Chapter 1759: Really Coincidental

During the time he was waiting for the phone to charge, Zhao Desan's mind was filled with a thousand thoughts, letting his imagination run wild. He thought about how he had walked his path; although there were constant setbacks, every time he was able to have a noble person help him, and he had walked through every stage of the road relatively smoothly. From the moment he entered the Coal Bureau, it signaled that he had stepped onto an official career path from which there was no turning back. From climbing the high branch of Zhang Ailing, to the later turning of the two into enemies; from his emotional entanglement with Ma Lan to their later becoming like strangers—as his career progressed, the women around him were replaced one after another. His current backing relied mainly on Su Qing. Although he had lived with her for more than a year, Zhao Desan still felt a sense of unease; he was afraid that one day, because of some matter, he might also turn into an enemy with her. Thinking of this, Zhao Desan felt an unknown fear for the future. Finally, he sighed, comforted himself, and said in his heart, "Don't think too much; deal with future matters in the future, just do the current things well first." He now hoped that Su Qing could successfully hold the concurrent position of Deputy Secretary vacated after Yang Yongping was removed. Once Su Qing's power in the Provincial Party Committee increased, it would also have quite a few benefits for him.

But often, the greater the hope people have for something, the greater the disappointment. Zhao Desan felt that since Li Changping was caught for gathering to gamble that night and didn't go to work in the unit, plus Hexi Province had been in a state of self-preservation because of Yang Yongping's matter during this period, it was a bit unrealistic for Li Changping not to have anything happen. Thinking like this, Zhao Desan felt that Su Qing's concurrent holding of the Deputy Secretary position was almost a certainty. But things often go against one's wishes. When Su Qing saw Li Changping unscathed in the Organization Department again before work ended yesterday, she found that he not only didn't look wrong at all, but was even more triumphant. Su Qing was disappointed, feeling that things must have developed in the opposite direction to what she thought. When she returned home at night, took a shower, and called Zhao Desan to ask what was going on, this plan of desperate counterattack was the idea Zhao Desan gave her. As for who executed this plan, only Zhao Desan knew. But she called more than a dozen times, but couldn't get through no matter how she called.

After a restless night, he arrived at the Provincial Party Committee this morning. Not long after he sat down in his office, Secretary Jin had his secretary make a call to Su Qing, asking her to go to his office. Secretary Jin prepared to probe Su Qing to see if the gambling incident that was reported that night had anything to do with her.

After receiving the call from Secretary Jin's secretary and learning that Secretary Jin asked her to go over, although Su Qing didn't know why she was asked to go over, she still felt inexplicably nervous, and stood up restlessly to go to Secretary Jin's side.

After the secretary led her to sit down in the reception room and helped her pour a cup of tea, she didn't know why, this time, Su Qing felt very uneasy in her heart, and even felt like sitting on pins and needles while sitting on the sofa. She shook her legs slightly, held the teacup in her hand, and sipped tea from time to time to calm this inexplicable nervous mood.

Not long after, the door of Secretary Jin's office opened, and Secretary Jin walked out swaggeringly with his big belly. Seeing that Su Qing was already sitting in the reception room, he was still kind and friendly, and said with a warm smile, "Department Head Su is here."

Su Qing hurriedly stood up and asked with an uneasy expression and a smile, "Secretary Jin, what do you want with me?"

Secretary Jin walked over and waved his hand, saying, "Sit, sit down and talk slowly."

Su Qing sat down again. Secretary Jin walked to the sofa opposite her with his belly, patted the armrest of the sofa gently, smiled warmly, and said, "Department Head Su, what have you been busy with these two days?"

"Isn't it just those things at work." Su Qing answered with a light smile.

Secretary Jin looked at her with a gaze that she couldn't figure out, with a fake smile on his face, and said with a laugh, "Li Changping didn't go to work yesterday morning, do you know, Department Head Su?"

"I... know." Su Qing smiled a bit at a loss and said, not understanding why Secretary Jin asked this.

Secretary Jin still stared at Su Qing, who was a bit restless, with that gaze, and asked unhurriedly, "Then does Department Head Su know why Deputy Department Head Li was delayed from going to work in the morning?"

Su Qing glanced at Secretary Jin's eyes, and while savoring these unfathomable words of his in her mind, she became increasingly confused. She didn't know what medicine this old man was selling in his gourd; could it be that he had already sensed something and wanted to fish for information? Su Qing was, after all, an old hand in the officialdom; she had guessed Secretary Jin's thoughts, so she feigned ignorance, shook her head, and said with a light smile: "I really don't know about this; perhaps it's because the work in the unit has been too busy lately, and Deputy Minister Li is exhausted."

Although Su Qing pretended to be calm and played dumb, there was still a subtle change in her expression, especially her eyes, which revealed a timid emotion, which was caught by this old fox, Secretary Jin. Seeing the subtle change in Su Qing's expression, the old fox had a bottom in his heart and completely believed Li Changping's judgment here yesterday. It seemed that the anonymous reporter mastermind was Su Qing.

