Free Web NovelChapter 1039: Chapter 407: Reaching into Bureau 9
"Kid, are you out of your mind? A place like The Ninth Bureau is something you think you can meddle in?"
In the study of a large flat, a middle‑aged man glared at his son in front of him, his face twisted in anger.
If it weren’t for the fact that this was a son born to him late in life, the middle‑aged man would’ve long since slapped this son straight into the wall.
"What’s the big deal? Everyone says The Ninth Bureau is loaded. I just want to get in and grab a slice of the pie, that’s not too much to ask, right?"
Clearly, the young man didn’t take his father’s words to heart at all. In his eyes, as long as he had his father, getting into any department he wanted was never a problem.
He’d even already given a heads‑up to people in The Ninth Bureau before coming back to tell his father about it.
The young man never imagined that the moment he mentioned those three words, "The Ninth Bureau," his father would completely blow his top.
"Tell me, who in The Ninth Bureau did you just talk to about this?"
"Of course it was Xu Feng."
The young man lifted his chin high, looking all proud of himself.
But when the young man’s father heard the name his son said, he nearly choked on a mouthful of old blood on the spot.
If it had been someone else, he might have been able to swallow this back by selling a bit of old face, but everyone knew that guy Xu Feng was one of Zhang Beixing’s diehards.
Once any bad news about Zhang Beixing reached his ears, even if you put a knife to his neck, he wouldn’t back down one bit—let alone when his son this time was trying to stick his fingers into The Ninth Bureau’s affairs.
"You little bastard, are you trying to piss me to death?"
The middle‑aged man raised his hand high, but in the end still couldn’t bring himself to slap his own son’s face.
With no other choice, he could only point toward the door and start cursing his son out.
"Get the hell out of here, before I can’t hold back the urge to beat you!"
Seeing his father really angry, the young man hurriedly ran out, but even after he’d dashed out, he still didn’t understand why his father had gotten so worked up.
After his son left, the middle‑aged man took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
Then he pulled out his phone book and found a number at the very back—one he wouldn’t dial unless absolutely forced to, not even if his life was in danger.
But since this had to do with his son’s future, the middle‑aged man had no choice but to seek the other party’s help.
When the call connected, a slightly surprised yet amused voice came from the other side.
"Well if it isn’t Old Zhang. Did the sun rise in the west today? You actually took the initiative to call me."
Hearing the slightly teasing tone on the other end, Zhang Qingping knew the other party more or less guessed why he was calling.
Even so, knowing or not, Zhang Qingping still had no choice. He could only pretend to look a bit embarrassed.
"Haven’t I just been too busy with work these days? You and I are old comrades‑in‑arms; what, I can’t even give you a call?"
Zhang Qingping deliberately put on an unhappy face, but this little trick was completely seen through by his old comrade on the phone. Because just an hour earlier, Sun Guoqing on the other end had already gotten a call from Xu Feng.
Xu Feng had briefly explained what happened, and Sun Guoqing hadn’t expected that useless son of Zhang Qingping’s to pull such a reckless stunt.
"He should be calling to beg me in a bit. When he does, I’m counting on you to give me some face, Xu Feng."
Both Sun Guoqing and Zhang Qingping came up through the military, and their ranks weren’t low. In ordinary people’s eyes, they were figures high up in the clouds. But to Xu Feng, who had already entered The Ninth Bureau, they were just veterans with more years of service than him.
Still, Xu Feng could afford not to care about Zhang Qingping, but he couldn’t afford not to care about Sun Guoqing, because Sun Guoqing was his old commanding officer when he first enlisted. So in Xu Feng’s eyes, Sun Guoqing still had a few degrees of face.
If it were anyone else, no matter what, Xu Feng would’ve reported this to Zhang Beixing. But since it was Sun Guoqing asking him, this bit of face, Xu Feng had to give.
"Don’t worry, old commander, I know how to handle this."
That one "old commander" from Xu Feng warmed Sun Guoqing’s heart, and he felt a deep sense of comfort.
Even though Xu Feng’s years in service were fewer than his, in terms of rank, Xu Feng was in no way beneath him; and with that special existence that was The Ninth Bureau, Xu Feng vaguely even stood above him.
Yet even in this situation, Xu Feng still kept this old commander in his heart, which made Sun Guoqing feel very warm inside.
So after getting Xu Feng’s assurance, Sun Guoqing felt much more confident talking to Zhang Qingping; even his back, sitting in the chair, unconsciously straightened.
"How could I not be happy when an old comrade calls me? Tell you what, let’s have a couple of drinks tonight. I happen to be free right now."
Gritting his teeth, as if he’d just made some huge decision.
"Then tonight, let’s stick to the usual place."
When he said "the usual place," Zhang Qingping was referring to the restaurant where they’d had their first meal after they’d just arrived here. It was just that the "usual place" had gone from a hole‑in‑the‑wall joint to a big hotel now.
Of course, this was inseparable from the continued patronage and help of both Zhang Qingping and Sun Guoqing.
Though the two of them always butted heads, neither thought much of the other, they were both sentimental types. It was probably precisely because of this that the "usual place" had been able to grow into a big hotel, and the two of them were still able to call each other up anytime.
