Chapter 907: Words with hidden meanings

Hearing Su Qing's words with hidden meanings, Li Changping felt extremely guilty. He smiled awkwardly and immediately said, "Minister Su, then you and your cousin Comrade Xiao Zhao go shopping well, I'll accompany her to shop some more."

Seeing that Li Changping was guilty and wanted to slip away, Su Qing smiled knowingly and said, "That's good, Old Li, you accompany Director Zhang to shop well. It's not easy for Director Zhang to come to Xijing."

"Then... then Minister Su, we're going shopping, talk later," Li Changping said with an awkward smile.

"Goodbye, Minister Su," Zhang Ailing said respectfully with a smile, sweeping a glance at Zhao Desan with the corner of her eye. Zhao Desan now deeply understood what it meant for a higher official to suppress a lower one. When he was at the Yuyang Coal Bureau, Zhang Ailing was so majestic, acting recklessly and showing off her power, not putting anyone in her eyes. Now that she had met the Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, didn't she still have to nod and bow? Relying on Su Qing's support, Zhao Desan felt he didn't need to fear Zhang Ailing, so he gave her a wicked smile.

Li Changping pulled Zhang Ailing, and the two of them smiled and greeted Su Qing before leaving.

"Fox relying on the tiger's might," Zhang Ailing thought, cursing in her heart at Zhao Desan's wicked and smug look just now. She turned her face and asked Li Changping, "Minister Su turned out to be Zhao Desan's relative?"

Li Changping frowned slightly and said in confusion, "I hadn't heard of it before. I only knew it when Minister Su said it just now."

"Just say that Zhao Desan guy was showing off his power when he was at the Coal Bureau, not putting anyone in his eyes. It turns out he was relying on his connections," Zhang Ailing said coldly.

Li Changping felt a bit strange, turned his face, and asked with a laugh, "Comrade Xiao Zhao wasn't your proud student? Why does it seem like you have a big opinion of him now?"

The grudge between Zhang Ailing and Zhao Desan was not only that Zhao Desan helped Ma Lan topple the Lin's Mining Group that she had been secretly supporting, but also a large part of the reason was that Zhao Desan always used those stolen nude photos of her to threaten her into doing things she didn't want to do. This not only alienated the good relationship she had maintained with Lin Lin Dafa for many years but also always made Zhang Ailing live in fear. Because Zhao Desan had leverage on her, Zhang Ailing was afraid that if they had a showdown and both suffered, she would be the one most affected, so she had never had a direct conflict with him. However, she had been suppressing Zhao Desan through various behaviors behind the scenes, making his official career at the Coal Bureau come to an end. Until Zhao Desan was forced to realize that there was no future for him to stay at the Coal Bureau, he retreated in the face of difficulties and left the Coal Bureau.

Zhang Ailing was stunned for a moment and said, "What do you think? Your subordinate betrayed you, you would definitely be angry too."

Li Changping thought about it, smiled, and said, "Also, I saw that you appreciated and valued Comrade Xiao Zhao very much before. I didn't expect him to accompany you to work in Xijing, right?"

"I really didn't expect it." Zhang Ailing said while holding her husband's arm as they walked.

Li Changping laughed and said, "If you had known earlier that Comrade Xiao Zhao had this connection, you would have understood. People have this connection with Minister Su, so they certainly wouldn't be satisfied with staying in such a small place as Yuyang. You know what officialdom is like now."

Although Zhang Ailing smiled faintly to show default, she knew in her heart that Zhao Desan's departure from the Coal Bureau was not voluntary, but forced by her repeated suppression. But what Zhang Ailing never expected was that this guy would come to Xijing City after leaving the Coal Bureau, relying on Su Qing's connection to enter the "fat water" office of the Provincial Construction Commission. Not only was he not down and out, but to some extent, he had been promoted. After all, a provincial-level unit has more prospects than a municipal-level unit. Moreover, that guy Zhao Desan was not only clever but also particularly good at observing words and colors and building relationships. Zhang Ailing originally wanted to suppress Zhao Desan in one fell swoop so that he would never have a chance to get ahead, but the result was counterproductive and contrary to her wishes.

Thinking of Zhao Desan's smug look just now, Zhang Ailing couldn't swallow that breath. Holding her husband's hand, she looked fierce and stopped talking.

Seeing that his wife's mood was clearly affected after seeing Zhao Desan, Li Changping laughed and said, "Alright, isn't it just a subordinate you valued who became a deserter? Is it worth being so unhappy? How did Comrade Xiao Zhao enter the Coal Bureau in the first place?" Li Changping suddenly became interested and wanted to know how Zhao Desan entered the Coal Bureau.

"It was handled by Old Wang. I didn't ask. At that time, Old Wang came to me and said there was a young man who wanted to work in the bureau. It just happened that he lacked a secretary, so I thought it was his relative or someone related to him. I didn't ask much. I didn't expect it to be Minister Su's connection. That Old Wang didn't tell me until the end that he knew Minister Su," Zhang Ailing said.

"That Wang Wang Anguo is also not a good thing. I've seen that guy always coveting your position. There have been several personnel changes in Yuyang City, and there were intentions to promote him, but weren't they all suppressed by me from above? You have to be careful with that person." As a leader of the department in charge of the fate of leading cadres in the province, Li Changping knew the dynamics of personnel changes of leading cadres at all levels best. If it weren't for Li Changping applying pressure from above several times to the Yuyang City Organization Department and Personnel Department, I'm afraid Zhang Ailing's position would have been occupied by Wang Wang Anguo long ago.

