Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 86 The Nouveau Riche's Romantic Past

Qin Xiaokun was bold from a young age, daring to speak, think, and act, even to the point of being lawless.

He started from scratch. He didn't finish junior high school and went out to work, starting by carrying bricks on construction sites. With his courage and a reckless spirit, he eventually became a contractor and later opened several companies.

He is two years older than Wu Zhiyuan, but already has a net worth of over 100 million.

Back then, there was a store in Longqiao Town called Fangfang Tobacco and Liquor Department Store.

The proprietress, Liu Fangfang, was beautiful, skilled at dressing up, and alluring; she was the most beautiful woman in town.

Liu Fangfang's clothing style sets the trend for fashion in Longqiao Town.

She wore jeans, and then all the women on the street started wearing jeans too.

She wore a skirt, and the women on the street followed suit and started wearing skirts too.

She was wearing shorts, and the street was full of women's bare thighs.

Rumor has it that she is the mistress of a certain leader in the town, which is why her family's tobacco and alcohol business is extremely successful.

When the town buys tobacco and alcohol, her store is the first choice.

One summer, Qin Xiaokun, who had dropped out of school, made a bet with a few other young boys: whoever dared to lift Liu Fangfang's black skirt and see what color her underwear was would win a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes.

Encouraged by his companions and fueled by alcohol, Qin Xiaokun's wicked thoughts took hold, and his reckless and unruly nature prevailed.

Liu Fangfang was bending over to organize the boxes, her long black dress outlining her alluring curves.

Qin Xiaokun rushed forward and, to everyone's surprise, reached out from behind and lifted Liu Fangfang's long skirt high.

Liu Fangfang screamed and hurriedly pressed down on her skirt, but all the witnesses saw clearly that Liu Fangfang was not wearing underwear!

Qin Xiaokun won a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes, but he also paid the price, spending five days in jail.

However, this is not the first time Qin Xiaokun has been administratively detained. Last month, he was detained for seven days for extorting twenty yuan from a student.

However, after serving his sentence in prison, Qin Xiaokun did not truly repent.

While in detention, he boasted about his "feat," embellishing the details of Liu Fangfang's "vacuum" incident, which drew admiration from others and satisfied his vanity.

In his view, the reason he was detained for five days was not because he lifted up a skirt, but because he lifted up the skirt of "the town leader's woman," which gave him a distorted value system that "you can only do whatever you want if you have connections."

Qin Xiaokun became famous overnight.

After being released from the detention center, Qin Xiaokun's parents were at their wits' end with their incorrigible son.

To teach him a lesson and put him on the right path, his parents made the difficult decision to send him to a construction site, where he would start as a laborer, carrying bricks and mixing mud.

They hoped that the heavy physical labor would temper his temper.

When Qin Xiaokun first arrived at the construction site, he did indeed suffer a lot.

But soon, his innate recklessness and keen observation skills found a new purpose on the chaotic construction site.

He was no longer content with just working hard; instead, he began to actively approach foremen and contractors, offering them cigarettes and flattering them, trying to find out the inside story of the construction site.

He discovered that those who truly made big money were not the most capable workers, but those who could secure projects and manage relationships with all parties involved.

He witnessed how contractors made huge profits by falsifying working hours, cutting corners, and bribing supervisors, and he also saw the complex chain of interests behind the projects.

After working on construction sites for a year or two, Qin Xiaokun was no longer satisfied with being a laborer.

He gathered a few equally restless friends and started independently taking on small-scale earthwork and demolition jobs.

These jobs often operate on the fringes of policy and require the use of unconventional methods, such as intimidating holdout residents or fighting with other construction teams over projects.

Qin Xiaokun's ruthlessness and江湖气 (a kind of chivalrous spirit) thrived in this environment.

He consciously cultivated relationships with minor leaders in various organizations, using methods such as wining and dining, giving gifts, and sharing profits to build his own network, thus earning his first pot of gold.

