At the Pinnacle of Power: The Female Leader and Her Chief Advisor

Lu Ming didn't keep anyone in suspense and explained the whole story.

Upon learning that Zhu Chaoyang and Liang Fei had conspired to set Lu Ming up, Mu Xueqi couldn't help but feel sorry for Lu Ming.

"You got your boyfriend stolen, how come you don't seem angry at all?"

"I was quite angry at first, but later I realized it wasn't necessary."

Lu Ming looked nonchalant, and Mu Xueqi could tell that he genuinely didn't care.

Just then, the waiter brought in the food. Lu Ming looked at Mu Xueqi and asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

Mu Xueqi tilted her head, squinted at Lu Ming, and joked, "What, trying to get me drunk?"

Lu Ming said seriously, "You saw right through me. So, how about I give you a chance?"

"Seriously, even if I offered myself to you, would you dare to make a move?"

Lu Ming chuckled and said to the waiter, "Bring me a bottle of Wuliangye."

The waiter brought over the liquor, and Mu Xueqi immediately filled her two-ounce glass and downed three glasses in a row, leaving Lu Ming dumbfounded.

"Are you crazy?"

Mu Xueqi rolled her eyes at Lu Ming and said irritably, "You're the one who's crazy."

"I didn't understand things clearly during the interrogation, and I wrongly accused you."

"Even though you don't say it, I know you still mind it."

"These three glasses of wine are my apology to you. If you feel it's not enough, I'll continue drinking."

After saying that, she actually poured herself another full glass.

Lu Ming stared blankly at Mu Xueqi. The girl's eyes were stubborn, and she was clearly not just talking.

If he were to express any dissatisfaction, she would probably just throw up her head and start cooking without saying a word!

"Alright, alright, I'm not that petty. I've already forgotten about the interrogation."

"Here, have some food to calm down."

Mu Xueqi ate the eggplant Lu Ming had picked up for her, pouted, and said, "If you weren't so petty, would you have sent your girlfriend to jail?"

"..."

Lu Ming's lips twitched; he couldn't refute it.

……

Meanwhile, in a private room of a fairly upscale restaurant, Zhou Lin was having dinner with her colleagues from the secretariat.

These people were all her seniors, and in the past, when they spoke to her, they always had an air of superiority over her.

But at this moment, they were all incredibly enthusiastic, raising their glasses to congratulate her on her promotion with ingratiating smiles on their faces.

Zhou Lin has a low alcohol tolerance and can't drink much, but she couldn't resist the constant toasts and flattery from these seniors.

So after a short while, she became quite giddy.

Li Ping sat next to her and, seeing Zhou Lin's dazed look, took the initiative to help her out, saying, "Alright, alright, everyone drink less. Zhou Lin just started as a secretary today; if she drinks too much, it might affect her work tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin instantly sobered up considerably.

Yes, I just became Mayor Yu's secretary, I can't let drinking affect my work on the second day!

The group sat for a while longer before dispersing and heading home.

Stepping out of the hotel, a gentle breeze brought back the effects of the alcohol that Zhou Lin had suppressed.

She felt her stomach churning violently and was extremely uncomfortable, so she squatted down and started vomiting.

"Xiao Zhou, are you alright?"

Li Ping quickly squatted down and gently patted her back.

It's more accurate to describe it as a stroking motion from top to bottom than a light pat.

In fact, Li Ping had been eyeing Zhou Lin for a long time, but before he could make a move to sexually harass her, Zhou Lin was chosen by Mayor Yu to be his secretary.

"I...I'm fine, thank you...Director Li."

Li Ping took out a tissue and wiped Zhou Lin's mouth.

After vomiting, Zhou Lin felt much clearer-headed.

"Let's go, I'll take you home."

"Thank you, Director Li."

"That's too formal. We're all family. Saying thank you would make us seem distant."

After getting on the bus, Li Ping started chatting casually.

"Xiao Zhou, you've been in the secretariat for more than half a year now, so I know you pretty well."

"You work hard and are ambitious, which is obvious to everyone. But within the system, many things can't be accomplished just by being hardworking and ambitious."

