0101 110 A Busy Day for Secretary Zhou (Part 2)
This was a trap set by Zhou Xiye.
Before entering, she suddenly remembered that there would be no audience for today's performance. After thinking it over, she took out her phone and sent a message to Ling Xingzhi.
Compared to Wangyue Villa, Xuelong Villa's furnishings are not far inferior. No wonder they say that being a local tyrant is like being a god; each antique vase could be worth over a million, placed in the most inconspicuous corner of the hall, showcasing the most exquisite details.
Passing through the porch and into the house, the first thing Zhou Xiye saw was the incense burner, its dragon and phoenix motifs intertwined, a thin wisp of incense drifting in the air like a delicate thread. Behind the incense burner, a man in a white Zhongshan suit was pouring tea; Zhou Xiye turned around at the sound of footsteps.
Zhou Xiye met his gaze. The white Zhongshan suit he wore made him appear somewhat older, but the man possessed an extraordinary air about him; dressed in white, he had an ethereal quality. His features were delicate, and a faint smile played on his lips, like a gentle breeze.
His smile was different from Ling Xingzhi's smiling tiger.
Ling Xingzhi's smile carries different meanings: to subordinates, sometimes it is concern, sometimes indifference; to enemies, his smile always carries a hint of cunning, and when angry, the smile does not reach his eyes; to strangers, his polite smile carries a hint of composure.
Only those few smiles of compromise left a deep impression on Zhou Xiye.
The man before him smiled with an air of Buddhist detachment, revealing nothing to Zhou Xiye. Transcendence and ascension to immortality were nothing more than this. Zhou Xiye lowered his gaze slightly, noticing the white jade thumb ring on the man's finger, his thumb bent, and the teapot he held in his hand.
"Secretary Zhou, hello, Mr. Li is waiting for you inside."
That's what the man said.
Zhou Xiye nodded, not looking at the man again. Walking behind the screen, Li Mingzhe was already sitting behind the table, holding Buddhist prayer beads in his hand. Seeing Zhou Xiye, he didn't get up. He rested his elbow on the chair, stroked his chin, and looked Zhou Xiye up and down.
"Secretary Zhou, you're quite busy?"
Zhou Xiye smiled, took off his coat, unbuttoned a few buttons, and sat down.
"Mr. Li, it's been a long time. You look much more haggard."
A man in a white Zhongshan suit came in to pour tea. After pouring tea for Zhou Xiye, Li Mingzhe casually said, "I need to talk to Secretary Zhou. You can go out now."
Zhou Xiye glanced at the man beside her, put down the teapot, and walked out. After the man left, Zhou Xiye picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was warm and fragrant. "Why isn't it Da Hong Pao?"
Li Mingzhe smiled and said, "Secretary Zhou, would you like some? Shall I get you some?"
Zhou Xiye shook his head, looked calmly at Li Mingzhe, and said with a sharp edge, "I don't want to beat around the bush with you. I don't understand what you meant by the cooperation you mentioned at the Taoist temple last time."
Upon hearing this, Li Mingzhe lowered his head and smiled, playing with the teacup in his hand. "I still remember when Secretary Zhou said he wanted to be friends with me. You're unfamiliar with this place, so you need friends here."
Zhou Xiye laughed, “When Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, he asked Ji Xiaolan how many boats were on the Yangtze River. Ji Xiaolan replied, ‘Two boats.’”
Li Mingzhe frowned slightly.
Zhou Xiye continued, "A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation. I think Boss Li should understand that only those with comparable strength can be friends."
"What exactly is Secretary Zhou trying to say?"
Zhou Xiye turned his head and called out towards the outside of the screen, "Come in and pour some tea."
Li Mingzhe's patience wore thin, his hands gripping the prayer beads tightly, but he sighed, "Was our sincerity last time insufficient?"
A man in a white Zhongshan suit walked in, respectfully approached Zhou Xiye, and poured her tea. Zhou Xiye leaned back in her chair. "No, it's not that simple. I've been thinking about it. Although it's said that you can't be friends without a fight, no one should make things difficult for a friend the moment they meet... Mr. Li, what do you think?"
The last four words, spoken lightly, floated from Zhou Xiye's tongue. For some reason, Li Mingzhe's forehead broke out in a sweat. Zhou Xiye picked up the poured tea, blew on it, and said with her head down, "I think Mr. Li should know that I am now a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, and I have positions in the People's Congress and the military." She took a sip of tea.
