Chapter 61 The Blown Trumpet

lcoming conference received thunderous applause. Many people were surprised to find out that the original head of the investigation team turned out to be the newly appointed division chief.Ma Nan, who...Chapter 61: The Blown Trumpet

*Inside the car of the Blue Sea Warm Sky Grand Hotel in Xiashi City, Wang Bo's expression was stern. "Uncle Zhang might not be able to hold on anymore. This has happened within just a few days."

Lin Guozhou smoked while his brows furrowed. Temporarily relieved of all responsibilities, he sat in the passenger seat and seemed like Wang Bo's advisor at that moment. "When did something happen with Zhang Zhimao" He didn't have any feelings for Uncle Zhang, whom Wang Bo addressed respectfully by honorific, so calling him by name was not inappropriate.

However, Zhang Zhimao was an important part and figure of the Wang Family faction in the entire Western XX Province. As a vice-provincial high-ranking official, he coordinated the power resources of the Wang Family within this area and controlled half of their influence in Sichuan. If Zhang Zhimao were to fall, countless small balls representing the Wang Family would scatter.

"It happened a week ago. I only received a call today. It means that someone above really intends to deal with us." Wang Bo's smile was bitter. "If this critical peg planted by our faction in Western XX Province is pulled out, they will be left exposed to the stormy weather." "This situation has become increasingly hard for me to fathom."

What exactly happened

"There are decisive evidences of Uncle Zhang's embezzlement and bribery. They say a chain of evidence already exists. The elders above have been furious and taken action, meaning that our faction is not allowed to interfere in the affairs of Sichuan." Wang Bo's usually scholarly face puffed up as he clenched his teeth forcefully. "The special task force is headed by Liu Cheng from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission."

Lin Guozhou frowned. "Does this Liu Cheng intend to thoroughly crush your faction He first targeted you, leaving you here in Summer Sea while still sending someone to counterbalance you; Jia Donghai was also his man. Even if you managed to suppress him, it shows that he fears you can represent the Wang Family and rise again!"

"Can I stand up again If Uncle Zhang were still in the province, we could still fight back. How can I stand up" Wang Bo sighed. "This time, even Uncle Zhang is caught. The elders won't intervene; they might abandon him as well. You know that my grandfather has never held much hope for me. Abandoning Sichuan, it's us who have disappointed the elders." "Your grandma hasn’t ever interfered with your political affairs. Perhaps she also thought that your transfer to Western Sichuan was due to your wife’s efforts," these opinions were no different from his own.

When talking about family matters, Lin Guozhou's expression dimmed as well. He and Wang Bo had been typical wastrels when they were young. Back then, being carefree led the adults to assume their negligent characters. Later attempts at improvement proved futile, with occasional mistakes; no matter what, they couldn't become the main force in a major family, instead facing the risk of being excluded from the faction.

Though having close blood ties, they stood on the very fringes of their families, even sometimes feeling less valued than outsiders. This sentiment was truly bitter.

"Wang Bo, we grew up together in the same kindergarten since childhood. Tell me honestly: Are you involved in this matter" After some thought, Lin Guozhou asked seriously.

Wang Bo smiled bitterly. "Don’t you trust me I know what can and cannot be touched."

"But who is Liu Cheng When he acts, does it make a difference whether I was involved in the past while under Uncle Zhang’s care Only by suppressing everyone together can Wang Family's roots in Western XX Province be uprooted,"

Lin Guozhou nodded. After finishing his cigarette and lighting another one, he slowly said, "With Zhang Zhimao’s incident, no one on the Lin side told me here about it. It seems our family doesn’t plan to intervene or even has the capability to do so. However, if I can lend you a hand, I will."

Wang Bo squeezed his shoulder. "Back then, your grandfather and my grandma were at their peak of glory aside from that, everyone knew the combined power of the Wang-Lin alliance. But now It’s not us who can't keep up; it's just how fast times are changing. No matter how prominent our families become, there will be a time when they're swept away by the tide. We’re no longer young…"

When Su Cen hailed a taxi to arrive at Blue Sea Warm Sky, waiting for him outside was Lin Family's eldest daughter.

Lin Luoran's father arrived in Xiahai. The Wang family arranged a banquet, which was a more relaxed environment. Wang Weiwei and Lin Luoran were both brought by Wang Bo. They had few friends at school, so they invited Su Can as well. Of course, Su Can couldn't refuse, so he went to the restaurant on time.

