0140 149 I and the spring breeze are both passersby, you carry the autumn waters and embrace the Milky Way.

Inside the meeting room, behind Zhou Xiye, there were four large characters: "Integrity and Justice," which stood out vividly on the white wall.

“Secretary Zhou, you should know very well why we called you here,” Li Ling asked.

Zhou Xiye nodded, "I know."

On either side of the large table, Li Ling and Zhou Xiye stared at each other, Zhou Xiye making no attempt to look away. A webcam was on, displaying their images on the screen.

"Director Li, feel free to ask me anything. I will answer you to the best of my ability."

Seeing Zhou Xiye's open and honest demeanor, Li Ling knew she wouldn't get anything out of him; she knew him too well. Li Ling lowered her head and pulled out the documents from the Yunnan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the inspection team from the parchment. After glancing at them, she asked two simple questions, which Zhou Xiye answered truthfully without any loopholes.

Li Ling looked at Zhou Xiye, suddenly smiled, and turned to the people next to her, saying, "Let's stop here. Secretary Zhou is cooperating with the investigation."

So the people around her stood up, and Li Ling got up and turned off the video. Zhou Xiye watched their actions, smiled slightly, and didn't get up, but just picked up a paper cup and took a sip of water. After they finished their work, Li Ling also sat down, but everyone else had left.

The door was gently closed. Zhou Xiye heard the sound, put down the paper cup, and looked at Zhou Xiye.

"Li Ling, what did you call me here for?"

Zhou Xiye's question was not unexpected by Li Ling. She smiled and said, "After all these years, you are still the same as before."

“My real intention isn’t what it seems, Li Ling. I know how serious my situation is, and which departments need to get involved,” Zhou Xiye paused, “and you know it too. So stop beating around the bush, what did you call me here for?”

"Answer all questions you know the answer to?"

Zhou Xiye nodded.

"We are also investigating Ye Rouxin's death. There are quite a few infiltrated forces within the organization, and Premier Ye believes that Ye Rouxin's death may be related to foreign forces, so..."

Zhou Xiye looked at her without saying a word.

Li Ling smiled. "So the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection needs your cooperation in the investigation."

“What if I don’t cooperate?” Zhou Xiye retorted. “Will you keep me trapped in Beijing? Place me under house arrest? Like you’ve placed them under house arrest?”

"Zhou Xiye, Secretary Zhou, is this how you accept an investigation?" Li Ling's expression changed, and she adopted a businesslike attitude to interrogate Zhou Xiye, even though she knew that Zhou Xiye would not accept this approach.

"If you're investigating me, why don't you turn on the camera? Is this something a professional investigator would do?! I'm completely innocent, so what am I afraid of being investigated?"

She's really stubborn and won't listen to reason.

Li Ling couldn't get too entangled with her on this topic. To get the fish to take the bait, she had to offer it first, especially a big fish like Zhou Xiye, a wild Yellow River carp.

"Your summons to the central government for investigation is not only the intention of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Premier Ye, but also the intention of the Pei family."

Upon hearing the name of the Pei family, Zhou Xiye's expression changed. "The Pei family? What does that mean?"

“We wouldn’t be so clueless as to do things this way. We called you here because you’re the Pei family’s daughter-in-law, so naturally we had to ask Minister Pei for his opinion and thoughts. Of course, we also asked Chairman Pei, and they all agreed,” Li Ling said, looking carefully at Zhou Xiye.

“Of course we have to agree. I haven’t done anything wrong. Even if they investigate, they won’t find anything. They have confidence in me,” Zhou Xiye said, regaining his calm demeanor.

Li Ling smiled, "That's true. There aren't that many corrupt officials; they're all just victims of political infighting." She then stood up. "However, the Pei family's intention is to give you a minor reprimand and then transfer you to Hangzhou as the director of the Municipal Economic and Trade Bureau—a promotion in name only..."

Zhou Xiye stared at Li Ling.

