Chapter 222: Shen Qian's Attitude

Shen Qian's arrival was completely unexpected, leaving Chen Rui and the others momentarily at a loss.

Every time they brought up the construction project, Li Dong used Shen Qian's presence as an excuse to refuse them.

If Li Dong had directly refused, it could have offended Chen Rui and his group. But it was different with Shen Qian—if she refused, Zhang Lanyu and the others couldn't do anything about it.

The group was quite frustrated, realizing that today's discussion wasn't going to lead anywhere.

Since that was the case, Zhang Lanyu and the others stopped mentioning the project and instead engaged in small talk with Li Dong.

After all, there was no rush; even if Li Dong wanted to start construction, it wouldn't happen immediately.

There was still time, and they could discuss it further later. After all, this was a project worth hundreds of millions; Li Dong wasn't going to agree to it just based on a few casual words. Zhang Lanyu and the others were prepared for a long negotiation.

Because Shen Qian was present today, there were some things they couldn't discuss. Once Shen Qian wasn't around, they could talk to Li Dong again, and Chen Rui was confident they could offer terms that would satisfy him.

Li Dong continued eating and drinking. As long as they didn't bring up the project, he didn't mind chatting with them.

As they chatted, Chen Rui suddenly said, "President Li, did you know Niu Meng was arrested?"

Li Dong raised his eyebrows. Niu Meng was arrested?

He genuinely wasn't aware of this, as he had been in Dongping these past few days and hadn't paid much attention to what was happening in Pingchuan.

But when he left, Niu Meng was still alive and kicking—how did things go wrong so quickly?

The first thing Li Dong thought of was the person behind Hu Wanlin; their move was swift. He originally thought it would take a year or so.

As he pondered, Chen Rui added with a smile, "This matter is actually somewhat related to you, President Li."

Feigning surprise, Li Dong said, "President Chen, you must be joking. I haven't had much interaction with Mr. Niu, so how could this be related to me?"

Chen Rui waved his hand and explained, "President Li, don't misunderstand. This is entirely Niu Meng's fault; he has a very impulsive temper."

"A while back, your stores were vandalized. That was orchestrated by Niu Meng."

Li Dong feigned surprise, "Niu Meng did it? But I never offended Mr. Niu."

Chen Rui furrowed his brow slightly, unsure if Li Dong was genuinely unaware or just pretending. But since the topic was already raised, Chen Rui didn't beat around the bush and said, "Whether you believe it or not, President Li, even though Niu Meng was behind it, he didn't have any ill intentions. He's just a stubborn guy with a short fuse—like a firecracker that goes off at the slightest provocation..."

"A few days ago, because of the Huafu land issue, Niu Meng might have misunderstood you, and in a moment of impulsiveness, he acted rashly."

"The police say that because you reported the incident, they traced it back to Niu Meng and arrested him on charges of gang-related activities. My suggestion is that you could perhaps show some leniency and withdraw the case. Once Niu Meng is released, I'll have him host a banquet to apologize to you."

After saying all this, Chen Rui's eyes gleamed as he stared intently at Li Dong, waiting for his reaction.

Li Dong remained calm, smiling as he said, "It's a simple matter. There's no need for an apology banquet, President Chen. I'll have someone withdraw the case later. Whether or not it was a misunderstanding, I will certainly show you this courtesy."

A flash of doubt crossed Chen Rui's eyes, but he quickly dismissed it and smiled, saying, "Then I must thank you, President Li. Let me toast to that."

"No need to be so polite, President Chen!"

Li Dong squinted and smiled as he stood up to clink glasses with Chen Rui.

After a few more exchanges, Li Dong led the slightly tipsy Shen Qian out of the private room.

As soon as they left, Zhang Lanyu frowned and asked, "Why did you bring that up just now?"

Chen Rui chuckled, "If he ate my food, he should at least bleed a little."

"Besides, if he doesn't withdraw the case, the Niu family might run into some trouble. Niu Meng is quite obedient, so there's no need for him to get caught up in something this minor."

Zhang Lanyu glanced at him, snorted, and said nothing. However, she still felt somewhat dissatisfied. Li Dong had agreed to it far too quickly, so much so that it didn't seem like a typical reaction from a young person.

Niu Meng vandalized his store, yet Li Dong didn't care at all? Chen Rui suggested withdrawing the case, and Li Dong just agreed—wasn't that too spineless? Even without thinking, one could tell he must have harbored resentment.

