Chapter 410: Investigating the Case (Part 1)

Li Jun said to Guo Lan, "Lanlan, why are you glaring at me?"

It was only after Hou Weidong drove his car away that Guo Lan chided him with a hint of annoyance, "It’s just that your mouth runs faster than your brain."

Li Jun stared at Guo Lan for a moment, then said, "Something is bothering you. You usually keep your composure no matter what happens, but today you seem off. Especially in front of Hou Weidong."

Guo Lan curled her lip slightly. "I haven’t sunk so low as to become a third party in someone else’s relationship, have I?"

Years ago, at the Shazhou College dance hall, Guo Lan had danced with a handsome young man. In a moment of inexplicable impulse, she had rested her head on his shoulder and wept. It was as if her accumulated emotions finally found an outlet. After crying, without even saying goodbye to the young man, she had hurriedly left the small dance hall.

That night, she had taken matters into her own hands and decisively cut off her long hair—a symbolic act of severing emotional ties. She had originally thought that her encounter with that handsome young man was merely a fleeting chance meeting, and that they would never cross paths again. Little did she know that she would unexpectedly reunite with Hou Weidong at the Young Cadres Training Class in Yiyang, and later, he would become her colleague and neighbor.

Guo Lan buried that chapter of her history deep within her heart. Although Li Jun was her closest confidante and knew most of Guo Lan’s past, she was unaware of this particular incident at the dance hall.

Li Jun smiled. "Lanlan, you’re as beautiful as a flower. How could you possibly remain unmarried? You will surely find a partner who suits you perfectly." In truth, Li Jun had already noticed some subtle clues; she could only sigh silently for Guo Lan in her heart.

Hou Weidong drove back to a parking lot about four hundred meters away from Li Jing’s courtyard. As he walked toward the residential area where Li Jing lived, his mind was preoccupied with a question: "Why does Guo Lan, now with long hair, seem so familiar?"

He searched his memory but couldn’t recall any image of a beautiful woman with long hair. When he arrived at Li Jing’s apartment building, a sudden realization struck him like lightning: "Back at the dance hall behind Shazhou College, I met a mysterious woman in white with long hair. Guo Lan had just graduated from college then and should have been living on campus. Could that mysterious woman in white have been Guo Lan?"

He dared not fully believe this conclusion. He tried to recall the face of that mysterious woman from years ago, but her features were now blurred. What remained most vivid in his memory was her white dress, her flowing long hair, and the damp warmth of tears soaking through her clothes.

"Guo Lan had just gone through a breakup at that time."

"Wu Yi from the Commerce Commission was also at Shazhou College, but his build was somewhat larger, differing from the girls of that era."

The more Hou Weidong thought about it, the more convinced he became that Guo Lan was indeed that woman in white.

As he approached the door, the sound of a baby crying drifted out. Xiao Chou Chou’s cries were robust and full of vigor, and his chubby little hands gave him the air of a tiny man.

This cry swept away all the distracting thoughts in Hou Weidong’s mind. Since Xiao Chou Chou was born, Hou Weidong had felt the weight of responsibility pressing heavily on his shoulders. The arrival of this little life had fundamentally changed his relationship with Li Jing. Previously, they had been lovers; now, with Xiao Chou Chou as the bond between them, he felt a connection of blood and kinship. They had transitioned from lovers to family.

Inside the room, Li Jing was holding Xiao Chou Chou and pacing around. Seeing Hou Weidong enter, she said to the baby, "Daddy is back. Say hello to Daddy." Xiao Chou Chou, however, refused to cooperate. When Hou Weidong tried to pick him up, the baby erupted into a thunderous cry. Li Jing gently coaxed, "Chou Chou, this is Daddy. Let Daddy hold you."

"What a character this little guy has," Hou Weidong remarked. Seeing that Xiao Chou Chou refused to let him hold him, Hou Weidong leaned in close and sniffed the baby’s scent. A unique fragrance rushed into his brain, leaving him deeply intoxicated.

The three of them played with Xiao Chou Chou in the living room, enjoying a harmonious family moment.

After playing for a while, Xiao Chou Chou began to yawn. The eldest sister carried him back to the bedroom. Hou Weidong and Li Jing also returned to their own room.

Li Jing twisted slightly in front of the full-length mirror. "Husband, my figure hasn’t recovered. What should I do?" Hou Weidong embraced Li Jing from behind, stroking her lower abdomen. "Your figure has always been good. Now you’re a bit fuller than before, which makes you even more feminine." Li Jing rested her head on Hou Weidong’s chest. "When praising a woman who isn’t particularly pretty, people say she has 'temperament.' If she doesn’t even have that, they say she has 'flavor.'"

The two of them rolled around on the bed, playfully wrestling for a while. Hou Weidong asked Li Jing to lie flat on the bed and opened her collar, revealing a pair of breasts fuller than usual.

"You’re the father, yet you’re trying to compete with Chou Chou for milk," Li Jing said, lying happily on the bed.

A few drops of white milk hung from her nipples. Hou Weidong could only look. The last time, out of curiosity, he had tasted the tempting-looking milk, but the strong, fishy odor had nearly made him vomit.

After a while, Li Jing sat up. "Over the past two years, the coal market has been quite good. All the bosses who bought coal mines have made money. Can we still buy coal mines now?"

