0018 21 The Ye Family Banquet (Part 1)
Ling Xingzhi did not kneel down. He looked directly into Ling Qingyun's eyes and said, word by word, "I don't think I did anything wrong."
Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Anthony Wong reached for a blanket from the side and told the woman between his legs to move away, thus sending all the women away.
Ling Qingyun remained naked from the waist down. His penis was ugly and aged, covered in sticky fluid, but no one dared to laugh at his wrinkled, hairy testicles.
This is a symbol of masculinity, and a weapon of his power; when needed, it will be raised like a bugle call to charge.
It is both strong and fragile.
"You knew perfectly well that the company belonged to your Uncle Huang, so why did you still investigate?"
Ling Qingyun looked down at the old man's ridiculous testicles, and a wild and savage female voice rang in her ears, "Power is a good thing, the good thing is that I can do whatever I want."
“He is suspected of murder, and I have reason to investigate. Moreover, the Mentougou government illegally granted that land to the company, which is illegal and irregular. Why can’t we investigate?”
Ling Qingyun chuckled at this moment, his hand still wrapped around the whip as he fiercely questioned, "The law? The law is for ordinary people, to discipline them. What does it have to do with me? What does it have to do with you?"
“I…” Ling Xingzhi paused, his voice trailing off, his head slowly lowering, “I want to be a good official…”
"Hahahaha, Anthony Wong, listen to this! My silly son is talking nonsense!"
Anthony Wong laughed and sighed, "Oh dear, Xingzhi must be thirty-five this year, how come he's still like a child who hasn't grown up? Who becomes an official to serve the people? It's all just for show. So many people take the civil service exam to get in, aren't they all just after fame, fortune, and comfort?"
Ling Xingzhi kept his head down, staring at the luxurious floor, motionless.
That's ridiculous.
Ling Qingyun threw down the whip, spread his legs, and struck a pose as if he wanted everyone to know he had a huge penis.
His most powerful weapon is not the whip, but words, power, and a father's natural right over his child.
"This idiot has gone mad from reading too much. She likes Xu Jie and Wang Yangming. If Ling Xingxi weren't a girl, I would have supported her long ago and left this idiot behind."
Ling Xingzhi wanted to laugh at this moment, to laugh at himself, to rebel. He had always been submissive to his father's orders, but Zhou Xiye's words and actions that day had really provoked him. He realized that it was indeed possible to rebel against patriarchal authority, to truly break free.
In comparison, I am a coward.
He dared not, just like a calf tied to a small post when it is young, and when the calf grows up, it will not try to break free of the rope that it could have broken free of. Fear has become a habit.
"Xingzhi, I think you've become a bit too selfless in your role as Party Secretary. Look at me, an economist, I can't even help the country solve its economic problems, yet you, a Party Secretary, can help the people escape from their misery? If they escape, who will serve us?"
Anthony Wong said casually, "Why don't we let him rest for a while?"
Ling Qingyun glanced at him and said, "You're an economist, how can you possibly concern yourself with whether the Beijing Municipal Party Secretary is taking a break or not? Why don't you go and arrange a trip abroad for the Chairman?"
Huang Qiusheng shuddered. He knew he had overstepped his bounds. It was acceptable for Ling Qingyun to discipline his son, but for an outsider like him to point fingers at Ling Xingzhi was truly excessive. He shook his head with a smile, "How could I dare... Let's leave it at that for now. Xingzhi didn't do it on purpose. Anyway, he's already in the investigation team. I'll tell Cui Haoran to be careful and not to take lives lightly. I promise I won't cause you any trouble."
Ling Qingyun glanced sideways and said, "Don't delay the project's progress. There's an exhibition in Xiangtan, which is a good opportunity. Let's start from Xiangtan City. Anyway, the company is just a front, so we can just go through the bidding process."
Anthony Wong nodded with a smile, but in his heart he was gritting his teeth and swallowing his anger. It was Ling Xingzhi who caused the trouble, and he himself had to clean up the mess. He couldn't delay the project. That was a nice way of saying it, but Anthony Wong had to run around to many places and bribe many people.
The good news is that the company's project is about to be launched in Africa. The investment money will go almost entirely from the government's pocket to our own, and the potential profits will be much greater than with projects in China.
Huang Qiusheng didn't stay long. Ling Qingyun dressed, made Ling Xingzhi kneel on the ground, and had the steward whip Ling Xingzhi until he was satisfied.