To get into a fight with Li Dong over someone like Niu Meng, and possibly even offend Shen Qian, was ridiculous!

Chen Rui must have lost his mind!

If it were up to Zhang Lanyu, now would be the time to build a good relationship with Li Dong. It wasn't worth falling out with him over someone like Niu Meng! Because of a few words from Chen Rui, the groundwork they had laid earlier was now ruined.

Thinking about this, Zhang Lanyu became even more displeased. Chen Rui hadn't even mentioned this issue to them beforehand...

...

After leaving the restaurant, the evening breeze sobered Shen Qian up a bit.

Li Dong let go of her arm and chuckled, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Shen Qian knew what he meant but didn't take it to heart, casually brushing it off.

The meal today clarified a few things—both of them knew exactly what was going on.

Li Dong had brought her to leverage her influence, and Shen Qian was aware of this, but she didn't mind, or rather, she didn't consider it a big deal.

It wasn't as if they were doing anything illegal. Besides, Shen Qian found Chen Rui and his friends annoying, so she didn't care about refusing them—no one would dare confront her over it anyway.

Of course, she wasn't going to miss out on the perks.

With a cheeky grin, Shen Qian reminded him, "Don't forget about the car."

"How could I forget? Go pick one out, and the company will cover it."

Li Dong laughed. It was just a car. Plenty of people wanted to gift him one but never had the chance—he was probably getting the better end of the deal.

Since Shen Qian said this, it meant she didn't take the situation to heart, and Li Dong felt relieved.

In fact, the reason he brought Shen Qian along today was to gauge her reaction.

Regarding the Huafu land incident, he didn't believe Shen Qian was completely unaware.

Since Shen Qian didn't react last time or come to claim credit, Li Dong understood her stance—she didn't care about such matters.

Or rather, she didn't take Chen Rui and his people seriously, and it didn't matter to her whether they were offended or not.

Given that, Li Dong saw no reason to be overly polite—taking advantage of the situation was fine too.

Shen Qian didn't mention the car again and instead asked, "Are you really going to withdraw the case?"

Li Dong smiled, "Of course."

Shen Qian wrinkled her nose, full of doubt. "Really?"

In her view, Li Dong wasn't usually so generous.

"Of course, it's true. I have to give President Chen some face." Li Dong added with a grin, "But it's not entirely up to me. Whether the police will drop the case remains to be seen."

Shen Qian burst into laughter—she knew Li Dong wasn't that kind-hearted.

Would the police drop the case?

Even the deputy mayor's son was arrested—this was practically a life-or-death grudge.

If they didn't take down Niu Meng and the Niu family, it would only invite more trouble.

Li Dong would make a token gesture, and if it was rejected, he'd drop the matter. Would Chen Rui dare force him to pursue it further?

Li Dong's offer was a courtesy to Chen Rui.

If Chen Rui pushed him to withdraw the case, that would mean a declaration of war—Shen Qian didn't believe that white-haired freak would do such a thing.

After laughing about it, they dropped the subject.

Li Dong glanced at Shen Qian and asked, "Should I give you a ride home?"

Shen Qian rolled her eyes at him and snapped, "What do you think? Accompanying you to dinner so late at night, and you expect me to go home alone?"

"My bad, Miss Shen, please." Li Dong laughed, opened the car door, and invited Shen Qian to get in.

Without hesitation, Shen Qian got in.

She then directed Zhou Haidong, "To the Provincial Party Committee compound."

Li Dong gave her a look, but Shen Qian ignored him and said nothing.

She remained mostly silent during the ride.

Seeing her like this, Li Dong scratched his head but decided not to say much.

When they finally reached the gate of the Provincial Party Committee compound, Shen Qian said, "You can drop me off here."

After Zhou Haidong parked, Shen Qian said to Li Dong, "I'll get you a pass next time so you can drive straight in."

For a moment, Li Dong didn't quite understand what she meant.

A pass for the Provincial Party Committee compound?

Shen Qian's words carried multiple implications, and Li Dong needed some time to fully process them.

Shen Qian didn't bother explaining further, just smiled, got out of the car, and walked away.

Only after she was gone did Li Dong's eyes flash with realization as he muttered, "Could it be..."

(End of Chapter)