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

The woman in the cheongsam smiled and pushed open the door to the private room, where a cacophony of noises immediately filled the room.

Inside was a banquet hall, the lighting of which was rather dim.

One after another, men and women of refined bearing, holding champagne glasses, were chatting and laughing in small groups.

Clearly, a high-end cocktail party is taking place here.

"Secretary Lu, please."

Lu Ming had attended similar banquets with Song Chuhe before, so he was naturally not nervous.

He walked in confidently, and as a waiter passed by, he casually took a bottle of champagne from the waiter's tray.

Lu Ming held a glass of champagne in one hand, his eyes scanning the venue.

In the crowd, he suddenly spotted an acquaintance.

It was a woman, her suit jacket open, her white shirt undone from the collar all the way down to reveal her underwear and cleavage.

At this moment, she was talking with several middle-aged men, her face beaming with smiles, occasionally covering her mouth and chuckling softly.

This person was none other than Jiang Ling's secretary, Chen Pei!

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes. If Chen Pei was here, then Jiang Ling must be here too.

So, even Jiang Ling became a guest of honor of Qian Kuo?

Lu Ming strolled around casually, his eyes continuing to search, and soon he spotted another familiar face.

Wang Yanchun's secretary, Xu Lei, is also here!

Lu Ming was not surprised by this.

He didn't go up to greet them, but continued walking and looking around. After taking only a few steps, he saw a familiar figure again.

This time, it was a man nearing fifty, whose hair was half white, but whose face looked very energetic.

Standing next to him was a top beauty with a figure comparable to a supermodel.

Jia Jitong is the head of the Songxi State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

As Lu Ming looked at the other person, the other person also happened to look up.

The two locked eyes, and Jia Jitong's eyes clearly showed surprise.

However, he quickly smiled and nodded to Lu Ming.

Lu Ming naturally returned the smile.

"Secretary Lu."

Just then, Qian Kuo came over.

"Chairman Qian."

Lu Ming smiled and greeted him.

Qian Kuo waved his hand, and a waiter brought him a glass of soda water.

After taking it, he walked over to Jia Jitong.

"Secretary Jia, this is Secretary Lu, you should know him."

Jia Jitong said, "That's for sure."

He was quite shocked. He hadn't expected that Qian Kuo had even managed to win over Lu Ming. It was truly unexpected.

At this moment, Chen Pei and Xu Lei also came over and greeted Qian Kuo one by one.

Upon seeing Lu Ming, both of them were equally surprised, but their outward expressions did not show any obvious change.

Lu Ming chatted with the others for a while, then walked to the side.

After Lu Ming left, Chen Pei and Xu Lei did not linger and departed separately.

Jia Jitong glanced at Lu and laughed, "Chairman Qian's methods are truly impressive. I never expected that you would actually manage to handle Secretary Lu, such a difficult person."

Qian Kuo said calmly, "Everyone has needs, and I just happened to be addressing those needs."

Suddenly, Qian Kuo changed the subject and asked, "Secretary Jia, what have you thought about the matter we discussed last time?"

Jia Jitong's expression changed, and he sighed, "Mayor Yu has just taken office and already appointed a deputy mayor and a director of the municipal government office. I think we should wait and see."

He suddenly realized why Lu Ming was here tonight.

Qian Kuo deliberately called Lu Ming over, hoping to dispel his concerns.

However, unless he sees Yu Wei here with his own eyes, he absolutely dares not take any more risks in the short term.

Qian Kuo saw through Jia Jitong's thoughts and chuckled, "Secretary Jia, you're just too cautious."

Jia Jitong said, "When you're in the middle of a raging torrent, you have to be careful to make sure you can sail for a long time."

"I've heard that Yu Wei came to Songxi this time with a mission from the province."

"The goal is to thoroughly rectify the atmosphere throughout Songxi."

"At this critical juncture, I don't want to be the first to stick my neck out."

Qian Kuo listened but didn't take it to heart at all.

"Secretary Jia, this matter has dragged on long enough; it's time to resolve it."

"Don't worry, don't feel too much pressure with Mayor Yu. Just do your job normally, and Secretary Lu will help cover for you."

"If Mayor Yu finds out, I will naturally speak with her."

"If she's willing to talk, then it'll be a win-win situation for everyone."

"But if she's unwilling to talk, it hasn't been long since Song Chuhe's seventh day memorial service!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Jitong felt a chill run down his spine, and the smile on his face became much more strained.

He glanced at Lu Ming not far away and said helplessly, "I understand."

Qian Kuo smiled and raised his glass, saying, "Then I'll wait for Secretary Jia's good news."

After Qian Kuo left, Jia Jitong sighed heavily again.

After getting on Qian Kuo's pirate ship, he did make a lot of money, but correspondingly, he also took on much more risks.

Qian Kuo initially wanted to drag Song Chuhe into the mess, but despite his many attempts, Song Chuhe remained unmoved.

If Qian Kuo hadn't provoked Song Chuhe, given their cautious nature, Song Chuhe would never have discovered the trickery.

As a result, Song Chuhe became wary because he offered bribes.

He discovered that Qian Kuo had close private relationships with many government officials, so he decided to investigate thoroughly.

Jia Jitong was prepared to flee, but unexpectedly, Qian Kuo turned around and reported Song Chuhe.

Later, with Song Chuhe's suicide by jumping off a building, the matter naturally passed.

Just when he thought everything was back on track, he never expected that this guy would try to bribe the newly appointed mayor again!

He tried to persuade Qian Kuo several times, both openly and secretly, but Qian Kuo simply wouldn't listen.

This guy is arrogant and overly conceited.

He believed he could easily solve anything with money.

But little do they know that if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

Jia Jitong had already decided that this would be the last time he would team up with Qian Kuo to make a fortune.

After he finishes this job, he'll apply for early retirement and then move to another country to enjoy life.

……

Lu Ming ate and drank for over an hour, but Qian Kuo didn't come looking for him again, so he prepared to leave.

He had just come out of the banquet hall when the woman in the cheongsam came to greet him.

"Is Secretary Lu going to rest?"

"I'm going back now."

"Not resting here? Chairman Qian specifically instructed me to treat you well."

Lu Ming raised an eyebrow.

When he received Qian Kuo's call, he thought he had something to talk to him about that evening.

When he arrived, he only chatted with him briefly before never contacting him again.

Was he just invited here to eat and drink tonight?

That's obviously impossible.

Could it be that you want to experience the services here?

If he simply eats and drinks his fill and leaves without paying any attention to these special services, it will inevitably arouse Qian Kuo's suspicion.

After all, how could an official who is about to fall from grace be neither greedy for money nor lustful?

If he were to simply walk away, Qian Kuo would definitely realize that he was just going through the motions.

So, the reason he called me over tonight was more to test me.

Having figured this out, Lu Ming looked at the woman in the cheongsam, licked his lips, and asked, "How about we treat her well? Explain to me what kind of treatment you mean."

Seeing Lu Ming's undisguised lecherous gaze, the woman in the cheongsam said shyly, "It just means... that Secretary Lu can do whatever he wants..."