0114 123 The Cry of the Crane Pavilion
The teahouse was bustling with noise. Kunming, blessed with a wide variety of teas, boasts a rich culinary scene. Besides Xuelong Mountain Villa, the tea at Shen Family Courtyard is considered the finest. Located in a century-old mansion, Shen Family Courtyard was a frequent haunt of the provincial party committee and the previous Kunming municipal party committee. While Xuelong Mountain Villa is a fine place, Shen Family Courtyard also has another name: Wangbeilou (Looking North Tower).
Throughout the country, there are countless Wangbeilou (a type of traditional Chinese pavilion), but only a few become famous. This Shen family courtyard is renowned, and people from Yunnan and Guizhou provinces frequently visit and socialize here.
Liu Liangyou's favorite tea is Pu'er. When hot water is poured in, the tea leaves swirl and unfurl.
A woman in a cheongsam, carrying tea leaves, walked away, her silhouette beautiful. The cheongsam accentuated the curves of a woman's body, and Liu Liangyou, staring at her buttocks, inexplicably began muttering like a middle school student, "Left, right... left, right..."
Hu Rui pushed open the door at that moment, exchanged a glance with the woman who was about to leave, and did not show much expression. He then looked at Liu Liangyou and nodded with a smile.
"It's been a long time, Secretary Hu," Liu Liangyou said, shifting his gaze from the woman's buttocks without getting up. He gestured for Hu Rui to sit down, and Hu Rui walked over and carefully sat down.
"Secretary Liangyou, hello, just call me Xiao Hu," Hu Rui picked up the teapot, intending to pour water, but found that Liu Liangyou's teacup was already filled, so he put the teapot down. "Secretary Liangyou, you look much better since you returned from Beijing, is there some good news?"
"Your complexion is improving?" Liu Liangyou was still furious about his trip to Beijing, but Hu Rui's question was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"What good news could there be? Your complexion improved after going to Beijing, that's probably because the feng shui is good under the emperor's nose, it's good for your health," Liu Liangyou said, crossing his legs and glancing at the incense burner with wisps of smoke rising from it. He flicked his finger and said, "By the way, speaking of your trip to Beijing, did Secretary Zhou tell you that the Central Inspection Team is coming in a couple of days?"
Hu Rui was startled; he had no idea. Zhou Xiye's attitude was to address the partisan issues left over from the previous leadership, not to mention sending someone from the Central Committee to investigate. Seeing Hu Rui's expression, Liu Liangyou knew he was completely unaware of the Central Inspection Team's involvement. He chuckled and asked, "Don't be nervous. The Central Inspection Team is here to investigate people with problems. You haven't done anything wrong, so what are you afraid of?"
Hearing Liu Liangyou's words, Hu Rui wanted to blurt out his current situation, but unsure of Liu Liangyou's intentions, he hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. The aroma of Pu'er tea spread in his mouth, and he sighed deeply.
"After Secretary Zhou came to Kunming, he started reforms and dealt with many historical problems. He is a good leader."
Liu Liangyou smiled and said, "Yes, you are the most qualified to say whether Secretary Zhou is a good leader or not."
Hu Rui nodded, frowning, and leaned forward, "Secretary Liangyou, there's something I don't quite understand. Could you help me analyze it?"
Liu Liangyou raised an eyebrow at him. "What is it?"
"The previous leadership team approved land and projects for the Municipal Construction Commission. These approvals weren't just handled by us; the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee is also in Kunming. I think you should be aware of this, including the funding approved for road construction..."
Liu Liangyou and Hu Rui exchanged glances. Hu Rui paused, then said, "Secretary Zhou wants to hold people accountable, but where do you think that accountability will end?"
A seemingly casual question carries a weight of a thousand pounds.
“Besides, the Central Leading Group has come down. What is their attitude? If there’s no upper limit…” Hu Rui stared intently at Liu Liangyou, “then Kunming is about to undergo a major upheaval.”
A ruthless glint flashed in Liu Liangyou's eyes. The next second, he looked away, holding his teacup in his hand. After a moment of silence, he said, "You have to be strong yourself to succeed. The Central Inspection Team invited by Secretary Zhou will naturally be entertained by her. You just need to keep them company." He then took a sip of tea.
Hu Rui understood Liu Liangyou's intentions. "To forge iron, one must be strong oneself"—he pondered these words carefully, savoring them like fine tea. But the phrase "invited by Secretary Zhou" puzzled Hu Rui greatly. "Invited by Secretary Zhou? What does that mean?"
