0113 122 A storm is brewing
Zhou Xiye hung up the phone, took the paper, and followed his bodyguard into Ling Qingyun's office. Ling Qingyun had just returned from outside, and Zhou Xiye had no right to ask who he met or what he did, so he could only stand aside with his hands at his sides and wait for Ling Qingyun to finish explaining his official business.
Ling Qingyun saw her and nodded, but kept a sullen face and didn't say anything.
Zhou Xiye followed him inside.
The guard closed the door, and the secretary also left, leaving only Zhou Xiye and Ling Qingyun in the office.
"According to the rules, you are not allowed to come to see me alone."
Zhou Xiye nodded. "I understand, Committee Member Ling. This is a letter of complaint that Mayor Ling and Ling Xingzhi asked me to bring to you." Zhou Xiye placed the letter on the table. Ling Qingyun unbuttoned his clothes, sat down in the chair, glanced at the letter of complaint that Zhou Xiye had put down, and then looked at Zhou Xiye.
"Can the Wei family still survive?"
Zhou Xiye met Ling Qingyun's eyes, which held a sharp edge honed by the passage of time. Zhou Xiye shook his head. How should this matter be put? That day, after hearing Zhou Xiye's question, Ye Lifeng smiled calmly and leaned back in his chair, "Ye Rouxin's death will definitely have to be paid for with her."
They didn't say anything, but their intentions were clearly aggressive.
"Zhou Xiye, you are still too young and too kind."
The wind blew past behind her, and Zhou Xiye understood what Ye Lifeng meant. She had learned another lesson from him.
Zhou Xiye's head shake originally had two meanings: he didn't know, or he couldn't protect it. Ling Qingyun was definitely referring to the latter; he knew Ye Lifeng too well—they were both politicians.
“Now it seems the truth doesn’t matter at all,” Ling Qingyun nodded to himself, understanding Ye Lifeng’s meaning. “Do you still want to continue investigating?”
Zhou Xiye shook his head. "I have my own things to do."
"Ye Rouxin is so good to you, isn't she worthy?" Ling Qingyun asked another question.
Zhou Xiye smiled and pointed to the letter of complaint on the table. "Ling Xingzhi also wrote a letter to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The affairs of the living are much more important than the affairs of the dead."
Ling Qingyun took the paper and glanced at it. He understood the general situation. He put the letter of complaint aside and looked at her. "I gave you military power, not to look at this."
“There won’t be a next time,” Zhou Xiye explained succinctly. “Kunming, Yunnan, has a special geographical location. Domestic drug lords are relatively easy to catch, but most of them are drug traffickers from Myanmar and Vietnam. They have weapons and guns. The people behind Hu Rui are their kind. I need a reason to draw my sword.”
"Draw your sword?" Ling Qingyun adopted the air of a superior. "Draw it if you want to, no reason is needed. I don't like all those roundabout ways."
"I am not you."
Ling Qingyun chuckled, "Keep a close eye on Ling Xingzhi, make sure nothing goes wrong."
Zhou Xiye nodded, and just as she was about to leave, Ling Qingyun called out to her again, "What's your stance now...?"
"Commissioner Ling, changing policies frequently is a major taboo in officialdom."
Ling Qingyun waved her hand, telling her to leave.
Ling Xingzhi sent the second report before Zhou Xiye left. Although introducing external supervision was Zhou Xiye's idea, procedurally she had to consult with Provincial Party Secretary Liu Liangyou. When she called, Liu Liangyou looked reluctant after Zhou Xiye explained her purpose.
Unfortunately, Zhou Xiye couldn't see it.
"Secretary Liangyou, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Introducing external oversight in Kunming was a decision-making process ultimately decided by Zhou Xiye, and Liu Liangyou couldn't voice any objections. The distribution of power between the central and local governments was already problematic; with Kunming in disarray, they couldn't afford further trouble outside. Liu Liangyou rubbed his chin, his lips moving slightly, "Comrade Zhou Xiye, you've done a good job on this. Your thinking is very thorough and thoughtful. We should indeed introduce external oversight departments to monitor Kunming. I fully support this. Since you're in Beijing, I'll trouble you to coordinate with the central government and arrange the hospitality."
Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "Then I would like to thank Secretary Liangyou for your guidance. When I report to the higher-level organization, I will say that this was mainly your idea and that you have set a good example."
Liu Liangyou opened his mouth, wanting to curse. How could Zhou Xiye play such a trick on him? She said it was his request, yet he, Liu Liangyou, was the one who offended people? But it wasn't a big deal. Since Zhou Xiye wanted the Central Group to come, then the role he arranged could also be shown to the Central Committee.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Comrade Zhou Xiye."
How could Zhou Xiye not sense Liu Liangyou's dissatisfaction? She was just pretending not to understand. She sighed, opened the car door, and got in. The situation in Kunming was complex, and the underlings were difficult to deal with. In her eyes, businessmen like Luo Yiming were nothing; the ones who would truly kill her were definitely from the same faction.
Liu Liangyou is definitely one of them.
The old foxes on the provincial party committee standing committee are not easy to deal with. They're happy to sit on the sidelines and watch because their interests aren't affected. Zhou Xiye watched the scenery recede into the distance, his brows furrowed. Soon, an even bigger storm is about to hit.
Those Standing Committee members who sit firmly on their thrones are her biggest obstacle.
Suddenly, Zhou Xiye realized that he hadn't properly appreciated the scenery outside the window in a long time. Whether it was the scenery outside the airplane window or the scenery outside the car window, everything sped along without any pauses.
