Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 57 The Storm Is Brewing

Liang Dandan posted a picture and a message.

The photo shows the night view from the window of a room at the Qingyan Hotel, with lights twinkling in the night.

The message read: "Secretary Wu, are you resting?" The night view of Qingyan County is quite unique, but it's a bit boring being alone.

The text ends with a playful emoji.

This message may seem casual, but it is actually full of ambiguity.

Wu Zhiyuan wondered to himself: Is Liang Dandan using her beauty to seduce someone?

If Liang Dandan didn't have any special social connections, Wu Zhiyuan might have been somewhat tempted.

After all, she is a beautiful girl.

However, she had an ambiguous relationship with Tao Sizhong.

We can't say that Liang Dandan has ulterior motives, but what if she does harbor malicious intentions?

Wu Zhiyuan replied: Hello Section Chief Liang, I haven't rested yet. I'm organizing the research materials for tomorrow.

Liang Dandan did not reply.

Wu Zhiyuan thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly, a few minutes later, someone knocked on the door.

Looking through the peephole, I saw that the person who came in was Liang Dandan!

"Secretary Wu, it's me!"

Wu Zhiyuan opened the door.

Liang Dandan brought over a cup of coffee.

Liang Dandan smiled sweetly: "Secretary Wu, you must be tired from working overtime writing these materials. I brought some coffee and made you a cup to perk you up."

You can't hit someone who's smiling.

Moreover, what Liang Dandan is really thinking is currently just wild guessing.

It's always good to be wary of others, but you shouldn't assume everyone is a bad person.

Wu Zhiyuan accepted the coffee and thanked him.

But Liang Dandan showed no intention of leaving.

She stood at the door, smiling at Wu Zhiyuan, exuding a rich perfume scent.

"Secretary Wu, won't you invite me in for a seat?" Liang Dandan said coquettishly.

At this moment, Liang Dandan had already taken a shower and was wearing pajamas, revealing a large expanse of her snow-white chest.

Just as Wu Zhiyuan was about to speak, Xu Youwei called: "Zhiyuan, are you still awake? Come to my room."

Xu Youwei's call came at just the right time.

Wu Zhiyuan hung up the phone and said, "Section Chief Liang, Secretary Xu wants to see me. It's getting late, you should get some rest."

Liang Dandan was somewhat disappointed, and managed to squeeze out two words: "Okay."

Xu Youwei's room was upstairs.

Upon entering, Xu Youwei cut to the chase: "Zhiyuan, do you know Liang Dandan from the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission?"

Wu Zhiyuan was taken aback. Could it be that Liang Dandan had also used her beauty to seduce Xu Youwei?

It's entirely possible.

Taking down Xu Youwei is clearly more valuable than taking down him.

Without understanding Xu Youwei's true intentions, Wu Zhiyuan cautiously replied, "Secretary Xu, Liang Dandan is the deputy section chief of the Comprehensive Section of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission. I've had some contact with her, but I don't know her very well. I feel that she is sometimes aloof and sometimes very lively."

Xu Youwei walked to the window, looked at the night view outside the hotel, and slowly said, "Just now, she knocked on my door and brought me a glass of milk and some cherries."

She used the pretext of discussing the itinerary for tomorrow morning to ramble on about some irrelevant things.

Wu Zhiyuan felt a chill run down his spine. It seemed that Liang Dandan was indeed up to no good!

Xu Youwei continued, "Liang Dandan first complimented my report today, saying that it hit the nail on the head and was thought-provoking."

Then, the conversation started to veer off course. They said the night view of Qingyan County was nice, but it was a bit lonely to enjoy it alone.

They also said, "Secretary Xu, you work so hard, and you have no one to take care of you. You should take care of your health..."

His words, his eyes, and his gestures all carried a subtle hint.

Xu Youwei turned around and looked at Wu Zhiyuan: "She was wearing pajamas with a very low neckline, and she smelled strongly of perfume."

