It was the beginning of autumn in Jiangdong at the end of August, but the scorching sun was like a huge fireball roasting the earth.
Jiangdong was surrounded by mountains. The city was built in a valley, so the air was not well ventilated. Cement and steel bars sealed the air holes in the ground. The rapid increase of vehicles and the many chemical plants built around the city formed a heat island effect. The temperature was at least four or five degrees higher than in previous years.
The workers at the construction site had their arms bare. Their tanned skin was dark and shiny, mixed with the soil. Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down their strong arms and fell to the cement ground. Zhuang Er disappeared without a trace.
People were crowded under the big trees, waving a wide cattail leaf fan with one hand and fanning the corner of their clothes with the other. The rich and exaggerated expressions and the raging cicadas were enough to show the heat. Although it was evening, there was no sign of the temperature dropping.
The day after Lu Yiwei returned from Black Mountain County, he went to the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee to report for duty. He found the person in charge of the Second Local Bureau, but they did not dare to accept it. They told him to find the deputy minister in charge. When he went to the deputy minister in charge, he was told to find the deputy minister in charge. Although the deputy minister knew about Lu Yiwei, he needed Minister Zhao to make the decision himself. However, Minister Zhao was on a business trip and would only be back in half a month. In the end, the deputy minister told him to go home and wait for the notice. Lu Yiwei had to go home.
That was good. Lu Yiwei could take this time to rest. He had been busy in Black Mountain County for more than a year. It seemed like he had a vacation, but ever since he started working as a host, he had not rested for a day. Now, he could take it as a long vacation.
This incident was different from the past. It touched Lu Yiwei a lot. As his identity and status rose, there were more and more eyes behind him. If he was not careful, he would become the target of attention. This made him understand why officials often used "trembling" and "walking on thin ice" to describe their careers. It was true.
No matter how much money he had, his sensitive identity made him cautious and timid. He had bought a house but did not dare to live in it. He had the ability to buy a luxury car but did not have the luck to enjoy it. He had the ability to live a better life but did not dare to do anything. He was even extra careful with small details such as clothes and accessories. He was like a person in a condom, unable to express his true feelings.
Now that he thought about it, he felt a lingering fear. If Xu Shousong continued to investigate, not to mention anything else, just the fact that government officials were not allowed to engage in business would be enough to put a big hat on him, and he would be back to square one.
Zhang Zhiyuan was right. With his current identity, it was no longer suitable for him to do business. The sooner he got rid of the Dongcheng Coal Mine, the better it would be for his future career.
Before he had a premonition that something bad would happen, Lu Yiwei had already told Li Haidong to act as soon as possible. He called several times, and Li Haidong said that he was working hard. After he went in, he couldn't contact the outside world. He didn't know how things were going, so he decided to go and take a look.
His original plan was to put the coal mine under the name of Tong Huan's Dezhi Road and Bridge Company and hand it over to Tong Huan. The coal mine would still belong to him. But when he thought of Zhang Zhiyuan's words, he made up his mind. If he was going to deal with it, he would completely "pull up the weeds by the roots" and leave no hidden dangers. In any case, he still had a lot of money on hand, so he wasn't short of money.
Early the next morning, Lu Yiwei called Li Ermao and drove his Peugeot to the Dongcheng Coal Mine.
This Peugeot had been with him for four to five years. After the orchard made a profit for the first time, he made up his mind to buy the first car in his life. Lu Yiwei didn't have many hobbies, but cars were probably the only thing he liked.
This car's configuration was considered good in the past, but it was obviously outdated today. Moreover, it had been used to run mountain roads every day in the coal mine, and it had put in a lot of effort. Niu Fuyong had persuaded him many times to change cars. If he didn't have the money, he could give him one. Every time this matter was mentioned, he would just smile without saying a word.
He had an inseparable attachment to this car. He had fought hard to get something, and no matter how worn out it was, he still felt comfortable.
Looking at it now, it was indeed a little worn out. Even so, he didn't plan to sell it, but to keep it. After all, it had witnessed the bitterness and pain of his struggle.
In fact, he didn't need to buy a car at all. No matter which unit he went to, he would always be assigned a car. The only difference was whether it was good or bad. However, considering that Fan Chunfang would have to commute to work in the future, he planned to buy another car. But what should he buy?
He didn't want a low-end car, and a high-end car was not proportional to his salary. Why should he look for trouble and let others criticize him behind his back? Nowadays, there were many kinds of car brands, many of which he had never heard of. They couldn't keep up with the pace of the times.
Andu County was not far from Jiangdong City, so it only took about half an hour to get there.
When he arrived at the Dongcheng Coal Mine, Li Ermao drove straight into the yard, but he was stopped by the old man guarding the gate.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop, stop! "The old man waved and shouted.
Li Ermao stopped the car, rolled down the window, and poked his head out. "Someone else?"
"What do you mean by 'someone else'? Who are you looking for? Come down and register. "
Lu Yiwei was sitting in the back. When he saw that it wasn't the old man guarding the gate, he was suspicious. Could it be that Li Haidong had sold the coal mine? Then why didn't he call to report in time?
"I'm looking for Mine Manager Li."
"What Mine Manager Li? We don't have Mine Manager Li here, only Mine Manager Guo. Are you looking for the wrong person?"
