It was already noon when Mu Zechen received the news that Kuaiyouduo had been sealed off. Almost two hours had passed since the incident. Although there was a lack of effective communication channels to distance themselves from the relationship between the two, it was almost unimaginable if Qi Shu was still in Minghua. However, this time Mu Zechen learned his lesson and did not rush out to rescue him. After several big losses, even the dumbest person knew that Qingzhou was no longer the crab era where he could walk sideways. He still had to be patient when he should be.
He first called Gu Shitong to report, then sat in the office with his eyes squinted for a while, took out 100,000 yuan from the safe at the bedside of the suite and put it in his briefcase, went downstairs without a driver, and drove away alone.
There is a teahouse in Dongcheng that is not too eye-catching. It is located in the crisscrossing alleys. At first glance, it is no different from an ordinary residential house. On both sides of the narrow gate, there is a tacky couplet "The door leads to the four seas, and the source of wealth is abundant." If it were only for the plaque "Yicunquan Tea Art" hanging on the lintel, it would be difficult to find that this place is open for business. Mu Zechen parked the car at the entrance of the alley, walked to the door of "Yicunquan", looked around to see that there was no one, pushed the door open and walked in.
The decoration inside the teahouse was not luxurious, but it was definitely elegant, and it was completely different from the shabby appearance outside. There were dozens of private rooms on both sides of the long corridor. Apart from the mahogany doors, there were no windows or anything like that that would allow the outside world to peek in. Behind the large counter at the entrance sat a beautiful young woman in her early thirties. She was wearing a black cotton dress that made her skin look even whiter. Her hair was simply tied up behind her head, making her look very simple and elegant. When she saw Mu Zechen coming in, she raised her head and said calmly, "Do you have a date?"
"I just booked room number 1 over the phone." Mu Zechen behaved very politely, without the usual habit of looking a pretty woman up and down that men usually do when they meet one.
"Oh," the young woman heard the word "room" and immediately stood up, smiled and said, "Come with me."
When the young woman stood up, she looked different from when she was sitting just now. Her slender figure was as soft as a girl, but she was full of charming charm. She walked into the teahouse. Mu Zechen's eyes wandered over her slender waist and hips. There was no expression on his deep face. However, considering that he had never been interested in women, such a strange movement was enough to prove the amazing charm of this woman.
After walking down a long corridor and passing through a small closed door in the corner, they came to a separate private room. The young woman stopped and said softly, "Go in, wait a moment, the tea will be served soon."
"Thank you!"
Mu Zechen sat cross-legged on a soft cushion, his hands flat on his knees, his eyes drooping, sitting quietly, like a sleeping statue. About an hour later, the door opened and a man walked in, saying, "Mr. Mu, sorry to have waited for a long time."
Mu Zechen opened his eyes, stood up, stretched out his hand, and said with a smile: "Secretary Niu, I haven't seen you for a while. You have lost a lot of weight."
The person who came in was Niu Guiqing, a high-ranking official of Qingzhou. He smiled and said, "It's better to be thinner. When you are thin, you will have fewer health problems. At our age, we should not get sick..."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two men sat down opposite each other. They were both experienced people, so there was no need to say more. Mu Zechen got straight to the point and said, "Secretary Niu, I'd like to trouble you for a favor."
Niu Guiqing didn't say anything, just nodded.
"Pan Mingliang, who is fast and generous, is a good friend of mine..."
Niu Guiqing didn't know the relationship between Kuai Youduo and Minghua, but he didn't look surprised when he heard Mu Zechen's words. He just listened to him calmly, "I don't know how it happened, but Director Liu arrested him early this morning and charged him with poisoning. Secretary Niu, tell me, isn't this just a rat jumping onto a piano and playing the piano randomly?"
Niu Guiqing smiled this time, but remained silent. Seeing this, Mu Zechen immediately changed his tone and said, "Let's take a step back. Kuai Youduo has invested 20 million in Qingzhou this year. Even if there are no merits, he has worked hard. Even if there are some misunderstandings in certain things, we must give people a chance to explain. I am a rough man and don't understand any big principles, but I can't arrest people and put the blame on them at will. Don't you think this is the truth?"
This time Niu Guiqing did not remain silent. He sighed and said, "Boss Mu, I've heard about this, too. This is a case that Tianlai is in charge of. Secretary Xu also knows about it. I'm afraid it won't be easy to handle..."
Mu Zechen felt a headache when he thought of Xu Fuyan's face. He gritted his teeth and said, "I will never make things difficult for Secretary Niu. As long as Pan Mingliang is fine, everything else can be discussed..."
Niu Guiqing stayed in the tea room for only ten minutes before leaving. Mu Zechen waited for him to leave and ordered a cup of Yuqian Longjing tea. He sat for nearly an hour again, then came to the front desk and left a large envelope, saying, "Here is the tea money, boss lady. The tea is very good." After saying that, he went out.
The beautiful woman watched Mu Zechen leave with a smile, and casually opened the envelope. Ten bundles of brand new old man's bills were neatly stacked inside. She was immediately startled and hurriedly dialed a number on the landline: "Guiqing, that person left 100,000 yuan. Isn't that too much? How about I chase him and return it to him?"
There was a three-second pause on the other end of the phone, and then Niu Guiqing's nonchalant voice came: "Keep it."
