Urban Crisis [Complete] - 5

The

office was quiet.

Chen Hu carefully examined the list of retrieved documents. Jiao Xiaoyu sat at the opposite desk, writing something. Chen Hu
looked up and said, "Xiaoyu, did you look at the black leather notebook you found in He Qizhang's storage room?"

"I flipped through it. It was handwritten in fountain pen. The contents seemed to be work records or something, with some coded language. I didn't have time to look closely."

Chen Hu touched his scarred hand. "Yes, that's the notebook. Strange, why isn't it listed in the retrieved items
list ?"

"I remember Director Hao put the notebook in his briefcase."

"I'll be out for a bit. Contact He Qizhang's driver, Zhuang Xinzheng, immediately."

Chen Hu pushed open the door to Zhou Senlin's office. Zhou Senlin was reading a newspaper and drinking tea, looking relaxed and at ease.

Chen Hu sarcastically said, "Director Zhou, you're like Zhuge Liang playing the empty city stratagem, not making a sound at all."

Zhou Senlin put down his newspaper. "I've been waiting for you." "

During the search of He Qizhang's house, we found a black notebook. It contained a lot of information, which
is very useful for us to understand the situation. Director Hao took it, but didn't have time to register it. When sorting through the documents we took back,
Director Hao didn't return the black notebook."

Zhou Senlin seemed unconcerned about this. "Who saw the black notebook?"

"Xiong Xiaoyu and another person."

Zhou Senlin nodded and said, "That's good."

Chen Hu asked suspiciously, "Didn't Director Hao mention this to you?"

"No. And don't say you did."

Chen Hu lit a cigarette and took two deep drags. "There's another important piece of information. When searching the documents, I
found three Hong Kong Commercial Bank credit cards in a hidden compartment of a small rosewood table. They looked like US dollar credit cards.
How did Vice Mayor He have Hong Kong credit cards?"

Zhou Senlin suppressed his joy, but his tone remained nonchalant: "Did Director Hao also take the credit cards?" “

Yes, but I registered.”

Zhou Senlin picked up the newspaper again. “Don’t tell me about this.”

Chen Hu got angry. “Who is the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau? Is it you or Hao Xiangshou?”

Zhou Senlin’s face darkened. “Director Hao is a member of the three-person team. He’s here on behalf of the Municipal Party Committee to guide the Anti-Corruption Bureau
’s work. You need to maintain a good relationship with him. Go back. You can
ask Director Xibo about the black notebook and credit card. Just let me know quietly.”

Chen Hu scratched his knife wound and said, “If this continues, this job will be impossible to complete.” Jiao Pengyuan

unexpectedly

appeared in Hao Xiangshou’s office in the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which flattered Hao Xiangshou. He
invited Jiao Pengyuan to sit on the sofa and sat down next to him.

“Secretary Jiao, why did you have to come in person? You could have just had my secretary, Xiao Shen, call me and everything would have been taken care of.”

“You’re a new broom sweeping clean. Let’s see how you do it. ” "Xiang Shou, I
'm relieved that you're handling the shoulder insignia case. I'll definitely maintain control and keep the overall direction in mind."

"Under your leadership, I'll just focus on whoever's in charge."

Jiao Pengyuan said with a smile, "But don't just pull the cart without following the path!"

"Watching the path is your job; I'll just follow your footsteps."

Jiao Pengyuan felt very comfortable after being flattered by Xiang Shou. "Did you find anything at Qi Zhang's house?"

"I was just about to report to you. We really found something. I originally planned to retrieve the documents and be done with it, but who knew we found three Hong Kong credit cards
belonging to He Qi Zhang ."

Jiao Pengyuan was taken aback. "Is that so?"

"I was also surprised. It's really troublesome. This means that Vice Mayor He has financial problems. However, the credit cards
are in my hands, and I'm afraid it will cause a chain reaction."

Jiao Pengyuan stood up from the sofa and paced around. "Rumors are circulating that He Qi Zhang has financial problems. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
talked to him. Doesn't this confirm it? Who knows about this?"

"Only Chen Hu knows. He registered it." "

Then it's the same as knowing everything," Jiao Pengyuan said disappointedly.

Chen Hu knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Chen Hu felt uneasy upon seeing Jiao Pengyuan; he had never been so close to a municipal party secretary or a member of the Central Committee before.

"Secretary Jiao, hello."

Jiao Pengyuan smiled. "Hello, Comrade Chen Hu, you've come to report to Director Hao, haven't you? I won't disturb
you any longer."

"Wait a moment, I'll see Secretary Jiao off."

Hao Xiangshou saw Jiao Pengyuan out of the room.

Chen Hu immediately understood that Director Hao's backer was Secretary Jiao, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

Hao Xiangshou returned.

"What is it?"

"I looked at the list of items retrieved from He Qizhang's house, and the black leather notebook I gave you wasn't on it. Was it
forgotten ? Let me register it."

After a moment's thought, Hao Xiangshou waved his hand and said, "I glanced through that notebook; it's a private diary, or rather
, a personal journal or something. I returned it to the He family."

Chen Hu gasped. "Returned it?"

“Yes, our purpose is to retrieve the documents kept by He Qizhang, not to search. We have no
right to confiscate other people’s personal belongings, nor is it necessary.” Chen

Hu forgot his caution and stood firm. “That black notebook, I’ve glanced through it. It’s not personal
property; it’s Vice Mayor He’s work record. It
’s of great reference value to help us find out the cause of Vice Mayor He’s death and understand the background of the incident. Who did you return it to?”

Hao Xiangshou waved his hand unhappily. “I can’t remember. I probably gave it to He Qizhang’s wife.”

“He Qizhang’s wife was taken to the hospital on the spot. When did you give it to her?”

Hao Xiangshou tapped the table with his finger and reprimanded him sternly. “Chen Hu, watch your words.
Is this how you talk to your superiors? Just do your job. You won’t be able to boss me around for the next three to five years.
You can leave.” Chen

Hu turned and left.

Hao Xiangshou closed the door and locked it from the inside. He opened the safe, took out the black leather notebook, and looked at it. Then he put it in his briefcase,
opened the door, and left the office.

Hao Xiangshou went to the copy room, where only a woman was copying materials.

"I'm just copying some materials; you can leave for a while."

The woman packed her things and left.

Hao Xiangshou locked the door from the inside. He took out the black leather notebook and copied it page by page, making two copies of each page.

After

leaving Hao Xiangshou's office, Chen Hu took Jiao Xiaoyu to the home of He Qizhang's driver, Du Xinzheng, to investigate. He was bored.
Driving silently.

"Why are you unhappy?"

Chen Hu frowned, staring ahead, silent.

What did Director Hao say about the black notebook? "

He didn't want to answer any of Jiao Xiaoyu's questions.

"

While Chen Hu was frowning over the black notebook incident, Hao Xiangshou returned
home with the black notebook and two sets of photocopies.

Hao Xiangshou opened the cabinet door on the wall, moved aside various exquisite handicrafts, revealing a cleverly hidden small
panel.

Hao Xiangshou used a knife to cut down the panel, revealing a small safe embedded in the wall. He adjusted the combination lock and
opened the safe door.

Inside were US dollars, RMB, a diamond necklace, and other items. He moved these items aside, put the black notebook and photocopies
inside, locked it, put the small panel back on, rearranged the handicrafts, and everything was back to normal.

His wife brought it over, seeing Hao Xiangshou radiant.

"Why are you so happy today?" “

I found something, a small notebook. I never imagined that He Qizhang had so many
financial dealings with people at all levels, and the amounts were staggering. This guy wrote it all down so clearly. With this notebook in hand, it’s like I have
many people by the throat. Not to mention Jiao Pengyuan, I’m not afraid of any future troubles. They’ll all have to do my bidding.
My luck has turned around.” Chen Hu parked the car in front of a building in the municipal party committee's ordinary cadre dormitory area.

Du

Xinzheng's home was there.

Chen Hu and Xiong Xiaoyu got out of the car and entered the building.

Du Xinzheng was in his thirties. Due to the sudden death of He Qizhang, he was deeply depressed.
His biggest worry was that the organization would no longer trust him and would not reassign him to a new job, so he
was very afraid of the people from the anti-corruption bureau.

Chen Hu and Xiong Xiaoyu sat in the 20-square-meter luxuriously decorated living room.

Chen Hu exclaimed, "Master Du, you live in a three-bedroom apartment all by yourself. You've entered a comfortable life ahead of schedule

!" Du Xinzheng smiled and said, "Chen Hu, you live quite comfortably, don't you?"

"I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I live alone, so it's quite comfortable."

Du Xinzheng blinked and said, "Only a one-bedroom apartment? You should at least be able to afford a three-bedroom apartment! "

Xiong Xiaoyu giggled, "Probably Director Chen won't try to get one!"

Du Xinzheng said cheerfully, "Then you're silly. Who doesn't try to get one these days? Get an official position, get money, get a house, get
a car ." "I'm just someone who gets to eat meat while I drink Yangzhou liquor. It's all thanks to Vice Mayor He's kindness. Otherwise, how could a chauffeur like me, unmarried,
possibly get a three-bedroom apartment? Vice Mayor He is right, in China's bureaucratic system, without a 'senior' title, everything
is meaningless ."

Chen Hu had a good impression of She Xinzheng. "Master Jiang is quite frank."

"A chauffeur, you know, says what you mean. Hiding things, hiding them, that's for those with 'senior' titles."

Jiao Xiaoyu admired the beautiful chandelier on the ceiling and said, "Master Jiang can be considered a bachelor."

"Don't tease me, I'm just a junior official."

Chen Hu changed the subject.

"Master Du, how many years did you drive for Mayor He Gang?"

"Six years. When he was the director of the Finance Bureau, I drove for him. When he became vice mayor, he brought me along to drive again."

"Besides driving, do you do anything else?"

"Sometimes I deliver documents, pick up guests, all sorts of odd jobs."

"So, Vice Mayor He trusts you a lot?" "

Now everyone's saying bad things about Vice Mayor He, but I say he's a good person. He's been good to me. As a driver
, I don't say much, I do what I'm told. It's my duty."

"Master Du is a straightforward man. Could you tell me more about the situation?"

"Sure. A living person died, and I still can't shake this feeling. Let's
start from the night before last, when I went to the TV station to record a program. It was around 7 PM on May 2nd..."

In a luxurious suite at the opulent Royal Garden Hotel, Du Xinzheng sat on the sofa, casually flipping through
a magazine, occasionally glancing at his watch.

A knock sounded at the door. Du Xinzheng went to open it, and a waiter brought in a suit.

"The clothes are washed."

Du Xinzheng took the suit and laid it flat on the bed.

