84: Chapter 84 The Interrupted Date

The lunch that Gao Feng had no luck enjoying was truly savored by Sun Ning.

Sun Ning, tall and sturdy, was in his prime and had a high metabolism.

He was already starving, and what he had been drinking with Gao Feng in the study was tea, not coffee.

Tea doesn't contain sugar, so the more he drank, the hungrier he got!

After eating, Sun Ning didn't leave; instead, he stayed to chat and shoot the breeze with the old man.

Sun Ning came from a rural background, his family was not wealthy, and he often helped with farm work when he was in school.

Later, he gained decades of life experience.

Therefore, he and the old man had a lot to talk about.

Sun Ning had already spoken with Secretary Xue Hongtao; he would be staying in Zhongzhou City for the next few days.

Near the end of the workday, Sun Ning unexpectedly received a call from Zhao Xue.

"Xiao Ningzi, I heard you went to Zhongzhou City on business. Are you plotting something? Hurry to the airport to pick me up!"

Zhao Xue, this consultant for Deep Blue, was truly idle.

If she couldn't stand being in Hong Kong, she would return to the capital; when she got bored, she would go find Shang Rou to hang out.

No one could restrain this young lady; even Sun Ning's words were useless.

Now, Sun Ning had reason to suspect that Liaison Xiao Yuan had definitely been bought off by Shang Rou.

Once Sun Ning made any move, Shang Rou would get the news on her end.

It was likely that Shang Rou had tipped off Zhao Xue about her coming this time.

Mishui Township and Gongfan County were simply too small; Shang Rou could come and go as she pleased, but Zhao Xue wouldn't dare act so recklessly.

Zhongzhou City was so big that Zhao Xue's arrival wouldn't be conspicuous.

With such a good opportunity to come to Zhongzhou City where her sweetheart was, the idle Zhao Xue would naturally rush over as fast as she could.

As a daughter of a prominent family, Zhao Xue could analyze Sun Ning's purpose here just by observing some subtle signs.

Otherwise, how could a workaholic like Sun Ning stay in Zhongzhou City for a few days?

This was a classic case of smelling blood and coming straight for it.

Sun Ning could already hear the boarding announcement; with no other choice, he had to drive to the airport.

"Hey, is this really necessary? We're in Zhongzhou City, and you're still driving this beat-up Santana. It's really too much; don't you know I'm 1.8 meters tall?"

One couldn't blame Sun Ning for being careless and not taking Zhao Xue's height into account.

The truth was, he had a psychological trauma regarding that car.

People who drive big Land Rovers—if they don't shave their heads and fiddle with prayer beads, they're doing the car a disservice.

Sun Ning always felt that kind of car didn't match his temperament.

"I'll have someone buy an Audi later; that car isn't so flashy."

As he spoke, he bent down to adjust the passenger seat back a few notches, and while he was at it, fastened the seatbelt.

He took the opportunity to kiss Zhao Xue and said gently, "Just bear with it for now, our beautiful Zhao; it's only a one-hour drive."

How could this crazy woman, Zhao Xue, let a chance for the two of them to be alone slip by?

Before Sun Ning could return to his seat, she unbuckled her seatbelt and lunged toward the driver's seat.

For a moment, the Santana couldn't handle their movements.

If it weren't for the fact that the car was too transparent, Sun Ning would likely have turned into a beast on the spot.

A few minutes later, Sun Ning drove toward Bianzhou.

A date should look like a date. Zhongzhou City was an emerging provincial capital, full of reinforced concrete.

The cultural and natural landscapes in the west were indeed nice, but they were too far from the airport.

It only took an hour to drive from the airport to Bianzhou.

Furthermore, as a native of Bianzhou, Sun Ning personally felt that Bianzhou had more delicious food than Luozhou in the west.

Things like Bianzhou five-spice ramen with winter melon broth, four-flavor dishes, lamb double-intestine soup, and so on.

These were all Sun Ning's favorites, and every time he returned to downtown Bianzhou, he would eat them.

It was perfect that he had just picked up Zhao Xue; they could head to Bianzhou to eat some snacks and go watch the live-action performance, "Tokyo Dreamlife".