Lin Luoran wore a small shirt over a blouse, with straight-legged pants underneath. Although it was a banquet setting, she dressed quite casually rather than formally. From afar, Lin Luoran called out loudly, "Hey, I've been waiting for almost five minutes! Why are you so late"

This surprised the service staff responsible for parking outside the restaurant. Though she looked like a lady, her speaking voice was unusually high.

Lin Luoran's casual outfit and loud call made Su Can feel less tense.

The banquet had Mayor Hong Xiaotian and Secretary of the Municipal Committee Wang Jinrong present. This time, he brought his nephew Wang Haoran, but clearly Wang Haoran couldn't blend into Wang Weiwei's circle and didn't have much goodwill from Wang Weiwei.

Also attending were several vice mayors from their faction who all toasted to Lin’s father. After drinking three cups of wine, Lin’s father switched to tea instead of alcohol. In Xiahai city, where the culture of drinking is prevalent, these officials didn’t say much because Lin's image, temperament, and status dictated how he drank.

This left some specially invited officials who were there only for toasting in a difficult situation—neither drinking nor not drinking was appropriate, making them feel more tired than usual when attending banquets.

"Before the end of the century, only major countries could exchange ambassadors, reflecting an unequal status between big and small nations. Now most international relations involve exchanging ambassadors; only a few countries still send envoys to each other. So my envoy position is almost becoming nominal. I merely occasionally travel abroad to small countries, helping with organizing information at the embassy, communicating with higher departments as a subordinate of the ambassador—this isn’t as mysterious as you imagine," Lin Guozhou said with a smile when he heard their praises.

"That's different; we are comfortably based in our homeland while you, Envoy Lin, have returned from war-torn Yugoslavia. You’ve been tested by fire and are an envoy born of battle—there’s no comparison to be made," one official flattered him.

"Overseeing state affairs is a heavy responsibility; it's not easier for us," Lin Guozhou shook his head, saying appropriately. His attending this banquet was also to bolster Wang Bo's standing. For Wang Bo to take charge of the region without some backing and background, how could he quickly control the Standing Committee, win over the heads, and suppress the opposing faction’s Jin Donghai

Wang Bo’s roots were in Beijing, which is best for rallying support.

But now due to Liu Cheng's actions at the provincial level causing unrest, it was uncertain if Wang Bo would be implicated. This might lead Xiahai city’s high-level officials to reconsider their alliances.

In this situation, signaling that Wang Bo has deep roots is beneficial without harm.

Is Lin Guozhou a state envoy Su Can's heart stirred. He had long realized that Lin Luoran was not ordinary; several times when he went to the municipal district, he saw her reading English novels and books scattered in the living room were about international tourism. This explained why Su Can often felt that Lin Luoran seemed distant and looking forward to something far away, likely due to Lin's work, she might have inherited a broad international perspective.

If his father was an envoy, could he reveal some things so Su Can could avoid future tragedies

But Su Can held back. Aside from whether Lin’s father would believe him, there were no ways or means for him to personally inform Lin's father about it.

The atmosphere at the table heated up, and it was no longer as tense as before. Su Cen felt that Mr. Lin's gaze seemed to occasionally glance in his direction, which made him feel uncomfortable being stared at. He met Mr. Lin’s gaze head-on. Lin Guozhou looked back at him with a warm smile, indeed fitting for someone who worked in diplomacy.

Hong Xiaotian got up to go to the restroom and encountered acquaintances on his way back in the corridor. As they were talking, they parted ways at the hallway entrance; one went upstairs while Hong Xiaotian came down and leaned closer to Wang Bo’s ear, saying, "Liu Cheng, Secretary Liu has arrived in Xihaiguo also accompanied Liang Donghai. I didn’t arrange it well today, you see—Liu Cheng!"

When people at the table heard this name, their expressions changed slightly. Liu Cheng’s status as the Standing Committee member of the provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission was quite high, and he was a force to be reckoned with in Xihaiguo. He had risen through the ranks to become the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Department for Political and Legal Affairs, and his life story had a certain legendary quality. Those who knew him understood that he was always straightforward in speech but indeed possessed considerable political acumen.

Recently, all those who dared to oppose him fell one by one; his nickname "Invincible Diamond" rang true.

Wang Bo and Liu Cheng were rivals, and the fact that Liang Donghai was under Liu Cheng’s command was clear to everyone present.

