Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

With a soft "click," the ward door was closed tightly again.

The sound of Chen Jianguo's steady and powerful footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor until they could no longer be heard.

A deathly silence fell over the ward.

More than a minute passed before Li Yuanchao's stiff back finally relaxed, confirming that Chen Jianguo had really left.

He walked to a chair and sat down, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Song Qingshan slowly picked up the enamel teacup he had just slammed onto the iron rack, blew on the tea leaves floating on it, and said without even lifting his eyelids, "Alright, the person is gone. Sit down."

He took a sip of tea before turning his gaze to Li Yuanchao, his tone carrying a hint of something inexplicable: "You've really grown up, kid. Coming here to play the empty city ploy, looks like you've really been pushed to the limit. In my memory, you've always been a steady person."

Li Yuanchao picked up his water glass and gave a wry smile: "Old Song, I'm sorry to have made you laugh. I had no choice but to take this risky move. That old fox Chen Jianguo is keeping a close eye on me. If I don't take this opportunity to really provoke him and draw all his attention to me, he'll keep watching the Hongxing Machinery Factory and those people investigating the case."

Song Qingshan put down his teacup, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Li Yuanchao's eyes: "You speak so confidently, are you really so sure you can find irrefutable evidence of his illegal actions? If he releases everything you said today, using it as an opportunity to falsely accuse you, how will you handle the situation?"

Li Yuanchao shook his head, his face darkening. "He's an extremely cautious man, always careful to keep himself clean. Wang Biao has basically eliminated all the key leads and insiders at the Hongxing Machinery Factory beforehand. The only mistake he's made in all these years was half a month ago in the suburbs. Chen Bin led Wang Biao's men to deal with a key insider named Lao Ba, but instead of eliminating him, Lao Ba turned the tables and killed him. Now, Lao Ba is the only survivor of both the No. 1 warehouse incident and this recent massacre."

Song Qingshan narrowed his eyes and looked at him, asking slowly, "So, have you found him?"

Li Yuanchao took a sip of water, his eyes suddenly becoming deep and resolute: "Found him. Thanks to Comrade Zhao Shanhe, we now have concrete leads. According to his investigation, this person was seriously injured and was secretly admitted to the city hospital's emergency department by Director Li, who must have been bribed. Currently, we only need to search room 308 and the cadre wards on this floor to catch him. We'll have enough evidence then."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingshan did not immediately respond.

He leaned against the hospital bed, gazing intently at Li Yuanchao for a full five or six seconds before slowly speaking: "You are the youngest prefectural-level cadre in the province, having risen to this position so early. This is not only due to the organization's cultivation of you, but also a reflection of your own abilities. If you had simply stayed in your position steadily, you would have naturally been promoted when you reached the required seniority, and perhaps your future achievements would have surpassed mine. Now, for the sake of reforming the Hongxing Factory, you've even placed your bets on information provided by an outsider. If you misjudge, you'll lose everything. Is it worth jeopardizing your promising future?"

Li Yuanchao did not avoid Song Qingshan's gaze, his expression becoming extremely resolute: "Old Song, reform is inherently about wading through deep waters and stepping on landmines. If we cadres all cherish our reputations and shy away from tough challenges, who will take care of the livelihoods of thousands of workers? Who will protect the country's assets? For the sake of the people's interests, my personal future is nothing."

He paused, smiled slightly, and said frankly, "As for Comrade Zhao Shanhe, he is a good comrade. Although he doesn't have a strong background or high level of education, he is meticulous and upright. I trust him."

"As for what Chen Jianguo just said, he still has that arrogant, bureaucratic attitude. He looks down on workers and farmers, thinking they are inherently stupid and as easy to fool as sheep. But he has forgotten who won this country and who laid the foundation for it."

"I'm not just spouting platitudes; I genuinely believe in the wisdom of the people at the grassroots level. After all, you started as an ordinary farmer, fought your way up with the army, and finally reached your current position. So I believe in you!"

The next second, the old man's loud voice suddenly broke out in the quiet ward.

"Hahaha!"

Song Qingshan pointed at Li Yuanchao and burst into unrestrained laughter: "You little brat, you outmaneuvered me! But you guessed right."

After the laughter subsided, the old man suddenly turned his head without warning, looked at the man lying on the hospital bed next to him, and said in a cold voice, "Alright, stop pretending to be dead. Weren't you clamoring to report us? Now that we're here, what do you have to say?"

Li Yuanchao was suddenly stunned.

He turned his head following Old Song's gaze.

The man, with a cast on his arm and his body wrapped in bandages, looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water. He was soaked in cold sweat, and even his lips were trembling uncontrollably.

Li Yuanchao's gaze suddenly narrowed as he stared intently at the man on the bed. He then turned to Song Qingshan, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment: "Old Song, this…"

Song Qingshan leaned against the headboard and glanced indifferently at the trembling man: "A couple of days ago, Director Li from the emergency department came to me and said that there were no spare intensive care beds in the hospital, but there was a patient who was on the verge of death and urgently needed to be admitted. I thought my ward was spacious and would be better off empty, so I had him arrange for the person to be placed on the bed next to me."

At this point, Song Qingshan suddenly changed the subject, his sharp gaze piercing the old scar on the bed: "Didn't you keep saying you wanted to report him? What are you thinking? The person you wanted to report was that Chen Jianguo, right? The person in charge is here now, so you can speak now."

Old Scar, lying on the bed, suddenly shuddered.

At this moment, facing Song Qingshan's merciless roll call and Li Yuanchao's extremely oppressive gaze, Old Scar swallowed hard.

He forced a dry laugh at Li Yuanchao, a laugh that was more like a grimace, his voice hoarse as if being rubbed on sandpaper: "Director Li... Director Li..."