Zhou Yi noticed the look the Municipal Party Secretary gave him. As sharp as he was, he immediately realized the man must have misunderstood.
Heaven knew, he and Lu Jiefeng really hadn't arranged any signals beforehand, nor had he told Lu Jiefeng anything like, "Watch for my cue."
What had just happened was nothing more than a small coincidence.
He had happened to feel thirsty, so he picked up his cup and took a sip. Lu Jiefeng had also happened to remember Shang Xinfeng's suicide attempt right after that sip, and so he spoke up.
The Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary looked at the Municipal Party Secretary with an innocent expression. Would you believe me if I explained it that way?
The Municipal Party Secretary returned a mocking smile. Take a guess. Do you think I would?
Fu Xueqian was absolutely certain the two had planned this in advance: before the meeting ended, Lu Jiefeng, as mayor, would raise Shang Xinfeng's case to embarrass him.
"Comrade Jiefeng, is there a problem with this case?" Fu Xueqian asked coldly.
If any other standing committee member had raised an objection, he could have shut them down with a simple "We'll discuss it another time," leaving them no room to protest. But Lu Jiefeng was, after all, his equal in rank. He couldn't simply refuse to let him speak.
"At around ten forty yesterday morning, Shang Xinfeng jumped from the third floor of the Discipline Inspection Commission Case Handling Center. Secretary Fu, were you and everyone here aware of this?" Mayor Lu asked solemnly.
Of the thirteen standing committee members present, only a few, including Executive Vice Mayor Wang Zhichao, Garrison Commander Shi Beizhan, and United Front Work Department Head Nie Haoyuan, were unaware. Most of the others had heard about it.
But whether