"Thank you."

The phone rang, and Du Xinzheng answered it.

"Hello, is that you?"

A woman's voice came through: "Is Mayor Dong there?...?" It was Siyu. Mayor He answered the phone. "

Mayor He is taking a shower. Can you call me back later?"

"I have an urgent matter."

"Okay, I'll go check if he's finished."

Du Xin knocked on the bathroom door. "Mayor, it's Qiu Siyu on the phone."

He Qizhang, wearing a bathrobe, came out to answer the phone and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Siyu, this is Qizhang."

"Qizhang, I'm flying to Nanjing tomorrow. Have you finished writing the recommendation letter for your friend? If you have, I
'll come pick it up."

"Isn't my flight the day after tomorrow?" "

I've changed my flight to tomorrow. Without your letter of recommendation, business is difficult."

"Okay, I'll write it now. What time is the flight tomorrow?"

"4:10 PM tomorrow."

"That's enough time. You don't need to pick it up. I'll have Xiao Du deliver it to you after I finish writing it."

"Okay, thank you!"

He Qizhang hung up the phone: "This woman is really hard to please. I've become her secretary." Guang

Du Xinzheng has always turned a blind eye to He Qizhang's private life, never saying a word, let alone commenting on the women
around .

"Mayor, your clothes are washed."

"What time is it now?"

"7:20."

"Oh no, Huihui is getting impatient. Siyu is urging me again. I'd better hurry up and write."

He Qizhang sat in his chair, wearing a bath towel, and took out
an envelope and two sheets of paper from the sheepskin cover on his desk to start writing.

The phone rang again. Du was already answering the phone.

"Who is it?"

"Xiao Du, I'm the beautiful Song Huihui." "Why isn't Vice Mayor He here yet? Everyone's waiting for him!"

Du Xinzheng covered the microphone.

"Mayor, the beautiful Song Huihui called to urge him."

"The letter isn't finished yet, maybe we should just forget about it."

He Qizhang stuffed the letter into the envelope, then put the envelope into the drawer, got up and put on the suit that had just been delivered.

Du Xinzheng helped him tie his tie and then tied his shoelaces.

In the corridor leading to the elevator, He Qizhang rummaged through his pockets, but couldn't find his lighter. He hurriedly said, "The lighter is in the drawer.
Go get it, I'll wait for you downstairs."

Du Xinzheng returned to the guest room door, opened it, inserted the key into the power outlet, and the light came on. He opened the drawer, and
inside was nothing but a white envelope with the words "Royal Garden Hotel" printed on it.

He took out an exquisite lighter from the drawer, removed the key, and closed the door.

He Qizhang was waiting for him in the hotel parking lot.

Zhuang Xinzheng opened the car door and got in. He Qizhang got in from the inside and sat next to him.

Inside the Audi, Zhuang Xinzheng handed the lighter to He Qizhang.

He Qizhang weighed the lighter in his hand and said, "This real gold lighter was a gift from Huihui. Every time we meet,
if she finds I don't have it with me, she's furious with me."

It was only a ten-minute drive from the hotel to the TV station. After arriving, Zhuang Xinzheng parked the car in front of the TV station's studio.

He Qizhang got out of the car and hurriedly entered the TV station's studio.

Du Xinzheng gradually fell asleep in his seat. Two hours later, the bright
light woke him. He checked his watch; it was 10:20.

A Mercedes pulled up beside him. Du Xinzheng saw Jiao Dongfang get out of the Mercedes and enter the building.

About ten minutes later, Du Xinzheng saw Jiao Dongfang and He Qizhang walk out of the building one after the other.

Jiao Dongfang got directly into the Mercedes. He Qizhang got into his Audi with a melancholy expression. The Mercedes drove away first.

"Mayor, are we going back to the hotel?"

"No, back to the city government. The program isn't finished recording, and I have to come back tomorrow night. It's such a hassle."

Du Xinzheng drove into the city government building and parked his car in front of the steps.

"I'll wait for you."

"It won't be over anytime soon. Go back to the hotel; I'll call you if you need a car." "

Want me to get you some late-night snacks? " "

No, thank you. I'm not in the mood for food."

He Qizhang went into the building. The entire office building was dark. Du Xinzheng saw the light on in He Qizhang's office from inside the car
before driving away.

Jiao Xiaoyu quickly jotted down Zhuang Xinzheng's account. Chen Hu listened intently to Du Xinzheng's recollection.

Du Xinzheng lit a cigarette and said, "After taking Vice Mayor He to the municipal government and seeing the light on in his office, I
drove back to room 909 of the Royal Garden Hotel."

"Did Vice Mayor He make a phone call later?"

"Hmph, please have some tea, gentlemen. I stayed at the hotel all night, but he didn't call."

"Did anyone come to the hotel that night? "

"No." "

Did anyone make a phone call?" "

Yes, someone made a phone call."

"Who?"

"It was Qiu Siyu again..."

Chapter Eleven: Exploring the Truth, Caught in a Dilemma, Concealing Evidence, and Justifying One

's Own Explanation. Du Xinzheng's information made Chen Hu feel that he was certain that Qiu Siyu was the key figure in He Qizhang's case
. He asked with interest, "What did Qiu Siyu say on the phone?"

"I told her that Mayor He wasn't there, and she hung up."

"What time did Qiu Siyu call?"

"Around 2:30 a.m. on May 3rd."

"Tell me about what happened on May 3rd." "

At 7:30 a.m. on May 3rd, Mayor He called and asked me to pick him up at the municipal government building… "

Du Xinzheng's car had just stopped in front of the steps of the municipal government building when He Qizhang, carrying a briefcase, got into the Audi.

Du Xinzheng handed him a can of eight-treasure porridge.

"Eight-treasure porridge, have some. Mayor, you haven't slept all night, have you? Your eyes are bloodshot. Where are we going?"

He Qizhang said dejectedly, "To the Wild Hillside Guesthouse, get some rest."

The Audi drove away from the municipal government building.

The Audi entered the highway. Silence followed. Du Xinzheng's principle was that if the leader didn't speak, he would never initiate
a conversation. The leader's silence was a working style; interrupting the leader's thoughts only made them disliked. He Qizhang
finally spoke.

"Xiao Du, you can do anything, just don't become an official."

Du Xinzheng chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I'd like to get some kind of position, even a section chief, but who would want me
? Mayor, what's bothering you?"

"Sigh, it's lonely at the top! Everything's cold and indifferent." After a pause, He Qizhang continued,
"Xiao Du, have you settled on a girlfriend yet?"

"We're almost registered, it's her. It's just that she's not very pretty."

"It's not good if she's too pretty. I don't feel comfortable leaving her at home; she'll attract unwanted attention."

"Mayor, don't try to reassure me. I'm not some cadre's son, and I don't have any education. Who would want a pretty girl
with me?"

He Qizhang opened his briefcase, took out a wad of RMB, and placed it on Du Xinzheng's lap. "This is ten thousand,
consider it my early congratulations on your marriage."

Du Xinzheng quickly stuffed the money back into the official document on his factory epaulet; he saw a pistol inside. “You’re too
kind. I’m not short of money. To be honest, being your driver, the executive vice mayor, has brought me quite
a few compliments. I’ve made a bit of extra income.”

He Qizhang took the money out of his briefcase and stuffed it into Du Xinzheng’s bag. “Just take it
. You can’t take money with you when you die. Besides, you’re not much older than me, and you’ve been with me for five or
six years. I’ve always treated you like a son.”

Du Xinzheng was deeply moved. “If that’s how you see it, then I’ll accept it. Mayor, you don’t look well.
You’re worried about the people! Why don’t you stay a few more days and get some rest? If you’re feeling bored, why don’t you call Miss Qiu over?”

“She’s flying to Nanjing this afternoon. Oh dear, I forgot about the letter she asked me to write. Besides, I have to go to the TV station to record a program
tonight .”

The Audi stopped in the courtyard of the Yeshanpo Guesthouse.

The guesthouse manager was a fat, bald old man. He humbly led He Qizhang and Du Xinzheng to their
guesthouse . From the moment he was picked up by the car until they entered the room, he kept saying, "Please, Mayor, please."

The guesthouse director meekly withdrew. He Qizhang lay wearily on the bed.

"Xiao Du, go back to the Royal Garden Hotel. There's a letter in the drawer; I need to add a few words. Go get it.
The traffic in the city is too bad; it won't make it to the New Moon Hotel in time. I'll add a few words; take it to the airport and give it to
Qiu .

" "Anything else?"

"No. Oh, let's go out together; I'm going for a walk up the mountain."

Du Xinzheng led He Qizhang out of the guesthouse building.

He got into his Audi and drove out of the courtyard. Inside the car, he saw He Qizhang walking alone towards the hillside.

Du Xinzheng drove quickly back to the Royal Garden Hotel. He parked the car and hurried into the lobby.
He took the elevator to his room, unlocked the door, inserted the key into the light switch, and opened the drawer.

He took out the letter, but it didn't look like this one. The original envelope had the Royal Garden Hotel's logo, while this
one .

He opened another drawer, which contained nothing but a woman's lipstick.

Holding the envelope, Du Xinzheng muttered to himself, "Strange, how did the envelope change?"

Chen Hu found Du Xinzheng's cooperation quite agreeable, something that had pleased him these past few days.

Du Xinzheng recounted in detail, “I rushed back to the Yeshanpo Guesthouse only to learn that Mayor He had died. When I retrieved the letter,
I was puzzled and hesitated for a while. The night before, when I got a lighter for Vice Mayor He, I saw that the envelope
was printed with the of the Royal Garden Hotel, but the letter I came back to retrieve had a flower printed on the cover. So I checked another drawer,
but there was no letter there. I only took this one letter back.”

Chen Hu felt he had grasped something and pressed, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“I guarantee I’m right, the envelope is definitely different.”

“Did you take out the letter and look at it?”

“No. This is my habit when serving superiors; whether the letter is sealed or not, I never
open it to read it.”

Chen Hu and Jiao Xiaoyu exchanged a knowing glance and said, “Master Du, Vice Mayor He went to Yeshanpo with a pistol
on him but

when I slipped money into his briefcase, there was a pistol in it. I asked him then,
‘Why ?’ He said, ‘The suburbs aren’t safe, so I just grabbed one from the guards, just in case.’”

"When you and the vice mayor came out of the guesthouse, he went for a walk up the mountain. Did you see anyone else?"

"No. He was the only one walking up the hillside."

"Was there anything unusual about Vice Mayor He?"

