Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Plan is Set

  In the suburbs of Qingzhou City, there is a group of villas built on the mountain, with 18 independent villas divided into upper and lower floors, courtyards, green spaces, swimming pools, and private gardens. The villas are backed by Murong Mountain and face the Qinghe River, offering a panoramic view from the windows, with flowers and trees in full bloom, making it one of the most famous places in Qingzhou.

  The building complex named Jingu Garden, developed by Minghua Group of Gu Shi Tong, was completed in 93 and has never been sold to the outside world. However, from time to time, some luxury cars can be seen entering and leaving. Ordinary people are stopped by security guards at the gate, making it difficult to catch a glimpse, which has led to many rumors among the Qingzhou alleys, adding a touch of mystery to this place. Those who know the inside story privately refer to Jingu Garden as Pantao Garden, alluding to the legend of Queen Mother's Peach Banquet, with implications that are self-evident.

  A black Mercedes-Benz S600 slowly drove into the Jin Valley Garden from the Pan Mountain Road and stopped in front of a villa on the third row. A very tall but unusually thin man got out of the car, followed by a beautiful woman wearing a purple professional suit, who was curvy in figure. The two entered the villa hall and sat on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window for a few minutes before a voice came from the balcony on the second floor:

  "Uncle Mu, you've arrived."

  Mu Zechen, the number one subordinate of Gu Shidong, also known as the "First Loyal Dog" by his opponents, stood up with a smile on his thin face and said: "Wen Yuan, what's the hurry to find Uncle?" Gu Shidong has been in Guanshan City for many years. He is a teacher from the Imperial Academy, although he is now wealthy and noble, but he still has very strict requirements for Gu Wen yuan. In order not to let him learn some bad habits from some high-ranking children in Guanshan, he reluctantly left him in Qingzhou to study, entrusting Mu Zechen to take care of him. The old nest on the side of Qingzhou was also handed over to Mu Zechen to manage with full authority.

  Wearing a set of casual home clothes, Gu Wenyan walked down the spiral staircase, stretched his waist with sleepy eyes, and didn't answer. As if he had just seen a beautiful woman, he said, "Shu jie, you're here too?"

  Qī Shū pursed her lips and smiled, her pure face paired with a flirtatious gaze, the two extreme feelings giving off a fatally enticing aura. "We secretaries are all miserable, wherever the boss goes, we have to follow."

  Mu Zechen said: "Don't tease me anymore. Now you are having a better time in Qingzhou than I am, how dare I take you as my secretary?"

  The three of them sat down laughing, and Mu Ze asked again: "What's so important that it has to be discussed here?" This villa was a place where Gu Shi Tong occasionally rested, and Gu Wen Yuan usually lived in his home in the city.

  Gu Wenyan played with the teacup in his hand and suddenly said: "Can we get rid of Wen Huaiming?"

  Muzi heard from Mushi that Gu Wenyan and Wen Huaiming's son, Wen Qian, had a bit of a history, but it was just a small matter between children, nothing serious.

  He flatly refused: "No way!"

  Gu Wenyan knew his temper and saying no meant it was really not possible, nor did he expect him to explain, his gaze shifted towards Qi Shu.

  "The situation in Qingzhou is very delicate, seemingly calm, but it may explode at any moment. Our interests in Qingzhou do not have a fundamental conflict with either the Xu or Zhou factions, so no matter who takes power, it's all the same to us. Therefore, the best strategy for now is to sit back and watch the tigers fight...". Even when Qi Shu was seriously analyzing the situation, she couldn't help but make people think of other things, which was also the magic that made her Qingzhou's most famous socialite.

  Mu Zechen said, "Wen Huiming is just a small fry, and it's not a big deal to make a move. But he's currently very close to Xu Fuyan, and if he misleads Xu Fuyan into thinking that we're allying with Zhou Yuanting, it will be harmful to Minghua without any benefits."

  This answer made Gu Wenyan's face turn very gloomy, and Mu Zechen also didn't speak up. He understood Gu Wenyan far better than Gu Shiyong did. In the eyes of Gu Shiyong and many outsiders, Gu Wenyan was polite, kind to others, and didn't have any of the bad habits of a spoiled rich kid. He was a well-behaved good son, a smart good student, and a loyal good friend. But what about the real Gu Wenyan? Thinking back to all those times he had helped him wipe his butt since middle school, Mu Zechen got a headache.

  Gu Wenyan suddenly changed the subject and asked: "Do you know what happened to Ji Zheng, the deputy director of Qinghua Factory?"

  "What's going on?" Mu Ze looked at Qi Shu and saw her shake her head, knowing it wasn't a big deal. "Wait ten minutes."

  Zi Xiu walked to one side and made a few phone calls, waited for a few minutes before they came back one after another.

