Chapter 829: There is an inside traitor

"Heh! If I tell you, you can't ask me for change!"

Li Xuewu smiled, took out a cigarette and handed it to Xue Zhifu, and lit it for both of them with a lighter.

After exhaling a cloud of smoke, he added, "Even if you wanted to ask for change, you'd have to go to Jinmen to inquire about the price first, so I don't swindle you."

"Hehe~ that mouth of yours!"

Xue Zhifu was helpless, put down the tea leaves in his hand, and said, "Tell me, what do you mean by no surprises, and how was it all smooth sailing."

"I don't have much to say here; you can just look at the work briefing later."

"But over here~"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "I heard that progress is not smooth, the other party is stubbornly resisting and refusing to confess?"

"It seems the intelligence work of the Security Department is well-deserved~"

Xue Zhifu smiled, leaned back on the sofa, and said, "We'll have to conduct a self-inspection later to check for gaps and leaks."

"Heh~ look at what you're saying~"

Li Xuewu didn't mind Xue Zhifu's words, smiled, and said, "That's our duty—to protect unity. Now it's become us prying into secrets~"

"I think you, the Security Department Director, are being indulgent~"

Xue Zhifu smiled and pointed at Li Xuewu, then sighed faintly and said, "Progress is indeed not very smooth; he is very unconvinced."

After finishing, he looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Why don't you try?"

"I actually think this is a good idea."

He asked, and without waiting for Li Xuewu to answer, he nodded and said, "Everyone says your relationship is good, that you have a kindness of knowing him and a kindness of promoting him; perhaps there will be miraculous results."

"Please stop joking~"

Li Xuewu smoked a cigarette and said, "We are just colleagues; it's not as good as you say."

"And what kindness of knowing him~ kindness of promoting him~"

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "He is an old man at the Rolling Mill; when he was a director, I hadn't even entered the factory. If there's any promotion, it must be Director Li who has kindness to him."

"Why don't you? Why don't you invite Director Li to take the stage?"

He was truly vicious; his bad ideas came one after another, and what he said was like a panda ordering takeout—vicious to the core!

Xue Zhifu was laughed at, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and said, "If I could invite Director Li, I wouldn't bother you, Deputy Secretary Li~"

After finishing, he scratched his hair with his thumb and said, "We have been working on Zhang Guoqi's work all along, and our intention is to cure the sickness and save the person. If he doesn't open his mouth, the existing evidence is enough to send him in."

"And,"

Xue Zhifu gestured to Li Xuewu and said, "The comrades in the Security Department are very hardworking; the special case team has already grasped direct evidence of several people and is just waiting for unified action."

"I haven't had a chance to listen to their report yet."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said, "I came here as soon as I heard your summons."

"Handling a case well is good; there's nothing to say about that."

Xue Zhifu nodded and said, "I believe this will be a powerful promotion and guarantee for the stable situation of the Rolling Mill."

"At the same time, it is also a kind of deterrence and intimidation for people Li Kezhang Guoqi. The Rolling Mill must never have such a vicious situation again."

"Otherwise,"

Xue Zhifu pointed at himself, then pointed at Li Xuewu and said, "Both you and I are derelict in our duties."

Li Xuewu nodded silently; this was his duty, and there was nothing to say. Once you enter the door of Discipline Inspection, you are a person of Discipline Inspection.

"It's okay, no rush~"

Xue Zhifu patted the sofa armrest and said, "We have plenty of time and patience. Resisting organizational review will have no good results; I believe he will understand the principle of leniency for confession."

"I hope so too."

Li Xuewu nodded, then asked about the Steel City matter.

"Regarding the situation of Secretary Wenxue we discussed last time, is there any latest progress?"

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Xue Zhifu stood up, walked to the desk to find a document, brought it over, handed it to Li Xuewu, and said, "Take a look."

"Reported by Steel City Discipline Inspection?"

Li Xuewu looked at the remarks on the document, and his eyebrows couldn't help but jump.

He opened the document and looked; it was the content of the routine report according to the work discipline of Steel City Discipline Inspection.

And one of the items was about Dong Wenxue, recording the exact situation between Dong Wenxue and the waiter, as well as the beginning and end of this matter.