"About half a month before he died, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection talked to him once. He wasn't in a good mood, but he seemed fine afterward, laughing
and joking around. On the evening of May 2nd, after leaving the TV station with Jiao Dongfang, he looked quite unwell.
The next day, when he went to the hillside, he still looked unwell. I think he was just tired from staying up all night. Other than that, I couldn't see anything
unusual."

Jiao Xiaoyu felt a little nervous when her brother was mentioned, and asked, "Can you confirm that the person you saw
leaving the TV station with Vice Mayor He was Jiao Dongfang?"

"Yes. Although it was just him, I could tell it was him. He was with Mayor He, and sometimes he went out on business with Mayor
He . They were very familiar with each other. I wouldn't mistake him for someone else."

Chen Hu recalled what the beautiful Song Huihui had said about a man who went to the TV station to see He Qizhang, and then He Qizhang
leaving with that man, which corroborated what Du Xinzheng had said. "Go to He Qizhang," Chen Hu thought, only seeing Jiao Dongfang's
back .

Chen Hu stood up and said, "Master Du, I've taken up a lot of your time. Don't mention what we talked about today to
anyone else in the future. Thank you."

"Just let me know when you need my help. We'll get to know each other better after a while, and we'll be friends from now on

." Chen Hu's pager rang. After checking it, Chen Hu said, "Xiaoyu, let's go back to the office. "

Chen Hu drove, with Jiao Xiaoyu sitting beside him.

"Director Du called me, I don't know what it is."

Jiao Xiaoyu remained silent.

"Comrade Xiaoyu, I first met you at Jiao Dongfang's Capital Horizon Hotel. You and
Sun Qi came to the dance hall together."

"No, that was the second time. We first met at the Political and Legal Committee's sports center. You were beaten black and blue by Tao Tieliang from
the Public Security Bureau ."

Chen Hu smiled. "It's better to forget about being beaten."

Jiao Xiaoyu was a little absent-minded. "Yes, besides the function of memory, the human brain also has
the function . Remembering all the troubles makes life too tiring." "But you forget too quickly."

Chen Hu probed, "Are you very familiar with Jiao Dongfang?"

Jiao Xiaoyu smiled slyly, "Are you implying I should keep it a secret?"

"You misunderstand. You came to the Anti-Corruption Bureau after being approved by the organization. Keeping secrets is common sense
. Do you need to imply it?"

Jiao Xiaoyu didn't look at Chen Hu, staring at the scenery by the roadside. "Chen Hu, I know what you're thinking. You must be wondering how Jiao Xiaoyu is so familiar

with people involved in the case, He Kedai and Jiao Dongfang. You can't easily trust this person, right?" "You're too sensitive." " If I weren't sensitive, could I be a good prosecutor? You told us this in class. A prosecutor's investigative awareness must fill every nerve." "I was just saying. If I were like that, would I even be alive? Do you remember the black notebook we found at He Qizhang's house?" "Of course, I found it." "Good that you remember. " " Jiao Xiaoyu's phone rang, and a message appeared: 'Go to Secretary Jiao's office immediately. ' 'Could you take me to the Municipal Party Committee?' 'Why are you being so polite?' Chen Hu drove towards the Municipal Party Committee. Chen Hu parked the car at the entrance, and Jiao Xiaoyu got out, saying, 'Thank you, I'll be back at the office in a bit.' Jiao Xiaoyu went inside. Chen Hu watched Jiao Xiaoyu's retreating figure, lost in thought: This girl has connections everywhere! 'Secretary Jiao, you wanted to see me?' Jiao Pengyuan looked up from the documents on his desk, looking at Jiao Xiaoyu, who had come to him on her own initiative. He smiled and said , 'It's not quite used to you calling me that. That's fine, it's work. Have you adapted to the job?' 'It's very exciting, but I'm afraid I won't do a good job.' 'I called you here to ask you something. When you went to He Qizhang's house to collect the documents, did you find anything?' Jiao Xiaoyu pouted and said, 'This should be reported to you by Director Hao Xiangshou.' 'Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; listen to only one side and you will be misled. We don't need to hold back when we talk. '" " Jiao Xiaoyu said solemnly, 'There's something I've discovered. I found a black leather notebook, something like He Qizhang's private memos , filled with many things. I didn't have time to look at it closely at the time. Chen Hu also saw it, but Director Hao took it away later. Chen Hu just asked me about it, and he said the black leather notebook wasn't registered.' Jiao Pengyuan's heart skipped a beat. Why didn't Hao Xiangshou report such an important situation when he saw him? 'What does Chen Hu think about this?' 'Chen Hu said this notebook is very important; it has great reference value for clarifying He Qizhang's cause of death and investigating the relevant background .'"

Jiao Pengyuan paced irritably. "Go back. Be more careful in the future.
Report . I'm personally handling this case. Sniff, don't tell anyone, especially Chen Hu, that I've spoken to you. Work
is work. Don't involve family relationships in external matters, but we'll keep it to ourselves."

"I understand."

As soon as

Chen Hu returned to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, he went straight to Hao Xiangshou's office. Hao Xiangshou stared at him coldly, neither offering him a seat
nor speaking.

"Director Hao, did you call me here just to make me stand as punishment?" Hao Xiangshou sneered. "The serious consequences might not just be standing as punishment. Chen Hu, who did you talk to

about the so-called disappearance of the black book you fabricated ?" "First of all, I didn't fabricate it. Secondly, I haven't mentioned it to anyone." Hao Xiangshou's expression suddenly softened. "Alright, please sit down. Let's talk properly and clear up any misunderstandings. Actually, I admire you . If you can handle problems more maturely, your future is bright." "I am naive, but I don't know what you mean by maturity." Hao Xiangshou turned the globe on the table and said, "There has never been a straight line in the world, due to gravity. A bullet leaving the barrel should be the straightest path, but it actually travels in an arc. Artillery shells needless to say, need a parabolic angle to travel far. Airplanes take off and land in arcs. Why are all planets round or elliptical? Why are the trajectories of planetary motion also round or elliptical? Because this is the law of the universe's formation. The Chinese Tai Chi symbol is also round; yin and yang complement each other, allowing all things to function. Roundness represents maturity. Anything with sharp edges will eventually be sculpted into a circle or near-circle by the movement of the universe. If footballs, basketballs, and ping-pong balls became square, would these sports still exist? Life is the same; whoever understands how to move in arcs goes further. In Einstein's theory of relativity, even the movement of light is an arc. Remember, an arc, not a straight line." "You mean you want me to become more worldly?" "Playing is about correcting your trajectory and finding the best way forward." "The world is round, and if you insist on rushing headlong in a straight line, how can you avoid falling down! Just touch your head, it's round . If you had a square head, how many bumps would you get every day?" Chen Hu said stiffly, "If the bricks used to build a building were round, how would they fit together? Could the building even be built?" Hao Xiangshou couldn't help but smile. "Smart, you're really smart, a very witty answer. I like people with witty language. Yes, bricks are square, but some buildings built with square bricks are round, like bunkers. Have you ever seen a square bunker? Even the US president's office is oval. Isn't the Temple of Heaven round?" "I'm just a brick, an ordinary brick. Square is better. As for whether the building will be square or round in the end, I don't need to worry about that. I'm just fulfilling my duty as an ordinary square brick." "We can discuss philosophy later. Right now, I need you to do one thing: clarify the facts. You've never seen any black-covered book." " Chen Hu was stunned. "You want me to lie?!" Hao Xiangshou spun the globe again. "I'll help you with a spiral ascent. Director Zhou is about to retire . Doesn't the position of director hold any allure for you?" "I'm sorry, I'm already too weak to be a section chief." "There's only one principle in the universe, and that's circular motion. You've tightened screws before, haven't you? It's precisely because of circular motion that screws can be tightened. Why can't you see that?" Seemed that? Chen Hu thought to himself, "I've seen that. There must be some unspeakable secret in this black notebook." At this moment, Shen Shi came to the neighbor's office and knocked on the door. Hao Xiangshou opened the door. Hao Xiangshou was very surprised. "Secretary Shen? Why did you come all of a sudden?" "Secretary Jiao requests that you go to his office immediately. " After sending Ji Jing away, Hao Xiangshou and Shen Shi drove to the Municipal Party Committee. Hao Xiangshou was somewhat nervous because whenever the Municipal Party Secretary, a member of the Central Committee, wanted to see him, he would only have Shen Shi make a phone call, never sending his secretary to pick him up in person. Something serious must have happened. Hao Xiangshou asked anxiously, "Secretary Shen, Secretary Jiao is in a hurry to see me. What's wrong?" "I'm not sure, but he doesn't look well." "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. If a tiger attacks its cubs, a secretary who's fighting a snake might get bitten by the tiger. Don't you think so, Secretary Shen?" Shen Shi smiled noncommittally. Jiao Pengyuan sat behind his desk, while Hao Xiangtai stood beside it. Hao Xiangshou knew very well what this kind of reception meant. "Comrade Hao Xiangshou, you have disappointed me greatly. I sent you to the Anti-Corruption Bureau to guide the work and recruited you into the three-person group because I trusted you. How will you repay the organization's trust?" Hao Xiangshou answered carefully, "I have been protecting your interests at all times." "Did you report everything truthfully about going to Qi Zhang's house to collect documents?" “ I have nothing to hide from you.” Jiao Pengyuan suddenly slammed the documents on the table. “You found He Qizhang’s black notebook, why didn’t you tell me?” Hao Xiangshou immediately realized someone had reported it. “Secretary Jiao, we did find a black notebook.” “Why didn’t you say so last time? Did you use your secretarial tricks again? Executing without reporting?” “If you hadn’t asked today, I wouldn’t have said anything. I’ve already handled it. The reason I didn’t report it was entirely to relieve your burden!” “Relieve my burden? You always have something to say.” “Think about it, He Qizhang’s black notebook is his secret file. It contains many things related to you and Dongfang , and if it gets out, it will be very detrimental to you and Dongfang. I risked concealing important evidence to forcibly obtain the black notebook from Chen Hu, my purpose being to protect you and Dongfang. If I reported the black notebook to you and handed it to you, what would your reaction be?” "If you destroy it, you're destroying evidence; if you report the black notebook as physical evidence, the consequences will be severe. That's why I didn't tell you I would bear all the consequences; I wouldn't care about dying to protect you. But since you asked, if I didn't tell you, it would cause you to misunderstand. Now I 've told , what do you think we should do?" Jiao Pengyuan was speechless for a long time. He couldn't deny that Hao Xiangshou's words were plausible, and he sighed deeply.

"You've put a lot of thought into this," he said. "I personally promoted He Qizhang, and he's been secretly keeping a record of everything that's changed
. It's truly unpredictable. Is there anything else in that black notebook?"

