0093 102 The Summit of the Clouds
When it comes to fighting, Shang Heming wouldn't lose. Pei Zhiyu landed a solid punch on his face, and the next second, he raised his elbow to strike Pei Zhiyu's chest.
The two men were entangled together.
Pei Zhiyu's personal guard ran over and pulled them apart. The two men looked at each other, panting heavily, their cheeks bruised.
Shang Heming laughed as he watched the noble prince being beaten. He had never seen Pei Zhiyu so disheveled since he had known him.
“Pei Zhiyu, you’ve chosen the wrong path,” Shang Heming pulled his hand away. “I’ve investigated. Her marriage to you was a complete setup. From the moment Zhou Xiye was transferred to the Central Military Commission, the death of District Chief Zhang’s son was also related to you, wasn’t it?”
Pei Zhiyu's anger gradually disappeared, and his facial features became as cold as a sculpture.
"Shang Heming, what are you saying? I don't understand."
"You don't understand?" Shang Heming laughed loudly. "Yes, my father is in jail, but I still have connections. The position that Lu Daiyuan wanted to give Zhou Xiye... probably wasn't just a small ideological education teacher, was it?"
Pei Zhiyu gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with emotions like a volcano deep in the ocean.
Shang Heming chuckled, "Did I go too far? You did it flawlessly, fooling Zhou Xiye... You broke her wings inch by inch, controlling her in your hands, and you're happy now?"
"Boss Shang, you need to be sure of evidence when you speak and act. Empty words are not enough," Pei Zhiyu suddenly looked sharply at Shang Heming. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to Yunnan to find my wife." After saying that, he turned around and left.
Shang Heming didn't let him off the hook, raising his voice a bit, "I heard Xu Min say that when Zhou Xiye was at the Beijing Liaison Office, he asked you for a favor at a classmate reunion. Your intention was good—to use the resources of Haidian District to support the Beijing Liaison Office, but Zhou Xiye didn't bow down and compromise."
Pei Zhiyu paused, but didn't turn around, and continued walking forward.
"Mayor Pei, I am a businessman."
Pei Zhiyu stopped, turned to look at him a few seconds later, and said, "In that case, Mr. Shang, name your price."
Footsteps echoed as Ye Lifeng moved into the office he had longed for, rearranging it to his liking. A huge landscape painting sat opposite his desk, a dazzling light shone overhead, and a massive red desk and thick carpet adorned the space.
Ye Lifeng smiled with satisfaction, sitting in his chair and turning back and forth. He had secured the position of Prime Minister, but Ling Qingyun's promotion displeased him. That old fellow, it seemed, had never truly set his mind on the position of Prime Minister; he had used a feint to get into the cabinet.
Fortunately, it seems that Ye Lifeng holds a position with more real power than Ling Qingyun. Despite the difficulties and obstacles ahead, since they're already seated here, there's no reason for them to be driven away.
Xue Cheng knocked on the door, Ye Lifeng pressed the button, and the door opened.
"Premier, something happened to Pei Zhiyu. Secretary Zhou went to Yunnan, and he's going there to bring her back."
Ye Lifeng frowned, interlacing his fingers on his chin. After thinking for two seconds, he said, "Why did he lose his composure over a woman? Could it be... that he really is a romantic?" Ye Lifeng shook his head. Since his last conversation with Zhou Xiye, he had a clear understanding of Zhou Xiye's ambitions.
But as for Ye Lifeng, it seems there's no chance for her at the moment. If Zhou Xiye truly achieves great things locally, he can help her rise to prominence.
"If Mayor Pei goes, he might take Zhou Xiye to Hangzhou. This is so blatant, showing no regard for the law... Premier, what do you think?"
Ye Lifeng sighed, "Call Pei Weian. If you can't stop him, that's Zhou Xiye's fate." He then picked up his teacup and took a sip. After moistening his mouth, he was about to say something when the phone on the table rang. It was an internal call from Ye Lifeng's chief secretary.
"Xia, what's wrong?"
The chief secretary, Xia Qing, finished speaking in a trembling voice.
Ye Lifeng suddenly stood up, his voice deep and incredulous, "What?! Say that again! What's wrong! Speak properly!"
Xia Qing repeated it again. Ye Lifeng was stunned for a long time after hearing it. When he finally dropped the phone, he slumped into his chair.
