The district chief hung up the phone, stunned into immobility.
He had kicked a steel plate!
What was even more terrifying was that his superior had revealed that the call had come from the highest authority in Jiangnan.
His superior was on his way and had told him to handle it himself.
The tone made him realize the gravity of the situation was far beyond his imagination.
"Chief?"
Ma Guotao asked uneasily.
Snapping back to reality, the district chief waved his hand, signaling Ma Guotao to have all police officers withdraw from the building.
"Husband, boohoo, you have to stand up for me!"
The district chief's wife, not understanding the situation, grabbed his arm and said resentfully.
The district chief looked at his wife with a devastated expression, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped her.
"Ah... Husband, you, you hit me?"
"Incompetent when it matters, only good at causing trouble!"
The district chief cursed, ignoring his wife who was such a liability, and tremblingly walked to the office door.
He bowed deeply, smiling apologetically, "Miss Chen, I'm so sorry, so sorry, I was wrong, please give me a chance to apologize!"
Chen Xing'er glanced at him, too annoyed to bother.
But the other party dared not show any dissatisfaction, instead continuing to smile apologetically.
The district chief's wife and the other ladies present watched this scene with disbelief.
Then, they couldn't help but feel terror, trembling all over.
What formidable figure had they offended to make even the district chief so subservient?
As for Teacher Liang and the other kindergarten teachers, they were shocked beyond measure.
They could hardly believe their eyes.
In their eyes, the district chief was an exalted figure, someone they could only look up to.
But now, this district chief was standing at the door, apologizing with utmost fear and trepidation?
Everything seemed so surreal and unreal!
"Miss Chen, please give me a chance."
Seeing that Chen Xing'er ignored him, the district chief's posture became even lower, his waist almost bent to the ground.
The young lady from the capital, her influence was indeed sky-high, a single phone call had made a Jiangnan big shot call his superior.
He was terrified and filled with dread.
Chen Xing'er completely ignored him.
He was just a petty district chief, hardly worth mentioning.
She turned to Chen Fan and said, "What do you think, my face still has some use, right?"
Chen Fan found it both funny and exasperating, shaking his head slightly.
"Tch!"
Chen Xing'er scoffed at Chen Fan's attitude and changed the subject, "What's your relationship with Mr. Long? Are you planning to call for reinforcements?"
Before Chen Fan could speak, a group of people strode into the doorway.
The district chief turned and saw the newcomers, his face instantly turned pale.
It was none other than his superior.
"Chief?"
The district chief quickly went to greet him.
His superior, usually so amiable and fond of him, acted as if he hadn't seen him and walked straight into the office.
His gaze fell upon Chen Xing'er, and he said familiarly, "Miss Chen? I am He Mingsheng. I deeply apologize for the incident that occurred under my jurisdiction. I hope I haven't offended you!"
"Hello, Chief He!"
This time, Chen Xing'er no longer put on airs, smiling as she shook hands and said, "I'm here in Hangjiang to visit relatives, and I didn't expect something like this to happen to my family!"
Visiting relatives?
The district chief's wife's face turned ashen.
She had thought Chen Fan was a bumpkin, someone who pretended to be wealthy and sent his child to this kindergarten.
Who would have thought that this bumpkin had such powerful relatives?
Even the city chief was so respectful and so humble?
She was flustered and filled with endless dread.
He Mingsheng, of course, already knew what had happened. He said with a fawning smile, "Miss Chen, I am truly sorry. On behalf of Hangjiang, I officially apologize to you!"
"This is our dereliction of duty for such a thing to happen!"
"Personnel who act barbarically and tarnish our reputation will be severely punished, and we will prevent similar incidents from happening again."
"We will take this as a warning and remove the rotten apples from our ranks who disappoint the people."
Behind him, the district chief's forehead was covered in sweat.
He had used plenty of official jargon and understood its nuances. His superior's words meant his career was about to end.
"Miss Chen, sir, and the little one, I apologize to you all!"
As if divinely inspired, the district chief, after all, was accustomed to such situations. He bowed to Chen Fan and said, "I'm sorry, I'm willing to pay any price to make amends, please give us a chance."
"If we can make up for our mistakes, just ask, and if I can do it, you can have it!"
Chen Fan smiled, picked up Xiao Nannan, and said, "You'll have to ask your wife, what was her demand earlier!"
The district chief was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at his panicked wife.
He didn't really know the details of the conflict.
The district chief's wife's face was already deathly pale.
"What did you say?"
It was the city chief who asked, his eyes narrowed, his aura extremely intimidating.
"I, I..."
The district chief's wife stammered, unable to utter a word.
"Still not telling the truth?"
The district chief was so exasperated by his wife's stupidity that he wanted to slap her again, but considering his superior was right there, he held back.
Under immense pressure, with a thud, the district chief's wife knelt on the ground, "I want him to kneel and apologize, have his child expelled, and... and a hundred thousand yuan in compensation."
He Mingsheng's heart sank, and he covered his forehead.
To him, this matter wasn't a big deal initially, but Miss Chen was someone with immense connections.
If she so much as mentioned this to that higher authority, he, the city chief, would also be implicated.
To demand someone kneel and pay a hundred thousand yuan for a minor conflict between children? This was blackmail!
"I, I'm sorry!"
The district chief's wife sobbed, completely beside herself.
Chen Fan ignored them, picked up Nannan, and left, "Miss Chen, I'm leaving!"
"Hey, if you leave, how will I get back?"
Chen Xing'er was displeased and quickly followed.
"Miss Chen..." He Mingsheng called out subconsciously.
She couldn't be bothered to tangle with these people any longer and said, "You handle this matter yourself, we're leaving!"
"Miss Chen!"
He Mingsheng quickly followed, seeing Chen Xing'er out, and asked in a low voice, "What outcome do you desire for this matter?"
"This is your system's affair, why are you asking me?" Chen Xing'er pouted.
He Mingsheng didn't dare to think that way and quickly said, "Then we will deal with it seriously, launch a rectification campaign, and will not tolerate any leniency. What about that other person?"
Chen Xing'er glanced at He Mingsheng and said, "I'll say it's been handled, as for the rest, I don't care!"
She was not oblivious to social dynamics and understood these little stratagems.
"Thank you, thank you, Miss Chen!"
He Mingsheng was genuinely grateful.
He was afraid that Chen Xing'er would speak ill of Hangjiang to that high authority. That would make the authority question his competence, which would be the most fatal.
If the other party classified this incident as an isolated, individual event, the problem would be minor.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of He Mingsheng and the waiting police officers outside, Chen Fan drove Chen Xing'er and Nannan away.