227: Chapter 227 Arriving at Cao Hang's Home

As Wang Lei fled like a frightened bird, the noblewomen at the main table sensed something amiss and turned their gazes toward the last table.

Director Xu Jie sat calmly in her seat, lifted her teacup, and cast a faint smile toward Wang Lei's mother.

Stung by this smile, Mrs. Wang's hand holding the teacup trembled uncontrollably.

"Who is that girl?" Mrs. Zhou asked her sister in a low voice.

Mrs. Wang's face tightened. "Sister, she is the girl from Xu Family."

"Xu Family?" Mrs. Zhou frowned.

"The one who, back then, broke three of Leizi's ribs and eventually forced Old Wang to personally bring gifts and take Leizi to their doorstep to apologize..."

Mrs. Zhou lowered her eyelids and said nothing more.

Although these whispered words were soft, every single one of them reached He Mei's ears.

He Mei's heart skipped a beat.

She had believed that for her daughter's marriage, she had thoroughly investigated the Wang family's background. Wang Lei's father was fifty-five this year and served as a vice minister in a powerful department in The Capital; he was at the height of his power and influence.

To be able to force a vice-ministerial-level official to bow his head and apologize—what kind of family background was behind this?

Unable to suppress the shock in her heart, He Mei's gaze fell directly upon Director Xu Jie.

Just at that moment, Director Xu Jie turned her head slightly, her eyes hidden behind half-rimmed glasses meeting He Mei's prying gaze.

There were no words, just an extremely calm gaze, yet it carried the inherent pressure of someone who had long held a high position.

He Mei felt a chill down her spine, hurriedly averted her eyes, and picked up the water glass in front of her to hide her panic.

The waters of Jingjiang were unfathomably deep.

This engagement banquet proceeded hastily after Wang Lei's little episode. Although the final outcome was not perfect, the overall intention of the Zhou faction to use this to demonstrate their strength had been achieved.

The guests dispersed in twos and threes.

Study Committee Member Cao Rui wove through the departing crowd and walked to the side of Zhu Wenhao.

"Secretary, let's go. My uncle is waiting at home."

Zhu Wenhao did not rush to move, turning his gaze toward Su Qinghan, considering where she would go.

General Manager Zhou Shutong stood to the side, having already seen this concern.

"Secretary Zhu, go attend to your important matters. Rest assured, I will take Su Qinghan for a beauty treatment. I have a membership card at the top beauty salon in Jingjiang; I won't let her be mistreated."

Director Xu Jie chimed in from the side, "That would be great. General Manager Zhou Shutong is spending money; it just so happens I haven't been in a long time. Staying down in the townships, exposed to the wind and sun, my skin hasn't been good."

As she spoke, she gave Zhu Wenhao a reassuring look.

With her there, nothing would go wrong for Su Qinghan in Jingjiang City.

Zhu Wenhao understood clearly, nodded to Su Qinghan, and turned to leave with Study Committee Member Cao Rui.

General Manager Zhou Shutong took the opportunity to link arms with Su Qinghan, and the three walked toward the exit on the other side of the hall.

Zhu Wenhao and Study Committee Member Cao Rui walked into the parking lot, one after the other.

Study Committee Member Cao Rui's car was an unremarkable, ordinary commuter vehicle.

Zhu Wenhao climbed into the car.

The engine started, and the car merged into the provincial capital's streetscape, driving into a relatively quiet stretch of road.

There was no music in the car, and both men remained silent, each calculating the upcoming meeting in their minds.

The phone in his pocket vibrated, breaking the silence inside the car.

Zhu Wenhao took it out to check; it was a text message from Shen Zhe: "Secretary, this is the location for the evening gathering, Tingyu Pavilion. We booked it for seven o'clock sharp. Is that okay with you?"

"Good." Zhu Wenhao replied with one word and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

Study Committee Member Cao Rui spoke up, breaking the dullness: "Secretary, I heard you have stabilized the situation in Heishi Town. With that malignant tumor, the Zhang Clan, removed, the subsequent burden is likely not light."

Zhu Wenhao leaned back against the chair: "Destruction is easy; construction is difficult. Taking down a few criminal elements doesn't count as a major political achievement. What is truly difficult is how to ensure the common people of Heishi Town have food in their bowls and a road beneath their feet."

"Building roads?"

"If you want to be rich, build roads first. Heishi Mining has been overloading for years, pressing the town's main roads into uneven potholes, flooding whenever it rains. The agricultural products grown by the common people cannot be transported out, and outside merchants cannot come in." Zhu Wenhao's tone was steady. "These past few days, I have been negotiating with several capital firms for the restructuring of the mines. Once the funds are in place, the first thing to do is to rebuild the old river embankment south of town. If an official does not act for the people and only knows how to engage in infighting in the government office, then what is the use of being an official?"

"The roots of poverty in Heishi Town must be pulled out by someone. Only by boosting the local economy and making life better for the common people can we cadres sleep soundly at night."

After hearing this, Study Committee Member Cao Rui felt admiration.

