Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

Zhong Xiaoai still had to report to Fuyuan Town No. 1 Primary School, so after lingering for a while, she left the office.

Smelling the lingering odor in the room, Qi Tongwei lit a cigarette and sat in a chair, lost in thought.

Zhong Xiaoai's volunteer teaching... He always felt something was off; how could the Zhong family allow Zhong Xiaoai to be so willful...?

Lost in thought, the phone on the table suddenly rang.

Qi Tongwei didn't think much of it, picked up the phone casually, and said something out of habit.

"County Party Secretary Qi Tongwei..."

As he finished speaking, a hearty laugh came from the phone, instantly energizing him.

As the laughter subsided, Wang Quanyou's voice rang out, steady yet tinged with amusement.

"Tongwei... your Zhong Xiaoai has gone to Fuyuan, right?"

Qi Tongwei was taken aback and became suspicious, but he didn't dare to ask and answered honestly.

"Secretary Wang, you are truly a prophet; nothing can be hidden from you..."

This girl joined the higher-level lecturer group... The county committee just hosted a welcome dinner for the lecturer group at noon..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Quanyou spoke again with a laugh on the other end of the phone.

"Sigh, it's not that I'm a prophet, I'm just slow to realize things..."

I'm calling you on someone else's behalf...

Wang Quanyou's words were incoherent and left Qi Tongwei frowning, completely bewildered.

Just as he was about to ask for clarification, Wang Quanyou spoke again, but with a touch of emotion in his voice.

"Oh, I only found out recently too. Xiao Ai is actually the old sergeant's daughter..."

No wonder she looked familiar when I saw her last time. What a coincidence...

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei felt a pang of anxiety and gripped the microphone even tighter.

He swallowed hard and asked in a soft, steady voice.

"Wang, Secretary Wang... I, I didn't quite understand... what does that mean..."

Wang Quanyou seemed satisfied with Qi Tongwei's reaction and let out another hearty laugh.

After laughing, Wang Quanyou spoke again.

"Silly boy, can't you understand... your girlfriend is my old sergeant's daughter..."

My old sergeant called and asked me to look after his daughter... so I'm calling you now...

You little rascal... I really don't know what to say about you... I guess you're just lucky..."

He paused slightly at this point, then chuckled and joked.

"Sigh, I didn't know before, so I let it go... but now I'm practically Xiao Ai's family..."

"If you dare to bully Xiao Ai, don't blame me for not letting you off the hook..."

Qi Tongwei frowned, giving perfunctory replies, but his mind was rapidly piecing together clues.

When Zhong Xiaoai came to teach in a rural area, her father called Wang Quanyou, who then called her...

He knew perfectly well that, given Wang Quanyou's shrewdness, he would never bypass Zhong Zhengguo and speak to him privately...

Thinking about it this way, Zhong Zhengguo was playing his cards right in front of him, directly revealing his entire portfolio...

People of Chung Cheng-kuo's caliber would never do anything in vain...

What exactly is Zhong Zhengguo's purpose in doing this?

Was it a show of defiance or a gesture of goodwill? Qi Tongwei couldn't figure it out for a moment.

While I was pondering this, Wang Quanyou's voice came through the phone again.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question, why aren't you answering? Is Xiao Ai settled in yet?"

Qi Tongwei snapped out of his daze, paused for a moment, and then answered softly.

"Secretary Wang, don't worry... I have to make sure Xiao Ai is settled in, both for my own sake and for public reasons..."

She teaches at Fuyuan Town Primary School, which has some of the best facilities in the county...

Everything has been arranged for her, and she won't suffer any hardship.

He paused slightly, gave a wry smile, and continued.

"However, as you know, the conditions in Bianxi are incomparable to those in Handong."

Teaching here will inevitably involve hardship. I'm actually a little worried that she won't be able to adapt..."

After hearing Qi Tongwei's explanation, Wang Quanyou stopped asking about Zhong Xiaoai's situation.

He changed the subject, asked some questions about work in Fuyuan County, and then prepared to end the call.

As the call was about to end, Qi Tongwei gritted his teeth and tentatively asked a question.

"Secretary Wang... I... I heard that Zhang Wei was murdered..."

He stopped mid-sentence and waited for Wang Quanyou's reaction.

After a long silence on the other end of the phone, Wang Quanyou finally spoke.

"This is a complicated matter... You're not a newcomer anymore, you should be able to understand..."

Do your job well and don't pry into your superiors' affairs...

Sometimes, keeping your distance isn't a bad thing. Especially when facing a whirlpool...

Wang Quanyou's voice wasn't loud, and his tone was very calm, but it sent a chill down Qi Tongwei's spine.

He narrowed his eyes and replied softly.

"Okay, Secretary, I understand..."

Wang Quanyou didn't say anything more, paused slightly, and then said something.

"When you have time, bring Xiao Ai over for dinner..."

"I'm bringing Xiao Ai over for dinner this weekend."

After saying that, he hung up the phone hastily without waiting for Qi Tongwei's reply.

After hanging up the phone, Qi Tongwei was somewhat lost in thought as he listened to the busy tone on the receiver.

Wang Quanyou's words were very straightforward, almost an explicit statement.

Tell him not to get involved in Zhang Wei's case and to stay away from the center of the storm.

Zhang Wei's death, Zhong Zhengguo's sudden revelation, Wang Quanyou's explicit hints...

Qi Tongwei felt that these things were somewhat related, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure it out.

He rubbed his aching temples, lit a cigarette, and forced himself to calm down.

He was just about to go over the whole story again when there was a sudden knock on the door, which startled him.

Before he could speak, the door was pushed open, and Baimaiti walked in with a smile.

Seeing that Qi Tongwei's expression was off, he glanced around the room and made a sarcastic remark.

"It's broad daylight, and your sister-in-law isn't even home, what are you panicking for... what mischief are you up to..."

Qi Tongwei glanced at him, tossed him a cigarette, and said irritably.

"You're so scary, you don't even realize it... You never say anything nice. What's wrong? Just say it..."

Baimaiti took the cigarette, plopped down on the sofa, and looked completely unconcerned.

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and smiled as he spoke to Qi Tongwei.

"I had Zharta move Xiao Ai and that teacher's accommodations to the county government guesthouse..."

Xiao Ai's room is right next to yours...

After saying that, he winked at Qi Tongwei and gave a mischievous smile.

Qi Tongwei looked at his scrunched-up eyebrows and was momentarily at a loss for words.

He sighed, shook his head, and muttered a complaint under his breath.

"Brother Bai...you are the head of a county, after all...aren't you busy enough with the work in the county?"

"You... what should I say to you... isn't this a bit redundant...?"

Baimaiti took a drag of his cigarette, looked at Qi Tongwei, and answered very seriously.

"What kind of talk is that... Caring for comrades is also part of the job..."

As your older brother, it's my responsibility to help you with your personal issues...

After saying that, a wicked smile reappeared on his face, and he said softly.

"However...you are, after all, the county party secretary, and she is a young teacher sent to the border region..."

You two haven't registered your marriage yet... so you should still be mindful of the consequences..."

Qi Tongwei was too lazy to pay attention to him, and after a moment's thought, he changed the subject.

"Brother Bai, let's not mention Zhang Wei's matter again; we need to control the scope..."

"Don't proactively investigate accidents involving water diversion culverts; the higher-ups have their reasons..."

Qi Tongwei's words jumped around so drastically that Baimaiti was taken aback.

He looked at Qi Tongwei intently, pointed upwards, and asked softly.

"Have you received instructions?"

Qi Tongwei glanced at Baimaiti, nodded, and replied softly.

"We just spoke on the phone..."