"It's practically a ticking time bomb. He Qizhang has dealings with many people from all walks of life, and he
keeps a very clear record of it. To use an old phrase, it's 'shocking.'"

"Is it that serious?"

"Secretary Jiao, your nanny's name is Xiao Cui, right?"

"Oh, come on. Why are you suddenly bringing up nannies?"

"My nanny is named Ahua. Qian Zhong's nanny, Zhang Guangda's nanny, Lin Xianhan's nanny,
Kong Xiangdi's nanny, Fang Hao's nanny, and the nannies of the heads of the five major municipal bodies—they all come from
the same source."

"You're getting more and more rambling."

"It was only after seeing He Qizhang's black notebook that I suddenly realized what was going on." He Qizhang, under the guise of the Civil Affairs Department of the South District
, established a domestic helper training center. He selected young women from various regions to work as domestic helpers, then assigned them
to the homes of leaders at all levels. These women were selected by the Civil Affairs Department, and naturally, every household wanted them – they were reliable.
He Qizhang used these domestic helpers as his informants. The Civil Affairs Department regularly interviewed them,
ostensibly to check their work, but actually to gather information about their employers. Those who performed well and provided
more information received bonuses. Through this network of domestic helpers scattered throughout various households, He Qizhang amassed a wealth of
information: who ate at whose house, who gave whom gifts, who talked privately with whom, and even who was involved
with whom were those concerning you and Dongfang.

Jiao Pengyuan slammed his fist on the table. “This is outrageous! Get all these domestic helpers out immediately! ”

Hao Xiangshou felt he had turned the tide and said, "The nannies did nothing wrong; they're just tools. We
'll take over this network, have the nannies report to me, and I'll give them bonuses. Then you'll have complete control over the cadres' private
activities ."

Jiao Pengyuan's expression changed. "Then what would I become? A spy chief? Ridiculous! Is that even necessary?
Go ."

"What about the black notebook?" "

Give it to me right now. And if anyone asks about this later, just say I've never seen any black notebook."

"Of course, there's no such thing as a black notebook. How could you have seen it? Secretary Jiao, may I ask you,
how did you know? Was it Chen Hu?"

"That has nothing to do with him. Don't ask."

Hao Xiangshou then realized that he too couldn't escape Secretary Jiao's grasp. However, he breathed a sigh of relief that he had managed to
escape danger .

Late

at night, Jiao Pengyuan was reading a black-covered notebook in his study when the nanny, Xiao Cui, brought in tea.

"Commander, your tea."

Jiao Pengyuan looked at Xiao Cui carefully; he had never looked at her directly before. "Xiao Cui,
were you educated at the nanny training center?"

"I went to work as a nanny at the commander's house. We were organized to study regularly, once a month."

"Sigh, how did we speak during the study sessions?"

"We gathered together, read a passage from the newspaper, and then the section chief would talk to everyone. That was considered the study session."

"What did the section chief talk to you about?"

"Nothing much, just teaching us to be content with our jobs, take good care of the commander's life, and pay attention to
personal and environmental hygiene."

"That's all?"

"Sometimes he would ask who had come to the house, what time the commander went to bed, and who had called the commander.
What could I possibly know?"

"Hmm, you go ahead and do your work." Jiao

Pengyuan continued reading the black-covered notebook, his expressions shifting from surprise to sneer, from shaking his head to nodding.
He read it all night.

The Seventh

Procuratorate's canteen wasn't crowded; many people were invited to various banquets. Prosecutors were
the most honored guests at the big bosses' tables. Chen Hu always declined these invitations. At lunchtime,
he and Jiao Xiaoyu went to the canteen.

Chen Hu placed a can of beer on the table near Jiao Xiaoyu's end, then picked up another can for himself.

"I'd like to toast you."

"Thank you."

He picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in Jiao Xiaoyu's bowl.

Jiao Xiaoyu felt uncomfortable with Chen Hu's enthusiasm and awkwardly said, "I'll give you two meatballs."

Jiao Xiaoyu put the meatballs in Chen Hu's bowl.

The two officers at the table chuckled.

"You two are giving each other gifts, but it's all pork, aren't you tired?"

"Hey, you're not right. Even though it's all pork, the taste is completely different with this exchange." “

That makes sense, that makes sense, this is called turning material things into spiritual ones.”

The officers all laughed. On Sunday

the eighth

, an exhausted Jiao Pengyuan, accompanied by his son and a guard officer, arrived at the Riding King Club.

Jiao Pengyuan put on his riding boots and went to the horse track. Shen Shi and a jockey each led a horse over.

Jiao Dongfang was already on horseback, talking quietly with the jockey.

“That Mr. He who was injured in the fall, has he caused you any trouble since then?”

The jockey was slightly surprised, but quickly calmed down. “He hasn’t come here since.”

“That’s good. With me backing you up, your horse farm business will definitely grow bigger and bigger, as long as you
listen to me .”

“I’m counting on you.”

Jiao Dongfang turned his horse around and walked towards Jiao Pengyuan.

After Jiao Dongfang left, the jockey let out a long sigh and wiped his sweat.

Shen Shi led a horse and said, “Secretary Jiao, I specially picked the most docile one for you. Let me help you mount.”

Shen Shi and the guards helped Jiao Pengyuan mount his horse. Jiao Dongfang rode alongside Jiao Pengyuan, while Shen Shi and the
guards followed behind. "

Dad, how's your investigation of the black notebook going?"

"Hao Xiangshou played tricks on me. First, he said he'd never seen the black notebook, then he gave it to me. He said
he didn't report it out of concern for me. All lies."

At this moment, Jiao Dongfang saw a familiar face and said to his father, "Dad, what a coincidence! Vice Minister Ji is also riding.
I'll go say hello, I'll be right there."

Jiao Pengyuan looked towards the door and saw two plainclothes guards escorting Ji Tao towards them
. He waved in greeting.

Jiao Dongfang dismounted, trotted over to Ji Tao, and extended his hand, saying:

“Deputy Minister, I never expected to run into such a busy man like you here.”

The two guards, seeing Ji Tao extend his hand, knew he was an acquaintance of the Deputy Minister and didn't stop him.

“Dongfang, how have you been?”

“Good, good.”

Ji Tao glanced back at the two guards, signaling them to keep their distance. Ji Tao and Jiao Dongfang walked side-by-side towards
Jiao Pengyuan .

“Brother, at Wang Yaozu’s reception last time, all the dignitaries were present, except for you, my esteemed guest. I didn’t dare
disturb you .”

“I don’t go to places like that. What, I heard He Kedai almost fell to his death here?”

“He Kedai’s horse stumbled.”

“You’re being a bit too reckless, aren’t you? Dongfang, I was worried you might stumble.”

“Thank you for the reminder, brother. But you know I’m not easily fooled.”

“That’s good. If you carelessly lose Jieting, I’ll also cut down Madao with tears in my eyes!”

They laughed as they approached Jiao Pengyuan. Jiao Pengyuan had already dismounted and was waiting, showing respect to Deputy Minister Ji.
He extended his hand to Ji Tao, saying,

"Comrade Ji Tao, we haven't seen each other since we last met at the Central Committee meeting."

"Yes, Secretary Jiao, although we haven't met often, I often see you on the news,
strategizing and winning battles from afar!"

"Let's ride horses together."

"No, I'm here to check on the environment and arrange half a day of leisure activities for the leaders.
Secretary Jiao, I'll take my leave then."

"It seems we'll only meet again at the next meeting. Goodbye, Comrade Ji Tao."

"Goodbye, Secretary. Goodbye, Dongfang. Take good care of the old man."

Jiao Dongfang tried to see him off, but Ji Tao stopped him with a look. Ji Tao's guard took out his walkie-talkie and contacted the driver. Less
than two minutes later, an Audi drove onto the sidewalk where parking was strictly prohibited for ordinary vehicles.

Ji Tao and two guards got into the car. The Audi drove away.

After watching the Audi drive away, Jiao Pengyuan sighed and said, "Dongfang, Ji Tao is only about ten years older than you,
look how successful he is, with such a bright future."

"Dad, Ji Tao goes into politics, I'm in business. Everyone has their own ambitions." "Come, let me help you onto your horse."

Jiao Dongfang helped his father onto his horse, and he mounted as well. The two horses rode side-by-side, and Jiao Dongfang continued the conversation.

"Dad, have you thought about it? Why did Hao Xiangshou say those things?"

"What do you think?"

"It must be that Hao Xiangshou discovered something significant in He Qizhang's black notebook, and
he'll need this inside information later, either to blackmail someone or to threaten you as
leverage ."

Jiao Pengyuan sighed, "I didn't expect even my old secretary to keep something from me." "

He Qizhang must have written down a lot about you in that black notebook, and maybe even things involving higher-ups.
Did he make a copy?"

"Very likely. If he exposes it, we'll be in big trouble." "

Jiao Dongfang said confidently, "No, unless absolutely necessary, Hao Xiangshou won't publicly release the photocopy.
If he did, his end would be near. You can rest assured about that. Fortunately, the black copy didn't fall into
Chen Hu's hands; if it had, that would have been a real problem. Hao Xiangshou did a good job in that regard."

"Then what do you suggest?" "

You have to be careful around that old fox Hao Xiangshou. Just pretend you don't know what he's thinking

." "You can know a person's face but not their heart."

"Sigh, Dad, how did you find out about the black notebook?"

"Xiaoyu told me."

Jiao Dongfang laughed heartily. "So your inside man worked. Xiaoyu's trip to the Anti-Corruption Bureau wasn't in vain.
I want to see what's written in the black notebook." "

He Qizhang is very tight-lipped. He knows so much, but he's never revealed a word to me. I used
to think after reading the black notebook, I realized they
all have their own agendas, and they all have grievances against me behind my back. Some even complained about me to the central government. He Qizhang
wrote down everything he saw and heard. Dongfang, people's hearts are unpredictable, unpredictable indeed! I couldn't sleep
all night , it was so heartbreaking..."

Suddenly, Jiao Pengyuan clutched his chest and fell off his horse.

Jiao Dongfang cried out anxiously, "Dad! Dad!" "

With police cars leading the way, ambulances in the middle, and police cars bringing up the rear, the convoy sped from the Qiwang Club to the hospital.

Doctors who were already on standby awaited the ambulances, while police officers communicated via walkie-talkies.

The convoy entered the hospital gate.

