Chapter 434: Moving at the First Sign of Wind

Secretary Liu Qimeng called me late at night, telling me to come to his office.

For those who are cadres, the thing they fear most is a late-night phone call. A late-night call generally brings no good news. Unless it is a matter of extreme urgency, who would want to disturb another's rest?

I did not find Liu Qimeng's call strange. He is the type of person who likes to find people to talk to when the night is deep and the surroundings are quiet. Perhaps it is a habit, perhaps it is to avoid suspicion.

When I arrived at the County Committee compound, in the entire building, only the light spilling out from his window was visible.

My hollow footsteps echoed in the corridor, as eerie as a ghost movie.

In the government building, countless wronged souls lie hidden. This is what an old leader once told me. During the day, the coming and going of people masks the eeriness, but once night falls, in an entire building, apart from a few security guards on duty, there isn't even a single mouse. In a building devoid of life, countless horrors can arise out of thin air.

Liu Qimeng was not working; he sat on the sofa, and without even raising his head, he said to me, "Come, come, come, I have good tea today."

I was caught between laughter and tears; if one wants to drink tea, one should do it at a normal time. In the dead of night like this, what kind of tea is there to drink?

Of course, I understood that his interest did not lie in the tea. It was absolutely impossible that Liu Qimeng had called me in the middle of the night just to have me drink tea. Furthermore, I had no particular fondness for drinking tea.

"Old Guan looked for you?" he asked calmly, focusing intently on brewing the tea.

"Yes."

"What did you talk about?"

"We didn't talk about much, just chatted about some idle matters."

"Is that so?" Liu Qimeng raised his head, glanced at me with surprise, then turned away again, pouring a cup of Red Phoenix tea soup into a cup.

"Really," I said, emphasizing my tone.

Even though I was a thousand times unwilling to be called by the Secretary in the middle of the night, I could not reveal even a hint of unhappiness.

He let out an "oh," pointed at the teacup, and said, "Come, good tea. Take a sip." He picked up the teacup with a smile, first smelling it, then looking at it, and thirdly tasting it.

There is a knack to drinking tea, and even more of a method to tasting it. One cannot just pour a cup down the throat; one must take a small sip first, letting the tea swirl around the tip of the tongue and reach the root of the tongue. Then, let it fill the cheeks, and finally, by constricting the nostrils, one can perceive the quality of the tea.

I had rushed over all the way here, and my mouth was just parched. I didn't follow his cycle; once the cup of tea was in my mouth, it went straight down my throat with a roar.

Liu Qimeng looked at the way I drank the tea, beamed, and said, "The way you drink it is a waste of my good tea."

I accompanied him with a smile and said, "Secretary, when it comes to tea, scholars and literati are the ones who are particular about it. For someone like me who is busy with worldly affairs, tea has only one purpose: to quench thirst."

Liu Qimeng said sternly, "Tea is a gentleman. Though the world is complex, the gentleman remains pure. Tea can quench thirst, and it can also sober one up. But the essence of tea lies in one's mood and cultivation. A cup of good tea is hard to come by in a lifetime. Therefore, drinking tea is about drinking in the mood and the realization."

I hurriedly nodded in agreement. I generally don't bother to analyze his pseudo-philosophical theories in detail.

"Is Old Guan busy during this period?" he suddenly blurted out this sentence.

"Doesn't seem to be."

"I haven't seen him come out."

"Maybe his health isn't very good."

"Is that so?" Liu Qimeng asked in surprise, "Have you seen a doctor?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"I heard that Governor Lin has been to Chunshan?" His face was completely calm, showing not a shred of difference.

"Yes."

"Have you met him?"

"Yes."

He let out another "oh" and sighed, "Governor Lin comes to Chunshan without even saying a word; does he look down on our local government?"

I said with trepidation, "I don't know about the affairs of leaders."

"Of course you don't know," Liu Qimeng said with a bitter smile, "Old Guan and Governor Lin are old classmates. You know about this connection, right?"

I shook my head to deny it.

Liu Qimeng smiled, "Old Guan, he can be considered down on his luck. His classmate has become a member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, while he is still a department-level cadre. That vice-provincial level is already a vice-ministerial level cadre. A department-level official is at most a local official. According to ancient parlance, the other is a capital official. The difference between a capital official and a local official is vast."

