Chapter 667: The Fruits of Compromise

The person who entered was Zhu Hua Yu. Originally full of smiles, her smile froze the moment she saw Xu Meili in the room.

I waved my hand to let Xu Meili go out first. After her back disappeared at the door, I asked, "What's so happy?"

Zhu Hua Yu then recovered her smile. She wanted to walk closer to me to talk, but hesitated and ultimately didn't come over. Standing half a meter away from me, after looking around, she whispered, "My living place is settled, it's so spacious!"

I smiled and said, "Is that so? Where are you living?"

Zhu Hua Yu said, "The house Boss Qian found, a new house; you can tell at a glance that no one has lived in it yet."

"How much is the rent?" I asked.

"He doesn't want rent. He said as long as I'm willing to live there, I can live as long as I want."

"This Old Qian, does he want to hide a beauty in a golden house?" I laughed. "Hua Yu, Old Qian is spending a lot of money. Renting a two-bedroom house in Hengyue City now costs at least a thousand or eight hundred. It's not cheap!"

Zhu Hua Yu blushed and said, "Whose beauty is he hiding? Me? Keep dreaming."

My heart stirred, and I teased her, "Old Qian is a rich man; not only does he have money in his pocket, but even his surname is Money (Qian). Being hidden by such a man is worth it."

Zhu Hua Yu was angry from embarrassment and made a gesture to hit me. I shushed her, signaling that there were countless eyes lurking inside and outside the room. She then restrained herself and said angrily, "I'm not talking to you anymore."

She turned and went out, but after a while, she came back in and asked me, "Do you have time tonight?"

"What for?"

"I want to invite you to eat at home. I've moved into a new home, don't you want to take a look?" She tilted her head and looked at me.

"Another day, okay?"

"No! Another day and there won't be a chance. I'm going to pick up my parents in a few days. Before I set off to complete the task you gave me, I want to pick up my parents first..."

"If your parents come, I can still go to dinner!" I said puzzled. "Don't your parents know me?"

"Fool!" Zhu Hua Yu scolded lightly, turned and left, throwing back a sentence: "Forget it if you don't want to go!"

Naturally, I wouldn't go! The relationship between her and me was very sensitive right now. Zhu Hua Yu basically belonged to the airborne troops; she was just a career-establishment cadre in Chunshan County who was managed as a civil servant, not even a city-managed cadre. Everyone knew that her ability to enter the Industrial Park this time was because of me.

I couldn't leave others with a handle! Before my position was secure, I had to be extremely cautious in everything. Just like how I was going to take a knife to Xiao Yu this time, I would only take action after I had figured out the path.

Xiao Yu could be considered someone with absolutely no foundation! Tracing him further up, he didn't have a single relative who was a leader; not only no relatives, but not even classmates or friends. That is to say, in his circle, he was the biggest official—Director of the Office of the Hengyue City Industrial Park Management Committee. According to administrative rank, he was at the section-chief level.

After figuring out his path, I knew that if I moved him, no one would come to speak for him.

Xiao Yu was a good person, and his work was very meticulous. But he shouldn't have bumped into my gun barrel. Like a hunter, I had been holding a hunting rifle since I arrived at the park, staring intently, waiting for the prey to bump into it. Because I knew that if I didn't kill a few of these old masters, mistresses, and royal relatives in the park, not only would I be unable to carry out my work, but I wouldn't even be able to sit securely in my position.

Killing Xiao Yu might be a wrongful killing, but it wasn't unjust!

As long as Xiao Yu was killed, there would be no need to consider killing others in the future. Xiao Yu was a template, a reference, and the sacrificial flag-bearer for me to sit securely in the chair of the park director.

But if I hit him with a stick and killed him, I wouldn't just be killing one person, but destroying a family.

Xiao Yu's family structure was also very simple. He came from the countryside and was an old worker-peasant-soldier university student. Because his father was a village secretary in the past, in the era of relying on recommendations to go to college, he was duty-bound to go to college.

Xiao Yu's wife was originally an employee of a cotton mill, and after the enterprise reform and layoffs a few years ago, she never found employment again. There was also a son in his junior year of college, who was said to have good grades and was preparing to study abroad after graduation. Xiao Yu was the only economic pillar of the family; if he fell, his family's building would surely collapse!

Before coming to the Industrial Park, Xiao Yu was an ordinary cadre in the Municipal Foreign Economic and Trade Commission. After the commission was abolished and everyone else was merged into the Finance Bureau and the Foreign Cooperation Office, he had nowhere to go and was arranged to come to the park. Xiao Yu's seniority in the park was earlier than Guo Wei's. When he came, the park had a total of three people and one plaque.

