Zhou Xuan made his point very clear: He had no intention of entering officialdom, but if Wei Haihe and Fu Yuanshan had any difficulties at work, he would definitely help them if he could.
Wei Haihe had actually expected this answer, but he still wanted to offer one last piece of advice: Zhou Xuan's helping him in times of crisis was far from being his right-hand man while he was in office.
Fortunately, Zhou Xuan would definitely lend a helping hand when they were in danger, and what was reassuring was that no matter what tricks or temptations the opponents used, they could not poach Zhou Xuan. This was what Wei Haihe was most at ease about; Zhou Xuan would always stand on his side.
Wei Haihe was still disappointed that Zhou Xuan did not join his camp. Judging from Zhou Xuan's expression, although he seemed indifferent, he had not agreed in his heart. It seemed that it was pretty much as the old man had predicted. It was unlikely that Zhou Xuan would enter officialdom.
“It would be a real pity if Xiao Zhou didn’t pursue a career in government. But if you ever have this idea again, or change your mind later,” I still stand by my word! Wei Haihe said with a sigh. Even a sigh from a leader of his caliber is touching.
Although Fu Yuanshan and Wei Haihe had reached the point of physical intimacy, they were still in a superior-subordinate relationship. As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, so how could one possibly guess the thoughts of one's superior?
Faced with Wei Haihe's invitation, only Zhou Xuan could refuse, only Zhou Xuan could not make him angry, and only Zhou Xuan could make him helpless!
Fu Yuanshan quickly brought a teapot and added boiling water to their cups, saying with a smile, "Have some tea, have some tea. Mayor Chen doesn't seem to be in a very good mood!"
Wei Haihe smiled but didn't speak. "Although Chen Xiaoming has formed a city alliance with him, in the end, they are far from being truly close. To put it bluntly, it's just a temporary constraint for the sake of the current situation and their respective positions. Since ancient times, the struggle between the top and second-in-command has never ceased. Although Wei Haihe made peace with Chen Xiaoming, letting him stay and giving him a purse, according to the division of power, the municipal party secretary is in charge of macro-level and personnel administration, while the mayor is in charge of micro-level and finance. In principle, the purse belongs to the mayor's jurisdiction, but Wei Haihe naturally wouldn't let Chen Xiaoming use the financial power without difficulty. The finance department is Wei Haihe's man, and all large expenditures must be reported to Wei Haihe. Several of Chen Xiaoming's projects involve large expenditures, and Wei Haihe has already allocated a portion of the initial cash, but he is not very willing to pay the rest."
Of course, this doesn't mean he broke his promise. He also had something to say: "Large-scale fiscal plans still need to be decided by the Standing Committee. This is to respect the rules. In fact, regarding the so-called rules, Wei Haihe has already secured three-quarters of the seats among the current Standing Committee members. The rest can only side with him. If not side with him, then at least they won't vote against it."
In this way, Wei Haihe used the Standing Committee's words to shut Chen Xiaoming up. The subsequent matters still had to be decided at the Standing Committee meeting. This was actually a disguised way of telling Chen Xiaoming that he still had to remember his position. "The money will be given, but he has to be in charge." In this way, Chen Xiaoming was completely controlled by Wei Haihe.
But Chen Xiaoming had no way out. No matter what dynasty or who the person was, those who surrendered would inevitably suffer some grievances. It would definitely take some time for the two of them to get along well. After all, Wei Haihe was in the upper hand now, and he had to maintain the demeanor of the superior.
Zhou Xuan stopped thinking about the conversation between Wei Haihe and Fu Yuanshan and just drank tea. However, Wei Haihe had actually asked Fu Yuanshan to bring him here specifically today. If Zhou Xuan did not agree, there would be no need to say some of the secrets between him and Fu Yuanshan in person.
Zhou Xuan detected that Tang Jie had walked back and forth to the door countless times. Wei Haihe had many affairs to attend to. As the municipal party secretary, he was naturally busy. Moreover, now that Wei Haihe had just taken control of the overall situation, everyone below him had to report to him and ask for instructions on everything, big or small. Whether Wei Haihe found it annoying or not, this process had to be done.
