Chapter 353: The Tan Family’s Threat

"Zhou Ming, you're really something! If I dared to talk to my grandfather like that, he'd skin me alive."

In a room at the Beijing Hotel, Du Peng gave Zhou Ming a big thumbs up, still shivering slightly as if he could vividly recall how Du Zhongyuan had disciplined him in the past.

"Well, that's because you're the Chairman's biological grandson. And besides, being scolded or beaten is a form of love. Many people would be envious of that."

Zhou Ming responded to Du Peng with a smile but then glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Alright, stop with the unnecessary chatter. Go and bring some people over for me. Right now, I'm a thorn in the side for some people."

"Do you really think someone would come to threaten you? The Tan family is such a big, influential family, and now Tan Li is the Party Secretary of the capital, a deputy national-level official in the Politburo. They wouldn't stoop to such low tactics, would they?" Du Peng asked, somewhat doubtful.

"It's hard to say. Isn't there an old saying, 'Before one perishes, they must first be driven mad'? Perhaps this is the time when the Tan family is going mad. But we young people don't want to go crazy with those who are on the brink of collapse, so it's better to play it safe," Zhou Ming explained.

"Got it. I'll take care of it right away."

After saying this, Du Peng left the room. Once Du Peng was gone, Zhou Ming walked over to the window, watching Du Peng's car drive away. But then, Zhou Ming noticed that just after Du Peng left, a few cars pulled up downstairs. Zhou Ming shook his head and muttered to himself, "It seems I overestimated them, or perhaps… the situation is far more serious than I imagined?"

As the saying goes, what you see is only the result; the real game is what you don't see.

It's true that Zhou Ming was reborn, but being reborn doesn't mean being omnipotent or being able to instantly transform from an ordinary person into something extraordinary.

Before being reborn, Zhou Ming was just an ordinary person, and most of what he knew was hearsay or speculation from so-called insiders. These things were often mere rumors, not without basis but certainly far from the truth, especially when it came to the political machinations hidden behind events, which were impossible for ordinary people to know.

In his previous life, Zhou Ming knew the Tan family had fallen, and he knew it was triggered by a collective financing case in Jiangnan and two other incidents. But he had no idea how many people were involved behind the scenes, what kind of situation the Tan family was facing, or any of the real details. Even with Du Peng around, who was still young and hadn't been involved in any high-level maneuvering, Zhou Ming couldn't get much useful information.

"Since I've been given a second chance, I can't just be a bystander who only sees the results. I need to know the games being played and find a way to participate in them, to become a player rather than someone who is constantly manipulated, even if I don't belong to any particular faction," Zhou Ming vowed.

Not long after, hurried footsteps echoed outside the door. A man in his thirties, accompanied by a few police officers, arrived at the door. They stopped in surprise when they saw that Zhou Ming's room door was open, and on the table were four teacups. Zhou Ming was calmly making tea in the living room, as if he had been expecting them. They glanced around but saw no one else in the room.

Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Zhou Ming smiled slightly, made a welcoming gesture, and said, "You've arrived? Don't just stand at the door; come in and sit down. I apologize for not knowing how many of you would come, so I only have four cups. I hope you don't mind."

His words left the men at the door stunned. They exchanged glances, and none of them dared to step forward, as if Zhou Ming's room was hiding eight hundred axe-wielding men, ready to charge out at his command and hack them to pieces.

Their hesitation was understandable. They had come with orders, full of confidence to cause trouble for Zhou Ming, only to find him calmly waiting for them. Anyone in their position would instinctively feel uneasy and afraid.

At that moment, the leader spoke up, "Hello, Zhou Ming. I'm Wang Jian from the Beijing Municipal Party Committee office. I'm here to have a conversation with you."

Zhou Ming nodded and said calmly, "I know. You're Secretary Tan Li's aide, and I also know why you're here."

Wang Jian was taken aback. After hesitating for a moment at the door, he gritted his teeth and led his men into Zhou Ming's room, sitting down across from him.

Zhou Ming wasn't surprised by Wang Jian's decision to enter. He hadn't expected his demeanor to truly scare them off. After all, this was a serious matter, and the other side had likely given strict orders, choosing only their most trusted people. Zhou Ming wasn't Zhuge Liang, and the "Empty City Strategy" wasn't as simple as it was in the novels. Even so, Zhou Ming could sense their nervousness from their cautious behavior.

