"You dare to hit me, you bastard?"
Jiang Ke was sent flying back several steps by the slap.
He clutched his face, his eyes bloodshot, and roared with venomous rage.
"Guards, arrest him immediately!"
At his command, the other patrol officers prepared to move.
"Hold on!"
Song Qiao snorted coldly and took out his phone from his pocket.
"Let me make a call. Someone will make you understand why you deserved to be hit."
With that, he dialed the secretary of Zheng Shan.
"Tch, who is this trying to act tough now? I'd like to see what kind of big shot you can call for backup."
Jiang Ke, still covering his swollen cheek, waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to stop.
He wanted Song Qiao to realize his powerlessness, bit by bit.
"Mr. Song, is there something you need?"
The call was connected quickly, and Secretary Yang's attitude was as respectful as ever.
"Secretary Yang, my family was kidnapped at my doorstep, and I had no choice but to defend myself with a firearm. Now, a patrol chief named Jiang Ke is insisting on arresting me without asking any questions, and he also said he wants my secretary to sleep with him."
"You must admit this is rather inappropriate."
Song Qiao's tone was calm, but the other party could clearly sense the simmering anger beneath his words.
"What?"
"This ignorant bastard! I'm coming over right now!"
Secretary Yang almost dropped her phone in shock and quickly hung up.
"The provincial governor's secretary will be here shortly. You should start thinking about how you're going to explain yourself."
Song Qiao put away his phone and looked at Jiang Ke with pity.
This guy's career was effectively over as of today.
"Bah! Provincial governor's secretary? Why don't you claim the governor himself is coming?"
Jiang Ke's expression was strange; he clearly didn't believe Song Qiao.
"Exactly! Who knows where they found this stooge, putting on a show here."
Wu Run, afraid that Jiang Ke would change his mind like Li Feng, quickly chimed in.
Song Qiao rolled his eyes at her.
This woman was utterly shameless. She had been kneeling and begging for mercy just moments ago, but now that someone with influence had arrived, she immediately turned around and attacked him.
"Kid, surrender obediently now, and send the woman beside you to me. I can let this matter slide."
Jiang Ke was still unwilling to give up, his greedy gaze lingering on Wu Meng.
What he wanted most was for Wu Meng to willingly fall into his arms. Otherwise, he would have already ordered his subordinates to shoot Song Qiao on the spot.
"You're asking for death!"
Hearing the man mention Wu Meng again, Song Qiao was enraged and rushed forward to attack.
"Song Qiao, calm down."
Wu Meng quickly tugged at his sleeve, afraid he would provoke the other party out of impulse.
"Hmph, you refuse a toast and insist on a forfeit. Guards, arrest him and drag that woman to my office."
"Tonight, I will make sure..."
He froze mid-sentence.
"Yang, Secretary Yang."
At the critical moment, the provincial governor's secretary arrived on the scene with utmost haste.
As an official, Jiang Ke certainly recognized her.
A fine sheen of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
In that instant, he realized that what Song Qiao had said might actually be true.
He truly had the connections to summon the provincial governor's secretary for support.
As expected.
Upon reaching him, Secretary Yang immediately slapped him twice across the face.
"Good for you, Jiang Ke! You're now daring to break the law and offend the Ministry of Security. I see your position as patrol chief is truly coming to an end."
She snorted coldly, strode over to Song Qiao, and took the service pistol from his hand.
She pointed it directly at Jiang Ke's head.
"Open your eyes and look! Is this not a specially issued firearm from the Ministry of Security?"
"These two are suspected of stealing state secrets, and you, as a patrol officer, dared to cover for them."
"I think you're their accomplice."
In just a few words, she had accused Jiang Ke of a grave crime.
With a thud, Jiang Ke's face turned deathly pale from fear. He could no longer resist and knelt down.
He kowtowed frantically, begging for mercy.
"Secretary Yang, Mr. Song, spare me!"
"I was momentarily confused and didn't know Mr. Song was from the Ministry of Security. I was misled by these two lowly women from the Wu family."
"It's too late to regret it now!"
Secretary Yang slapped him again and kicked him aside.
"From today onwards, you are dismissed from the Patrol Division."
"Get out of here immediately!"
Jiang Ke was utterly devastated but dared not resist. He scrambled away from the scene in disgrace.
"The two of you are suspected of murdering a public official and stealing state secrets. The authorities will hold you legally accountable."
Secretary Yang glared fiercely at Wu Run and Wu Zhonghai.
Then, with a respectful expression, she turned to Song Qiao.
"Mr. Song, rest assured, the Ministry of Security will provide you with a satisfactory resolution to this matter."
"Good. Take these two away. I can't bear to see them."
Song Qiao waved his hand casually and led Wu Meng towards his home.
Wu Zhonghai and Wu Run were completely stunned. The two individuals who had feared nothing were now filled with dread.
They had acted secretly behind their family's back and had managed to offend the Ministry of Security.
Now, it seemed, no one could protect them.
Even the Wu family would never dare to incur the wrath of the Ministry of Security.
"Ouch."
After taking only a few steps, Wu Meng let out a cry of pain.
When Wu Run had pushed her down earlier, she had accidentally twisted her ankle.
She hadn't realized it at the time due to her nervousness.
Now that she had relaxed, she finally felt the throbbing pain in her foot.
"What's wrong?"
"Let me see."
Song Qiao quickly bent down, intending to take off Wu Meng's shoe to examine it.
"Ah, it hurts so much."
Wu Meng, standing on one leg, quickly began to lose her balance.
Just as she was about to collapse onto the ground to rest, she bumped headfirst into Song Qiao, who was looking down.
Losing her footing, she fell directly into Song Qiao's arms as he bent over.
The next second, their lips coincidentally met.