14: Chapter 14 Li Juan's reaction, Su Qinghan pushes open the door in the middle of the night

From the other end of the line came the crisp clacking of mahjong tiles.

"One Dot, do you want it?"

This was another woman's voice.

Inside a private room at a high-end club in Linjiang City, smoke swirled in the air. Li Juan held the phone between her ear and shoulder, her fingertips idly flicking the tiles on the table as she replied casually.

"Old Zhu, is something the matter?"

"If there's nothing, I'm hanging up. My luck is running hot right now."

"Juanzi, I have something urgent to discuss with you."

A burst of laughter erupted from the other end of the phone.

A noblewoman with exquisite, heavy makeup covered her mouth and teased.

"Oh, Sister Li, are you and your husband planning to do something naughty?"

"Hurry and go help your Old Zhu blow off some steam; don't let the Mayor get all pent up."

A wave of wanton, coquettish laughter echoed through the private room.

Li Juan rolled her eyes at her mahjong companions without hesitation.

"You little hussies, if you're craving a man, go back and find your own husbands. Stop teasing me."

She pushed aside the tiles in front of her.

"Let's stop here for today. I'm heading out. I'll treat you all to some private kitchen cuisine later."

Grabbing her Hermès handbag from the side, Li Juan pushed open the door to the private room.

Li Juan switched the phone to her other hand, her tone turning serious.

"Tianhe, what is the urgent matter?"

"If it's not convenient to talk over the phone, should I come find you at the Municipal Government? Or should we meet at the teahouse I run?"

"Return to the provincial capital now and go see the Old Master."

He recounted everything, from the dark secrets of the exam hall revealed by the Municipal Organization Department to the warning from Minister Xiao Dingyu.

The hidden loopholes in the rules, the exchanges of favors, and the clandestine methods used by Division Chief Liu Haiping from the Provincial Government Office.

All the shady dealings were laid out in the open without reservation.

Li Juan stopped in her tracks.

As a stepmother, she hadn't really paid much attention to Zhu Wenhao.

She had just treated him as an appendage to their household.

But in the circle of high-ranking officials' children, face was a matter of utmost importance.

Others could close their doors and berate their own family members for being incompetent, but outsiders couldn't just throw their weight around.

"I understand."

"They've really gone too far."

"No matter what, Zhu Wenhao is someone I watched grow up."

"What? Is the daughter of Liu Haiping a talent, and ours isn't?"

"Does he really think Linjiang City is his own private plot of land?"

Liu Haiping was the nickname for Division Chief Liu Haiping among his childhood circle in the Provincial Party Committee Compound.

That was an old story from before he climbed to the position of division chief.

"Fine, just watch how I deal with him. Don't worry about this anymore."

Li Juan hung up the phone and strode toward the elevator in her stilettos, her movements swift and decisive.

The office returned to silence.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe picked up the now-cold tea and took a large gulp to moisten his dry throat.

He knew deeply how much effort his son had put into this provincial exam.

The essay that was used by the province as a model piece was proof of that.

Young people are hot-blooded; having their future snatched away by such despicable means would normally lead to an outburst.

He quickly drafted several drafts in his mind to soothe him.

He dialed the number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe explained the situation about the interview being tampered with, as well as Li Juan's strategy of returning to the provincial capital to call for reinforcements.

He waited to face his son's anger.

From the receiver, there was only the faint sound of paper turning.

"Father."

"Liu Family will compensate me."

"In all likelihood, they will transfer me to another position."

"In any case, the position won't be too bad."

The soothing words Secretary Zhu Tianhe had prepared were all stuck in his throat.

"Why do you think so?"

"Chips are never consumed in just one direction."

"Offending us brings no benefit to Liu Family."

"Don't forget, Father, you are still in office, and you are about to take up the post of Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee."

"Division Chief Liu Haiping's daughter has squeezed into the Municipal Party Committee Office; she will be your subordinate in the future, won't she?"

Secretary Zhu Tianhe's mind raced, capturing the logic in his words.

"If you want to make things difficult for her, it's too easy."

"You don't need to step in personally and give people grounds for criticism."

"Just find an opportunity to give a hint to the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee who is responsible for your support."

"It will be arranged perfectly."

"When the time comes, giving her a harmless lesson will be enough to make her unable to last even a day in the Municipal Party Committee Office."

Zhu Yuntong had long since seen through this set of implicit tortures in the modern officialdom.

