Chapter 2313

The atmosphere in Room No. 3 was exceptionally lively; everyone was chatting and laughing, cups and glasses clinking, sweeping away the previous dullness and oppression.

Elder Yin was going to enter the fray himself; Zhou Andong was just a little loach on a cutting board—whether to stew, sauce, or fry him was all up to Elder Yin's whim.

Therefore, hearing the knock on the door, they assumed it was a waiter and, without even looking, just casually shouted for them to come in.

The door was pushed open slowly. Zhou Andong walked in with a wine glass, Gu Bing following behind him.

"Oh my, so many people." As soon as Zhou Andong entered, his face was filled with smiles, and he greeted everyone enthusiastically: "Old Secretary, Old Factory Director, knowing you were eating here, Gu Shuji and I specifically came over to toast you."

Gu Bing also said with a face full of smiles: "Old Secretary, Old Factory Director, Factory Director Zhou and I are eating in Room No. 4 next door. I didn't expect you to be in Room No. 3; this is truly a coincidence!"

The air seemed to freeze at this moment, time pressed by an invisible hand onto the pause button. Everyone's gaze focused simultaneously on Zhou Andong and Gu Bing, who had suddenly intruded into the room, their faces filled with astonishment.

The previously noisy atmosphere in the room became exceptionally quiet instantly, so quiet that one could almost hear their own heartbeat. Everyone's breathing became cautious, especially Tan Sheng, Hong Tao, and Zhang Hesheng, who were afraid of making a sound that would attract Zhou Andong and Gu Bing's attention.

Liu Lijuan's expression also underwent a subtle change at this moment. Just a few minutes ago, she was still calculating in her heart how to find an excuse to leave early, to avoid running into Zhou Andong and Gu Bing, so as not to cause any misunderstandings. However, fate played a joke on her, and in the end, she couldn't avoid it, which caught her somewhat off guard.

Perhaps others would think that with Yin Zongquan entering the fray himself, Zhou Andong had no chance of winning. Liu Lijuan thought so at first, but after careful consideration, she suddenly realized a problem that many people had overlooked.

That is, the reform of the Woolen Mill was not merely a struggle for power and interests, but a contest between conservatives and reformers. As a representative of the conservatives, if Yin Zongquan entered the fray himself, how could the reformers remain indifferent?

What's more, the city's push for the reform of the Woolen Mill could be described as sparing no effort; such determination and intensity were unprecedented. Against such a backdrop, Zhou Andong undoubtedly already stood in the upper hand, mastering the initiative, and added to his ability and strong-handed style, even if Yin Zongquan entered the fray himself, he might not necessarily win.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Liu Lijuan resolutely decided to take a gamble and lean toward Zhou Andong. She knew very well in her heart that this gamble was full of uncertainty and risk, but she still chose to trust her own judgment and intuition.

If Zhou Andong ultimately won, then the huge dividends of the reform results would definitely bring her more opportunities and room for development, even allowing her to advance further.

Of course, Liu Lijuan also understood that gambling always had winners and losers. If Zhou Andong lost, she would face a series of unfavorable consequences, but she still chose Zhou Andong.

Because the potential gains of this gamble were simply too tempting for Liu Lijuan. Compared to the huge benefits she might obtain, the price of losing the gamble seemed insignificant. And this was enough for her to take the risk.

Zhang Hesheng's legs were trembling a bit. This guy froze when he saw Zhou Andong, then hurriedly turned around and lowered his head, his mind filled with that thick stack of whistleblower letters on Zhou Andong's desk.

Inside the room, after a brief silence, Shi Guoqiang suddenly let out a hearty laugh, breaking the somewhat unsettling silence.

"Haha, this is truly a coincidence!" Shi Guoqiang said while laughing, "If I had known Gu Shuji and Factory Director Zhou were eating next door, I should have gone over to toast you long ago!"

This guy had a smile on his face, his tone relaxed and enthusiastic, but deep in his heart, he was secretly cursing. They were eating here, not thinking they could hide it from Zhou Andong, but he hadn't expected Zhou Andong to come over to toast so quickly. This had exposed his entire foundation.

At the same time, he was secretly blaming himself for why he hadn't gone over to toast Zhou Andong earlier. If he had, perhaps Zhou Andong wouldn't have come over specifically, and he wouldn't have exposed his foundation to the other side so easily.

