Chapter 230: The Unpredictable Tide (Part 6)
Chapter 230: The Unpredictable Tide (Part 6)
After delivering the news of Yang Weige’s death, Hou Weidong froze, his body still pressed against Xiaojia’s.
Xiaojia noticed the sudden change in his expression. She pinched his arm sharply and said, “I told you earlier to turn off your phone during intimacy.”
Hou Weidong propped himself up on his hands, ignoring her. His mind raced with disbelief. Yang Weige is dead? How could he die? Why would he die?
A sharp pain in his arm brought him back to reality. Xiaojia had pinched him again.
He finally snapped out of his trance and explained, “As the secretary to the County Party Secretary, I must keep my phone on twenty-four hours a day. That was an urgent call.”
Xiaojia feigned annoyance. “If you keep thinking about other things, I’m going to get angry.”
Hou Weidong leaned down and kissed her earlobe. Supporting himself with one hand, he used the other to trace the curve of her waist, lingering briefly on her nipple.
“Forget about it for now. Even if the sky were to fall, we can deal with it later.” Hou Weidong shook his head to clear his thoughts, then thrust forward with sudden, heavy force. Caught off guard by the intensity, Xiaojia let out a soft cry, her eyes growing hazy with pleasure. “Hurry up, don’t stop.”
Hou Weidong released his essence in a storm of passion, then collapsed onto Xiaojia’s body, exhausted. She held him tightly, whispering, “You belong only to me.”
Once they had calmed down, Hou Weidong’s mind returned to Yang Weige. He took his mobile phone into the bathroom, closed the door, and dialed Zhu Yan.
“Secretary Zhu, Yang Weige is dead.”
Zhu Yan was hypersensitive to the ringtone in the middle of the night. He picked up the bedside phone with a hint of irritation, but Hou Weidong’s quiet words instantly banished his sleepiness.
“How is the Procuratorate handling this?”
“Director Shang is leading the investigation team personally.”
Zhu Yan sat up on the edge of the bed, tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder. He lit a cigarette, took two drags, and said, “Dead? What is Li Du doing? Go to the scene and look around. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow.”
Zhu Yan hung up and pulled the thin towel over himself, but sleep was impossible. He stared at the ceiling, listening to his wife’s soft snoring, which seemed unusually long in the darkness, echoing the songs she had sung during the day.
Hou Weidong walked out of the bathroom and said to Xiaojia, who was lying in bed, “I have to go out for a while. It’s urgent. Secretary Zhu has assigned me a task.”
Xiaojia said, “Hug me before you go.”
***
In the Procuratorate office, Shang Guanghua, Li Du, Bai Ning, Tang Xiaowei, Li Jianyong, and others were seated in the conference room. When Hou Weidong entered, Li Du seemed to have grasped a lifeline.
“Secretary Hou, what are Secretary Zhu’s instructions?”
Yang Weige had died right in front of Tang Xiaowei. Tang’s face was as pale as Yang Weige’s corpse had been. He stared intently at Hou Weidong’s mouth, as if expecting flames to burst forth from it.
Hou Weidong became the center of attention in the room. He spoke slowly, “Secretary Zhu didn’t give specific orders. He just asked me to come and understand the situation.”
Shang Guanghua, formerly the Deputy Chief Procurator, had recently taken office as the Public Security Bureau Director. It had been only a few days since his appointment, yet incidents had plagued the Procuratorate one after another. As the new official, he needed to show his strength. If he failed to solve the case within the Procuratorate, his authority would be undermined, and the Yiyang Public Security Bureau would likely sink into another low point, reminiscent of the chaotic early 1980s.
“Secretary Hou, our bureau has assembled its best personnel and begun the investigation. The cause of Yang Weige’s death will be determined soon. Let Captain Li explain the specific details of the case.”
Li Jianyong watched Hou Weidong sit casually next to Director Shang and felt a twinge of discomfort. How did Hou Weidong get so lucky, becoming Secretary Zhu’s secretary?
He cleared his throat and said, “Although the toxicology results are not yet available, based on my experience, it is highly likely that he died from poisoning. The source of the poison was the steamed bun he ate last. Poisoning someone inside the Procuratorate is unprecedented in Yiyang, or even in Shazhou. This should be classified as a malicious homicide. The Criminal Investigation Detachment has detained everyone who had access to that bun and is screening them one by one, hoping to identify the suspect.”
Shang Guanghua added, “The Shazhou Public Security Bureau attaches great importance to this case. They have already dispatched several senior criminal investigators to assist us. This case can be investigated jointly with the arson case.”
Everyone offered their opinions, waiting for the laboratory results.
At 1:00 AM, the results arrived at the Procuratorate office: “Hydrogen cyanide poisoning.”
At 1:10 AM, the Shazhou criminal investigators arrived at the conference room. An older investigator with a full beard entered without exchanging pleasantries and said directly, “I already know the case details from the phone call. I have a suggestion: the three prosecutors who conducted the interrogation should also be subjected to separate, back-to-back questioning.”
Shang Guanghua and Li Du exchanged glances. Li Du nodded slightly. Shang Guanghua said, “We will follow Captain Zhu’s advice. Please understand, prosecutors.”
Though Tang Xiaowei felt deeply wronged, he was separated from the two colleagues who had assisted in the interrogation. The Shazhou investigators questioned them individually. These seasoned detectives had a complete routine for such back-to-back interrogations; by comparing the statements, they could spot inconsistencies in the details.
Once the investigators were busy with their tasks, Shang Guanghua began introducing the people present to Captain Zhu. When he reached Hou Weidong, Shang waved his hand and said, “No need to introduce him. Look at his face; he must be Hou Weiguo’s brother.”
