Liu Xingzhou now sees Deputy Director Luo as still quite powerful, with some hope of promotion. However, Fu Yuanshan's actions today can be described as a powerful blow to everyone in the Municipal Bureau who had ambitions, extinguishing the hopes of many. With the cracking of these six major cases, Fu Yuanshan's position can be said to be as secure as Mount Tai. Those who initially outwardly complied with Fu Yuanshan but inwardly opposed him have now changed their minds.
Zhou Xuan, Zhang Lei, and Fu Yuanshan were still discussing Liu Xingzhou when a soft knock sounded on the office door.
Fu Yuanshan looked at the door and then said, "Come in."
When the door opened, a middle-aged man in a police uniform stood outside. Zhou Xuan didn't recognize him, but Zhang Lei did. This was Director Chen from her former Fifth Division, who was standing at the door with a forced smile. He said awkwardly, "Director Fu... Hehe, Xiao Zhang is here too?"
Isn't that obvious? If it weren't for me, would I still be sitting here? Zhang Lei snorted inwardly, but didn't say it aloud. This Director Chen wasn't good to her, but he never gave her anything to do, so she didn't have a good impression of him.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xuan had already detected that there were five or six people waiting in the alley outside Fu Yuanshan's office, including Liu Xingzhou, whom Zhou Xuan only recognized. It seemed that these people were there to test the waters and get closer to Fu Yuanshan. As soon as they saw that Fu Yuanshan's position was about to be secured, they immediately changed their attitude. Fighting against Fu Yuanshan again was probably not a good choice. Judging from Fu Yuanshan's abilities, methods, and background, he was now 90% certain that he had established himself. They just wanted to find a backer and a path to stable development. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them opportunists. In today's society, this is the general trend. People only make choices for survival.
Zhou Xuan smiled, gestured towards the door with his chin towards Fu Yuanshan, and then said, "Xiao Zhang, let's go. Director Fu is very busy."
Zhang Lei nodded, then stood up and walked out with Zhou Xuan. As they went out, Zhang Lei kept glancing at Zhou Xuan and Fu Yuanshan, but she saw that Zhou Xuan didn't say anything polite to Fu Yuanshan, or even say goodbye. How could this be a superior-subordinate relationship?
In front of Zhou Xuan, Fu Yuanshan seemed like a kind and easy-going bureau chief to Zhang Lei, but when she saw him speaking and acting with other subordinates, he appeared extremely dignified and domineering, displaying a decisive and resolute character. Such a person could never be easy to talk to.
Putting all these factors together, Zhang Lei realized that Zhou Xuan was not only incredibly skilled, but also had questionable background. Given Fu Yuanshan's high position, even her father and uncles, who were also department-level officials, were only on par with Fu Yuanshan in terms of rank and power. It could be said that if Fu Yuanshan were to secure the position of director of the municipal bureau, he would be only a hair's breadth away from becoming a vice-ministerial level official. With his rapid promotion, it was obvious that he had an extremely powerful background. A department-level official would have a very promising future.
Even Fu Yuanshan himself sometimes feels emotional when he thinks about his own affairs. Just six months ago, he was only a bureau-level cadre, but now he has been promoted several levels in a row. In just six months, he has crossed the hurdle that most people cannot cross in decades or even until their death, and sat in the position of the director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau. His future is beyond his imagination. Before, could he have imagined that such a day would come?
All of this is actually inseparable from Zhou Xuan. It can be said that everything Fu Yuanshan has today is a gift from Zhou Xuan. And Zhou Xuan has never asked him for anything from beginning to end. So Fu Yuanshan is most grateful for this favor. Because of his understanding of Zhou Xuan, he knows that Zhou Xuan would never help him for the sake of promotion or wealth, or to do something against his conscience. It is precisely because of this that Fu Yuanshan is even more grateful to Zhou Xuan.
Furthermore, establishing connections with families like the Wei family and the Li family would greatly enhance his future prospects.
After Zhou Xuan and Zhang Lei left, Fu Yuanshan guessed from Zhou Xuan's words that there were still many people waiting outside to swear allegiance. After snorting, Fu Yuanshan said to Director Chen, "Call them all in. I don't need to hide anything when I do things."
Director Chen smiled awkwardly and had no choice but to go outside and invite the people who had come in. There were six or seven mid-level cadres from the municipal bureau, except for three deputy directors who were absent. After entering, they all smiled awkwardly and seemed a little embarrassed.
