"Do you have time?" Zhao Qiang asked.
Chen Xinyu said, "Yes, I can't help with the documentary editing. I'm bored right now."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then you come. I think this matter has great potential. You should closely monitor the development of the situation."
Chen Xinyu said, "Okay, I'll go back and prepare right away. I'll fly to Dongyang City tonight."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'll pick you up then. See you at the airport."
"Okay, I'll inform them to take the news down first. See you later."
After putting down his phone, Zhao Qiang said to Shan Hongfei, "Alright, senior brother, the news has been taken down. We should just follow the rules. You don't need to worry about the TV station causing you trouble."
Shan Hongfei was somewhat surprised: "You know war correspondent Chen Xinyu?"
Zhao Qiang said, "What's wrong? She's not the president of the country."
Dan Hongfei gave a thumbs up and said, "Great job, junior brother. She's a remarkable person now. With such a powerful backer, I'm more secure in terms of public opinion."
Zhao Qiang said smugly, "No problem, I'll introduce you when she arrives. Feel free to contact her if you need anything in the future."
At this moment, the hospital director rushed over and spotted Shan Hongfei in the crowd. He stretched out his hands to greet him and said, "Secretary Shan, thank you for your hard work. It's my fault for making you worry about the hospital. Come on, let's go to my office to talk."
Shan Hongfei said seriously, "This is no longer just a matter for the hospital. How are the expert team's preparations going?"
The hospital director said, "Several attending physicians have rushed back to work overtime. In addition, I have invited several experts from a neighboring city, who have agreed to help with telephone consultations. We can begin in half an hour."
Shan Hongfei said, "The key issue now is to control the spread of the situation."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let me say a few words." The dean didn't recognize Zhao Qiang, but he had just seen him talking intimately with Shan Hongfei, so he didn't dare to object to what Zhao Qiang said.
Shan Hongfei said, "Junior brother, you were the first to discover this matter, so you have the most right to speak. Tell me your thoughts."
Zhao Qiang said, "I have investigated these patients with diarrhea, and it is safe to say that 100% of them are related to eating seafood, with the vast majority of them eating crabs. I have also investigated the Dongyang City Seafood Market, and most of the seafood comes from Donghai City. I have already notified Secretary Xu Liming in Donghai City, and I believe he has already taken action. So we can rest assured about the source for now. What we need to do now is to find all the seafood that has flowed into Dongyang City, and at the same time, broadcast announcements on television to remind the public and notify those who have eaten seafood to go to the hospital immediately for treatment. The government will cover all the examination and treatment costs to relieve everyone's worries."
Shan Hongfei's first concern was whether the government could afford such a large expense. Judging from the current situation, the number of patients was estimated to be no less than four or five hundred, and the number was still increasing. Although he was the secretary of Dongyang City, such a large expenditure still required the approval of the Standing Committee.
Zhao Qiang chuckled. He had naturally considered Shan Hongfei's concerns. Those in official positions needed to be farsighted. Zhao Qiang reminded Luo Wei, who immediately stepped forward and said, "The government has already spent a huge amount on municipal construction. Haifeng Group is willing to cover the costs of this incident. All patients can rest assured and come for treatment. I can write a check for one million yuan for the hospital in advance. Please feel free to purchase any medications needed during the treatment process."
The dean then realized that the two young people in front of him, a man and a woman, were no ordinary people. A million-dollar check was like a dollar to them. They had to be treated like royalty.
In the dean's office, Shan Hongfei issued a series of orders. Although Secretary Wu's future had already been decided, he was still Shan Hongfei's secretary at this moment, so he had to be alert and stand firm at his post until the very end, doing his job diligently and conscientiously.
At 11 p.m., Zhao Qiang received a call from Chen Xinyu, who was already waiting for him at the airport. Zhao Qiang said goodbye to Shan Hongfei, who had been staying at the hospital. When Shan Hongfei learned that Chen Xinyu had arrived, he immediately said, "I'll go with you to pick her up."
Zhao Qiang said, "No need, we'll go. The hospital needs Secretary Shan to oversee things here."
