"Hey! Old Chu, why are you so late? Mayor Liu and I have been waiting for you for a long time. Come and sit down! "Peng Zhongsheng hurriedly greeted him.
Chu Yunchi, the director of the Municipal Bureau of Culture, held the door with his hand, and his smile was stiff on his face. His pair of bright eyes were embedded with emotions. He stared at Lu Yiwei without moving his eyes, and his feet seemed to grow on the ground as if they were filled with lead … Ma Zhiming, the captain of the Inspection Brigade of the Municipal Bureau of Culture, who followed behind, was stunned and kept observing the expressions of the two people.
Lu Yiwei never thought that he would meet Chu Yunchi in this way on such an occasion. For six years, Lu Yiwei had hoped, thought, hated, and always hoped for a miracle to appear. Not to mention to see, even if he simply called to say hello, the miracle did not appear. Chu Yunchi did not ask him even once.
When Chu Yunchi left Nanyang County, he left Lu Yiwei a sentence, "Don't come to me. I will come to you when the time is right." Then he transferred 50,000 yuan to him through Ma Zhiming's hand. No one knew whether it was compensation or something else. Lu Yiwei kept this promise. Over the years, he did not look for him even once, not even in the most difficult time.
After many years of not seeing each other, the two were unfamiliar and strange. It was like passersby A and passersby B, inadvertently passing by in the crowd and only communicating with each other with a look. But the feelings hidden in the depths of his heart rushed down like a broken dam, broke through the psychological defense line, and their souls bypassed many obstacles before finally colliding with each other.
Chu Yunchi's expression was cold. The corners of his mouth kept twitching, and his Adam's apple kept surging with the brewing emotions. The fingers holding the door moved stiffly, and his body leaned forward slightly. If Ma Zhiming had not held him, he would have fallen straight down.
"Old Chu, what's wrong with you?" Peng Zhongsheng looked at the two people with a blank face, walked up to them, and asked with concern.
Liu Wenchuan, who was sitting in the middle, saw this scene and was also a little confused. He, as a newcomer, did not know about this past.
"Oh, nothing!" Chu Yunchi pushed Ma Zhiming away and said, "Maybe I walked upstairs in a hurry just now, so my blood pressure can't come up."
"Isn't there an elevator? Do you think you can take the stairs?" Peng Zhongsheng quickly saw through Chu Yunchi's imperfect and clumsy lie.
"Oh." Seeing that he had been seen through, Chu Yunchi hurriedly changed the topic. "You've been here for a long time?"
"Exactly. You made Mayor Liu wait for you for so long. Shouldn't you punish yourself by drinking three cups of wine?" From Peng Zhongsheng's conversation, it could be seen that the relationship between the two was not ordinary.
"It's no big deal, no problem!" Chu Yunchi walked to the dining table and smiled awkwardly at Lu Yiwei. He took off his jacket and hung it on a chair before he sat down nervously. However, there seemed to be a thorn under his butt. No matter how he adjusted it, it was not comfortable.
Ma Zhiming walked over, pulled the corner of Lu Yiwei's clothes, and gave him a look to let him sit down first.
Lu Yiwei sat down restlessly, stealing glances at Chu Yunchi from time to time. They hadn't seen each other for a few years. He was old and fat. There were wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his expression was not as bright as before. He was like a tiger with its teeth pulled out, lying on the grassy slope with its dying breath, watching other tigers capture their prey energetically. It was said that the more one was in the officialdom, the braver he became. However, it was difficult for him to walk out of the shadow for many years after he really suffered a heart-wrenching injury.
How powerful was Chu Yunchi in the past? He never went back on his word, and he was the first one who dared to jump out and have an objection. He was far more domineering than Yang Derong. Even Liu Kecheng didn't have his killing power. However, such a resolute person didn't expect that Liu Kecheng would stab him in the back and hurt his vitality. If it weren't for Lu Yiwei standing out to take the bullet, he might still be in prison. Today, he curled up in an inconspicuous unit, doing things in a very low-key manner. There was no shadow of him in the past at all. It was unknown whether he was really beaten to the ground, or he was lurking in a corner, watching everything around him like a tiger watching its prey, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
This meal was destined to be extremely awkward. The food hadn't been served yet, but Chu Yunchi opened the bottle and drank three glasses. Peng Zhongsheng, who was next to him, applauded repeatedly, as if he didn't notice that the atmosphere was strange.
Peng Zhongsheng didn't notice it, but Liu Wenchuan did. Looking at the two's extremely unnatural behavior, he knew that there must be something going on.
"Mayor Liu, since everyone is here, shall we start eating?" Peng Zhongsheng asked for Liu Wenchuan's opinion.
"Yes!"
When the food was served, the atmosphere was unusually depressing. Liu Wenchuan picked up a mouthful of food and said, "Old Chu, you used to live in Nanyang County. Coincidentally, my guests are also from Nanyang County. I wonder if you know them?"
Ma Zhiming and Song Yong absent-mindedly held their glasses and spun them in their hands, quietly waiting for Chu Yunchi's response. In this kind of situation, would he recognize Lu Yiwei on the spot?
Chu Yunchi put down his chopsticks and raised his head to look at Lu Yiwei with a smile. He picked up two glasses of wine and walked in front of Lu Yiwei. He lowered his head, stood on his tiptoes, and suddenly raised his head. He handed a glass of wine to Lu Yiwei, patted his back, and said, "Yiwei, you drink first!"
