The location of the Provincial Investigation Team's hotel was widely spread by the ordinary officials and the public. One person said this, and another person said that. People were always full of gossip, and there were even people who said they saw the Investigation Team's people going out to investigate the case with their own eyes. All kinds of rumors made people dizzy.
On this day, Mayor Zhao Yiping summoned the heads of the relevant departments in the political and legal system for a talk. The main leaders of the Municipal Public Security Bureau and the Municipal Procuratorate were all invited by Zhao Yiping.
In the mayor's office that was decorated in a simple and unadorned style, Zhao Yiping invited Chen Zhong, the Executive Deputy Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, to sit down. Zhao Yiping, who had been in high spirits for the past few days, looked even more energetic now.
Comrade Chen Zhong, the provincial investigation team has already informed the Municipal Party Committee and the main leaders of the Municipal Government. If there is anything the investigation team needs, the Municipal Public Security Bureau must provide full assistance and do your best to create favorable conditions for the investigation team to solve the case as soon as possible. Zhao Yiping's voice was powerful, and he seemed to be filled with a sense of sharpness.
Chen Zhong listened to Zhao Yiping silently. The Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee and the Director of the Public Security Bureau, Huang Ping, had just left for Beijing yesterday to attend the conference of the secretaries of the Political and Legal Committee of the prefecture-level cities. He would only be back in a few days. Before he left, he specially talked to Chen Zhong about the provincial investigation team. Huang Ping's meaning was very clear. He wanted to be very careful with Xing Tiande's case. What he meant was that they should not get involved easily. At this moment, Zhao Yiping was paying attention to the investigation team's investigation of Xing Tiande's case, and he had clearly instructed the Public Security Bureau to provide full assistance. How could Chen Zhong not see that Zhao Yiping was playing with his sword?
Now that Xing Tiande was involved in a corruption case, there was a high possibility that it would lead to a fight for the position of second and second in the city. Zhao Yiping was already sharpening his knife, and a small figure like me might not be able to escape unscathed if I were to get involved. Even someone like Secretary Huang was so cautious, and I had to be responsible for my position. On the surface, Chen Zhong responded to Zhao Yiping's words with a smile, but in his heart, he was secretly planning for himself. Although he, the Executive Deputy Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, had been promoted to a divisional level cadre and was considered a rather influential middle-level cadre in Haicheng City, in the eyes of people like Zhou Mingfang, the secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Chen Zhong knew that he was nothing at all. After nearly twenty years of being a government official, Chen Zhong had not been blinded by power. The one thing he lacked the least was self-awareness.
Comrade Chen Zhong, your Public Security Bureau will assist the investigation team in handling this case. If there is any situation, you must report to me immediately.
Mayor Zhao, don't worry. This matter is of great importance. I don't dare to be careless. Chen Zhong smiled and nodded in response to Zhao Yiping's words.
After sending Chen Zhong out of the office, Zhao Yiping's conversation did not end there. The people from the Municipal Procuratorate would be coming soon.
As soon as Chen Zhong left the Municipal Government Building, he looked back in the direction of the mayor's office on the third floor. After a slight hesitation, he got into his car and gave a call to Secretary Huang Ping of the Political and Legal Committee who was currently in the capital.
Xing Tiande's case had affected the minds of the entire Haicheng City's higher-ups. Mayor Zhao Yiping was not the only one who was restless. The Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Zhao Fang, was similarly restless these few days.
On the surface, Zhao Fang still appeared to be well-behaved, but the ambition deep in his heart was also ignited. The only difference between him and Zhao Yiping was that Zhao Fang's every action was still the same as usual. He was trying his best to play the role as usual.
Zhao Yiping was a government official from the provincial capital. She was proud and arrogant. Since she was eager to jump out this time, Zhao Fang could let her test the waters first. Zhao Fang sat in his office, wondering if Xing Tiande being investigated by the provincial investigation team would affect Zhou Mingfang. Zhao Fang could not wait for the case to escalate. It would be best if Zhou Mingfang was directly related to the case. That way, it would be hard for Zhou Mingfang not to be hurt.
