161: Chapter 161 Turning to Zhou Wenbin

When the call connected, Xu Tianhua was in his study reading a document.

The desk lamp emitted an orange glow, casting his shadow onto the bookshelf behind him.

He glanced at the caller ID, his brows twitching slightly; it was so late, and Comrade Weidong rarely called at this hour.

"Dad, something happened."

Xu Weidong's voice came through the receiver, carrying a suppressed sense of urgency.

He recounted everything that happened tonight from beginning to end, from the dinner invitation by the investor surnamed Qian, to the drugs in the drink, to being helped into the room, to Financial Director Wei Xue also being there.

Xu Weidong spoke in great detail, omitting no details and making no attempt to beautify his own actions.

When he mentioned Financial Director Wei Xue holding and kissing him in the bathroom, his voice paused, but he still told the truth.

Xu Tianhua listened, leaning back against the chair, without interrupting, his face showing no change in expression.

After Xu Weidong finished, he was silent for a few seconds, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk twice.

The study was very quiet, quiet enough to hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

"Comrade Weidong, listen to me."

Xu Tianhua's voice was very calm, so calm it was as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself.

"All these years, your path has been smooth; from school to the government agencies, from the agencies to the grassroots, you haven't suffered any major setbacks."

"Do you know why that is? It's not because you are so remarkable, but because others know whose son you are and dare not touch you."

"However, just because they dare not touch you doesn't mean they cannot touch you."

"They have been waiting, waiting for you to make a mistake, waiting for you to reveal a flaw. Today's trap was the opportunity they were waiting for."

Xu Tianhua paused, his voice still calm.

"Do you think you've been too smooth? So smooth that you've forgotten there are people in this world who want to ruin your reputation? So smooth that you thought no one dared to touch you on your little plot of land in Changyuan County?"

"I am telling you today, remember this lesson well. If you make this mistake again, don't call yourself my son."

Xu Weidong was silent on the other end of the line for a few seconds, his voice lowering, carrying a sense of deep guilt and alertness.

"Dad, I will remember."

Xu Tianhua's tone softened slightly, but remained dignified and imposing.

"Alright, don't get involved in this matter anymore. Leave the rest to me to handle."

"Keep today's events to yourself; don't mention it to anyone, including Ruxue."

"Go about your business as usual, and don't let anyone notice anything."

"Understood, Dad."

Xu Tianhua hung up the phone and sat in the chair without moving.

Comrade Weidong had been drugged and set up; he knew exactly who was behind this.

Those small fries definitely wouldn't dare to touch his son; someone must have lost their patience, and someone must have sent word from Yancheng.

"Is this the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee of Fengtian Province?"

"This is Public Security's Xu Tianhua. Connect me to Comrade Governor Zhou Wenbin."

His voice was not loud, but every word carried an unquestionable weight.

The person answering was a young voice, carrying the caution and politeness typical of someone on duty.

"Commander-in-Chief Xu, hello. Secretary Zhou has already retired for the night, perhaps you..."

"I said, connect me now!"

Xu Tianhua interrupted him, his tone unchanged, but the young man seemed to be choked by something and immediately changed his tune, his voice cracking.

"Yes, yes, I will contact him immediately, please wait a moment, Commander-in-Chief Xu."

Xu Tianhua leaned back in his chair, holding the receiver, his gaze landing on the family photo on his desk.

Footsteps and whispers came from the other end of the line, followed by a steady voice, carrying the hoarseness of being just woken up and an effort to remain alert.

"Old leader, this is Governor Zhou Wenbin. It's so late, what are your instructions?"

Xu Tianhua's tone returned to its customary flatness, as if he were talking about the most mundane work.

"Comrade Governor Zhou Wenbin, I'm sorry to disturb your rest. There is a matter I would like to discuss with you."

"In your province, have the relations between the government and enterprises been a bit murky lately?"

"Some enterprises have overreached; they don't even follow basic rules anymore."

"As the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, you must take initiative and put a stop to this unhealthy trend."

