Peng Zhongsheng did not know what happened when he saw Chu Yunchi crying inexplicably. He quickly said, "Old Chu, what are you doing? It's not like I won't agree. Do you have to be like this?" Peng Zhongsheng did not know the complicated emotional entanglements and tried to persuade him.
Seeing that Chu Yunchi was shedding tears, Lu Yiwei's eyes immediately became wet. Men did not easily shed tears unless they were deeply hurt, not to mention a man of Chu Yunchi's age. He would not shed tears no matter how big the matter was. He would grit his teeth and persevere. But today, he shed tears, tears of sincerity.
Chu Yunchi wiped his tears and sniffed. He forced a smile and said, "Old Peng, you might not know that a friend in need is a friend indeed. You don't understand what it means to not go back on your words and not give up. Yiwei did it." As he said that, his tears fell again.
"Alright, don't say it!" Peng Zhongsheng comforted him.
"No! I want to say it! "Chu Yunchi looked at Lu Yiwei with tears in his eyes and sobbed. Lu Yiwei's appearance touched the regret he had hidden for many years. He was constantly repenting, hoping to make up for it in various ways, but he did not have the courage to do it. As for his apology for being late, he expressed it with the most sincere emotion.
Lu Yiwei's heart was tormented. He bit his lips and did not let his tears fall. Ma Zhiming held Lu Yiwei's hand tightly and kept cheering him on. Fan Chunfang, who did not know the truth, also shed tears when she saw this scene.
Liu Wenchuan saw that a good meal had ended like this. He got up and said, "Alright, I still have something to do. I'll leave first." As he spoke, he gave Peng Zhongsheng a look.
"Oh, I also have something to do." After saying that, he hurriedly picked up his clothes and left with Liu Wenchuan.
Ma Zhiming saw this and hinted Song Yong and Fan Chunfang with his eyes. The three of them also quietly got up and left the room.
Only Chu Yunchi and Lu Yiwei were left in the room. They looked at each other and did not know where to start. What Chu Yunchi did next shocked Lu Yiwei. He climbed onto the table and burst into tears. While crying, she hit the table and said, "Yiwei, I'm sorry …"
Seeing this, Lu Yiwei walked over and comforted Chu Yunchi, "Magistrate Chu, don't be like this. It's not good for outsiders to hear it …"
It would have been fine if he didn't try to persuade her, but the moment he did, she cried even more fiercely. The resentment that had accumulated in the bottom of her heart suddenly burst forth. She didn't know whether she was crying for her own fate or for her apology to Lu Yiwei.
"Mayor Chu, please get up!" Lu Yiwei was still calling him by his old name. He felt like time was flowing backward, and he was back to the good old days.
When Chu Yunchi was the county magistrate of Nanyang County, he ruled with an iron fist and struck like a thunderbolt. He tried to turn the tide with his unique personal charm, hoping to bring great changes to Nanyang County during his reign. However, he only took a small step forward, and all his efforts were in vain. He was drowned in the tide of reform.
The most beautiful thing that Chu Yunchi did in Nanyang County was to activate the entire coal market. By cracking down on unauthorized mining, he arrested a group of people, and then he contracted all the coal mines that belonged to the village collective to individuals. He supported a group of private coal enterprises under all kinds of pressure. People like Niu Fuyong, Xu Liu of Shiwan Village, and Qin Erbao, who was arrested, were all beneficiaries.
However, Liu Kecheng, who did not understand economics, thought that Chu Yunchi was fooling around and indirectly caused the loss of state-owned assets. Therefore, he fiercely complained to the Municipal Party Committee, saying that Chu Yunchi had received benefits from some coal bosses. Chu Yunchi was not as honest as Zhang Zhiyuan. He did receive some benefits, but he insisted on not admitting it. Liu Kecheng insisted on prying something out of his mouth, so he set his eyes on the secretary, Lu Yiwei. However, Lu Yiwei was straightforward and tight-lipped. No matter how many people took turns to ask him, he always insisted on his own opinion. He didn't know!
Later, the investigation team found something wrong with Chu Yunchi, and his career ended there. He was directly transferred to the Municipal Archives Bureau as the deputy director. He was promoted on the surface but demoted in reality, which was his punishment. After several years, Chu Yunchi finally climbed to the position of the Municipal Cultural Bureau, until today.
Did Lu Yiwei know anything about Chu Yunchi? Of course he knew, but he didn't know everything. Because several coal bosses met Chu Yunchi through him. As for what he wanted to do, he knew it very well. However, he didn't confess these things and didn't betray the person who introduced him to his career.
When Chu Yunchi was in Nanyang County, he was very good to Lu Yiwei. In just two years, he promoted him to deputy section chief and took care of him in all aspects, so Lu Yiwei was very grateful. Just because of this, he couldn't betray his old leader.
Chu Yunchi cried for a long time. In the end, he choked with sobs and raised his head. His eyes were swollen like walnuts. He carefully looked at Lu Yiwei and said with a bitter smile, "Yiwei, you've changed. You've become more mature and steady than before. Good, very good!"
Lu Yiwei sighed, "Magistrate Chu, you've also changed, but there are some things that haven't changed."
"How can I not change?" Chu Yunchi shook his head and said, "It's been six years. I don't know how I've survived these six years. Sometimes I think about it. Every day, I'm muddle-headed. I don't have the passion and fighting spirit I used to have. I'm like a deflated ball, struggling at death's door. Sigh! "
"Magistrate Chu, please don't say that!" Lu Yiwei had long forgotten about the past. He said, "You're still young, and there's still a long way to go. I believe you'll definitely stand up again."
