Chapter 167 Coercion and Lure

Qiao Jun smiled and said, "Our bureau has specially approved funds for the supervisory position. If Student Wang signs this letter of appointment, you will receive a monthly subsidy from our bureau."

"Student Wang can also use your supervisory credentials to enjoy perks such as discounts on travel and shopping, as well as bonus points for university admissions."

Wang Chen looked blankly at the brief letter of appointment, thinking to himself, "Are they planning to co-opt me?"

"Doing this makes a certain kind of sense, I suppose. If I end up working for the Public Security Bureau system as a beggar on their payroll, I'll naturally shut my mouth."

Wang Chen glanced at the lower right corner of the letter of appointment, where he found a name field and a seal placement, but no date filled in.

He suddenly realized that the Public Security Bureau didn't just want to silence him; they intended to turn the whole affair into a mere misunderstanding.

If he were to sign this letter of appointment, his public prosecution of the Public Security Bureau today would be reinterpreted as an internal self-audit by the bureau itself.

Wang Chen wasn't a representative of public opinion after all, but a supervisor arranged by the Public Security Bureau all along.

As for why the whole city was in an uproar, they could easily shift the blame onto a temporary worker.

They could simply claim that the person handling Wang Chen's procedural paperwork was a temporary worker, whose poor attitude caused the young man to harbor misunderstandings about the Public Security Bureau.

Then, out of temporary anger, the young man directly and publicly sued the bureau.

In this way, Wang Chen's motives would be called into question, and his righteous act of pleading for the people would be transformed into an act of personal revenge.

Would the public still support Wang Chen in such a crushing, widespread manner?

Probably not.

Instead, the Public Security Bureau would reap a brand-new image of self-audit and self-reform.

As for Wang Chen, he would bear infamy for manipulating public sentiment, and the enraged populace would treat him like a traitor.

Once his reputation was ruined, the Public Security Bureau could simply strip him of his supervisory position at their leisure.

What a brilliant tactic, Wang Chen thought to himself.

Yet, once things reached this point, Wang Chen actually felt much more relaxed.

He had figured out Qiao Jun's objective, realizing that the Public Security Bureau he represented was still resorting to the same shameless trick of using money to buy people's silence.

Though he hadn't anticipated the specific methods, he had long mentally prepared himself for similar tactics.

He was briefly startled, but not panicked.

Wang Chen relaxed his body against the back of the chair and wore a smile on his lips, mirroring Qiao Jun.

"I wonder how much of a subsidy the Public Security Bureau is willing to offer me? Is it higher than Mr. Qiao's salary?"

Seeing Wang Chen's demeanor, a flash of shrewdness crossed the depths of Qiao Jun's eyes. He had a vague premonition that Wang Chen wouldn't agree so easily.

However, he didn't show it. Maintaining his previous composure, he said in a gentle tone, "Student Wang jokes. Unlike Jiang Sheng, I am just an ordinary person in a civilian profession, drawing a meager salary barely enough to get by. Even if Student Wang wants to compare, you should compare yourself with Jiang Sheng. Still, I can give you a rough figure: five hundred."

Working part-time at the cafe in front of Luzhou No. 1 High School could fetch one or two thousand Heavenly Dragon Dollars a month.

Naturally, this figure of five hundred required another unit of measurement appended to the end, such as ten-thousand.

Wang Chen frowned. To seal his lips, the Public Security Bureau was willing to spend five million a month to support him.

On one hand, this meant that although Qiao Jun appeared calm and collected on the surface, Wang Chen had indeed caused them enough trouble to warrant such a high price.

On the other hand, it made one wonder where the Public Security Bureau got so much money to disburse—there was a profound secret hidden within this.

Wang Chen increasingly wanted to eradicate this cancerous tumor that was the Public Security Bureau, but he knew he had to proceed step by step.

Resting his fingers against his temple, he smiled and said, "Then Mr. Qiao is surely wasting your talents. The role you play in the Public Security Bureau is probably far more important than this fellow's, right?"

"Drawing such a tiny salary, what's the point? Are you doing it to challenge yourself and dedicate your life to washing coal black?"

Jiang Sheng caught the mockery in Wang Chen's words, and his complexion grew even darker.

Yet he seemed to obey Qiao Jun's commands utterly; told to remain silent, he truly said not a word, his gaze merely glaring fiercely at Wang Chen.

"Just personal circumstances, not worth mentioning," Qiao Jun asked with a smile, "So, does Student Wang accept?"

He pushed the letter of appointment a little closer to Wang Chen.

Wang Chen didn't even look at the desk. "Why doesn't Mr. Qiao come work for me instead? How about I pay you six hundred a month?"

Wang Chen added silently in his heart: I really am only going to give you six hundred Heavenly Dragon Dollars.

Hearing this, Qiao Jun looked at Wang Chen with a half-smile, and after a long silence, he sighed.

"It seems we can only let Jiang Sheng talk things over with Student Wang. Why must it come to this?"

Sighing, he stood up and walked away, stopping to admire the broad-leaved potted plants in the conference room.

Jiang Sheng rubbed his palms together in excitement. "Kid, you've finally fallen into my hands."

Wang Chen looked at him calmly. "Well? Are you going to beat me until I sign the letter of appointment?"

"That's too pediatrician's play," Jiang Sheng sneered. "I'll give you one last chance. Sign the letter of appointment, or I'll send you on your way!"

"Oh?" Wang Chen put on a surprised expression. "Your courage is much larger than I imagined."

"If you kill me, how will you clean up the mess?"

Watching Wang Chen's unconcerned demeanor, Jiang Sheng smiled even more ferociously.

From his perspective, Wang Chen probably thought he had garnered the public's attention, and therefore the people from the Public Security Bureau wouldn't dare to kill him.

But these were purely childish thoughts; their methods were far more formidable than he imagined.

Jiang Sheng decided that before Wang Chen died, he would make him understand just how childish he was, thoroughly shattering this arrogant brat's confidence.

"Do you think you're very important?" Jiang Sheng smiled, baring a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "Let me tell you, you aren't important. Only 'Wang Chen' is important."

"What are you trying to say?" Wang Chen had no patience to play word games with Jiang Sheng and asked straight to the point.

Jiang Sheng was momentarily taken aback, the intent to kill in his eyes growing even denser as he reached out with a large hand, intending to rough Wang Chen up first.

At that moment, Qiao Jun, who had his back turned while admiring the potted plants, suddenly spoke up: "A-Sheng, if you're going to make the final confirmation, do it quickly. Don't waste so much time."

Hearing Qiao Jun's urging, Jiang Sheng had no choice but to stop his actions.

He said with a fierce tone, "What I mean is, as long as someone wears your face, anyone can be Wang Chen."

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you have the technology to make someone else swap my face and act as my double?"

"You're not entirely stupid," Jiang Sheng said, cracking his knuckles. "So killing you or not doesn't affect our plan at all. Don't think you're indispensable."

"I advise you to sign the paper quickly and stop daydreaming about making a fuss to drive up your price!"

Wang Chen gently tapped his eye socket with his knuckles. "I don't think so. If it were truly as you say, why bother negotiating with me at all?"

"This technology requires a cost, doesn't it? At least a cost exceeding the compensation you offered me."

"Furthermore, if you want to make a public statement to calm public sentiment, that double would also need to be thoroughly familiar with my every word and action so as not to give the game away during the speech."