"Zhou Xiye, you have to choose one."

"I want to see Premier Ye."

The last time Zhou Xiye stepped into the Forbidden City was during the National Day parade last year. It was a truly breathtaking experience. This year, when she went in again, security was extremely tight. After getting out of the car and going through a series of security checks, Zhou Xiye finally entered Zhongnanhai.

Red walls, green tiles, and gray roads.

Li Ling walked ahead, with Zhou Xiye following behind her, and a group of plainclothes guards behind them.

The autumn wind blew, and the branches swayed. The ground was so clean that not a single leaf could be seen; only the sound of the branches swaying could be heard.

A military vehicle drove past.

For some reason, Zhou Xiye felt that this year's security was more rigorous than last year's. It was as if there was a net in the air, waiting to land at any moment. Something might have happened in the center. Her heart suddenly jumped. She had to be careful.

But the military vehicle circled around the yard and stopped in front of Li Ling. Zhou Xiye looked up and saw that it was blocking their way.

A man stepped out of the military vehicle. He was wearing a green military uniform, stood tall, and had a slight smile on his face. Li Ling glanced at the man's shoulder and then at his face. After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, "Colonel Cheng, what is it you need to do? Perhaps you could wait a moment? We need to see Premier Ye."

Cheng Haodong nodded, a roguish smile on his face, and said, "Hey, you really are a good comrade of the people. I haven't even asked who you're going to see, and you've already told me. Sure enough, Director Li really knows people's hearts." After saying that, he looked at Zhou Xiye behind Li Ling, "Secretary Zhou, my name is Cheng Haodong, and I came here specifically to say hello to you."

Before Zhou Xiye could react, Cheng Haodong had already walked up to her. "Old Ling and I grew up in the same compound, so we're childhood friends," he said, extending his hand. Zhou Xiye didn't hesitate and shook his hand. She was about to speak with a smile, but the moment her fingertips touched his fingers, she froze.

Cheng Haodong put a note in her hand.

"What does Colonel Cheng mean by this?" Stuffing something in a place like this is a very dangerous thing. Zhou Xiye and him are separated by Ling Xingzhi, and the two have no connection whatsoever. Zhou Xiye does not trust him, so he opened his palm, and the people around gathered around.

Cheng Haodong was also surprised that Zhou Xiye could be so frank. After a moment of stunned silence, Li Ling took the piece of paper from Zhou Xiye's hand, unfolded it, and saw a sentence scrawled on it: "Come out for a drink sometime. This is my phone number: XXXXXXXX"

Zhou Xiye also saw the words on it clearly.

Cheng Haodong blushed. "I've heard Mayor Ling mention you a lot, so I wanted to get to know you. He wouldn't give me his contact information, but now that I've met you in person, I thought I'd take the initiative. You don't mind, do you?"

Zhou Xiye smiled and took the note from Li Ling's hand. "I don't mind."

"Alright, you guys go ahead and get busy. I have something to do, so I'll be going now!" Cheng Haodong waved and got into his car.

They stood there watching Cheng Haodong drive away. When they turned their heads again, colorful clouds appeared on the horizon, and a military vehicle slowly drove out. However, the people inside the vehicle were clearly visible from outside—Jiang Yunpeng and Zhou Pei. Zhou Xiye looked at Zhou Pei from afar, her legs unable to move.

Li Ling followed Zhou Xiye's gaze and thought to herself, "One after another, they come and go. It's really troublesome."

But the car showed no sign of stopping, driving straight past them, stirring up a gust of wind that tousled Zhou Xiye's hair.

"Let's go," Li Ling frowned and gave Zhou Xiye a push. Zhou Xiye snapped out of his daze and continued walking. Watching Zhou Xiye's back, Li Ling felt that Zhou Xiye's steps seemed to have become heavier.

Zhou Pei wasn't unaware of Zhou Xiye; he had already seen her when the car in front of him stopped.

