132: Chapter 132 Liu Ruobing's Lament

Answering the phone, he held it to his ear.

"Zhu Wenhao, how did today's class committee meeting go?" Su Qinghan's cold, clear voice came through the line.

"All the necessary formalities have been completed, and I've settled the remaining trivial matters with the class committee members."

"Zhou Xu tipped his hand today; he wants to recommend me for a position in the Comprehensive Division of the Provincial Party Committee Office, a spot that has the ear of the leadership. Tell me, how should I choose?"

There wasn't even a half-second pause on the other end of the line.

"Go wherever you want. The waters here are too deep; you know how to weigh the pros and cons better than I do."

Su Qinghan's reply was straightforward.

"I will stay at the house in Donghu Bay in Linjiang. The Discipline Inspection Commission has been too busy with audits lately, but when I get a break this weekend, I'll come find you. I've learned a few new dishes, and I'll have you test them for poison when I do."

A string of crisp, bell-like laughter came through the receiver.

These words were completely devoid of her usual ice-queen demeanor that kept people at a distance.

Zhu Wenhao's hand holding the phone paused in mid-air.

Hearing no response, Su Qinghan feigned anger on the other end: "Zhu Wenhao, you're getting bold. How dare you ignore me when I'm speaking?"

Zhu Wenhao snapped back to reality.

"Su Qinghan, my appointment has been issued."

He stated his destination directly.

"Qingjiang County, Heishi Town. I'll finish handling the loose ends here in the provincial capital over the next few days, then I'll head back to Linjiang."

"Good," Su Qinghan said concisely. "I'll work overtime these next few days to catch up on my progress. Once I'm done with the work at hand, I'll wait for your return."

The two of them ended the conversation with great tacit understanding and cut the connection.

Zhu Wenhao tucked his phone back into his pocket and prepared to open the car door.

From the shadows of the green belt on the right, a figure darted out without warning.

The person stumbled forward, lunging right in front of the car.

Zhu Wenhao's eyes narrowed, and he instinctively took half a step back.

When he saw the person's face in the glow of the streetlights, he lowered his guard.

"Zhu Wenhao, can we talk?"

Liu Ruobing stood a step away.

She was enveloped in the heavy scent of alcohol.

At the dinner party earlier, she had sat alone in the corner, drinking in silence, and no one had bothered to ask her about it. When the gathering ended, Zhu Wenhao had specifically instructed Director Xu Jie to ensure she was sent back to her dormitory safely.

Now, for her to come to the parking lot alone to waylay him was highly unusual.

"Ruobing, why didn't you go back?" Zhu Wenhao let go of the car handle. "I'll call Director Liu and have him send a car to pick you up."

He reached for his phone again.

Liu Ruobing lunged forward, grabbing his wrist tightly.

"Don't make that call."

"Zhu Wenhao, can you marry me?"

Zhu Wenhao looked down at those red-rimmed eyes.

"What happened?"

Liu Ruobing let go, letting out a bitter laugh as tears streamed down her perfectly made-up cheeks.

"A few days ago, Old Master Li suppressed the official document for my father's promotion to the department-level. You knew about this, didn't you?"

She looked up, her face full of misery.

"After my mother found out, she forced my father to completely defect to Governor Zhou."

Zhu Wenhao didn't interrupt, waiting quietly for the rest.

"Since Old Master Li can do the first, don't blame us for doing the fifteenth. That's how my mother brainwashed my father."

Liu Ruobing's body trembled slightly.

"My father is weak-willed and soft-hearted. At first, he didn't dare to betray the Li family, but he couldn't withstand my mother's constant nagging. In the end, he kept it from everyone and privately arranged to meet Governor Zhou's chief secretary, Office Director Chen Jian, wanting to report on his work alone."

"Office Director Chen Jian agreed immediately. As it turned out, that afternoon, while my father was reporting his work at the Provincial Government, Governor Zhou kept him until after office hours and then dragged him out to eat. The excuse was grand and high-sounding, claiming that there were a few unclear data points in the Development and Reform Commission, and they should discuss it over a meal."

Liu Ruobing's emotions were on the verge of collapse as she said this.

"My father couldn't refuse, so he had to go along. When they arrived at the restaurant, he realized that my mother and Mrs. Zhou were already sitting inside."

A routine work report, with He Mei working from the inside, had turned into a private gathering involving family members.

Zhu Wenhao connected the various clues in his mind, forming a complete picture.

He finally understood why, two days ago at the Cadre Retirement Home, Old Master Li had exuded an indescribable weariness while playing chess.

The Old Master had long been keeping a close watch within the Provincial Party Committee Compound; how could he not know that the trusted subordinate he had personally promoted had defected? He hadn't pointed it out directly, only to avoid causing unnecessary trouble for him, the younger generation.

"That's not all," Liu Ruobing gritted her teeth. "When they left the private room after dinner, they happened to run into several colleagues from the Provincial Investment Promotion Office who were entertaining merchants. In full view of everyone, the Governor, the Governor's wife, and the Deputy Director of the Development and Reform Commission and his wife were walking together, looking perfectly harmonious."