Hearing Chu Yunchi casually address Yiwei, Liu Wenchuan could basically confirm that the two not only knew each other, but their relationship was not ordinary.
Lu Yiwei felt the strength in Chu Yunchi's wide palm. He hesitated for a moment, picked up the glass of wine, raised his head, and downed it.
"You … you know each other?" Peng Zhongsheng saw the two's posture and asked in confusion.
Chu Yunchi ignored him and poured a glass of wine for Lu Yiwei. He pulled him in front of Liu Wenchuan and said solemnly, "Mayor Liu, let me introduce you. This is Lu Yiwei. He was my secretary when I served in Nanyang County."
Liu Wenchuan did not show a surprised expression. He nodded and said, "I can see it and have guessed it."
"Ah!" Peng Zhongsheng exclaimed, "I was wondering why the name Lu Yiwei sounded so familiar. So he was your secretary. Tsk tsk."
Chu Yunchi ignored Peng Zhongsheng and said to Liu Wenchuan, "Today we know each other. You have to take care of him in the future." He did not know the relationship between Lu Yiwei and Liu Wenchuan, so he took the initiative to recommend him in front of him.
Liu Wenchuan stood up and said with a smile, "Old Chu, Yiwei and I are from the same sect. We are brothers, so you can rest assured. I know what to do. Old Peng did not give me face. "
"Why did you drag me into this again?" Peng Zhongsheng said unhappily.
Chu Yunchi turned around and glared at Peng Zhongsheng. "What's going on?"
Liu Wenchuan said bluntly, "Yiwei came all the way to ask him to do something for him. As the mayor in charge of education, I didn't say anything. Instead, he made things difficult for him. He is a little unreasonable. Haha." Liu Wenchuan knew that Peng Zhongsheng looked down on him and felt that he was just a temporary official with no foundation or connections. So he said it as a joke on the surface, but in reality, he was secretly stabbing him. He knew that Peng Zhongsheng was not afraid of anyone but Chu Yunchi.
Peng Zhongsheng was able to achieve what he had today because of Chu Yunchi. Chu Yunchi turned around and asked Lu Yiwei, "What's going on?"
Lu Yiwei did not want to embarrass Peng Zhongsheng, so he said vaguely, "Let's talk about this later."
Unexpectedly, Chu Yunchi's expression changed, and his domineering side appeared again. He said, "Tell me now!"
Lu Yiwei braced himself and told him the gist of it. Chu Yunchi also understood, but he did not say anything. Instead, he took out a glass of white wine from the box behind him and unscrewed it. He placed it in front of Peng Zhongsheng and said, "Old Peng, don't say anything. I know this is difficult, and you are also in a difficult position, but I don't care. If you have difficulties, you can overcome them yourself. Since I know about this, I will take care of it until the end. If it works, I will drink this bottle of wine. If it doesn't work, I will leave immediately. "
Chu Yunchi directly blocked Peng Zhongsheng at the south gate. He could only move forward and not retreat. He said with embarrassment, "Old Chu, aren't you making things difficult for me? I have already explained the matter to Yiwei. This is really difficult …"
Before Peng Zhongsheng could finish, Chu Yunchi lost his temper. He grabbed the clothes on the chair and turned around to Liu Wenchuan. "Mayor Liu, let's go!"
"Old Chu, Old Chu, what are you doing?" Peng Zhongsheng pulled Chu Yunchi back.
"Old Peng, I will not make things difficult for you. I will go out to discuss something with Mayor Liu." After saying that, he walked out of the door without a care.
Seeing Chu Yunchi walk to the door, Peng Zhongsheng panicked. He slammed the table and said, "Old Chu! I promise you! "
Chu Yunchi stood at the door for a while, then turned back and suddenly smiled. "That's more like it." After saying that, he picked up the bottle of wine he had just opened and raised it.
Peng Zhongsheng did not expect Chu Yunchi to really want to drink it. He snatched it away and said, "Old Chu, do you want to die? Give it to me!"
Chu Yunchi put the clothes back on the chair and sat down. "Tell me, how can I help?"
Peng Zhongsheng lowered his head and thought for a long time. "It is impossible to get back the quota that was given to others. How about this? I will go to the provincial office in two days and see if I can get another quota."
"That's good!" Chu Yunchi patted Peng Zhongsheng and said, "I will entrust this matter to you. Don't talk to me about useless things. How much money do you need? Just tell me, and I will get it for you. " Then he said to Ma Zhiming, "Zhiming, go to the office tomorrow and discuss with Old Peng. We will bear all the expenses."
"Oh, okay. No problem." Ma Zhiming saw Chu Yunchi working so hard for Lu Yiwei, and the knot in his heart was slowly unraveled.
"Yiwei, don't just stand there. Hurry up and toast Chief Peng." Chu Yunchi looked at Lu Yiwei who was lost in thought and shouted.
Lu Yiwei was shocked by Chu Yunchi's action, but he was more touched. The old leader was willing to fight for him. He knew that this was atonement, but everything that happened in the past seemed to be blurred. He could not even remember what happened.
Lu Yiwei did not have time to think. He raised the wine glass for Peng Zhongsheng and said respectfully, "Chief Peng, I toast you."
"I will drink with you!" Chu Yunchi also raised the wine glass.
"I will drink with you too!" Liu Wenchuan also joined in. It seemed that Peng Zhongsheng had to drink this glass of wine.
After drinking, Chu Yunchi threw the wine glass on the ground and turned to the waiter. "Bring a big glass. I will drink it one small glass at a time. I don't think I can finish it tomorrow."
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