Governor Zhou Wenbin was silent for a second on the other end; he had been struggling in the officialdom for decades and had followed Xu Tianhua for so many years; he knew his old leader's way of speaking too well.

Xu Tianhua was not in charge of business relations; calling in the middle of the night to say that government-enterprise relations were murky was, in itself, a signal.

More importantly, he said "your province" and used the term "take initiative." Although the tone was flat, Governor Zhou Wenbin could hear what was pressed beneath that flatness.

"Old leader, you are right. Murky government-enterprise relations are indeed a problem."

"I will convene a meeting of the relevant departments tomorrow to specifically study this issue."

Governor Zhou Wenbin's attitude was as upright as if he were reporting for work in person.

Xu Tianhua gave a grunt of acknowledgement, his tone still unhurried: "Some of the enterprises there are not just operating in the provincial capital; they have also descended to the cities below."

"Lüjiang City is a very good example."

"Enterprises from the provincial capital taking initiative to descend is originally a good thing, but if the purpose of the descent is not pure, that is another matter entirely. You should find some time to look into it."

Governor Zhou Wenbin's heart skipped a beat.

Lüjiang City—that was where Xu Weidong was.

Enterprises from the provincial capital descending to Lüjiang City with impure motives… If he still didn't understand after his old leader had spoken to this extent, he wouldn't be fit to be the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

His voice became even more solemn, carrying the absolute obedience of a subordinate to a superior.

"Rest assured, old leader, I will look into the situation immediately and will certainly get to the bottom of the matter."

Xu Tianhua said nothing more and hung up.

Governor Zhou Wenbin held the receiver, sat on the edge of the bed for a few seconds, then stood up, walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed his face with cold water.

The icy water splashed on his face, dispelling the last trace of sleepiness.

He looked at himself in the mirror; his eye bags were a bit heavy, but his eyes had regained their clarity.

He walked back to the bedroom, picked up his phone, scrolled to the number of the Executive Vice Mayor of Shengjing City, Zhou Chuncheng, and dialed it.

The phone rang several times before it was answered. Zhou Chuncheng's voice carried the confusion of being woken up and a hint of panic.

"Secretary Zhou? It's so late, do you have any instructions?"

"Chuncheng, I want to ask you something."

"Have any enterprises from Shengjing recently gone to Lüjiang City to invest?"

Zhou Chuncheng was stunned for a moment, his mind turning rapidly.

He had been promoted single-handedly by Governor Zhou Wenbin and had an instinctive keenness regarding his benefactor.

Before knowing Governor Zhou Wenbin, he was just an ordinary Vice Mayor in the Municipal Government with no prospects.

After knowing Governor Zhou Wenbin, he immediately rose rapidly in his career and became the number two figure in the Shengjing City Municipal Government.

He knew that Secretary Zhou calling in the middle of the night to ask this couldn't be just a casual inquiry.

Zhou Chuncheng went through the projects he had handled recently in his mind and recalled a few names.

"Yes, Chairman Zhou Hai of Dongshan Group went to Lüjiang City for an inspection a few days ago."

"And his partner company, General Manager Qian Ying of Lanjiang Venture Capital Co., Ltd., also went with him."

"They said they wanted to invest in a cold chain logistics project there."

Zhou Chuncheng paused, his voice lowering by half a degree.

"Secretary Zhou, is there something wrong with these two people?"

Governor Zhou Wenbin did not answer the question; he simply said "Understood" and hung up the phone.

Dongshan Group, President Zhou Hai, Lanjiang Venture Capital, Qian Ying.

He had heard of these two; they were both active figures in the provincial capital's business world and had some unclear and inexplicable connections with Yancheng.

Their investment in Lüjiang City was not aimed at the market there; it was aimed at Xu Weidong.

When the old leader said "murky government-enterprise relations," he was being polite.

Translated, it meant someone was causing trouble in your province, and it had reached his son's head.

He picked up his phone and dialed another number.

"Hello, it's me."

"This is Governor Zhou Wenbin of the Provincial Party Committee."

"Tomorrow morning, schedule an appointment with Director Li of the Provincial Market Supervision Administration to come to my office."

"Yes, nine o'clock."