3: Chapter 3 Talks with the Provincial Party Committee Organization Minister

Wang Shuting thought she was hallucinating, so she hurriedly rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, it was indeed Zhang Huaijing.

She widened her eyes and asked with a trembling voice, "Are... are you a ghost?"

"Yes, I have come to claim your life." Zhang Huaijing gave a cold smile and stepped toward her, closing the distance.

"No... don't..." Wang Shuting slid off the sofa, retreating in sheer terror until she reached the corner of the wall, with nowhere left to hide.

Zhang Huaijing squatted down. In his long, deep eyes, there was the cruelty of a hunter about to tear into its prey, as well as pity for a small animal.

He interrogated her calmly and authoritatively, "Speak, why did you try to kill me?"

"I'm sorry, I... I was confused for a moment. I was drunk and acted on impulse... Huaijing, I love you, I truly love you. As soon as I gave you the sleeping pills, I regretted it, I really did. If you have truly come to claim my life, then take me with you. I don't want to live anymore either. In the underworld, I will be your beast of burden to atone for my sins..."

Wang Shuting sobbed uncontrollably.

Zhang Huaijing pressed her, his tone as cold as a blade, "Taking sleeping pills after drinking leads to heart failure. That is how you murdered me. Tell me, how many sleeping pills did you give me?"

"Six... six pills." Wang Shuting didn't dare look at him. She lowered her head and suddenly noticed his shadow covering her feet.

He had a shadow! Wang Shuting suddenly looked up at Zhang Huaijing. His complexion was rosy and his eyes were dark and bright; he didn't look like a dead person or a ghost at all.

Besides, there couldn't possibly be ghosts or spirits in this world!

She reached out and grabbed his hand; it was actually warm. She was overjoyed, "You... you didn't die?"

Zhang Huaijing smiled faintly and pulled his hand away from hers, patting her bloodless little face, "I died, yet I didn't. You killed the past Zhang Huaijing; the one alive now is the new Zhang Huaijing."

"I don't care about new or old, as long as you didn't die! That's great, that's just great..." Wang Shuting said incoherently, then suddenly asked suspiciously, "Didn't you take six sleeping pills?"

"I took them. However, perhaps the medicine was fake, or my body's functions resisted it. I survived the disaster." As Zhang Huaijing said this, he stood up and looked down at her, "Wang Shuting, I didn't die, and you're quite happy about it. You should know that murdering one's husband in ancient times was considered the 'evil of rebellion' among the Ten Abominations, punishable by death by a thousand cuts. It's a serious crime now, too! So, I'm going to call the police."

Wang Shuting suddenly hugged his leg and shouted, "Don't!"

"Attempted murder; that's at least ten years in prison."

"A day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace. We were married for eight years after all. Huaijing, please let me go." Wang Shuting begged with tears in her eyes.

Zhang Huaijing looked down at this woman who was both familiar and strange, "Let you go? What if you change your method next time and finish me off for real?"

"I won't, I never will again, never ever! Huaijing, tell me, what conditions do you want? I will agree to anything."

She had already sensed the change in Zhang Huaijing. Logically, given that her attempted murder was a fact, he should have been furious, cold, and ruthless, or at the very least, beaten her up.

But he didn't. His gaze was gentle and calm, and the murderous aura had vanished completely.

Could it be that after dying once, he suddenly had an epiphany?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Zhang Huaijing's voice reached her ears, "I want money. You've earned quite a lot of money running your company over the years. You've secretly transferred it all away because you were afraid I would claim a share of the assets in a divorce, didn't you?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Wang Shuting slowly crawled up from the floor, leaning against the wall to steady herself, "That's because you were unfaithful to our marriage. You were truly too excessive; it's only right that you leave with nothing."

"Times have changed. Now, um, I'm afraid it's you who will have to leave with nothing." Zhang Huaijing shook his phone and said, "I recorded our conversation just now. If I hand it to the police, you're finished. Even without the recording, if the police come and do a little investigation, they will find out the truth."