After the beautiful woman hung up the phone, she couldn't help but guess Mu Zechen's identity. A wealthy man who could spend 100,000 yuan at a time must be a remarkable figure in Qingzhou City. But she didn't know what he had done wrong that he had to come to her man for help.
Wen Liang booked a single room in the Municipal Party Committee Guesthouse. Wen Huaiming came over first, and before he even sat down on the stool, he asked, "What's the matter? Why are you calling me out in such a hurry? The Municipal Party Committee is still busy. I have to go to the countryside with Secretary Xu later..."
"I don't know yet. Liu Tianlai called and said he had something urgent. Let's drink some water first. I think he will be here soon. He won't be delayed for a few minutes."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Tianlai pushed the door open, looking furious, and said, "Mr. Wen, what on earth does Secretary Niu want to do..."
When he heard that Niu Guiqing was involved, Wen Liang raised his finger, stood up and closed the door, pressed Liu Tianlai's shoulder to let him sit down, and said, "Tell me slowly, what happened to Secretary Niu?"
Liu Tianlai received a call from Niu Guiqing during the interrogation. As a senior official, he would not say too much, but he could hear the meaning behind his words. He was trying to see if there was any room for him to let Pan Mingliang go. Given Niu Guiqing's status and position in the Qingzhou officialdom, Liu Tianlai did not dare to say anything definite. He just said that he would study it and get back to him in the evening, and then he would immediately come to Wen Liang to discuss it.
"How did Secretary Niu get involved with Pan Mingliang?" Wen Huaiming was a little surprised. Pan Mingliang was only close to Feng Wenxue in Qingzhou. When the business was about to open, Feng Wenxue even went there to cut the ribbon and congratulate. But it shouldn't be Niu Guiqing who came forward to speak on his behalf, right
"Who said it wasn't true?" Liu Tianlai was angry and said, "Secretary Niu is also confused. It's obvious that we want to punish someone. Why do we have to intervene and make things difficult for ourselves?"
Wen Liang smiled and poured a glass of water for Liu Tianlai, saying, "Niu Guiqing is not confused..."
Liu Tianlai was stunned for a moment, holding the teacup in his hand, and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Kuaiyouduo is at least one of the achievements of the Investment Promotion Bureau in attracting investment. It is a well-known enterprise in Qingzhou. Mayor Feng mentioned its name some time ago and said a lot of praise for it. It is said that one should not judge by appearance but by appearance. I wonder if Mayor Feng will feel embarrassed if we do this..."
Liu Tianlai sneered. It was no secret that Feng Wenxue was a little uneasy about his position. He said, "Mayor Feng is even more confused. How can he end up well if he deals with a fool like Pan Mingliang? It's better to remove this cancer for him this time than to be implicated by Kuai and more in the future. How can Secretary Xu be fooled so easily?"
Wen Huaiming frowned and said, "Old Liu, don't fire your cannons!"
"Hey, look at my mouth, Secretary General, please don't be offended."
Wen Liang smiled. Liu Tianlai's words were rough but true. The reason why he dared to attack Kuai Youduo directly without caring about Feng Wenxue was that he saw that Xu Fuyan would like to see Feng Wenxue suffer a loss. However, as a mayor, it is not excessive for him to want to make his own voice. As long as it is not too outrageous, Xu Fuyan will not really step on the person he has supported.
Therefore, Wen Liang still had to find a balance and not let Feng Wenxue lose face. It was enough to destroy Feng Wenxue quickly and in large numbers. As for Pan Mingliang, he was insignificant. It didn't matter if he was arrested or released. Niu Guiqing understood this point and agreed to Mu Zechen's request. He not only got the money and favor, but also built a communication channel for Wen Liang. He could please both sides without offending anyone.
Such a shrewd person is certainly not the confused old man that Liu Tianlai thinks!
"How about this, we have to give Secretary Niu face, but we can't really slap Mayor Feng in the face. You can make the connection and have Li Shengli come out to negotiate. Just say that the person can be released, but Qinghe Soy Milk wants to take over all the stores of Kuaiyouduo. Let them name a price."
Liu Tianlai didn't react for a moment and said anxiously: "Young Master Wen, if word gets out that you're giving in like this, people will think we're scared. It doesn't matter, I'll take care of Secretary Niu, I don't think he can do anything!"
Liu Tianlai was not a fool. It would be best if he could solve the problem according to Wen Liang's method, so that he wouldn't be caught in the middle. However, as a follower, he had to show his loyalty from time to time. After all, talking didn't cost money and it could also improve his status in the eyes of his superiors.
Wen Liang waved his hand and said, "Let's do it this way. One Pan Mingliang can quickly exchange for dozens more storefronts and warehouses. You'd be a fool not to do this business."
Liu Tianlai had no choice but to agree. After he left, Wen Huaiming stared at his son for a long time before he said, "You were going for the fast and abundant storefronts from the beginning, right?"
Wen Liang did not comment, but smiled and said, "I promised my mother that I would find her a 200-square-meter store in the most prosperous area of Huashan District to open Bi Ya Si. Isn't it ready?"
Wen Huaiming shook his head, once again realizing his son's ability to trap people when he moved, and naturally felt a lot of emotion in his heart. (To be continued)