Chapter 170 Insomnia

e—stationery, toys, snacks, etc.—with toy and snack piles on the entrance steps. Since the shop wasn’t very spacious or well-lit, it was rather dark inside. Several crookedly hung frames adorned the w...Chapter 170: Insomnia

The night had fallen, but the most bustling area in Phoenix City, Qintai Road, was brightly lit. This place was always one of the liveliest spots in Phoenix City, with five-star hotels and many well-known restaurants. The old streets were lined with gold shops and restaurants, all adorned with strings of lights. Behind these streets were high-end bars that attracted a steady flow of luxury vehicles and flashy individuals.

However, compared to the rest, there stood an imposing hotel with European flair in the district. Just by looking at its exterior and the luxury cars parked outside, one could easily tell it held a prominent position on Qintai Road.

Veterans who had lived in Phoenix City for years knew a saying: "Externally, Huibin Store; internally, Jinghua Tower," referring to two top establishments in Phoenix City.

"Externally, Huibin Store" referred to the Huibin National Guesthouse by the Yansai Lake. "Internally, Jinghua Tower" was this Jinghua Mansion Hotel, which had been built in 1996 and had undergone several renovations since then. It was known for its luxuriousness and primarily hosted high-ranking officials and Phoenix City's social elites.

Even those who frequented some of the higher-end establishments around Qintai Road might not qualify as guests at Jinghua Mansion Hotel. The hotel mainly belonged to Qingshan Real Estate, a major private enterprise in Phoenix City. With backing from influential figures Xu Changcheng and Zhou Zhaofeng, it was no wonder that Jinghua Tower maintained such enduring popularity.

In one of the hotel's private rooms at this moment, local officials, well-known businessmen, and even the CEO of Qingshan Real Estate were in attendance. Sitting at the top seat was Phoenix City Vice Mayor Xu Changcheng.

Clearly the center of attention, he received continuous flattery from all sides as they toasted to each other and engaged in conversation. Some people opportunistically mentioned, "This year’s initiative of the 'three weaks, three mains' planning, which involves developing commercial land around three ring roads and main arteries, is immensely beneficial for Phoenix City's urban development. First, in terms of transportation; second, economically speaking, it far surpasses Su Licheng's ecological city proposal to return farmland to forests."

The speaker was a businessman from Phoenix City, not an insider but aware of the current conflict between Xu Changcheng and Su Licheng. Thus, there was no hesitation in mentioning Su Licheng.

Most people present were part of Xu Changcheng's interest group, flattering him extensively. In high spirits, he said, "For the vigorous implementation of this development plan, we need Du Zong from Qingshan Group to oversee it. We must set a good example. Du Zong, Du Wei, don't you drink down this glass"

"Mr. Xu has spoken; I'm just a little lady who can only do my best," replied the woman speaking. She had an average but decent appearance, not particularly beautiful but striking with her well-defined features and age seemingly around thirty due to good care, although she was likely closer to forty. Skilled in social interactions, she dressed stylishly to attract attention. Many knew she was a master at navigating the political scene; she had divorced twice, amassing both personal wealth and connections before climbing to the position of CEO at Qingshan Real Estate. It was rumored that both Zhou Zhaofeng and Xu Changcheng were among her admirers—truly a shrewd woman.

As the banquet reached its peak, the door to the private room suddenly opened. It was Xu Changcheng's secretary Liu Chaoyang. Everyone thought: Although he tended to be arrogant despite being the boss’s secretary, wasn’t this sudden intrusion rather presumptuous now that their superior was present He had been dealing with a table next door and appeared flushed from drinking earlier. However, his shocked expression upon opening the door made everyone sense something amiss; they all fell silent.

Liu Zhaoyang took a few steps forward and leaned down to whisper something in Xu Changcheng's ear. Xu Changcheng usually remains composed and shrewd, but the news clearly shocked him; it must have hit his soft spot. He raised his head and asked: "When did this happen Where are they now! Why didn’t anyone inform me"

"According to what I heard, he was first beaten by Su Can, then taken away by Geng Luoxiang. The specific details aren't clear yet. Should I notify Director Fu and have him handle it for us" Liu Zhaoyang asked cautiously, worried about saying the wrong thing. From Xu Changcheng's expression, he seemed to be on the verge of rage.