"I certainly know, but in the unit, we see each other every day. He is the second-in-command and also a member of the Party Group. We can't tear our faces apart, it's not good for anyone. As long as you suppress him from above, Wang Wang Anguo has no way to squeeze me out," Zhang Ailing said, feeling very proud to have a husband who is a deputy minister in the Provincial Organization Department.

"Anyway, as long as I am in the Provincial Organization Department for one day, don't worry, no one will grab your position and squeeze you out," Li Changping said to his wife with a laugh.

Zhang Ailing smiled happily. At this time, her phone rang in her handbag. It was a message. Li Changping reminded her, "Your phone is ringing."

Since Zhao Desan and Zhang Ailing had a falling out, Zhang Ailing, who had very strong physiological needs, lost him as her "pet" and soon got involved with a young man in the unit with a stronger physique. Fearing it was a message from him, Zhang Ailing didn't dare to take her phone out of her handbag to look at it. She felt a bit panicked and said very indifferently, "There are too many spam messages from the information station." She brushed it off like that.

Even if Li Changping knew his wife had a lover, he would pretend not to know. After all, the couple lived in different places and gathered less and parted more. Both were unit leaders, and if they messed around too much, who wouldn't want to find a lover to experience freshness? However, that was only a physical relationship with a lover, and it couldn't be compared with the feelings between a wife who had lived together for decades. One could indulge in an affair, as long as the heart returned to the family, it was fine.

Li Changping didn't ask much more and laughed. Fearing her husband would be suspicious, Zhang Ailing immediately changed the subject and said, "Since that Zhao Desan guy offended me, I don't want to let him off so easily and let him be so smug. Look, if there is any personnel change in the Construction Commission, don't let him get ahead."

Li Changping laughed and said, "Why bother? Comrade Xiao Zhao didn't offend you much, did he? Isn't it just that you feel you valued him in vain? People go to higher places, and water flows to lower places. Comrade Xiao Zhao has this connection with Minister Su. If he doesn't use it, isn't that a waste?"

Li Changping said this considering Zhao Desan's nepotistic relationship with Organization Minister Su. Where did he know that his wife wanted to suppress him not because he betrayed her and failed her appreciation and recognition, but because Zhao Desan used those nude photos taken when they were enjoying themselves to threaten her. "Anyway, since he offended me, I don't want him to have a good time. Seeing his 'fox relying on the tiger's might' look just now made me very angry. If I don't give him some color to see, he'll think I'm a beanbag. Anyway, you are in the Organization Department, pay a little attention, don't let him get ahead so easily," Zhang Ailing said angrily.

Li Changping laughed and said, "If Minister Su is determined to promote him, how can I suppress him? He is Minister Su's relative. Aren't you asking me to play with fire? If I make moves on his personnel issue and it's discovered by Minister Su, I'll be the one who's unlucky. Then there will be no one to suppress that Wang Wang Anguo from above, and your position will be in jeopardy. This is called losing more than gaining. It's better not to do this." Li Changping was indeed a higher-level official, and his consideration of problems was much more meticulous and careful than Zhang Ailing's.

Zhang Ailing had nothing to say after hearing what he said, but she couldn't swallow this breath and was so angry that her face turned green.

After Li Changping and his wife left, Su Qing also saw that Zhang Ailing seemed to have a big opinion of Zhao Desan, so she smiled faintly, "Comrade Xiao Zhao, did you see just now? Your former leader seems to have a big opinion of you. Is it because the leader was unwilling when you left?"

Thinking of the grudge between him and Zhang Ailing, and then thinking of Ma Lan maintaining that kind of relationship beyond the normal boundaries between men and women with officials of various units in Yuyang City for the sake of the stable development of her career, Zhao Desan felt some regret for helping her so much because of a moment of hot blood, which created so many enemies for himself at the Coal Bureau and offended so many coal bosses. He was young and energetic at the time, too impulsive. If it were now, he would never go directly against the leader unless it was a last resort, to the point of tearing his face apart, which would hinder his future and end his official career. "Maybe Director Zhang is dissatisfied with me leaving the Coal Bureau," Zhao Desan laughed indifferently.

"I don't think it's that simple. It seems she is very dissatisfied with you. Did you offend her or?" Su Qing asked, because she could see from the look Zhang Ailing gave Zhao Desan just now that she seemed to have a deep hatred for Zhao Desan. Even if Zhao Desan's departure from the Coal Bureau made her dissatisfied, he was still a former subordinate she had valued. How could they meet as if they had a deep hatred? As an old hand who had been steadily in the dangerous and dark officialdom for decades, Su Qing saw at a glance that there should be a big grudge between them.

Seeing that Sister Su didn't believe his simple reason, Zhao Desan had a flash of inspiration and said, "Sister Su, actually I didn't want to tell you. In fact, a large part of the reason I left the Coal Bureau was because I had very different views from Director Zhang on the issue of coal restructuring. Director Zhang maintained a close relationship with several coal bosses. Restructuring would damage the interests of the coal bosses. She wanted to protect those big coal bosses. It's all my fault for not understanding the black-box operations at the time and questioning them too directly. As a result... the result can be imagined. I offended people and couldn't stay at the Coal Bureau. Fortunately, I met Sister Su at that time. Sister Su, you are really my noble person. If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would be doing now." ===== CHAPTER 908 =====