Especially the information about Dong Wenxue's wife, Han Shu, going to Steel City and the change in the waiter's attitude were reported.

Li Xuewu didn't read any further, closed the document, and placed it on the coffee table.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to read any more; I should recuse myself."

After finishing, he pointed at the document and said, "If you ask for my opinion, then establish a special case team, verify the situation, and give a result."

Xue Zhifu looked at Li Xuewu for a long time before saying, "I don't think it's necessary. Just like you said, if there really was something, there would have been something long ago."

After finishing, he stood leaning against the desk, pointed at the document, and said, "You're going to Steel City next week, right? Just go and inquire about it in the capacity of the Discipline Inspection Deputy Secretary."

"That doesn't seem very appropriate."

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "Secretary Wenxue is my teacher; a student investigating a teacher?"

"It is precisely because of this relationship that I think it's appropriate for you to go."

Xue Zhifu said very confidently, "I believe in your character, and even more in your organizational discipline."

"Besides,"

Xue Zhifu smoked a cigarette and said, "This isn't a big problem. Correct it if there is, and encourage if there isn't; after all, it has reached me."

"You say so, right?"

"You're right!"

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Later, when I go to Steel City, I'll find the relevant comrades to understand the situation and report to you then."

"Hmm, I'll leave this matter to you."

Xue Zhifu nodded, considering the matter properly handled.

He had thought it was just Dong Wenxue's own business, and he hadn't expected someone to interfere.

Xue Zhifu wasn't stupid enough to be used as a gun by others. If this case had solid evidence, it would be fine to handle Dong Wenxue, giving a justification.

But now, Dong Wenxue's problem had clearly been solved, and Yang Zongfang had come up with this.

Was Steel City unstable, or did the secretary have some ideas?

Regardless of which side had the issue, he didn't want to get involved.

Especially recently, Li Huai and Yang Yuansong were at daggers drawn; he didn't want to burn himself.

Even if Dong Wenxue had a problem, having Li Xuewu come forward was already a warning to him.

And being able to get Li Xuewu to agree to come forward was a means and a deterrence; he believed many people would see it.

This was the only time Dong Wenxue had really fallen into a trap; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the chance to talk to Li Xuewu so much and so deeply.

People in Discipline Inspection have many schemes; they aren't afraid of the other party not speaking, only of having no common topic.

Li Xuewu was also forced to negotiate with Xue Zhifu for Dong Wenxue's sake; agreeing to take on this matter just now was also a stance.

If he couldn't suppress the Steel City matter, or if Dong Wenxue had an accident, he would be the first person responsible.

By then, if Xue Zhifu came forward to handle it or pursue Dong Wenxue's responsibility, no one would say anything.

Organizational life in the government is so complex, one ring after another; as long as you are in it, you will be involved and bound.

Some are like fish in water, some are stumbling—it all depends on scheming.

If it were about scheming, Li Xuewu was ultimately just one person; he hadn't wanted to come forward at this time, and working in trade was to avoid the disputes of the Management Committee and the factory.

Personnel responsible for specific business will be treated specially; in organizational life, they can have many excuses to avoid participation and competition.

Especially Li Xuewu's current state—can't be promoted, can't be transferred, can't even hide his light.

Being in the government is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat. Without strong self-protection ability in this era, you'd be eaten alive.

Li Xuewu had already shown his ruthless side; now he had to highlight his ability.

In the future, he would rely on his ability to advance; no one likes someone who is just good at fighting.

Xue Zhifu being able to take the initiative to contact him was a kind of acceptance and testing by the Rolling Mill's decision-making layer.

Li Huai wanted to take him to play, but was guarding against him taking a seat too early; of course, this was also for his own good.

And Yang Yuansong was no longer considering his personal situation; he wanted to expose Dong Wenxue, reveal the person behind this team, and force him to take a seat early.

Even if he was still very weak now, he was still being forced to the front to restrict Li Huai.

This is a strategy of drinking poison to quench thirst; the Party Committee is facing a crisis now, and Yang Yuansong can no longer care whether doing so will affect Li Xuewu's future progress and life.

Sacrifice the small family for the big one; leaders always have to consider problems from a certain height.

And among the several forces, Cheng Kaiyuan didn't show any hostility toward him, but also no kindness.