Dan Hongfei forced a smile. He had been under high tension for the past few days, with a constant stream of reports. At this point, more than 600 people had come to the hospital for treatment. Some had been diagnosed with the virus and were experiencing symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, while others were still unclear about the cause. Everyone was on edge, and the emergency room was in chaos. Dan Hongfei had to appear from time to time to calm people down.
“The mayor has already withdrawn from the investigation team. It’s the same if he stays here. Let’s go. Reporter Chen is an important person. We must take good care of him.” Without waiting for Zhao Qiang’s reply, Shan Hongfei led the way out of the office.
Zhao Qiang could only let Shan Hongfei have his way. Once they got to the yard, Shan Hongfei realized something was wrong and asked, "You didn't drive? As far as I know, you have a lot of nice cars at the repair shop."
Zhao Qiang was somewhat dejected: "Don't even mention it, our car was impounded as soon as we entered Dongyang City."
Shan Hongfei was quite surprised: "Improve your car? Who dares to impound your car?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Driving without a license, it wasn't Wei who was driving at the time."
Dan Hongfei slapped his forehead hard. "My bad, it's a BMW 760, isn't it? I'll have someone bring the car over right away."
Before taking office, Shan Hongfei had once stayed overnight at the repair shop while drunk, so he was quite familiar with the cars in Zhao Qiang's yard. Zhao Qiang said, "Do you still have time to deal with the cars now? Let's talk about it tomorrow."
Shan Hongfei said, "Okay, I'll take some time tomorrow to handle it for you personally. Get in my car first."
There were few pedestrians on the streets, and occasionally the TVs at the food stalls were still on, repeatedly broadcasting announcements from the municipal government advising citizens to be cautious about eating seafood until the matter was thoroughly investigated.
Many seafood restaurant owners are cursing and swearing, saying this is going to be their downfall, as they have no money to make. Some seafood barbecue stalls have also removed seafood skewers from their menus, and people are switching to eating meat. If meat is found to have problems one day, they will switch back to eating seafood.
Of course, the seafood vendors were also disheartened. Although there had been a few days ago when some people got diarrhea after eating seafood, it was only a very rare occurrence, so they didn't think it was serious at all. Now they realized that things had gotten much worse, and it would be completely impossible to sell the seafood they had stockpiled by tomorrow. Even if they gave it away for free, no one would want it, so they would have to throw it all away.
Some of the bolder vendors fled overnight, actually fearing they would be implicated in the incident. They figured they could earn money elsewhere, but losing their freedom would be disastrous. These vendors were mostly those who had soaked seafood in chemicals; they had something to hide.
Volume 2 [393] Rival in Love
[393] Rival in Love
Zhang Zihan, male, 27 years old, is the director of the Beijing Municipal Government Office. A rising star in the political arena, he has always been the object of pursuit by many beautiful women, but he ignores them.
Geng Qiuhan, male, 29 years old, is a billionaire in Beijing's business world and a well-known eligible bachelor. Countless models and actresses are eager to pursue him, but he ignores them.
These two men weren't lacking in masculinity or uninterested in women; rather, they already had someone they liked. However, they had been quite hurt these past few days because the girl who had once shown interest in dating them suddenly seemed like a different person. So, Zhang Zihan called Geng Qiuhan, and the two arranged to have a meal together to discuss the issue. They were rivals in love, but in certain situations, they were also comrades.
In an elegant hotel, Zhang Zihan held a wine glass with slightly hazy eyes. "Xinyu is like a different person since she came back from Africa. She always refuses when I call her to invite her out for dinner, and she always says she's busy when I go to see her. But her colleagues told me that she often stands alone, sometimes even secretly laughing to herself."
Geng Qiuhan, as if dealing with an enemy, viciously downed the wine in his glass, slammed the glass down, and said, "That goes without saying, of course she has another man, otherwise she wouldn't have suddenly become cold towards us, and she clearly intended to choose between us before going to Africa, so someone in Africa must have seduced her."
Zhang Zihan hurriedly defended Zhang Xinyu, saying, "No, no, I've observed her carefully. She's still a virgin and has absolutely not done anything to betray us. Besides, who would want to date her in that godforsaken place like Africa?"