Zhou Lin looked at Li Ping with a somewhat confused expression and asked, "Director Li, I don't quite understand what you mean?"

Li Ping said, "Xiao Zhou, have you ever thought about why Mayor Yu specifically chose you to be her secretary out of all the people in our secretariat?"

Zhou Lin shook her head.

Li Ping then asked, "How many secretaries does Secretary Lin have?"

"one."

"And what about Mayor Jiang?"

"That's one too."

Zhou Lin seemed to understand what Li Ping wanted to say.

All leaders have only one secretary, except for Mayor Yu, who has two.

Li Ping chuckled: "You've figured it out? So, you're only temporarily Mayor Yu's secretary. Whether you or Lu Ming will stay depends on your performance."

Zhou Lin suddenly felt a pang of panic, but she still firmly said, "I will definitely try my best to stay!"

Li Ping laughed: "What makes you think you can beat Lu Ming?"

"Lu Ming served as Mayor Song's secretary for three years. In terms of ability, you are not as good as him. In terms of understanding of the officialdom in Songxi, you are far inferior to him. In terms of shrewdness and tactics, you are no match for him."

"I...I..."

Zhou Lin stammered for a long time but couldn't say a word in rebuttal.

Zhou Lin said dejectedly, "If he's so capable, why did Mayor Yu even choose me?"

Li Ping replied, "It's simple, because Mayor Yu doesn't trust him."

"And that's precisely where you might have a chance to beat him!"

"Normally, if Mayor Song commits suicide out of fear of punishment, his secretary would naturally be marginalized."

"But when Mayor Yu came, he continued to keep him as his secretary. Have you ever wondered why?"

Zhou Lin shook her head!

"You must have heard about Zhu Chaoyang being placed under investigation, right?"

"Um."

"That's the reason! Because Lu Ming has dirt on the city leaders, he handed it over to Mayor Yu as a pledge of loyalty, which is why Mayor Yu made him his secretary."

Zhou Lin suddenly realized what was going on.

"However, this is nothing more than a transaction. How could Mayor Yu trust him because of this? That's why Mayor Yu chose you as her secretary."

"If you perform well, Mayor Yu will definitely treat you as her chief secretary!"

"As for Lu Ming, even if we don't transfer him, he'll gradually fall out of favor."

Zhou Lin nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Li Ping's point.

She had never thought about these things herself, and if she hadn't heard Li Ping say them, she probably would never have understood them in her entire life.

"Thank you, Director Li."

Zhou Lin was genuinely grateful; she felt that this former leader had been truly good to her.

Li Ping found it somewhat amusing to see her so grateful to him.

This little sparrow is just a little sparrow, so easy to fool!

"Don't thank me yet, I haven't finished speaking."

"If I can think of these things, Lu Ming can definitely think of them too."

"Let me ask you, if you were in that situation, going to such great lengths to regain your secretary position, would you willingly accept being marginalized?"

"Of course I'm not willing to accept this."

"Yes, Lu Ming definitely won't be content with that. So if he wants to secure his position, he'll definitely make a move against you."

"If we get rid of you, then the mayor's secretary position will be his alone, right?"

Hearing this, Zhou Lin's heart jumped again. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that what Li Ping said made sense.

His appearance had affected Lu Ming's status, and Lu Ming would definitely try to get rid of him.

In a moment of panic, Zhou Lin instinctively grabbed Li Ping's hand and asked, "Director Li, what should we do now?"

Li Ping patted her hand with a smile, pretending to be confident, and said, "Don't panic, this matter is actually quite simple!"

Zhou Lin waited quietly for Li Ping to continue, but instead heard him chuckle and say, "It's best to strike first."

"what?"

Zhou Lin began to ponder the meaning of Li Ping's words.

She seemed to know what it meant.

However, she had no experience in this area, and even if she wanted to start, she didn't know where to begin.

She looked at Li Ping again and said, "Director Li, I still don't quite understand. Could you explain it to me in more detail?"

Li Ping said mysteriously, "Well, all you need to do is..."

He had just started talking when Li Ping suddenly stopped.

Zhou Lin was about to urge him on when she saw Li Ping glance at the designated driver in front of them and say, "Let's talk about it when we get to your place later."