Chapter 1745

"I... I didn't mean to kill anyone!" Zhao Desan denied, feeling a bit nervous.

Xi Bingbing smiled as she glanced ahead, then poked Zhao Desan in the arm. Zhao Desan turned his head, looked at her blankly, and asked in a flustered manner, "W-what's wrong?"

Xi Bingbing tilted her chin forward, signaling him to look ahead. Zhao Desan looked toward the front of the car with suspicion, and suddenly, just twenty-some meters away, he saw a figure that looked incredibly familiar. He was stunned for a moment, and immediately, the imagery of the News Broadcast flashed through his mind.

He saw an elderly man with a kind expression, wearing a white shirt and a gray jacket, accompanied by a group of middle-aged men in crisp suits and black sunglasses. Zhao Desan knew by instinct that this group must be the legendary inner-circle bodyguards. He estimated that even ten burly men as strong as himself wouldn't be able to take down just one of them. Outside this group of burly men in black suits, there was another perimeter of armed guards providing cover, protecting this important figure as he walked toward a dedicated car not far away.

Holy crap! Zhao Desan couldn't help but jump in shock. He... he had seen a major figure who could only be seen on the News Broadcast. He truly couldn't believe his eyes; suddenly, he had the hallucination that he hadn't woken up yet. To confirm he wasn't seeing things, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes vigorously. Looking again, he realized it was all real. His eyes widened to the size of copper bells, his mouth hung wide open, and for a long time, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Haven't seen enough yet? Be careful the leader's guards come over to question you!" Seeing that Zhao Desan was completely terrified by the scene he was witnessing, Xi Bingbing looked at him with extreme seriousness and cracked a joke.

It was meant to be a joke, but because the security in the area was very tight and the leader's identity was very special, the armed guards and plainclothes bodyguards had unlimited authority to open fire on anyone with an unknown identity or motive. Therefore, Zhao Desan took this joke seriously. His body trembled involuntarily, and he hurriedly shifted his gaze elsewhere. With a slightly pale face, he said to Xi Bingbing, "S-shouldn't we just leave?"

"What? Are you scared?" Xi Bingbing asked, teasing him on purpose.

"Scared... scared of what?" Zhao Desan had clearly been scared enough to almost wet his pants just a moment ago, but he still feigned composure, puffing out his chest to show an air of being afraid of nothing, and asked Xi Bingbing back.

"Aren't you afraid coming here with me?" Xi Bingbing asked, looking at his posturing, because she had already seen that Zhao Desan's face was pale with fright.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Desan said, putting on a fearless front, then continued, "Let's go once you've finished your business." At the end of the day, he was still afraid that if they lingered here for too long, Xi Bingbing would be fine, but he wouldn't be able to clear his name.

Xi Bingbing hummed a laugh, rolled her eyes at him, then started the car and turned it around to drive out of Xinhua Gate. As the car drove off, Zhao Desan kept looking at the receding complex of ancient buildings in the rearview mirror. He wanted to carefully memorize these things so he could show off this experience to others after returning from Beijing.

It wasn't until the car exited Xinhua Gate and drove onto Chang'an Avenue that Zhao Desan's nervous and fearful mood finally calmed down a little. He then turned his face to gaze carefully at Xi Bingbing. Seeing such a charming and beautiful face, and that she had such heaven-reaching capabilities at such a young age, Zhao Desan suddenly felt an extreme sense of imbalance in his heart. He felt that why was the current society so unequal? Some people were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, while others were destined to suffer for a lifetime. Although Zhao Desan didn't belong to the latter, he, now having no family to rely on, often felt a sense of desolate loneliness. He would often recall the secret his father told him when he was dying: that he had been adopted. Zhao Desan had always wanted to find out his true identity, but he understood that now was not the time, nor did he have the ability. This series of influences made him determined to achieve something great in his official career.

He looked earnestly at Xi Bingbing, who was focused on driving. While feeling that he had unparalleled good luck compared to others, he also felt a bit of trepidation for knowing such a Party member. However, fortunately, he could at least be considered her savior. As long as he didn't offend her too much, he figured that if he ever encountered something truly beyond his ability to handle, as long as he asked her for help, she would surely lend a hand, right?

Without realizing it, Xi Bingbing drove the car into the parking lot in front of a very famous Zha Jiang noodle shop in the capital. Zhao Desan finally came to his senses and asked, "Bingbing, what are we doing here?"