Hou Weidong smiled and said, “Hou Weiguo is my…”
“I am Hou Weidong,” Shang Guanghua corrected himself, adding, “Hou Weidong is Secretary Zhu’s secretary at the County Party Committee.”
Captain Zhu gave a thumbs-up. “You brothers are both excellent. Weiguo joined the Shazhou Criminal Investigation Detachment not long ago and has solved several major cases. He is already a key member of our team. If he didn’t have other assignments, he would have come with us.”
Chief Procurator Li Du showed no expression on his face, but inside, he felt deeply discouraged.
To investigate a case involving the Agricultural Products Company, the evidence room had been burned down. Now, Yang Weige had been poisoned to death during an interrogation. The series of events had left the Procuratorate staff dumbfounded. They no longer trusted each other, fearing that a colleague working alongside them might be the hidden mole within the institution.
A strange atmosphere permeated the entire Procuratorate. For a Chief Procurator, could there be anything worse?
There were no results that night.
The next day, Hou Weidong waited in the doorway to hand Zhu Yan his briefcase and followed him into the car. Zhu Yan did not ask about the murder case, so Hou Weidong did not bring it up either.
The three people in the car remained silent.
Only after reaching the office did Zhu Yan ask, “How was the situation last night?”
Hou Weidong reported the details briefly. Zhu Yan listened quietly, then said, “Call Gu Tiejun, the Deputy Director of the Development Planning Commission, here.”
Gu Tiejun was a graduate of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. Because of his tall, slender build, he was jokingly called “Cloud Crane.” Upon receiving the call from the County Party Committee Office, he put down his work and hurried upstairs. Seeing Hou Weidong, he asked, “Secretary Hou, is there an emergency?”
Hou Weidong did not answer. “Secretary Zhu is waiting for you.”
After Gu Tiejun was seated, Hou Weidong prepared to leave the office as usual, but Zhu Yan said, “Don’t go. Sit here.”
Zhu Yan looked calmly at Gu Tiejun. When Gu Tiejun began to feel uneasy, Zhu Yan suddenly said, “You are a top graduate from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, and you are very familiar with economic work. The County Party Committee has a heavy responsibility for you. Are you willing to take it on?”
Gu Tiejun straightened his back and said, “As long as Secretary Zhu trusts me, I am willing to take on the heavy responsibility assigned by the County Party Committee.”
Zhu Yan then said, “The Yiyang Agricultural Products Company was once a star enterprise in Yiyang, famous in Shazhou and even in Lingxi. In the past, it was on par with Ling Pickled Mustard Tuber. But now, one is in the sky, and the other has fallen to the dust. Your responsibility is to restore the glory of the Yiyang Agricultural Products Company. Act boldly and decisively. I am your backing.”
Gu Tiejun had long been engaged in economic work and was well aware of the current state of the Yiyang Agricultural Products Company. He hesitated slightly, but the desire to control an enterprise had been lurking in his mind for a long time. Zhu Yan had given him an opportunity, and he was unwilling to give it up under any circumstances.
“I guarantee to Secretary Zhu that even if I have to give my all, I will revitalize the Agricultural Products Company.”
After seeing Gu Tiejun off, Zhu Yan said, “We will hold a Standing Committee meeting this afternoon. Go and report to Haiyang.”
At noon, after finishing his tasks, Hou Weidong rushed downstairs. He intended to take a taxi, but just as he stood by the road, an empty car from the driver pool returned. Seeing Hou Weidong, the driver, Xiao Zhou, enthusiastically said, “Secretary Hou, where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.”
Xiao Zhou drove a Volkswagen Santana, which was a work vehicle for the County Party Committee Office. Because he did not drive for the main leaders of the County Party Committee, he ranked last in the driver pool. When Hou Weidong got in, Xiao Zhou happily said, “It is truly an honor to serve Great Secretary Hou.”
Hearing the title “Great Secretary Hou,” Hou Weidong smiled. “That Ren Dami loves giving people nicknames.”
When they arrived downstairs, Xiao Zhou said, “Secretary Hou, you are a good leader. If you need a car in the future, just call me anytime.”
Hou Weidong handed him a cigarette and said, “Thank you very much.”
Xiao Zhou smoked the cigarette, humming a tune, and waved goodbye to Hou Weidong.
Hou Weidong rushed up the stairs in a few strides. As soon as he opened the door, the rich aroma of food filled the room. A newly bought ceramic pot was steaming. Xiaojia, wearing an apron and holding a kitchen knife, walked out and said, “Go take a shower. Today I stewed mung bean and pork rib soup. It clears heat and is nutritious.”
Hou Weidong said, “Put the knife down.”
After Xiaojia put down the knife, he hugged her and kissed her, saying, “Take a shower with me.”
Xiaojia agreed happily.
“Weidong, there is something I want to discuss with you. The Landscape Bureau is a new unit, and they are investing heavily in training. I may need to go to Shanghai for two years of full-time study. I gave up twice before, but this time I really want to go.”
Xiaojia’s body was covered in soap suds, very slippery. Hou Weidong enjoyed caressing his wife’s jade-like skin. Hearing her words, he stopped and said, “You already have a bachelor’s degree. Do you still need another diploma?”
“I want to learn the business skills. Without professional skills, I am looked down upon at the unit. I don’t want to be a high-ranking official; I just want to focus purely on technology. During those years at the Construction Commission, I realized that I prefer a simple life.”
Since becoming Secretary Zhu’s secretary, Hou Weidong had almost lost his personal freedom. He rarely went home, let alone took care of Xiaojia. After thinking for a moment, he said, “We are both still young. Let’s focus on our careers for these two years. We can have children after we turn thirty. What do you think?”
Xiaojia said happily, “So, you agree to my full-time study!”