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

"Mrs. Wang, this BMW is quite nice. Did Secretary Wang buy it for you?"

Bao Ke's expression was very unnatural as she said, "No, it's... I bought it myself."

Lu Ming laughed and said, "Oh~ you bought it yourself, so was it paid for by Chairman Qian?"

Bao wanted to lie and explain, but couldn't think of a reasonable excuse for the moment.

Lu continued, "Qian Kuo used money to bribe you, and then through you he got to know Secretary Wang, thus achieving an exchange of benefits. Am I right?"

Seeing that Bao Ke remained silent, Lu Ming knew that his guess was correct.

Qian Kuo used the same tactics to deal with Wang Yanchun and Song Chuhe.

They all first win over their bed partners, and then use those bed partners to win over their main partner.

The difference is that Song Chuhe is upright and unmoved.

As for Wang Yanchun, given his nature, how could he possibly resist the barrage of sweet talk?

Lu Ming then asked, "Besides Secretary Wang, which other officials did Qian Kuo ask you to introduce her to?"

Bao Ke glanced at Lu Ming's intense gaze, sighed helplessly, and honestly confessed, "No, he just asked me to introduce Old Wang to him."

This answer surprised Lu Ming. He stared at Bao Ke for a long time to make sure she wasn't lying.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. After all, she is just the wife of the deputy secretary, and she knows nothing about officialdom. What kind of connections could she possibly have?

Moreover, if Qian Kuo wanted to meet other officials, he could simply ask Wang Yanchun to introduce him.

Lu Ming then asked, "Who did Qian Kuo ask Secretary Wang to introduce him to?"

Bao Ke shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. I don't usually pay attention to these things."

Lu Ming's lips twitched. This woman was truly a complete waste.

I had hoped to make a breakthrough with her, but I didn't get any valuable information from her.

It's such a waste of time!

Lu Ming got out of the car and was about to leave when he suddenly said, "You know Li Wen, right?"

Bao Ke nodded.

"She's dead."

Bao Ke was stunned, exclaiming incredulously, "This...how is this possible!"

Lu Ming sneered, "He's been dead for almost half a month, and you didn't even know?"

"I...I usually..."

"Stop. I'm not interested in what you usually do. Do you want to know how she died?"

Bao Ke nodded again.

Lu Ming said, "Qian Kuo made it."

Bao Ke's pupils dilated instantly.

"So, you'd better not let Qian Kuo know that I'm here to question you today, otherwise, you could very well be the next one to get into trouble!"

Lu Ming wasn't worried at all that Bao Ke would tell on him.

If this woman had any brains, she would have looked into Li Wen's car accident and would have known to shut up.

Today's trip was almost entirely a waste of time.

Now, it all depends on whether there's any progress on Mu Xueqi's side.

Originally, he and Mu Xueqi analyzed that since Qian Kuo's target was Yu Wei, he would definitely continue to contact him.

Until he was 100% certain that he had completely taken the bait.

But now, more than half a month has passed, and Qian Kuo seems to have disappeared, never contacting Lu Ming again.

This was something Lu Ming couldn't understand, so he was unwilling to sit idly by and wait for his fate, and chose to take the initiative to investigate.

Lu Ming found Song Yiren's phone number and dialed it.

She's a big boss in the underworld, and the power she can wield is far greater than Lu Ming's.

Moreover, Qian Kuo runs a private club, so his background is definitely not clean.

If we ask Song Yiren for help, we might get results soon.

I called, but no one answered.

Lu Ming wasn't in a hurry. He put away his phone and went to eat something nearby.

Around 1 p.m., Song Yiren returned the call.

"What's up?"

Her voice was cool and her tone was calm!

"Where are you?"

"Get to the point."

"Let's talk when we meet."

Song Yiren was silent for two seconds, then gave an address.

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Ming arrived at a teahouse.

The teahouse looks unremarkable from the outside, but its interior is decorated in a low-key yet luxurious style.

As soon as Lu Ming entered, a beautiful young woman in a cheongsam approached him and asked, "Hello, sir, may I ask if you...?"

"Mingyue Pavilion".

Lu Ming raised his hand to interrupt and gave the name of a private room.

"Okay, sir, please come this way."

The woman led him to a private room on the second floor, knocked gently on the door, and slowly pushed it open.

The private room is decorated in a Chinese style. A screen comes into view, behind which is a tea table made of rosewood.

Song Yiren sat at one side of the tea table, elegantly drinking tea.

After leading Lu Ming inside, the woman closed the door and left.

Lu Ming sat down opposite Song Yiren, who poured him a cup of tea and placed it in front of him.

Lu Ming didn't understand the art of tea, so he just picked it up and drank it.

The teacup was too small and shallow; I couldn't taste the flavor at all.

Lu handed the teacup to Song Yiren and said, "Another cup, please."

Song Yiren poured him another glass, and after he finished it, she laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll drug it?"

Lu Ming's heart skipped a beat, but he said nonchalantly, "Do you think I would come to your designated place unprepared?"

Song Yiren remained noncommittal and asked, "What is it?"

Lu Ming asked, "Do you know Qian Kuo?"

Song Yiren frowned: "You mean Qian Kuo from Qingwu Lane?"

Lu Ming was taken aback.

Where is Qingwufang?

I've never heard of it before.

Seeing Lu Ming's reaction, Song Yiren said, "It seems we're not talking about the same person."

Lu Ming said, "I don't know anything about Qingwufang. I only know that he owns Lanting Club."

Song Yiren glanced at Lu Ming and said, "Then it should be the same person. What, do you want to get to know him?"

Lu Ming didn't rush to reveal his purpose, but instead asked, "Is Chairman Song acquainted with him?"

Since Song Yiren knows Qian Kuo, she should consider their relationship before revealing her purpose.

Song Yiren didn't realize Lu Ming's probing, taking it as a casual question, so she answered without any pretense.

Song Yiren shook her head: "I'm not familiar with him. He's a businessman."

businessman?

Simply running a clubhouse doesn't qualify as running a business.

It seems that Lanting Club is just one of Qian Kuo's many businesses.

"What kind of place is this Qingwu Lane?"

This time, Song Yiren did not answer immediately.

She looked at Lu Ming suspiciously, then suddenly asked, "Did Qian Kuo contact you?"

Lu Ming couldn't help but be a little surprised.

Is this woman's sixth sense that strong?

Song Yiren continued, "He wants to bribe you, so you came to me to ask about his background before deciding whether to accept the bribe?"

Lu Ming stared at Song Yiren with even greater astonishment. She knew so much; could it be…?

"Don't look at me like that, I was just guessing."

"Qian Kuo has immense influence, and he has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds in Songxi."

"Since you don't know about Qingwufang, it means he doesn't need you for the time being."

Lu Ming then asked, "What exactly is this Qingwufang?"

Song Yiren picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said, "I am not your subordinate, so I have no obligation to answer your questions."

"If you want to get information from me, you need to show sincerity, instead of treating me like a thief."

"If you don't believe me, then don't come looking for me."

Lu Ming could tell she was angry.

However, if you put yourself in their shoes, it's understandable.

After all, she wanted to learn about Qian Kuo from her, but she remained silent and said nothing. Anyone would be annoyed in her position.

Lu Ming wasn't afraid to be frank with her, after all, he held her biggest secret in his hands...