Let you be a great man, not a scumbag

After a dozen seconds, Qiu Yihe finally spoke: "Give me the evidence."

Seeing the hint of resolve in her expression, Jiang Cheng's gaze remained calm yet scrutinizing.

The words landed on Qiu Yihe's tense face. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

Qiu Yihe understood the unspoken meaning behind his words.

She pursed her lips, her jawline forming a stubborn curve.

“If something happens to Qiu Li, your Qiu family, this big tree, will inevitably have some branches and leaves blown away by the wind and rain, and may even have its roots damaged.” Jiang Cheng slowly revealed the cruel reality, “Some things are not simply a matter of right and wrong, black and white. Pulling out a radish may bring up mud that may exceed your initial expectations.”

If it were based on his previous personality, he would probably be like Qiu Yihe, recklessly charging ahead and just getting things done.

After all, he has a power to back him up and his family is his support.

They naturally have the confidence to bring Qiu Li down...

However, after being admonished and influenced by his grandfather these times, Jiang Cheng has learned to be patient when dealing with such complex issues.

Moreover, Qiu Yihe's situation was different from his.

He had no relation to Qiu Li, yet he acted without any restraint.

However, Qiu Yihe and Qiu Li share the same surname, Qiu, and are of the same blood. Even though the two have always been at odds, in the eyes of outsiders, they are still members of the Qiu family who share both glory and misfortune.

With Qiu Li's downfall, Qiu Yihe is destined to be implicated. At best, it will affect his career as a narcotics officer; at worst, the entire Qiu family will be thrust into the spotlight.

Qiu Yihe certainly understood this principle.

This is not only a personal stain on Qiu Li, but also a heavy blow to the reputation and political foundation of her entire family.

Public opinion, opponents, and even scrutiny from higher authorities may follow.

She remained silent for a moment, the only sound in the air being the soft rustling of tea leaves unfurling under the warm yellow light.

Finally, she raised her eyes, her gaze filled with a desperate determination, but also with a barely perceptible plea for help: "Then... do you have any good solutions?"

Jiang Cheng looked at her as she tried to maintain her composure.

A very faint, almost playful smile flashed across his eyes.

A slight smile played on his lips: "I do have a solution, but it comes at a different price..."

The word "price" instantly shattered the serious and tense atmosphere, stirring up some ambiguous and romantic memories that had occurred not long ago.

The "price" I paid is still fresh in my mind...

Those touches, kisses, and the tacit consent at the last moment when I panicked but didn't truly refuse...

Even now, Qiu Yihe can still recall the taste in her mouth.

The embarrassment immediately lessened some of the heaviness.

Qiu Yihe's cheeks flushed instantly, and she subconsciously avoided Jiang Cheng's gaze.

"You...Young Master Jiang, are you short of money? Why are you so stingy..."

"Hey. You can't say that. I'm human too, and doing things doesn't come without costs, right? But you're right, money doesn't really appeal to me, so we can change it to another 'condition'..."

She didn't know if Jiang Cheng had understood what she meant when she said she was leaving "tonight for her".

Or perhaps she already understood but was deliberately teasing her to get her to take the initiative.

"Never mind, never mind..." She took a deep breath, trying to regain control of the conversation, but her voice inevitably carried a hint of annoyance and bluff: "How... how do I know if your proposal is good or bad? What if it's worse?"

Jiang Cheng yawned and then stopped teasing her.

His expression returned to its previous calm and analytical state: "Simply put, there are two paths. The first, and most direct, is to solidify the evidence and submit it through reliable channels. The result would be that Qiu Li would be immediately detained and investigated, and the project would naturally be shelved because the person in charge had run into trouble. But as I just mentioned, the side effect is that your Qiu family will be immediately pushed into the eye of the storm, forced to take on the situation passively, and suffer serious damage."

"The second approach is a bit more roundabout. Our primary goal is to stop this dangerous project from passing, and only then should we deal with Qiu Li herself. Therefore, we can focus our firepower on the 'bill' itself first."

Hearing this, Qiu Yihe put away her shy expression: "How exactly do you do it?"

"To create enormous public pressure."

"There's no need to directly expose Qiu Li's problems, but rather to target the proposal itself. Expose the potential loopholes in this matter online through key points and channels."

"You mean post this online?" Qiu Yihe repeated.

That's right, we live in the information age.

The best thing about the information age is that many things that were originally unsolvable can be solved once they are spread online.

Jiang Cheng nodded: "We're in the age of internet traffic now. We should contact some influential legal scholars, anti-drug activists, and even the victims' families to speak out. Once the topic gets heated, many bloggers should follow suit and analyze this case. In this way, we can make it a matter of national attention and get it to the point where the higher-ups have to pay close attention."

Seeing the calculating glint in Jiang Cheng's deep eyes, Qiu Yi couldn't help but purse his lips.

It's not that I find Jiang Cheng scary, it's just that I think it's really amazing that he has such scheming and strategy at his age.

A sense of admiration rose within me, but at the same time, a sense of frustration also arose.

She was outmatched by Jiang Cheng in terms of verbal skills and family background.

I am no match for him in terms of strategy now.

Why is it that I'm inferior to him in everything?

With this in mind, Qiu Yihe only had a slight desire to suppress Jiang Cheng in some aspect.

After thinking it over, it seems difficult to find anything that can suppress Jiang Cheng.

Uh, no, it seems like Jiang Cheng was lying there for a short while that day. Does that count as being pinned down by her?

Unaware of Qiu Yihe's unusual behavior, Jiang Cheng continued speaking.

“Once a nationwide controversy and wave of opposition are generated, for the sake of stability and social order, this project will most likely be suspended or even directly halted. In this way, the first goal will be achieved, and it will be resolved from the perspective of ‘public opinion’ and ‘procedural rationality’, which will also temporarily separate it from your Qiu family’s and Qiu Li’s personal issues.”

Qiu Yihe's eyes lit up. This was indeed much gentler than directly igniting Qiu Li, who was like a powder keg, and it could also buy the family some buffer time.

"Then... what about Qiu Li?"

“Once the project is suspended due to public opinion, Qiu Li, as the person in charge, will naturally be under tremendous pressure. Do you think Qiu Wu will step forward? Whether it is pressure from within the family or from the outside, Qiu Wu will definitely be anxious.”

Qiu Yihe nodded.

That's right. Qiu Wu is such a cautious person. If Qiu Li's project were to be thrust into the spotlight, he would definitely be the one most anxious.

Qiu Wu will definitely use a relatively dignified method to make Qiu Li 'disappear' from the key position first.

In this way, they could both secretly deal with Qiu Li and ruin the project.

Jiang Cheng's second proposal was obviously more complex and required more meticulous operation, but it also gave her and her family room to maneuver.

However, to do this, I'll definitely have to ask him for help again.

She's good at catching people, but she's really not good at handling things online.

There are no channels available.

If we act rashly, Qiu Li will definitely find out.

Discovering it is one thing, but I'm afraid the matter was suppressed before it even had a chance to escalate...

Seeing that Qiu Yihe didn't speak, Jiang Cheng yawned again: "Alright? We've finished talking, you can go now... I'm sleepy..."

Under the warm yellow light of the tea room, the shadows of the two people were elongated and intertwined on the antique floor.

On one side is a crucial decision concerning the fate of their family and national security; on the other side is a complicated and entangled relationship of ambiguity and transactions between the two.

Qiu Yihe bit her lower lip: "We haven't even gotten anything done, and you're already sleepy... Are you even a man?"

"You always brag about how strong you are, and now it's only this early and you're already going to bed..."