"Wah! Wah! Wah!"
Huikui Yang spat out three mouthfuls of blood in a row. His once rosy cheeks instantly turned deathly pale. He glared at Ian Song with venom and gritted his teeth: "You little bastard, you’re ruthless! You actually crippled my cultivation!"
Ian Song smiled calmly. "Ruthless? I gave you a chance—you just didn’t take it. If you want to blame someone, blame your son-in-law and your daughter. Actually, the real culprit is your granddaughter. If she hadn’t been so arrogant and overbearing, you wouldn’t have ended up like this."
After finishing his sentence, Ian Song ignored the family and turned to Luna Shangguan: "Let’s go, little sis."
Two hours later, outside the gate of Xinshan Prison in Magic City, a man and a woman were standing there.
Suddenly, the tightly closed prison gates swung open. A middle-aged man with gray hair and a haggard face walked out, escorted by two prison guards.
"Uncle!"
Luna Shangguan rushed over, her face lit up with excitement.
Luna.
Seeing his niece, Aaron Shangguan’s eyes filled with confusion. He’d been framed by the Green‑Red Gang for accepting huge bribes and sentenced to eight years in prison. But just half an hour ago, the guards suddenly told him to pack his things—he was being released early.
He’d only been in prison for seven months. Even with good behavior, it was impossible to cut seven years off his sentence so suddenly.
So, he guessed someone must be working behind the scenes, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out who was helping him. After all, he’d offended the Green-Red Gang—who would risk crossing them to help him?
He was an upright official. Before being framed, he’d served as chief of the Qingning District Police Bureau in Magic City. After taking office, his crackdown on gray businesses cost the Green-Red Gang dearly.
When negotiations with the Green-Red Gang failed, they resorted to extreme retaliation.
First, his younger brother and sister-in-law died together in a car accident. After his brother’s death, the Green-Red Gang used dirty tricks to seize the family company.
Originally, Howard Zuo thought that after this, the little district chief would realize the Green-Red Gang was not to be provoked and would back off. But he didn’t expect Aaron Shangguan, an ex-soldier who still had plenty of backbone, to remain stubborn. Even though he felt deep guilt over his brother and sister-in-law’s deaths, he was determined to wipe out the Green-Red Gang’s influence in Qingning District.
Aaron’s refusal to back down infuriated Howard Zuo, who sent people to sneak into Aaron’s home and hide millions in gold and jewels under his bed, while arranging for others to anonymously report him.
In the end, Aaron Shangguan was double-investigated for corruption and sentenced to eight years.
“Uncle, were you okay in there?” Luna asked with concern.
“I’m fine,” Aaron replied. In his heart, he felt he’d let his brother’s family down most of all. If he hadn’t stubbornly fought the Green-Red Gang, his brother and sister-in-law wouldn’t have died in the accident, and the company wouldn’t have been stolen. So, seeing Luna now, he felt deeply guilty.
"Luna, it's all my fault. Otherwise, your parents wouldn't have..." At this, Aaron's voice choked up.
Luna's eyes reddened. "Uncle, I've never blamed you, because you're a good cop. It's the Green-Red Gang that's truly evil. But I have good news—the Green-Red Gang doesn't exist anymore."
“What?” When Luna said the Green-Red Gang was gone, Aaron was utterly shocked. After all, the gang had dominated Magic City for a century, with deep roots and tangled connections. He’d even heard that the deputy mayor’s daughter was the gang leader’s disciple.
There were also several senior officials with unclear ties to the gang, though he had no way of knowing exactly who.
But now, hearing that this giant was gone, he felt both shocked and delighted.
Suddenly, he thought of his early release and wondered: Did the higher-ups finally move against the Green-Red Gang?
Thinking this, he looked at Luna and asked, “Luna, do you know what happened?”
“Of course I know. I saw the Green-Red Gang dissolve with my own eyes!” Luna nodded.
Hearing this, Aaron was even more confused. Could Luna have been involved in the gang's downfall? He pressed her urgently:
“Quick, tell your uncle what happened! The Green-Red Gang disappearing is a miracle!”
"It's not a miracle—it's all thanks to Brother Song." Luna thought to herself, glancing at Ian Song standing nearby with a hint of admiration in her eyes. She continued, "Uncle, actually the destruction of the Green-Red Gang is all Brother Song's doing. Even your early release is thanks to him."
“Brother Song? Who’s that?” Aaron asked, confused.
Just then, Ian Song walked over with a smile and said to Aaron, “Hello, Mr. Shangguan. I’m Ian Song.”
Aaron had already noticed Ian Song nearby but hadn’t paid much attention. Now, as he looked closer, he realized the young man was very handsome and had a unique aura about him.
“Hello, hello,” Aaron replied with a smile, then glanced at Luna and continued, “Are you and Luna dating?”
Hearing her uncle mistake Ian for her boyfriend, Luna blushed and quickly explained, “Uncle, you’ve got it wrong! Brother Song isn’t my boyfriend—he’s the one who destroyed the Green-Red Gang and got you out.”
After Luna’s explanation, Aaron was stunned. He’d fought the Green-Red Gang and knew how powerful they were. For this young man to have destroyed them, his background must be extraordinary.
Thinking this, Aaron felt even more grateful but also a little nervous. “Mr. Song, thank you for removing a poisonous tumor from Magic City!”
Ian Song smiled modestly. “You flatter me, Mr. Shangguan. By the way, your case has been fully investigated. You’re a good cop, and I believe you’ll soon be reinstated to your original position!”
Aaron was shocked and pleasantly surprised. For someone who’d been in prison, even if proven innocent, it was rare to return to their old job—usually, they’d just get a consolation posting.
But this young man was saying he could go back to his old job. Either he was boasting, or he had real power.
Of course, Aaron didn’t think Ian was boasting. After all, he’d destroyed the Green-Red Gang.
After chatting for a while, the three of them got into a car.
After dropping Aaron off at home, Ian was about to leave, but the family insisted he stay for dinner.
With no choice, Ian stayed.
During dinner, the phone in Aaron’s house rang.
Aaron’s wife, Yvonne Zhou, answered. When the caller gave his name and asked for Aaron, she was overjoyed and excitedly called out, “Aaron, come quick! Secretary Xu is on the line!”
Aaron, who was drinking with Ian, waved impatiently. “What Secretary Xu? Not answering!”
“You blockhead, it’s Secretary Xu from the Municipal Party Committee!” Yvonne scolded.
Aaron, a little drunk, sobered up instantly when he heard it was Secretary Xu from the city committee. He quickly asked, “Is it Xu Tianming, Secretary Xu?”
“That’s right!” Yvonne nodded. “Stop wasting time and answer the phone!”
“Yes, yes! I’m coming!” Aaron jumped up, ran to the phone, picked it up, and respectfully said, “Hello, Secretary Xu, this is Aaron Shangguan!”