Wang Jian sat down, but before he could speak, Zhou Ming pushed a teacup toward him and said, "Secretary Wang, please have some tea. I apologize for not having time to prepare it properly, so I had to use the hotel's tea leaves instead."

Zhou Ming took a sip of his tea, while Wang Jian hesitated, unsure whether he was afraid the tea was poisoned or if he was contemplating something else.

Zhou Ming didn't push him or say anything further; he simply sat there quietly, waiting for Wang Jian to make his own decision.

Seeing Zhou Ming's smile, Wang Jian suddenly felt mocked, as if his intelligence was being insulted. How could he, the chief aide to the capital's top official, be intimidated by a mere cup of tea? Zhou Ming was nothing more than a nouveau riche who had taken advantage of state policies. How could he have the audacity to act superior?

With these thoughts, Wang Jian slammed his fist on the table and pointed at Zhou Ming, shouting angrily, "Zhou Ming, stop playing games! Do you realize what you've done today? Your actions have disrupted the normal operations of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Government, and more seriously, you've slandered an important official, severely damaging his reputation!"

Hearing Wang Jian's words, Zhou Ming couldn't help but laugh. He found Wang Jian's behavior amusing.

"What are you laughing at?" Wang Jian asked, visibly irritated.

"Forgive me, Director Wang, but I think your words just now were unnecessary. If I'm not mistaken, you and these officers are here to threaten me, right? So, if that's the case, why not just get straight to the point? Why bother with all that nonsense? Are you trying to be both a prostitute and a moral saint?" Zhou Ming sneered. "A legitimate complaint is labeled as disrupting the normal operations of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Government, and reporting an official becomes slandering an important official. Don't you think your statements are shameless?"

"Enough!" Wang Jian suddenly slammed the table and roared, grabbing a gun from one of the accompanying officers and pointing it at Zhou Ming's head. "Do you believe I'll blow your head off right now?"

Wang Jian was genuinely furious. Never before in his life had he felt so humiliated.

Zhou Ming had hit the nail on the head. Wang Jian had indeed come with the task from Beijing Municipal Party Secretary Tan Li to threaten Zhou Ming. But Zhou Ming's lecture had caught him off guard, especially the last comment about being both a prostitute and a moral saint. It was like a slap in the face, making him feel a burning anger.

Zhou Ming frowned slightly. It seemed that the Tan family had encountered significant troubles recently, making things difficult for everyone within the family. Otherwise, this top aide of the capital shouldn't have lost his temper and drawn his gun like this. If something were to happen to Zhou Ming here, it would only worsen the Tan family's situation. If Wang Jian had any sense left, he wouldn't have done something so reckless.

But he did. This showed that Wang Jian's emotions were highly unstable at the moment.

Zhou Ming was confident that Wang Jian wouldn't dare to pull the trigger, despite the threat. After all, Wang Jian was the top aide in the capital, and no matter how furious he was, he wouldn't go so far as to commit such an act.

Still, despite his confidence, Zhou Ming knew he couldn't provoke him further. After all, this was still their territory, and the Tan family hadn't truly fallen yet. Zhou Ming raised his hands and said, "Director Wang, please don't be rash. We can discuss this calmly."

Hearing Zhou Ming's concession, Wang Jian smirked and taunted, "Zhou Ming, you were so arrogant before. Why don't you keep it up?"

As he spoke, Wang Jian deliberately pressed the gun against Zhou Ming's head again and said, "I've seen plenty of people like you, acting all high and mighty, but as soon as you face a little pressure, you cower like a scared puppy. People like you are just despicable!"

"So, what do you want me to do?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Shut up! Did I say you could speak?"

Wang Jian snapped, "I told you to shut up! I didn't give you permission to talk!"

He continued, "I'm here today to let you know just how foolish your actions were. And one more thing—I want to remind you not to overestimate your capabilities. You might think you're something special, but in reality, you're nothing. Even here in Beijing, the capital, it would be easy to get rid of you. Do you understand?"

Zhou Ming responded with a simple, "Understood." Only then did Wang Jian put away his gun, handing it back to the police officer. He straightened up, regaining his composure as the capital's top aide, and said, "I hope you truly understand. Now, get out of Beijing immediately. If you're still here tomorrow, there's no telling what might happen."

After throwing these words at Zhou Ming, Wang Jian finally left the room with the police officers.