Chapter 62: Reporting to You Privately

Lu Zhou has facial paralysis; a fever in his childhood damaged his facial nerves, making him appear stern and inscrutable.

In reality, Lu Zhou's heart is far less tough and cold than he appears.

With a "slap," the wine glass was set heavily on the table.

"Why!" Lu Zhou's cheeks were flushed, his eyes somewhat unfocused: "I've worked conscientiously at the Manager for over ten years, and I'm still just a Security Officer. Who does Ning Weidong think he is..." As he spoke, he let out a drunken hiccup, used his chopsticks to fiercely grab a mouthful of shredded potatoes, dropped several strands along the way, and shoved them into his mouth: "Old Wu..."

Beside him, Wu Bingzhong said with a hint of fawning: "Old Lu, you're absolutely right; that grandson is just a petty man who got lucky. I was so good to him before; he was damn short on money and thought of the Black Signature Society, and I joined without a second thought. You tell me, I'm in a State-owned enterprise, my monthly salary is 42.5 yuan, do I lack his few dozen yuan? It was just helping a friend out. But look at him... once he got into the Office Building, his tail went straight to the sky. Ask him to handle a small matter, and he'd just push it off."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhou felt even more shared indignation: "That's right, the guy is just a petty man who got lucky! He thinks that just because he climbed up to Li Peihang, everything is fine, but the Security Division doesn't belong to the Li family! Does he think coming from the outside into the Office Building is that simple? Old Wu, you watch, I'll make sure that however he came, he'll be made to crawl back out."

Wu Bingzhong kept agreeing on the side, but inwardly he wondered why Lu Zhou held such a grudge against Ning Weidong.

Logically, Ning Weidong being transferred from the West Gate had nothing to do with Lu Zhou.

He didn't know that Lu Zhou had other intentions; he had originally wanted to be in the same group as Chu Zhongxin to directly investigate Liu Xinwen and Wang Hong, but he hadn't expected a sudden obstacle to emerge, with Ning Weidong snatching the position, causing all his plans to fall through.

Having vented his emotions, Lu Zhou felt the alcohol going to his head, stood up, and said: "Old Wu, I have some things to attend to; I'll treat you next time."

Wu Bingzhong was stunned, watching as Lu Zhou stood up and walked straight out, ten thousand grass-mud horses running through his heart.

He had been brewing for a long time, just feeling like the timing was about right to inquire about the Investigation Team, but Lu Zhou wiped his mouth and left just like that.

"Hey, Old Lu, what's the rush? What time is it even~" Wu Bingzhong still wanted to keep him.

Lu Zhou's attitude was firm: "Not drinking anymore, I'm off. Next time, next time come to my place."

Having said that, he put on his overcoat and walked out.

Wu Bingzhong opened his mouth, but could only see him out, watching as Lu Zhou wobbled onto his bicycle; once he was far away, he spat: "What a piece of work~"

Then he started getting a headache again; he hadn't gotten any news from Lu Zhou's side, so how was he supposed to report back tomorrow?

Lu Zhou rode his bike; he had just drunk half a catty of Erguotou, and now, hit by the wind, the alcohol surged back up, making his head even less clear.

He had intended to ride home, but he was muddled, and when he came to his senses, he was actually near Liu Xinwen's house.

Lu Zhou propped up his bicycle with one leg and looked toward a house with its lights on, sneering with a complex expression: "Liu Hong'e, back then you mocked me for being a toad wanting to eat swan meat, but look at you now? You picked and chose only to end up with a short-lived ghost."

Back then, Liu Hong'e was the factory beauty; she was at the Broadcasting Station, had a good job, and those pursuing her were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

Lu Zhou was one of them, and quite fervent at that, but it ended in a mess, and Liu Hong'e ultimately chose Liu Xinwen.

Originally, Lu Zhou didn't have any complaints; Liu Xinwen was both a university student and a Technical Section Cadre, and his conditions were incomparable.

