263: Chapter 263 The Blade Has Fallen

The car came to a smooth stop below the apartment building.

This was the residence where Zhu Wenhao and Su Qinghan had lived together before he went to Heishi Town.

Su Qinghan, wearing a camel-colored coat, stood in the drafty area downstairs.

Seeing the black sedan approach, she opened the passenger door, placed two gift boxes on the back seat, and got into the car.

Zhu Wenhao shifted gears, and the car smoothly merged into the traffic on the main road.

The two had seen little of each other lately, and the only sound in the cabin was the soft hum of the air conditioning vents.

"The director of the Third Office came to see me," Su Qinghan said, keeping her eyes on the road ahead. "Next week, the Discipline Inspection Commission is organizing an Inspection Team to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the Municipal Finance Bureau, and the director has specifically named me to lead it."

Zhu Wenhao kept both hands on the steering wheel.

"Your director is quite the schemer."

"The Municipal Finance Bureau is Mayor Su Changming's purse, and the director has been with him for many years; they are deeply entrenched. Your director can't chew on this hard bone himself, so he's taking the path of least resistance by letting you, someone who came out of the Finance Bureau, serve as the vanguard."

Su Qinghan remained silent.

"Behind this, there is naturally the intention of Secretary Li Li," Zhu Wenhao said as he merged the car into the left lane. "However, the fire of inspecting the Finance Bureau was something we started in the first place. Since they want you to be the vanguard, you have to accept it."

"War is a matter of courage," Zhu Wenhao said in a flat tone.

"Investigating the Finance Bureau isn't really about the alcohol; it's about Mayor Su Changming. Go ahead and investigate without restraint, and turn the Finance Bureau's ledgers upside down."

Su Qinghan nodded.

She understood the dangers of this inspection, but this was the tough battle she had to fight to establish her footing in the Discipline Inspection Commission.

The car drove toward the Municipal Party Committee's No. 4 Compound.

The armed police verified the license plate, and the barrier lifted slowly.

The car drove slowly along the asphalt road inside the compound.

As they passed a three-story detached villa, Su Qinghan's gaze drifted through the window, landing on the tightly shut iron gate.

That was Mayor Su Changming's residence, the place where she had grown up.

Now, it had become a cold, opposing front.

Zhu Wenhao noticed her gaze. He took his right hand off the steering wheel, placed it over the back of her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Su Qinghan withdrew her gaze and interlocked her fingers with his.

The car stopped in front of the Zhu family's two-story house.

Li Juan, wearing a casual sweater, was already waiting on the steps at the entrance.

Since the family banquet in Jingjiang City, much of the arrogance of a noble daughter that had once defined Li Juan had dissipated.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe had mentioned over the phone that after she returned, she had dismissed the family chef and started learning to cook for herself.

The two pushed the doors open and got out.

"Auntie." Su Qinghan walked up and handed over the gift boxes from the back seat.

Li Juan took them with both hands, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

"It's cold outside; come in quickly. The food is all ready."

The house was filled with warmth.

On the dining table were four dishes and a soup, all simple, homemade fare. It lacked the ostentation expected of a Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary's home, but it had an extra touch of genuine, homey atmosphere.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe walked down from the study upstairs, and the four of them sat around the table.

During the meal, Li Juan served food to Su Qinghan and asked about trivial work matters, not mentioning a single word about the infighting within the Municipal Party Committee.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe and Zhu Wenhao occasionally exchanged words, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

After the meal, Su Qinghan stood up and offered to help Li Juan clear the dishes and carry them into the kitchen.

Zhu Wenhao took a towel from the table to wipe his hands and looked at Secretary Zhu Tianhe.

"Let's go to the study." Secretary Zhu Tianhe stood up.

Zhu Wenhao followed his father upstairs.

Pushing open the door to the study, the scent of agarwood greeted them.

"How is Chairwoman Lin Yulan's procedure in the Organization Department going?" Zhu Wenhao asked, getting straight to the point.

"Secretary Lin Weimin did not block it. The candidates Mayor Su Changming proposed to the Organization Department have been suppressed by me," Secretary Zhu Tianhe said, sitting down behind the desk. "Next week, the personnel appointments for the Audit Bureau will go through the department meeting process."

"Good." Zhu Wenhao sat down in the guest seat. "Once this blade of the Audit Bureau is unsheathed, it will be time to wrap up the game of chess in Linjiang City. Once Mayor Su Changming's purse is squeezed, his prestige in the government will be greatly diminished."