During the beating, Ling Xingzhi remained expressionless, showing neither remorse for his wrongdoing nor dissatisfaction with Ling Qingyun's actions.
Guo Huaisheng sat naked at Ling Qingyun's feet, his face devoid of color, looking like a dead man.
"Xingzhi, I don't understand why you did this?"
Ling Qingyun suddenly asked, "I don't understand my own son, and I don't need to understand him. I've always been in a high position. People in high positions never need to care about the weak or listen to their voices. People of lower status than me only need to obey."
Ling Xingzhi looked at his father, and the whip behind him stopped.
“Cui Haoran can’t stay. Father, so many people are eyeing the position you want. If they find out that this matter is related to you and forcibly intervene and investigate, they will definitely drag you down with them. If I investigate now, it will be a completely different story.”
Ling Qingyun smiled. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Ling Xingzhi then added, "Huang Qiusheng can't be kept either; he knows too much... Which is more worthwhile: exchanging Cui Haoran for a police chief?"
Ling Qingyun then realized that the case was directly assigned to the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, which was an opportunity for him to make a contribution and also a chance to win people's hearts.
Replacing a bureau chief with Cui Haoran is a high-leverage approach with low input and high output, and it can also enhance one's reputation. Unfortunately, it touches on his own interests.
Ling Xingzhi looked at Ling Qingyun's scheming expression, but remained expressionless, neither smug nor feeling wronged.
"Son, come here."
Ling Qingyun called out to Ling Xingzhi, who slowly stood up, touched his leg, and saw whip marks and bloodstains all over his back.
Ling Xingzhi squatted on the other side of Ling Qingyun, and Ling Qingyun raised his hand to pat his head. "You have to be obedient, otherwise you won't be able to hold onto the position of municipal party secretary."
"good."
Ling Xingzhi clenched the hand that was hanging by his side.
"Go ahead, we'll be waiting for your good news."
Ling Xingzhi came out of the house wearing a black suit. Chen Ran saw him and hurriedly got out of the car. "Secretary..." Chen Ran was holding a cell phone. The caller ID showed Wei Luochen.
Ling Xingzhi didn't look, sighed with his eyes closed, and didn't lean back in his chair. "Go to Jiujiangtang."
Nine-room Hall was where Ling Xingzhi and Kong Lingqi often met in secret. Upon arrival, the car drove into the underground parking garage, the headlights reflecting off the floor-to-ceiling windows and illuminating the entire house.
"Secretary, are you still going home?"
Ling Xingzhi paused, and Chen Ran continued, "Madam said she cooked for you today, and she cooked it herself."
"Then you guys wait for me here."
Upon entering the house, Ling Xingzhi didn't turn on many lights. He walked to the master bedroom, turned on the light, and stepped into the walk-in closet, which was filled with Kong Lingqi's dresses, beautiful high heels, and expensive bags.
He took off his clothes, opened his shirt, and looked at the whip marks on his back.
Ling Qingyun rarely used weapons; he usually just slapped women with his hands, and he only used his whip on women who were lying naked in front of him.
Thinking of this, Ling Xingzhi gave a self-deprecating smile. In this situation, he had no choice but to go to the hospital and call a private doctor. However, when he thought of Chen Ran waiting for him outside the door, he frowned, held his phone, and looked at the scars on his back through the mirror.
After a long while, Ling Xingzhi changed his clothes and came out of the house. Chen Ran stood by the car and opened the door.
As soon as Ling Xingzhi got home, he saw Wei Luochen lounging on the sofa painting her nails. Her makeup was still dazzling and bright. She raised her eyebrows, put down the nail polish, put on her slippers, and walked towards him.
"What does Dad want with you tonight?"
Ling Xingzhi shook his head, took off his shoes, and went upstairs.
Wei Luochen stood to the side, his hand on the stair railing, and looked up as he said, "What's so great about Kong Lingqi? She went to Paris with other men, and you still want to go to the place where you two had your secret rendezvous to reminisce about her, right?"
Ling Xingzhi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Wei Luochen downstairs. She looked exactly like a vengeful female ghost.
After glancing at her, Ling Xingzhi continued walking upstairs. Wei Luochen hurriedly ran up to him and grabbed his arm, saying, "You have to explain yourself clearly. Why? Why did you go to see her?"
Ling Xingzhi sighed and looked down at her. "I'm very tired today. Can we talk another day?"
"not good!"