Jiao Pengyuan was carried off by the doctors, placed on a wheelchair, and quickly pushed down the corridor into the emergency room. It was the third day since Jiao Pengyuan was admitted to

the hospital. Jiao Pengyuan, wearing a striped hospital gown, sat on the sofa. After being rescued, Jiao Pengyuan was out of danger that day, and two days later he began working at the hospital. Today, he was holding a special meeting here. According to Jiao Pengyuan's rank, he would occupy at least five rooms each time he was hospitalized. His guards would occupy a separate room, his secretary would occupy a room, and there would also be a reception room, a small office , a small meeting room, etc. Hao Xiangshou, Qian Zhong, Zhang Guangda, Kong Xiangdi, Lin Xianhan, Li Shangmin, Shen Shi, Zhou Senlin, Jiang Dabing, and others sat on the sofas. There was also a nurse beside Jiao Pengyuan. He scrutinized each person, and some of the attendees felt uneasy under his gaze. "Thank you all for coming to see me. I will be discharged in a few days." Let me tell you a story from my own experience. It was 1947, and I was a clerk in the confidential section. One day, a guard named Wang Ping and I were on our way to retrieve some documents when we were discovered by the enemy. I was shot twice in the stomach, and my intestines spilled out. We hid in a cave, but the enemy was hot on our heels. The confidential documents absolutely could not fall into enemy hands, but destroying them would delay instructions from our superiors. Just as I was anxious and didn't know what to do, Wang Ping, without consulting me, suddenly emerged from the cave. My heart skipped a beat; I knew Wang Ping was going out to surrender. I raised my gun and aimed at him. Then I saw him running in the opposite direction. I immediately understood: he wasn't running to surrender; he was drawing the enemy's attention to cover me and the Party documents. The enemy chased after him, and then came a burst of gunfire. Comrade Wang Ping sacrificed his life. Jiao Pengyuan remained silent for a while, his expression sorrowful. Those present remained silent, unsure of his meaning. Jiao Pengyuan sighed and continued, "Alas, I've been recounting a past event without any clear direction. As one gets older, one tends to dwell on things."

" Thinking back to the past. Times have changed now, does this spirit still exist? Everyone's looking out for themselves. Forget about risking
their lives to protect comrades, there are plenty of people sabotaging each other."

His gaze swept across everyone's faces.

Jiao Pengyuan waved his hand, "You can go now, I'm tired. The meeting is off."

Jiao Pengyuan leaned back on the sofa, his eyes slightly closed, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Jiao Xiaoyu, carrying fruit, entered Jiao Pengyuan's ward with Jiao Dongfang.

"Dad."

"Uncle."

Jiao Pengyuan put down the documents in his hand and sat up in bed, "You've come. Actually, I'm being discharged tomorrow."

Jiao Xiaoyu said coquettishly, "If I didn't come to see you, you'd scold me for being heartless."

"You only came to see me because you were afraid of being criticized. Xiaoyu, don't mention He Qizhang's black leather notebook again.
Just say you've never seen it."

Jiao Xiaoyu said, puzzled, "It clearly exists, how can you say you haven't?"

"You're young and don't understand. It involves Party secrets, don't ask too many questions." Jiao Dongfang stroked Jiao Xiaoyu's hair and said, "

Xiaoyu, Dad is very satisfied with your performance in the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"Yes, you did a good job, don't be arrogant."

"What right do I have to be arrogant? Dongfang, come shopping with me."

"Fine, fine, accompanying a woman shopping is the hardest job, please spare me."

Jiao Xiaoyu stood up, "Then I'll find someone to accompany me. I want to hear a man's opinion when I buy clothes."

"Anyone is fine, just don't ask me. "
Jiao

Xiaoyu and Chen Hu walked side-by-side towards the entrance of the shopping mall at the Capital Horizon Hotel. She called Chen Hu to invite
him out.

"So this is the chore you called me for? I can go with you, but don't make me go
inside . It's so chaotic, it gives me a headache."

Jiao Xiaoyu playfully pushed Chen Hu. "Please, I'm begging you to go through all this trouble. I
need otherwise, I'll keep hesitating."

"Accompanying a woman shopping is torture. You try on this and that, and after all that, you're still not satisfied."

"Hey, you're quite experienced. How many women have you accompanied shopping?"

Chen Hu smiled awkwardly. "Just kidding, it's a common occurrence."

"I invited someone else, and he said almost exactly what you said—he refused to go shopping with me. You
men all have a phobia of shopping with women. Today, I'll lead you and cure your phobia."

"Things here are definitely expensive. The same thing sold here would cost much more."

"And I'm not letting you pay."

"I can't afford it either. A month's salary isn't enough for you to buy one piece of clothing."

Jiao Xiaoyu and Chen Hu entered the shopping center.

There were many customers, and the goods were dazzling.

Among the large color photos of fashion models, one caught Jiao Xiaoyu's eye. It was a fashion advertisement picture of
model Cui Yan.

Jiao Xiaoyu pointed to Cui Yan's photo and said, "Chen Hu, what do you think of this style?"

"You mean the one in the advertisement?"

"Yes, the one Cui Yan is wearing."

Chen Hu looked at the advertisement picture carefully.

"Her name is Cui Yan? She looks familiar."

"Familiar? You've accompanied her shopping for clothes before?"

"I don't have that kind of luck, I don't even know her name." "

Cui Yan, a famous Chinese model, often appears on TV."

Chen Hu looked at Cui Yan's fashion advertisement, then at Jiao Xiaoyu, and shook his head, saying, "Too glamorous, the neckline is too low.
It's not suitable for your identity as a prosecutor, is it?"

"According to you, I have to wear a uniform even on holidays to be in line with my identity?"

"This is just an advisor's opinion, didn't you ask me to be your advisor?"

At the counter, the clerk greeted the customer. Jiao Xiaoyu stepped forward. "Miss, do you have the style that Cui Yan wore
?"

"We only have one sample, no stock."

"Can the sample be sold?"

"Sorry, samples are not for sale."

"If you don't sell, what are you doing displaying it? Advertising without stock, what's the point of advertising?"

"Advertising leads a fashion trend, promotes a concept, but it doesn't necessarily mean everything is in stock."

The saleswoman looked at Jiao Xiaoyu's figure. "I must say, that outfit really suits you."

Chen Hu joked, "Xiaoyu, it seems you're determined to lead a new fashion trend."

"I really like it."

The saleswoman was very enthusiastic. "Well, let me ask the general manager, please wait a moment."

"Thank you."

The saleswoman left the counter.

Chen Hu deliberately teased Jiao Xiaoyu, "Are you trying to compete with Cui Yan?"

"You mean I'm not as pretty as Cui Yan?"

"You're prettier than Cui Yan. If you were a fashion model, you'd definitely be a top Chinese model."

The door to a room not far from the counter opened, and the saleswoman, Qiu Siyu, and Cui Yan came out. Cui Yan was carrying two plastic bags of clothing
in each hand .

Cui Yan seemed busy and hurriedly said, "Thank you, please wait a moment."

"You're welcome to come anytime," Qiu Siyu said with a smile.

Cui Yan passed by Jiao Xiaoyu, who curiously sized her up.

Cui Yan disappeared into the crowd.

"Miss, you can talk to the general manager yourself, because that dress doesn't have a price tag,"

Jiao Xiaoyu asked curiously. "Was that Cui Yan who just walked by?"

"Yes, that's her. You know her."

"I know her, but she doesn't know me,"

the saleswoman introduced. "This is the general manager."

Qiu Siyu spotted Chen Hu and walked over with a smile.

"What a distinguished guest! It's Prosecutor Chen! I'm so glad you could grace our humble shop with your presence."

Chen Hu was taken aback. "Miss Qiu!"

"What? Have I changed? You seem not to recognize me."

"No, no, I heard you had an accident at sea and went missing."

Qiu Siyu said with a smile, "Some people even said I was dead."

Qiu Siyu turned to Jiao Xiaoyu and said, "Hello, Miss Jiao."

"Hello, I didn't expect you to be the owner here."

"In mainland terms, I've contracted this clothing department, and I just took over recently."

Chen Hu looked at the two women strangely. "You two know each other too?"

Qiu Siyu said softly, "Miss Jiao and I met at the ball at the hotel. You and Mr. Sun Qi..."
"We came in together. What I find strange is that you two know each other too. This world is really small."

Chen Hu, not wanting to cause any misunderstanding, explained, "We have a working relationship."

Qiu Siyu was very interested. "Ms. Jiao, you're also in the Anti-Corruption Bureau?"

"Mr. Chen is my direct superior."

Qiu Siyu exclaimed, "That's wonderful."

Jiao Xiaoyu asked with great interest, "Does Cui Yan also buy clothes here?"

"Not buy, I give them away for free. I asked her to advertise, and in return, besides paying her a service fee,
anything Cui Yan likes here will be 50% off. It's just a symbolic fee; we're all friends, after all."

Chen Hu said with a smile, "Then you're not losing money?"

"How can you lose money in business?"

Jiao Xiaoyu said disappointedly, "I really like that outfit, but I don't want it anymore."

"Hmph, if you like it, why don't you want it?"

"I never buy things from acquaintances; I'm too embarrassed to haggle." "

What's there to haggle over? I'm giving it to you for free. " “

Then I definitely can’t take it.”

Qiu Siyu said to the saleswoman, “Quickly wrap up the clothes.”

Chen Hu had been scrutinizing Jiao Xiaoyu, watching how she would handle the situation, and therefore remained silent.

“Thank you, but I won’t buy it. It doesn’t really suit me.”

Qiu Siyu looked at Chen Hu for a moment and said, “Is it because your boss is here that you’re embarrassed? Mr. Chen,
if you can help me close this deal, I’ll give you two Italian ties.”

Chen Hu smiled and said, “That’s Ms. Jiao’s business.”

“Let’s go, goodbye, Mr. Qiu.”

“You’ve really embarrassed me. You’re welcome to come again.”

Qiu Siyu tried to see him off, but Jiao Xiaoyu stopped her.

“You’re busy enough already, so don’t see me off.”

Chen Hu said politely, “Mr. Qiu, please wait.”

“I’ll definitely come again!” Chen Hu

and Jiao Xiaoyu left. Qiu Siyu watched their retreating figures, lost in thought for a moment, then turned and went inside to make a phone call.

