At around 9 p.m., the light from Li Xiuyuan's office shone through the brand-new glass in the courtyard of the Meilin Village Committee, casting a halo of light that made the courtyard feel tranquil and warm.
But the atmosphere was completely different in Li Xiuyuan's office.
How can I trust you?
"Old Ma, I heard that you knelt down before the old Party Secretary?"
The meaning of these two sentences together is obvious; anyone who isn't mentally challenged, Ma Tao, would understand Li Xiuyuan's meaning.
Those two seemingly casual words struck Ma Tao like a ton of bricks.
In an instant, Ma Tao's face turned bright red, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and Li Xiuyuan's words kept echoing in his mind. Ma Tao understood perfectly what those two sentences meant.
Li Xiuyuan meant that he should kneel down in exchange for trust.
He had knelt before the old Party Secretary before, but at that time he was just an ordinary young cadre. The incident happened suddenly, and he panicked. For the sake of his future, he knelt down before the old Party Secretary and begged him to protect him.
But things are different now. He is now a deputy section-level cadre, at the same level as Li Xiuyuan. Moreover, he is more senior than Li Xiuyuan in the town's Party committee.
In addition, Li Xiuyuan is a young man in his early twenties.
Given his status, qualifications, and age, the thought of kneeling before Li Xiuyuan was simply too much for him to bear. But if he didn't kneel, Li Xiuyuan clearly wouldn't forgive him. He hesitated, felt conflicted and anxious, and Ma Tao's legs trembled again. Even though it wasn't that hot in May, large beads of sweat appeared on Ma Tao's forehead and back.
Li Xiuyuan wasn't in a hurry. He sat down, lit a cigarette, and waited for Ma Tao's decision.
It wasn't that Li Xiuyuan was deliberately making things difficult for Ma Tao, but rather that if someone like Ma Tao wasn't dealt with decisively from the start, he might come to his senses and have other ideas at any time.
Moreover, this time, Ma Tao is following him and will be facing pressure from Zhang Xingguo, the top leader. If his will is not firm, he will easily waver.
Lu Zhenhai was on Wang Zhitao's side naturally because of their relationship. Moreover, Wang Zhitao had come from the county party committee office, so Lu Zhenhai didn't care about the pressure of being a town party secretary.
Qi Weihua, on the other hand, was a demobilized soldier. He was upright and honest, and unless there were special circumstances, he could firmly uphold his beliefs.
He was only uneasy about Ma Tao, so this time he had to subdue Ma Tao once and for all, scare him into having a fear of him.
There were three people, and three votes at the town party committee meeting. Li Xiuyuan adopted completely different methods based on each person's personality and situation.
Time passed slowly, and Ma Tao's body trembled slightly. Li Xiuyuan didn't say a word. He felt the pressure on him increasing. Should he kneel or not?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com