This was a carefully orchestrated open conspiracy. With a single meal, Governor Zhou Zhiwen had effectively roasted Deputy Director Liu Qiang over the fire.

The ironclad proof of his defection could never be washed away.

For a subordinate, being double-minded has always been a path to ruin.

"For the sake of this ladder to the heavens, your mother even sold her own daughter as a bargaining chip," Zhu Wenhao stated bluntly.

Liu Ruobing covered her face and began to weep bitterly.

"With the graduation of the Spark Class, I really couldn't refuse. Yesterday afternoon, I met that Wang Lei at a coffee shop."

She looked up.

"That person... his gaze was like he was appraising a piece of merchandise with a price tag on it, frivolous and disgusting. I couldn't stand it, and I ran away halfway through my coffee."

"After I got home, I had a huge fight with my mother. I told her I would rather die than marry that scoundrel. Guess what she said?" Liu Ruobing pulled the corners of her mouth in self-mockery. "She said, 'Now that your father has left Old Master Li, how many people in the Provincial Party Committee Compound are watching him? Our family can only walk this path to the end; only by you marrying him can your father's position be secure.'"

"This morning, my mother called and said that Wang Lei was very satisfied with me and invited me out this weekend. My mother is forcing me to agree."

She lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Zhu Wenhao's waist.

"Zhu Wenhao, only you can help me. If you marry me, our two families will be allied, and I'll have an excuse to call off this engagement."

"I don't care that you have Su Qinghan, nor do I care if you have other women outside. As long as you don't act lovey-dovey in front of me, I can turn a blind eye. I will take good care of your home and fulfill the duties of a wife. Zhu Wenhao, I beg you..."

The high-and-mighty flower of the Provincial Government organs had cast aside all her self-respect, humbling herself into the dust.

Zhu Wenhao pressed his hands on her shoulders, peeling her away from himself.

"Ruobing."

Zhu Wenhao took half a step back, distancing himself.

"The world is bustling, all for the sake of profit. You are too naive."

"Do you think that if I marry you, it will solve the dilemma that Director Liu is facing?"

"This is a fundamental issue of stance. Since Director Liu has already accepted Governor Zhou's olive branch in full view of everyone, he is already a member of Governor Zhou's faction. If he regrets it now, not only will he completely offend Governor Zhou, but Old Master Li will also never accept a traitor who betrayed his master. A broken mirror is hard to mend; once a rift is formed, there is no possibility of reconciliation."

"A marriage between two families is an alliance. Your family is currently a broken ship leaking on all sides; if I reach out to pull you up, it wouldn't be saving you, but dragging the entire Li family down with you."

Those in positions of power must avoid acting on emotion above all else.

In the sixty years of the Great Ming Dynasty, countless clans were executed for the involvement of the inner court in the affairs of the imperial court.

Saving one person while endangering the bigger picture is the benevolence of a woman.

This cold, hard dissection shattered Liu Ruobing's last illusions.

She looked at the man before her, who was always rational, always weighing the pros and cons.

"Zhu Wenhao."

She gritted her teeth, a hint of hatred rising in her eyes.

"I hate you."

Dropping these words, she turned around.

Her high heels made a chaotic clatter on the ground as she stumbled toward the intersection. She opened the door of a taxi parked by the side of the road and sped away.

Zhu Wenhao watched the taxi's taillights merge into the traffic.

"People of the world need gold to make friends; if you don't have much gold, the friendship won't go deep."

He sighed softly, turned, opened the car door, and sat in the driver's seat.

The engine roared, and the black Audi turned around and drove out of the parking lot.

Just a moment after the Audi drove out of the parking space.

From behind an ancient banyan tree not far away, Director Xu Jie stepped out slowly.

She was wearing an inconspicuous dark trench coat, her expression calm, as if she were a part of the night.

Two steps behind her, a burly man with a buzz cut followed like a shadow.

The man stood with a standard posture, his back like a drawn longbow, his body exuding the murderous aura of someone who had experienced real battles.

"Miss," the man said, bowing his head to ask for instructions, "should we send someone to follow Miss Liu?"

Director Xu Jie looked in the direction where the Audi had disappeared and shook her head.

"No need to worry about her."

Director Xu Jie turned and walked into another dark side path.

"I am becoming more and more interested in this Zhu Wenhao."

"To be able to calculate stance and interest so clearly at such a moment of temptation by beauty and the pleas of the weak. Facing matters of great right and wrong, he never loses his footing because of momentary sympathy. This kind of decisive composure is rare among the children of The Capital."

The man with the buzz cut followed behind her: "The Old Master called to ask how your inspection in Jiangnan Province is going. Do you need to report Zhu Wenhao's information back?"

"Hold it for now."

Director Xu Jie quickened her pace.

"A resume on paper cannot reveal the full picture of a person. He is about to go to Heishi Town, Qingjiang County. That place is treacherous, with rampant clan forces; it is a true quagmire."

"Whether he is a dragon or a worm depends on whether he can fight his way out of that quagmire."

Director Xu Jie's figure merged into the deeper night.

"It won't be too late to submit the report to The Capital once he has established a firm footing in Heishi Town; perhaps I should observe him up close."