Mu Zechen left the reception room and got into the car parked outside. He smoked three cigarettes in succession until the cab was filled with smoke and the figures were almost invisible. Then he opened the window and glanced at the prison from afar.
He knew that the woman who seemed to be charming but actually struggling in the turbid world would never return to Minghua. The years of love seemed to be still there, but it would inevitably be scattered with the different paths of the two people. Mu Zechen, who had always been a heartless person, drove around in the huge Qingzhou City, and suddenly felt melancholy in his heart.
Qi Shu sat on the lower bunk bed with her back against the cold wall. A hint of chill penetrated her body through the outside of her clothes. She curled up her legs slightly and hugged her knees with her hands. Her once fascinating face was no longer covered with expensive makeup, but it did not detract from her beauty in the slightest. Instead, she exuded a freshness and elegance she had never had before.
What’s past is past. From the day she entered this prison, she had left behind all her ties and attachments. The small cell imprisoned her body, but gave her the freedom she had always wanted.
From now on, the mountains are high and the waters are long, and we will never meet again.
From then on, the clouds rolled and dispersed, gradually moving farther and farther away!
Back at Minghua Building, Mu Zechen's mood had long since returned to normal. He had been accustomed to the separation of life and death over the years, and even Qi Shu could only affect him for a moment. Wu Hao had been waiting at the headquarters and did not dare to leave. Mu Zechen came to him and said only one sentence: "Go and talk to the other party. No matter what means you use, no matter how much you pay, you must get the reservoir back."
Within three days, Wu Hao used almost all his connections, public and private, overt and covert, municipal and provincial, but he couldn't contact the other party at all. What's the point of talking if you can't find the person? Wu Hao panicked and went to see Director Feng again. Old Feng didn't avoid him this time, but just after saying a few words, the door of the director's office was pushed open, and several people with serious expressions strode in. Seeing the ID of the people, Old Feng collapsed at that time. He was supported by a breath, but when the breath was gone, everything was gone. His ruddy face turned into a dead gray, and layers of wrinkles appeared on his rich and plump forehead. His eyes, which were always bright and energetic, drooped instantly, as if his energy was sucked away by a monster. The whole person looked ten years older.
Wu Hao was really shocked. This was the first time he witnessed the Discipline Inspection Commission investigating a case. He never thought that losing power, or losing freedom because of power, would have such a big impact on a person who was always high-spirited and had great authority.
Before leaving, one of the staff members suddenly looked at Wu Hao seriously and whispered a few words to the leader. The man who had just announced the decision to put Director Feng under double supervision walked up to Wu Hao and said in a neutral tone without any emotion, "Are you Wu Hao, the boss of Jinsheng Company?"
Wu Hao didn't know why he recognized him and knew his name, but Lao Feng's collapse just now gave him too much of a shock. He said tremblingly: "Yes, I am Wu Hao, you..."
Before he finished speaking, the man waved his hand and said, "We now suspect that you are involved in a bribery case. Come with us."
Director Feng's resignation did not cause much waves in Qingzhou, but it made many people in Minghua feel sick as if they had eaten a fly, such as Gu Shitong and Mu Zechen.
Although Wu Hao was released after Mu Zechen's efforts, the money he spent to bribe Director Feng was not included in the case, and the case itself was not worth mentioning. However, Gu Shitong's anger after hearing the news, the frustration of losing more than he gained, and the powerlessness of being slow at every step, all made Mu Zechen deeply annoyed.
He habitually thought of Qi Shu again. If she were there, not only would the contract rights for the reservoir not be taken away by outsiders, but the Discipline Inspection Commission would not have come to his house without receiving any news of Director Feng's accident, and he would not have been so foolish as to implicate his own family.
Putting aside these what-ifs, without Qi Shu, Mu Zechen realized how difficult it was to manage all aspects of Qingzhou and deal with all kinds of people in official circles. His network of relationships, which had always been in his favor, now faced many obstacles, even for such a small matter as getting Wu Hao out.
By losing Qi Shu, Minghua has lost more than just an arm.
While Mu Zechen was getting extremely anxious, the instigator of all this was following Ning Xiaoning with Xu Yao.
Although Ning Xiaoning has a cold personality and is unruly, she is well versed in the ways of the world and knows how to sing the right song for the right mountain. She is more suitable for office life than Xu Yao. She has only been in Qinghe for a week, but she is smart and eloquent, and soon won everyone's love. Kang Sheng from the Planning Department likes to give her business advice, and he teaches her all his years of experience without reservation, as if he is training Xiaoning as his successor.
Tan Xue from the marketing department knew the relationship between Wen Liang and Ning Xiaoning, so she was always willing to respond and was reluctant to say no. Sometimes when she went out to do market research, if Ning Xiaoning wanted to go with her, she would let her do so.
Coincidentally, Xu Yao would be going back to Guanshan to celebrate the New Year in two days, so Wen Liang squeezed out time to accompany her shopping. However, he saw Tan Xuening, Xiaoning and others on Zhoushan Road, and was about to say hello when Xu Yao stopped him stealthily.
