Chapter 9: Pledge

Words : 1382 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Pledge In the private room, three people sat there in silence. But soon, the door to the room was pushed open. Li Chuanchun, who had been notified by the restaurant owner, walked in with a glass of wine, a smile brimming on his face. However, upon seeing Lin Fan sitting there, his expression froze. Then, after a glance at Zhang Caini sitting beside Zhu Defu, his mind nearly short-circuited. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Zhang Caini had a close relationship with Zhu Defu. Suddenly, he understood why the formidable third-in-command of Jiangning had asked him to come. Compared to Lin Fan, however, he still didn’t care. Having an official for a father gave him confidence, so he ignored Lin Fan completely and went straight to Zhu Defu with his glass of wine in hand. "Uncle Zhu, what a coincidence, I didn’t expect to run into you here. My father mentioned a while ago that you weren’t in good health; I don’t know how you’ve been lately!" Li Chuanchun, who was well-versed in social interactions, spoke with what seemed like sincerity. "My health is as it is, just getting by. What else can I do? If I were to fall, those close to me would surely be bullied to death," Zhu Defu replied with a stern face, not offering him any pleasantries. "Uncle Zhu looks quite robust, how could he easily fall ill? I think there must be some misunderstanding," Li Chuanchun said, anxiously maintaining a smile: "This must be Auntie, right? If I have done anything inappropriate before, I hope you can forgive my youthful ignorance." "I’m just an old, haggard fright by now. How could I blame you, a young and entitled second-generation official?" Zhang Caini responded with an equally stern face, not sparing him a glance, and turned her head to Zhu Defu, "Is the official position of the head of the department so significant? After all, you’re close to retirement now. We shouldn’t casually offend important people. Should we offer him a toast, lest we rub him the wrong way and it backfires on you?" "Heh!" With Zhang Caini’s sarcastic tone, Zhu Defu snorted coldly. His disdain was clear for all to see, and her words terrified Li Chuanchun to the point where his face turned pale. Even though his father was only a deputy head, compared to Zhu Defu, a pillar of Jiangning, any of his henchmen would be his father’s superior. Even on holidays, if his father wanted to give a gift to show his filial piety, it would be next to impossible to find the opportunity. "Auntie, that’s not what I meant at all. I have always respected Uncle Zhu. It was my youthful ignorance that led me to misspeak. I hope you can forgive me for not knowing any better because of my age," Li Chuanchun hurriedly said as he picked up the wine decanter and approached Zhang Caini, "Auntie, I will punish myself with a pot of wine. Please let go of any anger, and consider tonight’s meal my treat for you and Uncle Zhu. Next time, I’ll have my dad treat you both to a proper meal." Despite being frugal, Old Zhu, a Deputy Mayor, surely couldn’t be in such a dire situation as to not afford a meal. "We’re not accustomed to drinking this wine, and we can’t stomach a meal offered by you," said Zhang Caini, who had been fooling around with Lin Fan just a moment ago, now completely altering her demeanor. Her slightly acerbic words stung Li Chuanchun, leaving him red-faced and at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Zhu Defu continued to sit there stern-faced and silent. Lin Fan finally witnessed what it meant for higher officials to crush the lower ones. In front of Mayor Zhu, this second-generation official who used to act with impunity at the university was nothing, and offering apologies was utterly meaningless. "Auntie, I didn’t mean it that way, I really know I was wrong, please be the bigger person and let it go, just forgive me this once. Whatever it takes to make you feel better, I’ll do anything." Li Chuanchun now was filled with so much regret that he wished he could kneel on the ground and beg for mercy. "I wouldn’t dare ask you, the son of a government official, to do anything, just please don’t bully my little brother again. After all, he’s just a nobody from the Qingshui Government office and can’t afford to offend people like you. Maybe it’s better if my little brother apologizes to you instead." Zhang Caini’s sarcastic words made Li Chuanchun instantly understand, though his heart was filled with contempt for someone like Lin Fan, who climbed up using his connections. Yet, he quickly walked over to Lin Fan, nodding and bowing. "Lin Fan, we were classmates for four years in university, and you know I naturally have a foul mouth and love to make cheap comments. I was really just joking with you just now, please don’t be angry. I beg you to say a few good words to your uncle, ah... sister, and let me off the hook. From now on, I’ll be your little brother, and I won’t ever go west if you tell me to go east!" Facing Li Chuanchun’s submission, Lin Fan didn’t pay any attention to him, but glanced at Zhang Caini, who, understanding his gaze, knew Lin Fan was waiting for a signal, a bottom line. "Little brother, you need to stand up straight in life, don’t be spineless. We don’t cause trouble but we don’t fear it either. However people treat you, that’s how you should treat them back. You have Uncle Zhu to back you up if anything happens." After Zhang Caini finished speaking, Zhu Defu still didn’t say a word, merely sitting there, staring at Lin Fan—clearly, this was a test for him, he wanted to see how Lin Fan would handle this unexpected situation. "Old classmate, you’re the son of a government official, how could you pour a drink for me? If I drank it, wouldn’t it lower your status? I should be the one pouring a drink for you!" Zhu Defu and Zhang Caini’s hints caused Lin Fan’s entire mentality to turn dark at that moment. He smiled, reached for the beer on the table, stood up, and before Li Chuanchun could understand what was happening, Lin Fan poured the beer right over his head. "How does that taste, drinking my beer?" The unprecedented relief made Lin Fan’s hands tremble as he grasped the beer bottle; recalling the days he had been bullied by this guy, this beer bottle was really nothing. "The beer... tastes so good, thank you, old classmate, for the drink!" And faced with such humiliation, Li Chuanchun didn’t dare move an inch, letting the beer chill him to the bone. Once the bottle was empty, Lin Fan couldn’t help but think that this guy was as submissive as a dog now, really pathetic. If it were him, he probably couldn’t do it. "Alright, since the misunderstanding is cleared up, let’s just leave it at that." Seeing that it was about enough, Zhu Defu finally waved his hand and sent Li Chuanchun, who was nodding and bowing, out. Then he whispered a few words in Zhang Caini’s ear, stood up, and walked over to Lin Fan, patting his shoulder: "Since you’ve called me Uncle, I won’t let you down. The doctor has told me to rest well these next few days, so I’ll be leaving first." "Uncle, I’ll see you out!" Lin Fan hurriedly stood up but was stopped by Zhu Defu. "No need, some things are better kept in your heart, not to be seen by those with ulterior motives. There’s still a long road ahead of us, and you’ve been drinking, so don’t drive. Let Cai Ni take you back, and you two can talk about the matters of navigating government office." After saying this, Zhu Defu walked out the door. But his words left Lin Fan somewhat dazed; could it be that his act of revenge against Li Chuanchun had gone too far and upset him? If this was the case, he had truly stirred up serious trouble.

Chapter 9: Pledge

Comments (0)