Who would have thought he would die so young! This sparked a new glimmer of hope in Lu Zhou's heart; you looked down on me before, but now that you're a widow, could you still look down on me? Lu Zhou's matchmaking attempts over the years hadn't gone well, and he was already thirty without a family of his own.

Besides his facial paralysis, it was also because he always liked to compare people to Liu Hong'e.

Although the Red Star Factory had more men than women, there were nearly two thousand female workers, and Liu Hong'e being able to become the factory beauty meant she was one in a thousand; how could ordinary women compare?

Lu Zhou felt complex, all sorts of thoughts surging in his mind.

If he went to knock on the door now, what would happen if he suddenly appeared in front of Liu Hong'e?

But his remaining reason controlled him; he only thought about it and didn't take action.

It was nearly ten o'clock at night.

Lu Zhou stayed in a sheltered spot outside Liu Hong'e's house for over an hour, smoking half a pack of cigarettes. The alcohol wore off, and the messy thoughts were suppressed; he was just thinking about going home.

Yet at this moment, the door to Liu Hong'e's house suddenly opened.

A figure came out from inside, looking left and right furtively.

"Who is this person?" A surge of anger instantly welled up in Lu Zhou's heart.

Judging by the person's build and stature, it was clearly a man.

In the middle of the night, a man furtively coming out of Liu Hong'e's house—what did this mean? Lu Zhou's head was buzzing; he had always thought Liu Hong'e was a good woman, not only beautiful but also kind and virtuous.

But now, her husband had just died, his body not yet cold...

The last bit of alcohol in Lu Zhou dissipated, and the filter of unrequited love for Liu Hong'e vanished along with it.

He had only one thought: "Who is this person? Was Liu Xinwen's death really an accident, or is there some hidden story?"

The next morning, Ning Weidong arrived at the Investigation Team's Office ten minutes early.

Lu Zhou had already arrived, his face full of exhaustion, eyes bleary as if he hadn't slept all night; when he saw Ning Weidong, a flash of smugness crossed his eyes.

Ning Weidong didn't know what game he was playing, smiled, and nodded: "Morning, Officer Lu~"

Lu Zhou gave an "un" sound, his paralyzed face devoid of any expression.

After another moment, at exactly eight o'clock, Chu Zhongxin and Wang Lei walked in on time wearing their uniforms; the two people from the Technical Section still hadn't come.

They probably just came the first day to put on a show and wouldn't be coming again if there was nothing to do.

Chu Zhongxin likely knew this long ago and wasn't too surprised; he gave a light cough and was just about to assign today's tasks when Lu Zhou suddenly raised his hand and said: "Section Chief Chu, I have important information to report to you privately."

Chu Zhongxin raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Lei and Ning Weidong.

Wang Lei was an investigator from the bureau; it was very clear that Lu Zhou's "privately" was aimed at Ning Weidong.

Chu Zhongxin waved his hand and said: "Say it right here~ I trust the stance and loyalty of Comrade Wang Lei and Comrade Ning Weidong."

Lu Zhou choked; he had wanted to use the opportunity to make Ning Weidong look bad, but he hadn't expected Chu Zhongxin to be biased already, not giving him a chance at all, instead leaving him in an awkward spot.

"Right~ alright." Lu Zhou replied dryly; fortunately, he had facial paralysis, so no expression could be seen: "It's like this, last night I went to a friend's house for dinner, and just as I was about to get home, I suddenly saw..."

After some "artistic" processing, Lu Zhou recounted the situation of discovering a suspicious person at Liu Hong'e's door yesterday.

Only, the part about squatting for over an hour was changed to "passing by" and seeing it by chance.

Lu Zhou continued: "That person came out of Liu Hong'e's house, and I followed him all the way..."

Chu Zhongxin frowned; Lu Zhou's actions were too reckless and likely to alert the enemy.

However, in an emergency, one must act according to the situation, so there was no need to criticize him, especially since this lead was discovered by Lu Zhou himself.

And when Lu Zhou followed that person to a location, the address he mentioned made Ning Weidong startle.

(End of chapter)