An Invitation from an Old Classmate

"Qingqing, what's wrong? Where are you?"

On the phone, Hu Qingqing sounded very flustered, and Lin Xiao was so startled that she jumped up from her chair.

"What do you want... Don't come any closer! I'm warning you, we are staff members of the county government's inspection office, we are on official duty, don't cause any trouble..."

Hu Qingqing's voice was already trembling. Lin Xiao asked loudly again, "Qingqing, where are you?"

"Director, we're at...at the cafeteria of Fengshan Elementary School..."

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of noise came from the phone. A man's loud voice could be heard shouting, "What kind of bullshit inspection office is this? You must be those persistent parents. Humph, trying to cause trouble? No way..."

Then, after a series of beeping sounds, the phone line was disconnected.

Lin Xiao was so angry that her face turned red. She immediately called You Zhengbo, but couldn't get through. She guessed that he had gone to the scene with Hu Qingqing.

Then, Lin Xiao immediately called Fu Xiaocong, the director of the county education bureau.

"Director Fu, staff from the county government's inspection office were threatened on the spot when they went to Fengshan Elementary School to carry out their work. They may even have been detained. Please handle this immediately."

"What? Is that true?" Fu Xiaocong asked, still somewhat skeptical.

"Please handle this immediately!"

After repeating that sentence, Lin Xiao hung up the phone immediately. Fu Xiaocong was stunned for a moment, and then his expression became a little nervous. He then dialed a number as well.

At the same time, Lin Xiao also dialed Xu Jingnan's number: "Director Xu, our inspectors You Zhengbo and Hu Qingqing encountered obstacles when they went to Fengshan Elementary School to investigate the hygiene of the canteen. I am worried about their safety. Please arrange for someone to handle this as soon as possible."

"I can't believe this happened. Alright, Xiaolin, don't worry, I'll send someone over right away."

Xu Jingnan is now the deputy county head and also serves as the county public security bureau chief. He is riding high, but he knows in his heart where all of this comes from. Therefore, he is very concerned about Lin Xiao's matter. He not only immediately arranged for people to rush to the scene to deal with it, but also personally drove to Fengshan Elementary School.

After putting down her phone, Lin Xiao prepared to go into the inner room to report the matter to Gong Lei. At present, this matter not only involves campus food safety, but also involves obstruction of official duties and resistance to investigation. The situation has obviously escalated.

Just then, her phone rang. Lin Xiao saw that it was her high school classmate Xie Tiancai calling. Lin Xiao frowned. She had heard before that Xie Tiancai was trying to curry favor with Ke Jianjun, the deputy director of the county education bureau, in order to contract the school cafeteria. But that was the No. 2 Middle School of the county, not Fengshan Primary School. Could this matter also be related to him? Otherwise, why would he call at this time?

Lin Xiao answered the phone with a puzzled look on her face: "Hello."

"Lin Xiao, are you free tonight?"

During the phone call, Xie Tiancai was both polite and enthusiastic, as if he had become a completely different person.

"It's hard to say."

"That old Yan, that's Yan Yifan. He's back from Fengdu and wants to invite everyone to a get-together."

Yan Yifan was Lin Xiaochu's high school classmate. He went to university in another province and then got a job at the provincial education department after graduation. He was usually very active in the classmates' group, but he spoke in a very official tone, acting like a provincial leader.

Logically speaking, after being classmates for many years, the two should have a very close relationship, but in reality, it was very ordinary, and Lin Xiao didn't want to see him at all.

Lin Xiao deliberately remained silent, and Xie Tiancai continued, "It's been a long time since we've all gotten together, you see..."

"Sorry, I have some things to take care of, so I probably won't be able to make it."

"No, it doesn't matter when you do work. Old Yan has come all this way, it's not easy for him. Besides, you two are both promising young talents in the system, it'll be good for you to exchange ideas. By the way, Old Yan is about to become the deputy director's secretary, he might be able to help you in the future. Even old married couples need to nurture their relationship from time to time, and the same goes for classmates."