Geng Qiuhan trusted Zhang Zihan's observation skills, so he was slightly relieved after hearing this. However, once a girl's heart has been given to another man, it is difficult to take it back. Geng Qiuhan said, "There are men even in the most remote places. Of course, I have no doubt that Xinyu will fall in love with Heizhou Heitan. She must still be Chinese. Check who she was with back then."
Zhang Zihan slammed a document down. Geng Qiuhan grabbed it and glanced at it. It was a list of the film crew who had gone to Africa, detailing everyone's age, marital status, and attitude towards Chen Xinyu. After reading it, Geng Qiuhan said, "It seems that apart from the photographer Wang Peng, there's no one else who could be suspected. But as far as I know, the film crew got separated from Xinyu before completing their interviews, and later even returned to China ahead of schedule. For several months, Xinyu was left alone in Africa."
Zhang Zihan said, "That's right, I suspected something happened during this time, but I can't find any trace of it. I can only analyze it from the reports she returned. She has been with a group of people called the War Dragon Mercenary Group. Do you think she might be a member of this mercenary group? Judging from their name, they seem to have something to do with China."
Geng Qiuhan said, "Didn't you use your connections in the military to investigate the background of this War Dragon Mercenary Group?"
Zhang Zihan said, "I even used my father's power, but there was no record at all. But I'm sure there are Chinese people in this War Dragon mercenary group. It was he who interfered with Xinyu's relationship with us."
Geng Qiuhan asked, "So what's your plan?"
Zhang Zihan sighed, "If we can't find him, then we can only look for a breakthrough with Xinyu. I think she must have been in great danger during her time in Africa, so this man's appearance made her feel dependent on him. As long as we keep a close eye on her these days, we'll have an opportunity once she recovers. If we can get information about that man, that would be even better. If we can't get any information, we'll try to make Xinyu forget him."
Geng Qiuhan stood up and said, "Okay, I agree to your plan. Let's go our separate ways. To be frank, we're still rivals in love, so there's no need for us to cooperate. We just need to keep in touch."
Zhang Zihan smiled calmly, "I agree, this meal is on me, you can go now." Watching Geng Qiuhan leave, Zhang Zihan gave a cold smile. Geng Qiuhan was indeed richer than him, but Geng Qiuhan lacked the air of a scholar, which was what Chen Xinyu disliked. Chen Xinyu's type should be someone like him. Zhang Zihan took out his phone and dialed a number.
Chen Xinyu was hurriedly packing her clothes when her mother knocked on the door and came in. "Yu, are you going on another business trip?"
Chen Xinyu turned around and hugged her mother's neck, "Yes, Mom, we're going to Dongyang City for an interview."
Chen's mother breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you didn't go to Africa. While you were in Africa, your father and I couldn't sleep at night. Don't work so hard in the future. You are our only child. What would we do if something happened to you?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Mom, don't worry, I have people protecting me, so nothing will happen, I'm perfectly safe."
Chen's mother tapped her daughter's forehead: "You still have the temper of a child. Swords and spears have no eyes. If you were really hit, no one could protect you."
Chen Xinyu pointed to her glasses and said, "Impossible. If you don't believe me, try shooting at me. My glasses can stop bullets."
Chen's mother laughed and scolded, "Nonsense! Do you think you're a human being? I've never seen you wear glasses before. How did your trip to Africa make you nearsighted?"
"Just wearing these glasses for fun," Chen Xinyu chuckled, then said very seriously, "Mom, do you know, there really are people like this in the world, I'm not lying to you."
Before Chen's mother could scold her daughter again, Chen Xinyu's phone rang. Chen's mother said, "I'll go cook for you. Eat dinner before you leave. Why do you have to be a reporter, going out in the wind and rain every day? I'm going to give your dad a piece of my mind when he gets home tonight."
"Yu, have you had dinner yet?" Zhang Zihan's magnetic voice came through the receiver.
Chen Xinyu said, "No, my mom just went to the kitchen to cook."
Zhang Zihan said, "Let me treat you to dinner. We haven't had a proper chat since you came back from Africa."
Chen Xinyu said, "No, I need to go to the grassroots level for interviews. The task is urgent, and I have to be there tonight. I've already booked my plane ticket."
Zhang Zihan was silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "Then I'll go to the airport to see you off. I'll be downstairs at your place in a bit."
