A phone call at this hour is definitely not a good thing.
"Hello?"
He grabbed the microphone, his voice tinged with displeasure.
A hurried voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Old Liu, this is huge! Someone took photos of your brother-in-law transporting vegetables, and now five newspapers are reporting on it!"
Deputy District Chief Liu's fingers suddenly tightened, and his face instantly turned pale.
Fortunately, being an official, Deputy District Chief Liu quickly adjusted his mindset.
"Contact all newspapers immediately."
Deputy District Head Liu's voice was low.
"Stop all the drafts! I'll call Secretary Zhang right away!"
He hung up the phone and quickly dialed another number, his fingers trembling slightly.
Ma Chunmei stood to the side, her flirtatious demeanor completely vanished.
"What's wrong, Lao Liu?"
"Your brother is such an idiot!"
Deputy District Head Liu forced out the words through gritted teeth.
"They were photographed using a coal truck to haul vegetables, and now every newspaper in Beijing knows about it!"
After the call was connected, Deputy District Chief Liu's tone immediately became respectful.
"Secretary-General Zhang, I'm sorry to bother you so late... Yes, it's urgent... Yes, it's going to be in the newspaper tomorrow... Could you please put in a good word for me?... Sure, sure, I'll send someone to pick it up right away..."
After hanging up the phone, Deputy District Chief Liu grabbed his coat and rushed outside.
Ma Chunmei chased after him to the door.
Where are you going so late?
"Go put out the fire!"
Deputy District Chief Liu roared without turning his head.
"Tell your brother to bring his men to my office right now!"
...
at the same time.
Su Jianguo was sitting on the edge of his kang (a heated brick bed) soaking his feet.
Wang Xiulan added a ladle of hot water to the basin and asked worriedly.
"Boss, do you really think those newspapers would dare publish it? They won't just send it back to us like they did with the last whistleblower letter, will they?"
Su Jianguo's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Xiulan, you don't understand. In officialdom, as long as you dare to be the first to criticize the leader..."
He made a gesture.
"Then countless people will follow suit and fire their guns."
Wang Xiulan frowned in confusion.
Su Jianguo lifted his feet out of the basin and picked up a towel to dry them.
"One radish, one hole."
Su Jianguo lowered his voice.
"How many people are eyeing Deputy District Chief Liu's position? The Transportation Bureau, the Industry and Commerce Bureau, even his deputies... If someone takes the lead in reporting him, these people will pounce like sharks smelling blood."
Wang Xiulan nodded as if she understood but not quite.
"But what if he manages to suppress the newspapers?"
"I submitted my applications to five newspapers."
Su Jianguo dried his feet and put on cloth shoes.
"As long as even one company dares to publish..."
He suddenly smiled.
"No, there will definitely be people scrambling to get on board. This is a chance to bring down a deputy district head."
...
District government building.
It was very late at night, and only one window on the third floor was still lit.
Deputy District Chief Liu's black sedan braked suddenly in front of the building.
He didn't wait for the driver to open the door; he pushed the door open himself and rushed out.
"District Chief Liu!"
Secretary Xiao Wang had been waiting in the office for a long time. When he came in, she immediately stood up, her forehead still covered in sweat.
Deputy District Chief Liu ripped off his tie and threw it on the sofa, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
"What's the situation? What did those newspapers say?"
Xiao Wang wiped his sweat.
"At first, they refused to hand it over, saying it was a major news lead and required the editor-in-chief's approval..."
"fart!"
Deputy District Chief Liu slammed his fist on the table.
"Are they planning a rebellion?"
"Later, Secretary-General Zhang made arrangements."
Xiao Wang quickly added.
"They said they could send someone to pick up the photos, but a confidentiality agreement had to be signed."
Deputy District Chief Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief, loosened his collar, and slumped into his leather swivel chair.
He took out his cigarette case, but his fingers trembled slightly uncontrollably, and he had to try several times to light the cigarette.
"Where is that idiot Ma Sanbao?"
He took a deep drag on his cigarette, his voice laced with suppressed anger.
"It's already on its way; it said it'll be there in ten minutes."
Deputy District Chief Liu gave a cold laugh.
"Such a big thing happened, yet he remains calm and unhurried."
He turned to Xiao Wang.
"Immediately send someone to those five newspaper offices to retrieve all the original photos and articles—not a single one can be missing!"
Xiao Wang nodded vigorously.
"I've already contacted Section Chief Li from the Publicity Department, and he's sent five teams to collect it simultaneously."
"not enough!"
Deputy District Chief Liu suddenly stood up again and paced back and forth in his office.
"Go to the *Beijing Daily* yourself and make sure they hand over the stuff. Tell them that if even one of these photos appears in the paper tomorrow, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Just as Xiao Wang was about to leave, the office door was pushed open.
Ma Sanbao stood blankly at the door with messy hair and the smell of alcohol on him.
"Brother-in-law, why did you call me over so late? I was drinking with some buddies..."
When Deputy District Chief Liu saw his appearance, his anger instantly surged.
He rushed up to Ma Sanbao and grabbed him by the collar.
"Drinking? You still have the nerve to drink?"
He was practically roaring.
"Do you know that all the scum you've done has been filmed? It'll be in the newspaper tomorrow!"
Ma Sanbao was stunned by the shout and sobered up considerably.
"W-what photo?"
"Coal cars! Vegetables! You're giving the train conductor money!"
With each word he uttered, Deputy District Chief Liu shoved Ma Sanbao forcefully, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.
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