Urban Martial Saint

Zhao Chengshuang made a phone call, and within less than twenty minutes, the data from the developers and the construction party was all delivered. This included background information on these individuals, detailing the enmities and grievances each person had, all laid out clearly.

Ye Qing went through this information and noticed a very important piece of news.

The Beihua Residential Area project was initiated two years ago, and during the land requisition process for the project, there were some conflicts with the original residents.

This conflict was only briefly mentioned, without much description. However, Ye Qing instinctively felt that this incident was probably related to that conflict.

Holding the materials, Ye Qing asked Zhao Chengshuang, ”Why is there not much information on this conflict?”

”What conflict?” Zhao Chengshuang hadn’t looked at the material yet.

Ye Qing handed over the materials, and Zhao Chengshuang glanced at them and said, ”Oh, you’re talking about this. I know a little about this conflict. It wasn’t really a conflict. In real estate development, conflicts between developers and original residents are common.

The conflict at Beihua Residential Area wasn’t serious, and the compensation offered was actually quite decent, so most residents moved out at that time. Only there was this old woman over sixty who refused to leave no matter what. Despite the developers and the residents around her trying to persuade her, she never agreed to move.”

”And then?” Ye Qing pressed on.

”I don’t know the specifics, but what I heard was that later on, the old woman died at her doorstep. There was no sign of any damage at the scene, nor any evidence suggesting it was man-made, and afterward, the matter was left unresolved. The Beihua Residential Area project continued without incident until this event occurred.”

Ye Qing frowned and said in a deep voice, ”Did the old woman have any family members left?”

Zhao Chengshuang shook his head and said, ”No, she had been living alone for over a decade. It was said she had a son, but nobody knows where he went; anyway, he never returned. The old woman had no children, not even relatives. After her death, it was Beihua Company that paid for her burial. In fact, you could say that Beihua Company has done their duty by her!”

Ye Qing didn’t think so. It was too convenient that the old woman who opposed the development just died at her doorstep. If you said that Beihua Company had nothing to do with this, it would be just too much of a coincidence. Ye Qing wasn’t a conspiracy theorist, but he was very skeptical of Beihua Company.

Ye Qing asked, ”Is the head of Beihua Company currently detained at the police station?”

”Of course, with such a big incident, they have to arrest him first!” said Zhao Chengshuang.

”Then may I meet him?” Ye Qing asked.

”This...” Zhao Chengshuang frowned slightly, realizing this request might not be so easy to fulfill.

This incident had caused a huge stir, and Xu Beihua was detained at the police station. Zhao Chengshuang had considerable influence at the police station, but he was now in the hospital and couldn’t accompany Ye Qing to the station.

Looking at Ye Qing, Zhao Chengshuang said, ”If you want to meet him, you’ll probably have to take on a different identity.”

”What identity?” Ye Qingqi asked.

”A lawyer!”

Mere civilians were definitely not allowed to see a suspect at will, but a lawyer had no such restrictions. Zhao Chengshuang made arrangements for Ye Qing, and, by good fortune, the colleague who had just delivered the materials was still there and could help take Ye Qing to meet Xu Beihua.

Less than twenty minutes after Ye Qing left, a man and a woman entered the hospital room.

The man was Lin Tianyou, wearing a white coat as he was on duty. The woman was Zhao Chengshuang’s cousin, Lin Huayu. The young lady was dressed in a white dress today, giving her a somewhat ladylike appearance. However, her elfin eyes betrayed her playful nature, and any semblance of demureness quickly dissipated.

”Yo, Little Huayu, what brings you here today!” Zhao Chengshuang looked back and forth in surprise and asked, ”Where are your two lackeys?”

”With my intelligence, could those two control me?” Lin Huayu said with pride, ”I ditched them during class and ran to the hospital just to see you. How about it, cousin, does it still hurt?”

As she spoke, Lin Huayu reached out to slap Zhao Chengshuang’s bandaged arm.

”Stop!” Zhao Chengshuang stiffened, his eyes nearly bulging out, knowing that slap would be unbearable.

Lin Huayu stopped in laughter and said, ”Cousin, just kidding, you really thought I would slap you?”

Zhao Chengshuang breathed a sigh of relief and said, ”Hey, Huayu, don’t make those kinds of jokes with your cousin, my heart can’t take it!”

”Okay!” Lin Huayu agreed, then slapped Zhao Chengshuang’s arm.

”Ouch!” Zhao Chengshuang cried out loudly, almost jumping up in pain.

”Huayu, you said no more jokes, right?” Zhao Chengshuang hurriedly said.

Batting her beautiful big eyes innocently, Lin Huayu said, ”I wasn’t joking, I was serious. Cousin, does it hurt a lot?”

”What do you think!” Zhao Chengshuang replied, sweating profusely and in agony.

”Enough, Huayu,” said Lin Tianyou, chuckling on the side. He too had no control over this mischievous and adorable cousin of his. Being the only girl in the family, everyone indulged her whims.

”All right!” Lin Huayu sat down beside the bed and said, ”Cousin, you better recover fast so you can take me to catch thieves someday!”

