Chapter 100: Curiosity From "Laozi

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Curiosity From "Laozi

After hanging up, Ye Feng went to eat with a few of his comrades.

Ye Feng, who rarely drank, had a few extra glasses this time.

Liu Zhan raised his glass. "Captain, thank you. A while back, I went to Zhao Cheng’s hometown to pay my respects, and that’s when I found out you’ve been sending money to Sister-in-law Zhao every month."

Another young man named Hu Yao, his eyes turning red, said, "Captain, I wrote to Xu Wei’s family, and they told me you’ve been sending them money every month, too."

"Captain, just how many people are you sending money to? Is your salary enough? I got a raise, so I wanted to send money to the families of our fallen comrades too, but they all sent it back."

The six of them looked at Ye Feng, their eyes glistening with tears.

Back then, they had joined the service and carried out missions together, all with the resolve to lay down their lives.

They had all agreed that whoever survived would help look after the families of their fallen comrades.

They all had their own duties, so the only thing they could do was send money to their comrades’ families.

When their salaries were lower, they didn’t send much.

Seeing his comrades looking so somber, Ye Feng didn’t want the atmosphere to get too heavy. He joked, "Have you all forgotten I come from capitalist stock? My grandparents, uncles, and aunts on my mom’s side all came back from overseas to invest. I inherited my mother’s assets, so I’ve got plenty of money."

"Come on, guys, don’t be like this. We’re lucky to be alive, and we have to live good lives, carrying the hopes of our fallen comrades. Stop sending money from now on. If you have the time, go visit them instead. Make sure no one is bullying our comrades’ loved ones."

"As for me, I’m too busy with work to keep an eye on things. You guys go visit them often. If anything happens, we’ll all pitch in—those with money will give money, and those with strength will lend their strength. That way, our comrades can rest in peace."

Hearing Ye Feng’s words, everyone wiped away their tears.

Liu Zhan asked, "Captain, we’ll do as you say. I heard you came here this time for a woman. What’s the situation?"

"I’ve already taken five days of leave. Whatever it is, I’ll help you take care of it."

Ye Feng smiled. "A friend of mine ran into a bit of trouble, so I came to help out. Since you’ve already taken leave, you can come help me!"

"Captain, I’ll take leave too!"

"Me too!"

...

Ye Feng smiled. "If you can’t get away, then just focus on your work. Your duties come first. Anyone who isn’t busy with something urgent can come and help me."

In the end, Liu Zhan, Wang Qiang, and another young man named Ma Peng took leave.

Wang Qiang got a car and drove everyone to help Ye Feng take care of his business.

Wang Qiang, Liu Zhan, and Ma Peng were all from Guishi.

Although their positions in the unit weren’t high, they had a lot of contacts, including people in the public security system and others from all walks of life.

With a photograph in hand, it took them only half a day to uncover the true identity of the fake "Han Xiaoqing."

Her real name was Han Yuwei. Her father was the director of the Guishi Investment Promotion Bureau, and her uncle was the deputy director of the Yangkai County Education Bureau.

In a few years, once she started working, she could have changed her name, and this whole truth might have been hidden forever.

Han Yuwei had originally attended Yangkai High School, which she only got into by pulling strings. Her grades were terrible.

Her university professors were completely baffled by "Han Xiaoqing’s" academic performance.

She had clearly been admitted with a high score, but her performance on homework and exams was consistently in the bottom half of the class. And that was only because she frequently spent money treating classmates to food and fun in exchange for "pointers" from them and her professors.

Even so, she still failed a course last semester.

She had to pass a make-up exam this semester just so she could get her diploma.

Han Yuwei was a poor student to begin with; it was tough trying to blend in with a crowd of academic superstars!

Ye Feng bought two bottles of Maotai and paid a personal visit to his old man’s former secretary, Uncle Cai.

Uncle Cai was now the secretary of Guishi, and he had looked after Ye Feng a lot when he was a child.