Wei Luochen's eyes reddened. "Where exactly do I fall short of her? Yes, I don't like any of the things you like, and I think everything you consider noble is worthless. You want to be some damn Wu Jie or Zhang Jie-like official, but who the hell is an official..."
Without saying a word, Ling Xingzhi pulled his hand away from hers and walked down the stairs.
Wei Luochen was impossible to catch.
Watching helplessly as Ling Xingzhi walked out of the house, tears welled up in her reddened eyes, and she cried louder and louder, sitting on the stairs and hugging her legs.
The nanny and housekeeper hid in the shadows, remaining silent.
Ling Xingzhi drove around, his brows never relaxing. When he drove to the bar, he held the steering wheel and watched the people coming in and out for a while before starting the car and leaving.
In this vast city, he drove around, stopping in a deserted spot to lean against the car door and smoke a cigarette. On the deserted roadside, the lights were dim, and he could hear a cat meowing from a narrow crack in the wall. Ling Xingzhi watched as the cat darted out from the crack, meowed, and rubbed against his feet.
He had a cigarette in his mouth, squatted down, and tapped the kitten's head with his finger. The next second, his fingertip was warm.
Late at night, the man in the suit puffing out smoke, and a stray cat, their shadows reflected on the ground, are all beautiful.
Ling Xingzhi let it lick him. After finishing his cigarette, he stood up, opened the car door, looked down at the cat, and said, "If you can climb in, I'll take you home."
The cat tried climbing for a while, but couldn't get to the top.
Suddenly a sound came from behind, but Ling Xingzhi ignored it. The young kitten, curious, turned and ran across the street.
He had just run to the middle of the road when a speeding car ran him over, leaving him mangled and bloody.
A scream came from across the street. Ling Xingzhi looked at the kitten, which had been crushed into a bloody pulp, twitched the corner of his mouth, got into the car, and closed the door.
The next day, Ling Xingzhi drove to Mentougou himself and called Chen Ran and Li Qingshan to bring people there. When the special rectification team arrived at the Mentougou government, people were in a state of panic.
Zhou Xiye had also heard about Ling Xingzhi's actions and behavior. She couldn't tell whether Ling Xingzhi was just putting on an act, or whether he really had some kind of grudge against Ling Qingyun, or whether he was doing something on his own behind the old man's back.
The investigation has been ongoing for a long time, but there has been no progress.
Those in the know understand that the Mentougou government, from top to bottom, has been perfunctory in its dealings with this task force, employing various tactics and policies. Having spent a long time in the area herself, she naturally knows the power of local bullies.
Beijing has an even more complex and intricate network of relationships, where one wrong move can offend a whole host of people.
However, there are only a few masters.
The murder case was completely unsolved.
First, there is no evidence. The murder was committed and the body was found, but there is no evidence of the body.
Second, it only proves that they used illegal means to force residents to relocate. This matter is neither major nor minor; reporting and implementing are two completely different things.
Not long after, Cui Haoran was released.
Zhou Xiye felt a little disappointed; his guess had failed.
But things soon took a turn for the worse; Cui Haoran died not long after his release from prison.
Immediately afterwards, Ling Xingzhi replaced the head of the Mentougou government.
Good tactic.
Zhou Xiye's blood was subtly boiling. She had a premonition that Ling Xingzhi was a very challenging person and an opponent she liked.
They met again at a family banquet at the Ye family.
Ye Lifeng hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, inviting many officials and wealthy ladies.
Zhou Xiye, wearing a black tight-fitting fishtail dress, stood next to Ye Rouxin.
Ling Xingzhi arrived at the banquet alone, wearing an iron-gray suit, standing out from the crowd.
She took a sip of her wine and stared at Ling Xingzhi.
Ye Rouxin had a ponytail, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and was holding a tray with cakes on it.
Noticing Zhou Xiye's actions, he looked up and followed her gaze. "Hmm... what, are you interested in him?"
Zhou Xiye bit his wine glass and shook his head.
After taking a few steps forward, Ling Xingzhi saw her at that moment.
He stood in the middle of the crowd, holding a wine glass, and toasted Zhou Xiye.
Zhou Xiye raised his glass and watched him tilt his head back and finish the drink.
A faint smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.
Zhou Xiye felt a warm sensation on his waist. He turned his head and saw Ye Rouxin, who was smiling and raising her wine glass to toast Ling Xingzhi.
Ling Xingzhi's gaze changed, but before Zhou Xiye could catch it, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
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