However, what made Shi Guoqiang feel fortunate was that not everyone was here today; otherwise, the consequences might have been even more serious. This was truly a big trouble!

"Old Hu and I have always treated those forty thousand staff members as our own children." Shi Guoqiang continued, his voice slightly lower, revealing a hint of emotion, "Now, we have handed these children over to you, hoping that you can treat them like your own children, take good care of them, shelter them from the wind and rain, and let them be well-fed and warmly clothed."

However, Shi Guoqiang was also secretly fortunate that not all of his own people had come to this dinner today. Otherwise, all his trump cards would have been exposed to Zhou Andong, which would definitely have brought him no small amount of trouble.

After all, it was unclear when Elder Yin would be able to inspect the Woolen Mill. If it took a long time, even just seven or eight days, the room for Zhou Andong to maneuver would be large.

"Old Hu and I have always treated these forty thousand staff members as our own children. Now, we have handed these children over to you, hoping that you can treat them like we did, take good care of them, shelter them from the wind and rain, and let them all be well-fed and warmly clothed."

This guy's tone was sincere and earnest, as if he really were full of care for the staff. It's just that when he said these words, he didn't know if he believed them himself, but in any case, not a single one of his own people believed them.

Zhou Andong walked to the table and stood right behind Zhang Hesheng, scaring the guy so much that he didn't dare to move.

"Old Secretary, Old Factory Director!" Zhou Andong said with a smile, raising his glass, his tone very sincere: "Here, I want to sincerely thank you for the hard work and selfless dedication you have put into the Woolen Mill. It can be said that without you, there would absolutely be no Woolen Mill today. Therefore, I toast you with this glass!"

Zhou Andong tilted his head back and drank it down without hesitation, the wine in the glass instantly disappearing without a trace. When he set down the glass he was holding, a trace of faint sadness appeared on his face, as if he felt regret and reluctance for Shi Guoqiang and Hu Dajun leaving the Woolen Mill.

But the words he said, if pondered carefully, were a bit thought-provoking. They could be understood as an affirmation of their more than ten years of effort, or they could be understood as them having made a mess of the Woolen Mill.

"Old Secretary, Old Factory Director!" Gu Bing also raised his glass and said: "Please rest assured, we will definitely shoulder the responsibility, shelter all the staff of the Woolen Mill from the wind and rain, and not only let them be well-fed and warmly clothed, but also make their lives better and better."

"Good!" Hu Dajun shouted 'good', saying with a face full of gratification: "With those words from you, I can finally rest easy!"

Immediately after, Hu Dajun and Shi Guoqiang signaled to Zhou Andong and Gu Bing, then drank the wine in their glasses in one hearty gulp.

Zhou Andong had a smile on his face, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present. No matter who it was, when they met Zhou Andong's gaze, they dodged it, not daring to look him in the eye.

The smile on Zhou Andong's face became somewhat elusive, then he patted Zhang Hesheng on the shoulder lightly, scaring the guy so much that his body shuddered, his body involuntarily tensed up, and he sat stiffly in his chair, not daring to move at all.

"Director Zhang!" Zhou Andong's voice wasn't loud, but it appeared exceptionally clear in the quiet atmosphere: "I'm hosting tonight, and I intended to invite you along, but you left before work ended. So it turns out you were attending the Old Secretary and Old Factory Director's dinner."

Zhang Hesheng's throat rolled, and he said somewhat incoherently: "Factory... Factory Director, actually I... I, that..."

"Alright!" Zhou Andong interrupted Zhang Hesheng, his face smiling, his tone gentle: "I'm not blaming you. Since you're here, you must accompany the old leaders well and eat and drink well. If you don't accompany the old leaders well, I won't let you off."

Zhang Hesheng felt like crying. If he had known he would run into Zhou Andong here today, he definitely would have requested to change to another restaurant: "Factory... Factory Director, please rest assured, I will definitely accompany the old leaders well."

Zhou Andong nodded with satisfaction, then patted Zhang Hesheng's shoulder heavily again, this time with more force than before. Zhang Hesheng's body shuddered again, a trace of pain appearing on his face, but he endured it and didn't cry out.

Zhou Andong raised his head, his gaze cast toward Shi Guoqiang and Hu Dajun, the smile on his face still cordial, "Alright, Old Secretary, Old Factory Director, and colleagues, everyone drink slowly. I have quite a few people waiting for me over there, so I'll head back first."