By 1999, the coal market had suddenly changed. In the second month of 1999, when Hou Weidong received the account statements, he was startled. Compared to 1998, prices were rising almost every day. From the Hufo Coal Mine alone, he was making a net profit of over two hundred thousand yuan a month.

"Coal mines are always available for sale, but the key is the price. Under these market conditions, a mine that used to sell for one million yuan now costs tens of millions. Opportunities like this don’t come often. You’d better not buy coal mines during a market boom."

"There’s no end to the money in the world. Since there’s no opportunity, I won’t dwell on it. Jinggong Group will focus on highway construction and real estate as its main businesses. We’ll leave other industries alone." Li Jing sat by the desk, casually flipping through Jinggong Group’s financial reports. Then she added, "Husband, with your current financial standing, you really don’t need to work in the government. The government is too restrictive, offering no freedom at all. Especially in a position like yours, serving as a secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary."

Li Jing spoke from the heart. In the past, when she was working regularly, she was busy with her own affairs and hadn’t paid much attention to Hou Weidong’s time in Lingxi. Now that she was resting at home after giving birth to Xiao Chou Chou, she wished Hou Weidong could be by her side every day.

Hou Weidong sensed the longing in Li Jing’s words. He sat silently for a moment, then said, "Let’s talk about this later."

Li Jing had only spoken casually. Deep down, she had accepted the reality while she was pregnant with Xiao Chou Chou. But when Hou Weidong was around, she couldn’t help but voice her inner thoughts.

After an early dinner, Hou Weidong kissed Li Jing and Xiao Chou Chou goodbye, walked to the parking lot, and drove to the shopping plaza to pick up Guo Lan and Li Jun.

Guo Lan and Li Jun had bought quite a few clothes, especially Li Jun, who was carrying five or six bags, her face flushed with excitement. Seeing Hou Weidong, Li Jun cheerfully said, "Have you had dinner? If not, the three of us can eat together before heading back."

Hou Weidong’s mind was still on Xiao Chou Chou. He smiled steadily and said, "I’ve already eaten. You two go ahead and eat. I’ll wait here for a while."

Li Jun laughed. "Then you wait a bit. Guo Lan and I will go eat some wontons. The sesame oil wontons in Lingxi are delicious. Come eat with us." Guo Lan said, "Li Jun, let’s go back to Shazhou to eat. Don’t keep Director Hou waiting." Li Jun, quick-witted as ever, retorted, "Director Hou is a leader, and leaders are public servants. Public servants are meant to serve us common people. So, letting Director Hou wait for a while is no problem."

Ultimately, due to Li Jun’s insistence, Guo Lan went with her to eat wontons. The three of them returned to Shazhou at exactly eight o’clock in the evening.

The next day, when Ma Bo drove the car to the courtyard of Xinyue Building, life resumed its usual rhythm. Hou Weidong temporarily set aside thoughts of Li Jing and Xiao Chou Chou, and went to pick up Zhou Changquan with high spirits. Seeing the building where Zhou Changquan lived from afar, he suddenly remembered what Li Jing had said. He thought to himself, "Perhaps I really could retreat from the fray while I’m still ahead."

As soon as this thought occurred to him, Hou Weidong immediately recalled the torment he had endured at the Procuratorate years ago. He mocked himself, "What’s this amount of money compared to everything? I’ll talk about retirement only when I have so much money that I can become a Vice Chairman of the Political Consultative Conference."

Although Shazhou was an industrial powerhouse in Lingxi, due to its inland location, it still held strong bureaucratic values. When a business developed well, the owner would generally consider entering the People’s Congress or the Political Consultative Conference. Only with a "red hat"—an official title—could one be considered truly powerful and influential; otherwise, one was merely rich but not noble.

If Hou Weidong were to withdraw completely from officialdom, he would simply be a coal and stone mine owner. In Shazhou, he wouldn’t be considered a significant figure. He might possibly become a regular member of the Political Consultative Conference, but becoming a Standing Committee member or Vice Chairman was absolutely impossible.

Zhou Changquan’s expression was not good. He boarded the car with a stern face. Ma Bo and Hou Weidong exchanged a glance and both wisely remained silent.

Upon arriving at the office, Zhou Changquan said, "Please ask Secretary Ji to come to my office."

As he left the office, Hou Weidong suddenly remembered what the Director of the First Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection had said. He thought to himself, "Could Chen Zaixi be coming down? Which leader has committed an offense? No wonder Secretary Zhou’s expression is so grim."

Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Ji Daolin was well-prepared. Before Hou Weidong could explain the purpose of his visit, Ji Daolin picked up his notebook and a folder and stood up.

"Chen Zaixi from the First Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is a veteran inspector with considerable skill. He is responsible for the work in Shazhou City and will arrive in Shazhou at ten o’clock." Ji Daolin then briefly outlined the details of the case.

Hou Weidong listened carefully. This time, Chen Zaixi was coming to Shazhou to investigate the matter involving Kong Zhengyi, the Director of the Finance Bureau.

Zhou Changquan tapped his fingers on the desk. "Kong Zhengyi has been the Finance Bureau Director for many years. If he has indeed committed these acts, it is self-inflicted doom. The Discipline Inspection Commission should handle it according to regulations."

Ji Daolin said, "I suggest we receive Chen Zaixi at the Small Guesthouse. It is more discreet and will have less impact."

"Fine. Arrange it at the Small Guesthouse." Zhou Changquan added, "I will join the lunch meeting."