"Eating lunch, of course. I'm taking you to taste the most famous Zha Jiang noodles in the capital to see which is better compared to the oil-splashed noodles in your Xijing City." Xi Bingbing said, flashing a charming smile at Zhao Desan as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Desan said "Oh," smiled back at her, followed her out of the car, walked into the noodle shop, and found a secluded corner by the window to sit down.

That morning, Su Qing had been seeing that Li Changping had not appeared at the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department, and she had spent the morning in an almost extremely excited mood. Perhaps because she was too happy, thinking that her most powerful competitor definitely had no chance of a comeback after being framed by Zhao Desan, Su Qing called several of her loyal subordinates from the Organization Department to go out for lunch that noon. During the meal, she drank a little wine and talked openly with her subordinates with a flushed face. Privately, everyone in the Organization Department knew that Su Qing and Li Changping were secretly playing a game of chess, fighting for the Deputy Secretary position that Yang Yongping was about to vacate. Seeing that Su Qing was in a very good mood today, several subordinates took turns saying flattering things and toasting her. As a result, Su Qing drank a bit too much that noon, and by the end, Su Qing, who usually had a good tolerance for alcohol, was swaying so much she couldn't even walk, and had to be supported by several subordinates back to the unit.

Who would have thought that just as they arrived at the Provincial Party Committee courtyard, they happened to run into Secretary Jin, who was coming down from the building. Because of what happened last night, Secretary Jin's mood was still very poor today. Seeing Su Qing walking into the Provincial Party Committee with a flushed face and a drunken state, supported by several subordinates, Secretary Jin walked up with a stern face and questioned her severely, "Where have you been? What kind of behavior is it to be this drunk during working hours!"

Su Qing had drunk a bit too much, and her beautiful eyes were narrowed into slits. She gazed hazily at Secretary Jin, and in her vision, she only saw a fat-headed, big-eared guy standing in front of her with a stern face, saying something. Su Qing giggled drunkenly and asked, "W-who are you?"

"Department Head Su! Look at yourself, what have you drunk yourself into! Is this what a leader should look like!" Secretary Jin, who was already in a bad mood, roared in extreme fury at being asked this by Su Qing.

The person beside her whispered to Su Qing, "Department Head Su, it's Secretary Jin."

"Secretary... Secretary Jin?" Su Qing thought hazily, and suddenly realized. The alcohol effect subsided by more than half, and then, with a panicked expression, she hurriedly apologized with a smile, "Secretary... Secretary Jin, h-hello."

"Hello what hello! Look at yourself, as a leader, drinking like this during work hours, this... what kind of behavior is this!" Secretary Jin scolded in anger.

Su Qing, whose sobriety had returned by more than half, had a face flushed red. She didn't know if it was the effect of the alcohol or the influence of shame, and she was so embarrassed she didn't know what to say.

Secretary Jin glared at her fiercely, said nothing, and walked straight toward his dedicated car. Seeing Secretary Jin coming over, the driver hurriedly trotted over.

He opened the car door, held the door frame, and carefully helped Secretary Jin into the car, before trotting back into the car himself to drive out of the Provincial Party Committee courtyard.

Su Qing stood in the courtyard for a moment before having someone help her to her office. After sitting down, she slumped onto her desk and fell asleep.

Originally, there was no major grudge between the leaders, and they wouldn't have torn their faces off and thrown a tantrum on the spot. The reason Secretary Jin was angry at Su Qing wasn't entirely because of what happened last night, but because he felt a bit strange thinking about it. Why did He Yuping know they were gathering to gamble in Room 5888 of the Jianguo Hotel? To figure out this problem, hindered by his own status, it wasn't convenient for him to go out personally, so he prepared to hand this problem over to Li Changping to investigate from Secretary Zhao's side. After all, He Yuping was Secretary Zhao's man. As for how He Yuping managed to capture this information and come to raid the gambling, perhaps only Secretary Zhao could ask clearly. However, he had called him all morning, and no one answered, which made Secretary Jin very angry.

After what happened last night, Secretary Zhao naturally didn't dare to be negligent. He kept Secretary Jin's words in mind, and early in the morning, he arrived at the Municipal Party Committee and sent someone to pass a message to He Yuping, the captain of the Municipal Bureau's criminal police, asking him to come to his office. He Yuping naturally understood that he usually couldn't see Secretary Zhao alone once or twice a month, and being summoned suddenly today must be related to what happened last night. He Yuping had been politely declining due to the many things in the bureau, until the afternoon, when Secretary Zhao was truly angry and called He Yuping himself. ===== CHAPTER 1746 =====