The tentacles and knives of others hadn't been revealed yet; that is true hiding of one's light.

Xue Zhifu's contact with Li Xuewu was more like a kind of self-protection, or a tentative cooperation.

Everyone is in this big pot of the Rolling Mill; no one can truly stay out of it.

Yang Yuansong felt the crisis of himself and the Party Committee; how could he not know?

If it were just his own business, he could truly be an upright person and keep his original heart and nature.

But how many people are in the Discipline Inspection Committee? If because of his choice and negligence, it caused work turmoil for these people, he would truly be hard to blame.

When Li Huai and Yang Fengshan were fighting, he could be neutral; when Li Huai and Yang Yuansong were fighting, could he still choose to be neutral?

By then, it wouldn't be Li Huai fighting him; a single move of "Management Committee" could knock him and the Discipline Inspection down.

When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold; it's time to make a choice.

But he really didn't want to get involved with Li Huai; although he hadn't said it clearly, could he not know about the dirty business between Zhang Guoqi and Li Huai?

Choose Yang Yuansong?

That would be better to go it alone; at least he could keep a good reputation.

Therefore, in a forced situation, he wanted to lean toward Li Huai, but didn't want to appear so "flattering," so he could only realize it through Li Xuewu.

He had a good example by his side—didn't Gu Weijie do the same?

Jing Yunong also negotiated cooperation with Li Huai through Li Xuewu.

Now it was his turn; he just wanted to maintain a friendly cooperative relationship with Li Xuewu, thereby avoiding disputes with Li Huai.

He could also see that Li Xuewu was a smart person; he hadn't participated in any of the dirty business Li Huai had done.

Li Xuewu had played the game of self-preservation to perfection; this was his cleverness.

As long as Li Xuewu didn't fall, he wouldn't be in danger, including from Li Huai's side, and when the situation changed significantly.

According to Xue Zhifu's estimation, this wind would pass in two or three years; by then, the sky of the Rolling Mill would still be the sky of the organization.

There would be a day of reckoning; with Li Xuewu blocking in front, he wouldn't be stained with any blemishes.

He had thought very well and calculated very cleverly; Li Xuewu always calculated others, and today he was calculated by him—it could be considered an eye for an eye.

However, Xue Zhifu hadn't thought that Li Xuewu wasn't someone who would suffer a loss!

Calculating against him?!

Heh~!

"Hey~ now that you mention it, I remember there's one more thing I haven't reported to you!"

Li Xuewu flicked the ash, crossed his legs, supported his arm on the sofa armrest, and said to Xue Zhifu, "Didn't I just say there were no surprises!"

"Borrowing Secretary Wenxue's case, I must report this matter to you in detail!"

Li Xuewu said with a calm expression, "The first day we arrived in Jinmen, we had a seafood feast. I don't know how the leader chatted at the table, but two garden bungalows appeared out of thin air!"

"Don't you think this is suspicious!"

As he said this, he stood up, walked to Xue Zhifu's desk, took the document draft paper and a fountain pen, and sat directly in the office chair, writing while speaking.

Li Xuewu was truly vicious; he wrote what he said. What he said was plain language, but what he wrote was a proper reporting format.

Xue Zhifu felt more and more wrong as he listened, and more and more mysterious as he watched!

How could Li Xuewu tell him these things! He didn't want to hear it!

Director Li arranged garden bungalows for him and said that he would have a place to stay when he worked at the Jinmen office in the future.

He also said that Li Director's secretary, Li Haiyang, handled this matter, and the house would eventually be under his name.

This is a pit!

How could Xue Zhifu not understand? This is a big pit for Li Huai to drag Li Xuewu into the water!

But what does it mean for Li Xuewu to show this pit to him now?!

Damn!

I just calculated against you, and you're dragging me into the water with you!

You're a sticky mess!

I didn't get anything, but I'm carrying the thunder for you; you're truly vicious!

Xue Zhifu watched Li Xuewu writing, feeling anxious and angry in his heart!

Good~ I said for no reason, how come you thought of bringing me a gift when you went to Jinmen; it turns out it was this!

That tea is truly good; he is a tea lover, and he saw the value of that tea at a glance.

Why did he point at Li Xuewu? Just so he wouldn't ask him for anything, otherwise, no deal!

