Just Say It

At that moment...

Li Ming calmly pulled out his phone from his pocket—already set to record—and even snapped a close-up of Zhang Wenhai, who stood frozen in shock.

Zhang Wenhai’s eyes widened in horror as he hurriedly raised a hand to cover his face, but it was already too late.

With a click, the image of his terrified expression was captured on Li Ming’s phone.

“You—what are you doing? Grab that damn phone from him!” Zhang Wenhai barked at the pot-bellied man while lunging forward himself.

But the two sluggish brutes were no match for Li Ming, whose physique rivaled that of a special forces soldier.

With just a slight step back, Li Ming dodged Zhang Wenhai, sending him crashing to the floor.

The pot-bellied man snarled and charged like a bear, aiming to tackle Li Ming.

Unfazed, Li Ming simply caught the man’s arm and twisted it sharply.

A sickening crack echoed as the arm was dislocated effortlessly, leaving the man writhing and howling in pain on the ground, completely incapacitated.

Seeing his lackey taken down so easily, Zhang Wenhai gulped nervously and forced himself to stay composed.

The pot-bellied man was the security chief of their bureau—his brother-in-law, handpicked for the job despite his shady past as a gangster.

If even he couldn’t withstand a single move from Li Ming, Zhang Wenhai’s own aging limbs stood no chance.

A strained smile crept onto Zhang Wenhai’s face as he cautiously addressed Li Ming.

“Brother… you’re clearly not deaf or mute. Let’s speak frankly—name your price for that phone.”

Sweat poured down his forehead, dripping onto the floor, but he didn’t dare wipe it away, his expression a mix of fear and forced politeness.

“Director Zhang, how much are you offering? This is the latest model—quite expensive,” Li Ming replied with a mocking smile.

With the evidence secured, he dropped the act. Tan Chengcheng’s cooperation had been key—three shots of baijiu were all it took to expose Zhang Wenhai’s true colors.

“Just tell me your terms! I admit defeat today!” Zhang Wenhai pleaded. “That phone is useless to you. Take the money instead! You’re young—why ruin your future with blackmail? Walk away rich, and we’ll pretend this never happened. Take the woman too. No hard feelings, no retaliation. What do you say?”

When Li Ming only continued to smirk, Zhang Wenhai’s face twitched. Desperate, he added, “And—and Miss Tan’s sister! I’ll handle her case for free, no strings attached! Consider it my apology. Just hand over the phone. Or if you have other demands, name them. In City S, my word still carries weight. I’m trying to avoid mutual destruction here—don’t push your luck!”

His tone wavered between negotiation and threat.

But Li Ming let out a cold laugh. Right in front of Zhang Wenhai, his fingers moved swiftly, sending the recorded audio and photos—complete with the hotel room number—to Lin Xi.

Only after receiving her “Ok” emoji in reply did he tuck the phone away.

Unaware of what had just transpired, Zhang Wenhai grew impatient. When Li Ming remained silent, a flash of ruthlessness crossed his face.

He grabbed a dinner knife from the table and dashed toward the drunken Tan Chengcheng!

He knew this guy wouldn’t let things slide today—he couldn’t just be bullied into submission. The only way out was to use Tan Chengcheng as leverage. As for the consequences? He couldn’t afford to think about them now. If that recording got out, his fate would be just as grim!

But Zhang Wenhai’s plan was sound—his legs, however, couldn’t keep up.

Li Ming saw him charging at Tan Chengcheng but didn’t give chase. Instead, he snatched up a chair from the floor and hurled it with a swift motion.

The chair seemed to have a homing device—it struck Zhang Wenhai square in the back, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground. The knife flew from his hand, disappearing somewhere in the chaos.

Zhang Wenhai, with his old bones, couldn’t recover from the blow. He lay there moaning in pain, just like his brother-in-law earlier.

"Spare me, young man! Don’t hit me… Just tell me what you want! How am I supposed to know if you don’t say anything? Ah—my back!"

Seeing Zhang Wenhai completely immobilized, Li Ming pulled up a chair and sat beside him before speaking calmly.

"Director Zhang, don’t you recognize my voice? We spoke on the phone earlier today. How quickly the mighty forget."

Zhang Wenhai clutched his lower back, not daring to move. But Li Ming’s words triggered something in his mind. His eyes widened in disbelief as he finally uttered a name he never thought he’d say—

"Li… Ming? You’re Li Ming? The warden of Black Mountain Prison, Li Ming? Oh god… It’s over. It’s all over…" Zhang Wenhai’s face turned ashen, all hope draining away.

After hanging up with Li Ming earlier, he’d frantically tried digging into the kid’s background. But it was like the man had appeared out of thin air—no roots, no connections. None of the usual circles had ever heard of him. Yet how could someone so young become a prison warden without anyone knowing?

Unless… he was an outsider, parachuted in.

The thought had terrified Zhang Wenhai. Over the years, he’d practically ruled their prison system with an iron fist, committing crimes severe enough to cost him his head. And now, at this critical moment, an unknown, externally appointed warden shows up? He couldn’t help but overthink it…

The more Zhang Wenhai dwelled on it, the more terrified he became. That’s why he hadn’t tried cozying up to Li Ming further. Instead, he’d taken the reckless gamble of hiring someone to impersonate Li Ming, then lured Tan Chengcheng in, got her drunk, and planned to have his way. What could she do? Her sister was still locked up in prison!

But now Li Ming stood before him, evidence recorded, and Zhang Wenhai felt the sky collapsing.

"Have mercy, Warden Li! My ancestor! Please, overlook my offenses—let me go like a passing fart! Spare me… I’ll never dare again…"

Li Ming watched Zhang Wenhai groveling and begging, his lips curling into a cold smirk.

"Director Zhang, what’s with the sudden distance? Weren’t you the one who wanted to meet for dinner, to ‘get closer’? Why so formal now?"

"Director Zhang, you should really get up and eat something. Such fine dishes going untouched is such a waste... You won’t get meals like this once you’re in prison! I’m telling you, while the officers haven’t come to take you away yet, you’d better have a bite of this hot food—otherwise, you’ll go hungry tonight in the detention center!"

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