Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 310 I dare not disobey
About half an hour later, the medicinal mud on Wang Chengpeng's face had completely dried.

Strangely enough, as the medicinal mud dried, the burning sensation gradually disappeared.

Even the strong smell of medicine had disappeared without a trace, as if it were Wang Chengpeng's own face.

Wang Chengpeng tried reaching out and touching his face, but found that it felt almost identical to a human face, and he couldn't feel any details unless he paid close attention.

"If you want to remove the makeup, you need to apply a hot towel for half an hour first, until the mud is completely softened," Zhou Delai explained at the opportune moment.
"However, if you're in a hurry, you can apply some oil to your face. The oil will moisturize and help your makeup melt off quickly."

At this point, Zhou Delai handed over a bottle of cooking oil, the meaning of which was quite clear.

Wang Chengpeng poured some cooking oil into his palm and then smeared it directly on his face.

Sure enough, with the moisturizing effect of the oil, the makeup on my face seemed to melt away as if it were being washed away by rain.

Wiping it with a hot towel does clean it quickly, but it leaves an oily smell that isn't very pleasant.

With an awkward smile, Zhou Delai explained, "After all, it's a shortcut, so there will definitely be some side effects."

"If you're interested in this disguise, comrade, you can give it a try. My brother and I will fully cooperate with you."

Wang Chengpeng stood up abruptly and shook his head, saying, "There's no need."

"Leave professional matters to professionals. To think that I could learn such a skill instantly is, in the end, a bit naive."

Hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Zhou Delai subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, comforting himself inwardly:

Thankfully, this family-inherited craft has been preserved.

Just then, Wang Chengpeng spoke up: "You two come with me to the police station to settle this matter."

"Of course, the most important thing is to remember what Wang Chun'an looks like; this is especially important."

Guo Wei's genes are undeniably strong, resulting in a phenomenon of skipping generations and causing Wang Chun'an and Wang Xia'an to look remarkably like him, a fact that Zhao Yuju herself has acknowledged.

Therefore, Wang Chengpeng's earlier request to pretend to be twenty years older was not to deliberately make things difficult for the two, but to test whether they were capable of pretending to be an older Guo Wei.

While walking to the police station, Wang Chengpeng briefly explained to the two men what he wanted them to do.

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's description, the two were dumbfounded, never expecting that their disguise and deception skills could be used in such a way.

Unlike previous scams, since they seemed to have failed to swindle any money from their targets, they were not afraid even if they were reported to the police and arrested.

This idea gave them a clue: they felt they could make a living through their own abilities without having to do something as immoral as fraud.

The three of them moved quickly and soon arrived at the Hetian Town Police Station.

Wang Chengpeng was a regular at the police station, so much so that almost all the police officers there knew him and greeted him as "Comrade Wang" whenever they met.

This scene made the two men following behind Wang Chengpeng think that Wang Chengpeng was capable of something extraordinary, as he was able to get these police officers to greet him.

Stopping Xu Le, who seemed unsure of what to do, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "Comrade Xu, may I ask where Director Fan is?"

After thinking for a moment, Xu Le spoke:

"The director should be in his office right now. You can just go find him."

"I'm a bit busy, so I won't take you with me."

"You've been to the director's office before, so I'm sure you don't need me to go to the trouble of going to the director's office."

Zhou Delai: ...

Zhou Fulai: ...

They felt they had truly seen something amazing today; it seemed Wang Chengpeng's abilities were even more terrifying than they had imagined.

Fortunately, they hadn't done anything stupid before, otherwise, if they had been arrested, they could have been executed.

You should know that when they were trying to intimidate others, they only dared to involve Deputy Director Li, but Wang Chengpeng immediately went to Director Fan.

They arrived at Fan Guocheng's office with practiced ease. Even though he had been promoted, Fan Guocheng didn't seem to have any intention of moving offices; he remained in the same spot.

After knocking lightly on the door a few times, Wang Chengpeng introduced himself: "Director Fan, it's me, Xiao Wang."

Almost the instant Wang Chengpeng introduced himself, a dignified voice came from inside:

"Comrade Wang? You are a rare guest indeed. Please come in."

Although Wang Chengpeng's self-introduction was very humble, using the words "Little Wang," Fan Guocheng's use of the word "please" revealed that he was definitely not as young as he described himself.

Wang Chengpeng asked the Zhou brothers, Zhou Delai and Zhou Fulai, to wait for him at the door for a moment, then pushed the door open and went inside.