"Premier, what's wrong! Premier!" Xue Cheng called for the doctor and security guards, then quickly walked to Ye Lifeng's side, supporting his shoulder. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Ye Lifeng's eyes were glazed over, staring blankly ahead.
Less than a minute later, there was a commotion of footsteps at the door. Security guards and a doctor rushed in, followed by Hua Chunyang. Her face was deathly pale, and large beads of sweat streamed down her forehead.
"Old Ye, you..."
Ye Lifeng finally snapped out of his daze, his whole body burning like fire as he roared like a wild beast, "Where's Zhou Xiye! Zhou Xiye!! Send her! Send her to bring that little brat Ye Rouxin back to me!"
After saying this, his face turned bright red, and he fainted from excitement.
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
At six o'clock, Zhou Xiye met Hu Rui, the deputy secretary. Hu Rui reeked of alcohol, but Zhou Xiye smiled calmly. He sat down behind the desk in the secretary's office and met Hu Rui's gaze. Hu Rui was from Zigong, Sichuan, and had a background in civil engineering; he was a highly skilled technician.
Zhou Xiye had reviewed Hu Rui's resume. He was an official who had climbed his way up from the bottom, with extensive experience and a complex network of connections in Kunming. He had proposed many policies beneficial to the people of Kunming, but unfortunately, he hadn't been promoted. Zhou Xiye couldn't figure out whether Hu Rui didn't want to be promoted, or whether he was simply unable to.
After all, he had been in Yunnan for nearly fifteen years. As a local official for so long, he must have wielded considerable power. Even a carrot would have become a cunning creature by now.
"Secretary Zhou, I'm sorry, you didn't let me know you were coming. I had something to do this afternoon and was delayed."
Hu Rui laughed, revealing deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. This man seemed approachable, with a kind face, but he was less than 1.65 meters tall, lean, and had dark skin.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. I was in a rush to take up my post, so I didn’t tell you in advance…” Zhou Xiye slowed down his speech, paused for a moment, and said, “Did they call you from above? My file has already been transferred.”
Facing a young superior who was almost twenty years younger than himself, Hu Rui had nothing to fear. “Secretary Zhou, you’re not handling your personal business. I’m not sure when you’ll be coming, but I’ve prepared this office for you. You can take office anytime.”
Zhou Xiye smiled, "Thank you for taking the time to entertain me. My secretary, tell them to come to work tomorrow. As for the driver... have him wait for me at the door, I'll be there in a bit."
Hu Rui nodded, "Then, as for where we'll be staying..."
"I received the keys. You sent them to me by express delivery, right?"
Hu Rui smiled, looked Zhou Xiye up and down, and after a few seconds said, "Secretary Zhou, I was wondering if you're free tonight? I've prepared a meal to treat you. We'll be colleagues from now on, so let's get to know each other better."
Zhou Xiye leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment, "Alright, I've never been to Kunming before. What's fun to do? Can you show me around?"
Hu Rui stood up. “Officials all seek peace of mind. The Taoist temple here is very famous and very efficacious. Officials like us who come here all go there to pray. It’s been a tradition for a long time.”
Zhou Xiye stood up. He was almost half a head shorter than Zhou Xiye. "Okay, let's set off now. It's getting late. Let's finish this quickly and go home so I can get ready for work tomorrow morning."
The group drove towards the Taoist temple. Zhou Xiye's driver was a handsome but ordinary young man named Li Wei. He was quiet and seemed very honest. His handsomeness was ordinary and unremarkable; he lacked Ling Xingzhi's composure and calmness, Pei Zhiyu's elegance and nobility, and Shang Heming's strength and ruthlessness—it was all just average.
A pair of clear, black eyes.
"Where are we going?" Zhou Xiye asked from the back seat. "How long will it take?"
Li Wei glanced at Zhou Xiye in the rearview mirror. "One and a half hours to Zitan Temple."
Zhou Xiye nodded and looked out the window. The clouds were gathering, and the sky was somewhat gloomy. The car swayed, and after a while, Zhou Xiye saw a beautiful green mountain. There were rows of winding roads on the sloping hillside, and a small purple house on one of the winding dirt roads.
It's quite spectacular; the Taoist temple, located in the clouds, is said to be a place where one can attain immortality.
"Are we almost there?"
Li Wei nodded, "But we have to navigate the bends first, there are forty-eight bends in total."