After figuring out this matter, Secretary Jin prepared to clean up Su Qing. But he was the Provincial Party Committee Secretary after all, and he had his own set of techniques in handling some things. Even if he met an opponent, he wouldn't kill each other with others on the surface, and he never wanted to have a head-on conflict with others. Even if he wanted to mess with someone, he would take some high-sounding means to make the opponent have no power to fight back.

"Haha..." Suddenly Secretary Jin laughed loudly, forgetting himself.

This unexpected move made Su Qing even more bottomless in her heart, and she looked at him at a loss for a while, until after Secretary Jin finished laughing, he shifted his gaze to her, looked at her levelly and said with a laugh, "Department Head Su is quite righteous, very considerate of the subordinates' bodies."

Su Qing smiled a bit awkwardly and said, "There is indeed a lot of work recently, everyone must be exhausted, and it is understandable to rest occasionally as long as it does not affect work."

"But you are wrong, Department Head Su, Deputy Department Head Li didn't come to work because he was tired, but because of other things." Having said this, Secretary Jin paused, stared at her with the eyes of a smiling tiger, and continued, "Does Department Head Su still remember the night before Deputy Department Head Li didn't come to the unit in the morning?"

The night before? Wasn't that the night Zhao Desan called to raid the gambling? Su Qing thought in her heart, was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile, pretending to be calm, "Remember, I got off work quite early that day."

A strange smile flashed across the corner of Secretary Jin's mouth, and he continued, "That night, Deputy Department Head Li seemed to have called you, Department Head Su, and asked you to eat together, right?"

"Yes, yes, there is such a thing." Su Qing was stunned for a moment, nodded noncommittally and smiled awkwardly, thinking that since Secretary Jin knew so clearly about that day, then it meant that Secretary Jin was among the people who drank with Li Changping that day? So she continued, "So Secretary Jin also drank with Deputy Department Head Li that day?"

Since the words were clear, Secretary Jin didn't cover up anymore, nodded and laughed, "Yes, I was also present that day. That day, Deputy Department Head Li said he would invite several leaders of the Provincial Party Committee to eat together. I thought that the work pressure in the province was high recently, so everyone gathered together and drank a little wine to relax. So I asked Deputy Department Head Li to call you, Department Head Su, thinking of calling you, Department Head Su, to gather together, but it was a coincidence that you didn't come..." Having said this, Secretary Jin paused intentionally, waiting for Su Qing's next words.

Sure enough, Su Qing explained with a smile, "It was really a coincidence, I happened to have some private matters to handle that day, and I really didn't know you were present, Secretary Jin. If I knew you were present, Secretary Jin, I would definitely have gone no matter what."

Secretary Jin laughed and said, "But you were really lucky that you didn't come, Department Head Su. You don't know, a little unpleasant thing happened that day. We went to the room to prepare to play mahjong for entertainment after eating. Do you know what happened later?"

Su Qing's heart 'ge deng' (thumped), secretly shocked, her face was obviously a bit pale, but she still shook her head while pretending to be confused and said, "I really don't know, Deputy Department Head Li didn't tell me either."

"At more than nine o'clock, Captain He of the Municipal Public Security Bureau actually led a team to raid the gambling, saying that someone reported it anonymously. You said this matter, it was really too disappointing!" Secretary Jin looked at Su Qing with a strange gaze and said unhurriedly.

Su Qing was guilty of a guilty conscience. Looking at Secretary Jin's gaze, she smiled slightly, shifted her gaze away, and said clearly uncomfortably, "How could such a thing happen? That really ruined your interest, Secretary Jin. But with you present, Secretary Jin, there shouldn't be anything, right?" While Su Qing was saying this, she understood completely in her heart. No wonder Li Changping had nothing to do. It turned out that Secretary Jin was present at the time, and looking at Secretary Jin's gaze, it seemed that he had already found out who was playing tricks behind the scenes. Thinking of this, Su Qing knew that she was finished this time. Not only did she not take Li Changping down, but she lifted a rock and hit her own foot. Thinking of these, her heart became even more restless.

"Don't even mention it, that Captain He really doesn't recognize anyone; he actually wouldn't even give me face and wanted to take the few of us away. But later, Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhao stepped in to resolve this matter. You tell me, if this matter were to spread, how embarrassing would that be! Minister Su, to tell you the truth, how do you think I, this Provincial Party Committee Secretary, usually treat everyone?" Secretary Jin asked aggressively.

Su Qing smiled awkwardly and said, "You treat the people below very well, Secretary Jin."

"That's right!" Secretary Jin continued, "Then I don't understand, who is playing tricks behind the scenes? It's not easy for several leaders of the Provincial Party Committee to want to relax and entertain, but they were reported anonymously. How much hatred is this?" ===== CHAPTER 1760 =====