The office had a small entrance, with the slogan "People's Police for the People" painted on the mottled brick wall, and a People's Daily report on the "crackdown" posted next to it.

Unlike last time, Fan Guocheng has been promoted from a regular police captain to the head of a police station, and he is riding high.

He was wearing a brand-new police uniform, with a badge that read "Serve the People" pinned to his chest and a Type 54 pistol tucked into his waistband.

On the desk sat an enamel mug with the slogan "Grasp revolution, promote production" printed on it, next to a copy of the magazine "Red Flag".

Fan Guocheng's office is not large, but it is arranged in a neat and orderly manner.

A portrait of Chairman Mao hangs on the wall, next to which is a slogan: "Learn from Daqing in industry, learn from Dazhai in agriculture."

When Fan Guocheng saw Wang Chengpeng enter, he immediately stood up and greeted him warmly, "Comrade Wang, come, sit down, please sit down."

As he spoke, he took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from the drawer, pulled one out, and handed it to Wang Chengpeng.

Fan Guocheng's attitude was excellent, but Wang Chengpeng simply waved his hand and refused, saying, "Director Fan, I don't smoke."

Fan Guocheng smiled, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a smoke ring: "Comrade Wang, you're quite a rare guest."

"You're here because of Wang Chun'an, right? Wang Zhong has already told me, and I'm willing to give you face by severely punishing him."

"Don't worry, three years is no less, two years is no more. He'll definitely stay in there for at least two or three years."

With an embarrassed smile, Wang Chengpeng pretended to be clueless and said, "So Director Fan already knew?"

"If I may ask, Director Fan, under normal circumstances, how should my cousin be sentenced?"

After a moment's thought, Fan Guocheng said, "Wang Chun'an does have a letter of understanding from the party involved, so he would usually be sentenced to two years' imprisonment with a one-year suspended sentence."

“However, that’s under normal circumstances. Robbing one’s own grandmother is an extremely heinous crime no matter where it is, and it wouldn’t be wrong to sentence him to two or three years.” Fan Guocheng would naturally not tell outsiders such details. The fact that he said that to Wang Chengpeng meant that he considered him one of his own.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Chengpeng sighed and said, "Director Fan, I don't think we should have done it that way."

“Wang Chun’an should be sentenced as he should be. You can’t deliberately target him because of me.”

"If Director Fan makes a mistake because of our personal feelings, then I will be willing to die for it."

A two-year suspended sentence is the best possible outcome for Wang Chun'an.

He neither completely escaped punishment nor failed to fulfill Zhou Delai's promise to Zhao Yuju to let Wang Chun'an go back.

If Wang Chun'an doesn't behave himself and continues to commit crimes during his probation period, he will likely face at least two years in prison.

Fan Guocheng was a shrewd man, and he quickly understood Wang Chengpeng's meaning: he was to handle official business strictly and not get involved in this matter.

With a sigh, Fan Guocheng remarked, "Comrade Wang, it's really hard to repay your favor."

"Okay, we'll do it your way, and handle it officially."

"As long as Wang Chun'an cooperates with us in completing the procedures, he can go back by tomorrow morning at the latest."

At this point, Fan Guocheng added, "Comrade Wang, you are truly a magnanimous person, willing to let them off the hook even in the face of such a situation."

"If it were me, I'd probably make them suffer a lot, even if they didn't die."

With an indifferent smile, Wang Chengpeng explained, "He has already received the punishment he deserves. He shouldn't be punished more severely because of me, nor should he be punished less severely because of me."

Nodding, Fan Guocheng said, "Okay, then let's do as you say."

"I have a meeting to chair, so I'm afraid I'll have to excuse myself for now."

“Director Fan is very busy, it’s understandable that he’s preoccupied with his own affairs,” Wang Chengpeng said. “I also have something to do, so I won’t bother you any longer.”

"By the way, I'd like to arrange for two people to visit Wang Chun'an in prison. That should be fine, right?"

Looking surprised, Fan Guocheng had no idea what Wang Chengpeng was up to.

It's really a bit strange that Wang Chengpeng is still rushing to visit someone who's about to be released.

However, he also knew that Wang Chengpeng was a law-abiding person and would not make a mistake on such a trivial matter. So he immediately approved the matter and arranged for Zhou Delai and Zhou Fulai to visit him in prison.