Zhao Yiping was a local government official who had just arrived in the city. It was inevitable that he would not know how capable Zhou Mingfang was. Even if he had heard about Zhou Mingfang before coming, he had not experienced it himself. How could he have a deep understanding of Zhou Mingfang's methods? Zhao Fang thought to himself, 'I must be patient, patient enough. It's not suitable for me to act rashly at this stage.'
Zhao Fang constantly warned himself in his heart. He had been Zhou Mingfang's assistant for a few years now. Initially, he was dissatisfied with Zhou Mingfang's domineering and authoritative attitude, but he gradually got used to it. Later on, he took the initiative to cooperate with Zhou Mingfang's work and played his role as a good Deputy Secretary. Zhao Fang had experienced many changes in his mentality. His ambition did not disappear, it was hidden even deeper. Before Zhou Mingfang, he already knew how to set himself in the right place. However, this time, the person closest to Zhou Mingfang had met with an accident, so Zhao Fang could not help but feel restless. A soldier who did not want to be a general was not a good soldier, and a cadre who did not want to be an official was not a good cadre either. Everyone who embarked on the path of an official would strive to improve themselves. Zhao Fang admitted that he had been suppressed for too long.
That night, Chen Xing did not return home as usual. At around six o 'clock, Chen Xing and Zhou Mingfang left the Municipal Party Committee in a car.
The car drove along the main road of the city. Chen Xing silently watched the scenery on both sides of the road as it slowly disappeared. His thoughts seemed to be floating in the air and his vision was a little erratic.
Throughout the days that he had been Zhou Mingfang's secretary, Chen Xing had never gone out with Zhou Mingfang at night. Apart from working overtime, Chen Xing would always leave the Municipal Party Committee after work. However, this evening, Zhou Mingfang unexpectedly asked him to stay behind, which led to this scene.
As Zhou Mingfang's secretary, Chen Xing was very familiar with Zhou Mingfang's schedule. Since he did not have any social activities scheduled for the evening, Chen Xing could not help but wonder where Zhou Mingfang was going.
The car stopped at the Ningdong Hotel. Chen Xing knew this place. This was a hotel under the name of the General Office of the Municipal Party Committee.
Chen Xing followed Zhou Mingfang to the third floor. Zhou Mingfang stood in Room 8 and knocked on the door a few times. Standing outside, Chen Xing could vaguely hear the voices of several people chatting inside.
The door was opened from the inside and someone stuck his head out. Chen Xing's eyelids twitched. It was He Ming, the director of the Municipal Finance Bureau, who opened the door. "Secretary Zhou, you're here." As soon as He Ming saw Zhou Mingfang, his face suddenly bloomed with a smile. He stood by the door and invited Zhou Mingfang in. Glancing at Chen Xing behind him, He Ming's face faintly showed a hint of surprise, but soon returned to normal.
Chen Xing followed behind Zhou Mingfang. At the same time, He Ming also slightly smiled and nodded at him. Chen Xing did not rush in before He Ming. Instead, he smiled and waited for He Ming to go in before deliberately lagging behind. Chen Xing's action made He Ming slightly tilt his head and look at him.
The people in the room had already stood up and greeted Zhou Mingfang respectfully. Only then did Chen Xing see clearly who was in the room. In addition to He Ming, there was also the director of the Municipal Party Committee, Yuan Jiang, and the last one was the secretary general of the Municipal Party Committee, Li Baojin.
Chen Xing only felt a few eyes sweeping over him. The way Yuan Jiang and Li Baojin looked at him was somewhat similar to He Ming's. Chen Xing faintly felt that he had already stepped into this circle by being brought here by Zhou Mingfang today.
"Secretary Zhou, do you still follow the old rules today?" Li Baojin, the secretary general of the Municipal Party Committee, said with a smile.
"Yes, the old rules." Zhou Mingfang nodded. There was a hint of a smile on his face. Yuan Jiang, you take the lead, I take the lead. He Ming's card skills were not good enough. The last time he took the lead, he actually played his cards randomly and fooled around.
"Secretary Zhou, your Mahjong skill is first-class, but mine is not even third-rate." He Ming interjected with a smile.
