At the Pinnacle of Power: The Female Leader and Her Chief Advisor

Upon seeing Lu Ming's call, Li Ping's expression instantly changed.

He really didn't want to answer the call, but he was afraid of offending Lu Ming again if he didn't.

After hesitating for a moment, he pressed the answer button: "Secretary Lu."

"Director Li, I... oh, right, I'm sorry, I forgot, you're no longer the director..."

Li Ping's lips twitched.

Did this guy call specifically to humiliate me?

Li Ping took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked, "Secretary Lu, is there something you need?"

Although I have been expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office, at least I am not going to jail.

If you dare to offend Lu Ming now, he might have plenty of ways to get you in jail.

"Hehe, there is something I need to discuss. Let's talk about it when we meet."

Lu Ming didn't care whether he had time or not, hung up the phone directly, and sent the address over.

Seeing that Lu Ming had made an appointment with Li Ping, Su Ran sensibly took her leave.

"Brother, I'll head back now. Call me if anything comes up."

"Okay, drive carefully."

Su Ran stood up and walked gracefully to Lu Ming.

She bent over with her hands behind her back, her neckline drooping down to reveal a beautiful view.

She pointed to her cheek, her eyes brimming with anticipation, and said, "Brother Lu Ming, would you like to give me a kiss as a reward?"

Lu Ming couldn't bear to refuse, so he cupped her smiling face in his hands and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Su Ran's smile grew even brighter as she left, filled with joy.

About twenty minutes later, Li Ping arrived.

Upon meeting, he eagerly approached Lu Ming and offered him a cigarette.

"Secretary Lu, I'll have one."

"Why are you standing? Sit down."

With Lu Ming speaking, Li Ping pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Lu Ming with half of his buttocks dangling in the air.

Lu Ming exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "You and Zhou Lin have schemed against me so many times, shouldn't we settle the score too?"

Li Ping was stunned when he heard this.

No, I've already been expelled from both the Party and my job, and they still want to settle scores with me?

Seeing Lu Ming's smiling face, Li Ping reacted quickly this time.

He immediately realized that Lu Ming wasn't trying to settle scores with him.

If he wanted to settle scores with me, he could have just reported me to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection; there was no need for him to come here.

Therefore, he is definitely going to deal with other people this time.

The reason they called me over is probably because they need my help.

Once Li Ping understood the key points, he was no longer so afraid.

"Secretary Lu, in officialdom, one is often not in control of one's own destiny. I'm sure you understand this better than I do."

"I had no choice, there was nothing I could do, but look, I've already been expelled from both the Party and my job, isn't that a punishment I deserve? So, for all the people I offended before, shouldn't I...?"

Lu Ming raised his hand to interrupt Li Ping: "I don't like beating around the bush. If you do me a favor, we'll call it even."

Li Ping didn't immediately agree. Instead, he put on a troubled expression: "Secretary Lu, you really overestimate me. I've already been expelled from both the Party and my job. How can I possibly help you?"

Lu Ming scoffed, "Alright, we're all seasoned foxes, what are you trying to prove with your ghost stories?"

"In short, to help or not to help?"

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Li Ping asked, "Then what does Secretary-General Lu want me to do?"

Lu Ming said, "Simple, just invite Zhou Lin and Wang Qiang out tonight."

"and then?"

"Help me get some information out of them." Lu Ming took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "You've probably heard about what happened last night, right?"

Li Ping shook his head blankly.

last night?

What happened last night?

Lu Ming recounted what happened last night, and Li Ping's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard it.

Holy crap, Wang Qiang is so ruthless?

They actually tried to frame me?

No, even Lu Ming managed to escape unscathed?

Why is this kid so hard to kill?

Li Ping came to his senses and realized that Lu Ming was about to retaliate.

He was already unwilling to help, and now he's even less willing.

"Secretary Lu, it's not that I don't want to help, but I have no status right now. Even if I were to make an appointment with them, I might not be able to get them to come."

"Don't worry, since I've come to you, I've definitely thought of a reason for you. Just say that I'm threatening you with your dirty secrets and demanding five million to settle this matter."

"If that's the case, Wang Qiang should see me. I wonder what Secretary Lu wants me to get out of him?"

"You just need to steer the conversation toward the fact that they want to get rid of me, and then record it on your phone."

Li Ping asked doubtfully, "Even if it's recorded, it's useless, isn't it?"

Such recordings cannot be used as evidence.

Besides, he was just saying it casually. What law doesn't allow people to talk nonsense?

Lu Ming said, "How is it useless? If Mayor Yu knew that Zhou Lin was secretly colluding with Wang Qiang to deal with me, do you think she would still let Zhou Lin be her secretary?"

Li Ping finally understood: Lu Ming wasn't targeting Wang Qiang, but rather his rival Zhou Lin!

"Okay, I'll help you."

"Okay, let's book a room now."

"Huh? Book a room? Why do you need to book a room?"

"The room is quiet and private, and you don't have to worry about being disturbed, making it perfect for discussing this kind of topic."

Although Li Ping felt that Lu Ming's reason was a bit far-fetched, he didn't think much of it.

He took out his phone and booked a hotel right in front of Lu Ming.

Lu Ming glanced at the room number and said, "Contact me when you've taken care of things."

As Lu Ming emerged from the restaurant, a cold smile appeared on his face.

In the afternoon, Zhou Lin suddenly received a call from Li Ping.

She glanced at Lu Ming cautiously, then picked up her phone and quickly went to the restroom.

"Hey, Brother Li."

Since Li Ping was expelled from the Party and removed from public office, the two of them have never been in contact again.

Zhou Lin felt that Li Ping had completely lost his value, and even worried that he would implicate her, so she once considered deleting his contact information.

"Xiao Zhou, you have to help me!"

On the phone, Li Ping sounded anxious and fearful.

"Brother Li, don't panic, what happened?"

"Lu Ming...he's blackmailing me!"

"Huh?" Zhou Lin was taken aback at first, then her eyes lit up, and she excitedly asked, "How did he extort you?"

Li Ping said, "Oh, don't ask that now. Do you have any money? Lend me some first."

"Brother Li, as you know, I haven't been working here long, and my savings are only a little over 20,000 yuan."

"Twenty thousand? That's far too little!"

"Brother Li, tell me first how he extorted you. Maybe I can help you."

"He... sigh, never mind, I'll ask someone else."

It has to be said that Li Ping is really good at acting.

With just a few words, Zhou Lin's appetite was whetted.

Now it was Zhou Lin's turn to be anxious.

She called Li Ping several times, but the line was always busy.

"Answer the phone!"

Zhou Lin was so anxious she wanted to smash her phone.

Li Ping didn't answer the phone, so Zhou Lin went directly to Wang Qiang's office.

She pushed the door open and entered. Wang Qiang was drinking tea when she came in. Seeing her, he frowned and said, "Close the door!"

After Zhou Lin closed the door, Wang Qiang said, "From now on, if anything happens at the municipal government, contact me by phone. If you don't need to come in person, then don't."

Zhou Lin nodded and said, "I understand."

"Director Wang, I came in such a hurry because Li Ping just called me."

"Li Ping? What does he want with you?"

"Lend me money!"

"What? He asked you to lend him money?"

Wang Qiang looked puzzled.

You have to understand that Li Ping has made a lot of money over the years. Even after being expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office, he still lives a carefree and comfortable life. How could he possibly be reduced to lending money to a little girl like Zhou Lin?