Jiao

Pengyuan lay on the bed reading the newspaper, while Jiao Dongfang peeled an apple. Jiao Dongfang's phone rang. "Dad, here you go. "

Jiao Dongfang handed the apple to Jiao Pengyuan, then turned on his phone. "Is it a phone call? " "It's me, Siyu." Jiao Dongfang went to the suite's reception room to answer the phone. "What is it?" "Your sister is also in the anti-corruption bureau?" "Yes, be careful she investigates you. " "Your family is really interesting, with corrupt officials and anti-corruption officials, you've got it all covered. " "Stop talking nonsense, if it's nothing serious, I'm turning off my phone." "Do you know who accompanied your sister to my shop to buy clothes?" "She asked me to go with her, but I didn't go. Who is it, being so mysterious?" "Chen Hu, Prosecutor Chen, they seemed so affectionate, like newlyweds." "It was him?" Jiao Dongfang was startled. Could it be that Chen Hu was trying to seduce Xiaoyu? No, he had to stop him decisively. How could he let this Sun Wukong crawl into his belly! Chapter Twelve: The Tycoon Only Loses, Never Wins; The Little Detective Has Victory in His Hands . Jiao Xiaoyu was very happy with her first non-work-related contact with Chen Hu. She realized that she had unknowingly fallen for this man with a scar on his face, who was sometimes indifferent and sometimes humorous. Chen Hu and Jiao Xiaoyu left the shopping center. Chen Hu shook his head, "Look, I, your advisor, ruined your good time. If you were alone, you could have gotten that outfit for free. What a pity." Jiao Xiaoyu took Chen Hu's arm, "Are you deliberately being sarcastic? Don't even mention one set, I wouldn't want a hundred sets from her. This woman is really resourceful." Chen Hu was already unfamiliar with women's bodies and couldn't help but feel a jolt, but he couldn't easily pull his arm away, as that would make him look ridiculous. "She has an extraordinary background. Come on, I'll treat you to dinner." “ I’ll treat you, even though I lost a set of clothes because you were there. Let’s eat at the Capital Horizon Hotel .” “It’s a five-star hotel, can you afford it?” “So what if it’s five-star?” “ The chairs in five-star hotels are all thorny, uncomfortable to sit on. I’ll take you somewhere else.” “Where?” “A six-star hotel.” Jiao Xiaoyu laughed, “Five-star is the limit, you invented six-star, huh?” " The hotel building was surrounded by small restaurants, all thriving. Chen Hu stopped at a restaurant with parking . The restaurant had ten tables, not big, but very clean. Chen Hu chose a table by the window facing the street. At the next table, two men and two women were eating. The man looked to be around fifty years old, and the two women were under thirty. The dishes were a mess, and the man and woman were playing a trendy drinking game evolved from 'rock, paper, scissors,' and were somewhat drunk . The man and woman sang the same drinking rhyme as they played, or perhaps reciting the lyrics would be more appropriate. 'Two little bees, flying into the flowers, flying, flying, flying…' The man held up two fingers in a scissor shape, and the woman held up a fist. Then the woman made a gesture of slapping . The man took a sip of his drink and started again." "Two little bees, flying into the flowers, flying, flying, flying..." The man held out his palm, the woman still had her fist. This time the woman lost, and the man made a slapping motion at her mouth. The woman pouted, smacked her lips twice, made a kissing motion, and then drank a glass of wine. They continued drinking. "Two little bees, flying into the flowers..." This erotic drinking game and the kissing and slapping gesture caught Chen Hu's attention. The traditional drinking game of "Eight Horses, Five Heads" had been replaced by bees and flying kisses; life was becoming increasingly personalized. But his intuition told him that these two couples weren't normal married couples; the two men were definitely there with their mistresses for fun. Jiao Xiaoyu was very uncomfortable in the noisy little restaurant; it was worlds apart from the romantic and cozy atmosphere of the grand hotels . Her good mood vanished instantly. She had originally wanted to have an elegant conversation with Chen Hu accompanied by classical music , but instead, she had come to such a vulgar place. She said sarcastically, "You really saved me money!" “ No, I’m saving myself money. I’m treating you.” “It’s only a few dozen yuan, and you’re treating me this once? You’re getting a good deal.”

"See, it's hard to be a good person, isn't it? You were supposed to treat me, but now I'm treating you, so I'm the one who benefits?
Xiaoyu , have you noticed why there are so many small restaurants around this restaurant?"

Jiao Xiaoyu replied without thinking, "Because the location is good."

"You're not using your brain. It's not just here; many big restaurants have small restaurants around them. This is called 'small eats for big restaurants.' Small
restaurants cater to the big restaurants. The customers of the big restaurants get tired of the delicacies and want to try something different at the small restaurants. Also,
there are many companies inside the big restaurants. White-collar workers can't afford to eat at restaurants all the time, so they eat at small restaurants. This is an
economic law."

Jiao Xiaoyu nodded and said, "I didn't expect Chen Hu to have such a unique understanding of economics!"

"Familiarity with the national conditions is a prerequisite for solving cases, right?"

A migrant worker from Sichuan brought over a pot of tea and said, "Sir, please order."

Chen Hu opened the menu, "Fish-flavored shredded pork, stir-fried potato shreds with green peppers, sliced beef and tripe in chili sauce, spicy diced chicken, a bowl of hot and sour
soup, a bottle of beer, and two bowls of white rice."

"You're really something, you ordered all my favorites."

"I know your ancestral home is Sichuan!"

"But I grew up here, and I've never been to Sichuan."

A man at the next table slammed his glass on the table, cursing, "What kind of nonsense is this? Eight
dishes and a few bottles of wine, and it's over two hundred yuan! When Chairman Mao was alive, a plate of spicy chicken cost only eight jiao (0.8 yuan),
now it's fifteen yuan, that's twenty times higher! This is making it impossible for poor people to live!"

The man who had just stopped playing drinking games said, "Fifteen yuan for a dish and you still think it's expensive? A slightly decent dish costs over a hundred yuan
. That's true, thirty years ago, ten or eight yuan was enough for a family to eat out."

"I can't say anything, I can't say anything, reforms, they've only reformed prices!"

"After all this talk, you still don't have money. There are plenty of rich people now. If you don't pay at this kind of small restaurant, people
won't come, they'll think it's too shabby."

“Thirty years ago, there were no tycoons. Back then, everyone was poor, and no one
felt . Now, the poor are poor, and the rich are rich. Look at the newspapers and TV; today they drag out a
corrupt official and execute him; tomorrow they drag out an embezzler and execute him. Thirty years ago, none of this happened! Forget about
embezzling millions; even embezzling two hundred yuan would get you imprisoned. Reforms, huh? They've only made things more chaotic.”

Chen Hu wanted to say something, but Jiao Xiaoyu stopped him.

Chen Hu moved his chair to the next seat and said, “Sir, thirty years ago,
how much ?”

“Ugh, don’t even mention it. Only forty yuan a month. A family of five, that’s eight yuan per person on average.”

“What’s your surname, sir?” the other person asked in return.

"My surname is Chen."

"Master Chen, have a drink."

"Thanks, my [something] is coming right away. Let me join you in the fun. Back then, ten or eight yuan was enough for a meal
at a restaurant , but how many times a month could you go?"

"A month? I wouldn't dare go even once every six months. Well, one meal would wipe out half a month's salary.
During holidays, I had to apply for subsidies from the organization; if I didn't get them, I couldn't celebrate the New Year."

Chen Hu chuckled. "And now? How many times a month do you go to restaurants like that?"

"Is that considered going to a restaurant? It's just a simple meal. I drive a taxi; I wouldn't say I've eaten at every small restaurant in the city,
but I've eaten at almost all of them."

"So how much do you earn a month now?"

"After paying the vehicle rental fee, it's about three thousand yuan a month."

Chen Hu touched his scar and said, "Thirty years ago, you earned forty yuan a month. Now you earn
three thousand. Your income has increased dozens of times! You must have some savings by now?"

“What I saved is still money, but last month I bought a Xiali car for 120,000 yuan,”

Chen Hu laughed. “This just proves the saying, ‘Eat the meat with one hand, then curse the cook with the other.’”

Everyone at the table laughed.

The person playing the drinking game was a little embarrassed. “That’s true. To be honest, the standard of living has improved a lot. Thirty
years , let alone a Xiali, you’d have to save for three to five years to buy a Flying Pigeon. You’re a master, even more so than Lao Gao
. There aren’t many people who can convince me. So tell me, now that we have money, why is everyone feeling unbalanced?”

Everyone at the table laughed again.

Jiao Xiaoyu, who had been a little worried, also laughed.

“What I’m saying might not be entirely right, but there are quite a few issues that make people feel unbalanced. So what can we do? To make you
feel better, let’s go back thirty years and let you earn forty yuan a month. Would you be willing?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s right, we have to move forward and continue reforming, using reform to solve the problems that arise during reform.
In a few years, I guarantee you’ll be able to trade your Xiali for a Santana; if we go back thirty years, sorry, you’ll still be riding that
Flying Pigeon that you saved up for three or five years to afford.”

The waiter brought the dishes. “Sir, your food is here.”

Chen Hu moved his chair back. “Gentlemen, come and have a couple more drinks.”

“Thanks, thanks, brother. I come here almost every day. Whenever we meet, let’s have a
good drink together. See you later.”

Several guests at the next table got up and left.

Jiao Xiaoyu retaliated against her earlier resentment at being ignored with sarcasm, "I never knew you could find such a way
to do ideological work."

"Just chatting, of course. This kind of 'eat the meat, then curse' attitude is definitely one-sided." Chen Hu glanced around
the restaurant; it was empty now that the people playing drinking games had left, and it suddenly quieted down. He lowered his voice and said, "
What are your thoughts on the information provided by Vice Mayor He's driver?"

"It's Sunday, can we not talk about work?"

"Okay, okay, take a day off. This isn't the place to talk about work. Come on, cheers."

Jiao Xiaoyu saw the sunlight cast a shadow on Chen Hu's scar, making his resolute face even more vivid.
Suddenly, her heart pounded like a deer's; the soil in her heart was loosened by the deer's antlers, and a seed sown would sprout.

Chen Hu kept looking out the window. Jiao Xiaoyu said tenderly, "The light is too bright. Do you like looking at the street scene?"

"It's better than a movie because it's more real. Everyone has their own story; it's like a book."

"You're quite romantic." Chen

Hu saw a Xiali taxi parked at the entrance, and an acquaintance, Zhao Wuzhou, got out. Chen Hu remembered Zhao Wuzhou
bringing him a wreath at the hospital; it was truly a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road. He smiled wryly and said, "A story has come in."

Zhao Wuzhou lifted the plastic beaded curtain and entered.

Chen Hu greeted him, "Zhao Wuzhou, come and sit down."

"Director Chen?"

Zhao Wuzhou walked over with a surprised look. Chen Hu stood up and pulled over a chair. "Come on, let's have a chat."

Zhao Wuzhou sat down.

"I really didn't expect to run into you. Director Chen, what brings you here?"

"Just resting today, wandering around. What about you?"

"I was transferred to the Capital Horizon Hotel's motorcade. If I miss a meal, I'll eat here. What a small world!
Have me a cigarette."

Zhao Wuzhou pulled out a Marlboro.