Li Ermao looked back at Lu Yiwei, and Lu Yiwei nodded slightly. Li Ermao understood his intention, so he got out of the car, registered, and drove into the yard.
When he reached the second floor, he found that all the people going in and out were new faces. None of the old acquaintances were there. Lu Yiwei was sure that the coal mine had sold.
When he arrived at Li Haidong's office, Lu Yiwei glanced through the window and found that the person sitting in Li Haidong's seat was none other than Liangzi, the gangster he met last time. His heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.
Lu Yiwei called Li Ermao over and said, "Go in and ask about the situation. The more detailed, the better. I won't go in." After that, he went downstairs and got into the car.
Lu Yiwei took out his phone and was about to call Li Haidong, but he hung up in a hurry. Everything had to wait until he knew the truth.
Regarding this Liangzi, Li Haidong had mentioned him before, saying that this person wanted to buy the coal mine, but with his years of experience in reading people, this person was not reliable, so he rejected the proposal. But why did Li Haidong not listen to him? All kinds of questions surged in his mind.
After waiting for about ten minutes, Li Ermao came down. Lu Yiwei observed Li Ermao's expression and found some clues. After getting into the car, before he could speak, Lu Yiwei immediately said, "Let's leave here first."
The car drove to an open area and stopped. Li Ermao looked back and said, "Secretary Lu, Haidong sold the coal mine to Liangzi."
Finally, it was confirmed. Lu Yiwei said with a tense face, "Continue."
Li Ermao said, "Liangzi said that Haidong sold it to him for eight million."
"When did this happen?"
"More than ten days ago."
Lu Yiwei's brain worked quickly. More than ten days ago, he happened to be locked up in the Procuratorate, which meant that he made the move during this period. Selling the coal mine for eight million was simply a cabbage price, and the investment was more than that. What was Li Haidong thinking?
Everything could only be revealed when he met Li Haidong.
Lu Yiwei immediately called Li Haidong, but to his surprise, the other party's phone was turned off!
What did he mean? He called a few more times, but the phone was still turned off. Lu Yiwei leaned against the seat to calm down for a moment, then sat up and said, "Go to Nanyang County."
Li Ermao understood his intention and sped up to Nanyang County.
When he arrived at Li Haidong's house, Lu Yiwei looked at the magnificent building through the window, unable to calm down. Ever since Haidong came to Dongcheng Coal Mine, his temperament changed greatly. He was extravagant and wantonly squandered money. The newly built building was demolished and rebuilt into a three-story building, which was incompatible with the surrounding environment. He bought a few luxury cars. He saw all of this, but did not stop him in time.
The reason was that Lu Yiwei always felt that he was rich now. Haidong grew up without parents and lived a hard life. There was nothing wrong with enjoying a little. As long as he did not cause trouble for himself, he basically let him do whatever he wanted. Was he wrong?
Lu Yiwei wanted to go down, but he did not want to show his face easily, so he asked Li Ermao to go in and ask.
He knocked for a long time, but no one responded. When he was about to leave, the door slowly opened, and Mei Jia's mother opened the door.
"Is Haidong at home?"
"Ah?" The old lady covered her ears with her hands and said, "Louder, I'm hard of hearing."
Li Ermao repeated his words.
"Oh, Haidong is not at home."
"Then what about Mei Jia?"
"Ah?"
After repeating a few times, the old lady said, "You mean my daughter? She is not at home either."
"Where did she go?"
"I don't know."
Li Ermao still wanted to ask, but Lu Yiwei rolled down the window and waved his hand, signaling for him to stop.
Back in the car, Lu Yiwei said, "Go to Mei Jia's workplace."
When they arrived at the county TV station, Li Ermao went upstairs to ask around. Mei Jia had stopped working a few days ago, and no one knew where she went.
Where did she go? Lu Yiwei asked himself again and again in his heart. He still did not believe that Li Haidong would betray him. He called Mei Jia, but her phone was also switched off.
"Go and look for his brother-in-law."
At the traffic police station, he found Li Haidong's brother-in-law, Mei Qiang. When Mei Qiang heard about Li Haidong's whereabouts, his face changed. He did not know anything and ran back after asking a few questions.
All the signs were getting closer and closer to the truth that Lu Yiwei did not want to think about. Li Haidong took the money and ran away!
It should not be! Lu Yiwei could not accept this fact. Li Haidong had followed him for many years and had always been loyal. Although there was a deep-rooted bad habit in his bones, it would not show in front of him.
Maybe Li Haidong went out for something, or maybe his and Mei Jia's phones ran out of battery, or maybe he was kidnapped by Liang Zi, or maybe … Lu Yiwei had all kinds of thoughts in his mind, all of which were to absolve Li Haidong, finding a good reason for this fact. But was it really the case?
Lu Yiwei suddenly remembered what Pan Chengjun said before he left Dongcheng Coal Mine. "Beware of Li Haidong." At that time, he felt that Pan Chengjun and Li Haidong had some conflicts, and it was understandable for him to say such things. He did not mind it and laughed it off. Now, it seemed that these words had become reality, and it stabbed into Lu Yiwei's heart. He did not expect it and could not accept it.
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