”Thanks for your kind words, I will definitely work hard to recover,” Zhao Chengshuang said, still sweating. Facing this cousin, he always had to be on his guard.

Lin Tianyou came over to inquire about some details of the illness and, seeing that Zhao Chengshuang was recovering very well, he was quite satisfied.

”By the way, did that friend of yours come yesterday?” Lin Tianyou asked. This was the question he wanted to know most.

”Which friend?” Zhao Chengshuang didn’t know who Lin Tianyou was talking about.

”Ye Qing, of course!” Lin Tianyou said.

”Ye Qing?” Zhao Chengshuang looked at Lin Tianyou in surprise, asking, ”Tianyou, you know Ye Qing too?”

”A friend,” Lin Tianyou said with a smile.

”Really?” Zhao Chengshuang was even more astonished and said, ”I didn’t expect that. This guy has a wide circle of friends in Shenchuan City. I didn’t see that coming!”

”Who’s that, who’s that, who’s that,” Lin Huayu clamored from the side.

”You don’t know him, a friend of ours.” Zhao Chengshuang looked at Lin Tianyou and said, ”He came over at noon, and now he’s gone out to take care of some business.”

”Oh,” Lin Tianyou was slightly disappointed as he had wanted to talk to Ye Qing again.

Lin Huayu, with a displeased expression, complained, ”What do you mean ’a friend of ours’ that I don’t know? Hey, let me tell you, that friend of yours, I’m quite eager to meet him.”

”Cut it out. My friend, one of him is worth all of your friends combined!” Zhao Chengshuang declared.

”I don’t believe it!” Lin Huayu raised her little fists and said, ”I... I also have a friend, one person who is worth one hundred of your friend!”

”You’re talking about that person who saved you again,” Lin Tianyou said with a smile. ”Huayu, that person who saved you isn’t really your friend, you know. I think I’ll take you to meet Ye Qing someday soon, let you understand what a true friend is!”

”I don’t want to meet him, pah pah pah, what true friend, I think they are nothing but fair-weather friends!” Lin Huayu clenched her little fists, her face full of longing as she said, ”I will definitely find the person who saved me, and when I bring him over, you two will see what a real gap looks like!”

Zhao Chengshuang and Lin Tianyou looked at each other and laughed together. They both admired Ye Qing so neither of them thought the person Lin Huayu was talking about could be better than Ye Qing.

Xu Beihua sat alone in the detention cell, and although it had only been one night, he already felt physically and mentally exhausted, his face covered with stubble. Despair aged people fast.

The door to the detention cell suddenly swung open, and Xu Beihua shivered, raising his head shakily to look.

Ye Qing, in a suit, stood at the entrance. The suit had gotten dirty when he was saving someone yesterday, and after Ye Qing washed it, it became somewhat wrinkled. Wearing it now, it lost the previous sparkle and instead made him appear slightly downtrodden.

Ye Qing walked in, and the police closed the door behind him. Zhao Chengshuang had arranged for this, allowing Ye Qing a chance to ask some key questions.

”Who... who are you?” Xu Beihua asked, his voice trembling.

Ye Qing walked to the table, sat down, and calmly looked at Xu Beihua. ”You don’t need to know who I am. What you need to know is that I can help you get out of here, prevent you from going to prison!”

”What?” Xu Beihua suddenly perked up, staring at Ye Qing as he tremulously asked, ”You... you can help me get out of here? You... can keep me from going to prison? You’re not lying to me, are you?”

”You can choose not to believe me!” Ye Qing replied.

”No, I believe!” Xu Beihua hastily responded. He was like a drowning man clutching at straws, willing to hold on firmly even if it was a straw. Even if it turned out to be a swindle, he was determined to believe it.

After catching his breath, Xu Beihua asked, ”How much money do you want?”

”I don’t want money!” Ye Qing looked at Xu Beihua and said, ”I just need you to answer a few questions for me!”

”What questions?” Xu Beihua was surprised; he had thought Ye Qing had come for money. Is there really someone in this world who could do things without wanting money?

Ye Qing asked, ”From the initiation to the groundbreaking of the Beihua Residential Area project, have you been in charge of it at Beihua Company all along?”

Xu Beihua frowned slightly; not knowing what Ye Qing was getting at, he was somewhat on guard.

”President Xu, I hope you’ll cooperate with me. Otherwise, I can’t help you,” Ye Qing implored.

After a moment of silence, Xu Beihua nodded and said, ”Yes.”

”Then, you should know about everything that has happened from the beginning of the project to now at the Beihua Residential Area,” Ye Qing stated.

”The matters of the Beihua Residential Area’s bidding were handed over to the company’s vice president to manage. The construction was undertaken by the contractor; I don’t know about those things,” Xu Beihua denied all responsibility cleanly. Indeed, how could he just wipe his hands of it all?

”That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking about the land acquisition for the Beihua Residential Area project at its start; you know all about that, right?” Ye Qing pressed.

Xu Beihua looked at Ye Qing in surprise, not understanding what Ye Qing meant by these questions. Everyone was concerned about the explosion at the Beihua Residential Area, while he was probing into the land acquisition. What kind of logic was that?