45: Chapter 45 The Wine Party at the Mountain Villa

The nights in the twelfth lunar month grew dark early.

The two large red lanterns in front of Cuiyun Villa were already lit, swaying amidst the swirling snowflakes, exuding a touch of ambiguous warmth.

In the most luxurious private room, the wine had been served three times, the dishes had been tasted, and the atmosphere was in full swing.

Tonight's entertainment was a bit special; a space had been cleared in the center of the room, where six young women in dark green qipao were dancing gracefully.

The slits of their qipao were very high, and with their movements, their fair legs were visible from time to time.

The women wore standard smiles on their faces, but their eyes were incredibly hollow, like marionettes whose souls had been drained away.

Secretary Hu Dakui leaned back in his grand armchair, squinting his eyes as his gaze roamed over the women, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Township Head Ge Jiefang sat more upright, holding a wine glass and taking an occasional sip, but his gaze behind his glasses remained fixed on Secretary Hu Dakui's face, as if he were pondering something.

General Manager Wan Baolai sat to the right of Secretary Hu Dakui, wearing a navy blue cashmere sweater, the gold watch on his wrist gleaming under the lights.

Standing beside him was Zhang Ya, who was wearing a moon-white qipao tonight. Her hair was swept up, revealing a section of her fair neck. She wore a professional smile, but her eyes were cold.

As the song ended, Secretary Hu Dakui took the lead in applauding. "Good, good, good! General Manager Wan, this place of yours is truly becoming more and more high-class!"

"This dance is even more professional than that of the county song and dance troupe!"

General Manager Wan Baolai smiled and waved his hand. "Secretary Hu, you flatter me. I just found a few girls to liven things up for the leaders."

He waved at the women and said, "Go on down, I'll call you if I need anything."

The women filed out, and the private room quieted down.

Zhang Ya stepped forward to pour wine for the three men. When it was Secretary Hu Dakui's turn, he reached out and lightly stroked the back of her hand, saying with a chuckle, "Little Zhang, these hands of yours are even prettier than those of the dancing girls."

Zhang Ya's expression didn't change. She gently flipped her wrist and withdrew her hand without a trace, saying calmly, "Secretary Hu, you flatter me. I'm just here to serve tea and water."

After saying this, she stepped back to the side and stood with her hands hanging down.

Secretary Hu Dakui wasn't annoyed; he just picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Seeing this, General Manager Wan Baolai hurriedly changed the subject. "Secretary Hu, Township Head Ge, I heard about that guy named Xu going to Qili Village today."

"I just don't understand, why did you two leaders let him go?"

"That place is very deep; what if he stumbles upon something..."

Secretary Hu Dakui put down his wine glass and chuckled. "General Manager Wan, you don't understand this."

"Our 'prince,' the new official, has to burn his first three fires, so we have to let him burn them, right?"

"Otherwise, if he stays in the township all day with his eyes fixed on our mines, that would be the real trouble."

General Manager Wan Baolai was stunned. "Secretary Hu, you mean... you let him go there on purpose?"

"Can't say it was on purpose."

Township Head Ge Jiefang took over the conversation, speaking slowly and deliberately. "He proposed going there himself. If we tried to stop him, it would only make us look guilty."

"It's better to let him go openly. Anyway, that bunch in Qili Village needs to be knocked down a peg or two."

General Manager Wan Baolai was even more confused. "Knock down Qili Village? Isn't that place... Committee Member Chen Qing's people?"

Secretary Hu Dakui and Township Head Ge Jiefang exchanged glances and both laughed.

"General Manager Wan."

Secretary Hu Dakui leaned back against the chair and crossed his legs.

"You've worked in Hukuang Township for so many years, yet there are some things you still haven't seen through."

"That bunch in Qili Village, relying on Committee Member Chen Qing's backing for all these years, has become more and more outrageous."

"And Committee Member Chen Qing, relying on his connection with Secretary Hu Qiu at the county level, doesn't even take the two of us seriously anymore."

The Secretary Hu at the county level he mentioned referred to Secretary Hu Qiu of the county Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

"You haven't seen it."

Secretary Hu Dakui continued. "Last month, when we held a meeting in the township to discuss the subsistence allowance quotas, Committee Member Chen Qing argued with me on the spot, saying that the situation in Qili Village was special and the quotas couldn't be handled according to the rules."

"I asked him how it was special, and he couldn't say, he just wouldn't let it go."

"In the end, Township Head Ge Jiefang smoothed things over, and that's how the matter was settled."

Township Head Ge Jiefang nodded. "We all know what that bunch in Qili Village has been up to all these years."

"Human traffickers coming and going, trading women and children—do they really think we don't know?"

"We've just been turning a blind eye to it."

"But they, on the other hand, think we're afraid of them and have become increasingly unscrupulous."

General Manager Wan Baolai began to get the drift and followed up. "So you two leaders want to use Secretary Xu as a knife..."

"Borrowing a knife to kill?"

"That's not a polite way to put it."

Secretary Hu Dakui waved his hand. "This is called going with the flow."

"The 'prince' wants to go to Qili Village to take a look, so let him look."

"If he happens to find any problems, that's his capability."