A veteran figure was about to be eliminated under my hands; to tell the truth, I couldn't bear it either.

But I had no choice now; if I didn't take a knife to Xiao Yu, I couldn't find anyone else to take a knife to.

The park currently had thirty cadres and employees. Except for Zhu Hua Yu and Xu Meili whom I brought, who didn't have a high official standing behind them? I counted carefully; there wasn't one of these people I could afford to offend. Although I wasn't afraid of them, after all, I was in the officialdom; if I didn't say I was going to be corrupt together, I couldn't be clean alone.

This was like a pool of sewage; no matter how much clear water was poured in, it would still be filthy. Only by opening a gap and introducing a clear spring that flowed endlessly, day after day, would it perhaps return to clarity.

After struggling a few times, I still made up my mind.

Of course, I couldn't destroy a family, so I had to find a way out for Xiao Yu first.

This way out appeared with light when Li Mei came to find me.

Lilian finally loosened his mouth under my earnest and soft-and-hard persuasion. He agreed to Xiao Yu going to his Petition Bureau, and I agreed to Li Mei coming to the Industrial Park.

This was a compromise; neither of us lost out.

When I invited Xiao Yu to the office, he probably already knew the seriousness of the matter. From the moment he entered the room, his head remained lowered.

I brewed for a long time before opening my mouth: "Director Xiao, your dereliction of duty this time is very serious."

He gave a muffled "Hmm" and raised his head, saying, "Director Chen, just say it directly; I'm an impatient person and can't stand it."

I smiled and said, "Being impatient at this time won't solve the problem. Director Xiao, you are a good cadre, with a good, upright, and responsible work attitude."

I started painting the wall; I wanted to paint a smooth wall. This wall might not be able to block water and fire, but it could give people some peace.

Xiao Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Director Chen, you don't need to comfort me. I did something wrong, so I should accept the treatment. I don't blame you!"

"But..." I pondered, wondering whether I should tell him directly.

"Just say it, I can accept it," Xiao Yu's voice became lower and lower.

He was older than me, and the years had dyed his black hair gray. Wrinkles spread across his face like the core of a loofah, thousands of threads. This did not match his age at all; he looked much older than his actual age.

"I want you to transfer from your post," I finally said, my chest feeling much lighter as if a huge stone had been moved away.

"Where to?" Xiao Yu's tone was not high, his expression listless.

"Director Xiao, after you had this incident, it's really inappropriate to stay in the Industrial Park. As for where to go, I want to ask for your opinion."

"I have no opinion." Xiao Yu raised his head to look at me, his eyes filled with gratitude.

For the past few days, the management committee had been privately circulating that Xiao Yu was going to be fired, and I pretended not to hear it, letting it spread everywhere. My purpose was very simple: to give Xiao Yu some psychological pressure, and then give him a surprise.

Xiao Yu couldn't have not heard the rumors, but he never came to find me, which made me worry a bit, not knowing what he was thinking. If he couldn't think it through and took a wrong path, wouldn't I become a sinner?

I coughed lightly and said, "I want to transfer you to the Petition Bureau to work."

"Really?" There was not only gratitude in Xiao Yu's eyes, but also surprise.

"Yes. If it's convenient for you, you can go report tomorrow."

Xiao Yu was stunned for a long time. He suddenly stood up and walked towards me, grabbed my hands with both hands, and shook them slowly, saying, "Director Chen, thank you! You are my rebirth parent!"

His voice choked, and tears welled up in his eyes. This surprise made him unable to accept it immediately; he thought he was being swept out the door, who would have expected me to arrange for him to go to the Petition Bureau?

I quickly shook my head and said, "Director Xiao, please don't say that. I can only help you to this extent."

"Thank you, thank you!" Xiao Yu thanked me repeatedly.

"Director Chen," he looked at me, wanting to say something but stopping.

I said readily, "If you have anything else to say, please speak."

Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment and said two words in a deep voice: "Take care!"

He turned and left without looking back; he was about to disappear before my eyes. My heart stirred, and I called out to him, "Director Xiao, if you have any difficulties in the future, please come find me."

Xiao Yu finally couldn't hold back his tears, letting two lines of old tears flow down his cheeks. He couldn't care about wiping them, mumbled a few times, and whispered, "Director Chen, be careful of others digging a hole for you!" ===== CHAPTER 668 =====