He was just scaring her. He wouldn't actually call the police, otherwise, if the police investigated, his resurrection would be very difficult to explain.

"No, Huaijing, don't call the police, I beg you!"

"Give me twenty million."

"Twenty million? You really want me to leave with nothing!"

"What did you say just a moment ago? You would agree to anything."

When Wang Shuting met his cold gaze, she hurriedly nodded, "Okay... okay, I agree, I will give it to you."

Zhang Huaijing curled the corner of his mouth, revealing an evil, charming smile.

"What do you want so much money for?" Wang Shuting asked vigilantly.

"With this money, I won't have any worries while serving as an official, and perhaps I can even resist the temptation of money. To tell you the truth, I want to turn over a new leaf and make great achievements in my political career. Therefore, my second condition is..." He paused, smiled faintly, and continued, "a transfer."

"A transfer?"

"With the boss in prison and me in this pathetic state, I can't stay in the province anymore. From the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee to the Policy Research Office of the Provincial Party Committee, both are important departments of the Provincial Party Committee. It looks like a lateral transfer, but in reality, it's sidelining and freezing me out." Zhang Huaijing's tone was gentle and calm, "Work on your second uncle and get me exiled to the frontier, go be a Deputy Secretary of a Municipal Party Committee or something."

"That sounds like an important appointment..."

"Important appointment? I was a Deputy Director of the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee. If the boss hadn't fallen, I would have gone down directly as an Acting Mayor." Zhang Huaijing said, "Besides, I am a full-time master's graduate from a prestigious university, I have served as a Secretary to the Provincial Party Secretary, and I have been the Chief of the First Comprehensive Division. I don't want to deal with empty formalities anymore; I want to go down and do some real work. I think the Provincial Party Committee will agree."

"Then, where do you want to go?"

"Haizhou."

"Why Haizhou? It's so poor there."

Zhang Huaijing thought to himself, my original spirit is named Cui Liming, from Wanghai County, Haizhou City. There, I have my beautiful girl and my fellow villagers; there, it will surely become the blessed land for my comeback.

It's just that after the soul transmigration, I am 10 years older. Lu Waner doesn't recognize me at all, and my identity is sensitive. It's truly hard to put into words, a complex mixture of feelings.

Regardless, he decided to turn over a new leaf, be a new person, get promoted, and make a name for himself.

Wang Shuting thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I will talk to my second uncle. Then, what about us?"

"As you wish, divorce."

She sighed with relief, "You finally agreed to a divorce."

After saying this, she sat on the sofa, feeling incomparably exhausted. Tears rolled down her cheeks silently. There was an unspeakable bitterness in her heart; she wasn't happy about getting what she wanted, but rather stunned, deeply pained, and reluctant to let go.

After graduating from vocational school, Wang Shuting worked in a kindergarten for two years. By chance, she fell in love with Zhang Huaijing at first sight.

At that time, she was only 20 years old.

He was tall, handsome, and dashing. Back then, he was already the Secretary to the Deputy Provincial Party Secretary. What girl wouldn't like him?

She cooperated with her uncle to set up a romantic trap and offered her virginity to Zhang Huaijing. The latter's original beautiful relationship was destroyed, and he was forced to marry Wang Shuting.

Perhaps it was retribution, but in the eight years of their marriage, she had never been able to conceive.

Not long after their marriage, she went into business with her parents. At 26, she took over her mother's clothing industry and made it flourish.

The two spent their first three happy years together, but soon, for various reasons, the marriage became a mere shell.

With the steady rise of Deputy Provincial Party Secretary Secretary Jian Weiguo, Zhang Huaijing also jumped from a section-level cadre all the way to Chief of the First Comprehensive Division of the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee, and was promoted to Deputy Director of the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee at 33. (Around the year 2000, the promotion of a Secretary to a Governor or Provincial Party Secretary often did not need to strictly follow the tenure requirements.)