Taking advantage of the opportunity to place fruit, they intentionally or unintentionally moved closer.

I immediately became alert and told her I had to review documents that evening, then asked her to leave.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't say anything, but instead pulled out the pictures and messages Liang Dandan had sent on his phone.

Xu Youwei was astonished: "She used this trick on you too? Judging from the time, it happened after she came to my room."

Liang Dandan probably never expected to run into a wall with Xu Youwei, and that Xu Youwei would even tell Wu Zhiyuan about such a private matter. Otherwise, she wouldn't have resorted to the same old trick.

Xu Youwei frowned: "Zhiyuan, some girls use their looks to climb the social ladder and gain power, but I feel that Liang Dandan probably doesn't have that motive."

Wu Zhiyuan said, "Secretary Xu, as far as I know, Liang Dandan and Tao Sizhong have an ambiguous relationship. Some people say she is Tao Sizhong's lover."

I feel that Liang Dandan's seduction tonight was instigated by Tao Sizhong.

Perhaps Tao Sizhong has heard something. Perhaps Tao Sizhong wants to find something to use against you.

Xu Youwei nodded and said, "Zhiyuan, your judgment is very likely to be true."

Tao Sizhong is a cunning and scheming man, with a honeyed tongue but a treacherous heart; one must be wary of him.

Tao Sizhong worked in the public security system for a long time, serving as the city's public security bureau chief for many years. With Zhang Wanlin's criminal gang growing in power and influence, it was difficult for him to escape involvement.

Xu Youwei picked up the milk Liang Dandan brought him and smelled it: "It doesn't smell anything unusual, but who can be sure that no special substances have been added to it?"

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "Secretary Xu, you're right, we must not let our guard down. I recently saw a lot of reports and科普 (popular science articles) online about so-called 'aphrodisiacs' and 'date rape drugs'."

These types of drugs have now become a new tool for some criminals to commit crimes, and they are characterized by being colorless, odorless, and difficult to detect.

Xu Youwei nodded and said in a low voice, "This Liang Dandan is despicable! Zhiyuan, yesterday I went to the provincial capital and met with several leaders."

The provincial leaders were shocked and took the matter very seriously. Considering that Zhang Wanlin was a well-known entrepreneur, they decided that the provincial anti-organized crime office would send a five-person advance team to Longcheng to secretly investigate Zhang Wanlin's involvement in organized crime.

Tomorrow afternoon, they will secretly move into the city's armed police detachment camp.

Wu Zhiyuan couldn't hide his joy: "That's wonderful! Zhang Wanlin's crimes will soon be exposed to the world!"

Xu Youwei's expression remained solemn: "The more critical the moment, the less we can afford to be careless!"

Liang Dandan's actions tonight are a dangerous sign!

This suggests that Tao Sizhong may have sensed something.

He instructed Liang Dandan to resort to such underhanded tactics in order to find fault with us, either to force us to compromise or to turn around and bite us at a crucial moment.

Wu Zhiyuan analyzed: "Secretary Xu, I feel that Tao Sizhong's pressure may come from Zhang Wanlin."

In the early stages, we stirred up trouble and alerted Zhang Wanlin. He sensed the danger and asked Zhou Lao to call you and Governor Jiang to endorse him.

The pressure on Zhang Wanlin will most likely be passed on to Tao Sizhong.

Furthermore, finding dirt on people was Tao Sizhong's forte. Rumors circulated that he used his position to gather dirt on many people, thus rising through the ranks.

Xu Youwei nodded: "Zhiyuan, your analysis makes sense."

The storm is brewing. Tao Sizhong, Zhang Wanlin, and their ilk have been operating in Longcheng for many years, their influence is deep and their connections are intricate. They will not sit idly by and wait for their doom.

Liang Dandan's honey trap is just the beginning; a more ferocious counterattack is sure to follow. We must be prepared to deal with all sorts of complex situations.