The next day, they could go experience the local customs and traditions at the foot of the Imperial City.

Unfortunately, things often didn't go as expected.

The next morning, just as he and Zhao Xue were buying pastries in a small alley, he was interrupted by a phone call from Deputy Chief Wei Minhang.

"Old Sun, the Mayor told me to tell you that people from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection are coming down. He will choose an opportunity to disclose the matter regarding the surveillance, and things are already arranged on the Xinniu side."

Sun Ning knew it would be fast, but he hadn't expected it to be this fast.

It seemed the Provincial Party Committee placed great importance on the position of Mayor of Zhongzhou City.

Regarding Gao Feng's situation in his previous life, he only knew the general idea and not the details.

In fact, Yan San had mailed the whistleblower letter the afternoon before last.

He had gone to the Municipal Government residential compound to place the money yesterday.

This morning, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection had received this real-name whistleblower letter.

According to past precedents, this letter would first be screened by staff, then reviewed, and then reported up through the layers.

But today, this real-name whistleblower letter seemed to have been expedited.

Just as the staff member took out the letter, a certain deputy director from the petition office appeared in the office.

As if on a whim, he actually asked if there were any real-name whistleblower reports.

Naturally, Yan San's real-name report ended up in this deputy director's hands.

When this deputy director saw that it was a report concerning Gao Feng, he didn't hesitate at all and went straight to the director of the petition office's office.

Thanks to the deputy director's glib tongue, the whistleblower letter appeared on the desk of the deputy Party Secretary in charge immediately.

And when the deputy Party Secretary saw that it was a real-name report regarding the Executive Vice Mayor of Zhongzhou City, he naturally didn't dare to act on his own.

He also hurried toward Secretary Shen Congwen's office.

The Discipline Inspection Commission always investigates real-name whistleblower reports.

After seeing this real-name whistleblower letter, Secretary Shen Congwen immediately called the director of the First Supervision and Inspection Office.

The Heyang Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection had a total of eight supervision and inspection offices.

The director of the First Supervision and Inspection Office could be considered Secretary Shen Congwen's capable subordinate.

He was also the "Black-faced Bao Gong" who struck fear into the hearts of officials in Heyang Province.

Gao Feng, this soon-to-be Mayor of Zhongzhou City, was worthy of this "Black-faced Bao Gong" personally taking charge.

After arranging the matter, Secretary Shen Congwen immediately went to the office of Party Secretary Yao at the Provincial Party Committee.

Coincidentally, Party Secretary Yao had no scheduled activities today.

"Party Secretary, we received a real-name whistleblower report today. I have already arranged for personnel to go through the examination and investigation procedures. Please take a look."

After Secretary Shen Congwen finished speaking, he handed over the whistleblower letter.

Yao Chongliang picked up the whistleblower letter, read it through, and placed it gently on the table.

"Have you notified Comrade Secretary Zhan Zhong?"

"The matter is urgent, and I have already called Comrade Secretary Zhan Zhong. Comrade Secretary Zhan Zhong supports the decision of the Provincial Party Committee."

"It is good to investigate; Zhongzhou City is about to undergo major development."

"Very well, I will report to you, Party Secretary, as soon as the results are out!"

Whether it was Secretary Shen Congwen or Yao Chongliang, the main reason they were nervous about the situation in Zhongzhou City was its particularity.

Heyang Province had always been a major agricultural province and a province with a large population.

It had to ensure national food security while also allowing the people to shake off poverty and achieve prosperity.

An important strategy for economic development adopted by the Heyang Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government in recent years was the "Strong Provincial Capital" strategy.

By building up Zhongzhou City to drive the development of surrounding cities.

And the development of Zhongzhou City over the past few years was obvious to all; its GDP growth rate was among the top in the country.

Now, it had reached a critical moment for the development of Zhongzhou City.

Therefore, the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government were more inclined toward Gao Feng for the position of Mayor of Zhongzhou City.

After all, Gao Feng was a talent that the leaders had requested from above.

Moreover, he was indeed an expert in economic development.

As for Deputy Secretary Zhao Weicai, the evaluation he received from the Provincial Party Committee was merely that he was "steady and prudent."