Chapter 588: Chapter 559: Ambitious but Incompetent

At a time of crisis, Wu Fajun was ordered to seek out Xu Chunliang. Pei Lin didn’t have high expectations for Wu Fajun to solve the issue, but wanted him to first gauge Xu Chunliang’s attitude.

Ever since Xu Chunliang went to Hu Shan Town, the two had been drifting apart. Previously, they could still maintain a superficial harmony, but if this matter wasn’t handled well, even that wouldn’t be possible anymore.

Upon arriving on Weishan Island, Wu Fajun immediately went to Hu Shan Town Government to meet with Xu Chunliang.

On the surface, Xu Chunliang appeared normal, without any extreme behavior. Wu Fajun brought a bouquet of flowers, not for Xu Chunliang, but for him to pass on to Zhen Chun, as a token of sympathy from Huanyan Health.

Xu Chunliang said, "President Wu, you came quickly."

Wu Fajun replied with a bitter smile, "I’m just following orders, going wherever the leadership points."

"Is your direct leader Pei Lin or Zhao Feiyang?"

Wu Fajun thought to himself, you already know, given how clear you are about Changxing Hospital’s organizational structure, but answered politely, "President Pei!"

Xu Chunliang asked, "Has Dean Zhao now completely allocated the Weishan Island Branch to Huanyan Health?"

Wu Fajun replied, "To be precise, the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital belongs to Huanyan Health."

Xu Chunliang said, "What’s going on with you guys lately? There are incidents after incidents; you should really reflect on this."

Wu Fajun said, "Town Mayor Xu, we’ve noticed it too. We’re conducting internal self-inspections and reviews to address and correct our shortcomings as quickly as possible."

"How quick is ’quickly’?"

Wu Fajun said, "It’s hard to determine an exact time, but it certainly won’t take long."

Xu Chunliang took a sip of tea and said, "Secretary Qin is very dissatisfied with your Huayuan Group’s recent performance. He personally issued a stop-work order, and you all must take it seriously."

Wu Fajun said, "Town Mayor Xu, regarding the dispute at the construction site today, I want to clarify the situation." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Xu Chunliang put down his teacup and looked at Wu Fajun with a smile, "Firstly, this wasn’t a dispute but a violent robbery and assault incident."

Wu Fajun said, "I can assure you that the security personnel had no intention of stealing the camera. They just misunderstood, thinking the other party was secretly filming our site to steal trade secrets."

"Were you on-site?"

Wu Fajun paused for a moment, then shook his head. He wasn’t there at the time.

"If you weren’t there, how can you assure me?"

Wu Fajun said, "I have looked into it..."

Xu Chunliang unceremoniously interrupted him, "President Wu, you have no standing on this matter. You weren’t the one who was beaten or the one who beat someone. Discussing this issue with me is meaningless. If you really want to talk, you should go to the police station, not waste time here with me."

Wu Fajun sighed inwardly. Xu Chunliang was too difficult to deal with, not giving him any face at all. Didn’t he remember how I helped him fight by Hidden Dragon Lake?

Wu Fajun said, "Town Mayor Xu, I’m here today mainly to apologize to the injured. On behalf of Huanyan Health, I assure you we will bear all medical expenses and compensate for all the victim’s financial losses, in addition to providing some amount for emotional compensation."

Xu Chunliang started laughing, "President Wu, for you to become the vice president of Huayuan Group, you surely have extraordinary abilities. I thought you would see this matter clearly, but it turns out you don’t really understand what’s happening here. If I’m not mistaken, Huayuan sent you to test my attitude. They’re not expecting you to solve the problem, nor can you solve it."

Wu Fajun’s face flushed. This guy speaks without any regard, directly implying he’s not capable. He started having a bad feeling—did Xu Chunliang see through his actions at Hidden Dragon Lake? The more he thought of it, the more likely it seemed.

Xu Chunliang raised his wrist to check the time, "President Wu, I have a meeting later, so I can’t chat with you for long. Do you have anything else?"

Wu Fajun shook his head. Better to leave now than to be asked to leave later.

Wu Fajun got up to leave, with Xu Chunliang performing the formalities, escorting him to the door.

As Wu Fajun walked out of the town government gates, he immediately called Pei Lin, informing her that Xu Chunliang meant serious business, and planned to capitalize on this incident, advising Pei Lin to be mentally prepared.

Pei Lin, feeling helpless, reluctantly called Zhao Feiyang.

Zhao Feiyang did not pick up her call.

At this moment, Zhao Feiyang, along with Gao Xinhua, Tong Guangsheng, Zhan Aihua, and others, was heading to Weishan Island. Initially, Zhao Feiyang hadn’t planned on going, but after some deep consideration, he decided to join them. Some matters needed to be discussed face-to-face with Xu Chunliang, and he had a vague guess about the young man’s intentions, knowing that Xu Chunliang would not be satisfied with just compensation and an apology.

Gao Xinhua found Zhao Feiyang smoking alone at the bow of the boat. Without shaving for several days, Zhao Feiyang appeared somewhat aged, with prominent wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

Gao Xinhua knew that Zhao Feiyang had been through a lot recently and that life had not been easy for him. He took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhao Feiyang.