  "Uh-huh, got it, thanks Director Lin..."

  "I'm really troubling Director Cao, okay, tomorrow at the Rich Hotel, I'll definitely be on time..."

  After hanging up the phone, Qi Shu said: "I've asked clearly, it was Yuan Dazhu who framed him, and he's currently being held at the Nan Gong branch. Ji Zheng was reported for using his power to accept bribes from suppliers, buying low-quality goods at high prices, and embezzling funds during his tenure as head of the Qinghua factory. The total amount is not large, less than 500,000 yuan, which is extremely clean for a deputy factory head with assets in the hundreds of millions. But this person has no backing, he only rose to power because of the favor of the former factory head, and now that Yuan Dazhu has framed him, his future is doomed, not to mention the possibility of spending over a decade in prison, haha."

  When Qī Shū covered her mouth and laughed, her body under the suit shook slightly with it. From her eyebrows to her waist, she was truly beautiful everywhere, yet utterly ruthless. Just by listening to her casually mention someone's life and death, one could understand what kind of heartless woman she was. Gu Wén Yuán's blood was still hot, although he knew that this woman was absolutely untouchable, his heart still skipped a beat. On the other hand, Mù Zé Chén, who was used to her behavior, frowned slightly and said: "Fifty million is just a small amount, Yuān Dà Zhù is now full of lice in his head, does he still have the mood to do these little tricks? Idiot!"

  Gu Wenyan suddenly remembered the scene on the rooftop, Ji Su's beautiful and moving face, Wen Yan's hateful smile, Xu Yao's disdainful eyes, all flashing through his mind before fixing on that dirty black windbreaker. He could no longer suppress the anger in his heart, leaned forward, staring at Mu Zechen: "Uncle Mu, help me with something!"

  Mu Ze Chen sneered inwardly, thinking that he really took him for a fool. First, propose a request that will inevitably be rejected, and then propose the real purpose to make him agree. At such a young age, he already knows how to play with these tactics, truly a child who can be taught!

  But that's nothing, he smiled slightly: "You said!"

  Di Yuan Garden

  Zuo Yuxi hung up the phone, nodded to Wen Qian and said: "Not bad, Ji Zheng was indeed framed by Yuan Dazhu, your view is very reasonable, maybe he really knows some secrets about Yuan Dazhu..."

  Wen Qian had just explained the cause and effect of Ji Zheng's case to Zuo Yuxi, but whenever it involved things from his past life, he replaced them with his own conjectures. Fortunately, at this time, Zuo Yuxi already trusted him very much, and after deliberation, he felt that it was feasible, so he immediately made a few phone calls. Although doing anything in Qingzhou was not as convenient as before, it was still possible to inquire about some information.

  After a moment of consideration, he asked: "Now in Qingzhou's public security system, who else is relatively trustworthy?"

  Zuo Yuxi pulled out a pen and paper from under the tea table, scribbled down a few names, pointed to the first one and said: "The director of the Municipal Bureau, Zhao Xinkuan, used to be my dad's man. This guy is clever and capable, very skilled at handling things. However, he's already old, doesn't have much ambition, just wants to hold onto his position until retirement. So after Zhen Yudong came, he's been wavering and observing, a complete old slippery head! I can ask him for some small favors, but if it requires going all out and risking everything, this guy is unreliable!"

  Wen nodded slightly and drew a line through the character "Zhao".

  "Lin Zhen, the deputy director of the municipal bureau, is a man who came down from the province last year to take up a temporary post. He has a deep background and is said to have some connections with Gu Shi. My father warned me not to mess with him when he was alive."

  Cross out another one.

  Zheng Yunzhong...

  Forget it.

  "Kwok Man Chi..."

  Forget it.

  "Liu Tianlai, the fifth-ranked deputy director, is a grassroots police officer who has risen through the ranks. He has been awarded multiple times for his outstanding performance and is a well-known figure in the Jiangdong Provincial Public Security System, with significant influence among the middle and lower levels of Qingzhou. His father holds him in high esteem and has promoted him to deputy director step by step; otherwise, with his explosive temper, he would have been skinned alive and killed by his enemies long ago. This man is still young, and I should be able to control him for now."

  Just by listening to Zuo Yu Xi's words, it's clear that Zuo Mei Nu isn't just a vase relying on her looks. She can astutely discern the pros and cons of human relationships in a complex web, and among people with the same surname "Zuo", one who is older and lacks ambition will likely betray, while another who is ambitious can be guided and utilized by circumstance. Is this kind of calculation something an ignorant woman could clearly understand?

  Wen Cheng picked up his pen and tapped it on the character "Liu" a few times, suddenly filled with anticipation: what kind of father would be able to raise such an amazing talent like Liu Zhihe?