Chapter 386

While Gao Husheng was privately visiting the leaders of relevant departments regarding the restructuring of his coal mine, a court summons was delivered to his hands, and the procuratorate formally filed a lawsuit against him.

As the coal industry restructuring in Yuyang City was in its initial stages, the fact that Gao Husheng, one of the three major coal bosses in Yuyang City, was involved in a lawsuit immediately became the talk of the town.

At the special meeting on coal industry restructuring presided over by Vice Mayor Yu, even Wang Anguo, who had always shielded Gao Husheng, was eager to draw a line between them. He spoke passionately at the meeting: "After a period of development, the coal industry in Yuyang City has achieved certain results and made outstanding contributions to the economic development of Yuyang City and even the entire Hexi Province. However, with social development, the state is increasingly emphasizing the importance of being people-oriented and protecting the environment. In this regard, our Yuyang City's coal industry is still at a backward level, and restructuring is an urgent priority."

The path to restructuring the coal industry in Yuyang City began here.

At the same time, the case of Gao Husheng's suspected collusion with Ma Debang to frame and shoot Zhao Jili officially entered the litigation stage, and the public security department detained Gao Husheng and Ma Debang in accordance with the law. As a third-party eyewitness, Zhao Jiping testified against Gao Husheng and Ma Debang on the spot in the public prosecution court.

Thanks to the Yuyang Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government's determination to eradicate organized crime and purify the social atmosphere of Yuyang City, Ma Debang and Gao Husheng received the punishment they deserved many years later.

The news of Gao Husheng's downfall caused a huge sensation in Yuyang City. Before Zhao Desan could tell Ma Lan about it, the news had already reached her ears. Zhao Desan had previously told Ma Lan that Gao Husheng was about to be finished. After this incident, Ma Lan cast her concerns about Zhao Desan's affair with Ma Ting to the back of her mind; instead, her admiration for him deepened out of gratitude.

On the night Gao Husheng's incident occurred, Zhao Xue fulfilled her promise and invited Zhao Desan to a small restaurant outside a hotel, saying she wanted to properly thank Zhao Desan for avenging her father. While eating, Zhao Xue specifically ordered a bottle of white liquor, wanting to have a good drink with him.

That's fine, that's fine, Zhao Desan thought happily. Anyway, it was Zhao Xue's first time, so she might be a little shy; drinking some alcohol would help her loosen up. So, while eating, Zhao Desan poured her drinks from time to time.

Sure enough, just as he expected, Zhao Xue's alcohol tolerance was really not high. After less than a tael, her face became flushed, her speech became slurred, her voice grew louder, and as she chatted with him, she shed sad tears. As she cried and talked about her family affairs, he finally realized how similar Zhao Xue's situation was to his own—it was exactly the same. After her father died, her mother remarried, and now she was left all alone and miserable.

Zhao Desan took a big gulp of liquor, smacked his lips, and said heavily, "Xiaoxue, you don't know, but actually my situation is similar to yours. Now I am also all alone. My mother passed away, and my father... is in prison... for life." As he spoke, Zhao Desan lowered his head, feeling very embarrassed. He had never told anyone about his family affairs before; this was the first time he had spoken of them, and he couldn't help but feel a little awkward.

Zhao Xue looked at him with a flushed face and wandering eyes, and asked skeptically, "Really?"

Zhao Desan nodded seriously. Zhao Xue looked like she was already a bit drunk; her eyes had lost their focus, and she started giggling.

Seeing that she had drunk enough, Zhao Desan called the waiter to pay the bill, then stood up to help her up. He wrapped one arm around her slender waist, supported her arm with his shoulder, and carefully helped her walk out of the restaurant.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Xue asked, half-awake and half-drunk. Her body leaned limply against his, and her waist felt as if it had no bones at all.

"Going to sleep, you're drunk," Zhao Desan said while helping her walk.

Zhao Xue squinted at him. Her phoenix eyes seemed to be on fire, and her thin lips were plump and fiery red. Her hazy, drunken state made her look charming and alluring, exuding a faint air of worldliness that was very stirring to a man's heart.

Zhao Desan gave her a faint smile, a strange, wicked grin appearing at the corners of his mouth. Without a word, he carefully supported her and walked into a hotel not far away.

When they reached the elevator, Zhao Xue seemed to have sobered up a bit. Her eyes were not as blurry as before. Rubbing her temples, she asked confusedly, "Where is this?"

"You're drunk, I'm taking you to rest," Zhao Desan said solemnly.