Zhao Feiyang took it, lit it up, and also helped Gao Xinhua light his cigarette.

Gao Xinhua took a puff and said, "Dress warmer. It’s easy to catch a cold standing at the forefront of the storm."

Zhao Feiyang sensed the double meaning in his words and sighed, "Sometimes, it’s not about wanting to stand at the forefront, but others forcing you there."

Gao Xinhua didn’t agree with him. Wasn’t Zhao Feiyang’s current situation a result of his own choices? Shifting blame onto others when things go wrong, without assuming any responsibility? Not to mention, if he hadn’t insisted on marrying Pei Lin, the old company commander wouldn’t have died from anger.

In fact, Gao Xinhua and the group of comrades had developed a dislike for Zhao Feiyang, whom they previously thought was a young talent. Now they’ve realized he has great ambition but limited ability.

Zhao Feiyang asked, "Brother Xinhua, does Chunliang have any issues with me?"

Gao Xinhua replied, "You’re overthinking it. He was rushing to work yesterday, so he couldn’t attend the old company commander’s memorial. It’s not because he has an issue with you."

Zhao Feiyang continued, "That’s not what I mean. I mean about the branch hospital incident."

Gao Xinhua wasn’t clear on the details of the branch hospital incident. After listening to Zhao Feiyang, he finally understood the whole story. His first thought was that there were quite a few coincidences, but regardless of the reasons, it was a fact that the security guards had beaten someone.

Gao Xinhua said, "Xiaoxu has become much more temperate. In the past, if someone had bullied his cousin, haha."

Gao Xinhua didn’t finish his sentence, leaving Zhao Feiyang to infer. Back then, Xu Chunliang had once put Tang Tianyi in the hospital for the sake of his cousin, stabbing a hole in his leg. Now, as the Deputy Mayor of Hu Shan Town, he surprisingly learned to control his emotions.

It was said that Secretary Zhou’s son was also beaten, and Gao Xinhua silently lamented, Zhao Feiyang, you’ve got yourself in trouble and still ask if Xu Chunliang has an issue with you? Are you unaware of your actions? How did you treat Xu Chunliang originally? When you needed him, you called him brother, but when things went wrong, you immediately discarded him like an old shoe, eager to draw a line.

Those security guards dared to act like that on Hu Shan Town’s turf. Now, Xu Chunliang has caught them, and without some compensation from Huanyan, this young man is not likely to let it go.

Zhao Feiyang said, "I just can’t fathom how Secretary Zhou’s son ended up at our construction site."

Gao Xinhua said, "There are many things that are hard to understand, but since it has happened, there’s no need to dwell on the reasons. The priority is to resolve the issue promptly."

Zhao Feiyang said, "Brother Xinhua, Xu Chunliang listens to you the most."

Gao Xinhua shook his head and said, "That was in the past. Now he’s the Deputy Mayor of Hu Shan Town, he’s independent, and doesn’t give me face anymore. Seeking him out would only be self-humiliation." He was seasoned enough to know that Zhao Feiyang wanted him to intervene, but he refused directly.

Zhao Feiyang said, "Don’t be quick to refuse. I meant we should go together and have a good talk with Chunliang, to see what he truly wants."

Gao Xinhua said, "If it’s a personal matter, I can intervene, but for official matters, I’m not suitable. You’ve had a good relationship, and maybe there were some misunderstandings, but can’t it be clarified? I think it’s better if you talk it out privately."

Zhao Feiyang saw that Gao Xinhua was adamant about not getting involved, realizing that further insistence was futile. He took a puff of his cigarette, only to find it reduced to a stub.

Gao Xinhua handed him another one, and Zhao Feiyang thanked him. This time, Gao Xinhua helped him light it.

"Dean Zhao, your smoking habit is quite heavy lately. Take care of your health."

Zhao Feiyang said, "Everything is piling up all at once."

Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang. It was the police in charge of the wedding scandal case, calling to inform Zhao Feiyang that after intensive questioning, they had identified a staff member from the wedding company as involved, someone had paid him to do it, and further investigation was underway.

Although they hadn’t identified the main culprit, it was confirmed that Pei Lin had been framed, which somewhat cleared her name.

Zhao Feiyang hung up and stared at the lake, but whether Pei Lin was innocent no longer mattered to him. His father had died, an irreversible event. His father’s death had deprived him of a towering presence that provided shade and shelter. Although he had long believed himself to be mature and formidable enough, it was only after losing his father that he realized he had also lost his father’s connections and relationships.

Take Gao Xinhua and the soldiers his father had once led, for example. Though they were on the same boat, none were willing to share the journey with him.

Zhao Feiyang murmured, "What do you think he wants to do?"

Gao Xinhua was startled, "What?" After speaking, he realized what Zhao Feiyang meant and shook his head, saying, "This young man, Chunliang, is unpredictable. Didn’t I say before that you let go of a talent?"

Zhao Feiyang tried hard to recall. Did he say that before? Why didn’t he remember?