Official Career Storm
Chapter 205

Chapter 205: Chapter 205

Wu Qiangwei drank without speaking, gulping down nearly half a pint of red wine in quick succession.

Although red wine doesn’t have a high alcohol content, drinking it so fiercely can still get a person drunk.

She wasn’t drunk, but her face flushed, and her eyes were somewhat glazed, clearly a bit tipsy.

"Secretary, don’t just drink, have some food," someone said.

Song Guanchao placed some food in her bowl.

Wu Qiangwei acted as though she hadn’t heard and continued to drink sullenly.

Song Guanchao couldn’t help but ask, "Secretary, did you have a heartbreak?"

Wu Qiangwei first showed a puzzled expression, then glared at him with irritation.

Seeing her expression, Song Guanchao was relieved; it wasn’t a heartbreak.

No, that’s not right; she wasn’t even in a relationship.

"The leadership from the province came to see me tonight."

Song Guanchao immediately perked up, "The province?"

"Yes."

"Which leader?"

"You don’t need to know."

"..." Song Guanchao really wanted to leave.

You call me here, yet you speak so cryptically.

"What did the leader want?"

"Hui Po Company."

"Director Qin’s backer?"

"No."

"Secretary, stop beating around the bush, just tell me."

Song Guanchao truly couldn’t stand it anymore; this type of one-question-one-answer exchange felt like pulling teeth.

Wu Qiangwei said, "He Sen’s former senior leader, who is from the province."

"Hasn’t retired yet?"

"Retired, but has relatives still holding positions."

Song Guanchao was surprised.

Generally, if a family has three members in the system and they all hold significant positions, it can be considered a political family.

Mostly, when the father retires, then the son gets to rise.

This leader from the province had retired, but his family still had influence.

Moreover, being able to send messages to provincial leaders indicated that this retired leader’s relative was not low-ranking.

And even though he was retired, his connections remained.

All these factors indicated one thing: He Sen had very strong connections in the province.

He likely hadn’t neglected to pay his respects during the holidays either.

Song Guanchao asked, "What did this leader say?"

Wu Qiangwei replied, "He asked me to consider the unity of the team and to think of the bigger picture."

Song Guanchao understood.

All this talk of unity and considering the bigger picture was just useless nonsense.

"Balance," Song Guanchao uttered the word.

The half-drunk Wu Qiangwei suddenly looked at him in astonishment, "The leader I met today said the same thing."

Song Guanchao smiled and said, "Secretary should understand."

"I do," Wu Qiangwei said, "I understand, of course, I just don’t want to compromise."

Song Guanchao sighed, "Secretary, this isn’t compromise; balance is the political wisdom every leader should possess."

"Appropriate compromise is not retreating; it’s preparing for the next move."

"If I’m not mistaken, the provincial leader who met with you today highly praised your recent actions."

Wu Qiangwei pondered his words and nodded slightly.

Song Guanchao said, "Do you feel that the provincial leader praised you just to make you let the issue go?"

Wu Qiangwei didn’t speak, but her eyes conveyed a sense of: isn’t that obvious?

"Of course not."

Song Guanchao shook his head, "The provincial leaders genuinely praised you, acknowledging your capability."

"Acknowledging my capability?"

Wu Qiangwei let out a self-deprecating laugh as if she heard a joke.

Song Guanchao said, "Hui Po Company seems to only involve Director Qin, but in reality, it’s connected to some people in the province."

"Do you still remember why you came to Lingjiang?"

"To reorganize Lingjiang, to restore rightful authority."

"Are the problems only in Lingjiang? I don’t think so!"

Lingjiang is just a prefecture-level city. If the province actually wanted to reorganize, they wouldn’t need to specifically transfer you here. To put it bluntly, even if the city had serious issues, a Provincial Disciplinary Inspection Committee and a Provincial Public Security Department would be enough to handle it."

Wu Qiangwei’s eyes flickered; she faintly guessed something.

Song Guanchao said, "If I’m not mistaken, the real problem in Lingjiang lies not in the leadership of various departments but in the province!"

