0015 18 Sowing discord

Zhou Xiye paused for a moment, raised her eyebrows, and after exchanging a glance with Ling Xingzhi for a second, she turned around, took the gun from her father's hand, grabbed the stool, and smashed it hard against the mirror.

Ling Xingzhi's expression remained unchanged as he looked at her.

The father, mother, and younger brother trembled in fright. Zhou Xiye threw down the stool, turned his head to look at them, and said, "Have you made enough of a scene? This is the Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee. If you have any grievances, tell him and see if he can help you buy a house and get married."

The mother was furious, and the younger brother, barely daring to breathe, stared at the ground, his face pale. Zhou Xiye's father, on the other hand, was enraged, his eyes red, his hands clenched into fists, and he dared not say a word.

The room was quiet, and Zhou Xiye calmly observed the three of them.

For some reason, Ling Xingzhi chuckled softly, straightened up, and walked in, gently closing the door behind him. "So it's Director Zhou's parents and younger brother. I just came in to say hello, not to settle some family matters."

Zhou Xiye observed the order's actions.

The colors outside the window at dusk were like pink roses, and the wild, strange light in the woman's eyes made Ling Xingzhi pause in his steps.

Rose.

A thought flashed through Ling Xingzhi's mind: she was a rose. He had seen many beautiful roses, but none were as alluring, fragrant, and bewitching as those described in books, yet covered in thorns, causing blood to flow when held.

Zhou Xiye succeeded; he was wild and alluring, yet covered in thorns.

Beneath her frameless glasses and dull suit, a rose was hidden.

Ling Xingzhi's lips twitched slightly, and his bad mood from before eased considerably.

Zhou Xiye also took a few steps toward Ling Xingzhi, stopped in front of him, tiptoed and brought his neck close, wrinkled his nose and sniffed, then took a few steps back, his smile carrying a hint of "I see".

"Secretary Ling, if you have nothing else to do, I still have some family matters to attend to."

Ling Xingzhi nodded without saying anything, then turned to leave. But as he gripped the doorknob, he paused. "Camellia isn't for you. Tom Ford's Thorn Rose is more suitable."

After saying that, he went out and closed the door tightly.

Zhou Xiye wasn't interested in perfume, and all her thoughts were currently focused on her own family matters, so she let Ling Xingzhi's words go in one ear and out the other.

Once the door closed, Zhou Xiye sat back in his original spot, arms crossed, watching them.

"I don't agree to the marriage. If you insist on getting married, then don't do the job I'm going to arrange. You'll have to support yourself."

The younger brother remained silent, while the father clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, "Why can't he get married? You're a pervert, you..."

Zhou Xiye didn't want to waste any more words with him, so she raised her hand to check the time and said, "It's settled then."

He stood up and walked out.

"What about your brother's house! The invitations have already been sent out—"

His mother's scream was loud, and Zhou Xiye was baffled. "What does this have to do with me?" he said, opening the door and politely closing it without even slamming it shut. He went outside, reached the elevator, and made a phone call. "Hello, this is Zhou Xiye. You're Director Wang, right?"

The elevator doors opened. "Oh, right, didn't I introduce you to a young man for a job there last time? How's he doing?"

Zhou Xiye spoke gently, but her expression was cold. She pressed the elevator button for her floor, and the door slowly closed.

"...Yes, I think he's no good, so just let him go, don't worry about me..."

Aside from the hotel, only a few cars drove by in front of it, and Zhou Xiye let out a long sigh.

Just as Zhou Xiye was about to turn left to go back to her office to get her car, a Mercedes-Benz C600 parked on the side of the road honked its horn. Zhou Xiye turned her head to look at the license plate number, and the car slowly drove up beside her. At that moment, the phone she was holding in her hand vibrated.

The car drove up, the rear window rolled down, and that was the order to proceed.

"Where is Director Zhou going? Do you need me to take you?"

Zhou Xiye opened the car door and got in. The perfume inside the car smelled strong and harsh.

"I'm not going anywhere, I just want to have a chat with Secretary Ling."

Ling Xingzhi nodded. "Chen Ran, go buy me a pack of cigarettes."

After speaking, the driver and Chen Ran got out of the car, and the car window slowly rolled up. Ling Xingzhi took out a pack of cigarettes from somewhere, took one out and put it in his mouth, and then handed one to Zhou Xiye.

Zhou Xiye took the cigarette, glanced at the man lighting it, his head tilted to the side, his jawline clear and strong, one could imagine how strikingly handsome he must have been in his youth.

Ling Xingzhi lit his cigarette, took out a lighter, turned it on, and Zhou Xiye held the cigarette butt between his fingers and leaned over to light it.

With a "click," the lighter lit up and then went out.

The two men took a drag of their cigarettes, and after exhaling the smoke, a hint of pleasure appeared on their expressions.

"Are you here to see your cousin?" Zhou Xiye leaned against the side window with her elbow against the door, turning her head slightly to look at him.

Ling Xingzhi didn't answer her question, "Cui Haoran, why did he come to see you?"

Zhou Xiye remained noncommittal, smoking a cigarette as she looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Ling Xingzhi took a deep drag of his cigarette, then rolled down the window, reached out to tap the ash, and looked out the window. "Don't get too close to him. This guy has a case behind him."

