Upon hearing this, everyone in the car let out a heavy sigh.

Similar conversations took place in the cars behind, but in the end, they all ended with a heavy sigh.

If this situation isn't addressed promptly, things will likely get increasingly chaotic.

After what just happened, all the drivers were on high alert, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Fortunately, nothing unusual happened on the way, and the group arrived in the provincial capital without incident.

Before setting off in the morning, Sheng Xiping called Chen Ruiqing, so Chen Ruiqing arranged for someone to wait for them on the only road they could take into the city, and then led them to the hotel that Chen Ruiqing had booked in advance.

Chen Ruiqing has worked hard and achieved outstanding results in recent years, and as expected, he has been promoted to the rank of director-general. Now, he can be considered a prominent figure in the province.

The place he arranged was naturally excellent, and Sheng Xiping and the others checked in very smoothly.

Sheng Xiping called Chen Ruiqing, first thanking him for the arrangements, and then made an appointment with him to meet at the hotel restaurant later.

At 7 p.m., Chen Ruiqing finished his work and, with a few people from the hall, went to the hotel to meet Sheng Xiping.

Sheng Xiping ordered the dishes early, and everyone sat down at two tables, chatting while waiting for the food to be served.

"Brother, was the journey here safe?"

Oh dear, when you called me this morning, I forgot to remind you to be careful on the road and pay attention to safety.

After everyone met and introduced themselves, Chen Ruiqing suddenly asked a question.

"Brother, don't even mention it. We actually encountered a robbery on our way here," Sheng Xiping said with a wry smile.

"Thankfully, we were well-prepared when we left home, so at least we didn't suffer any losses today."

Brother, what's gotten into this mess? Isn't the provincial government doing anything about it? All this fuss over a clivia plant is unacceptable! How can this continue?

Sheng Xiping was puzzled. Anyone with eyes could see that this was a scam, so why wasn't anyone stepping forward to do anything about it?

"How can we not manage it? The higher-ups have been controlling it and have issued relevant policies and regulations, but given the current situation, people are going crazy, and it can't be brought down in a short time."

Chen Ruiqing sighed. This matter involves many factors, and simple control measures are no longer very effective.

To stabilize the situation, multi-faceted cooperation is necessary, and it may be impossible to control the situation in the short term.

Sheng Xiping nodded. "That's true," he said. "I've heard that many enterprises and institutions use public funds to purchase clivia plants."

When the bubble bursts, I wonder how many people will be affected.

"Alright, it's rare for us brothers to get together, let's not talk about that. Come on, everyone fill your glasses, I'll toast everyone first."

Just then, most of the dishes were served, and Sheng Xiping raised his wine glass to toast everyone.

Chen Ruiqing knew Wu Yucheng, Liu Yuhe, and others, and they were all quite friendly when they met.

The people Chen Ruiqing brought were all from the hall. Although they weren't familiar with Sheng Xiping, seeing Sheng Xiping treating Chen Ruiqing like brothers, they understood that these weren't ordinary people.

Therefore, these people dared not underestimate Sheng Xiping and his group.

It was a rare occasion for everyone to get together, so the meal was filled with eating, drinking, chatting, and laughter, and the gathering didn't end until after nine o'clock.

After a day of travel and drinking, Sheng Xiping and his companions went back upstairs to their room, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning at six o'clock, everyone got up, washed up, went downstairs to have some breakfast, bought a lot of food, and then checked out.

The hotel that Chen Ruiqing had arranged was originally supposed to be listed under the hospitality expenses, but Sheng Xiping did not agree to that. He settled the room fee anyway before leaving.

The group continued driving north and soon left Kyrgyzstan and entered the territory of Heilongjiang Province.

Things were a bit calmer here, and we didn't encounter any problems on the road. But as we were running, it started snowing.

The road surface is already slippery in winter, and now that it's covered with a layer of snow, there's no way to escape.

Even with snow chains on the wheels, I had to drive very carefully on this road and couldn't go fast at all.

Around 3 p.m., they finally arrived in Harbin. Sheng Xiping realized they couldn't go any further, so the group had to stop in Harbin.

Sheng Xi'an's residence was not far from Harbin Institute of Technology, so Sheng Xiping led the group to his younger brother's place first.

As it happened, Sheng Xi'an had no classes, and Feng Shuyan was also resting at home. Upon seeing their elder brother leading a large group of people over, Sheng Xi'an and his wife warmly welcomed everyone.

Upon learning that Sheng Xiping and his group were going to Heihe, Feng Shuyan immediately called her uncle to inquire about the weather there.

They were told that it was snowing there, the road conditions were not good, and driving could be dangerous, so they suggested taking the train.

"Second brother, do you know what time the train departs?" Sheng Xiping asked immediately upon hearing this.

The snow is heavy in Heilongjiang Province, especially towards Heihe. The area is vast and sparsely populated, and you often drive dozens of miles without encountering a single house.

If they were to drive there through the snow, and something happened on the way, with no village or shop in sight, they would be completely helpless.

Especially with so many people this time, and Wu Yucheng present, I really didn't dare to take any risks.

"Big brother, the train departs around 6:30 every evening and arrives the next morning," Feng Shuyan said, knowing all this very well.

"Okay, second brother, you help us settle the car in, we'll grab something to eat, then go to the train station to buy tickets and take the train there."

The train leaves tonight and arrives tomorrow morning, which is good; it won't waste any time.

Sheng Xiping immediately decided that they would not stay in Harbin anymore, but would eat a quick meal and go straight to catch the train.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!