Zhou Andong turned to leave. Just as he reached out to push open the door to the room, he suddenly seemed to remember something important, stopped his footsteps abruptly, then slowly turned around, a trace of an elusive smile on his face, looking at Section Chief Huang Junyong.

"By the way, Section Chief Huang!" Zhou Andong's voice was gentle and low, yet somewhat serious: "There is a matter I must criticize you for."

Huang Junyong was stunned, and immediately after, his heart was filled with waves of unease. He didn't know what Zhou Andong was going to criticize him for, but it definitely wasn't a good thing.

Zhou Andong continued: "Over the past ten years, the Old Secretary and Old Factory Director have truly poured their hearts and blood into our Woolen Mill, giving too, too much. Even if they made mistakes in certain decisions and brought some losses to the factory, this absolutely cannot erase their contributions over so many years."

Speaking of this, Zhou Andong paused slightly, his voice rising a little, his tone revealing dissatisfaction and disappointment toward Huang Junyong.

"As for you, there was no need to run to Director Zhou and curse the Old Secretary and Old Factory Director as not being good things. Even less should you attribute the current situation of the Woolen Mill entirely to their selfishness, saying it was their internal fighting that made it like this."

Gu Bing was stunned, and said to Huang Junyong in a stern tone: "Huang Junyong, your thinking has very serious problems. Tomorrow I will say a word to the leaders and arrange for you to go to the Party School's training class to study hard for two months."

Zhou Andong looked at Gu Bing with great surprise. He had to say, Gu Baling's progress was quite significant; he was actually able to seize the opportunity to transfer Huang Junyong away from the Security Section.

"Section Chief Huang!" Zhou Andong said to Huang Junyong with a serious face: "This is a rare opportunity for you; I hope you can cherish it and grasp it well.

You must know that the spirit of bitter study is very important. Only through diligent study can you firm up your political beliefs and clarify the specific standards for judging right from wrong. Therefore, you must treat study as your primary need and take it as an internal pursuit.

During your study period, you must correct your attitude toward study and strive to improve your own political theoretical literacy and ability to handle work. Only then can you better fulfill your duties and make greater contributions to the country and the people."

Finally, Zhou Andong raised his voice, emphasizing: "I hope that after you return from your studies, you can establish a spirit of arduous struggle and always maintain a good image of integrity and self-discipline. You must turn the requirements of clean government into conscious action, always remembering to cultivate the virtue of governance, think of the harm of greed, and always harbor a heart of self-discipline."

Huang Junyong only felt as if his head had been hit hard by a heavy hammer, buzzing. He had gone to Zhou Qianyi to bitterly curse Shi Guoqiang and Hu Dajun, originally intending to gain Zhou Qianyi's trust in this way, so as to have the security work of the Finance Department handed over to him, and then find an opportunity to destroy those account books.

However, regardless of his original intention, cursing leaders behind their backs was ultimately something that couldn't be brought to the table. Although leaders wouldn't flare up to one's face, there would definitely be a knot in their hearts, and it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't trip him up or give him a hard time in the future.

What made Huang Junyong even more desperate was the arrangement for him to go to the Party School for training. If it were before, he would have been ecstatic, because being sent to the Party School for study usually meant further appointment and cultivation by the organization.

But at this very moment, the purpose of this arrangement was simply too obvious—it was to transfer him away from his current post. By the time he returned from school, I'm afraid there would be no place for him in the Security Section.

Gu Bing's eyebrows lifted slightly, and he asked with some dissatisfaction: "Huang Junyong, did you not hear what Factory Director Zhou and I said?"

"I heard it!"

Huang Junyong's body shuddered violently, and he stood up reflexively, squeezing out a smile that looked even worse than crying at Gu Bing and Zhou Andong.

"Thank you, Secretary and Factory Director, for giving me this opportunity. I am truly very grateful. I will definitely keep the Secretary and Factory Director's teachings in mind and will absolutely not let down your expectations of me."

"As long as you can understand that the Factory Director and I are doing this for your own good, that's enough." Gu Bing nodded with satisfaction, waved his hand, signaled for Huang Junyong to sit down, and then said: "Alright, you all continue drinking." ===== CHAPTER 2314 =====