Receiving the call from Zhang Zhiyuan, Lu Yiwei stood in the yard with a blank expression. A warm night breeze blew past, causing him to shiver. A difficult choice was placed before him.
On one side was his sister's marriage, on the other was Zhang Zhiyuan's summoning. Both were important. Giving up on either was unwise. Lu Yiwei leaned on the windowsill, trying to think of a way to make the best of both worlds. However, one was in Northern State, and the other was in Eastern State. It was impossible to take care of both.
Lu Ling's marriage was a big deal, a once-in-a-lifetime event. Lu Yiwei did not want to leave any regrets. He made up his mind to reject Zhang Zhiyuan and stay in Eastern State. With that in mind, he took out his phone to ask for leave from Zhang Zhiyuan. He hung up immediately after dialing the number. Thinking of the rumors, he had a feeling that it had something to do with him. No! He had to go. But his sister … Lu Yiwei was in great pain.
Seeing that Lu Yiwei had not returned after so long, Lu Ling went outside to check. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Lu Yiwei leaning against the wall, knocking his head.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Lu Ling asked worriedly.
Lu Yiwei quickly put on a smile and said, "It's nothing. Maybe I drank too much. Come, let's go in!"
Just as he was about to open the door, Lu Yiwei grabbed Lu Ling and said awkwardly, "Ling Ling, I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I … I … Sigh, I don't know how to say it." Lu Yiwei could not speak for a long time. Lu Ling said anxiously, "Brother, what is it? Hurry up and say it."
"Ling Ling, Secretary Zhang wants me to go to Northern State immediately. It's important," Lu Yiwei said through gritted teeth.
Lu Ling was stunned. Then, he looked into the room. Although he was reluctant, he could not delay work. After some thought, he said casually, "I thought it was something important. I'm fine here. Didn't you guys come to an agreement in the afternoon? Hurry up!"
"Lingling, I really …"
"Oh, don't say that. I know in my heart that I'm very happy that you can come. Don't forget, we're brother and sister, there's no need for formalities between siblings, "she said as she pulled Lu Yiwei into the house and patiently explained to Liu Wenli and Liu Wengang.
Liu Wenli understood Lu Yiwei completely as she was a government official. She said eagerly, "Then hurry up and go. Work matters are more important. In any case, our two families are already related, so we can meet anytime in the future. Wengang, send a car to send Yiwei back. "
After smelling it, Liu Wengang immediately took out his phone to contact the car.
Lu Yiwei kept apologizing. Liu Wenli said: "Yiwei, you are too courteous. In the bureaucracy, one has no choice. I can understand."
After a while, a Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of the villa. Lu Yiwei gave his car keys to Lu Ling, said goodbye to everyone, and left Eastern City in a hurry, rushing all the way to Northern City.
Eastern City and Northern City were about 200 kilometers apart. If he took the highway, it would take at least two hours. Lu Yiwei urged the driver to speed up. The driver knew that Lu Yiwei was in a hurry, so he stopped the car in the emergency lane, blocked the license plate, stepped on the gas, and sped off at a speed of 180 kilometers per hour. Fortunately, the Mercedes-Benz had good performance and did not encounter any danger along the way. They arrived at Northern City in a little more than an hour.
When they arrived at Northern City, Lu Yiwei immediately contacted the driver, Guo Kai. After the two met, Guo Kai brought him to the guesthouse of the municipal government. On the way, Lu Yiwei could not help but be shocked when he learned that the banquet tonight was attended by some important people. Could it really be related to his matter?
When they arrived downstairs, Lu Yiwei called Zhang Zhiyuan. Zhang Zhiyuan said directly, "Go to Room 302 on the second floor."
Lu Yiwei went upstairs with a nervous heart and carefully knocked on the door. He saw the faces of the leaders were glowing, and the atmosphere was harmonious. The banquet must have been very lively. Zhang Zhiyuan got up and pulled Lu Yiwei to the table. He said to the secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Qin Xiuwen, "Secretary Qin, this is Lu Yiwei."
The two had already met. Qin Xiuwen nodded slightly and did not say anything.
Lu Yiwei respectfully greeted them one by one. Guo Jinzhu said straightforwardly, "We're all family. Don't be so formal. Take off your coat and quickly sit down. Toast Secretary Qin."
Lu Yiwei obediently took off his jacket. He didn't even bother to eat the dishes and pour the wine. He picked up the wine cup with both hands, bowed, and presented it to Qin Xiuwen. "Secretary Qin, it's my honor to take this opportunity to offer you a toast. I'm not talented and I still need your guidance and guidance."
Qin Xiuwen's eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity when he saw that Lu Yiwei still hadn't picked up his wine glass. He was thinking, what did this young man in front of him do to attract all the deities to come and support him? Of course, he could not rule out the possibility of Zhang Zhiyuan being involved. However, he was a little surprised that everyone had been praising him the whole night.
Seeing the look in Qin Xiuwen's eyes, Lu Yiwei suddenly remembered the scene when he met Qin Xiuwen in Inner Mongolia. They were at the same table, the same toast, the same state. It was shockingly similar. Fortunately, his attitude that day was not bad. If he swaggered around like Batu, the first thing Qin Xiuwen would do after coming to Northern City would probably be to teach him a lesson. Now that he thought about it, he still had a lingering fear.
Seeing that Qin Xiuwen was putting on airs, Guo Jinzhu said, "Yiwei, Secretary Qin is your superior. You should respect him. Holding such a small glass is not sincere enough. Come, take this!" As he spoke, he placed the teacup in front of Lu Yiwei and said, "Fill it up. This will show your sincerity."