"Young? I'm still young? I'm already 52 this year, what else can I look forward to? " Chu Yunchi waved his hand and said, "I don't want to fight for it anymore. Actually, it's pretty good right now. I don't have to worry about anything, and I'm living a carefree life. It suits my current state of mind."
It had been a long time since they last met, so Lu Yiwei couldn't figure out Chu Yunchi's character.
Chu Yunchi blew his nose and said, "I might not have contacted you all these years, but I've always been aware of your every move. Now that you've achieved something, I'm really happy for you. Yiwei, tell me the truth. Do you hate me? "
Lu Yiwei nodded his head before he shook his head.
"It's fine. Just say what you have to say. I won't blame you." Chu Yunchi opened his heart and said, "I know that you haven't been doing well in the past, and I've wanted to give you a hand. But you know my situation, and I'm powerless."
"Let bygones be bygones. Don't talk about it!" Lu Yiwei didn't want to talk about the past.
"Alright, I won't talk about it. I don't want to talk about it either." Chu Yunchi filled his cup and said, "As for me, this is it for the rest of my life. But you're different. Your future is bright. Zhang Zhiyuan appreciates you, so you should follow him and work hard. If you need my help, don't hesitate to look for me. I won't hesitate to do it!"
It was fine if he didn't mention Zhang Zhiyuan, but Lu Yiwei's heart ached when he was mentioned. Chu Yunchi still didn't know that Zhang Zhiyuan was going to be transferred away soon. This move would make the road ahead even more difficult for Lu Yiwei.
"Zhiming, you guys come in!" Chu Yunchi cried for a while and vented all the emotions that had accumulated over the years. He felt much better.
Ma Zhiming pushed the door open and entered when he heard them.
"Come, come, come. Have a seat!" Chu Yunchi had a bitter smile on his face. When he saw Song Yong, he said, "This is?"
Without waiting for Lu Yiwei to introduce him, Song Yong quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Director Chu, I'm very happy to meet you here. My name is Song Yong."
Lu Yiwei added, "So you're the captain of the city management team. Now, you're my partner and he's the mayor of Shiwan Village."
"Oh, you're young and promising. Not bad. Work hard!" Chu Yunchi nodded slightly. People like Song Yong couldn't enter his eyes at all in the past. He looked at Fan Chunfang and asked, "Which one?"
Lu Yiwei introduced them again. Chu Yunchi said, "Since we're both from Nanyang County, I'll take the initiative and raise a toast to everyone. Come, bottoms up!"
Fan Chunfang could not hold his liquor. He took a small sip and choked and coughed. Lu Yiwei did not forget to say with concern, "Mayor Fan, if you can't drink, don't drink so much."
"Come, Yiwei, let's have a drink." Ma Zhiming, who had been silent, finally spoke. His face was also full of apology.
Back then, Chu Yunchi did not let Lu Yiwei contact him. It was Ma Zhiming who acted as a mouthpiece. Ma Zhiming was originally the director of the county transportation bureau. Later, he was transferred to the director of the tourism bureau. He was branded with the mark of the Chu faction and was suppressed. However, after Chu Yunchi made a comeback and went to the city cultural bureau, he did not bring his closest friend, Lu Yiwei, to his side. Instead, he brought Ma Zhiming over, which made Lu Yiwei sad for a while.
Lu Yiwei also analyzed the reason. His relationship with Chu Yunchi was like that of a father and son. After all, there was a generation gap between them. It was more of fatherly love. But Ma Zhiming was different. They were about the same age. They talked and did things very casually. Maybe that was the case. He did not think too much about what other reasons there were.
The past was the past. There was not much point in dwelling on it. Lu Yiwei raised his glass and said, "Chief Ma, you have to go home more in the future after following Mayor Chu."
"Of course, of course," Ma Zhiming said evasively. Then, he drained the glass.
Chu Yunchi said, "Yiwei, go to the city education bureau to find Peng Zhongsheng later. Since he promised me, he will definitely do it. If he makes things difficult for you, just tell me directly. I will talk to him."
"Thank you, Mayor Chu." Although they had let bygones be bygones, there was still some awkwardness. It seemed that there was still an inexplicable barrier between them.
Chu Yunchi suddenly patted his forehead and said, "By the way, Zhiming, do we have a cultural compound project in the near future?"
"Yes, this project has been approved. This year, there will be a total of five pilot projects, and all of them are in the city," Ma Zhiming said.
"Ignore him." Chu Yunchi directly made the decision. "Take out a quota and put it directly in Shiwan Village."
"But …"
"But what? No buts." Chu Yunchi pulled a long face and said, "That's settled. If the higher-ups want to pursue responsibility, tell them to come to me directly."
Lu Yiwei knew that Chu Yunchi was still doing this to make up for his mistakes. If he did not accept it, he would definitely be unhappy. He simply agreed readily and said to Song Yong next to him, "Song Yong, did you hear that? Mayor Chu is so supportive of the work of our village. We can't lose face. Let's do a good job with this project. Later, look for Captain Ma and get this project implemented!"
Lu Yiwei did not expect that there would be so many accidents during what was supposed to be a simple meal. He met the old leader, solved the school's problem, and unexpectedly got a cultural compound project. This meal was worth it!
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