Chapter 301: Fear Not the Thief Stealing, But the Thief Eyeing

"You..."

Dai Jinshan was so furious that he couldn't even form words. He pointed at Zhou Ming for a long time but couldn't come up with a response. Meanwhile, Zhou Ming stood confidently in front of Dai Jinshan, like a victor.

This was the scene Dai Jinshan's secretary witnessed when he opened the door upon hearing the argument inside. He was stunned because it was beyond his imagination. To him, Dai Jinshan was the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor of Jingchu Province, the third most powerful figure in the province. Most people wouldn't even dare to breathe heavily in his presence. What on earth did Zhou Ming say to make him this angry?

Secretary Jiang couldn't fathom it, but he didn't have much time to think. Zhou Ming immediately said to Dai Jinshan, "Secretary Dai, it's already late, and I know you have things to do tomorrow. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. Goodbye, Secretary Dai."

After speaking, Zhou Ming turned and left. As he closed the door to Dai Jinshan's room, he heard Dai Jinshan roar in anger, "This is outrageous!" followed by the sound of a cup being smashed on the ground.

Zhou Ming knew he had angered Secretary Dai and offended him, but he had no regrets. Even if he could start over, Zhou Ming would still say and do the same.

In fact, when Zhou Ming left Ji Ruiming's room and saw Secretary Jiang waiting at the door, he had already guessed some things, although he wasn't certain at that time. But after meeting Dai Jinshan and hearing his story, Zhou Ming was sure of it: Deputy Secretary Dai Jinshan had come for the matter of Xingyuan.

Every matter has two sides. If Ji Ruiming represented the positive side, advocating for the eradication of illegal fundraising and the fight against the forces behind it, then Dai Jinshan was the negative side, part of the forces behind it.

This was why Dai Jinshan told Zhou Ming the stories of Yue Fei and Yang Xiu, warning him not to meddle in things that didn't concern him, or he would bring trouble upon himself.

But Zhou Ming was not one to be threatened. He retorted everything Dai Jinshan said. Zhou Ming did this partly because, as he had said, he refused to be the indifferent citizen Lu Xun described. But more importantly, Zhou Ming was fully aware that with Xingyuan's downfall, his financial avenues had been cut off, and the enmity was already formed. Although the other side had yet to make a move, they would certainly retaliate.

Given this, the choice was simple: fight with dignity like a man, or be humiliated and beaten to death like a coward, unable to fight back? The answer was clear.

Damn it! I endured enough in my past life. Now that I've come this far, if anyone wants to mess with me, I'll fight them to the end!

Zhou Ming thought to himself, when suddenly, a gentle voice called out, "Zhou Ming."

He turned to see Su Han walking quickly toward him. Su Han paused when she saw Zhou Ming and asked, "Why are you here? Did something happen?"

"Of course not, I just came out for a walk," Zhou Ming replied casually. "What about you, Han? Is there something you need?"

Su Han then remembered and handed Zhou Ming a notebook. "This is the schedule for the two Deputy Secretaries of the Provincial Party Committee tomorrow. I've had the factory prepare everything, including the concept of the eight-treasure congee and some development ideas. Do you think this is okay?"

"Whatever you arrange is fine, Han," Zhou Ming said. But Su Han didn't seem to understand, so Zhou Ming continued, "Han, this is a research team from Jiangnan, but as our township industrial park continues to develop, more and more teams will come here for research. You need to learn to manage this yourself. Don't be too proud or too nervous; just maintain a normal mindset, okay?"

Su Han nodded, half understanding, "I understand. I'll manage the schedule myself."

"That's right," Zhou Ming said. "It's already past midnight, and we have things to do tomorrow. Han, you should go back to your room and sleep."

Zhou Ming walked Su Han back, not mentioning anything about the earlier events with Ji Ruiming and Dai Jinshan. It's not that Zhou Ming was being overly masculine, but Su Han couldn't help with this matter, and he didn't want his woman to worry unnecessarily.

Zhou Ming didn't stay the night at Su Han's place. On the one hand, this was the county committee's guesthouse, where many leaders were staying, so it would look bad, even if many were aware of his relationship with Su Han. On the other hand, Zhou Ming needed to carefully consider Dai Jinshan's situation.

Back in his room, Zhou Ming thought carefully before dialing Du Peng's phone number on his big brick phone. It didn't take long for Du Peng to pick up, and Zhou Ming asked, "Did I interrupt your nightlife?"

"Zhou Ming, that's not fair. I'm not some corrupt, degenerate capitalist. Where would I find such rich nightlife? But you, Zhou Ming, must be living the high life. I heard that when you were in Baiyun City, that Hong Kong female journalist had an unusual relationship with you! I never thought you'd be such a ladies' man, Zhou Ming, when you usually seem so honest!" Du Peng teased.

