Chapter 31

Chapter 1: Turbulent Waters of Officialdom - Chapter 31: Banquet of Illusion

Past five o'clock, Tang Jing and her mother Gu Jianping hurried over. Tang Jing obediently addressed Zhang Zhifei and Liang Gezhen, only using her gaze to greet Zhang Ke.

These days, Zhang Ke spent most of his time in the provincial capital, and even when he returned to Haizhou, he still had many things to do. It was not just Xu Si's matter; to successfully mine his first pot of gold after returning to post-ninety-four, there were still many preparations to make.

Ever since they parted ways in the provincial capital, Zhang Ke had only seen Tang Jing once or twice, with a gap of almost half a month in between.

Her eyebrows were thin and straight without deliberate shaping, yet extremely fine and even. She had charming eyes, and beneath a straight bridge of her nose, her red lips were tender and moist, playfully puckering slightly. Her figure was tall and slender, seeming somewhat more plump than when they last met, and her chest was shaped with a slight swell. She stood quietly behind Gu Jianping, her entire body radiating the aura of a youthful girl.

The banquet booked at the West City Hotel was in a small private room on the second floor. Until six o'clock, no one else had appeared, and Zhang Ke could tell that Gu Jianping was also somewhat anxious. Since it was already agreed upon over the phone to have his father and Tang Xueqian come earlier, just past six o'clock, the two of them arrived hand in hand, and unexpectedly, the current Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhou Fuming walked in at the same time.

Tang Xueqian had mentioned it casually while discussing matters with Zhou Fuming at the Municipal Party Committee, and Zhou Fuming had simply tagged along.

"Look, the two of them standing together give off a strong golden boy and jade girl vibe, just like a match made in heaven," Zhou Fuming said as soon as he entered the door, turning his head toward Tang Xueqian and Zhang Zhifei. "The young son and daughter of the two of you are truly enviable."

That Zhang Ke rescued Zhitong from beneath the wheels was learned from Jin Guohai's mouth rather than told by Xu Xueping, which gave Zhou Fuming a strong sense of crisis. Ding Xiangshan had committed a major crime with conclusive evidence, and no one would protect him. Although Zhou Fuming taking over the position of Municipal Party Committee Secretary seemed logical, it could not be ruled out that the Provincial Party Committee hoped for Haizhou to maintain a stable and united situation. Zhou Fuming knew very well in his heart that to continue staying in this position next year, he still needed to do some work.

When investigating Ding Xiangshan's issues, the Provincial Standing Committee Meeting formed a unanimous opinion without any resistance. That meant Ding Xiangshan's case could not continue to be pursued upward, but someone up top also had to bear some responsibility for Ding Xiangshan's depravity. Xu Xueping was currently the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Provincial Party Committee, and those rumors saying he might become the provincial governor next year were also quite well-founded; one truly could not be careless.

Zhou Fuming glanced at Zhang Ke again, truly envying Zhang Zhixing for having such a good son. With Zhang Ke around, Xu Xueping's son getting into a car accident in Haizhou could also alleviate the tense relations between the Haizhou side and Xu Xueping.

Tang Xueqian was the Vice Mayor in charge of transportation, and the Director of the Communications Bureau was someone promoted by Ding Xiangshan. During the previous period, Zhou Fuming had simply not been given the time or opportunity to thoroughly and deeply handle the July 18 extra-large traffic accident. He wondered what Xu Xueping would think in his heart.

It was truly headache-inducing. Thinking of those bureaucrats in Chengnan District, Zhou Fuming furrowed his brow deeply. Without anything happening, how could they make the employees of the Xinguang Paper Mill rush to Bell Tower Square to gather and make trouble on that day? Tang Xueqian had actually been blessed through misfortune; otherwise, just as the Vice Mayor in charge of transportation, as long as Xu Xueping was in the province for a single day, he would have to sit on the bench for a single day, and early retirement to the second line was even possible. Tang Xueqian had escaped a calamity, and Ding Xiangshan had become a prisoner, yet he himself had to take over this hot potato. Zhou Fuming thought to himself that securing Ding Xiangshan's position could be called a great joy, but it also held hidden worries.

Zhang Ke did not expect Zhou Fuming to conjure up so many thoughts in the blink of an eye. Five years later, Xu Xueping's retreat to the second line from the position of Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Provincial Party Committee was also affected by Tang Xueqian's case. Now, Tang Xueqian's case had completely reversed, and the impact on Xu Xueping would only be positive. He wondered if Xu Xueping would still retreat to the second line five years later.

Tang Xueqian smiled and called for his daughter to greet the elders, inviting Zhou Fuming to take his seat first. After everyone chatted in the private room for a while and called the waiter to prepare to order dishes, a person squeezed in from outside. Zhang Ke did not recognize him, only seeing his eyes scan the private room and, upon seeing Zhou Fuming present as well, startled: "Secretary Zhou is here too?"

"Mayor Tang's daughter and Zhang Zhixing's son have been admitted to Haizhou No. 1 High School, so why can't I eat here?" Zhou Fuming said with a smile. "Wan Big Pockmark, what are you sneaking in here for with your sneaky ways?"

Zhang Ke looked closely and saw a few white pockmarks growing on his fat face, recalling that he was the Director of the Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Commission, Wan Yong. Looking carefully at his facial features, there were indeed several similarities between his brows and eyes and those of his bastard son Wan Tiancai.