Chen Hu pulled out his own cigarettes. "I'll keep mine." Chen Hu offered Zhao Wuzhou a cigarette.
"It's a bit worse than yours. Wuzhou, how long have you been at the Capital Horizon Hotel?"

"Three months."

"How's the hotel doing?"

"Not bad."

"Smell, I've read the book your father sent me. It's very interesting. I've learned a lot."

A dark cloud appeared on Zhao Wuzhou's face.

"What's the use of that? You still sent him to his death with a single bullet. Let's not talk about that. Since we're so close, we still need
to eat. I'll order

." "We've already ordered."

"Then I'll order a few more, it's on me." Zhao Wuzhou ordered three more dishes, filling the small table.

Chen Hu introduced them: "This is Jiao Xiaoyu, the new graduate student from the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and this is Zhao Wuzhou."

"I probably won't end up in your Anti-Corruption Bureau's hands in my lifetime. Before, I could embezzle some gasoline while driving, but now I
pay for my own gas, so I'll just embezzle a little more dust from the road. Come on, you two, let me toast you for your
hard work . If we don't fight corruption, won't all the people's money end up in the hands of corrupt officials? Cheers!"

Jiao Xiaoyu clinked glasses and said, "Thank you, Master Zhao."

Zhao Wuzhou drank it all in one gulp. Zhao Wuzhou

put down his glass, "I think the people who support you the most are us ordinary people. Officials
get a headache just hearing the words 'anti-corruption'."

Chen Hu laughed and said, "Most officials are still good, otherwise they'd kill us with work."

Zhao Wuzhou scoffed, "You wear official robes, so you have to speak official jargon. I think it's all about big officials being big corrupt, small officials being small corrupt,
and no official not being corrupt. Don't like hearing that, do you?" "Just bear with it, there's plenty of unpleasant stuff out there, I'm afraid it'll offend your ears."

Chen Hu seemed to remember something and said, "Comrade Wuzhou, I'm coming to visit you, are you welcome?"

Zhao Wuzhou spat out a fishbone, "Don't be like that, if you come to see me in your official robes, people will think I've become a corrupt
official!"

Jiao Xiaoyu was amused and laughed.

Zhao Wuzhou got up, walked to the counter, put down two hundred-yuan bills, and whispered something to the shopkeeper. He turned
back and said, "Gentlemen, I have other things to do, I can't stay any longer. If you need anything, find me at the restaurant's car fleet." Zhao Wuzhou
hurriedly went out and got into his car.

Jiao Xiaoyu looked at the Xiali outside the window and said, "Taxi drivers work so hard.
They go too, I'll go pay."

Chen Hu smiled, "By the time you pay, it'll be too late. Zhao Wuzhou has already paid."

Jiao Xiaoyu said strangely, "You're facing away from the counter, do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?" "I saw him exchange a few words with
the boss , but I didn't see him pay!"

Chen Hu pointed at Jiao Xiaoyu. "You don't know people well enough. I don't need to have eyes in the back of my head.
This kind of person won't leave without paying. Generous and open-minded, that's the driver's nature. If you don't
believe me, let's make a bet."

"I believe you. It seems you have a good impression of him, so why did he say you and he are destined to be enemies?
And what about his father?"

Chen Hu sighed. "That's a long story. His father was a scholar who killed someone because he couldn't get a house.
I handled that case, and he was sentenced to death."

Jiao Xiaoyu's eyes widened. "People kill for houses?"

"You, you're like a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of a starving man. Using one's position to get more houses, better houses, and renovations exceeding standards
has almost become open corruption. Which unit doesn't have similar things! Some leaders, before their sons are even married,
have already gotten their grandsons' houses." It's not uncommon for ordinary people to live together in four-generation households, some even divorced and
homeless . Imagine having a curtain between them!

"You're quite the complainer!"

"Hmph, if I didn't complain, I couldn't do this job!"

The two left the restaurant and got into the car. Chen Hu had just settled in when he brought up his topic of interest again,
"What are your thoughts after hearing what He Qizhang's driver provided?"

"We agreed to rest today, no work talk!"

"This is a government vehicle. If we don't talk about work, we can't find an excuse to drive around shopping."

"You're really quite honest."

"But I also take advantage of small things, driving around all the time."

Jiao Xiaoyu asked suspiciously, "Are you testing me?"

"Just exchanging ideas, we're partners!"

Jiao Xiaoyu calmed herself, "It can be summarized in three aspects. First, Vice Mayor He originally had an unfinished recommendation letter for
Qiu Siyu, but it was replaced with a will." The time of exchanging the letter should be
within the four-plus hours between Du Xinzheng leaving the Royal Garden Hotel at 7:30 AM on May 3rd and returning at noon. Second, Vice Mayor He
carried a pistol when he went to Yeshanpo, seemingly indicating a possible suicide attempt. Third, I checked Vice Mayor He's computer and
found no suicide note stored. I compared the font of the suicide note with the font on Vice Mayor He's printer and found that the fonts
were different , suggesting the suicide note might have been forged. There are three more suspicious points to investigate. First, what did Vice Mayor He
learn from Jiao Dongfang that prompted him to suddenly leave the TV studio and rush back to his office? What did he do in
his office that night? Second, what urgent matter led Jiao Dongfang to the TV station to see Vice Mayor He? Third, what
was Vice Mayor He doing at Yeshanpo on the morning of May 3rd? Was he meeting someone or handling some business? For this,
we need to contact three people: Qiu Sinan, the beautiful Song Huihui, and Jiao Dongfang. "Chen Hu, am I right?"

Chen Hu's eyes revealed approval; he was beginning to like his new assistant.

"Xiaoyu, your analysis is excellent." "You've summarized it very well! We should also investigate at the Royal Garden Hotel
who entered He Qizhang's private room on the morning of May 3rd. We need to
gather information from the locals in the Wild Hillside area to see if they've discovered anything suspicious."

Jiao Xiaoyu was pleased with the praise but didn't want to continue the conversation.

"Can we stop here for today's work? I have a personal engagement later."

"A date with your boyfriend?"

"If I wanted to go on a date with my boyfriend, you'd be the first person I'd ask out. Would you dare to go?"

"You're the one who invited me out today, did I back down?"

"Not today, because the mindset is different. You'd better be prepared!"

Chen Hu said, touching his scar. "It's serious enough, don't scare me away."

"Let's stop here, I'll take a taxi."

Chen Hu braked, and Jiao Xiaowang got out.

"Thank you, thank you for patiently spending the whole morning with me. See you tomorrow."

The suburban golf course was open only to members, exuding an aristocratic air.

Wang Yaozu and three Chinese tycoons escorted Jiao Pengyuan across the entrance lawn of the golf course.

Qiu Siyu and the beautiful Song Huihui each linked arms with one of Jiao Pengyuan's, walking in the middle. Shen Shi and several caddies carrying
golf clubs followed behind.

Wang Yaozu said excitedly, "I propose a bet of 600,000 per stroke. What do you all think?"

The business tycoons echoed, "Great, it's a deal, 600,000 per stroke."

Qiu Siyu smiled and nestled against Jiao Pengyuan, like a devoted wife to the Party Secretary. She turned and smiled, "Secretary Jiao
's skills are superb; I'm afraid you can't afford to lose, can you?"

Jiao Pengyuan hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I can't accept such a high compliment. I was only discharged from the hospital a few days ago and I'm too weak.
Let alone 600,000 per stroke, I can't even afford to lose 60 yuan per stroke."

The beautiful Song Huihui leaned closer to Jiao Pengyuan. Not wanting to show weakness in front of Qiu Siyu, she said coquettishly,
"What are you afraid of? If you lose, it's on me."

Jiao Pengyuan was very pleased with himself, "It's sports, don't gamble. If you win, it's yours, okay?"

Wang Yaozu and Qiu Siyu exchanged a knowing glance, and the business tycoons nodded tacitly.

Jiao Pengyuan shifted his feet slightly, then swung his club sharply. The white golf ball soared through the air, arcing through
the air, and landed near the marker thirty meters away, just over a foot from the hole.

Shen Shi, carrying a golf bag with several clubs for different purposes, followed closely beside Jiao Pengyuan.

Shen Shi clapped his hands, "Commander, you're a crack shot! Secretary Jiao, take it easy, don't mess it up."

Jiao Pengyuan patted his backside with his golf cup. 'Oh, don't talk while you're playing.'

Lai Huihui was preparing to hit her ball not far away, only a meter or so from the hole. Due to nervousness, she hit too hard, and
the ball went over the hole.

Song Yihui picked up the ball, carrying her golf cup, and came to Jiao Pengyuan's side, pouting.

'Oh, I'm not playing anymore! It's no fun if it doesn't go in!'

Jiao Pengyuan chuckled slightly, "You can't change your spoiled temper. Here I am." He gently flicked the ball, and it rolled into
the hole.

Shen Shi bent down to retrieve the ball from the hole. Jiao Pengyuan sternly stopped him: "Don't touch it! Mind your own business, I'll get it
myself ."

After taking the ball out, Jiao Pengyuan waved it in front of the beautiful Song Huihui and said, "Huihui,
the greatest joy of playing golf is when you get the ball out of the hole. I absolutely cannot let anyone else share this joy."

A grass-side electric cart drove towards them, driven by Jiao Xiaoyu, with Jiao Dongfang and Tian Congying sitting beside her.

The cart stopped at Jiao Pengyuan's location, and Jiao Dongfang and Tian Congying jumped off.

Jiao Pengyuan laughed and said, "Xiaoyu, get off! Haven't you finished your race yet?"

Jiao Dongfang pointed mockingly at Jiao Xiaoyu, "Little sister, you're treating the golf course like a racetrack, running around everywhere." Jiao

Pengyuan got on the cart, "Come on, let's take Uncle for a spin."

Jiao Xiaoyu skillfully maneuvered the cart slowly up the slope. Jiao Pengyuan patted Jiao Xiaoyu's hand and said, "How's
it going? Chen Hu isn't easy to work with

, is he?" "He's alright. He didn't want me at first, but things aren't so tense now. I think he's a good person, very quick
-witted ."

"Hmm, that's good. You've just started working, so you need to rely on the organization more often when things happen. Report frequently to Director Zhou and Director
Hao, don't be too impulsive, and definitely don't be rash. How's the investigation into Vice Mayor He's death going?"

“There’s more and more evidence, but of course we can’t draw conclusions yet.”