Zhou Xiye never expected that someone would stop her on her way at high speed.
Yi Chenling.
Zhou Xiye crossed her arms and looked at Yi Chenling, scrutinizing him closely. She was somewhat surprised; indeed, a day apart felt like three autumns. Yi Chenling's face didn't look as it used to; it had gained a more mature look, and his face was lined with many wrinkles. Of course, this was just Zhou Xiye's own perception; after all, how could a young man have so many wrinkles?
Yi Chenling walked up to Zhou Xiye, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
"Long time no see, how have you been lately?" Zhou Xiye suddenly remembered when he left Beijing. "Oh right, I forgot to tell you, thank you for the video that day, it helped me out."
Yi Chenling shook his head, "When you go to Yunnan, my dad says you're very capable."
Zhou Xiye smiled, "Whether I'm capable or not, I know myself. I don't need your father's approval." She glanced at her watch, "Do you have something to do? If not, I'll be going now." She didn't have time for reminiscing. If the old friends don't leave, where will the new ones come from?
Yi Chenling looked at her without saying anything.
Zhou Xiye turned to leave.
"Wait...don't you want to know what's going on up there right now?"
Zhou Xiye paused, "I'll give you one more minute."
Yi Chenling approached Zhou Xiye and whispered, "My father is going to be replaced. Today may be the last time we see each other."
Zhou Xiye was taken aback and turned to look at him. "Hua Chunyang said that?"
"Yes, she said that if my father didn't leave, he would be placed under house arrest."
Zhou Xiye had indeed been out of the fray for a long time. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Is it because your father didn't do a good job?"
Yi Chenling looked at Zhou Xiye, his face devoid of any emotion.
"The BRICS summit is coming up soon, followed by the Belt and Road Initiative. Don't you see how much the RMB has depreciated? If it keeps falling like this, who will play along with us?"
“I think it’s more like the infighting between your parties…” Yi Chenling said stubbornly.
Zhou Xiye wasn't really sure either. The economy certainly wasn't doing well, and Governor Yi Shuyuan was following orders from above and cooperating well with the Ministry of Finance; there was no reason to replace him. But what did all this have to do with her now?
Will my father die?
Zhou Xiye shook her head. She really didn't know the situation, but she wasn't going to die. "Not at all... at most you'll be under house arrest. I can't help you. I can't even protect myself." Zhou Xiye took two steps back and looked at Yi Chenling. "We had a brief affair. Whether it was good or bad, we'll see how it goes... You have to be okay. Only by living can you have hope."
Yi Chenling nodded.
Zhou Xiye opened her arms, waiting for Yi Chenling to come and hug her.
Yi Chenling hesitated for a moment, then went over and hugged Zhou Xiye, but he whispered in her ear, "I just got engaged to someone last month..."
Zhou Xiye bit his ear hard, "You little brat..."
Yi Chenling didn't resist, straightened up, and laughed.
"Alright, let's go, I need to head back too. See you again sometime!"
After seeing Yi Chenling off, Zhou Xiye boarded the private jet. Not long after he sat down, Pei Zhiyu called. The two had already discussed going to Beijing. "If you go back to Kunming, I'll go tonight too. We haven't seen each other in a long time."
Actually, it wasn't long. Zhou Xiye sighed, "If you're too tired, you don't have to come. We'll meet every Saturday and Sunday. It's only been a week since we last met."
Pei Zhiyu wouldn't listen to Zhou Xiye's advice. "We're not busy right now. If we get busy, we definitely won't see each other."
Okay, Zhou Xiye sat on the plane, watching the airport staff and the planes getting smaller and smaller.
Pei Zhiyu talked a lot on the other end of the phone, and finally asked hesitantly, "Aren't you planning to go see Ye Rouxin?"
Zhou Xiye lowered his eyes, his fingers picking at the teacup. "I'm short on time right now, I didn't have time... Maybe next time..."
She didn't dare.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xiye put on her eye mask, covered herself with the blanket, and silenced her phone. She wanted to get some sleep.
The central special inspection team arrived in Kunming a week later than Zhou Xiye. However, before that, Zhou Xiye had already held a meeting to discuss the bus collapse accident. At the special seminar, Zhou Xiye stated that accountability must be pursued. However, Hu Rui and Meng Qinggong both refuted this, saying that the incident was a problem left behind by the previous leadership team.
Accountability is one aspect, but the main focus now is on subsequent repairs. Ling Xingzhi looked at Zhou Xiye, the person sitting in the main seat, who leisurely picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.
"Mayor Ling, what's your opinion?"
Hu Rui looked over; they were still testing the relationship between Zhou Xiye and Ling Xingzhi. Ling Xingzhi, naturally, could only go to Zhou Xiye's side, saying, "We'll do whatever Secretary Zhou thinks."
Zhou Xiye didn't waste any more time dealing with them. Looking at Hu Rui, he said, "In that case, let's start by addressing the problem from the previous leadership team."
This was the first time Qiao Senxi had truly grasped Zhou Xiye's ruthlessness and viciousness; the more he understood this woman, the more addictive she became. Hu Rui was certainly no pushover either, but since Luo Yiming wouldn't help him now, he had nowhere to vent his anger. At the meeting, he swallowed his pride.
After the bus collapse seminar, before the inspection team arrived in Kunming, Hu Rui was privately invited by Liu Liangyou to have tea.
It really is drinking tea, literally drinking tea.
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