The Meeting

After a long silence of several seconds, a roar came from the other end of the phone.

"What? Lin Xiao, are you out of your mind, or did I hear you wrong? The secretary of the municipal party secretary, you actually refused?"

Liu Yun's roar made Lin Xiao's ears hurt. He then lowered his voice and asked, "Are you kidding me? Is this true? Did you really see Secretary Wang? Does he really want you to be his secretary?"

A barrage of questions followed, and Lin Xiao could only smile and say, "It's true, I'm not lying to you. I not only met with Secretary Wang, but we also had a meal and drank together."

"That's wonderful! But why did you refuse his offer to be your secretary? That's something so many people dream of but can't even get!"

In Liu Yun's view, staying in the county or the city is always much better than staying in the countryside.

"Because I wanted to stay in Fengshan County, I declined."

"Damn, you're something else. Only someone like you would turn down such a great opportunity. But, things have naturally progressed this far. I think as long as his approval of you remains, it doesn't matter where you are. Oh, by the way, did you bring up the matter of the new county magistrate candidate?"

"I've laid some groundwork. I'll explain the details when I get back. I'm on my way to the station now."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Liu Yun paused for a moment and then said, "Do you think it's possible for my uncle to help me make an appointment with Secretary Gong? We need to see his attitude towards this matter, and I think we need to let him know that we are helping him."

"You think now is a good time? But how are we supposed to talk to him? And why should he trust us?"

Lin Xiao hadn't thought about the question Liu Yun raised before, so he wasn't sure what to do.

"Have you forgotten what our goal is? Anything that helps us stop Hong Feng from taking over is a force we can unite against. As for the reasons, I think our shared goal should be enough to convince you. If that doesn't work, bring out yours..."

"That won't do!" Lin Xiao interrupted Liu Yun.

"You're really boring. I was just joking. Anyway, I'll ask my uncle to help me make an appointment. If the time is right, it should be tonight. Just wait for my news."

"Oh well!"

Indeed, it would be a good thing if more people stood on their side in preventing Hong Feng from becoming the county magistrate, even though he had already dug a huge pit for Hong Feng with Wang Yuanze.

Actually, there was another reason why Lin Xiao felt he might need to meet with Gong Lei: Gong Lei and Gao Dayong were on the same side, and the two had even had a meal together before Gao Dayong's incident.

Therefore, it was necessary to meet, but Lin Xiao was not prepared, which is why she hesitated.

Sitting on the bus on the way back, Lin Xiao couldn't help but think about everything that had happened in the past few days. He felt more and more that in the officialdom, if one had too many selfish desires, one could fall into an irredeemable situation. In order to maintain one's integrity and enhance one's self-worth, one needs a certain power to support it. Otherwise, one can only be controlled by others and end up being mediocre.

Now, he has a strong support system behind him that allows him to see far and wide, but he still needs to walk a difficult mountain road to finally reach the summit where he can "view all the mountains from a high vantage point".

Around five o'clock, the bus arrived at the station. After getting off, Lin Xiao took a taxi straight to Changxing Restaurant.

An hour ago, Liu Yun sent a message saying that his uncle He Zhiqiang had successfully arranged to have dinner with Gong Lei, the deputy secretary of the county party committee, at Changxing Restaurant.

Changxing Restaurant is located opposite Jinxing Restaurant. It is a newly emerging landmark restaurant, and its biggest advantage is its service and a group of outstanding waiters.

"Hello, sir, how many people are in your party? Do you have a reservation...?"

As Lin Xiao stepped into the restaurant, a beautiful young woman in a tight-fitting cheongsam walked towards him. She always had a smile on her face, but the high slit of the cheongsam could not hide her long, fair legs as she walked. The young woman bowed slightly in politeness, but this only revealed a glimpse of her white chest, which was quite an eyesore!

"My friend has made a reservation; it's in the 'Three Eights' area."

"Okay, sir, this way please. The private room is on the third floor. I'll take you there." The young woman still smiled radiantly.

The restaurant actually only has three floors, but in order to show off its class, they specially installed an elevator.

After getting off the elevator, as the young woman led her through the corridor, she heard a quarrel. As they got closer, Lin Xiao recognized Liu Yun's voice.

"Liu Yun, don't push your luck. I'm taking this private room tonight. Do you know who I am? Don't think He Zhiqiang can protect you. Believe me, one phone call from me and the deputy director will have nothing to do with you anymore."

A man who looked to be in his thirties but was as fat as a pig was pointing at Liu Yun. His eyes were wide open, his gaze fierce, and he had an arrogant and domineering look on his face.

"Hong Tao, you have quite the airs of an official. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the county party secretary!" Liu Yun sneered and retorted without hesitation.

This fat man is Hong Feng's nephew. He runs a trading consulting company called Hong's, which is actually a shell company. He uses his uncle Hong Feng's connections to contract various projects, then transfers them to other companies and collects huge commissions. In short, he is just buying and selling.

He has always relied on his uncle's power and the "wealth" he has made through speculation, and is known as the "Little Tyrant of Fengshan".

Lin Xiao had seen him jumping around in the county government office building several times, acting like he was the most important person in the world.

However, every time Lin Xiao saw him, she couldn't help but think of the appearance of a turtle, so in Lin Xiao's opinion, Hong Tao was more like the "Fengshan Big Turtle".

"Hmph, wait a couple of days until the city appoints a new county head. Then let's see how you'll act then. Get out of here, or you'll regret it!"

Hong Tao looked smug, as if he were the one who was going to become the county magistrate, while the few young men around him who looked like thugs were showing signs of being eager to make a move.

"Hong Tao, are you so old that you don't even understand the principle of first come, first served?"

Lin Xiao strode forward to Liu Yun's side and said this with a cold smile.

"Hey, isn't this Secretary Lin? Why isn't he with County Chief Gao?" Hong Tao looked closely, showing no sign of backing down, and instead replied sarcastically.

"No one escapes the wrath of Heaven. Everyone must be responsible for their own actions, so I advise you to keep a low profile."

"Haha, who are you trying to scare? Do you still think you're the county magistrate's secretary? Don't you see, things have changed in Fengshan?" Hong Tao said with a sneer.

Lin Xiao said with a mocking expression, "Change of the world? Is it a clear blue sky or a sky full of dark clouds? But no matter what kind of change it is, it has nothing to do with you, and it has nothing to do with your entire family."

"Heh, who is this guy, talking so arrogantly! County Chief Hong, could he be Huang Zaichuan, the Party Secretary of Fengshan County?"

At this moment, a sharp and sarcastic voice rang out from behind. Lin Xiao turned around abruptly and saw a young man with slicked-back hair, dressed in designer clothes and wearing black-rimmed glasses. He had his left arm around a scantily clad and beautiful young girl, and his hand was occasionally kneading the girl's waist and buttocks. He had an arrogant demeanor, and one could immediately tell that he was a refined scoundrel.

Beside the young man was another person Lin Xiao knew.