To sit at this banquet with Wang Bo indicated their indifference towards Liu Cheng’s faction; however, when some people heard his name, they couldn’t help but feel a shiver down their spines.

Lin Guozhou glanced subtly in Wang Bo's direction. Wang Bo smiled and said, "Is that Secretary Liu Haha, if I see him later, we’ll have to drink together."

At this point, more people started coming down from the upstairs rooms, some of them Xihaiguo officials. However, when they noticed these officials, they pretended not to see anyone and quickly descended the stairs. In a gathering where Wang Bo and Hong Xiaotian were present as the top leaders of the city, other officials went out of their way to avoid them. This indicated how much influence Liu Cheng wielded.

He had come from Xihaiguo and maintained strong connections there; currently, his control over this region was significant.

The officials at the table gave a cold snort.

A louder commotion came from upstairs. Su Cen couldn’t help but raise his head.

More than ten people descended in a group. The lead person wore an ordinary sweatshirt, was around fifty years old, neither tall nor short, slightly plump, yet with eyes that were abnormally narrow and sharp, full of vigor. His steps were deliberately slow as he walked down the stairs like a thousand-year-old turtle. A dozen people surrounded him respectfully; although their smiles appeared forced, they had to smile when his gaze passed over them.

Everyone at the table paid attention to this somewhat sinister man, but only Su Cen noticed that when Wang Bo saw this person, despite no obvious change in expression on his face, his hand holding the cup trembled involuntarily.

The other party’s gaze eventually fixed on Wang Bo's table downstairs and approached them, with his entourage following behind.

"Secretary Wang is now Party Secretary."

Liu Cheng walked up to Wang Bo, ignoring the people at the table but smiling at the food laid out: "Stewed crab, wild mushrooms—everyone’s eating well, aren’t they"

The Mayor Hong Xiaotian hurriedly said, "Today is a visit by Minister Lin from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is a friend of Secretary Wang. So Secretary Wang specially prepared this banquet for us idle folks; I didn’t realize Secretary Liu was also here."

Wang Bo looked approvingly at Hong Xiaotian and clarified in one sentence that today’s meal was his personal treat and had nothing to do with official duties. But Liu Cheng, after eating and drinking all this while, still chose to take the initiative, which was rather domineering. "Secretary Liu, when you were busy working in the province, it was hard for us to meet up. It's better to chance upon each other than schedule a meeting. How about we drink one cup today"

"Alright, alright, let’s just have this one cup." After glancing at Lin Guozhou who had sat still and smiled throughout the meal, Liu Cheng took the wine passed by Hong Xiaotian in one go and placed it on the table between them. "This might be our last drink."

Leaving everyone stunned with those words, Liu Cheng turned around without a backward glance and left, not even greeting the municipal leadership present.

The atmosphere was quiet as some of the high-ranking officials’ children sensed the tension in the air too.

A few straightforward individuals snorted at this moment. "What nonsense!"

Most of the high-ranking officials, however, looked at Wang Bo who seemed somewhat dazed, their minds conflicted as they thought about how Zhang Zhimao had run into economic issues when he was in charge of the province, and that it involved Wang Bo. Liu Cheng was clearly exerting effort in this area; even the special task force was showing signs of activity. It looked like Liu Cheng really intended to take action against Secretary Wang.

Was this one cup of wine a signal Looks like Xiaohai will soon face major upheavals after its long period of calm.

The atmosphere on site was heavy, but the preoccupied crowd did not notice Su Can standing by with scorching eyes and an excited gleam in them. At this moment, he seemed to have discovered a treasure trove.

Having plans was nothing scary; usually, Su Can would use his current subconsciously overlooked identity to coldly observe people and the situation, making analyses. However, it appeared that there were times when even he miscalculated things.

Starting from just now, it wasn’t only Lin Ranzhou who noticed him. The moment Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee Secretary Liu Cheng arrived, Lin Guoran saw Su Can lick his lips in an inexplicable excitement.

This kind of gaze and expression was like that of a predator seeing its prey.

But Lin Guoran just looked at Su Can’s lips blankly, reminded by the scene in the study room, her face turning red. She momentarily forgot about Su Can’s strange expression at this moment, which he usually handled calmly.

The chapter update is here. Any event will quickly come to play a role in the future; for this, Barbecue still has confidence. Please rest assured.her always believed himself right and that every one of his thoughts and actions would be controlled by him, Wang Weiwei felt a surge of frustration inside. Staring at Su Can with narrowed eyes, he sa...