In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong

I remember that in your Lüzhou, the municipal party committee standing committee meetings are held on Mondays, and removing [something] from the meeting is most effective.

Gao Yuliang adjusted his glasses, a joking smile on his face.

"Yes! This plan is excellent!"

Wu Chunlin, who was watching the commotion from the side, chimed in with a comment.

"Huh? Again? If we do it again, Comrade Chen Luo and I might as well call ourselves the Black and White Duo. From now on, when we go down to inspect work, I'm afraid even a regular meeting will make the local cadres' legs tremble for days."

Chen Luo didn't really want to do this, but it seems that removing Liang Pengfei at the Standing Committee meeting was the best solution.

"Ahem, I think that Secretary Guo Fu is a good fit. How about I trouble you to come with me on Monday?"

As soon as Chen Luo spoke, Tian Guofu stopped in his tracks.

She looked at him with a hint of resentment in her eyes, hesitated to speak, and finally let out a sigh.

"Forget it, forget it. A lot of lice won't itch. Let the lower-level cadres be afraid. It's not a big deal."

After finishing their discussion, the group left the provincial party committee building and went home.

At 5:30 p.m., several departments at the municipal level, including the tax bureau, industry and commerce bureau, and audit bureau, issued a notice criticizing the actions of the subordinate departments in Guangming District and gave demerits to the staff members who issued the maximum penalty.

In the office of the Party Secretary of Guangming District, Li Shangli had finished an entire pack of cigarettes. His mouth was extremely dry, and of course, a bitter expression was on his face.

"What the hell? I'm a department-level cadre and I can't even handle you, Wang Dalu?"

"Why didn't you say you had connections earlier?"

Just as I was feeling down, the phone rang.

Without even looking closely, Li Shangli, still angry, picked up the phone and said irritably, "Hello! Who is it!"

"Li Shangli!"

The familiar voice instantly extinguished Li Shangli's anger, replaced by a cautious and obsequious tone.

"It's you, Governor. I'm so sorry, I didn't look carefully just now and thought it was a call from one of my staff members."

Zhou Jianjun was speechless, but still said coldly, "Comrade Shangli, I didn't have a chance to ask you during the meeting, but now tell me what's really going on with the Continental Group! Don't hide anything, I want to hear the facts!"

Upon hearing this tone, Li Shangli became even more frightened.

"Um... Governor... please let me explain..."

In just a few minutes, Li Shangli recounted the general course of events. Of course, he embellished his own story, portraying Wang Dalu as someone who provoked him first.

"Comrade Shangli, you must seriously reflect on this matter! Do you know that because you caused trouble for the Continental Group, Executive Vice Governor Zhao Dagong has been bombarding you with criticism time and time again?"

Finally, they even pressured me to agree to punish the staff members from Guangming District involved, saying that my work in Guangming District would only become more and more difficult from now on!

Li Shangli reacted quickly to the meaning behind this, completely stunned.

"Huh? Governor, didn't you say a word for me?"

"Shut up! It's good enough that we managed to exonerate you. That Zhao Dagong even cursed me. He's a vicious wolf, baring his teeth at anyone he sees!"

That's it. Remember this. Consider this a lesson learned. Working in Handong isn't easy; one small mistake can have far-reaching consequences. Don't cause me any more trouble like this next time.

After saying that, Zhou Jianjun hung up the phone, leaving Li Shangli completely bewildered. He seemed to have followed the wrong person...

Shaking his head, Li Shangli dismissed the idea. A woman cannot serve two husbands; a fence-sitter cannot go far in the officialdom.

However, taking a step back doesn't lead to a brighter future; instead, it only makes them angrier. Now, the Continental Group is going directly to take legal action to terminate its cooperation with the Bright District. The losses for the Bright District are incalculable. Wang Dalu may have suffered a loss, but the Bright District cannot afford to suffer such a loss!

Chapter 295 Mao Ya's Self-Rescue: A Daring Act

Li Shangli was already feeling agitated when the phone rang again.

This time he took a closer look and found it was his contact person.

"Hey! What's up, Xiao Sun?"

"Secretary Li, there is a special person who wants to see you. I don't know whether I should let him go, so I'm calling you."

"Who is it? So mysterious."

"Ahem, Secretary Li, she is the wife of former Secretary Yi Xuexi, no, she is the ex-wife of former Secretary Yi Xuexi."

"Why all this beating around the bush? Just say she's Yi Xuexi's wife, that's all. What's this woman doing here? If she's not here, just kick her out. This is never going to end!"

Li Shangli was very annoyed, but just after he finished speaking, a woman's voice suddenly came from the phone.

"Secretary Shangli! I know the trouble you're facing. You want Continental Group to continue taking over the old residential area renovation projects, right? I have a way!"

Li Shangli, who was about to hang up, stopped and asked curiously, "What can a criminal on probation do?"

"Secretary Shang Li, you'll understand once we meet!"

Despite his hesitation, Li Shangli agreed to meet.