Alright, now Li Xuewu isn't asking him to handle anything, but he has given the landmine that Li Huai handed to him to himself.

Li Xuewu was also pleasantly surprised; he was worried about how to perfectly solve the Jinmen matter, and didn't expect Xue Zhifu to deliver himself to his door.

Good, you want to calculate against me, then let's perish together.

If you want to tie me to your body, then tie it tight!

Li Xuewu finished speaking, and his hands also wrote the whole Jinmen trip into a report and Discipline Inspection report.

"What I wrote is what I just said; take a look."

After finishing, he handed the document to Xue Zhifu and reminded him, "This matter has made me very troubled."

Xue Zhifu gritted his teeth; he had the heart to strangle him. You're troubled, but I'm troubled—who should I tell!

Now you don't want to be troubled, but you're dumping it on me!

He didn't want to look, but now that things had come to this, he had to look.

He pulled the stool behind him, sat in the chair, and read the document at hand.

He didn't know how much time had passed; anyway, Li Xuewu had been waiting very patiently.

You want to drag it out, I'll spend the night here with you if I have to; you must give me an answer.

There were only so many words in the document; even reading every radical, he had finished it. Xue Zhifu was thinking, thinking about how to handle this matter.

No way!

He thought of all the ways and knew he couldn't drag it out.

If he dared to say "let's study it," Li Xuewu could sell him the moment he walked out of the office door.

By then, he would definitely say that it was he who forced Li Xuewu to write down the house-giving matter in Jinmen.

As long as this matter came out of Li Xuewu's mouth, it would become an iron-clad fact.

No matter how he handled it, it would be wrong!

Xue Zhifu put down the document in his hand and said with a dry voice, "I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill!"

"Making a mountain out of a molehill?"

Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked with a smile, "Do you really think so? Then there's no problem with me accepting the house?"

"It's hard to say; after all, Director Li also said it was for the convenience of work."

Xue Zhifu said with patience, "This matter wasn't handled by me, and I didn't go to Jinmen, so I don't know the ins and outs."

"How about this: regarding the house, I think it can be shelved for a while and see what happens."

He glanced at Li Xuewu and said, "Didn't you also say that Discipline Inspection problems require looking, smelling, asking, and cutting, right?"

"I'll listen to you."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I'm also learning while working in Discipline Inspection, but I also know my shortcomings; for now, I can only be responsible for the action side, as well as the coordination work of the Security Department."

"Regarding this house matter..."

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "Li Haiyang is about to handle the house allocation procedures; if it's under my name, it won't be easy to explain clearly."

"Especially on Director Li's side, you also know, I'm very embarrassed here~"

"Of course!"

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "I know Director Li is doing it for my own good, afraid that I'll be tired on business trips, and that I'll be presiding over work in Jinmen more often in the future, which is why he gave this convenience."

"But!"

"I don't know if it's appropriate for me to use this convenience, especially since it's under my name."

Li Xuewu didn't take his delaying tactic, using his words to force him to state his position: "What do you think?"

"If you ask me~"

Xue Zhifu looked down at the document at hand, then pushed it away with worry and said, "As long as there's no problem with the source of the house, then there's no problem."

"Didn't you also say that Director Li told you frankly that the house was allocated by the Jinmen Seafood Company in exchange for the Rolling Mill's property in the capital to be used as an office?"

"If you're afraid of any connection on Director Li's side, isn't there Li Haiyang?"

He was mumbling, talking in circles, his heart pounding, thinking about how to round off his words.

"Of course, your vigilance and responsibility in worrying about whether this allocation complies with regulations are good; I agree very much."

Xue Zhifu nodded, thought for a moment, looked at Li Xuewu, and said, "If you ask for my opinion, then accept it all; at worst, we'll solve the problem if there is one later~"

"Live in it if you should; you are a cadre of the Rolling Mill, after all, you have an actual need~"

Good heavens~!

You really know how to talk; now I'm the one accepting it, and by the time there's a problem, you might not even be here. Who will testify for me!

So...!

"Alright, I'll listen to you!"

Li Xuewu agreed very readily and handed the fountain pen in his hand to him with a smile.

Xue Zhifu was stunned as he watched Li Xuewu hand him the pen he had just finished using, then frowned and asked, "Just tighten the cap and put it down after you're done."