"If he doesn't find anything, that just means his experience isn't enough."

"What does that have to do with us?"

Township Head Ge Jiefang added. "Besides, that bunch in Qili Village has been getting too arrogant all these years; it's time someone reined them in."

"Committee Member Chen Qing thinks that by latching onto someone high up in the county, he can do whatever he wants, but he doesn't realize that in the eyes of Secretary Hu Qiu, he's nothing."

"If something really happens, he'll be the first one to be pushed out."

General Manager Wan Baolai suddenly realized and gave a thumbs up. "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! You two leaders are truly strategizing and winning battles from afar!"

Secretary Hu Dakui shook his head triumphantly. "That's not all."

"Think about it, that mess in Qili Village—if they really start investigating, how much of a stir will it cause?"

"Human traffickers, kidnapped women, buying and selling children... which one of these, if brought to light, isn't a major case?"

"When that time comes, someone has to be held responsible, right?"

General Manager Wan Baolai's eyes lit up. "Political and Legal Affairs Committee Member Chen Qing is in charge of political and legal work; he won't be able to escape."

"Correct."

Secretary Hu Dakui nodded. "And there's also Director Li Zhongmin from the police station; he's in charge of public security in the area, so he won't be able to escape responsibility either."

"We want to replace Committee Member Chen Qing, and as for Director Li Zhongmin, he has never been very obedient, so it's the perfect opportunity to deal with them both at once."

Township Head Ge Jiefang took over. His tone carried a cold, sinister smile. "Of course, if that 'prince' wants to protect Director Li Zhongmin, we can also do him a favor."

"Anyway, we don't have any deep grudge against Director Li Zhongmin. If he can really climb up to a high branch, we'd be happy to do him a favor."

"In the future, when the 'prince' gets promoted, he might even remember our kindness."

General Manager Wan Baolai was terrified but kept a smile on his face. "You two leaders are playing this game perfectly!"

"Advance to attack, retreat to defend—you can't lose either way!"

Secretary Hu Dakui laughed heartily and raised his wine glass. "Come, come, let's drink!"

The three of them drank another cup. Zhang Ya stepped forward to pour more wine. Her hand was steady, and she wore a polite smile, but her heart was in turmoil.

She had always thought that Secretary Hu Dakui and Township Head Ge Jiefang were just two greedy and mediocre grassroots officials, scraping by on bribes from the mines and connections from above.

Tonight's conversation completely upended her perception.

These two were far from as simple as they appeared on the surface.

They were actually using someone like Xu Weidong as a knife, borrowing his hand to clean up Qili Village.

Not only did it divert Xu Weidong's attention, but it also knocked down the disobedient Committee Member Chen Qing, and they could even deal with Director Li Zhongmin along the way. Finally, they could even push all the illicit evidence onto the people in Qili Village.

Three birds with one stone, everything interlinked.

What was even more terrifying was that they didn't consider the people in Qili Village as human beings at all.

Terms like "discarded pawns" or "playing a greater role"—in that nonchalant tone, dozens of human lives, dozens of kidnapped women, and dozens of sold little girls were nothing more than chess pieces on their board.

Keep them when they're useful, throw them away when they're not, without even blinking an eye.

Zhang Ya's hand holding the wine pot trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes to hide the emotions in them.

"Little Zhang."

Secretary Hu Dakui suddenly turned his head and looked at her with a smile.

"Why are you standing there?"

"Come over and sit; keep us company for a couple of drinks."

Zhang Ya looked up with her standard smile. "Secretary Hu, I can't hold my liquor, and I'm afraid I'll spoil the leaders' fun."

"It's better if I just pour wine for you leaders."

Secretary Hu Dakui wanted to say something more, but Township Head Ge Jiefang gave a light cough.

Secretary Hu Dakui glanced at him and waved his hand. "Fine, fine, fine, then just pour the wine."

Zhang Ya bowed slightly and continued pouring the wine.

General Manager Wan Baolai glanced at her, his eyes filled with a complex meaning.

This woman recruited from the provincial capital was indeed extraordinary.

If it were anyone else, being flirted with like that by Secretary Hu Dakui, they would either be scared out of their wits or half-reluctant.

But she remained neither haughty nor humble, neither giving false hope nor offending anyone.

This kind of composure was not something an ordinary person could have.

"By the way, that Secretary Xu, he didn't find anything in Qili Village today, did he?"

Secretary Hu Dakui shook his head. "What could he find?"

"Those people are sharp."

Township Head Ge Jiefang added. "I had someone check. Today they just walked around the village, chatted with Village Secretary Wei Dabiao about party-building work, and then came back."

"Nothing at all."

General Manager Wan Baolai breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

After all, the longer the investigation was delayed, the safer his mine would be.

Secretary Hu Dakui raised his wine glass and squinted. "Just wait. It won't be long before that bunch in Qili Village knows who is really in charge in Hukuang Township."

The banquet continued, and the snow outside the window fell heavier and heavier.

Zhang Ya stood to the side, watching the three men clinking glasses and listening to them unscrupulously discussing how to manipulate other people's fates.

She knew her position clearly; she was just an undercover agent sent by General Manager Cheng to keep an eye on these few people.