In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

Cool!

Hou Liangping led his men back to the procuratorate, his mind still lingering on the magnificent view at the entrance of the trading center and the fear in everyone's eyes.

That's right!

Hou Liangping, the star of justice of the Handong Procuratorate, deserves to enjoy such radiant glory.

They love justice and also enjoy glory.

But then an untimely, sour face suddenly came into view, as horrifying as dreaming of Zhong Xiaoai at night only to find out it was her mother.

Hou Liangping jumped back a step, his heart pounding wildly.

not good…

It's the feeling of palpitations.

"Hou Liangping, come to my office!"

Lü Liang spoke in a somber tone.

Damn it, he's just a resident of a hall, what's he showing off for? He acts like he's above everyone else, always giving me attitude.

Being in charge of something is amazing!

Hou Liangping was inwardly furious, but his feet obediently followed suit.

This provincial procuratorate is different after all.

If Lao Ji doesn't give him face, no one else will either. If things fall apart in public, he'll be the one who looks bad.

"Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lü, what are your instructions?"

Hou Liangping crossed his arms and asked with a smirk.

"Hou Liangping, are you fucking brainless? You wanted an investigation order, I issued one, and what have you done now?"

Lü Liang slammed his fist on the table, making a loud thud. "At the entrance of the trading center, in front of so many state-owned and private enterprise leaders who participated in the bidding, he took away Gu Beilou and the other three."

"Is it impressive? Is it smug?"

"So, Director Hou, you've really made yourself look good, haven't you? Don't you know what political influence or economic stability means?"

"Do you understand the essence of our anti-corruption work? It's to safeguard social stability and economic prosperity!"

"This isn't just a showcase of your political achievements!"

"It's certainly not about asking you to hunt down all the black birds in the sky, leaving only a layer of unblemished white birds!"

Lü Liang's expression was so sinister it looked like he wanted to kill someone, spitting as he said, "Is this the kind of lawlessness you learned at the Supreme People's Procuratorate? Or is this the kind of tyrannical behavior your father-in-law taught you?"

"I…"

Hou Liangping panicked when his thoughts were exposed.

But after realizing what had happened, he felt embarrassed and annoyed at being exposed on the spot: "I am the head of the anti-corruption bureau, so naturally I have to arrest corrupt officials. Maintaining economic growth and social stability is the job of government departments."

"And...and..."

"If those people have nothing to hide, what are they afraid of!"

Hou Liangping became more and more convinced of his point as he spoke, and his confidence grew stronger. "If someone is really dissatisfied or runs away, wouldn't that be like trying to hide something obvious? They're just guilty, so we should arrest them and investigate them even more."

"It's one thing to fool yourself."

Lü Liang glanced at him sarcastically, "You're talking about being glorious and righteous in front of me? What the hell are you pretending for!"

"Studying abroad, banking, real estate—which of these would you dare to investigate!"

Hou Liangping's face flushed red.

Their underwear was pulled off.

"If you dare to mess with any one of these three, I won't say a word against you; you'll be the deputy chief prosecutor."

"But now..."

"If you don't have the guts, why pretend to be a big shot?"

"The Zhong family's live-in son-in-law, bah! What is he? He's always being dominated by his own wife. If I were you, I wouldn't even have the face to go out in public."

Lü Liang's mouth was so venomous it sounded like he'd swallowed two pounds of arsenic. "You're always so arrogant, acting like you're afraid people won't know you're a live-in son-in-law."

"I forgot to ask, is your son's surname Hou or Zhong?"

"If he takes your surname, I'd like to offer a friendly suggestion: change it as soon as possible. Taking his mother's surname is more prestigious, but if he takes yours, he might end up marrying into the family when he grows up."

Lüliang, you son of a bitch…

Hou Liangping's face flushed red, and he loosened his tie, ready to step forward and start a fight.

Click!

Lu Liang calmly picked up two ornamental walnuts from the table, and with a slight force, the walnuts shattered as if made of paper, scattering all the anger in the other person's mind.

Real walnuts!

Not the kind of paper-shelled walnuts that you peel by hand.

Hou Liangping swallowed hard.

"Hey, you surnamed Hou, why do you want to fight me?"

Lü Liang came up to him and affectionately patted the monkey's long face.

No! Nothing.

Hou Liangping chose to follow his heart.

This is fucking terrifying.

"Just now, Secretary Li Dakang and Governor Qiu Tianhen, who is temporarily in charge of the daily work of the provincial government, called me one after the other and gave me a good scolding."

Lü Liang chuckled, "Jingzhou has always been a turbulent place. Just when things were starting to look up, you almost ruined it again."

"You've stolen the show all by yourself."

"I only deserve to be scolded!"

"Hou Liangping, this is my last warning to you. When you're dealing with the Handong Provincial Procuratorate or the Handong Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau, you'd better follow the rules here."

"If you dare to misbehave again, next time I'll crush a walnut, or your neck."

"Since I'm going to be dragged down by you anyway, it's not a bad deal to take someone down with me."

"I can't take it..."

"Go and beg your wife's father-in-law to take you back to the capital."

Lü Liang was filled with murderous intent.

"Prosecutor Lü, I understand."

Hou Liangping immediately changed his tone and attitude; the old man opposite him was indeed irritable.

"A member of the discipline inspection team will be joining your group. Team Leader Huang and I will closely monitor everything that follows."

Lü Liang waved his hand to shoo people away.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

Hou Liangping became increasingly furious after leaving the office. He had never suffered such humiliation in the capital city where powerful figures were everywhere, and now... now he had been held hostage by a mere deputy chief prosecutor.

"Director Hou!"

Upon seeing Hou Liangping's expression, the people from the Third Investigation Division immediately wiped the smiles off their faces.

"What are you standing there for!"

Hou Liangping angrily ordered, "Right now, interrogate the four people we brought back, starting with Gu Beilou."

"Okay, Director Hou."

The others fled at the first sign of trouble.

"Gu Beilou, you'd better explain your problems as soon as possible."

Hou Liangping pushed open the interrogation room door, no longer even bothering to greet President Gu with polite formalities.

"Director Hou, I don't understand what you're saying."

Gu Beilou said innocently, "I have been preparing for the bidding process recently, and I have made the old city subway line project the company's top priority for the last quarter and next year."

"Why would the Anti-Corruption Bureau need to get involved?"

"If you don't know, then I'll help you remember."

Hou Liangping took out a yellow kraft paper bag and tossed it through the air. "Tell me," he said, "why did you arrange a meeting with the heads of other urban construction companies before the bidding process?"

When Gu Beilou opened the package, he was shocked to find a series of photos of him welcoming Lu Wucheng and the others, as well as photos of him with his arms around Lu Wucheng's shoulders when he saw them off.

"Even normal business dealings aren't allowed?"

Gu Beilou countered with a question.

"You arranged to meet with three state-owned enterprise officials at a high-end private club, right before the bidding conference. How do you explain that?"

Hou Liangping pressed on relentlessly.

"Director Hou, I'll say it again: it's a normal business banquet."

Gu Beilou took out one of the photos and held it up high. "I also made an appointment with General Manager Lu of Qingqiao Real Estate that day. It wasn't a special dinner for the heads of the bidding companies."

There is no solid evidence.

"I will hire a lawyer because of Director Hou's accusations against me."