bruises first?"
Seeing that the police had finally arrived, Wang Hao's confidence returned.
"
She had only wanted to scare Jiang Cheng for a moment.
Lin Lan shot them a look, and the two men stepped back.
"You must be Captain Chen Qin. Today he beat up my son. A violent man like that, if left in society, will probably endanger public safety."
"I trust Captain Chen will investigate his background thoroughly, handle the matter impartially, and bring such a threat to justice."
Lin Lan's words were clearly meant to pressure Chen Qin.
She even branded Jiang Cheng as a danger to public safety.
"Madam Wang, that's hardly appropriate. The case hasn't been heard, and Wang Hao threw the first punch; Jiang Cheng was only defending himself," Qi Yuan said.
Seeing the tension rise again, Chen Qin quickly mediated. "Madam Wang, the case is still under investigation."
"It's rather complicated; we'll proceed once the injury assessment is complete."
"If you refuse mediation, it'll have to go to court. Please don't worry—we'll handle it impartially."
When Lin Lan saw Chen Qin fencing with pleasantries, her face turned displeased.
"Impartial, indeed. Today I'll see exactly how your police station 'handles' things."
"But Captain Chen, let me be clear: if you can't manage this case, I can find someone who can. As for you—"
Lin Lan left the rest unsaid.
Yet her meaning was obvious.
If Chen Qin settled the matter, he could keep his post as station chief.
If not, Lin Lan could have someone else take over.
This naked intimidation showcased her authority perfectly.
Watching Lin Lan's practiced power play, Qi Yuan stepped forward to argue.
Just then, a shrill siren wailed in the distance.
Dozens of officers poured out, sealing off the entire restaurant.
"Director Cai, why are you here personally?" Chen Qin hurried up to ask.
Lin Lan, who had been posturing, turned and saw the newcomer, a smug smile curving her lips.
"Director Cai, sorry to trouble you for coming."
Cai Ming beamed at her. "It's my duty. An incident in my jurisdiction is my responsibility; I'll investigate thoroughly and never tolerate social violence."
As Cai Ming finished, four rolls-royces swept in, escorting a blue-plated Red Flag sedan.
Though the Red Flag plate was discreet, being flanked by four rolls-royces still made onlookers wary.
The dozen or so local cops surrounding the hotel exchanged uneasy glances.
From the rolls-royces emerged over ten Bodyguards in black suits.
From the Red Flag stepped a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
The Middle-aged Man swept the scene with sharp eyes, flashed a badge at the officers, and strode inside with his entourage of Bodyguards.
Before Cai Ming could finish speaking, an officer rushed over and whispered in his ear.
Cai Ming's brows knitted at the report.
Anyone the gate officers let straight through was clearly no ordinary visitor.
The gold-rimmed man scanned the room and walked straight toward Jiang Cheng.
"Young Master Jiang, good day. I'm Shen Chong, your Second Grandfather's subordinate and personal secretary. I'm in Modu on business; your grand-uncle heard you were in some trouble and asked me to check on you."
Jiang Cheng frowned at his phone screen, hit recall, and left his hero at the fountain.
Hearing this, his heart surged like storm-tossed waves.
He truly had never known he had a second grand-uncle.
He suddenly recalled the blurred silhouette photo in the family study.
His father had once said it was his grandfather's back view.
Could that be this grand-uncle?
Hiding his shock, Jiang Cheng nodded to Shen Chong. "Thank you for the trouble."
"No need for thanks. You're the heir the second master has chosen; you're effectively my boss. If you need anything, just say the word."
With that, Shen Chong handed Jiang Cheng his business card.
Seeing Shen Chong chatting calmly with Jiang Cheng, everyone present felt a swirl of emotions.
They had thought Jiang Cheng was only showing off by playing games at such a moment, but it turned out he truly had nothing to fear.
"Good grief—what kind of background does Jiang Cheng's family have?"
"Bringing this many bodyguards—won't it obstruct official duties?"
Even Wang Congcong and Qi Yuan furrowed their brows.
Frankly, they couldn't fathom Jiang Cheng's move.
In truth, not just them—even Jiang Cheng himself couldn't help but mentally exclaim, "What the hell?"
Wasn't this show of force a bit too much?