I listened earnestly, occasionally picking up the teacup and pouring the tea Liu Qimeng had poured for me into my mouth, gulp after gulp.

"Governor Lin is the Director of the Public Security Department of the Central Province, and he is also a leader who switched fields halfway through his career. In the past, in the Central Province, he was always in charge of culture and technology. Now that he has gone to do public security, I don't know if he understands the professional side of it."

"He should understand," I said, "His leadership doesn't require him to handle cases specifically. Actually, whether he understands the professional side or not doesn't matter much."

"That's right!" Liu Qimeng sighed, "Our society is most afraid of interference. If you give a piece of land to someone who doesn't know how to farm, what will they do? Will they learn from others to sow seeds, or will they act on their own initiative to plant trees?"

I did not understand the meaning behind his words. Therefore, I did not say a word, waiting for what he would say next.

"I heard that the case of the Qilin Villa has already been closed?"

"I can't be sure," I replied to him, "These are matters for the public security bureau; I don't know much about them."

"Is that so?" Liu Qimeng looked at me with disbelief, "The two people you arranged are both currently under investigation. What is your take on this?"

My heart skipped a beat, and after hesitating for a long time, I said, "I have no take."

"In that case, haven't you harmed those two?"

Cold sweat began to break out on my forehead. With Liu Qimeng's words reaching this point, his intentions were basically revealed. If the case were closed, Guan Peishan would be safe and sound. If Guan Peishan were fine, Liu Qimeng would not be able to sleep. He wanted to put Guan Peishan to death!

"I have no choice."

"You have a choice," Liu Qimeng said in a low voice, "I heard that after Governor Lin came to Chunshan, he returned and gave instructions to close the case. Perhaps Governor Lin doesn't know that this Qilin Villa is not a simple criminal case; what exactly is hidden inside, no one knows. To close the case so simply, isn't that being irresponsible to the people?"

"The people are already dead; there's not much point in continuing the investigation," I said, stealing a glance at Liu Qimeng. His brows were tightly locked, and his face was gloomy.

"Just because people are dead, we seal the coffin and conclude the matter?"

"What else can be done?"

"Dig! Keep digging. We must dig out the protective umbrella behind it," Liu Qimeng said viciously.

I didn't dare to respond.

"I think, regarding Governor Lin, you still need to go and report specifically. Don't let the old gentleman be deceived." Liu Qimeng didn't look at me; he brewed another pot of tea and poured it into my cup.

I still didn't dare to speak. He was giving me instructions, but I had to play dumb regarding these instructions.

"Alright," Liu Qimeng raised his hand to look at his watch and said, "Go back and rest. There is one more thing: the matter of the American investment, you must hurry to implement it during this period."

I retreated from his office with a submissive air. My heart was filled with gloom!

Liu Qimeng coming to find me in the middle of the night must mean he caught wind of something. With the Qilin Villa case closed, Chunshan County not only failed to gain any honor, but also lost two people in the process.

A fire was smoldering in my heart; I wanted to vent, but could not find an excuse.

Leaving the gate of the County Committee compound, I looked up at the sky and discovered the Morning Star was already blinking on the horizon. This night was about to pass!

I took out my phone and called Lin Xiaoxi.

Lin Xiaoxi's sleepy voice asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing," I said with a dry laugh, "Did I wake you?"

"No," she said languidly, "Why are you calling me at this hour?"

"I can't sleep."

"What's wrong?" she asked nervously.

"Nothing. I just feel stifled."

"Where are you?"

"At the gate of the County Committee."

"How about you come over to my place? I'll keep you company and talk," Lin Xiaoxi said hesitantly. "Are you hungry? I'll cook something for you."

Now that she mentioned it, I actually felt a bit hungry.

So I said, "Okay. Sorry to trouble you."

After hanging up, I turned the car directly onto the road to her house.

The place where Lin Xiaoxi lived was considered the most high-end residential complex in our Chunshan County.

There were already pedestrians on the road; these early risers were in such a hurry that no one paid me any mind.

As the car neared the gate of Lin Xiaoxi's complex, I suddenly remembered I was all alone; if I were seen going to her place at this hour, I feared I wouldn't be able to clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River.

After hesitating for a long time, it wasn't until Lin Xiaoxi called to ask where I was that I made up my mind to head into the beauty's den.