Chapter 495: You Are Now a High-Level Official

Both Li Fulian and I were startled by her expression; we watched as she listened to the receiver while pushing back her chair, rising to walk outside the room to take the call.

"It must be her boyfriend calling," Li Fulian said earnestly. "These young people, a moment apart feels like three autumns. Come, come, let's ignore her and drink."

She lifted her glass, tapped it lightly against mine, and downed half a cup in one go.

My feeling, however, was not like that. No one knew Zhu Hua Yu better than I did. She had been my secretary ever since I arrived in the county. Although she wasn't professionally trained and couldn't always make everything perfect, she managed to satisfy me with every task.

If the call had been from Huang Qishan, she wouldn't have been so nervous.

She deliberately avoided us to take the call outside precisely because she didn't want us to know who was calling.

But whose call would she not want us to know about?

While I was wondering, Zhu Hua Yu had already hung up and walked back in with a light step. As soon as she sat down, she said, "I want to drink too."

"What's wrong?" I asked, wanting to see a clue on her face, but she was completely calm now, without the slightest ripple to be seen.

"Nothing. I just want to drink!" Zhu Hua Yu said with a smile. "Can't I drink?"

Li Fulian seemed to be suddenly startled awake and said repeatedly, "You can, of course you can."

With that, she shouted for the waiter to bring a glass, then went to get a bottle of Yuntou Daqu herself, twisting off the cap as she walked back.

I could tell there was definitely something on Zhu Hua Yu's mind; no matter how well she pretended, I could see the agitation, or even anger, in the corners of her eyes and brows.

"Whose call was it?" I asked, deliberately trying to sound casual.

"No one, just a friend, talking about some private matters," she said flatly, her gaze drifting and avoiding mine.

"If you don't tell me, I won't let you drink this," I said, already grabbing the wine glass.

"You aren't my boss anymore, can you still control whether I drink?" Zhu Hua Yu said coldly. "You've flown off to better things, but I still have to live by enduring humiliation under someone else's roof. I'm not someone like Sister Li; I don't even count as an ant. If anyone just flicks their finger, I'll be crushed to pieces."

A sorrowful, cold smile appeared on her face—a smile I had only seen once before, the first time I met her. That was when she accompanied her mother and eldest brother to the County Committee compound to plead for her father, Zhu Shizhen. When her brother smashed the bulletin board and was arrested by the police, she had smiled just like this.

This was a smile of helplessness, a smile more sorrowful than anger. This kind of smile only appears when a person's heart is bleeding; it is a smile of despair toward life.

"What happened?" Li Fulian leaned over and asked. "Why did you drag me into this?"

Zhu Hua Yu seemed to say with envy, "I wasn't wrong! Sister Li, you have a formal position, you are an official state cadre; whoever wants to do something to you still has to follow the organizational process." She sighed deeply. "I'm different. To put it bluntly, I'm just a migrant worker. When people need you, you work honestly; when they don't need you, they can kick you out the door with one foot."

"Who said that?" Li Fulian said indignantly. "Who dares? Report him!"

"Report him?" Zhu Hua Yu laughed coldly and said, "Even if I wanted to report him, I wouldn't know where to go!"

I caught the meaning in her words; the person Zhu Hua Yu didn't explicitly name had to be Liu Qimeng.

"Was it a call from Secretary Liu?" I asked, tapping my glass lightly against my lips.

As soon as my words fell, I saw two strings of tears roll down Zhu Hua Yu's face.

"You're right, it was a call from Secretary Liu. Not only did he scold me severely, he also told me that I've been dismissed by Chunshan County."

"Why?"

"You know why, don't you?" she said, crying. "It's because I drove you back, and someone reported me to him."

"Is such a small matter worth making a big deal out of?" I said dismissively. "I will call Secretary Liu. He was probably just speaking in anger; don't take it to heart."

Zhu Hua Yu stopped crying and said flatly, "Actually, even if Secretary Liu didn't fire me, I was going to leave anyway. Chunshan County is not a place where I can stay. As a young woman, if I don't leave, won't they skin me and eat my flesh?"

We were all amused by her and laughed.

I thought to myself, if it were me, my temper today might have been even worse than Liu Qimeng's!

He had prepared the banquet with full joy and arranged for the members of the four major leadership teams to see me off, yet I had slipped away quietly—how could he save face?

In Chunshan County, everyone believed I was on Liu Qimeng's side. My rise and start were entirely orchestrated by Liu Qimeng. For example, my superficial harmony but inner discord with the old secretary, Guan Peishan, was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye.

During the years I was in power, I would step on anyone Liu Qimeng wanted to suppress. Anyone Liu Qimeng wanted to promote, I would absolutely sing their praises. Although sometimes it was a helpless move, thinking about it now, I still feel a bit disgusted.

My leaving without saying goodbye must have made him lose all face! Since he couldn't find an outlet for his anger, he naturally had to take it out on Zhu Hua Yu.

Thinking of this, I felt much more relieved.