"No!"

Li Xuewu maintained the posture of handing over the pen and said with a smile, "I've reported the situation to you; you should also put your opinion on paper."

Seeing Xue Zhifu about to glare, he hurriedly explained, "I thought about it; it's a long time, you're busy and I'm busy; maybe later, no one will remember who did what today, and it won't be clear~"

"If there's nothing, it's fine, but in case it can't be explained clearly one day, it's good to have proof."

"I'm listening to you completely, and I trust you very much; you understand me, right?"

Hey!

Xue Zhifu was so angry; I was kind enough to give you an idea, and you're clinging to me!

Who did I offend!

He finally understood; Li Xuewu was a plaster that had stuck to him, and he wouldn't let go until he pulled the scab off.

Fine, if he didn't sign this opinion today, he wouldn't get any peace either.

Consider himself unlucky; who told him to meet this kind of person.

Li Xuewu was still following the rules; one could tell from today's matter that he wanted to walk the right path.

If he had gone directly to Li Huai, he didn't know if he would be valued, but he might have ended up in trouble.

You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child; he took the fountain pen from Li Xuewu, took a deep breath, and signed his opinion and name on the report.

Li Xuewu was also quick; he had just signed, and before he could look up, the document paper was snatched away.

This was too disrespectful; were the two Discipline Inspection secretaries doing business or what!

Xue Zhifu was angry and wanted to say a few words to Li Xuewu.

But before he could speak, the secretary knocked twice and walked in quickly.

Xue Zhifu's words were choked back; he glared at his secretary, thinking: don't tell me you and Li Xuewu conspired!

The secretary was also stunned when he entered the room; he habitually looked for the person behind the desk, wanting to call the secretary, but found that the secretary he was looking for was sitting outside the desk.

Looking inside the desk, it was Deputy Secretary Li sitting there.

Hey! This is truly interesting today!

Those who know it's the Discipline Inspection Secretary's office know it; those who don't might think it's the Security Department Secretary's office.

And looking at this scene, who is the real one and who is the deputy!

It's disrespectful!

Xue Zhifu was also angered by Li Xuewu and hadn't reacted yet; he didn't notice that Li Xuewu was sitting there even more majestically than him.

Seeing the leader glare, the secretary knew something big was wrong, but what he had to say wasn't good news either.

"Leader, there's a situation!"

"Speak!"

Xue Zhifu looked at the secretary with a serious face, thinking what situation could there be—the worst kid was sitting right opposite him.

The secretary saw that the leader didn't intend to avoid Deputy Secretary Li, so he said directly, "Zhang Guoqi seems to be dying."

"What!"

The expression on Xue Zhifu's face froze instantly; he looked at the secretary and confirmed again, "You mean Zhang Guoqi?!" 【829-22

"Yes."

The secretary said with a twitching mouth, "I just came up from downstairs; they are sending the person from the interrogation room to the factory hospital right now."

"What's the situation!"

Xue Zhifu calmed down instantly. He forcefully controlled his temper and asked, "Did the case officers lay a hand on him? I didn't...!"

He had just wanted to say that he hadn't allowed any physical interrogation, but the secretary interrupted, "No! Really, no!"

"You told me to keep an eye on the situation downstairs, and I didn't dare leave for a single step; I've been watching them handle the case the whole time."

"They really didn't lay a hand on him!"

The secretary was so anxious he was about to cry, spreading his hands, "We are Discipline Inspection, not the Security Division..."

"Hey! What kind of talk is that!"

Li Xuewu had been sitting to the side listening without a word, but at this moment, he wouldn't let that slide.

He glanced at Xue Zhifu and said with a curl of his lip, "Our Security Division is the most particular about civilized law enforcement!"

"Don't you go adding to the chaos~"

Xue Zhifu glanced at Li Xuewu, but immediately thought of Li Xuewu again, pointed at the secretary, and asked, "You tell me, if they didn't hit him, how is he about to die?!"

"It seems to be..."

The secretary stood there frowning, "I'm guessing, but it seems to be poisoning; he's even foaming at the mouth."

"Nonsense!"

Xue Zhifu slapped the table and scolded, "How could he be poisoned! Weren't the meals brought from the cafeteria? Are you saying there's a problem with the people handling the case, or what!"

