In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong!

In the middle of the night, after Zhong Xiaoai fell asleep, Hou Liangping quietly got up and went to the balcony.

Taking a deep breath, Hou Liangping dialed Zhao Ruilong's number.

The call was connected in just over ten seconds.

"Zhao Ruilong, what do you want to do!"

Zhao Ruilong, sitting opposite him, wasn't angry at all. He just smiled calmly and said, "Director Hou, it tasted good, didn't it? Tsk tsk tsk, a full twenty minutes. I wonder if you put in this much effort for Secretary Zhong."

"Zhao Ruilong!"

"Shh! Director Hou, keep your voice down. Aren't you afraid of waking up Secretary Zhong?"

These words extinguished Hou Liangping's anger, leaving only panic.

"What do you want? Speak plainly!"

Zhao Ruilong did not give a direct answer to this question.

"Director Hou, what do you think will happen if Secretary Zhong sees this video? Will she divorce you right away?"

By the way, you were forced into this situation, and you've been imprisoned for three years.

You'll lose your job and your wife. I've heard you've offended quite a few people in Beijing these past few years!

Without the status of being the son-in-law of the Zhong family, and without the status of a public official, guess what your fate will be!

These words shattered Hou Liangping's psychological defenses inch by inch; the feeling of being choked was unbearable.

"Tell me what you want, and I'll admit defeat!"

After a long silence, Liangping finally uttered these words.

"Hahaha, no need to be nervous, Director Hou. Every cloud has a silver lining."

You are indeed the son-in-law of the Zhong family, but they don't treat you like a human being. They sent you to Handong to deal with your teacher, Gao Yuliang, and to deal with our Zhao family. If you succeed, guess what will happen to you? Who will dare to hire someone who even sent their teacher to jail?

Our Zhao family's reputation is known to all.

Chen Yanshi, that stubborn old man, always went against my dad back then, but my dad never suppressed him; he just blocked his retirement as a deputy provincial-level official. Yi Xuexi was always causing trouble for the Luzhou Food City, but my family never transferred him to the Children's Palace.

Compared to the stingy Zhong family, our Zhao family is generous, Director Hou, what do you think?

Hou Liangping gritted his teeth and muttered, "Yes!"

"Alright, you're still angry. I won't argue with you. I'll give you a choice: cooperate with me. If you cooperate, I guarantee that Zhong Xiaoai will listen to you from now on, and you might even become the Zhong family's son-in-law."

"Tell me what it is first!"

Hou Liangping wasn't stupid. Although he had no other choice, he couldn't jump into an even bigger pit.

"Simple. You cheat on her once, then Zhong Xiaoai will cheat on you once too. Then she'll just cry and beg you not to divorce her. It's a win-win situation for both of us!"

Hou Liangping fell silent. Had he helped someone else cheat on him?

But putting that aside, it's possible that Hou Liangping could actually turn the tables and make the serfs sing.

"I won't force you. I'll give you three days to think it over. If you still haven't given me an answer after three days, I'll have no choice but to get rid of you first."

After saying that, Zhao Ruilong hung up the phone.

Hou Liangping sat silently on the ground, letting the evening breeze ruffle his short hair.

The next day, Zhong Xiaoai went to work as usual.

It just so happens that it was Friday, and Chen Luo was returning to Jingzhou from Lüzhou. To strategize, he needed a pair of eyes—eyes that could gather all the information.

In the internet age, these eyes represent the most elite online teams, and Dongsheng happens to have just such a team.

However, Chen Luo had just returned to Jingzhou when a phone call came in. Upon checking the caller ID, it was Qi Tongwei!

Sitting in the Political and Legal Affairs Commission office, Chen Luo frowned.

"Tongwei, why aren't you staying in the hospital to recover? What's the matter that you're calling me?"

I'll say it again about the discharge instructions: It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. You're not allowed to leave the hospital until you've rested for a full hundred days. Do you understand?

Chen Luo was genuinely afraid that Qi Tongwei would have a sudden epiphany and hobble off to Tian Guofu to confess everything about the Zhao family. If that happened, the charade would fall apart.

"Ahem, Secretary Chen, don't worry, I will definitely stay for the full 100 days. Actually, I called to tell you something. Is now a convenient time for you?"

"I'm all alone now, so go ahead and tell me."

"It's like this, Secretary Chen. Xiaoqin just called me and told me about Zhao Ruilong's situation. Yesterday, Zhao Ruilong used a woman to tie up Hou Liangping. I heard that the woman is Cai Chenggong's wife and is now with Chen Hai."

It seems that Zhao Ruilong's next step is to use Hou Liangping to drag Zhong Xiaoai down with him as well.

That's all I know, Secretary Chen. Do you think this information is useful?

Chen Luo was stunned. He thought Zhao Ruilong wasn't smart enough to outmaneuver Zhong Xiaoai and Hou Liangping, but he never expected him to resort to such underhanded tactics.

Normally, Chen Luo might have thought it was low-class, but now he didn't care whether it was a black cat or a white cat, as long as it caught mice, it was a good cat.

"Okay, I understand. You can continue to report to me if there are any further developments."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Luo immediately abandoned the idea of ​​using the Dong Sheng team. Some things, once done, might be discovered by others. However, it was more discreet to learn about Zhao Ruilong's movements through Qi Tongwei. There was no other reason than that Qi Tongwei was tight-lipped!

"It's like God is helping me..."

With a faint smile, Chen Luo had already deduced Zhao Ruilong's plan. However, if he actually did it, it would be fine if it wasn't exposed, but if it was, the Zhong and Zhao families would have no choice but to fight to the death!

"Alright, I don't even need to bother with the planning."

Shaking his head, Chen Luo decided to wait and see how things would develop.

At the hospital, Qi Tongwei put down his phone and sighed softly. He knew all too well that staying in the hospital was just a waste of time, and what did Secretary Chen need the time to do?

He just didn't want the Zhao family to fall now. He didn't like owing favors. Qi Tongwei was very grateful to have met Chen Luo, otherwise he would still be living in a daze, making one mistake after another.

Chen Luo had work to do in the afternoon.

Chen Luo dealt with some documents from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission this morning. There was no Standing Committee meeting this week, so he planned to visit the Jingzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau this afternoon to see what Director Zhao Donglai was really thinking.

2:40 PM.

Chen Luo's car arrived at the entrance of the Municipal Bureau, where Zhao Donglai and a group of Municipal Bureau officials were already standing at attention to welcome Chen Luo.

As soon as Chen Luo got out of the car, Zhao Donglai trotted up to him, extending both hands and saying, "Secretary Chen, welcome to your second inspection of the Jingzhou Municipal Bureau!"

After shaking hands, Chen Luo said calmly, "Comrade Donglai, I heard from Director Lu of the Supervision Office that your Municipal Bureau has done a very good job, and the security situation in Jingzhou has become a model in the province."

You've done a great job as bureau chief!

Zhao Donglai was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"Secretary Chen, you flatter us. We were simply implementing the spirit of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission's legal system."