Official Career Storm
Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Chapter 158

The rogue driver had already left, and Song Guanchao got into the car and lit a cigarette.

Images of Xu Xin’s naked body kept surfacing in his mind.

Once liberated from her clothes, Xu Xin’s figure was nothing short of exquisite.

Her chest must have been a D cup at least!

So large, yet her breasts were so perfectly shaped and incredibly perky, with not the slightest sign of sagging.

Her waist was slender like a willow, and as she tightly wrapped her honeyed thighs around half of her body, Song Guanchao almost had a nosebleed at the sight of her perky buttocks.

Especially when she had that half-intoxicated, dreamy expression, which was enough to stir the beast that lurks deep within any man.

"Hu~"

With the last puff of smoke, he casually flicked away the cigarette butt, and Song Guanchao suppressed the distracting thoughts in his head and called for another rogue driver.

In a private room of a high-class restaurant, Minister Zhou was dining with Director Qin.

"Minister Zhou, there’s definitely someone sabotaging your son behind the scenes!"

"I know."

"Have you found out who it is?"

Minister Zhou shook his head, "The other party is very professional, they haven’t left a single trace."

Director Qin snorted, "In my opinion, this is a trap set by our very own Secretary Wu!"

Minister Zhou gave him a surprised look, not because he pointed the finger at Wu Qiangwei.

But because he wondered, how did he come to the same conclusion?

The two had dealt with each other for many years, and Director Qin was the typical brave but unthinking type.

He could hardly manage anything that required a bit of intellect.

Yet, this time, he somehow came to the same conclusion. It was truly baffling.

When Minister Zhou confirmed that his son was framed, he knew someone was targeting him.

As for who it was, it was simple. Just look at who stood to benefit from this affair.

At first glance, the biggest beneficiaries of the cash transport heist were Wu Xinan, Liang Jianfeng and her daughter, and Song Guanchao.

They were all Wu Qiangwei’s people.

So, the actual biggest beneficiary was Wu Qiangwei.

Furthermore, when Liang Jianfeng discovered the robber’s phone message, she informed Wu Qiangwei directly.

And Wu Qiangwei, she didn’t contact him.

If this was according to normal case procedures, her not contacting him was not a problem.

But if it was according to the unwritten rules of officialdom, as a member of the Standing Committee, she should have given him a heads up.

But she did not.

Instead, she contacted the provincial department directly to carry out the arrest operation.

This time, to get his son out, he had to pull all the strings, using up all the networks of relationships he had built up over the years.

His son was liberated, but his career was practically over.

He had aspired to move up to the provincial level, and now, it was unlikely.

After analysing the incident, he concluded that there was a ninety percent chance that Wu Qiangwei had framed his son.

Although he did not understand how Wu Qiangwei managed to do it.

But even if the whole thing seemed absurd, once all impossibilities were eliminated, whatever remained, however improbable, must be the truth!

So, even if he couldn’t grasp how Wu Qiangwei managed to get hold of the cell phones of Zhou Jun and the robber, and how she returned them without the robber noticing,

his acute instincts, honed from his time in the bureaucratic arena, made him instinctively judge that this matter was the doing of Wu Qiangwei!

As for why she did this, it was quite simple—a warning, that’s all.

She must have sensed something and used this method to warn me, to make me behave and to not oppose her.

Minister Zhou actually felt very aggrieved. Since Wu Qiangwei took office, he had been keeping a low profile, content as long as she didn’t affect his interests, where they could coexist peacefully.

But Wu Qiangwei acted without warning, not hesitating to strike.

Moreover, this move indeed caught him off guard and had depleted the connections he had accumulated over many years.

It virtually severed his path to advancement.

To say he harbored no resentment would be impossible.

Yet, even with such deep resentment, he had no choice but to endure it.

Even to the point of actively bowing down, appeasing her.

"Director Qin, let me give you a heads-up."

Minister Zhou said, "During Secretary Wu’s tenure these past years, you should cooperate fully, keeping a low profile, and not counteract her. Also, those issues of yours, sever what should be severed, don’t give her any handle on you. Our Secretary Wu is no pushover; if she gets a hold on you, she will truly be ruthless!"

Director Qin frowned and remained silent, furiously chain-smoking.

After finishing a cigarette, he said, "Is it really me who doesn’t want to stay low key? She is the one not giving me a chance!"

"The position of Vice Mayor should have been mine, but instead, she appointed Liang Hao!"

"I could have endured that; it would just mean waiting a few more years."

"But now she’s supporting Liang Jianfeng, and even Wu Xinan from the political and legal affairs is her person!"

"If this goes on, my position as Director will be replaced!"

Director Qin huffed heavily, his eyes flashing fiercely, "If she really pushes me too hard, I’ll fight to the bitter end! Nobody will have it easy!"

Minister Zhou shook his head, "If that’s your mindset, then we should no longer keep in touch."

Director Qin frowned, then sneered, "Minister Zhou seems very easy-going, your son almost got taken in, yet you can still maintain your composure."

"If you really don’t want to offend her, why bother nominating your own people during the standing committee meeting?"

"Or is it, after nominating your people, you then regretted it?"

Minister Zhou said, "Xu Xin belongs to Mayor Zheng."

Director Qin was taken aback, "Mayor Zheng’s person?"

Minister Zhou glanced at his watch, a discreet Longines, and said, "It’s getting late, I should head back."

He stood up and walked two steps before stopping, saying, "If you still want to continue as Director, get closer to Secretary Lu."

"Lu Zhizhong?" Director Qin frowned again, "A top official who’s been sidelined, is he still useful?"

Minister Zhou sighed internally and said, "At least on the surface, he’s still the City Secretary while Secretary Wu is only the third in command."

Director Qin had an epiphany, "You mean, return power to Lu Zhizhong’s hands?"

Minister Zhou nodded gently, thinking at least he wasn’t too dense, able to understand his point.

"But, Secretary Wu was transferred from the province, shouldn’t Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng cooperate with her?"

"..." Minister Zhou fell silent for two seconds, then said, "The province cares about the outcomes, not the process."

"As for who produces those outcomes, it makes no difference to the province."

"Moreover, Secretary Wu has strong backing; regardless of whether she can achieve results here, it won’t have much impact on her future political career."

"But it’s different for Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng. As long as they still aspire to climb higher, they’ll certainly not miss any opportunity to establish their political achievements."

"So essentially, the three of them are not allies but competitors."

Hearing Minister Zhou’s words enlightened Director Qin, and the previously murky path ahead suddenly became clear and bright.

You, Wu Qiangwei, want to suppress me, then I’ll align with Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng.

Return power to its rightful place, allowing the top two officials to regain control.

To put it simply, it’s leveraging one power against another, but essentially, it’s a trade of political resources.

This tactic isn’t particularly clever, but it’s highly effective.

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