“You know she was summoned by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection because of the Kunming incident, right?” Jiang Yunpeng adjusted his hat with his hand. “There have been a lot of troubles in the central government. If you go to see her now, you’ll only cause her more trouble, and it won’t be good for you either.”

Zhou Pei's Adam's apple bobbed, but his eyes remained fixed on Zhou Xiye.

“Zhou Pei, you’re not a child anymore. Zhou Xiye is very capable. She doesn’t need your protection; she needs you to walk alongside her. Do you have that ability now?”

The car had been parked for a long time. After the car in front of him started, Zhou Pei also started his car.

Jiang Yunpeng sat to the side, smiling with some relief.

Zhou Pei also saw Jiang Yunpeng's smile in the rearview mirror, and the next second Zhou Pei himself laughed.

It's pathetic that a stranger could stop and talk to her, but he couldn't.

But not him.

When Ye Lifeng saw Zhou Xiye again, he was exhausted, both physically and mentally. He waved for everyone to leave, and Zhou Xiye sat opposite him, rubbing his temples without asking any questions.

Zhou Xiye remained seated without speaking, but judging from Ye Lifeng's appearance, things must not have been peaceful in the central government recently.

"I called you here for no reason," Ye Lifeng said, opening his eyes to look at Zhou Xiye. "The Pei family wants you transferred, but I called you here to keep you in Kunming in my name."

Zhou Xiye hadn't expected this to be Ye Lifeng's idea, and she straightened her back.

Ye Lifeng smiled, his nasolabial folds revealing many wrinkles. "To be honest, I treat you like my own child. Ye Rouxin and you have such a good relationship, he certainly wouldn't want to see you suffer like this." As he said this, Ye Lifeng's face even showed a hint of compassion.

Zhou Xiye nodded, "Thank you..." She couldn't tell whether Ye Lifeng was using her to investigate Ye Rouxin's death or if he was genuinely kind, but she didn't think it was necessary to tell. "I've been keeping an eye on Ye Rouxin's situation. If I have any news, I will definitely let you know."

Ye Lifeng nodded, took a sip of water, and said, "Although I don't want to say it so soon, I have to tell you that you need to hurry... I have no intention of seeking re-election."

Zhou Xiye was very surprised.

Ye Lifeng rarely saw Zhou Xiye look surprised. He pursed his lips and nodded, "The things in the Central Committee are much more complicated than you think, and there are some things that are beyond Professor Hua's control."

"I understand," Zhou Xiye said, not wanting to ask any more questions. She wanted to climb the ladder on her own, so she couldn't afford to hesitate.

"You should also pay close attention to the Pei family. Use them if you can, but don't offend them if you can't. The fewer enemies the better. Don't act like a child playing house and decide to get a divorce on a whim," Ye Lifeng advised. "The Pei family has a clean reputation. If the intellectual faction falls apart, they can provide you with a safe haven."

"good."

Ye Lifeng looked at Zhou Xiye and remained silent for a long time before saying, "You should go too. I need to rest for a while."

The car stopped, and Ling Xingzhi didn't get out immediately. He lit a cigarette, rolled down the window, squinted, and looked up at the rainbow-colored building. In Beijing, he rarely came to crowded places like this. He usually stayed in high-end private clubs and had never been to Sanlitun before.

He hadn't finished his cigarette when his phone rang. He picked it up and slowly opened it; it was a message from Cheng Haodong.

"I just saw Teacher Zhou. Seeing is believing."

Ling Xingzhi chuckled and was about to reply to the message when the car door was opened, and a strong scent of perfume wafted out.

Did you drive here yourself today?

Wei Luochen took off his sunglasses and looked at Ling Xingzhi. He narrowed his eyes, a cigarette still between his fingers. "Teacher Wei, can you smell the smoke?"

"I'll take one, what do you mean by that?"

Wei Luochen threw the bag he was holding behind him.

Ling Xingzhi snorted, started the car with a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said, "I thought you were pregnant."