Put down the cup.
The person who poured the tea didn't leave; they stood beside Zhou Xiye.
Zhou Xiye smiled at Li Mingzhe and said casually, "I just want to know how much power Boss Li has. Is it the provincial party committee that's backing you up, or the military that's helping you?"
Li Mingzhe glanced at the person pouring the tea, then his gaze returned to Zhou Xiye's face. He smiled, but the smile was rather unpleasant. "Secretary Zhou, I'm just an ordinary citizen, I'm just better at business than others..."
Zhou Xiye picked up the teacup on the table and threw it on the ground.
With a crash, the Qing Dynasty teacup shattered, startling both people present.
Zhou Xiye's face was grim as she spoke slowly and deliberately, "I've never seen a businessman who could act so brazenly as to offend local officials. You should know that I was an official in Beijing. I didn't learn anything else, except that people have to have a sense of shame." She lightly patted her face, and the next second, she pointed at Li Mingzhe in the air with her hand. "The central government knows about you hitting me. They didn't intervene, but they gave me some extra things. I think they wanted me to handle this myself."
Li Mingzhe looked at Zhou Xiye, unable to utter a single word, his face turning red with frustration.
Looking at his appearance, Zhou Xiye slowly laughed and turned to the man in the white Zhongshan suit, saying, "Look at him, I wasn't this pathetic when he beat me up."
The man nodded.
This time, Zhou Xiye turned to the side, tapped her fingers on the table a few times, and stared carefully at the person pouring the tea. After a few seconds, or perhaps a long time, she asked in a low voice, "I also want to know where the money to operate Xuelong Manor and Wangyue Manor comes from... I wonder if Boss Luo could give me some pointers?"
Luo Yiming froze, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. His gentle, ink-painting-like smile gained a more intense color, blooming before Zhou Xiye's eyes.
"Secretary Zhou has a good eye; I, Luo, am completely impressed."
Zhou Xiye smiled, shook his head, and walked away. He stood up and said, "Boss Luo, you don't believe me. Making friends is fine, but it has to be sincere."
Luo Yiming nodded, pulled out the chair next to Zhou Xiye, and sat down. Li Mingzhe immediately stood up, took out a box of cigars, took one out, and handed it to Luo Yiming. Zhou Xiye also sat down while he was lighting his cigarette. "Secretary Zhou, would you like one?"
Luo Yiming asked.
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "Wild boars can't eat fine chaff, Boss Luo, please go ahead."
Luo Yiming took a deep drag on his cigar, holding it between his fingers. The thumb ring, unlike the cigar's bold and unrestrained style, had a unique charm in Luo Yiming's hand.
"Secretary Zhou, what would you like to talk to me about?"
Zhou Xiye didn't answer his question. "I just drank water and I'm a little hungry now. What are some of the specialties at Xuelong Mountain Villa?"
Luo Yiming smiled slightly, turned to Li Mingzhe and said, "Go get the menu." After taking another puff of his cigarette, he asked Zhou Xiye, "I wonder what Secretary Zhou's tastes are like?"
"I like to eat meat, but it's a bit late today, and I'm afraid I'll overeat. I also like spicy food, for the same reason: I'm afraid I'll get diarrhea if I eat spicy food too late. Although I'm from the North, I also like the sweetness of the South. I want a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, not too oily or greasy, not too salty or sweet, spicy but also mild, so I won't feel full... Mr. Luo, do you have any of these in your shop?"
Luo Yiming nodded, "Whatever Secretary Zhou wants, I have it here."
Li Mingzhe brought in the menu, and Zhou Xiye flipped through it; almost all the dishes were ones she had eaten at Wangyue Villa. Luo Yiming saw that Zhou Xiye had looked through it several times but still couldn't decide what to eat, understood her meaning, stubbed out his cigarette, and put it in the ashtray.
"Does the secretary feel there aren't enough people at the dinner, making it not lively enough?" Luo Yiming said. "We invited a Peking Opera troupe from Beijing a couple of days ago. They sing very well. What kind of music would you like to hear?"
Zhou Xiye put down the menu and said with a forced smile, "As long as it's not 'The Battle of Wits,' everything else is negotiable."
The two looked at each other. Luo Yiming's face was expressionless, while Zhou Xiye's smile was forced. They just stared at each other like that.