"Congratulations to him then. But I do have something to do today. Please tell him that I'll invite him again next time I go to Fengdu."

Even after all that, Lin Xiao remained unmoved, which infuriated Xie Tiancai. However, he still politely said, "It's alright, we'll wait for you. Be sure to contact me when you're done, old classmate."

"We'll see, but I do have something to do tonight."

Although he didn't understand why Xie Tiancai had suddenly become so enthusiastic, Lin Xiao had a feeling that this man wasn't up to any good, so he just gave a lukewarm reply.

Not to mention that You Zhengbo and Hu Qingqing are still trapped in Fengshan Elementary School, let's just talk about Xie Tiancai. He has long been on Lin Xiao's blacklist, and Lin Xiao will not get involved in anything related to him.

Unexpectedly, Xie Tiancai smiled and said, "It's about Fengshan Elementary School, isn't it? Actually, they're making a mountain out of a molehill. You don't need to worry about it at all. Just explain it to them and everything will be fine."

These words immediately put Lin Xiao on guard. Could this matter really be related to this kid?

"An explanation is all it takes? Then explain it to me."

"It's true, I'm friends with the owner of the Fengshan Elementary School cafeteria, so I do know some things about it."

Xie Tiancai, looking confident and nonchalant, said, "Actually, some competitors are jealous of my friend's profits and want to take over the contract themselves. But in business, there's a first-come, first-served principle, so they deliberately spread rumors. The Education Bureau investigated and issued a special report, but they found no problems. However, they still won't give up."

"Oh, is that so? This is the first time I've heard of it either." Lin Xiao remained noncommittal.

But he was thinking: If that's really the case, then why were You Zhengbo and Hu Qingqing threatened? And even detained?

Clearly, Xie Tiancai's explanation was not very convincing.

"Old classmate, I'm telling the truth. Director Ke of the county education bureau also knows about this."

Xie Tiancai continued to explain, as if he absolutely had to convince Lin Xiao on this matter.

"Oh, so besides Director Ke, who else knows?"

"And the Health Bureau... In short, this matter has been investigated several times, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Lin Xiao sneered, thinking that this kid was quite alert and didn't rattle off all his names at once.

However, judging from these detailed points, Lin Xiao was certain that Xie Tiancai was involved in this matter, and it was definitely not as simple as he claimed that it was just a matter between friends.

Furthermore, what roles did the county education bureau and health bureau play in this matter?

Cover-up, or participation?

"Thank you for the information. I have something to do. Let's contact each other another day. Goodbye."

After Lin Xiao finished speaking, she hung up the phone immediately.

"Damn it, he's completely unyielding and still trying to trick me into talking. What a piece of trash, I spit on him..."

Xie Tiancai angrily hung up the phone and said to the person on the other end, "That kid got promoted to deputy section chief, and he's incredibly arrogant. He's completely disregarding everyone, and he doesn't even respect us old classmates, especially since you and he's been classmates since junior high. I think you'll have to call him yourself and see what happens. You work in the provincial capital, so he should give you some face."

Yan Yifan was wearing a white shirt, his hair was styled with mousse and was so shiny it could be used as a mirror, and he wore black trousers with a pair of exceptionally polished black leather shoes. Overall, he had the potential to be a "corrupt official".

"Is this kid going to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit? A mere deputy section chief is already acting like he owns the place? He's utterly arrogant. Fine, I'll see who he is."

As he spoke, Yan Yifan called Lin Xiao.

At this moment, Lin Xiao was reporting this matter to Gong Lei in the inner room. His phone kept buzzing and vibrating. At Gong Lei's prompting, he glanced at the caller ID and, knowing it was an unknown number, hung up immediately.

""Well……"

Yan Yifan's expression changed drastically, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.

Lin Xiao actually hung up on him! He's completely out of control! Even though they're old classmates, Lin Xiao is still a member of his provincial department, while Lin Xiao is just a mere deputy section chief.

This is absolutely outrageous!