Chen Xinyu said, "Okay, when you arrive, honk your horn and I'll get off."
Chen's mother peeked out from the kitchen and asked, "Yu, who is it?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Zhang Zihan."
Chen's mother said, "I haven't heard you mention him lately. Did you two have a fight?"
Chen Xinyu said, "No, Mom, don't worry about it."
Chen's mother said, "At your age, you should be looking for someone. I think Zihan is a good guy, with a bright future in politics."
Chen Xinyu said, "Mom, I don't want to marry into politics."
Chen's mother said, "But your father and I will only be at ease if you have a happy life in the future."
Chen Xinyu said, "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely find you the best son-in-law."
Chen's mother chuckled: "Really? Then Mom is waiting to be a mother-in-law."
Chen Xinyu hugged her mother's waist and said, "But Mom, I want to pursue my own happiness. I don't want anyone to interfere with my freedom to love. No matter what I do, you must support me."
Chen's mother said repeatedly, "Okay, okay, we won't interfere. I'll cook for you right away, otherwise you won't have dinner."
Chen Xinyu let go of her mother: "No, Mom, I'm not hungry. I'll just eat something on the plane."
Chen's mother said, "How can you eat food from outside? It's all junk food."
Chen Xinyu said, "Okay, Mom, didn't I tell you that I was a beggar in Africa? With my experience, everything tastes delicious now. I'm very adaptable now."
Chen's mother wiped her eyes: "Don't mention it. It makes my heart ache whenever you talk about Africa. I will never let you go abroad again. If your father and I can't see or help you then, it will be worse than death for us."
A loudspeaker blared outside the window. Chen Xinyu went into her room, picked up her bag, and said, "Mom, I'm leaving."
In the car, Zhang Zihan drove silently, while Chen Xinyu, sitting in the passenger seat, remained silent. Occasionally, Zhang Zihan would glance up at her. Chen Xinyu was more mature than before she went to Africa, not only physically but also in her demeanor, which made it even harder for Zhang Zihan to let go of his feelings for her.
"Rain," Zhang Zihan finally said, seeing that they were almost at the airport, otherwise she wouldn't have a chance to speak in the next few days.
“Hmm,” Chen Xinyu said. It wasn’t that she disliked Zhang Zihan, but she just suddenly couldn’t find the feeling of being in a relationship with him.
"Did a lot of things happen to you in Africa?" Zhang Zihan finally had to ask. Although Chen Xinyu had said not to mention her affairs in Africa, how could Zhang Zihan know if she had fallen in love with someone else if he didn't ask? He figured that he might not be able to find anything even if he investigated on his own, as he was getting old and losing his looks. With his current abilities, he couldn't find any inside information about Chen Xinyu in Africa. Everything related to her seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious aura.
Chen Xinyu straightened her back and said seriously, "Zhang Zihan, I regret to inform you that what you want to know is a state secret. You are also a civil servant, and you know the importance of secrecy. Since we are not in the same department, let's not pry into each other's secrets, okay?"
Zhang Zihan looked embarrassed. "Yu, I'm just concerned about you. Don't you think you've changed a lot since you came back from Africa? I used to be able to treat you to a meal, but now you keep refusing me. Is there something I've done wrong? You have to give me a reason so I can have a chance to correct myself."
Chen Xinyu said, "Zhang Zihan, I never said I wanted to be your girlfriend, so I don't need a reason for refusing to go out to dinner with you. I just feel that there's no future for us, so there's no need for you to waste your time. Can you accept this reason?"
Zhang Zihan's hands were trembling, and the car was a little unsteady. "Yu, you weren't like this before."
Chen Xinyu said, "Back then, I hadn't found my direction, but now I have a goal, so I won't be as lost as before, and I don't want to waste your youth. There are so many good girls in Beijing, I wish you happiness."
They arrived at the airport. Chen Xinyu opened the car door, took out her luggage, and then resolutely headed towards the waiting room. Zhang Zihan stared at Chen Xinyu's back for a long time, unable to bear the sight of her graceful figure. So he followed her, saying, "Yu, let me help you with it. I know you're testing my endurance."
Volume 2 [394] The Development of Events