"No matter how good the opera troupes in Beijing are, they can't compare to Peking Opera."
Ling Xingzhi's voice came over. He walked around the screen and came in. He saw Zhou Xiye and Luo Yiming, paused, glanced at the broken pieces on the ground, and smiled with joy and surprise. "Oh, you haven't eaten yet? Waiting for me?" He walked to Zhou Xiye's side, pulled out a chair and sat down. "No need to wait for me. Secretary, please order whatever you want to eat. I'll just have a bite."
Zhou Xiye handed the menu to Ling Xingzhi, who took it and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Luo Yiming continued, "A balanced diet of meat and vegetables, not oily or greasy, not salty or sweet, spicy but also mild, so that you won't feel full after eating it. Mayor Ling, do you have any suggestions?"
Ling Xingzhi looked up at Luo Yiming, but he really didn't know who Luo Yiming was. "Are you... Secretary Zhou's friend?" He then looked at Zhou Xiye.
Zhou Xiye smiled, "This is Mr. Luo Yiming, the owner of Xuelong Manor."
"Hello, Mr. Luo. I've heard a lot about the famous Snow Dragon Manor and know that the owner is elusive. Indeed, seeing is believing."
Luo Yiming smiled gently, "Mayor Ling, let's order some food. The Party Secretary is hungry."
Once the food was served, the four of them sat down. Zhou Xiye sat in the middle, Ling Xingzhi sat to her left, Luo Yiming sat to her right, and Li Mingzhe sat next to Luo Yiming.
After taking a couple of bites, Zhou Xiye suddenly said, "Boss Luo, I think you should know that I'm going to make a move on the huge drug market."
Luo Yiming picked up a piece of food, took a bite, and nodded. "I know, but I think you can do whatever you want without causing me any harm." After saying this, he pointed to the salted duck in front of him and said, "Secretary Zhou, I may not have the dish you want, and I won't have it, but this dish is very fresh. Would you like to try it?"
Zhou Xiye smiled, his words dripping with sarcasm. "It seems Mr. Luo's business is quite large." Zhou Xiye put down his chopsticks and picked up his wine glass. "If I ever come across anything belonging to Mr. Luo in the future, I'll apologize to him here first."
Luo Yiming looked at Zhou Xiye, who showed no intention of drinking. He reached out and unbuttoned a button. "Secretary, since you're willing to come here for dinner, it means you won't be so cruel to me."
Zhou Xiye nodded and put down his wine glass. "I've said it before, a friend would never let me lose face."
Li Mingzhe looked up at Zhou Xiye. Ling Xingzhi continued eating his food as if nothing had happened around him.
Luo Yiming looked at Li Mingzhe, "What is the secretary thinking?"
"What I think is not important; what matters is how much face I am worth to Boss Luo."
Li Mingzhe's hand trembled as he held the chopsticks. He gritted his teeth, put down the chopsticks, lowered his head, and sweat beaded on his forehead. "Secretary Zhou, I'm sorry. It was my fault that day. I made a mistake... I shouldn't have been so arrogant. I'm sorry for hitting you..."
As he spoke, he slid off the stool and knelt on the ground. "I kowtow to you. Please forgive me, you are so magnanimous..."
Luo Yiming looked at Li Mingzhe without any expression.
Ling Xingzhi, who was eating nearby, remained out of the way. Zhou Xiye glanced at him and asked, "Secretary Ling, what do you think I should do?"
Ling Xingzhi was halfway through his meal when he heard Zhou Xiye's words. He swallowed the food in his mouth, patted his mouth with the napkin, and lowered his eyes, saying, "Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner."
Luo Yiming rested his hand on the armrest of the chair, remained silent for a few seconds, then stood up, walked to the cabinet next to him, took out a gun from it, and walked towards Zhou Xiye.
Zhou Xiye looked at him with a smile, showing no fear whatsoever.
Ling Xingzhi poured a cigarette out of the cigarette box, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter.
"He kicked you with his left foot, so let's cripple his left leg."
Before the other three could react, Luo Yiming fired five shots at Li Mingzhe. Li Mingzhe dodged, taking four bullets to his legs and one to his waist.
The smell of blood filled the air.
Luo Yiming's white Zhongshan suit was stained with the smell of blood, and several bright red flowers were now on his clothes.
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