As we continued to drink, we deliberately avoided this episode, told some lighthearted jokes, and drank the two bottles of wine until they were bottom-up.

After drinking, we couldn't drive anymore; I had to find a place for them to stay.

I looked up and saw the large characters for "Hengyan Hotel." The neon lights on the roof were like a young lady blinking her eyes, tempting us to walk over step by step.

The predecessor of the Hengyan Hotel was the First Reception Office of the Municipal Committee. Whenever superiors came or the Municipal Committee held a large meeting, they would stay here.

Precisely because of this status, people from the counties below would choose to stay here when they came to handle business. Chunshan County was no exception; for instance, whenever I came to the city and needed a room, I usually stayed here.

Having come often, I recognized a few of the service staff at the front desk. Knowing I was a county cadre, they were usually polite when they saw me. After the Reform and Opening-up, more foreign guests came to Hengyue City, and the city's reception tasks became heavy. Since it wasn't convenient to arrange for them to stay in other hotels, they simply converted the reception office into a hotel.

This renovation wasn't just a name change; everything inside and out had to be changed. So, they tore down the original buildings and rebuilt them, constructing several magnificent, golden buildings according to five-star standards. The government didn't worry about money, and a landmark hotel rose from the ground in less than a year. Compared to the Xinlinyin Hotel, the Hengyan Hotel had a bit more of a government atmosphere.

With the city taking the lead, the counties below followed suit, changing their original county committee reception offices into hotels. Chunshan County was no exception; the original county committee reception office was now called the "Huihuang Hotel."

When we entered, there were a few people at the front desk checking in. One of them turned around, saw me, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, isn't this County Magistrate Chen?"

I looked up and saw it was actually Mao Ping, so I grinned and said, "Township Head Mao, you've come to the city too?"

Mao Ping abandoned the people he was with, pulled me aside, and whispered, "County Magistrate Chen, you have to help me make a decision."

I looked at him suspiciously. Mao Ping was the type who liked to make trouble out of nothing; I usually only believed thirty percent of what he said.

He pointed at the people still checking in and said, "These bosses are from Fujian. They want to invest in our reservoir and say they want to build the largest water resort in the Hengyue region. Look, I've been accompanying them to inspect for a whole day; my feet are worn thin, my stomach is empty, my eyes are tired from looking, and my body is exhausted."

I asked with a smile, "You haven't eaten yet?"

Mao Ping said exaggeratedly, "Yeah, we just arrived in the city. I originally arranged for them to stay in the county, but these bosses complained that our Chunshan County doesn't have good entertainment, so they insisted on coming to the city."

I nodded and said, "Indeed, Chunshan County does need to strengthen its reception of foreign guests."

"County Magistrate Chen, if you don't mind, shall we go get something to eat later? With you there, I'll have some face," Mao Ping said, buttering me up.

"I am no longer the Vice County Magistrate of Chunshan County," I said. "You'll have to trouble yourself with these reception matters, Township Head Mao."

Mao Ping seemed to have a sudden realization, slapped his own head, and said, "Oh my, I forgot. County Magistrate Chen has been promoted and is now a provincial cadre; you belong to the ranks of high-level officials."

I laughed and scolded, "Old Mao, you'll never get rid of your habit of running your mouth. I don't think anything good will ever come out of that mouth of yours."

Mao Ping glanced at Li Fulian and the others, who were swaying and about to fall not far away, and asked with a mischievous smile, "Are they drunk?"

I gave a hum and turned to go check in.

Mao Ping grabbed me and said, "Chief, leave this little matter to old Mao."

After saying that, he shouted to a few men who looked like bosses, "Open two more rooms!"

After shouting, he stood before me with his legs pressed tightly together, smiling as he said, "Chief, I won't disturb your rest. If you're in a good mood, Chief, let's go sing some songs together later."

I declined his kind offer, glanced at Zhu Hua Yu and Li Lian, and said, "Old Mao, there will be opportunities in the future."

Mao Ping said, flattered, "Chief, I am a cadre who grew up under your watch. If you don't mind, Chief, I would like to trouble you for more guidance in my work in the future."

This fawning remark from Mao Ping made me feel as uncomfortable as if I had swallowed a fly.

One of the bosses who had opened the rooms came over, handed me two room cards, and reached out to shake my hand.

I pretended not to see him and did not take the room cards from his hand.

Just as Mao Ping was about to make an introduction, I interrupted him and said, "Old Mao, help me take them both to their rooms."

Mao Ping nodded quickly in agreement, then asked as if he had suddenly remembered something, "Chief, you aren't going up?"

I gave a faint smile and said, "Old Mao, I am no Great Yu, that sage who passed his own door three times without entering. I have to go home!"

Mao Ping said with an expression of infinite admiration, "Indeed! Your wife is still waiting at home. Since we've reached the doorstep, you must go home."

Fearing he would speak without restraint and say something else bizarre, I interrupted him again and said, "Old Mao, I'll leave it to you."

Having said that, I didn't even say goodbye to Zhu Hua Yu and the others, and walked out the door on my own.