Chen Xing had been standing at the side. At first, he did not understand what they were talking about. When he saw the messy deck of Mahjong on the table in the middle of the sofa, he understood that the four of them were going to play Mahjong together.
"Chen Xing, do you know how to play Bridge? I'll let you play my position." Li Baojin suddenly turned his head and looked at Chen Xing with a smile.
"Secretary General Li, I'd better watch you play and learn more. This is the first time I've come into contact with Bridge and I don't even know the rules. If I go down later, Secretary Zhou will kick me out within one round." Chen Xing smiled and waved his hand. He was a little flattered by Li Baojin's kindness.
"Well, Chen Xing doesn't know how to play, so it's still the four of us." Zhou Mingfang seemed to be quite interested in this. He waved his hand at them and sat down first.
Zhou Mingfang partnered with Secretary General Li Baojin, and the Organization Minister Yuan Jiang partnered with the Finance Director He Ming. The four of them formed a Mahjong table. From the familiar movements of these people, it was not difficult for Chen Xing to guess that this was not the first time such an occasion was held.
Standing by and watching them play Mahjong silently, Chen Xing helped to pour tea for them from time to time. Chen Xing knew nothing about Bridge. Today was the first time he saw someone play Mahjong, which was not popular among the general public.
Chen Xing didn't know how to play Mahjong, so he needed to learn more. Zhou Mingfang was the banker for the first round. During the break, Li Baojin looked up at Chen Xing and said with a smile.
Chen Xing smiled and nodded. Seeing that Zhou Mingfang was quite interested in Mahjong, he had to spend some time to learn how to play Mahjong.
Mahjong was a very competitive game. It was easy to learn the rules, but it was not so easy to learn how to play it well. Zhou Mingfang interjected lightly. The fun of playing Mahjong was to rely less on luck and more on wisdom to win.
Yes, Secretary Zhou was right. Relying on luck was not good enough. Li Baojin catered to Zhou Mingfang with a smile. He pretended to be careless and said, "Some of our leaders are lacking in this aspect. They always rely on luck to do things instead of using their brains. Those people should really learn bridge. In my opinion, bridge is internationally known as an elegant, civilized, and competitive game. This should be promoted."
Chen Xing could tell that Zhou Mingfang's seemingly unintentional words actually had a hidden meaning. Li Baojin's response was also insinuating something. Thinking of the various rumors that had been spreading in the city recently and the high-profile actions of Mayor Zhao Yiping, Chen Xing understood. It was obvious who Li Baojin was referring to when he said that some of the leading cadres wanted to rely on luck.
Xing Tiande's investigation attracted the attention of the provincial leaders because he used to be Zhou Mingfang's secretary. It was believed that many people in Hai City were also paying attention to this case. Those who were originally dissatisfied with Zhou Mingfang hoped that Zhou Mingfang would be affected by this case. Zhao Yiping, even though she had just taken office in Hai City, probably had the ambition to push Zhou Mingfang away.
Judging from Zhao Yiping's active performance in the past few days, she already had the idea of challenging Zhou Mingfang's authority.
If Zhou Mingfang was really transferred away because of Xing Tiande's case, and Zhao Yiping had just become the mayor of Hai City, the position of secretary of the Municipal Party Committee would probably not be his turn yet. Zhao Yiping probably wanted to use this opportunity to rise in power. Zhou Mingfang's authority in Hai City was too great, and it was impossible for Zhao Yiping to be willing to be a foil. Xing Tiande's case was bound to be regarded by Zhao Yiping as an opportunity to weaken Zhou Mingfang. With Zhao Yiping's ambition, she would definitely not let go of such an opportunity. Chen Xing thought silently. Li Baojin's words just now hinted that Zhao Yiping wanted to rely on luck. Now that Xing Tiande's case had yet to come to a conclusion, he did not know whether Zhou Mingfang would really be affected. Whether Zhao Yiping would use this opportunity to establish her authority, or Zhou Mingfang would still maintain his transcendent position in Hai City, it was hard to say.
He wondered if Xing Tiande had also stood aside and watched a card game like this in the past. Chen Xing suddenly thought of Xing Tiande, whose future was uncertain now. This former First Secretary was still so glorious a few days ago.
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