Qin Lan, already entangled, looked at Wu Zhong’s unruly behavior with increasing impatience. "What's all the fuss about? You've been by my side for over ten years, haven't you? Don't you know what kind of person I dislike the most?"
"President Qin..." Wu Zhong understood that Qin Lan was consumed by anger with nowhere to vent, and he had just run into the muzzle.
However, this was not the time to discuss other matters. He took a breath and, meeting Qin Lan's impatient gaze, said, "President Qin, I've come to inform you that Commander He has been arrested and imprisoned!"
"Im... imprisoned?" The sudden news stunned Qin Lan. He clenched his fists, strode up to Wu Zhong, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him vigorously, demanding, "What's going on? What exactly is going on!"
Facing Qin Lan's urging, Wu Zhong dared not delay. He spoke concisely, "I heard from Commander He that the matter of finding Brother Hu to abandon Chen Lishu in Guijia Village was filmed and sent to higher-ups. Commander He has now been stripped of his position and thrown into the police station. When the truth is revealed, he will face the due punishment! Commander He specifically called today and asked me to tell you to go to the prison and discuss a solution with him."
Hearing the cause and course of events, Qin Lan felt his vision blacken. His feet stumbled, but he wasted no time. He immediately had someone arrange a car to take him to the prison.
----
Inside the police station, He Lei waited and waited until he finally saw Qin Lan's figure. He Lei, suppressing his anger, gritted his teeth and scolded, "Everything you do is so sluggish. I seriously suspect that adopting you and Qin Yue was a terrible mistake. Now that I'm in trouble, none of you seem to care!"
A look of embarrassment appeared on Qin Lan's face. He explained helplessly, "Godfather, it's not that I'm late. The moment I heard you were imprisoned, I rushed over!"
"Is that so?" He Lei snorted coldly, his expression clearly still disbelieving.
Qin Lan, with a fawning expression, patiently explained, "Godfather, how dare I lie to you? It's just that the company has also encountered some problems, and I was discussing solutions with my subordinates. If Wu Zhong hadn't received your call in time, I might have been even later! But what exactly happened? Wasn't the kidnapping of Chen Lishu handled without a trace? How did you end up here?"
Speaking of the matter, He Lei's face showed a trace of anger. He clenched his fists and pounded them against the wall, saying, "I don't know what's up with Brother Hu. He's always been so shrewd, but this time his actions were full of loopholes!"
"You mean Brother Hu betrayed you?"
He Lei paused, licked his lips, and finally shook his head. "We're in the same boat. Besides, I've been kind to him, so he shouldn't do anything to repay kindness with enmity. I think he's been blinded by love all these years, and even his actions have become careless. It's no wonder his position has been taken by other organizations! But now is not the time to talk about this. We need to find a way to get out of here."
Qin Lan asked blankly, "What method? With your exposure this time, won't the consequences be very serious? After all, as an official, seducing..." He didn't say the last few words, as He Lei shot him a fierce glare.
He Lei berated him head-on, "Don't you know the saying about walls having ears? When did I ever cooperate with Brother Hu? I think that over the years since I took office, I've caused him some trouble, and he holds a grudge, so he deliberately framed me with fabricated charges!"
Qin Lan lowered his head under his scolding and whispered in agreement, "Yes, yes, you're right. But Godfather, can you tell me what you plan to do next? I'll see if there's anything I can help with."
Getting down to business, He Lei sat cross-legged on the ground, tapping his thigh with a finger, and then slowly said, "Help? Just transfer some funds from your company. I'm short of money right now and need to grease some palms!"
When the word "money" was mentioned, a look of difficulty appeared on Qin Lan's face. Seeing this, He Lei became furious. He grabbed a cup from the table and hurled it at Qin Lan's face, gnashing his teeth and demanding, "What kind of expression is that? After all the money I've spent on you to build your company, and now you're unwilling to give me some money for arrangements? I always knew you were a heartless fellow. Don't call me Godfather anymore. From now on, we sever our father-son relationship. Your profits have nothing to do with me, and don't use my name to do anything that benefits you!"
Seeing He Lei's genuine anger, Qin Lan ignored the pain on his face. He quickly curried favor, approaching He Lei with a bitter smile, like a grandson, and explained, "Godfather, what are you saying? How could I be stingy with money for you? It's just that, as I said, the company has encountered some issues. We are currently short of funds and may not be able to come up with the amount you want. But don't worry, I'll give you everything I have!"
Hearing Qin Lan's explanation, He Lei snorted coldly and then asked, "What happened to the company?"
Qin Lan sighed helplessly, "Recently, the pig plague has been rampant, and the sausage factory has been affected. Chen Lishu took this opportunity to produce starch sausages, and her business is directly suppressing mine. We haven't been able to sell our meat sausages lately, but the factory still has some expenses to cover. So, we're likely to be in a loss-making state for a while until the pig plague subsides!"
He Lei was even more furious upon hearing Qin Lan's current predicament. "I already warned you about the pig plague, but you didn't take it to heart! If it weren't for my position repeatedly protecting you, your company would have probably gone bankrupt long ago! So you must remember, we are in this together. You only exist because I exist!"
Qin Lan nodded vigorously, "I've always kept that in mind. Without Godfather's support, how could I have become the boss of such a large company? But Godfather, this matter is so serious, will you be implicated? How much money will it take to sort everything out?"