The secretary was startled. He knew he had said the wrong thing; even if it was poisoning, he shouldn't have said it in front of Deputy Secretary Li.

For one thing, it made it look like there were loopholes in the Discipline Inspection's case handling, and for another, he was afraid there might be an inside mole.

Regardless of which it was, it was best for Discipline Inspection to investigate it internally; if it really got out, their reputation would be ruined.

Li Xuewu, however, raised an eyebrow, waved his hand at Xue Zhifu, and said, "Secretary Xue, don't be anxious; let him finish what he has to say."

As he spoke, he signaled to the secretary and asked, "Tell us the specific details of what happened before and after."

"... Yes."

The secretary hesitated and glanced at Secretary Xue. Seeing that the other party had no objections, he began to explain.

"It was just a very normal interrogation. Zhang Guoqi was arranged to sit in a chair, with our Discipline Inspection Division's Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu monitoring him from behind."

"I was accompanying Discipline Inspection's Old Wang and Old Li while they were asking questions. We didn't provoke him or annoy him, and suddenly he started foaming at the mouth and collapsed on the floor..."

"Wait a minute!"

Li Xuewu tapped the table and asked with a frown, "Who is responsible for his food and drink?"

"I..."

The secretary's answer even carried a crying tone. He glanced at Secretary Xue and then explained, "The Secretary was afraid the Discipline Inspection people would be anxious, so he asked me to go down and keep an eye on things. I was the one who went to the cafeteria to get the lunch."

"Think back, was there any problem with the food?"

Li Xuewu sat behind the desk, frowning with considerable majesty. Although his tone wasn't very intense, it still carried the implication of an interrogation.

The secretary's palms were sweating as he tried hard to recall the situation when he picked up the food at noon.

When he saw that Li Xuewu was about to lose patience, he finally said, "It seems... it seems there was nothing..."

Li Xuewu knew this kid was panicked and wouldn't be able to provide anything useful. He looked at Xue Zhifu and said, "Secretary Xue, please let the Security Section intervene."

Xue Zhifu thought for a moment with a dark face, looked at Li Xuewu, and said, "I trust you, let's do it this way."

Li Xuewu understood Xue Zhifu's meaning and didn't explain further. He picked up the phone on the table and called the Security Section.

It was Han Yating who answered the phone, but Li Xuewu asked for Zhou Yao.

For on-site work, especially in this situation, it was better to take care of her health.

Zhou Yao arrived very quickly, her face still carrying a hint of anxiety. When she entered the room and saw the positions where Secretary Xue and Division Chief Li were sitting, she was also taken aback.

Li Xuewu had also noticed this issue, but he remained seated and waved his hand, saying, "There's been a situation here at Discipline Inspection. You go down and investigate; Zhang Guoqi has had an incident."

"Yes!"

Zhou Yao agreed, then glanced at the frowning Secretary Xue and reported, "I heard about it when I was coming over. The situation seems to be..."

"Hmm?"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and signaled to Secretary Xue, saying, "If you have something to say, just say it directly!"

"Yes, I think the on-site situation I heard about sounds like poisoning."

Zhou Yao frowned and said, "I've been working on a poisoning case recently, so I've been looking into materials in this area..."

"Don't be rash."

Li Xuewu tapped the table and emphasized, "Go check the scene first, and at the same time, understand the situation from the relevant personnel. Don't be in a hurry to reach a conclusion."

"Understood."

Zhou Yao nodded. She didn't mention her guess again, but instead gave a salute and turned to leave.

Li Xuewu pointed at the secretary standing in the room and signaled toward the door, saying, "Go with Deputy Section Chief Zhou and explain the situation."

"Ah~ ah~ okay!"

The secretary's legs were trembling. He didn't dare look at Secretary Xue's face and followed him out the door.

Li Xuewu stood up, paced the room twice, looked at Xue Zhifu, and said, "You should go to the hospital now and grasp the first-hand situation as much as possible."

"Alright."

Xue Zhifu stood up, looked at Li Xuewu, and said, "This matter... sigh~"

He let out a deep sigh and walked out with a somewhat stiff body.

Li Xuewu followed him out the door and went downstairs together, but only went as far as the second floor before heading toward the interrogation room.

