After a dozen seconds, Qiu Yihe finally spoke: "Give me the evidence."
Seeing the hint of finality in her expression, Jiang Cheng's gaze remained calm but scrutinizing.
It fell upon Qiu Yihe's tense face. "Are you sure you can handle this?"
Qiu Yihe understood the subtext of his words.
She pursed her lips tightly, her jawline tensing into a stubborn curve.
"If something happens to Qiu Li, the great tree that is your Qiu Family will inevitably have some branches and leaves stripped away by the wind and rain, and it might even damage the roots," Jiang Cheng slowly stated the harsher reality. "Some things aren't just simple matters of right and wrong, black and white. The mud that comes up with the radish might exceed your initial expectations."
If it were his previous self, he would probably be like Qiu Yihe, charging straight ahead and just getting it done.
After all, he carried a cheat and had his family backing him up.
He naturally had the confidence to take down Qiu Li... but after being tempered and influenced by his grandfather these few times, Jiang Cheng had learned to look at issues involving such broad implications with patience.
Moreover, Qiu Yihe's situation was fundamentally different from his.
He had no relation to Qiu Li and could act without any reservations.
But Qiu Yihe and Qiu Li shared the surname Qiu and the same bloodline. Even if the two of them had never gotten along, in the eyes of outsiders, they were still members of the Qiu Family who rose and fell together.
If Qiu Li fell, Qiu Yihe was destined to be implicated. At best, it would affect her career as an Anti-drug Police Officer; at worst, she would be pushed to the forefront of the storm by the entire Qiu Family.
Qiu Yihe certainly understood this logic.
This wasn't just a personal stain on Qiu Li; it was a heavy blow to the entire family's reputation and political foundation.
Public opinion, rivals, and even scrutiny from above could follow one after another.
She fell silent for a moment, the only sound in the air being the faint rustling of tea leaves unfurling under the warm yellow light.
Finally, she looked up, her gaze filled with a desperate determination and a trace of imperceptible plea for help: "Then... do you have any good plans?"
Jiang Cheng looked at her as she forced herself to remain calm.
A very faint, almost playful smile flickered in the depths of his eyes.
The corners of his mouth curled up: "There is a plan, but that's going to cost extra..."
The word "cost" instantly punctured the serious and tense atmosphere, evoking certain ambiguous and sultry memories that had occurred not long ago.
The "price" she had paid was still vivid in her mind... those touches, the kisses, and her panicked yet not truly refused acquiescence at the final moment... even now, Qiu Yihe could recall the taste in her mouth...
Shame and embarrassment immediately diluted some of the heaviness.
A blush suddenly bloomed on Qiu Yihe's cheeks, and she instinctively avoided Jiang Cheng's gaze.
"You... is Young Master Jiang still short on money? Don't be so stingy..."
"Hey, you can't say that. I'm only human; doesn't getting things done require overhead? But you're right, money really doesn't have much appeal to me, so we can change it to another 'condition' instead..."
She didn't know if Jiang Cheng had understood her meaning when she said she would 'leave tonight's time to him.'
Or if he had understood all along but was intentionally teasing her, wanting her to take the initiative.
"Forget it, forget it..." She took a deep breath, trying to regain control of the conversation, though her voice inevitably carried a hint of petulance and bravado: "I... how do I know if the plan you're suggesting is good or bad? What if it's worse?"
Jiang Cheng let out a yawn and stopped teasing her.
His expression returned to his previous state of calm analysis: "Simply put, there are two paths. The first, and most direct: solidify the evidence and submit it through reliable channels. The result would be Qiu Li being immediately taken into custody for investigation, and the project would naturally be shelved because the lead person got into trouble. But as for the side effects I mentioned earlier, your Qiu Family would immediately be pushed to the forefront, forced to react defensively, and suffer internal damage."
"The second path is more indirect. Our primary goal is to prevent this dangerous project from passing, and only then deal with Qiu Li herself. So, we can first concentrate our fire on the 'Bill' itself."