More than a decade later, the boy who lifted the skirt of the beautiful girl back then is now the owner of a private enterprise with a net worth of hundreds of millions.

Qin Xiaokun came to Longcheng this time hoping to find new development opportunities there.

Although people with different views cannot work together, Qin Xiaokun was a fellow townsman and classmate, and Wu Zhiyuan could not refuse his hospitality. In addition, Sun Runcai was also present, so Wu Zhiyuan accepted his invitation to the banquet.

A uniquely decorated private restaurant in Longcheng.

Qin Xiaokun greeted them at the door. A young and beautiful girl stood beside him.

"Zhiyuan! My old classmate, the busy man from the Municipal Party Committee, we've finally been waiting for you!" Qin Xiaokun said with a big smile.

He was dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, with a gold necklace thicker than a finger around his neck—a classic nouveau riche look.

Wu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Little Kun, long time no see, your belly has gotten bigger."

Qin Xiaokun was not tall, only a little over 1.7 meters, but he was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a potbelly, and he couldn't see his penis when he looked down.

Qin Xiaokun laughed heartily, patting his protruding belly: "Haha, yeah! It's all because of the food and drinks at business dinners, what can I do!"

He affectionately put his arm around the beautiful woman beside him, and said to Wu Zhiyuan with a hint of pride, "Zhiyuan, come here, let me introduce you. This is my secretary, Ms. Liu Na."

"Nana, this is Wu Zhiyuan, the most successful section chief in the municipal party committee, whom I've often mentioned to you!"

Judging from her age, Liu Na was only about twenty years old. She was tall, had exquisite makeup, and wore a well-fitting black dress. Her fashionable attire carried a touch of allure that was incongruous with her age.

She smiled radiantly: "Section Chief Wu, hello! I've often heard General Manager Qin mention you; it's a great honor to meet you!"

Wu Zhiyuan responded politely, "Secretary Liu, hello."

Qin Xiaokun smiled and said, "Zhiyuan, Nana is also from Longqiao Town."

Oh, right, do you remember that Fangfang Tobacco & Liquor Store near our junior high school?

Wu Zhiyuan nodded and said, "I remember, the proprietress is very beautiful."

"Zhiyuan, the landlady is Liu Na's biological mother! Isn't the world small? Fate is truly amazing! Hahahaha!"

Liu Na said in a sweet, coquettish tone, "Secretary Wu, it's rare that you still remember my mother."

Wu Zhiyuan thought to himself: Everyone knows about Qin Xiaokun's embarrassing incident back then, how could he not remember it?

However, times have changed. Back then, Liu Na's mother, Liu Fangfang, made Qin Xiaokun spend five days in jail, but now, Liu Na has become Qin Xiaokun's secretary.

Wu Zhiyuan responded, "I remember, but Longqiao Town has changed a lot; many old shops are gone."

Liu Na chimed in, "Yes, my mother's tobacco and liquor store closed down a few years ago."

"Yes, things have changed." Qin Xiaokun led Wu Zhiyuan into the private room.

Sun Runcai has not arrived yet.

As the head of the police station, he was even busier than Wu Zhiyuan.

Qin Xiaokun spoke at length about his business experiences over the years.

He wasn't highly educated, having only completed junior high school, but he had experience in the world and was quite knowledgeable. He could vividly recount his adventures in the underworld.

"Old classmate, when you're navigating the social world, especially when dealing with superiors, you have to be good at the art of conversation."

There's a joke that I'm sure you've all heard: Someone went to a priest and asked, "Father, may I smoke while I'm praying?"

The priest immediately became furious: "Of course not! Prayer is such a sacred thing, how could you think about smoking? That's disrespectful to God!"

But after a while, another person went to the priest and asked, "Father, may I pray while I smoke?"

The priest listened and said with great satisfaction, "Of course, my child! You can pray anytime, and God will feel your devotion."