Later, after his mother passed away, his father remarried less than three months later.

Ye Feng was furious. He knew that during the two years his mother was sick, his father and his future stepmother had apparently been carrying on an affair.

In a fit of anger, he joined the army.

He got annoyed just hearing his father talk.

He had thought he would go his entire life without ever bowing his head to the old man, but now, for Han Xiaorui’s sake, he was doing it willingly.

When Secretary Cai received Ye Feng’s call, he was surprised and couldn’t imagine what he wanted.

Despite being on very good terms with Ye Feng, Secretary Cai certainly couldn’t forget his own superior, so he immediately gave the man a call.

Ye Zheng was just as baffled when he answered the phone.

His son hadn’t been home in six years and still deeply resented him.

But he was his son, after all. As Ye Zheng got older, he found himself missing Ye Feng more and more.

Plus, with his younger son being spoiled into a good-for-nothing, he valued his elder son, Ye Feng, all the more.

"Xiao Cai, you cannot agree to anything that violates protocol."

Secretary Cai understood the implication. He knew his old leader best; the man placed great importance on his firstborn son.

The subtext was clear: don’t do it if it violates protocol, but if it doesn’t, then help in any way possible.

"Ye Feng has had a good head on his shoulders since he was a boy. He wouldn’t ask for anything that violates protocol."

"He’ll be here shortly. I will report back to you afterward. Please don’t worry, Sir."

"Mm." Ye Zheng hung up. Knowing his eldest son was making a move left him feeling unsettled.

Secretary Cai waited at home.

At seven o’clock that evening, Ye Feng arrived right on time.

"You kid, I told you to come over for dinner, but you just had to refuse." Secretary Cai feigned annoyance when he saw the two bottles of liquor in Ye Feng’s hands. "Still acting so formal with me. You’re making me angry."

Ye Feng smiled at the warmth in Secretary Cai’s tone. "Uncle Cai, I apologize for visiting so suddenly, but I have a favor to ask."

Secretary Cai smiled. "Go on. I’ll help if I can."

The implication was clear: if he couldn’t help, he wouldn’t violate protocol to do so. After all, his old leader had already given the word.

Ye Feng took out a manila envelope and handed it to Secretary Cai. "The matter itself might not be huge, but its nature is vile. The state uses the college entrance exam to select talented individuals, yet some people are using their power to steal another person’s entire future."

At these words, the smile vanished from Secretary Cai’s face. He took the manila envelope and opened it himself.

After reading it from beginning to end, Secretary Cai slammed his hand on the table in a fury. "That bastard! How could Han Yongchang do something like this? Xiao Feng, take the victim to report this in Yangkai County tomorrow."

"I will call the relevant authorities. This must be handled with the utmost seriousness, with absolutely no favoritism or corruption."

"Thank you, Uncle Cai," Ye Feng said gratefully.

Secretary Cai said in a solemn voice, "There’s no need to thank me, Ye Feng. I would handle this seriously no matter who brought it to me. This is something that absolutely cannot be condoned. Why did the state reinstate the college entrance exam in the first place?"

"Wasn’t it precisely because the people who got in through recommendations had no real skills or knowledge? They all just had connections. It might be passable for the liberal arts. But for the sciences, if you don’t have the mind for it, you can recognize the numbers and letters but still can’t solve the problems. You can’t learn it, and you can’t do the work."

And it was true.

Reassured by Secretary Cai’s promise, Ye Feng relaxed. He chatted with him for a little while longer before taking his leave.

The moment Ye Feng was gone, Secretary Cai reported back to his old leader.

Ye Zheng was stunned, then he too became furious. "Xiao Cai, investigate this thoroughly. And by the way, look into the person Ye Feng is sticking his neck out for. Find out the details and let me know."

Ye Zheng knew his son well. He was cold and stubborn. ’Just what kind of person could make him come to me for help?’