If Wei Haihe is just annoyed, that's fine. But if he gets angry because he didn't report to him, then that's a real problem. If you ask your leader for permission for everything, even if the leader is annoyed, he won't really hold a grudge.
However, Wei Haihe had given Tang Jie instructions that no one would be allowed to see him without his permission, so Tang Jie was anxious but dared not knock on the door. Secretary Wei's authority was extraordinary.
Seeing that Wei Haihe and Fu Yuanshan had nothing more to say, Zhou Xuan stood up and said, "Secretary Wei, Director Fu, shall I go back first?"
Since they couldn't reach an agreement, Wei Haihe didn't force the issue. The old man had a closer relationship with Zhou Xuan, so he decided to discuss it with him first. He stood up and said with a smile, "Little Zhou, Yuanshan, I'll have Secretary Tang arrange a meal for you. When you come to my place, you're not even given a simple meal, let alone a casual one..."
Zhou Xuan shook his head and smiled, saying, "Secretary Wei, I think we should skip the official meals here. It's always high-ranking officials coming and going; the food isn't pleasant, and it's always so hectic. I'd rather eat at Brother Hong's place with the old man!"
Wei Haihe chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, I'll have Tang Jie take you there to keep the old man company. He hasn't been smiling much these past few days!"
Zhou Xuan turned his head and sighed silently. "Of course, the old man didn't tell Wei Haihe that he only had a few months left to live!!"
Volume 1, Chapter 573: Borrowing Another Five Hundred Years from Heaven
After leaving the municipal party committee building, Tang Jie warmly saw him off. Fu Yuanshan drove Zhou Xuan to Wei Haihong's villa, smiled, and drove away without saying anything.
Ade and his brothers were guarding the garden, but there was basically nothing to do; they were just chatting idly. When they saw Zhou Xuan get out of the car, they quickly went up to him with smiles.
As for Zhou Xuan, there's no need to elaborate; they know each other intimately, and he knows that the old man and Wei Haihong treat him even better than their own family.
Zhou Xuan asked, "Is the old man here?" Actually, he didn't need to ask to know that the old man's bodyguard was there. He was always by the old man's side, inseparable from him. Protecting the old man was his responsibility.
Zhou Xuan didn't use his superpower to detect anything. Lately, he's been using his superpower less and less. Suddenly, he felt that "a simple life is the best." Although his superpower brought him wealth, status, and even everything, the increasing pressure made him realize that his superpower also brought him more trouble.
The only thing he could be happy about and had no regrets about was meeting Fu Ying. Yingying was something he would never regret in his life!
The old man's guard nodded and replied, "Yes, but not in the living room, it's in the back garden!" He then led the way, and Zhou Xuan silently followed. In the back garden, the old man was pruning the plants with shears. One of his favorite plants was a clivia, which Zhou Xuan had seen tending to several times during his visits. Wei Xiaoqing sat on a stone bench to the side, her hands supporting her chin, lost in thought. The old man and she were both doing their own things and pondering their own thoughts.
Zhou Xuan stopped a few meters away, gave the guard a "shh" gesture to signal him to return to the front yard, and then waited there himself.
The old man looked even thinner, but his spirits were not weak. His movements as he cut flowers were still precise and he showed no signs of worry or distress, even though he knew his life was nearing its end.
Zhou Xuan stood quietly. The old man was focused, and Wei Xiaoqing was lost in thought. Neither of them noticed Zhou Xuan standing to the side. Zhou Xuan used his special ability to probe the old man's body again. Just like last time, the old man's bodily functions showed signs of aging, almost to the point of non-existence. So he used his special ability to improve the old man's condition again, but no matter how he used it, the functions of the old man's organs and parts of his body did not improve. It was like an electrical wire whose joint had been wrapped with tape for many years and was now worn out. Layer upon layer of tape was added, and eventually, more and more tape was added. The joint inside had already corroded and rotted away. No matter how much the outside was repaired, it was no longer effective.
The old man suddenly turned to look at Zhou Xuan, paused for a moment, and then smiled broadly, "You've come? Hehe, no need to waste any more energy on me, this old body won't do any good no matter what I do!"
Looking at the old man's bulging eyes due to his thinness, and the veins bulging on his hands and face, Zhou Xuan suddenly felt a lump in his throat and his eyes reddened.