If it were just one person coming in, they would definitely pledge their loyalty to Fu Yuanshan and try to build a relationship. But now that Fu Yuanshan has invited them all in at once, everyone knows each other, and they just look at each other and smile awkwardly, unable to say anything.
Fu Yuanshan chuckled and said, "It's good that everyone's here. Let me say a few words. Now that I've taken on the role of acting director, whether it's for three days or two, as long as I'm in office, no matter how short the time, I will do what I should do and shoulder the responsibilities I should bear. I also want to make a statement to you all. If you're here to discuss work plans, I welcome you. But if you're here to talk about personal matters, then I'm sorry, I'm very busy right now. I have to go to a meeting at the Municipal Party Committee soon."
After Fu Yuanshan said that, the others became even more embarrassed to speak. What work plan could they possibly have to offer? Given Fu Yuanshan's decisive and forceful style, how could he possibly listen to their opinions?
Seeing their embarrassed expressions and inability to say anything, Fu Yuanshan already understood their purpose. He smiled faintly, then stood up and said, "Excuse me, you can chat for a while. I have to go to a meeting at the Municipal Party Committee."
If Fu Yuanshan was leaving, how could they possibly sit down?
Six or seven people escorted Fu Yuanshan down the elevator, then saw him off to his car in the plaza until he left. Among them, only Liu Xingzhou smiled obsequiously, but although his face was full of smiles, his heart was extremely bitter. He had personally witnessed Zhou Xuan and Zhang Lei walking out of Fu Yuanshan's office, chatting and laughing as if nothing was wrong, which confirmed that Zhou Xuan was Fu Yuanshan's confidant.
Zhou Xuan was practically openly opposed to him, and Fu Yuanshan was certain to secure his position as director. Although the city had not yet officially issued the appointment order, everyone could guess that it was true, and they could get that information from his backers. Deputy Director Luo gave up the idea of vying for the director's position and shrunk his head.
If Fu Yuanshan ultimately secures his position, his life will become even more difficult. It would be easy for Fu Yuanshan to find fault with him, especially since his record is far from clean. If even the slightest problem is discovered, he will be finished. At this point, Deputy Director Luo is barely able to protect himself, so how could he possibly care about him?
With each new leader taking office, the court is almost always in flux. Fu Yuanshan has real power in his hands, making it very difficult for Deputy Director Luo to remain a stable deputy director. He might be ousted by Fu Yuanshan in just a few days. As for Luo, a mere section chief, Fu Yuanshan can mold him however he wants.
After Zhang Lei and Zhou Xuan left Fu Yuanshan's office, they didn't go back to the fourth office. Instead, they went straight downstairs. Zhang Lei wanted to treat Zhou Xuan to dinner, but they agreed that the budget would only be fifty yuan.
Zhou Xuan glanced at the time; it was almost 4:30. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Xiao Zhang, forget it. We're not going to eat. We've basically finished our work for today. I'll just go home."
"Why go home? You're not married. Going home will only mean facing your parents and siblings. You'd be better off talking about work. If you have a career, you won't have to worry about not having a good family."
Zhang Lei said with a grin, having already known from Zhou Xuan's documents that he was unmarried, which was why she said that. She naturally didn't know that Fu Yuanshan had handled Zhou Xuan's documents and then locked his identity, making it impossible for anyone with the authority to access them.
Zhou Xuan himself didn't know either. After hearing Zhang Lei's words, he was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "What did you say? How do you know that I'm not married and haven't established a career?"
Zhang Lei said with a smile, "Your documents clearly state that you are unmarried. This is a work certificate from the Public Security Bureau, issued on May 12th, which is only a month ago. I don't believe you got married in a month. Let's go, let's finish our meal first. Also..."
As Zhang Lei spoke, she glanced at Zhou Xuan and chuckled, "Also, don't worry, I only said fifty yuan to scare you. Treating you to a meal is no problem. I've decided to raise the standard to one hundred yuan. Isn't that generous enough?"
Zhou Xuan chuckled, noticing the playful expression in Zhang Lei's eyes. He knew she was still joking and teasing him. After a moment's thought, he said, "Then I'll tell you the truth. I'm actually a very rich man, worth hundreds of millions, with a beautiful wife who's much prettier than you..."