Liu Liangyou shrugged. "Literally, it means she felt our internal oversight was insufficient, so she invited the Central Inspection Team."
Hu Rui frowned. He didn't believe Zhou Xiye had invited the Central Inspection Team to punish him; after all, Zhou Xiye alone was enough to deal with him. Could there be another reason? Hu Rui smiled. "There's an old saying, 'Don't wash your dirty linen in public.' If Secretary Zhou is so capable, having the central government intervene would make her look bad, seen as all bark and no bite… On the other hand, some would think that if Secretary Zhou's abilities couldn't solve Kunming's problems, then Kunming's problems must be terminal…"
Liu Liangyou glanced at Hu Rui. "Either way you put it, there's a reason behind it. As for the truth, that depends on Secretary Zhou's own thoughts." The friendliness on Liu Liangyou's face gradually disappeared. "When the previous municipal party secretary stepped down, I had already investigated you with the provincial party committee and was very satisfied with you. Who knew that Zhou Xiye would appear out of nowhere and take your place, Hu Rui? She's quite a figurehead, someone summoned from the central government. I'm not surprised at all. But you, don't you think about why the central government would rather transfer a new person than let you, Hu Rui, take the top position!"
"As the saying goes, 'To forge iron, one must be strong oneself.' The purpose of the central task force's visit is not important; what is important is to resolve the problems left over from the previous Kunming municipal leadership and to ensure that the people live a good life!"
Hu Rui nodded hastily, a humble smile on his face, but inwardly he was cursing. This Liu Liangyou had brought the podium right in front of him. How boring! He was such a show-off. Didn't he know whether ordinary people could live a good life? When the former municipal party secretary and mayor fell from power, didn't Liu Liangyou have a hand in their misdeeds?
Thinking about it this way, Hu Rui realized that his words might have offended Liu Liangyou, which was why he reprimanded him so unusually. It seemed that the Central Inspection Team was here to rectify their provincial party committee, and it had little to do with him.
If he keeps a low profile and sees Zhou Xiye off, he can be promoted to municipal party secretary before retiring.
“Secretary Liangyou, you’re right. I was narrow-minded and limited my vision to political struggles. I forgot that we should come from the masses and go back to the masses…”
"Sounds good, but let's not even talk about anything else. Zhou Xiye is only focused on fixing historical issues, but she doesn't even look at herself! I saw that Douyin account promoting tourism and marketing Kunming's agritourism—did Zhou Xiye even personally investigate agritourism businesses? She dares to promote them so blatantly; if something goes wrong, who will be responsible?!"
Liu Liangyou's attitude changed completely, and Hu Rui couldn't defend Zhou Xiye, so he could only say, "She's still young..."
"Just because you're young, you can recklessly use policies to disrupt people's lives?!" Liu Liangyou pushed his teacup away. "Zhou Xiye was parachuted in here without even undergoing the organization's tests. What makes her think she can do this? When she was in Beijing, she was riding high, riding the crest of success. Let's see how long and how far these three fires of hers can burn!"
Having said that, Liu Liangyou had vented all his anger. Hu Rui patted him reassuringly, then took back the teacup he had pushed away, poured himself a cup of tea, and placed it in front of Liu Liangyou. Liu Liangyou shook his head, realizing he had somewhat lost his composure, but wanting to achieve his goal, he picked up the tea, took a few sips, and calmed himself down. "As Secretary Zhou's assistant, you should help her more. She's young and naive, but are you one of them?"
“Secretary Liangyou is right. I will help her and be her assistant…” Hu Rui stared intently at Liu Liangyou, not wanting to miss a single expression.
Liu Liangyou sighed, "It's good that you understand." He had said everything he needed to say; now it was up to Zhou Xiye to respond. Hu Rui was not someone to be won over; his foundation was in business, and the people in the municipal committee had been decimated by Zhou Xiye. Now was not the crucial moment to pledge loyalty.
Let's wait and see.
As Hu Rui was leaving, the driver pulled up. Once inside, Hu Rui let out a long sigh, and the driver remained silent. The car headed towards Hu Rui's home, and the thought of facing his wife at home filled him with unease.
"I'm not going home, I'm going to Breeze Island," Hu Rui said, then picked up his phone and made a call with a friendly smile.