Seven months ago, Secretary Jian Weiguo was investigated, and the case has yet to be settled. On the grounds of violating political discipline, he was given a strange and vague punishment: removal from party positions, forced retirement, cancellation of some retirement benefits, and living in a fixed location for retirement, which was equivalent to a disguised restriction of personal freedom.

Zhang Huaijing was also taken to an off-site case handling point and investigated for more than a month. No economic problems were found, so he was released.

Subsequently, he was transferred to the Policy Research Office of the Provincial Party Committee as Deputy Director. He was not responsible for any specific work and became a "wealthy idler," the kind Jia Baoyu longed for most.

You must know that the provincial party organs prided themselves on never keeping idlers.

Zhang Huaijing also didn't know why his life had turned out like this; both his career and marriage had fallen into a trough.

But he always firmly believed that Secretary Jian Weiguo had not taken bribes, nor did he have any issues with his personal life. Yet, he had fallen in the end—this is politics.

Feeling bitter inside, Zhang Huaijing could only spend his days in "lust, caution" and drown his sorrows in alcohol. Wang Shuting tearfully asked for a divorce, but he refused to leave with nothing, which eventually led to today's situation.

At this moment, Zhang Huaijing sat down beside her and said gently, "Shuting, you haven't slept all night, are you tired? Go and lie down for a while."

Wang Shuting stared at him in a daze. How could this man, who had subjected her to cold violence for years, suddenly become so gentle and kind? It was unbelievable.

"Let's go, I'll help you over." Zhang Huaijing helped her up, took her to the bedroom, helped her lie down, then left the bedroom and closed the door.

After Zhang Huaijing finished his shower and came out, he found that Wang Shuting had fallen asleep.

He sat in the living room for a few minutes, then picked up his phone and pressed a few dialing keys, but in the end, he didn't continue pressing. That was the number of Cui Liming's parents.

Clearing the numbers, he pressed Lu Waner's phone number, but similarly, he didn't dial it either.

He could imagine how painful and sad they must be at this moment. However, what could he possibly do? Could he tell them that Cui Liming's soul had transmigrated into another person?

Impossible.

Let things take their natural course and let time heal the pain.

On Sunday night, Wang Shuting went to the home of her second uncle, Minister Guan Wengao.

On Monday, Wang Shuting transferred twelve million to Zhang Huaijing's two cards separately. As for the remaining eight million, she said she couldn't scrape it together for the moment and would give it to him in three months.

Zhang Huaijing understood she was playing tricks, but he didn't say anything.

The two agreed that the house at Jiayu Mansion would go to Zhang Huaijing, and the villa and another high-rise apartment would belong to Wang Shuting.

Zhang Huaijing also had an allocated house in District 2 of the Provincial Party Committee residential compound, a three-bedroom apartment that had long been rented out; it also belonged to Zhang Huaijing.

The property division was clear, witnessed by a lawyer, and notarized.

Everything was settled.

On Wednesday at 9:20 AM, following the notification from Minister Guan Wengao's Secretary, Zhang Huaijing entered the office of the Minister of the Organization Department.

Minister Guan Wengao was in his fifties, his hair was somewhat thinning, and he was a bit stout, but his eyes remained gentle yet sharp. Having worked in organization for many years, he had honed the keen ability to judge people at a glance.

With a cigarette in his mouth, he looked up and glanced at Zhang Huaijing, then continued to lower his head to review documents. After leaving him waiting for a few minutes, he pointed to a chair opposite him and said, "Comrade Huaijing, sit."

It was polite and distant; he didn't even offer the treatment of the reception area.

Zhang Huaijing sat down steadily, looking at the other person, waiting for the leader to speak.

After the Secretary brought in the tea, Minister Guan Wengao finished reviewing the documents. He put down his pen, leaned back, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and said, "You know why I asked you to come, right?"

"I know, thank you, Minister." Zhang Huaijing nodded calmly.

Minister Guan Wengao's expression paused slightly, "You guessed that Secretary Kang Zheng would agree?"