Zhang Lei couldn't help but giggle. Zhou Xuan's words were typical of someone who complains about sour grapes because they can't have them. She was confident in her work abilities, but also in her looks. Zhou Xuan's words were truly funny, and his serious expression made them even funnier.
Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Alright then, you're a billionaire, right? Then this meal is on you. Since you're so rich, I'll rip you off and take you to the most expensive place, okay?"
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment, chuckled, and said, "Okay, it doesn't matter where we eat. I'm hungry anyway. As a new colleague, I'll treat you to a meal as a bribe so you'll take care of me in the future."
Zhang Lei suppressed a laugh and deliberately kept a straight face, saying, "Okay, as long as I enjoy this meal, I'll protect you from now on."
Zhou Xuan nodded while deliberately sighing and said, "Sigh, it's good to have you looking out for me. I don't have any other problems, but I like to talk back to my superiors and go against them. I can't stay in any place for more than a month. I wonder if I can stay in the Municipal Bureau for a full month this time?"
Zhang Lei paused, staring at Zhou Xuan for a moment. She wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not. To be honest, he didn't seem very credible, but if he was lying, she was starting to doubt it. It was true that Zhou Xuan had confronted Liu Xingzhou in the office earlier; she had witnessed it herself. He really was that kind of person, always going against his superiors. Even if it meant getting into trouble later, his personality was definitely not suited for working within the system.
With a personality like that, he'd probably be fired in a couple of days. Zhou Xuan was lucky today; Liu Xingzhou's official position wasn't too high, and he was preoccupied with other matters, so he didn't have time to make trouble for Zhou Xuan. If it had been a few other deputy bureau chiefs, Zhou Xuan's fate today would have been very different.
However, seeing Zhou Xuan's smug expression, Zhang Lei became suspicious again. Although this guy was indeed skilled, his behavior was somewhat immature and reckless. He even claimed to have a beautiful wife and be a billionaire, which was typical of someone who resented the rich and had beautiful girlfriends.
Now that she could proceed with her get off work schedule, Zhang Lei drove her green QQ out of the parking lot and said, "Get in. Don't mind that my car is low-class; it's better than walking. Come on, Monopoly."
Zhou Xuan chuckled, opened the car door and got in, but seeing that Zhang Lei wasn't driving, he paused and asked, "Why aren't you driving?"
Zhang Lei said angrily, "You really think you're some kind of leader, big boss, or rich man? Hmph, come sit in the front, so I don't have to turn around to talk. I'm driving, if something happens, can you take responsibility?"
It turned out that Zhang Lei wanted him to sit in the front. He couldn't help but smile awkwardly. Sitting in the back meant that he was treating Zhang Lei as the driver. After smiling, Zhou Xuan got off the bus and got back on through the front door, sat next to Zhang Lei, fastened his seatbelt, and then said, "Is everything alright now? Where are we going to eat?"
Zhang Lei bit her lip, glanced at Zhou Xuan, and asked, "This is your last chance. Be honest and don't try to save face. If I get angry and actually go to a fancy restaurant, you'll have to sell your house and car to pay for the meal."
"This?" Zhou Xuan chuckled. Zhang Lei was still worried about this issue. Seeing her expression, he decided to give her a good scare. He smiled and said, "Even if you're going to put on a show, you have to. You're driving, so as long as you can find a restaurant, no matter how expensive, I'll treat you to this meal. Whether you eat it or not is up to you. I won't explain anything to your suspicions."
Zhang Lei angrily turned the steering wheel and said, "If you want to act like a big shot, then go ahead. I'll rip you off. If you're not going to eat here, you're free. I'll only eat the most expensive food."
As Zhang Lei spoke, she angrily turned the car around and drove in another direction. She was a local who grew up in Beijing, so her familiarity with the city was naturally beyond question. On the other hand, Zhou Xuan didn't know much about it. Firstly, he didn't travel much in Beijing, and secondly, he had no sense of direction. He might not remember a place he had been to once or twice. He also didn't go to high-end places in Beijing very often, so he really didn't know anything about upscale restaurants.
Zhang Lei drove west along the city streets. Along the way, Zhou Xuan unexpectedly saw Hongcheng Square, just two blocks away. Although this place was relatively close to Zhou Xuan's home, he had never been there before. Looking at the surrounding buildings, he could only describe them with a few words: "grand and luxurious."
The building where Zhang Lei parked was decorated as if it were made of gold bricks, resplendent and magnificent, clearly a high-end and luxurious place from the outside.