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
That night, Zhou Xiye was still in her office reviewing project approval documents when Qiao Senxi stood in front of her desk. Yunnan is primarily a tourism-driven province, and she looked at the agritourism businesses developed by various tourism companies in Kunming—mainly a few major ones. "Who's responsible for approving these projects? Are there any safety concerns regarding construction? What did the Market Supervision Administration say?"
Qiao Senxi shook his head and said, "These companies are all... owned by relatives or people with connections of provincial party committee standing committee leaders, so the approval process isn't that complicated."
Zhou Xiye put the documents aside, tilted his head, and asked, "Didn't Deputy Secretary Hu just meet with Secretary Liangyou?"
Qiao Senxi had no idea, nor did he know where Zhou Xiye had learned about this. Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "Li Wei told me. He heard it from Hu Rui's driver this morning."
"Hmm, Secretary Zhou, what's your opinion on this matter? The project approval issue."
Zhou Xiye spread his hands, "What can we do? I can't afford to offend the provincial party committee. Let them be. But I definitely want to go and see for myself. How about tomorrow? Make some time for us to go to the farmhouse and check on the situation."
"Just the two of us?" Josen asked, his tone... a little ambiguous.
Now that Zhou Xiye is in a position where she no longer needs to use her beauty, she says, "Let's also call up the deputy director of the Market Supervision Administration, and Meng Qinggong from the Municipal Bureau as well." After she finishes speaking, her expression changes. "I advise you to put away those thoughts. I am your superior now, not someone you can develop a relationship with."
Qiao Senxi shifted uncomfortably.
Zhou Xiye stood up. "First time, warning. Next time, you'll have to let me find out what you're thinking." She smiled. "Kunming is so big, there's always plenty of talent."
Josen nodded and turned to leave.
Although she was somewhat dissatisfied, working under Zhou Xiye and getting promoted was the best option.
As he walked out of the municipal party committee hall, he took out his car keys. Before he could unlock the car, he saw the woman next to him, Chen Xiaoyun.
He took a deep breath, his face cold, and walked past as if he hadn't seen Chen Xiaoyun at all.
“My dad is sorry for what happened, but hasn’t he supported you enough before?” Chen Xiaoyun’s voice was trembling with tears. Qiao Senxi opened the car door and got in, but Chen Xiaoyun quickly grabbed the door.
Can't you give me a chance to explain?
Qiao Senxi looked up at Chen Xiaoyun, "Didn't your father say I was an ingrate? Why are you still looking for me?"
"You've always taken advantage of my feelings for you. I got you, and you got power. What's wrong with this kind of exchange?"
Qiao Senxi smiled, "Yes, that's what I thought before. Anyway, I didn't have anyone I liked, so power was more important. But I wasn't happy. Now, with my own abilities, I can gain power, and I will also get the person I love, so..."
Upon hearing his words, Chen Xiaoyun raised her hand to hit him, but Qiao Senxi didn't stop her. "Do you want to do what you did last time?"
Before the slap landed, Chen Xiaoyun gritted her teeth and lowered her hand, saying, "Let's have a proper talk."
Josen fastened his seatbelt. "Get in."
Chen Xiaoyun closed the door and got into the car from the side. Sitting in the passenger seat of Qiao Senxi's car, everything Chen Xiaoyun had experienced seemed unreal.
Before the car had even left the municipal party committee compound, another car pulled in, its lights flashing, and Qiao Senxi could see the people inside.
Commands must be obeyed.
"It's so late, what does the mayor want with the secretary?" Qiao Senxi frowned. Even though he didn't usually see Zhou Xiye as a woman, he still felt a little attracted to her. Not to mention that both Ling Xingzhi and Zhou Xiye were from Beijing, and the relationship between them...
They're both married?
Qiao Senxi smiled and drove off.
Before leaving work, Zhou Xiye received a message from Pei Zhiyu. He said that he had prepared a meal at home, all cooked by him, and was just waiting for her to come home. To be honest, Zhou Xiye was somewhat tempted.
Before Ke Ren even stepped out of the office, Ling Xingzhi appeared before her.
He smiled at her face, then looked at the car keys in Zhou Xiye's hand, and leaned against the door. "Are you going home?"
Zhou Xiye frowned and looked at him, glancing at his watch. "It's well past closing time now. Is there anything you need, Mayor Ling?"
He nodded, seemingly knowing the answer but pretending not to.
"Of course, otherwise why would I come to you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com