After finishing his conversation with Jiang Cheng, Shen Chong turned to the displeased-looking Cai Ming and introduced himself: "Hello, my name is Shen Chong. I'm the personal secretary to Chairman Jiang Chenghong of Mingsheng Group. Mr. Jiang Cheng is our chairman's grandson. Our chairman attaches the utmost importance to today's incident, but as he is still in the capital, I am here on his behalf to handle the matter."
Lin Lan, who had been basking in her moment of triumph, suddenly paled.
Neither Cai Ming nor Lin Lan knew Shen Chong, but everyone knew Jiang Chenghong of Mingsheng Group.
The two of them moved in official circles; the name Jiang Chenghong rang like thunder.
The Second-generation rich present had heard of Mingsheng Group, yet they knew little about Jiang Chenghong himself.
They only knew the group's main business was energy.
In this country, anything tied to energy is never simple.
Some of the heirs furtively took out their phones and began searching.
They typed "Jiang Chenghong," and a long list of entries popped up at once.
Jiang Chenghong: founder of Mingsheng Group, founder of Mingsheng Investment, founder of Mingsheng Food Company, founder of Mingsheng Charity Foundation… Chairman of the United Chamber of Commerce in the capital.
Mingsheng Group was established in 1942 with its headquarters in the capital… After reading the search results, everyone's scalp tingled.
So this was Jiang Cheng's background—the only grandson of such a tycoon.
The entry was also rather understated.
Mingsheng Group was not a listed company.
Its exact assets were unknown, but in the energy sector, breaking a hundred billion would be effortless.
As the company boss, Jiang Chenghong had received numerous national awards for entrepreneurship and for best philanthropic businessman… No wonder the name felt unfamiliar to them.
They were all from the Shanghai Circle and knew the local players inside out, but the Beijing crowd was foreign territory.
Still, judging from the string of titles on Baidu,
any single one of them would make him a heavyweight in Modu—or the whole country.
Let alone all of them combined.
No wonder Jiang Cheng had been so unflustered, even brazen, when the incident happened.
If they had a background like that, they'd probably be a hundred times more flamboyant than Jiang Cheng.
Unlike these heirs, Lin Lan and Cai Ming understood the true power and family clout behind Jiang Chenghong.
At their level, you hear certain inside stories. While they didn't know exactly who backed Jiang Chenghong, he attended every top-level state ceremony. For a businessman to show up at such events was highly unusual.
Lin Lan's face turned livid; she looked at Wang Hao in dismay.
Wang Qiang, standing nearby, frowned at her expression. He wanted to ask what was wrong but felt too many eyes were watching.
Wang Hao had heard of Mingsheng Group, yet he knew nothing of Jiang Chenghong's deeper identity.
A moment ago Lin Lan had been delighted that Director Cai came in person; the next second Jiang Cheng's identity stunned her into silence.
Though her family ranked in Modu, they were out of their league against the beijing circle.
Qi Yuan and Wang Congcong had panicked when they saw Director Cai seal the scene.
Now the situation flipped.
Neither of them knew the invisible background of Mingsheng Group, but Lin Lan's earlier arrogance had vanished.
Clearly Mingsheng Group had something she feared.
Perhaps, thanks to Mingsheng's influence, Jiang Cheng could walk away unscathed.
Seeing Lin Lan stay silent, Shen Chong's once-gentle expression darkened.
"Madam Lin, how do you intend to give Young Master Jiang an explanation for today's incident?"
The moment he spoke, the room fell dead quiet.
How had the script flipped? Now Wang Hao had to answer to Jiang Cheng?
Were they reading the wrong screenplay?
Wang Hao exploded: "Have you got your facts straight? He beat me up—there's surveillance footage!"
"According to my information, you were the first to attack with a weapon."
"After my client acted in self-defense, you threatened him with a life-threatening blade, forcing further self-defense."
"All of the above was instigated by you; we have the right to file charges for intentional assault."
"What a load of crap—the victim becomes the perpetrator? Look at him—what injury does he have?" Wang Hao jabbed a finger at Jiang Cheng and roared.
Before he finished, Lin Lan barked: "Shut your mouth, you unfilial son!"
Stunned by her outburst, Wang Hao froze.
He wasn't stupid; Lin Lan usually doted on him.
The slightest grievance would pain her for days. She had never shouted at him in front of outsiders.
It could only mean Jiang Cheng had a background even he hadn't imagined—
one his own family couldn't afford to offend.
That realization explained her reaction.
The thought turned Wang Hao's face ashen. Fuming inside, he dared not utter another word.