Xue Zhifu knew he was going to check the scene, and he also accepted this favor from Li Xuewu.

He knew that Li Xuewu was an expert at handling cases, but now he rarely touched frontline cases easily.

The reason was simple: a person's energy is limited. Now that Li Xuewu was the head of the Security Division, it was impossible for him to go and do the work of the Security Section.

Moreover, Li Xuewu was deliberately diminishing his influence in security operations for the sake of advancing his career.

Personally visiting the frontline scene this time would inevitably attract the attention of some people.

He was doing this entirely for his own reputation and that of Discipline Inspection.

Although Li Xuewu was also a Deputy Secretary of Discipline Inspection, this matter had nothing to do with him; in fact, Li Huai De would be even more willing to see Zhang Guoqi have an incident.

Today's case happened very suddenly, catching him off guard.

He even began to suspect that Li Huai De had made a move; after all, a business trip to Jinmen was a very good alibi.

But his intuition from long-term work in government agencies told him that Li Huai De had too much at stake to be foolish in this regard, and he certainly wouldn't use underhanded tactics to deal with Zhang Guoqi.

Li Huai De had countless safe ways to make Zhang Guoqi shut up; taking risks himself would only implicate him.

But who could it be that wanted to harm Zhang Guoqi?!

He was the Discipline Inspection Secretary, not the Security Division Chief; in terms of professionalism, he was truly a stranger to this kind of poisoning case.

Agreeing to let Li Xuewu have the Security Section take over was also a compromise measure for self-protection.

This case could no longer be investigated by Discipline Inspection; the more they investigated, the bigger the problems would become.

Regardless of whether there was an inside mole or not, the priority was to calm public opinion and stabilize the situation.

When walking downstairs, he saw Secretary Yang getting into a car and leaving. In his heart, he wondered if this matter could have been done by Yang Yuansong.

Afterward, he dismissed this absurd thought. His heart was in chaos, and he had started letting his imagination run wild.

Li Xuewu asking him to go to the factory hospital was also for this reason: to leave Discipline Inspection, visit Zhang Guoqi, minimize his influence in Discipline Inspection as much as possible, and at the same time provide convenience for the investigation.

If Li Huai De paid excessive attention to this matter, he would also be prepared with first-hand information.

This was the convenience and support that immediately followed after he signed that document for Li Xuewu.

He wasn't even sure now if he had done the right thing. What would have happened if he hadn't signed it?

On the second floor of the Party Committee building, at the end of the corridor, was the Discipline Inspection Division's interrogation room.

Unlike the Security Division, Discipline Inspection was more humanized here, mainly considering that the cases they handled were aimed at cadres, so it wasn't easy to use interrogation chairs and detention cells.

In Discipline Inspection case handling, the primary focus was on influence, and only secondarily on the parties involved in the case itself.

The conditions of Discipline Inspection's detention rooms were relatively good; when they were empty, Discipline Inspection people even came here to rest.

Because there were office desks and chairs in the room, as well as a single bed.

The cadres being detained for questioning lived here, and what they had to do every day was write materials and confess their own problems.

When Li Xuewu walked to the entrance, Zhou Yao from the Security Section was leading people to investigate the scene.

Several case officers had already been taken to the office next door to take statements.

Seeing Li Xuewu enter, Zhou Yao put down the lunchbox in her hand, walked up to Li Xuewu, and reported in a low voice, "The lunchbox has been washed clean; for the time being, no traces of poisoning have been found."

Li Xuewu nodded and looked around at the furnishings in the room. Besides the office chairs and the single bed, there were only toiletries, a thermos, teacups, and other items.

Walking out of the detention room and arriving at the office side, Li Xuewu discovered that the person currently giving a statement was Xue Zhifu's secretary.

Security Squad Leader Wang Yimin asked him a question, and he answered it, starting from the cafeteria, what meals he had ordered, who he had met on the way, who had touched the lunchbox in his hand, and so on.

While he was talking, the people from the Security Squad had already gone to the cafeteria to conduct an investigation.

As time passed, the case was fermenting in the government building.

First it was the Party Committee building, and then it spread to the entire office area.

The news coming out of the government office was quickly confirmed by the factory hospital: Zhang Guoqi had indeed been poisoned, and with a potent poison at that.

