Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

Huang Zhiqiang sat on the platform, his pen twirling in his hand. He spoke very little today; usually, he would agree with Liu Zhi at meetings, but today he said nothing. Han Ligang sat below the stage, head down, lost in thought. Li Jianping sat opposite Liu Zhi, his gaze occasionally sweeping over him before quickly looking away. Zhao Liangyu sat upright, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

The meeting ended at 10:30. Lin Feng said "Meeting adjourned," and the Standing Committee members got up one after another, packed up their documents, talked in hushed tones, and walked out the door.

Liu Zhi stood up, closed the folder in front of him, and prepared to leave. Just then, the meeting room door was pushed open.

He Bing walked at the front, followed by four staff members from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, all wearing dark jackets, with serious expressions and quick steps.

The air in the meeting room froze instantly. Some people stopped in their tracks, some stepped aside, and some held their breath.

Liu Zhi stood still, still holding the folder in his hand, watching He Bing walk towards him step by step.

"Comrade Liu Zhi, according to the decision of the Provincial Party Committee, you are now being placed under detention. Please cooperate." He Bing's voice was not loud, but in the quiet conference room, every word was as clear as a needle piercing everyone's ears.

Liu Zhi's face was as white as paper. His hands trembled slightly, but he didn't struggle, didn't argue, and didn't even ask why.

He lowered his head, placed the folder in his hand on the table, and then extended his hands, allowing the staff to handcuff him. The clanging of metal echoed in the conference room, like a heavy hammer blow striking everyone's heart.

He was taken away. As he walked out of the conference room, his steps were slow, and his back was slightly hunched. In the corridor, several staff members saw him, froze, and stepped aside to make way for him.

The elevator doors opened, he stepped inside, turned around, and faced outwards. As the doors closed, his gaze swept over the familiar faces in the corridor; some lowered their heads, some turned away, and some remained expressionless. No one spoke.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the municipal party committee building. Some whispered in the corridors, some made phone calls behind closed doors in their offices, and others exchanged glances in the break room. By noon, the entire Pingjiang officialdom knew—Mayor Liu Zhi had been taken away by the provincial discipline inspection commission.

In the afternoon, the news reached the headquarters of Tiansheng Group. Zhou Tianming was in his office discussing business with several clients when Zhong Zhihao pushed open the door, his face grim. He walked over to Zhou Tianming and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhou Tianming's expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled as he said to the clients, "Excuse me, something urgent has come up. That's all for today's meeting; we'll talk again another day."

After the client left, Zhou Tianming closed the door, turned around, and looked at Zhong Zhihao. "When did this happen?"

Zhong Zhihao said, "This morning, the Standing Committee meeting had just adjourned. People from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection took him away directly from the meeting room."

Zhou Tianming clenched his fists, veins bulging. He walked to the window, his back to Zhong Zhihao, and remained silent for a long time. "Liu Zhi can't take it."

His voice was low, as if squeezed from his chest, "He knows too much. He's spoken, and we're all finished."

Zhong Zhihao remained silent. Zhou Tianming turned to look at him. "Inform your subordinates to take care of everything that needs to be dealt with. Burn or delete any ledgers, contracts, or transfer records that can be burned. Also, arrange for those key personnel to go into hiding for a while."

Zhong Zhihao nodded. "I'll take care of it right away."

He turned to leave, but Zhou Tianming called him back. "Also, tell He Laoliu to watch his mouth. If he dares to say anything out of line, neither his wife nor his children will live."

Zhong Zhihao didn't say anything, and went out.

At 4:30 PM, Huang Zhiqiang's car entered the underground parking lot of Tiansheng Group's headquarters. Wearing a hat and mask, head down, he quickly stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator doors opened, and Zhou Tianming was already waiting in the corridor. The two didn't speak, one after the other, and entered the office, closing the door and drawing the curtains.

Huang Zhiqiang sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, his hand still trembling slightly. He took a puff, coughing a few times as he choked. Zhou Tianming sat opposite him, watching him without saying a word.

"Old Zhou," Huang Zhiqiang said, his voice a little hoarse, "Liu Zhi can't take it. You know how timid he is. If the provincial discipline inspection commission interrogates him, he'll tell you anything."

Zhou Tianming remained silent.

Huang Zhiqiang took another drag of his cigarette, this time without choking. "If he betrays us, we're finished. You, me, Han Ligang, Zhao Anguo, and all those people in the province—none of us will escape."

Zhou Tianming finally spoke, his voice calm, but a chilling undercurrent lurked in his eyes. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Huang Zhiqiang looked at him, his eyes filled with fear and expectation. "Old Zhou, you have to think of something. Don't you have connections in the province? Your uncle isn't..." He didn't finish his sentence because Zhou Tianming's expression changed.

Zhou Tianming remained silent for a long time. He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Huang Zhiqiang. Outside, the sky over Pingjiang was hazy, and the distant mines were shrouded in smog. His voice was low, almost as if he were talking to himself. "I'm going to find my uncle."

Huang Zhiqiang paused for a moment, then asked, "Will your uncle help you?"

Zhou Tianming didn't answer. He stood there, gazing out the window, motionless for a long, long time. Huang Zhiqiang didn't urge him; he just sat on the sofa, smoking one cigarette after another.

After a long while, Zhou Tianming turned around and looked at him. "Go back first. Wait for my news."

Huang Zhiqiang stood up, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, walked to the door, then turned back. "Old Zhou, we're in the same boat. You can't run away, and neither can I."

Zhou Tianming didn't speak. The door closed. He stood alone in the empty office, the sky outside almost dark. He picked up the phone on the desk and dialed his uncle's number. The phone rang once, twice, three times, four times. No one answered. He hung up and dialed again. Still no one answered.

He put down the phone, sat down in a chair, and closed his eyes. His uncle wasn't answering his calls. Did he not know, or did he not want to? He didn't know. But he knew he had to go. Whether his uncle saw him or not, he had to go.

The next morning, Zhou Tianming set off. Before dawn, he drove alone out of Pingjiang city. He didn't bring a driver, no entourage, and didn't even tell Zhong Zhihao.

He only brought a cell phone, a briefcase, and a heart filled with anxiety.

The car entered the highway and headed north. The sky outside the window changed from inky black to deep blue, then from deep blue to grayish-white. The trees on both sides of the road rushed past, and the distant mountains appeared and disappeared in the morning mist. Zhou Tianming gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his mind replaying the scene of his uncle's last meeting with him.

By the time the car entered Lucheng, it was already broad daylight.