This young Deputy Secretary of the Town Committee did not just understand political maneuvering and infighting; his heart was filled with concrete plans for the people's livelihood. Those who govern should take the world as their own responsibility; this bearing was truly rare.

The car twisted and turned on the asphalt road, gradually driving away from the commercial district.

A heavily guarded armed police sentry post appeared ahead.

Study Committee Member Cao Rui slowed down.

The armed guard checked the license plate, glanced at the pass inside the windshield, raised his hand in a salute, and waved them through.

Past the sentry post, what came into view was a group of detached villas nestled among emerald green holly.

This was the family compound of the power center of the provincial capital; in every small red-brick building lived figures who could stir up the winds and clouds of a region.

The car stopped steadily in front of a two-story building.

Zhu Wenhao stepped out of the car, carrying a kraft paper bag in his hand.

That was what Director Xu Jie had quietly slipped to him just before leaving the table, under the pretext of getting her coat.

Without looking, he knew it must contain that kind of plain-bottle liquor and white-packaged cigarettes that were extinct on the market.

Study Committee Member Cao Rui walked to the door and pressed the doorbell.

In a moment, the security door pulled inward, and a mature woman in her thirties appeared behind the door.

"Sister, are you home today?" Study Committee Member Cao Rui greeted.

This person was none other than Deputy Secretary Cao Hang's eldest daughter, currently the Deputy Secretary of the Jingjiang Municipal Party Committee of the Communist Youth League, Cao Xue.

Cao Xue looked Study Committee Member Cao Rui up and down, her peripheral vision crossing over his shoulder and landing on Zhu Wenhao standing behind him.

"This is Zhu Wenhao, the person Uncle wants to see." Study Committee Member Cao Rui introduced.

Cao Xue's gaze paused on Zhu Wenhao. When she saw the kraft paper bag in Zhu Wenhao's hand, her expression immediately sank.

The Cao family's house rules were extremely strict. Deputy Secretary Cao Hang held a high position and most detested subordinates running for office, asking for promotions, or giving gifts to climb the social ladder. A township cadre she had never met before arrived for the first time carrying bags of gifts; in Cao Xue's eyes, this behavior was beneath contempt.

"Just leave the things on the steps at the door." Cao Xue's tone was cold and hard. "Since this is your first time visiting, you don't know the family rules. When you leave, just take them with you. I won't tell my father about this. Come in."

A warning, establishing authority.

Zhu Wenhao stood outside the door, his body motionless.

He knew clearly that if he really put the paper bag down now, it would confirm a subservient posture of climbing the social ladder.

For those in government, without dignity, one cannot stand.

"Deputy Secretary Cao." Zhu Wenhao spoke.

"I heard from Study Committee Member Cao Rui that Deputy Secretary Cao Hang has a refined interest in drinking. Since an elder has granted an audience, I, as a junior, specially brought some wine to express my respect."

Cao Xue looked displeased and was about to reprimand him.

Zhu Wenhao did not wait for her to lash out; he turned his wrist slightly and peeled open the seal of the kraft paper bag.

The mouth of the bag was open.

The bottle of pristine white liquor, without even a printed label, and the pure white cigarettes were thus exposed to the air.

The words that had just reached Cao Xue's lips were swallowed back forcibly the moment she saw these two items.

As Deputy Secretary Cao Hang's daughter, what rare treasures had she not seen? But precisely because of this, she knew better than the average person the weight of this plain-bottle liquor and white-packaged cigarettes.

These were by no means common goods that could be acquired with just money.

This was a symbol of family status, a pass to the core circle.

For a township deputy official to be able to produce such items, the person standing behind him was definitely not simple.

Her arrogance was forcibly smoothed over by these items that could not be measured by money.

Cao Xue stepped back half a step, yielding the entryway.

She raised her voice to the nanny busy inside the house: "Auntie Zhang, we have guests. Wash a few plates of fresh fruit and bring them up."

Turning her head, a proper smile had already appeared on Cao Xue's face.

"Zhu Wenhao, right? Please come in and sit on the sofa in the living room."

She naturally reached out with both hands and took the kraft paper bag.

The speed and sense of propriety with which she changed her expression made it seem as if the cold eyes and rejection from just a moment ago had never happened.

"My father is currently taking a nap in the study on the second floor." Cao Xue placed the paper bag securely on the low cabinet. "You two have some tea first; I will go up and check right now. Study Committee Member Cao Rui, you host Zhu Wenhao."

After saying this, she stepped in her slippers and walked upstairs with a light gait.

Zhu Wenhao took off his coat and sat down calmly on the mahogany sofa in the living room.

As long as the chips in his hand were heavy enough, there was no reason this door could not be pushed open.

Zhu Wenhao sat upright on the mahogany sofa, his gaze slowly wandering over the furnishings in the living room.

The decoration of this small building was not extravagant; it even revealed a touch of old-school simplicity.

Several calligraphy and paintings hung on the wall, mostly inscriptions about a pure heart and few desires.

But the more it appeared unpretentious, the more it demonstrated the master's caution in not wanting to provide others with grounds for criticism.