If you're going to put on an act, go all the way!
If Zhou Delai were to use Wang Chengpeng's influence to add a few more words, he could easily make it clear that he had rescued Wang Chun'an.

He had essentially laundered the money he took from Zhao Yuju, turning it into his own money, which could be considered one of the rewards paid by Wang Chengpeng.

I glanced at my watch; it wasn't too early, nor too late.

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Chengpeng went to a state-run restaurant to pack a few steamed buns, and then rode his bicycle to Shanghe City.

He figured Xia Mingyue wouldn't come looking for him so soon, so he had plenty of time to deliver mooncakes to Song Wenxin.

It took Wang Chengpeng about an hour to ride from Hetian Town to Shanghe City, and soon he arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative.

The gatekeeper was extremely familiar with Wang Chengpeng; he still remembered the scene he had witnessed last time: Song Wenxin smilingly inviting Wang Chengpeng to dinner.

This time, he dared not be negligent towards Wang Chengpeng in the slightest. Before Wang Chengpeng could speak, he volunteered to take Wang Chengpeng to find Song Wenxin.

Song Wenxin's office was located on the second floor of the supply and marketing cooperative. A wooden sign that read "Director's Office" hung on the door, and a slogan that read "Grasp revolution and promote production" was posted next to it.

This was clearly not Song Wenxin's previous office. It seemed that her promotion had been even faster than Wang Chengpeng had imagined. She had now become the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, a true Director Song in name and in fact.

With a fawning smile, Yang Guocheng said ingratiatingly, "Comrade Wang, you've finally arrived. Director Song mentioned you last time."

"She said that if she sees you come, I must respectfully invite you in."

At this point, Yang Guocheng's gaze towards Wang Chengpeng became strange, filled with jealousy and resentment:

This young man is just a little tall and handsome, yet he's living off a woman. It's just... I'm so envious.

Not to mention Wang Chengpeng, even Zhou Xia in the past was someone they envied, after all, the Song family was a great and unyielding tree.

Ignoring the ambiguous look in Yang Guocheng's eyes, Wang Chengpeng was too lazy to explain such nonsense and said with a smile:
"Director Song is too kind, remembering an ordinary friend like me who has no real talent."

"Comrade Yang, could you please show me the way? I have other matters to attend to, so I'll go find Director Song first."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wang Chengpeng knocked on the door of Song Wenxin's office. Seeing this, Yang Guocheng, no longer wanting to make a fool of himself, chuckled and quickly left.

With Song Wenxin's permission, Wang Chengpeng pushed open the door to the director's office, and a fragrance mixed with tea immediately wafted out.

It looks familiar; it's the same one that Song Wenxin gave to Wang Chengpeng back then.

Seeing Wang Chengpeng enter, Song Wenxin didn't get up, and teased him:
"Hey, isn't this my ordinary friend Wang Chengpeng, who's not very capable? What brings you here?"

"Let me tell you first, I never help ordinary friends."

From Song Wenxin's resentful tone, Wang Chengpeng knew that Song Wenxin must have heard what he had just said.

Song Wenxin's office wasn't very sick, but it was arranged in a very neat and orderly manner.

The annual sales chart of the supply and marketing cooperative was hanging on the wall, next to which were familiar slogans of the planned economy.

The desk was an old-fashioned mahogany table, with an enamel mug bearing the words "Supply and Marketing Cooperative" on it, and a copy of "Supply and Marketing Cooperative Newsletter" next to it.

The chair was made of rattan, and a towel printed with "Develop the economy and ensure supply" was laid on the cushion, making it look extremely elegant.

Despite being teased by Song Wenxin, Wang Chengpeng didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, he blamed Song Wenxin, saying:

"Director Song, you've moved into such a stylish office, so why is the soundproofing so bad? Could it be that they cut corners?"

Song Wenxin smiled and pointed to the crack in the wall: "This house was built in 58. Back then, the focus was on 'fast, efficient, and economical,' so soundproofing wasn't a priority."

"Alright, enough of this nonsense. You, Comrade Wang, are a very busy man. You don't come here unless you have something important to say. What is it this time that you want me to do?"

Wang Chengpeng dared not underestimate the woman in front of him who called herself a little girl. Although she basically won by following him around, some people really don't even know how to win by doing nothing.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng placed the mooncakes he was carrying on the desk and said:

"Knowing that we will need Director Song's help in the future, I specially sent you some homemade mooncakes so you can eat them during the Mid-Autumn Festival."

(End of this chapter)