"Alright, Xiao Sun, let her in."

Ten minutes later, in Li Shangli's office, Mao Ya was stroking her belly with a somewhat dark look in her eyes.

The baby was already four or five months along, and she couldn't delay any longer. During this time, she had been keeping an eye on Wang Dalu's situation, and when she learned that Wang Dalu and Li Shangli had a conflict, she knew that her opportunity had come.

"Ms. Mao Ya, please sit wherever you like. Tell me, what solutions do you have that can truly solve the problems Guangming District is currently facing? I guarantee you'll be credited with a meritorious service!"

Li Shangli was making empty promises, but Mao Ya wasn't buying it.

"Secretary Shang Li, do you know that Wang Dalu has a weakness?"

"what?"

Li Shangli really doesn't know this.

“He needs an heir, a son, and the child in my belly is Wang Dalu’s. Do you think Wang Dalu will compromise if I use this child as a bargaining chip?”

Li Shangli would normally disdain using such a foolish move, but now, he wants to give it a try!

Li Shangli wasn't stupid; his eyes were fixed on Mao Ya.

"Ms. Maoya, what do you hope to achieve by doing this? Let's be frank."

Mao Ya smiled, but a hint of ruthlessness lurked in her eyes.

"Secretary Shangli, you know my current situation. After my child is born and the breastfeeding period ends, I will most likely go to prison to serve my sentence. What I want is for you to help me delay as much as possible so that I can serve my sentence outside of prison!"

Li Shangli waved his hand after hearing this.

"No problem, that's easy. I'm a department-level cadre, and you know my background. Helping you with this little thing is a piece of cake, isn't it? So, Ms. Mao, when will you contact Wang Dalu?"

Li Shangli's thinking was simple: agree first, take the high ground and delay it slowly, anyway, the project will be over by the time Mao Ya's child is born.

The two, each harboring their own secrets, looked at each other and exchanged seemingly honest smiles.

"Of course, the sooner the better! Secretary Shang Li, if you don't mind, you can take me home now. It's not really appropriate to call Wang Dalu from this office."

You don't need me to explain the saying "walls have ears."

"Shall I take you home?"

Li Shangli touched his receding hairline, hesitated for a moment, and then Mao Ya spoke up again.

"Secretary Shang Li, is it inconvenient for you? That's true. As a prisoner serving his sentence outside of prison, getting too close to you would affect your reputation."

"No, no, Ms. Mao, you're too kind. It's just taking you home, no problem at all!"

Li Shangli suppressed his caution; at this moment, his mind was completely absorbed in dealing with Wang Dalu.

The vehicle slowly drove out of the district committee and district government building, until it stopped in an ordinary residential area. Li Shangli followed the vehicle upstairs, and only when Mao Ya opened the door to the room did he realize that it was a one-bedroom apartment.

The house was small and not cozy; it had a somewhat eerie feel to it.

It was already 7 p.m., and Mao Ya turned on the light and took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and handed it to Li Shangli.

"Secretary Shang Li, please have a seat."

Li Shangli waved his hand.

"No need to trouble Ms. Mao Ya. Well, let's call Wang Dalu now."

"it is good!"

Mao Ya complied and took out her phone to dial Wang Dalu's number.

Li Shangli felt a little relieved after hearing Wang Dalu's voice on the phone.

"Wang Dalu, it's me!"

"Mao Ya? Why are you calling me? Have you agreed to the fertilization test being done ahead of schedule?"

"I'm going to terminate the pregnancy..."

"What did you say! I won't allow it!"

Mao Ya smiled faintly, then looked at Li Shangli, her meaning clear: she hadn't lied.

Seeing this, Li Shangli breathed a sigh of relief. His mouth was dry, but he still forced himself not to touch the mineral water on the table.

However, Mao Ya was not in a hurry at all. With one hand holding the phone, she turned on the air conditioner remote on the table with the other, and a cool breeze quickly spread throughout the room.

The call with Darren Wang is still ongoing.

"Wang Dalu, let me tell you the truth. Secretary Li Shangli promised me that I could continue to serve my sentence outside of prison, but the price was that I would use my child as a bargaining chip to get you to agree to continue taking over the renovation project in Guangming District."

The choice is entirely yours.

"Mao Ya! Can you trust Li Shangli's words? I've known him for decades, since college, and he's not the kind of person who keeps his promises!"

"I don't care, I have no other choice...!"

Listening to Wang Dalu and Mao Ya's conversation, Li Shangli felt very comfortable, but his head was a little dizzy.

A faint scent in the air grew stronger, and as time passed, Li Shangli's limbs gradually softened.

At that moment, he realized that something was wrong.

Just as she was about to get up, Mao Yaque ended her call with Wang Dalu, then swaggered over and opened the bottle of mineral water on the table, shoving it directly into Li Shangli's mouth.

"what you do!"

"What are you doing? Don't blame me, Li Shangli, you delivered yourself to my doorstep!"

Maoya did not explain.