Third update,

...

"Boss, nothing... nothing's gonna go wrong inside, right?"

Anyone could see that the people at those two tables were not getting along, and Xiao Qing was no exception. She carefully approached Qin Fang and asked with some concern.

"Nothing will happen!"

Qin Fang shook his head, certain that Tiger and Li Hui wouldn't start trouble here, for they had to give face to him as the host. If they really wanted to fight, there was no need to do it at his place.

Besides, Qin Fang knew that soon the sons and daughters of the city bureau director and the provincial political and legal committee secretary would arrive; these two groups would be looking for death if they caused trouble here. Not to mention that many people knew that this restaurant had a share owned by Secretary Tang's daughter, Tang Feifei—even though Tang Feifei herself had never acknowledged it.

"As long as everything's fine, that's good... that's good..."

Xiao Qing was still a bit worried, but thinking of Qin Fang's indifference when he made that phone call that day, and Tang Feifei's composed demeanor, she felt much more at ease and continued to greet the customers.

Some of the waitstaff in the restaurant seemed a bit tense, but there were also some who were braver. These were the former employees of Fang Feixue who had experienced the incident with Brother Beard and his protection money. They recognized Li Dong, who was sitting with Tiger, so they naturally felt more relaxed.

Qin Fang wasn't too worried, especially when he soon saw the arrival of a familiar face, which made him even less concerned.

"Officer Li..."

The visitor turned out to be Li Qiming, who had been following Ye Heng; it was even Li Qiming who had given Qin Fang a ride here last time. This time, they arrived directly in two police cars.

Seeing the arrival, Qin Fang immediately greeted them with a big smile. Aside from Li Qiming, there were seven or eight other officers with not insignificant ranks. Qin Fang figured these men were most likely the heads of branch bureaus, deputy directors of the city bureau, political commissars, and so on, at the very least a police station chief.

There was no doubt, these people were Ye Heng's people.

Bureau Chief Ye wouldn't have called on people who disagreed with him; that would not have been a congratulatory visit, but adding trouble. Old Ye had been in Ninghai for so many years, doing so well, he wouldn't do something so unreliable.

"To all the officers, thank you for coming. Please, come inside..."

Guests were guests; they were giving face to Qin Fang. Regardless of their status or position, Qin Fang was very polite to them. As the saying goes, it's easier to meet the king of hell than the little devils. It wasn't because of Old Ye's connections that he could ignore these lower-ranking police officers.

"Young Master Qin, you're too polite! We're just coming to scout out in advance. Bureau Chief Ye will personally come over later..."

Li Qiming, who was Ye Heng's confidant, was very courteous to Qin Fang, immediately speaking with extra care. The police officers following him were also very polite, proactively handing over red envelopes and looking at Qin Fang with smiles on their faces.

"Bureau Chief Ye is coming too? That's really great..."

Qin Fang immediately acted very surprised, as if he had absolutely no idea beforehand.

"Young Master Qin, you're busy, we'll go inside first!"

Although these officers knew Qin Fang was just being polite, none of them would call him out on it. Li Qiming also politely spoke and then entered with the other officers.

However, as they walked past Qin Fang, they all very courteously handed him their business cards, which Qin Fang also accepted one by one.

"The police are here too? Things are getting lively..."

"That seems to be Director Gu, and there's Director Li, Director Fang..."

"They all have high positions, ah. Heads of branch bureaus, deputy directors of the city bureau, heads of criminal police squadrons, traffic police squadrons... Wow, this is really lively!"

"More than lively, it's practically a gathering! Police, underworld, all in the same pot..."

When Li Qiming led a group of police officers from the Ninghai Police Circle into the restaurant, they also immediately noticed the two groups sitting at two tables yet distinctly apart from each other. They all showed surprise, but after all, they were police officers, so they didn't pay too much attention. After a moment's hesitation, Li Qiming sought the opinions of the others, and eventually they took the table right between Tiger and Li Hui's, effectively separating the two groups completely.

Qin Fang couldn't help but glance outside as well and a calm smile appeared on his face. With this group of police officers holding down the fort, the chances of the two underworld factions causing trouble seemed much less likely.

However, the guests who were already seated inside were starting to get a little unsettled. They had never seen a situation like this, where not only were the strongest of the underworld factions in attendance, but also an unexpectedly large contingent of police officers.

In such circumstances, only one thing could be said, that is, the owner of this establishment had connections far and wide, covering both the underworld and legitimate circles.