"There are people in the province who indirectly control Lingjiang!"

"However, the leaders in the province are currently unsure which individuals are connected to Lingjiang. Right now, the situation with Hui Po Company has forced some people from the province to show themselves."

Wu Qiangwei suddenly understood.

Earlier that evening, when provincial leaders met her and praised her, they immediately told her to stop delving further into the Hui Po Company case.

Hearing Song Guanchao’s analysis, she realized that things weren’t as bad as she had imagined.

The provincial leaders had their own plans and thoughts.

Putting aside Hui Po Company for now didn’t mean completely ignoring it.

It just meant that they couldn’t act yet!

She was caught in the middle, blinded by her involvement!

Song Guanchao, as an outsider, could see the essence of the situation more clearly than she could.

Song Guanchao sipped his red wine and said, "Some things are too much when overdone. Therefore, maintaining a proper balance is more important than catching everyone at once."

"If Secretary Wang insists on Hui Po Company coughing up all the money, it will inevitably involve Director Qin."

"Would Director Qin calmly wait to be caught? No, he would resist, possibly fleeing the country with the funds or engaging in even more irrational behaviors."

"Once Director Qin falls, those leaders who also have issues will each feel threatened."

"Mayor Zheng is a bit displeased with Secretary Wang right now."

"Minister Zhou feels the same."

"The Disciplinary Committee’s Secretary Wang, district secretaries, commerce, taxes... which department doesn’t have issues?"

"Seeing you take a heavy hand with Director Qin right from the start, they inevitably feel the sorrow of a scared rabbit. Once a chain reaction starts, Lingjiang will truly be in chaos."

Wu Qiangwei’s gaze shimmered, and her thoughts became clearer.

Balance!

Yes, as the de facto top leader of Lingjiang, she must balance all sides, taking everything into account!

She hadn’t done this well enough.

She grabbed the red wine, poured herself a full glass, tilted her snow-white neck back, and drained the glass in one go.

Song Guanchao nearly popped his eyes out.

Drinking like that was going to cause problems!

"Secretary, drink less."

Wu Qiangwei put the wine glass down, her cheeks flushed red as if brushed with rouge.

The blue veins on her neck were visibly clear.

Her delicate skin was so tender it could be broken by a blow, and her inadvertently blurry eyes quickened his heartbeat.

"I’m happy tonight; I want to drink a bit more."

Wu Qiangwei flicked her fingers to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Her slender fingers lightly tapped the clear glass, producing a crisp sound, "Pour."

"Alright, then I’ll accompany the secretary with my life tonight!"

Song Guanchao opened another bottle of red wine and poured himself a glass.

The two of them drank one glass after another.

It was hard to tell how long they had been drinking as the empty bottles on the table gradually increased.

Downstairs, in a car.

Wu Ming said, "Uncle Hong, why did elder sister call Song Guanchao over in the middle of the night? He also bought so much wine, could something bad happen?"

Uncle Hong took a drag of his cigarette, giving him a sideways glance, "Girl knows her limits."

...

"Pour, pour it." Wu Qiangwei leaned on the table, supporting her chin with one hand, her eyes full of a drunken haze, her cheeks flushed with a girlish shyness.

"Secretary, you’re drunk, let me take you back to your room to rest."

She had drunk one bottle of red wine, three bottles of beer, and several shots of liquor.

It was not just a woman; even a normal man would be drunk with that much.

"I, I’m not drunk..."

Song Guanchao helplessly walked over to help her up.

As she just stood, Wu Qiangwei felt dizzy, unsteady on her feet; her body swayed to one side.

Song Guanchao quickly held her steady, his right hand wrapping around her waist, his left arm supporting her arm.

Her body was almost entirely pressed against his, this close contact making Song Guanchao’s heart race.

The slim waist he held in his right hand was soft and resilient.

He stiffly moved his hand across her lower back, encircling her completely.

With this, her body’s weight largely depended on his support.

The Secretary’s body was so light!

Her waist was so soft!

Her body smelled so good!

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