A row of cars wound its way through the bends. Zhou Xiye closed her eyes, leaning back in her seat, seemingly resting. She silently counted the number of turns in her mind.
But for some reason, the car suddenly started drifting while turning, and the whole car body moved outward uncontrollably due to centrifugal force. Zhou Xiye opened his eyes and the car had already stopped on the lawn.
"I'm sorry, Secretary, I don't know... how the car suddenly had an accident, it must be a flat tire."
Li Wei hurriedly apologized, but Zhou Xiye shook his head, and the cars in front and behind stopped.
Zhou Xiye got out of the car, and Hu Rui and the others also got out.
“Secretary, your tire has blown out. I guess you turned too sharply and got punctured by a rock,” Hu Rui explained casually, walking over to Zhou Xiye’s side. “Let’s change the tire.”
Zhou Xiye nodded, her gaze drawn to the terrain of the Zitan Palace. Looking up, she saw a location easily defensible and difficult to attack. Zhou Xiye walked to the front of the car, leaned against it, and looked into the distance. The Zitan Palace remained in the same spot, still small. Zhou Xiye looked up; the clouds in the sky were beautiful.
Light pierced through the gaps in the clouds, just a tiny ray of light, the light from the colorful clouds, shining directly onto the ground.
Almost instantly, Zhou Xiye felt as if an unseen hand had squeezed her heart hard, causing her pain and making it hard to breathe.
Zhou Xiye looked around. A slight breeze swayed the grass, a sign that a storm was brewing. A cold wind blew by, and Zhou Xiye raised her hand to touch her chest. Maybe it was because of her height? She tried to reassure herself, but her heart was beating faster and faster.
The voices of the people around me gradually faded away.
She can feel the wind and the rolling clouds.
Suddenly, a piercing voice pulled her from her reverie. Zhou Xiye slowly pulled her phone from her pocket, lowered her head to answer, and her hair fell beside her cheeks. With her eyes closed, she said, "Hello, this is Zhou Xiye..."
"Hello, Secretary Zhou, I am Xue Cheng, Secretary Ye's secretary."
Zhou Xiye licked his lips. "Um, what can I do for you?"
After a few seconds of silence, the person on the other end spoke slowly.
“Secretary Zhou, only you can help with this… Ye Rouxin, he… he’s dead, in Paris. Premier Ye wants you to… to bring him home.”
Go pick him up and take him home.
Zhou Xiye opened her eyes, and tears fell almost instantly.
"What did you say? Ye Rouxin, he's dead? He... he's dead?" Zhou Xiye couldn't believe it. The light in front of him disappeared. Zhou Xiye looked up and saw that the clouds covered the entire sky, completely enveloping it.
Dark clouds covered the sky.
Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening to crush it.
"Yes, he...he, he is closest to you, he definitely wants you to take him home, to return to his roots."
Zhou Xiye's hand slowly fell to her sides. She put down her phone and placed it on the engine by the bedside. She turned her body around, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Her legs seemed unable to support the weight of her heart. She braced her arms on the front of the car and buried her head.
Whose sleepless summer is this?
The rain fell from the sky, and there was no time to dodge it.
And whose long summer never fades?
Zhou Xiye suddenly started laughing, tears falling one by one onto the front of the car, his body trembling.
He loved Paris, but he had to go home, and she was going to pick him up.
He loved this land; he was a child raised in a compound under the red flag. He loved his country, and his temperament was as passionate as the red of the flag. Although he never made love in his life, he dedicated his entire life to fighting for love.
He cannot die in vain.
Zhou Xiye took a deep breath. If she could ask him if he regretted it, how would Ye Rouxin answer? He would definitely laugh indifferently, shrug, and spread his hands, "Everyone has to die, some deaths are lighter than a feather, some are heavier than Mount Tai. Zhou Xiye, if I'm going to die, I'll die in a way that shakes the heavens and the earth."
While Zhou Xiye was immersed in grief, danger slowly approached her.
Faint, soft footsteps sounded around her.
Driven by instinct and the experience he gained on the battlefield, Zhou Xiye quickly pulled himself out of his grief, slowly stood up, and turned to look behind him.
The rain soaked her hair, and her black hair clung to her forehead and cheeks.
Behind him stood a large, dark crowd, each person glaring at him fiercely like a wolf.
Of course, they were also holding guns, with the muzzles pointed at Zhou Xiye.
In the distance, thunder rumbled.
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