Zhou Xiye understood; this was the benefit she received from sleeping with him. "Thank you for the reminder, Secretary Ling."

Ling Xingzhi nodded and said nothing more. Zhou Xiye, with great perceptiveness, opened the car door and said, "They're back from buying cigarettes, Secretary Ling, I'll be going now."

Ling Xingzhi took a drag of his cigarette, turned to look at Zhou Xiye, and said, "If you want to move up the ranks, you might want to consider me."

Upon hearing Ling Xingzhi's words, Zhou Xiye paused in closing the door. "Okay."

Chen Ran and the driver got in when Zhou Xiye got out, and the car drove away. Zhou Xiye stood by the roadside and finished her cigarette. A colleague who came out of the Beijing office behind her greeted her. Zhou Xiye smiled and responded, then took out her phone to look at it; the phone was hot in her hand.

"The usual place."

The familiar number, the familiar code. Zhou Xiye walked downstairs to the office building, started the car, and casually sent a text message to Zhou Pei, "I have something to do tonight and will be back late. You pack your luggage first."

The car turned left and right, went up and down the elevated road, and drove to a teahouse located in the bustling city center on the Second Ring Road.

A tranquil oasis amidst the hustle and bustle, a secluded haven in the city—these are all auspicious connotations.

Zhou Xiye parked his car and, led by the owner, entered a private room. The door to the private room was a sliding door, and the entire teahouse was Chinese in style, though it was hard to tell whether it was from the Tang or Song dynasties or the Northern and Southern dynasties.

In short, it is different from the style of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhou Xiye pushed open the door and went inside.

The person inside seemed to have been waiting for a long time. He raised his eyelids and saw Zhou Xiye. The chess piece in his hand landed on the chessboard with a sound.

The room was filled with an antique fragrance. Zhou Xiye touched his nose, wondering which smelled better, the strong fragrance or the tea aroma.

"sit."

Ye Lifeng only said one word, and Zhou Xiye sat down in front of him, watching Ye Lifeng play chess. After a long time, he finished the game, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Try it, this is pre-Qingming Longjing tea."

Zhou Xiye took a sip; it was fragrant and had a sweet aftertaste.

"What did you call me here for?"

Ye Lifeng put down his teacup. "What did Ling Xingzhi find out?"

Zhou Xiye touched the teacup in his hand; it was very hot. "He's different from Ling Qingyun. We should start with him; he's harder to deal with."

Ye Lifeng hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on Zhou Xiye, signaling her to continue.

“The Ling family also wants the location you desire. Although we started planning a long time ago, the Ling and Ye families have different strengths and weaknesses, so you need to be more adaptable.”

Ye Lifeng's eyes showed more agreement and admiration.

"The Ling family has great influence in the capital and also has people in the military region. The Ye family has influence in various places and has more people, but in terms of ability, they may not be able to compare with the Ling family."

Hearing this, Ye Lifeng chuckled, "The Ling family is simply the reincarnation of Yan Song and Yan Shifan, father and son. They cater to the higher-ups' preferences, wanting to host the World Cup and doing whatever they want, all for the sake of the premiership."

Zhou Xiye nodded and continued, "Ling Qingyun is quite cunning, and everything can be discussed, but Ling Xingzhi is different. He's tough to deal with. I've seen his past achievements, all of which involved snatching food from the mouths of big tigers. And in terms of personality... he's not a petty person."

Upon hearing this, Ye Lifeng pursed his lips, a slight smile playing on his lips, and looked at Zhou Xiye with a thoughtful expression. "You have a very high opinion of him."

"No, Ling Qingyun is petty. Moreover... he cares a lot about authority and can't stand losing face. He likes to suppress Ling Xingzhi. If we make things difficult for him by starting with Ling Qingyun, Ling Xingzhi will definitely help us. It would be too tiring to deal with two people at once."

Ye Lifeng nodded.

"On the contrary, if we deal with Ling Xingzhi first, Ling Qingyun will not care and will stand by and watch. In fact, he will think that this is a test for Ling Xingzhi. If we tackle the tough issues first and leave Ling Qingyun alone, the situation will be much better for us."

"Okay," Ye Lifeng nodded in satisfaction. "What are your thoughts on the first step?"

Zhou Xiye put the lid on the teacup, "Sowing discord."

Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.

After leaving the Xiangtan Municipal Government's Beijing office, Ling Xingzhi's car headed straight for Mentougou District. Li Qingshan led his men to the scene, but found no bodies, though there were obvious traces on the ground. By the time they arrived in Mentougou, it was already dark.

"Secretary, over here."

Ling Xingzhi walked over, shining his flashlight on the ground, which was empty.

Have you been able to contact the family that was buried?

Li Qingshan shook his head. "No."

Ling Xingzhi stood on the earthen pit. Lights came on at the construction site in the distance, and the sounds of workers calling out for their meals could be heard. He looked over, paused for a few seconds, and said, "Let's go."

When they got home, Wei Luochen hadn't returned yet. The nanny said that his wife was attending a charity gala and would be back late.

Ling Xingzhi said nothing, took two steps inside, and stopped when he saw the burly figure.

"dad?"

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I'm asking for piglets again!!

There will be two more chapters of explicit content before the main story begins!!

Thank you everyone in advance!!!

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