"Don't shout yet, let's secretly take a look at Xiao Ning while she works, okay?"
Wen Liang made a shocked expression and said, "Xu Yao, I always thought I knew you very well, but I didn't expect you to have such a voyeuristic habit..."
"So much nonsense, do you want to read it?"
"Okay, but I was spying on you to keep an eye on you, I have to make that clear!"
So the two followed Tan Xue, Ning Xiaoning and others, and went around the streets and alleys around Zhoushan Road. Ning Xiaoning and Tan Xue went door to door, from the shops on the street to the nearby residential areas, and visited every household one by one, asking people to fill out a survey form, and then gave various small gifts. Sometimes the two sides had a good chat, sometimes they were turned away or verbally abused. What's worse, in a landscape fish shop on Zhoushan North Road, the fat boss with a gold watch on his wrist was fascinated by Ning Xiaoning's beauty and said a few frivolous words. Tan Xue's face flushed with anger, and just when she was about to argue with the fat man, Ning Xiaoning held her hand and kept smiling until she walked out of the store.
Wen Liang and Xu Yao stood on opposite sides of the street. Xu Yao sighed, "I've always wondered why she had to come to Qinghe to work. It turns out this is the so-called social practice... If it were me, I could do it for two or three days, but if I really did it for a full month, I would definitely not be able to do it!"
"The coach is a person with ideas. Although I have never heard her talk about it, I think she must have had a very ambitious goal in her heart a long time ago. Coming to Qinghe to work is just the first step she has taken."
Xu Yao tilted her head and looked at Wen Liang, saying, "You know Xiao Ning very well. I've known her for so long, how come I never knew this?"
Wen Liang choked, looked up at the sky and laughed, saying, "A bystander sees more clearly. For example, when looking at this Zhoushan Road, is it more complete if we are on the plane or if we are standing here? Similarly, you two are too close, so it's not surprising that there are blind spots."
Xu Yao's eyes moved away from his face and chuckled, "I just said it casually, you don't need to explain so much."
Then, without waiting for Wen Liang to answer, he suddenly jumped and waved his hand, saying, "Xiao Ning, here, look here!"
Ning Xiaoning turned around and saw Xu Yao was obviously startled. She ran over quickly from the crowd and asked, "Why are you here?"
Xu Yao chuckled and said, "I said I was following you, do you believe me?"
Ning Xiaoning ignored her words and held her hand. She felt it was cold and quickly put her hands together to wrap her hands in her palms. She scolded, "Why are you running around in such a cold weather? Look at your little paws that are frozen."
Wen Liang shamelessly stretched out his hand and said, "Coach, I'm cold too."
If Xu Yao wasn't here, Ning Xiaoning couldn't guarantee what would happen to her, but since Xu Yao was here, there must be only one answer.
She glared at Wen Liang and said, "Put your hands on the ground and step on them ten times. It's very warm. Try it!"
Wen Liang curled his lips, Xu Yao gave him a comforting look and said, "We are not running around aimlessly. We came out to inspect the work. Speaking of work, Comrade Xiao Ning, you have done a great job. I just discussed it with General Manager Wen and decided to give you an extra 1,000 yuan bonus this month!
When Ning Xiaoning heard about money, stars appeared in her eyes. Her IQ dropped instantly. She asked in surprise, "Really?"
Tan Xue also came over and just heard Xu Yao's last words. She smiled and said, "Okay, since Mr. Wen has spoken, I'll give you an extra thousand yuan in bonus this month."
"It's not impossible to give out bonuses," Wen Liang touched his hands and said with self-pity, "but my hands are frozen, how can I take money out of my pocket?"
Xu Yao had just said it casually, but now that it seemed like there was a way, she no longer cared about being reserved, and grabbed Ning Xiaoning's hand and put it into Wen Liang's hand, saying, "Quick, catch him, and grab a thousand dollars for him, this deal is worth it!"
Wen Liang was just joking. He didn't expect Xu Yao to throw away her moral integrity for her Winnie the Pooh. While he was distracted, his palm touched Ning Xiaoning's palm.
When their eyes met, Ning Xiaoning's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she abruptly withdrew her hand, almost causing Xu Yao to stumble. Xu Yao achieved her goal, and proudly pointed at Wen Liang and said, "You said, one thousand yuan!"
What else could Wen Liang say? He smiled bitterly and shook his head. Ning Xiaoning suppressed the violent beating of her heart, reached out to tickle Xu Yao, and said, "You crazy girl, I'll make you crazy..."
"I won't dare to do it again. I won't dare to do it again next time. Good Xiao Ning, please forgive me for the sake of one thousand yuan."
The two girls were laughing and playing. Wen Liang smiled, but suddenly her voice dropped and she said, "Sister Tan, what happened in the store just now? I saw that you looked very angry."
"It's still the shop owner. We asked him to answer a few questions. You can tell us whether you are willing or not. But he said in a sarcastic tone that it was unfair for such a beautiful girl like Xiao Ning to do this. If she follows him, she can eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks, and have everything she wants. He also said nonsense about how much money he will pay her a month..." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian. to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)