Xu Changcheng immediately got up and left, making a call as soon as he stepped out of the room. Inside the luxurious VIP room that was previously filled with laughter and chatter, it was now so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. Everyone had their ears perked up. Outside, there were vague sounds of Xu Changcheng cursing: "Can't reach him... who's in charge here What are you all doing"

Another call came through; it seemed to be from his family. The situation at the Xu residence was clearly chaotic. Frustrated and disappointed, Xu Changcheng berated them: "I told you not to spoil him, now look what happened... he's gotten into trouble again. What good are all of you crying and whining"

Despite his harsh words, Xu Changcheng was still trying to find someone who could help resolve the situation. Geng Luoxiang was the leader of a provincial stability maintenance research team that had been working in Chengdu recently. The incident now happened to coincide with their presence, putting him right under their scrutiny. Although he resented his son Xu Dong for embarrassing him with this mess, his immediate concern was getting Xu Dong out from under Geng Luoxiang's control: "Old Zhou, is there any way we can find someone in the province who can help If not, I don't know what to do... This boy is already grown up. He’s about to get married to Secretary Tian's daughter! It’s too much for him to handle, and it’s driving me crazy. Maybe he should spend some time in detention as a lesson. What if Secretary Tian calls me right now"

These voices filtered into the room intermittently while everyone present tried their best to piece together what had happened from limited information available. Some were making phone calls, whispering to each other discreetly.

After hanging up, a vice president of Green Mountain Group leaned in and told Chairman Du Wei: "Xu Dong got into an argument with two girls on the Ronghuang Expressway. He then drove his car into theirs, stopping them. Apparently, it involved Su Licheng's son and his friend. The two girls seem to know him well; things escalated quickly after that. Geng Luoxiang from the provincial research team arrived at the scene and had Xu Dong’s group taken away by the police."

"Geng Luoxiang detained Xu Dong" Du Wei was surprised, clearly disbelieving this news initially. After a moment of contemplation, she said: "This means everyone from the provincial department is getting involved..."

Pausing for a moment, Du Wei looked up and murmured to herself: "If even the Provincial Public Security Department reacts... who exactly is Su Licheng"

...

The municipal government compound. The Tian residence.

In the afternoon, after their group camping trip ended, everyone returned home separately. Tian Yue removed all his clothes and tossed them into the Siemens washing machine, then filled a bathtub with hot water to soak away the day's fatigue. As he got up from the bath, he couldn't help but check himself in the mirror. He stood there bare naked, cupping his chest with both hands and adopting an extremely seductive pose before quickly turning red and dropping his arms. At this moment, instead of thinking about which man he would one day love, he was actually pondering over Su Can running circles outside every morning through the mist.

Thinking that Zhang Xi had been gloomy all day because of Su Can, her good friend being hurt and needing someone to stand up for her meant she felt responsible. Therefore, she decided to give Su Can a thorough scolding when they met the next morning.

Tian Xuan came from a family with an unreachable social status, so it was natural that she could afford to be lazy in life. She didn't believe in rigid rules; instead, she embraced a carefree attitude: "I casually read high school books and enter university casually before returning home for casual work. Despite this casualness, I still live better than others—by several times."

She never followed routines or held on to anything persistently. Occasionally, she would play sports with friends, attend singing competitions, dress up stylishly and visit bars, read books in the library behind her office building to act like a lady, swim, and travel. Yet, she never got obsessed or wasted her youth.

This was how almost everyone in her circle in Phoenix City lived—no dramatic ups and downs, high school friends sticking together through university and beyond, probably until they die. Peaceful and unwavering.

Her favorite activities were yoga and weekend breaks; she also loved sleeping late despite waking up at 9:30 to start work after a nine o'clock wash-up. She was surprised when she realized that she had persisted in getting up at seven every morning for a week, running while feeling satisfied, hoping to continue forever to stay fit, firm her chest, lose weight, and argue with the perpetually annoying Su Can.

It seemed life needed some motivation after all.