The old man put down the scissors, walked to his side, and gently patted his shoulder. On the other side, Wei Xiaoqing was startled by the old man's sudden words. When she looked up, she saw the face she had been longing for day and night, and her face turned red. She didn't pay attention to the expressions of the old man and Zhou Xuan.
Afraid that Wei Xiaoqing would notice something was wrong, Zhou Xuan turned slightly to the side, rubbed his eye, and said, "How come a grain of sand got into my eye!"
The old man pointed to the long stone bench in the garden and said, "Sit down, the air outside is better, it's stuffy in the living room!" That's true, the living room and the rooms are enclosed, and although the powerful air conditioner keeps the temperature constant at 22 degrees Celsius, the air inside is inevitably not as good as outside.
This is one of the most luxurious and best residential areas in Xicheng District, precisely because the green spaces outnumber the buildings. The gardens of a villa are far larger than the building area, so the high price is worthwhile.
Zhou Xuan sat down on the stone chair as instructed and looked at Wei Xiaoqing. At this moment, she dared not look at Zhou Xuan. Her face was flushed and shy, but seeing Zhou Xuan made her happier than sad. Longing is tormenting.
Knowing full well that she deeply loves Zhou Xuan and that this love can never be changed in this lifetime, she also understands even more clearly that Zhou Xuan will never be able to stay with her in this lifetime. Her heart is truly tormented.
However, Wei Xiaoqing was unaware of her sister Wei Xiaoyu's situation. After Wei Xiaoyu returned, the old man had already arranged another place for her to stay. Apart from the three Wei brothers, no one else in the family knew about it, because Wei Xiaoyu had quit her job and completely cut off contact with the military and all her friends, so no one knew.
Wei Haihong hired another nanny to take care of her. Wei Xiaoyu was more than seven months pregnant and was about to give birth. Wei Haihong had received instructions from the old man to buy a property for Wei Xiaoyu in Hong Kong, planning to send it over after Wei Xiaoyu gave birth and then settle there.
Wei Xiaoqing knew nothing about these things. With nothing to do at home, she was very curious about why her sister hadn't come home for more than half a year.
There have been missions before, but never for this long. I was worried, so I asked my parents and uncle. They said it was fine, he was on a mission abroad.
Wei Xiaoqing missed her sister and was really bored by herself. She couldn't tell anyone about her longing for Zhou Xuan, and of course, she couldn't tell her parents either. So, she preferred to go to her uncle's house to keep her grandfather company. The old man still doted on her. After spending time with her grandfather, she realized that he seemed to really enjoy being with her now. Even if he didn't object before, he wouldn't stay with her for long. When the time was up, he would ask her to leave so he could be alone with her.
Wei Xiaoqing, of course, did not know, and in fact, none of the Wei family knew, that the old man was nearing the end of his life. At this time, while he was worried about the future of the Wei family, what he cherished even more was the kinship among his family.
But to be honest, the only girl who usually shows affection and likes to be with him is Xiaoqing, because she has always been the softest and kindest. Wei Xiaoyu has been too stubborn since childhood, and now that she has had such a thing with Zhou Xuan, even if she wants to come back, she has no way to do so now and can only hide.
The three Wei brothers were either in politics or business, and rarely showed any affection for each other when they were with their grandfather, only discussing politics. So when Wei Xiaoqing came to keep him company, he was actually very happy and even let her stay there and spend all her time with him.
With the old man by her side, Wei Xiaoqing's parents were relieved of some worries. Their two daughters had caused them both pain, anger, and frustration. "Both of my daughters had to get involved with Zhou Xuan. To be honest, although Wei Xiaoqing's father, Wei Haifeng, softened his attitude towards Zhou Xuan after learning about his unique abilities, the princess's departure meant that he himself had a very negative view of Zhou Xuan. His daughters, at the very least, should be well-matched in terms of social standing. How could Zhou Xuan possibly be worthy of his daughters?"
What angered him most was that both of his daughters liked Zhou Xuan, and Wei Xiaoyu even got pregnant for him. This really infuriated him. However, his father didn't object, and his daughter was unusually determined to have the child, "abandoning all her promising future." So Wei Haifeng's prejudice against Zhou Xuan only grew stronger.