"Du Peng, you really can't say anything nice. Everything you say sounds so dirty. Okay, let's stop joking. I have something important to ask you," Zhou Ming said. "Didn't I ask you to investigate the situation with Xingyuan? Have you found anything?"

Zhou Ming never fought unprepared. Knowing that Xingyuan might be connected to some big figures, Zhou Ming wouldn't sit idly by and wait for them to come after him. So, before this, he had asked Du Peng to help investigate. Although some things couldn't be avoided, it at least allowed him to be prepared, to know who his opponent was, and to plan ahead, so he wouldn't be caught off guard.

Despite Du Peng's usual carefree attitude, he became serious when Zhou Ming brought up business. "I haven't dug up anything concrete yet, but what I have found out so far is already very unfavorable for you."

This answer didn't surprise Zhou Ming. "Go on, Du Peng."

"You know Xingyuan's illegal fundraising was supported by a new company, right? That new company has a very complicated background. Not only does it have intricate connections within Jiangnan Province, but more importantly, it has just received the backing of the newly appointed Beijing Municipal Party Secretary, Tan Li," Du Peng said.

So, things were still unfolding according to their original historical trajectory!

Zhou Ming sighed inwardly. When he took down Xingyuan, Zhou Ming had considered that Xingyuan's illegal fundraising might not have fully formed yet, so it might not have implicated as many high-ranking officials and powerful families as in his previous life. But with Ji Ruiming's visit to Jingchu and his conversation with Zhou Ming, Zhou Ming realized that Xingyuan's emergence was no accident and that his initial assumptions were somewhat naive.

Now, Du Peng's words further confirmed that Xingyuan's illegal fundraising was part of a larger force, with Xingyuan merely a frontman. If everything went smoothly, he would help this force make money. But if something went wrong, he would be the perfect scapegoat.

Realizing this, Zhou Ming suddenly understood why, in his previous life, only a few billion of Xingyuan's over 10 billion in illegal fundraising were recovered. The key was here!

"Zhou Ming, are you okay? Did something happen on your end?"

Du Peng's anxious voice brought Zhou Ming back to reality. He replied, "Something definitely happened. The Jiangnan research team came here to investigate, led by Ji Ruiming, accompanied by our Jingchu Provincial Party Committee Deputy Secretary, Dai Jinshan. Did you know about this?"

"I saw it on the news..."

Du Peng quickly caught on. "So, Ji Ruiming wasn't here to investigate but to threaten you on their behalf?"

"Ji Ruiming indeed had ulterior motives, but he wasn't here to threaten me. On the contrary, he's a staunch old soldier on the front lines of discipline. The one who truly represented them in warning me was our own Deputy Secretary, Dai Jinshan."

Zhou Ming then recounted his conversation with Dai Jinshan to Du Peng. After hearing it, Du Peng angrily said, "That Dai Jinshan is too arrogant and shameless! How dare he threaten you like that, even using the stories of Yue Fei and Yang Xiu as metaphors? Does he have no shame? Doesn't he know those are historically condemned?"

Zhou Ming sighed. "I don't know what Secretary Dai is thinking, but after today, I doubt he'll be giving me any friendly faces."

Du Peng said, "Zhou Ming, don't sigh. I think you did well to scold him. People like him deserve it, and with Uncle Xiong in Jingchu Province, it won't be easy for him to mess with you."

"I hope so. It's not the thief stealing that I'm afraid of; it's the thief eyeing me," Zhou Ming said. Although Zhou Ming knew that with Xiong Qingping in the province, Dai Jinshan wouldn't easily make a move, it was like they say: it's easy to dodge an open attack, but hard to defend against a hidden one. If a Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor were determined to mess with him, there were countless ways to do so.

Hearing Zhou Ming's sigh, Du Peng laughed heartily. "Comparing a high-ranking official

 to a thief is something only you, Zhou Ming, could do. If Dai Jinshan heard this, he'd probably want to fight you."

Zhou Ming didn't comment on that, and Du Peng added, "Anyway, with things stabilized in Nanjiang thanks to the foundation you laid, I'll head to Jingchu tomorrow to help you out."

"I have no objections, but I feel like, just the two of us, unless something extraordinary happens, it will be tough to deal with a Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor," Zhou Ming said.

"It'll be challenging, but we have to try," Du Peng said.

At this point, both Zhou Ming and Du Peng were simply hoping to do their best, without expecting too much. Neither of them anticipated that the "extraordinary event" Zhou Ming mentioned would come so suddenly and so perfectly timed.