare me? Say no more. Go hand over your work."