In the evening, Tian Xuan received a call from Zhang Xi who said, "Tian Xuan, do you know Xu Dong has been arrested. I just heard about it and don't know what for. What should we do" Her tone was full of anxiety, as such events seemed impossible to happen in Phoenix City.

This was the peaceful Phoenix City. This wasn’t a perilous place like the South China Sea islands.

After calming Zhang Xi down on the phone, Tian Xuan found herself comforting her instead. Upon hearing about Xu Dong's arrest, she felt a sinking feeling in her heart, yet she expected to feel more such as panic or worry, but there was nothing else besides that initial drop.

"He is still your future husband," Tian Xuan murmured to herself, uncertain whether she should feel guilty. On second thought, it seemed obvious that Xu Dong's father could take care of any minor offense he committed due to his position as the city mayor.

Tian Xuan sat down and made several calls to inquire further. It turned out many people were investigating, including his closest friends. The exact circumstances weren't clear today, but it seemed likely that more information would emerge tomorrow. It appeared related to a conflict with outsiders who didn’t understand the local rules; her friend scoffed over the phone saying, "These newcomers are always ignorant of our customs. They don't even know who Xu Dong is yet. We'll see how we deal with them later."

Laughing again, she said, "I didn't expect that Xu Dong would complain about you being cold and distant. If he knew how concerned you are for him now, he might be willing to come over more often. Don’t worry, your Xu Dong has the ability to handle it."

Tian Yu could only respond with, "If so, that's good." I was just asking.

She continued with a series of consoling words assuring her that everything would be fine and Xu Dong would remain as vigorous and handsome as ever. Tian Yu responded in a gentle tone to all this without minding the image she should maintain in others' eyes, acting like she had completed an assignment and could finally hang up.

After eleven o'clock, her phone rang again, and it was Zhang Xi's voice on the other end, trying hard to remain calm but still sobbing. "Tian Yu, what do we do Wang Jie called back from detention. Xu Dong had a conflict with Su Can and got beaten by him. I can only tell you this now. Xu Dong has so many friends in Huancheng, while he is just an outsider. What should we do Should I not care anymore" Tian Yu held the phone and stood there stunned, her heart filled with a mix of indescribable feelings. She had been trying to make Su Can part of their Huancheng circle of friends because his father had been mayor here for so long. But now that Su Can had attacked Xu Dong, everything was shattered.

The consequences would be catastrophic, perhaps even worse than an earthquake.

Xu Dong has a wide network of connections, while Su Can is just an outsider; this means almost everyone she knows will end up opposing Su Can. Even if she wanted to intervene, it would be too late. Why Besides publicly embarrassing Xu Dong in front of everyone, why did he go further and provoke him relentlessly

Is he really so unreasonable Hasn't he considered that his actions might impact his father's political career

Tian Yu couldn’t contain her anger anymore and hastily called Su Can. After three rings, the call was picked up, and Su Can said in a cold voice, "What is it"

Hearing Su Can’s indifferent tone on the other end of the phone, Tian Yu felt indignant and hurt, “Don’t you know what you’re doing Do you really think so highly of yourself! Are you a porcupine that no one can get close to”

"Feeling heartache now Coming for an explanation" Su Can’s mocking voice came through the receiver. He thought Tian Yu was coming on behalf of her fiancé and still felt anger at this moment, "In the name of our friendship, I’ll give you some advice: it’s a blessing that you haven’t entered Xu Dong's family yet; otherwise, you’d regret it sooner or later."

"Whether my heart is hurt or whether I’ll regret in the future" who I marry and which family I enter has nothing to do with you. Su Can, don’t talk to me like that. When did I say we are friends You’re just being too presumptuous.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone for what felt like suffocating seconds. Then Su Can’s self-mocking voice came through: "Is it so Well, then goodbye for now, good night."

The moment she hung up, Su Can felt somewhat lost as if this city needed a change.

Hearing the busy tone, Tian Yu realized what she had just said and turned over in bed, crying pitifully while hugging herself under the covers. class during the freshmen cup competition," Wang Dongjian pleaded with Su Chen in his dorm room. "I'll tell you, a department head from the student council specially invited me out for a meal and tol...