People in the factory office area were repeating what they heard, saying all sorts of things, and various conspiracy theories were causing an uproar.

Li Huai De, who had originally wanted to take advantage of the situation, also shrank back, knowing that whoever stood out now would be the one to suffer.

With Xue Zhifu standing in front to take the bullets, it was better to speak less at this time.

Even if he wanted to use this matter to do something, he would have to wait until things became clearer before deciding.

And the reason the steel mill's leadership was so calm was that Li Xuewu was personally handling this case.

As long as it was someone from the steel mill, or rather, anyone who had a detailed understanding of the cases Li Xuewu had handled, they were all clear about his ability.

As long as he was at the scene, there was a 99% chance this case would be cleared up.

Although everyone in the government office was worried about their own safety, fearing that there might be another accident with the cafeteria food, the focus of the topic still revolved around Zhang Guoqi.

After all, the person had been taken away by Discipline Inspection, and the case that had been leaked involved quite a bit; quite a few people had been called over by Discipline Inspection for questioning in the past few days.

This included people in the workshops, the Workers' Inspection Team, and the Propaganda Team who had deep contact with Li Huai De.

There were also some people who had participated in the Youth Society who hadn't returned after being called away for questioning; it was said they were being detained in the Security Division.

This case seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, and the appearance of a poisoning case seemed more like adding a layer of conspiracy to the case.

Several plausible conspiracy theories had already been spread, saying it was everyone's doing; the guessing was about who had done the poisoning.

And Li Xuewu and the others handling the case at Discipline Inspection were like the dice cup on a gambling table; everyone was waiting for the result after guessing big or small.

Li Xuewu was still listening to the interrogation statements here, but a noisy sound came from the corridor.

He tilted his head to listen and frowned. He turned and walked out of the office, just in time to see Sha Zhu standing in the corridor making a racket.

"Heaven and earth are my witness! I would poison him! I'm full..."

Sha Zhu also saw Li Xuewu, especially that gloomy face, and his words stopped there; he didn't dare continue shouting.

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling Sha Zhu to come over, while simultaneously nodding to Zhou Yao beside him.

When Sha Zhu walked up to him, he was also a bit embarrassed, grinning with his big mouth, "I didn't know you were here, they..."

"Cooperate with the investigation."

Li Xuewu only gave him four words, then signaled for Zhou Yao to take him to give a statement.

Zhou Yao knew Sha Zhu's situation. She raised an eyebrow, pulled him aside, and said in a low voice, "The leader is in a bad mood."

After finishing, she signaled to the office on the other side, saying, "Don't worry, no one will wrong you; just report the truth."

After pacifying Sha Zhu, she signaled for a security officer to take his statement and then entered the previous office with Li Xuewu.

The people being questioned here were the direct case officers, and Li Xuewu was still listening.

When everyone had reported today's situation, Li Xuewu asked with a frown, "Did Zhang Guoqi drink any water today?"

"He drank some."

The secretary was stunned, "But... we drank some too..."

"That... I'm talking about the hot water in the thermos."

Seeing Li Xuewu looking at him, the secretary stammered and explained, "The water he drank was the same as what we drank; it was all from the water room, all from the same thermos."

Li Xuewu took a deep breath and thought with a frown.

Zhou Yao said anxiously, "You said the food was brought from the main cafeteria by He Yuzhu and no one touched it on the way here, and you said the water was all the same; then how did Zhang Guoqi get poisoned?!"

She walked to the front of the desk, looked at the secretary, and asked, "Could it have appeared out of thin air? Or did you bring it in for him?!"

"This... how can you say that!"

The secretary also became anxious, pointed at the others on the sofa, and said, "I'm not the only one handling the case; why are you coming at me!"

"Wrong!"

Li Xuewu raised his head, looked at the secretary, and asked, "Think again, the chopsticks he used, or the lunchbox, or the teacup, or anything else that went into his mouth today—what was different from what you used!"

"Different..."

The secretary exchanged glances with the other case officers, thought for a while, and asked with a frown, "Does tea count? We just asked for the labor insurance tea this afternoon."

"Slap!"

Zhou Yao raised her hand and slapped the secretary across the face. The other party let out an "Ouch," but she scolded, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"