Looking at the teacup that could hold half a liter of wine, Lu Yiwei sucked in a breath of cold air. However, since Guo Jinzhu had spoken, he had to bite the bullet and drink it. He picked up the cup and poured it to the brim. Zhang Zhiyuan, who was beside him, was worried for him. However, he could not say anything at this time, so he chose to remain silent. Xu Caimao and Bai Zongfeng smiled at each other. It seemed like they wanted to test Lu Yiwei's tolerance for alcohol.
Lu Yiwei picked up a teacup and passed it to Qin Xiuwen again. He repeated the same words. Qin Xiuwen slowly picked up the cup, clinked it gently, took a sip, and put it down. Lu Yiwei took a deep breath, held his breath, and drank it in one go.
"Good!" Guo Jinzhu applauded and said to Qin Xiuwen, "Old Qin, did you see that? This young man is honest. He can withstand the test of alcohol. Of course, he can do all kinds of work. " As he spoke, he said to Lu Yiwei, "Yiwei, I'll accompany you to toast Secretary Qin with this second cup. Fill it up!"
Lu Yiwei did not have the time to catch his breath and wanted to drink another cup. Guo Jinzhu lowered his status to drink with him. This cup of wine must be drunk. Therefore, he filled it up, tightened his butt, and toasted Qin Xiuwen with Guo Jinzhu.
Qin Xiuwen looked at Guo Jinzhu and said, "Old Guo, why are you doing this?"
"Come on, let's be frank. Drink!" He finished the cup in one go. This time, Qin Xiuwen drank half a cup.
Guo Jinzhu finished his cup and gave Xu Caimao a look. Xu Caimao understood tacitly and looked at Lu Yiwei with a distressed expression. He pressed his hand down and said, "Yiwei, sit down and eat something first." Zhang Zhi Yuan saw Lu Yiwei's pale face and quickly picked up some food for him, indicating that he should eat first.
Lu Yiwei's stomach was churning and his head was splitting. This was the first time he drank half a liter of white wine in one go. Although he was not feeling well, his mind was very clear. He quickly took a few bites. Xu Caimao then picked up his cup and said, "Old Qin, I'll accompany Yiwei to toast you too."
Although they were both secretaries of the Municipal Party Committee, Eastern City and Northern City were different. Eastern City was an economically strong city in Xijiang Province. It was said that the next secretary of the Municipal Party Committee would be appointed to the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. Qin Xiuwen gave Xu Caimao some face. He picked up his cup and said, "I say, Old Xu, we're almost done."
"This wine is not the same wine. This person is not the same person. This cup of wine has a different meaning. Come, bottoms up!" Xu Caimao said and drank. This time, Qin Xiuwen finished his cup. Lu Yiwei drank another half a liter, which was close to his limit.
"Me too!" Bai Zongfeng picked up his cup and said.
Qin Xiuwen quickly waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. Look at how drunk Lu Yiwei is. If this goes on, he'll die."
"Old Qin, why are you so wishy-washy today? Come, let's be frank. Whether we succeed or not depends on this cup." Bai Zongfeng did not wait for Qin Xiuwen to raise his cup and drank. Qin Xiuwen had no choice but to drink with him.
After two liters of white wine, Lu Yiwei felt like he was floating. His body was stiff and his reaction was slow. He did not listen to the commands of his brain. Even so, he gritted his teeth and sat upright. Zhang Zhiyuan looked surprised. He secretly slipped him a glucose syringe from under the table.
"Zhiyuan, you don't have to." Before Zhang Zhiyuan could raise his cup, Qin Xiuwen quickly stopped him. Zhang Zhiyuan did not listen to Lu Yiwei's advice. He took Lu Yiwei's glass and filled it with wine. He held it up and said, "Secretary Qin, let Yiwei cool down. I'll drink with you!" With that said, he raised his head and drank the wine.
Qin Xiuwen shook his head helplessly and drank another cup. Seeing that Lu Yiwei could not take it anymore, he said to Zhang Zhiyuan, "Hurry up and help him to the bathroom."
Zhang Zhiyuan turned to look at Lu Yiwei, who could barely keep his eyes open. He patted his back and said, "Do you want me to go with you?"
Lu Yiwei immediately pulled himself together and shook his head. He forced himself to say, "I'm fine, Secretary Zhang."
"How much wine is left?" Guo Jinzhu asked Zhang Zhiyuan as he was about to wrap things up.
Zhang Zhiyuan looked back and said, "That's all. There's only half a bottle left on the table."
"Go get the wine!"
Zhang Zhiyuan stood up, but Qin Xiuwen pulled him back. "No need. That's enough. We've already drunk three boxes. I can't drink anymore."
Xu Caimao said, "How about this. Let's finish half a bottle and be done with it."
Everyone agreed with Xu Caimao's suggestion. They all split up and finished their drinks.
For the whole night, no one mentioned anything about Lu Yiwei. Qin Xiuwen knew that. Although he was disgusted with Zhang Zhiyuan forcing him to submit, Lu Yiwei's two liters of white wine was an eye-opener for him.
Half a month later, the Municipal Party Committee held a standing committee meeting to discuss many matters, including Lu Yiwei's appointment.
On the second day of the standing committee meeting, the Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee represented the Municipal Party Committee to hold a county-wide meeting in Nanyang County and read out the decision of the Beizhou Municipal Party Committee on the appointment of Comrade Lu Yiwei as a member of the Standing Committee of the Nanyang County Party Committee.
Two liters of white wine in exchange for a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee. Lu Yiwei thought it was a dream when he expressed his opinion on the podium. As for whether this dream was good or bad, it was still unknown to this day.
Zhang Zhiyuan felt relieved after dealing with Lu Yiwei. Even if he had to leave, he could leave with peace of mind.
Lu Yiwei's appointment meant that Zhang Zhiyuan's departure was nearing …
(End of Volume Three)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