Jiao Pengyuan’s face darkened, and he said unhappily, “But the municipal party committee has already concluded that it was suicide, and the reasons are quite valid
! Chen Hu just loves to make unfounded accusations; it’s an occupational hazard! You can’t just blindly follow him. I promoted Qi Zhang myself
; you should trust that your uncle’s eyes won’t be wrong about him. As for personal issues, there might be
some . Suicide over a relationship is indeed not worth it, but when judging an official, we should mainly look at their integrity, right? I think his epaulets are still
good in terms of integrity. He’s done a good job managing the municipal finances! He’s known as the iron-fisted accountant. Now there are a few people who want to use Qi Zhang
’s suicide to undermine me, smear my reputation, and even deny the city’s achievements. This is malicious!”

Jiao Xiaoyu listened silently. She felt that her uncle’s anger was understandable; no one wants to see their
capable subordinates get into trouble.

"Xiaoyu, why aren't you saying anything?"

"I'm listening to you."

"Sigh, I haven't been in a good mood lately. You're all grown up now, I don't need to tell you anything. Just make sure you
maintain firm and correct political direction, especially avoid making organizational mistakes. Trust the Party, trust the organization. We
are fully capable of correcting mistakes in our work, but we must also prevent anyone from using the name of anti-corruption to attack good cadres.
Achievements and mistakes are always like nine fingers and one finger. Attacking one point while ignoring the rest is
a trick used by rightists. Uncle is worried that you are young and lack political experience, and might make mistakes!"

"I remember, Uncle. Should we go back now? They won't dare to play without you, right? Hehe...
"

"Okay, drive back. Xiaoyu, don't think that just because Dongfang is your brother, he's a man who won't settle down after fifty.
You should help him more."

Jiao Xiaoyu made a face, "Me? My brother is a big CEO, who am I?"

The electric scooter drove back to the vicinity of the hole, and Jiao Pengyuan got off to continue swinging.

When it was Wang Yaozu's turn, he was only three meters from the hole, yet he failed to sink a shot in four strokes. Everyone
knew he was deliberately trying to lose.

Wang Yaozu wiped his sweat and said, "I can't take it anymore, my skills are

getting worse and worse. I'm going to lose badly today." Qiu Siyu teased, "Your business is booming!"

"My skills are getting worse every day."

"I can't seem to get the ball in, probably because of my cold."

Several wealthy businessmen's self-deprecating remarks elicited a cold laugh from Qiu Siyu. She said, "I think today is the best day
of ."

Jiao Xiaoyu observed Qiu Siyu for a while, deliberately trying to provoke her, "Boss Qiu, you're indispensable everywhere!"

Qiu Siyu hugged Jiao Xiaoyu's shoulder, "Last time you really didn't give me any face, you wouldn't even accept a piece of clothing."

"If I had known that shop belonged to you, I wouldn't have dared to go in. What, is today's game a gamble?"

“A little stake makes the game more fun. Want to gamble?”

Jiao Xiaoyu said with a double meaning. “Yes, I’m planning to bet. I wonder how big your stake is?”

Tian Congying walked over to Jiao Xiaoyu, feeling uneasy and unsure of herself.

Jiao Xiaoyu had a good impression of her but worried that she was just a passing fancy for her brother, so she hinted, “
How long have you been friends with my brother?”

“Not long. We’ve only known each other for a short time.”

“Being his girlfriend must be tough, right?”

“He’s very good to me, but I always feel like this is a dream, and when I open my eyes, it’ll all be gone. I’m afraid I
won’t be able to adapt to his family, his circle, or even his status.”

Jiao Xiaoyu laughed. “That must be exhausting for you. Why bother trying to adapt to them?”

Tian Congying looked around sadly, seemingly oblivious to everyone, and said dejectedly, “I always feel like this
isn’t the place for me.”

Jiao Pengyuan swung his club, the ball flying far away. Meanwhile
, Si

Heke sat in his Huaxia Trading Company’s general manager’s office, picking up the phone from his desk and dialing.

"Please answer the phone, Uncle Qian."

The female secretary in Qian Zhong's office picked up the phone. "Mayor's Assistant Office, who are you looking for?"

"This is He Kedai. Please answer the phone, Uncle Qian."

"Please hold."

Qian Zhong took the phone from the secretary. "Kedai, what's the matter?"

"Uncle Xun, why hasn't the permit for my 20,000 square meters of foreign-sale housing been approved yet? I went to see
Director Liu, and he said you withdrew your application. Without your application, he can't approve it. He told me to contact you again."

Qian Zhong covered the receiver and said to the secretary, "Call Director Liu here."

"Kedai, your 20,000 square meters are villas and office buildings. The central government has repeatedly issued orders that these can no longer be approved
. I can't do anything about it. Let's wait and see."

"My project was approved before the central government gave the order, so it shouldn't be affected. I've already
signed preliminary contracts with investors, and the pre-sale apartments are waiting to be listed in Hong Kong. How can I bear the responsibility of breaching the contract? Please be
lenient !"

"Kedai, I really can't help you." "We can't just ignore the warnings. Let's postpone this discussion.
Is your mother feeling better?"

"Much better. Thank you."

"Please give her my regards. I have a meeting, that's all for now."

Qianzhong hung up the phone. Director Liu came in and stood by the desk.

Qianzhong pointed at him and scolded, "What are you good for? You always try to push things onto the leaders.
I had a reason to withdraw the approval for He Kedai's project, and you even made him come to me for it.

" Director Liu quietly defended himself, "The approval slip was given to me by He Kedai. Now he's asking me for it, so
I had to tell him you withdrew it."

"Idiot! Can't you come up with a different excuse? Go ahead, He Kedai's project can't be approved. What happened then
is now, go ahead."

Qian Zhong glanced at his secretary and said, "From now on, whenever He Kedai calls, say I'm not here."

He Kedai slammed down the phone and cursed, "Damn it, once someone's gone, the tea grows cold! My father's body is barely cold, and
that old fox Qian Zhong is already refusing to cooperate! It was approved before, but he's using current documents to block me! Just wait and see,
my father is dead, but I'm not. I have just as much material as my father. If we're going to destroy everyone, we'll all be destroyed together! Trying
to stand by and watch, kick someone when they're down, or cut off their lifeline? Dream on! Qian Zhong's ass can't be cleaned even with a high-pressure hose.
Everyone knows he's a powerful figure in urban construction, a stroke of his pen can make a fortune. And now he's talking to me about central government documents?
When has he ever taken central government documents seriously? He's just following Secretary Jiao's orders. At most
, the house will collapse, and nobody will survive."

The secretary said with a hint of fear, "Mr. He, the person you're looking for is here, waiting outside."

“Tell him to wait for the factory.”

He Kedai dialed again: “Please answer the phone, Director Hao. This is He Kedai.”

“Sorry, Director Hao is not here.”

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know.”

The line went dead.

He Kedai put down the phone and muttered to himself, “What a ghost! They’ve all gone to hell.

” He Kedai dialed a third time, this time to Shen Shi’s office. Jiao Pengyuan was reviewing
documents .

Shen Shi picked up the phone: “Hello, what’s your surname?”

“Secretary Shen, this is He Kedai. I have something urgent to discuss with Uncle Jiao.”

“Secretary Jiao is not here.”

Jiao Pengyuan glanced at Shen Shi, didn’t speak, signed his name on the document, and wrote:

Please review, Qian Zhong.

“When will he be back?”

“Secretary Jiao is out and won’t be back for a while. Goodbye.” Shen Shi put down the phone.

Jiao Pengyuan asked casually, “Who called?”

“He Kedai. I don’t think you’d want to answer.” Jiao

Pengyuan nodded.

Frustrated by the cold reception of her calls, He Kedai grabbed a glass and smashed it on the marble floor.
The shards hit her secretary, who dodged aside, saying, "Mr. He, you're in a bad mood. I'll send him
back."

"No, let him in."

The secretary left, and a few minutes later, an unremarkable man in his thirties entered. His name was Ye Baoxin.

"Mr. He, I'm here."

He Kedai glanced at him and immediately thought he was useless, asking irritably, "You're Ye Baoxin?
The first person in this city to open a private detective agency?"

"Yes, that's me. But the detective agency has been shut down by the Industry and Commerce Bureau."

"Please sit down."

Ye Baoxin sat in the swivel chair opposite the boss's desk.

"The license's been cancelled, but I can get it back for you. But you don't seem very bright!"

Ye Baoxin smiled humbly. "You don't understand. People who look smart aren't good at being detectives
. I'm perfect. I have no distinguishing features; people who see me will never remember my face because
it's too ordinary." “

That makes sense. You’re quite ordinary. What cases have you handled?”

“I don’t take any cases involving politics or criminal offenses; that’s the police’s business.
I only handle cases the police don’t handle, mainly investigating personal privacy. Like tracking down a third party, a wife trying to catch her husband doing something wrong,
a husband trying to find out who his wife was with while he was away on business—all trivial matters.”

He Ke became interested.

"You think you can make money doing these low-down things?"

"It depends on who the client is. Last time, a rich guy asked me to keep an eye on his three mistresses, and I squeezed a good sum out of him.
It won't work with working-class people. Maybe a couple hundred. It's not entirely about the money. I love this line of work;
I've admired Sherlock Holmes since I was little. I reckon that with the development of the market economy, detective agencies will
definitely emerge because there's market demand. Small government, big society—many things can't be solved by the government;
society has to regulate itself. I'm

doing this for stability and unity, you know." "Alright, stop flattering yourself. Do you own a car?"

"I have a Xiali."

"What about other equipment? "

"I have cameras and recorders. But no eavesdropping equipment; you can't buy it on the market.

" "If you can't buy it, I'll give it to you. But you'd better practice your skills." He

Kedai took out more than a dozen photos from the drawer and placed them on the table. They were all
group photos of him, Jiao Dongfang, and their male and female entourage, as well as
individual photos of Jiao Dongfang, Jiang Yuexiu, Qiu Siyu, the beautiful Song Huihui, Sha Li, and Zhu Ni.

"Besides me, I want you to keep an eye on everyone in these photos. Find out who they contact, what they do,
what phone calls they make, including their sexual encounters with Tan Shang—find out everything. Remember, absolutely no one should be allowed
to notice.
I will provide all the listening devices and special recording equipment, including a 300x telephoto lens, military binoculars, and infrared night vision devices, free of charge. But be quick."

Ye Baoxin looked at the photos and said with difficulty, "Judging from your tone, you are more professional than me. To keep an eye on so many people,
I need to hire an assistant, otherwise it won't be fast. What about the cost?"

He Kedai stamped his seal on the check, filled in the amount, tore it off, and threw it to Ye Baoxin.

"This is a cash check for 20,000 yuan as your start-up capital. If you do a good job, money won't be a problem." Ye

Baoxin placed the check and photo in an inconspicuous old bag. Nodding and bowing, he said, "I've been entrusted with this task,
so I'll see it through. Just watch."

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