Secretary Zhu Tianhe picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"However, regarding Political Commissar Wang Haitao's case, Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao is still running around the Discipline Inspection Commission. Relying on the name of the Anti-Gang Office, he is attempting to bypass Secretary Li Li to directly interfere with the case."

"Grasshoppers after autumn—he won't be jumping around for much longer," Zhu Wenhao said in a cold tone. "His own backyard is about to catch fire."

Meanwhile, in Linjiang City, at the Mingyue Pavilion Hotel.

Director Xu Jie walked toward the revolving glass door with her handbag.

Last night, she had received a call from her mother saying that she had arrived in Linjiang and wanted to have a casual meal at Mingyue Pavilion.

Throughout the conversation, she had mentioned the deputy leader of the Second Supervision Group of the Anti-Gang Office, Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao.

Family marriages among the powerful clans of The Capital were always an iron law that could not be resisted.

Director Xu Jie pushed open the wooden door of the private room.

Beside the round table, her mother sat in the main seat.

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao, wearing a crisp suit, was sitting next to her, diligently pouring tea for Mother Xu.

Seeing Director Xu Jie enter, Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao stood up: "Xiao Jie, you must be tired from the journey. Auntie was just talking about you."

Director Xu Jie didn't look at him; she pulled out the chair opposite him, sat down, and placed her handbag on the tabletop.

"Mom, why didn't you tell me you were coming to Linjiang in advance? I could have made arrangements."

Mother Xu picked up her teacup and blew away the steam.

"If I didn't come, how long were you planning to drag out this engagement? Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao is here in Jiangnan Province for supervision work; not only do you refuse to see him, but you also ran off to some backwater town to be a director. You've brought shame upon the Xu Family."

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao interrupted at the right moment: "Auntie, please don't blame Xiao Jie. It's a good thing for young people to train at the grassroots level. After we are married, I will arrange for her to be transferred back to the provincial capital."

Director Xu Jie looked at Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao.

"Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao, there is no need for you to trouble yourself with my whereabouts."

Mother Xu slammed her teacup down on the table: "How insolent! Is this the attitude you take with your fiancé? Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao is young and promising, and you know the status the Liu Family holds in The Capital. You are not the one who decides on this marriage."

"Fiancé?"

Director Xu Jie didn't get angry.

She unzipped her handbag and pulled out a thick kraft paper file.

She untied the string and pulled out a stack of high-definition photos from inside.

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed them.

A dozen photos scattered like snowflakes across the polished lazy Susan, sliding right in front of Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao and Mother Xu.

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao looked down.

They were photos of him and Mayor Su Changming's youngest daughter, Su Xiaoxiao, eating at a Western restaurant.

Photos of the two walking side-by-side into a five-star hotel.

Screenshots from the front desk's surveillance cameras during check-in.

And copies of his hotel room receipts.

Every single one was crystal clear, with the time, location, and people all accounted for.

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao stood up abruptly and reached out to grab the photos: "You… you were following me?"

Mother Xu also saw the content of the photos clearly.

Noble families valued reputation above all else, and such behavior from Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao, going behind his fiancée's back, was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the Xu Family.

Her face turned ashen, and her gaze toward Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao grew colder and sharper.

"If you don't want people to know, you shouldn't do it," Director Xu Jie said, leaning back in her chair and watching Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao, who was in a state of panic.

"Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao, you use the banner of anti-gang supervision to throw your weight around in Jiangnan Province, while secretly messing around with the Linjiang City Mayor's youngest daughter."

"You come to discuss marriage with me while engaging in such behavior—is this how the Liu Family conducts itself?"

Mother Xu slapped the edge of the table: "Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao! What is the meaning of this!"

Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao's forehead broke into a sweat as he stammered in an attempt to explain: "Auntie, this… this is a misunderstanding. I was doing that to investigate the case, to get close to Mayor Su Changming's inner circle…"

"Investigating a case all the way to a hotel room?" Director Xu Jie interrupted him coldly.

She stood up.

"This engagement ends here."

"I will report this matter to Grandfather myself. The Xu Family does not accept sons-in-law who behave like this."

Director Xu Jie picked up her handbag without looking at the two again and turned decisively toward the door.

"Xiao Jie!" Mother Xu called out from behind, her voice lacking the sternness it had just a moment ago.

Director Xu Jie pushed open the door and strode into the corridor, the sound of her high heels clicking crisply against the floor.

With this ironclad evidence, she was finally liberated from this suffocating engagement.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Zhu Wenhao.

"The blade has fallen."