Hearing this, Qiu Yihe put away her bashful expression: "Specifically, how?"
"Create massive pressure from public opinion."
"There's no need to directly expose Qiu Li's issues. Instead, target the proposal itself. On the internet, through key nodes and channels, expose the potential loopholes in this matter."
"You mean posting this on the internet?" Qiu Yihe repeated.
That's right, it was the information age now.
The best thing about the information age was that many things that were originally unsolvable could have a chance of being resolved once they spread online.
Jiang Cheng nodded: "This is the era of traffic. Contact some influential legal scholars, anti-drug activists, and even families of victims to speak out. Stir up the topic. Once the heat rises, many bloggers will follow the trend to dissect the matter. This way, it can be hyped to the point of national concern, to the point where those above have to pay high attention to it."
Seeing the calculating glint in Jiang Cheng's deep eyes, the corners of Qiu Yihe's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
It wasn't that she found Jiang Cheng scary, but rather she felt that for someone his age to have such schemes and strategies was truly extraordinary.
While a sense of admiration rose in her heart, there was also a trace of frustration.
She was suppressed by Jiang Cheng in terms of verbal sparring and family background.
Now, she wasn't even his equal in terms of strategy.
Why was she inferior to him in everything?
Under this thought, Qiu Yihe only felt a desire to be able to press Jiang Cheng down in some aspect.
Thinking it over, it seemed very difficult to find something where she could suppress him.
Uh, wait, that day, didn't Jiang Cheng lie there for a little while? Did that count as him being pinned down by her?
Unaware of Qiu Yihe's odd behavior, Jiang Cheng continued.
"Once a fierce nationwide controversy and wave of opposition are formed, for the sake of prudence and social stability, there's a high probability this project will be postponed or even directly called off. This way, the first goal is achieved, and it's resolved from the perspective of 'public will' and 'procedural rationality,' which also temporarily detaches it from the Qiu Family and Qiu Li's personal issues."
Qiu Yihe's eyes lit up. This was indeed much milder than directly detonating the powder keg that was Qiu Li, and it would also buy buffer time for the family.
"Then... what about Qiu Li?"
"Once the project is halted by the sniper fire of public opinion, Qiu Li, as the lead person, will naturally bear immense pressure. When that happens, do you think Qiu Yihe's maternal uncle will step up? Whether it's pressure from within the family or from outside, Qiu Yihe's maternal uncle will definitely be anxious."
Qiu Yihe nodded.
That's right, Qiu Yihe's maternal uncle was such a cautious person. If Qiu Li's project was pushed to the forefront of the storm, he would definitely be the most anxious person.
Qiu Yihe's maternal uncle would certainly use a relatively dignified method to make Qiu Li 'disappear' from her key position first.
This way, he could both secretly deal with Qiu Li and ruin the project.
The second plan Jiang Cheng provided was obviously more complex and required more delicate operation, but it also gave her and the family room to maneuver.
However, to operate this, she would definitely have to ask him for help again.
She had her ways when it came to arresting people, but she really didn't know how to handle things on the internet.
She didn't have the channels either.
If she did it rashly, she would definitely be discovered by Qiu Li.
Being discovered was one thing, but she feared the matter would be suppressed before it even had a chance to ferment... Seeing that Qiu Yihe wasn't speaking, Jiang Cheng let out another yawn: "Alright? We're done talking, so you can leave now... I'm sleepy.."
Under the warm yellow light of the Tea Room, the two's shadows were stretched long, intertwining on the elegant floor.
On one side was a major choice concerning the family's fate and national security; on the other side was the tangled ambiguity and transaction between the two of them.
Qiu Yihe bit her lower lip: "Nothing has even been done yet, and you're already sleepy... Are you even a man?"
"Don't you usually brag about having great stamina? What time is it that you're already wanting to sleep..."