Back in the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet used the same methods of borrowing a knife to kill and using a soft blade to cut flesh to discipline those young, arrogant, and disobedient Hanlin scholars.

Making you so busy every day that you're running around in circles, yet failing to even get a passing grade in the year-end evaluation.

In the end, you can only shamefacedly request a transfer.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe let out a long sigh.

After eating the rice of the officialdom for decades, his insight was actually not as thorough as that of a twenty-four-year-old child.

"Your mother has already gone to the provincial capital."

"Come back tomorrow night, and we'll have a meal as a family to discuss the path forward."

He hung up the phone.

The living room of Donghuwan Apartment fell silent.

Su Qinghan sat on the single sofa to the side, holding a cup of warm black coffee in her hand.

The previous call had been on speakerphone, and she had heard every word.

"Are you really sure Liu Family will do that?"

Su Qinghan put down the coffee cup, the porcelain clinking against the glass coffee table with a crisp echo.

"As long as they aren't fools."

"I am eighty percent sure."

He turned around and poured himself a glass of water.

"Liu Family's move this time isn't really targeting me or the Zhu family."

"They are flexing their muscles to those watching from the sidelines in the province."

Su Qinghan listened intently.

This was a practical breakdown that couldn't be learned in a Renmin University classroom.

This was the rule of power operation that truly carried the scent of blood.

"The Old Master of Liu Family has been retired for several years; when people leave, the tea gets cold—that is an iron rule within the system."

"The second generation hasn't been able to take up the mantle in the province, and they are in a transitional phase."

"Division Chief Liu Haiping urgently needs to show the outside world that the remaining prestige of Liu Family is still there and that his influence can still reach the heavens."

"Therefore, he must perform this drama of the second place in the written exam overtaking the first."

"This is for others to see, to prove that the status of Liu Family is still firm."

"Once the face-saving project is done and the prestige has been flaunted enough."

"Next comes the transaction of substance."

"Offending a family about to take office as Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee to the death is the act of a reckless person without wisdom."

"To appease the anger of the Zhu family, Division Chief Liu Haiping will definitely use the resources in his hands to arrange a sufficiently weighty position for me in the city or the province as compensation."

"This is called hitting someone with a slap and then giving them a sweet date."

"Everyone gets what they need, and appearances are maintained."

Su Qinghan mentally replayed these words twice.

The arrogance and compromise of power were laid out by him, layer by layer.

This ability to handle complex matters with ease gave her an extremely complicated feeling toward the man in front of her.

What she had originally thought was a dead end driven into a desperate situation was, in his eyes, just a game of exchanging chips.

"As long as you are sure."

She withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to organize the "Government Accounting Standards and Practices" on the table.

The night deepened.

The outdoor temperature at Donghu Bay dropped, while the underfloor heating in the apartment created a comfortable temperature.

From the bathroom came the sound of rushing water.

Half an hour later, the water stopped.

The frosted glass door was pushed open, releasing a wave of moist vapor.

After showering, Su Qinghan casually wiped her semi-dry long hair with a dry towel.

She was not wearing her usual heavy beige loungewear.

Instead, she had changed into a silk slip nightgown in light champagne.

The fabric clung smoothly to the curves of her body.

Her fair skin glowed with a lustrous sheen under the warm-toned wall lamp.

She walked out of the bathroom.

To the left of the hallway was her guest bedroom, and to the right was Zhu Yuntong's master bedroom.

She stood in the middle of the hallway, her footsteps pausing.

In her mind, the events of the past few days replayed uncontrollably.

From the trap in the hotel room that could have ruined her life, to him going to The Su Family alone to propose marriage and break the deadlock.

And then to his composure today when facing suppression from the high-level provincial authorities.

Su Qinghan was an extremely rational person at her core.

She admired strength.

This admiration for strength was not about worshiping wealth or mere job titles.

It was a submission to that kind of wrist that could control the overall situation and turn the tide in a desperate situation.

They had been living under the same roof for the past few days.

This once-notorious second-generation heir, with the imposing and steady demeanor he displayed, had slowly shattered the cognitive barriers she had previously built.

She did not walk toward her guest bedroom.

Her toes turned slightly, and she walked to the right.

The door to the master bedroom was not locked, leaving a narrow gap.

A faint reading light shone from inside.

Su Qinghan reached out and grasped the cold metal doorknob.

With a gentle push, she walked inside.