Hearing Zhou Fuming say that, Wan Yong walked in with a grinning smile. The extra chair had not been removed yet, so he sat down right next to Zhang Zhifei on the very outside, saying: "If you put it that way, then I've come here too. Mayor Tang's daughter and the Secretary-General's son have been admitted to No. 1 High School, how can they celebrate on the sly? Fortunately, my ears are sharp and my nose is sensitive." He then pulled two red envelopes out of his pocket, handed them to Zhang Ke and Tang Jing, and called out, "Meal ticket money, quickly accept it..."

Zhang Ke noticed that the sudden appearance of Wan Yong made the expressions of the people in the private room change subtly. Zhou Fuming, who was holding the menu to order dishes, paused his hand right there. His father's face was a bit hard to keep up, and he said to his mother, "Didn't you say we were just inviting Mayor Tang's family for a casual meal? How did it alert other people?" His mother had not expected Zhou Fuming to tag along, so she was somewhat flustered and did not know how to respond. Gu Jianping chimed in, "When I came over, I ran into the wife of Director Gu from the Organization Department, and I just casually dropped a sentence..." Wan Yong continued, "Director Gu was overcautious and afraid of missing the banquet, so he asked me to come over and lead the charge. Don't tell him, let him wait outside a little longer."

This response followed smoothly as if it had been rehearsed. Hearing that it was not his wife who had leaked the news, Zhang Zhixing was not afraid of leaving any bad impression on Zhou Fuming, and even less could he blame Tang Xueqian's wife.

After all, this was a family banquet hosted by Zhang Zhixing, and his wife chatting a bit more when running into someone was not the least bit excessive. It was just that these officials were far too good at maneuvering. Tang Xueqian smiled and said to his wife Gu Jianping, "I told you to talk too much, and you've summoned a glutton."

Zhou Fuming rolled his eyes, taking in all the expressions of everyone present. It didn't look like acting; how could he have imagined that Zhang Ke was the one orchestrating it behind the scenes? He smiled and said, "Wan Big Pockmark has put me in a tight spot, I didn't bring any meal ticket money on me."

"Secretary Zhou can write an IOU, and I'll lend you the meal ticket money." Wan Yong's father was the former Municipal Party Committee Secretary of Haizhou City and the current Director of the Municipal People's Congress. His status in the Haizhou officialdom was rather special, and he could joke with anyone.

Wan Yong opened the door, and then Gu Yao from the Organization Department squeezed in. When Municipal Party Committee Secretary-General Zhang Xiaojian rushed over, he complained to Zhang Zhixing for a good long while: "Zhixing, when I ran into you this afternoon, you didn't let slip a single hint, making me go all the way to Beiguan for nothing, rushing over in such a hurry..." They had all come for Tang Xueqian's sake, people from the institutional compound arriving in groups...

With matters developed to this point, the family banquet could only be changed into a proper dinner banquet. Uncle Zhang Zhifei organized it, contacting the boss of the West City Hotel to urgently summon chefs and ingredients from other restaurants, rushing to get the banquet started before seven-thirty. This was because Zhou Fuming and Tang Xueqian had enough clout. Zhang Ke and Tang Jing collected the monetary gifts at the second-floor stairwell, and people arrived successively all the way until eight-thirty. Zhang Ke held the briefcase his uncle lent him, and it was stuffed full of red envelopes.

Logically speaking, if it were truly their own family treating guests, nowhere near this many people would have come. This was leveraging Tang Xueqian's prestige. Everyone who came up presented two red envelopes-one for Tang Jing and one for Zhang Ke. Tang Jing had never experienced such a scene, standing there somewhat at a loss, maintaining a stiff smile on her face. Zhang Ke stood there, having made a hefty profit this time, and thought in his heart about the possibility of splitting the spoils with his mother.

"What are you smiling at?" Tang Jing lightly kicked Zhang Ke with the tip of her shoe, feeling only that through this summer vacation, Zhang Ke's eyes had become somewhat wicked.

"When am I smiling?" Zhang Ke stepped aside to make room, getting close to Tang Jing. His nose caught the fragrance of the young girl drifting from her body, making his heart flutter. Tang Jing stood so close without any guard; although she wore a small-collared T-shirt, a glance sliding down still allowed him to see her pinkish-white cleavage. Zhang Ke clearly remembered that the last time he saw Tang Jing, she had been so bony and thin, yet in the short span of a month, her chest had developed a shape, which filled him with quiet wonder.

"Where are you looking?" Tang Jing noticed that Zhang Ke's gaze was not right and glared at him.

"Where can I see anything?" Zhang Ke said with an expression of complete innocence.

"Are you saying I don't have any?" Tang Jing bit her lip, saying with a mixture of shyness and anger, "You dare say I don't." She raised her foot and kicked him.

Zhang Ke winced, bending over to rub the spot where he was kicked: "My good lady, a little lighter. I mean your neckline is small, so I can't see what's inside, not that there's nothing inside."

"Pffft, you still say you weren't looking?" Tang Jing's pretty face flushed red, and she turned away to walk toward the banquet hall.

Watching Tang Jing walk away in jeans, although she was only sixteen, her body had blossomed. Her legs and buttocks were tightly wrapped, her small buttocks were plump and upturned, and her legs were slender, already possessing the appearance of a woman. Zhang Ke narrowed his eyes and looked closely. Not knowing whether women were naturally sensitive, just as she was about to enter the doors of the banquet hall, Tang Jing suddenly turned her head and cast a sideways glare at Zhang Ke. Who said she was a little girl? This alluring gaze could rival Xu Si's. Seeing her standing by the door waiting for him, Zhang Ke chuckled and went over to enter the banquet hall together with her.