The more people thought about it, the more they felt lucky to be there. After hesitating for a moment, they immediately called some of their good friends, urging them to come over quickly. Even though they might not be able to make new friends, just sharing a casual acquaintance would count for something if they crossed paths again in the future.

Most of the people Xiao Qing invited were from the business community, and they naturally welcomed the chance to network with people from the underworld or the official sphere.

People saw and heard, and then the idea struck them, leading to a whole bunch of them secretly making calls to invite others.

Of course, more people were still watching the excitement here, after all, it's not often that two grudging underworld factions are mixed with a bunch of high-ranking police officers—the scene was really too interesting to miss.

"Director Gu, I didn't expect you to come... It's rare for us all to gather like this, today I'm going to toast you a few times!"

Seeing the few police officers who walked in, Tiger and his crew were quite surprised too. Their line of work was on the fringe, and they were most averse to tension. Though not necessarily afraid, sitting together like this still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

However, they weren't too concerned. They were here today purely to offer their congratulations. Qin Fang had a good relationship with them, and at the same time, they also had a good relationship with Ning Weiqiang, whose father was a provincial leader in charge of political and legal affairs. If they were to feel truly uncomfortable, it would be sitting with Ning Weiqiang.

Once the police officers were seated, Tiger immediately poured himself a drink and approached their table. Among them, Director Gu was from the southern city precinct. He was formerly the deputy director but got promoted after the Xiao Nan incident. As for Director Liang, who had stirred up trouble, had been dealt with by Old Ye.

Tiger actually had a very good relationship with Director Gu, who had often accepted his "gratitude" in the past, so Tiger didn't hesitate to approach him.

"Director Fang, Director Li, it's been a while since we last met. Today we should really drink a few good rounds!"

Li Hui, on the other hand, was no exception. He immediately led his people over with glasses in hand, and a group of them began to drink with the police officers they knew well.

"Fangfang, things aren't going to get rowdy inside, are they?"

Not only had the other guests noticed, but Qin Fang and his party had as well. Tang Feifei was a bit worried and asked a question. Nearby, Xiao Qing couldn't help but tense up as well. She had thought that the presence of the police would calm both factions down, but she didn't expect the situation to turn out like this—it was both surprising and nerve-wracking.

"There won't be any problems! What's this called? This is called 'the police and thieves are all one family'..."

Qin Fang said with a laugh, shaking his head. He knew that with the police around, the two factions wouldn't start a commotion, but he hadn't expected these underworld figures to boldly toast the police.

However, it made sense. They weren't causing trouble or engaging in any illegal activities there, and regardless of the police officers' good relations with them, by virtue of not breaking the law, the police had no reason to take action against them.

'Police and thieves are all one family', a phrase that Qin Fang would only say among them, as hardly anyone was listening. If this had been said in the store in front of everyone, it would truly be inappropriate. The police officers, even if they wouldn't flip out, would probably find it improper to stay any longer.

And indeed, just as Qin Fang had said, while it wasn't to the extent of the police and thieves being one family, the group of police officers led by Li Qiming didn't give the two factions a cold shoulder. They coped with the situation politely and quite obviously maintained their distance.

When it came to toasting, they would drink, but they certainly wouldn't show the kind of intimacy they would with friends. Whether police officers or underworld figures, all of them had been in their respective fields for a long time and had a good grasp of propriety. Otherwise, they wouldn't be brought here.

"Young Master Qin, congratulations..."

Just as Qin Fang and his group finally felt relieved, more people began to arrive outside, quite a number of them. Looking outside, Qin Fang saw at least a dozen luxury cars, with an even greater number of people congregating in a lively and impressive gathering.

"Xiao Liang, Xiao Tang, Xiao Gu, is that you guys? Are these all your friends?"

These newcomers were the same youngsters Qin Fang had encountered at the 4S store a few days ago. As for those following behind them, they seemed to be peers of a similar age, apparently children of influential families. Yet, their gaze towards Qin Fang was rather complex, filled with fear, some envy, and admiration...

"Yes, yes, yes, we all hang out together as buddies! Actually... Young Master Qin, we're all your fans. If possible, could we get your autograph later?"

Xiao Liang appeared to be their leader and cautiously inquired. The incident at Bihai Pavilion had caused quite a stir in Ninghai, and these privileged young masters had certainly heard about it.

Xiao Liang and his friends were rather show-offs. Although they already knew about Qin Fang—the same person who overcame Gu Tong on Longquan Mountain to become Ninghai's top Car God—when they encountered Qin Fang at the 4S store and received his invitation, they couldn't resist notifying their good friends. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets at QiDian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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