Chapter 54

Lin Shuang took a deep breath and looked at Su Mu, asking, "Younger brother, you have to be honest with me. What exactly do you want to do? To what extent?"

"The Bureau of Industry and Commerce is just a front. Whether we can get any information from them is not important. What I want is the Public Security Bureau. As for the extent, Lu Ming must be put in jail, and Lu Yining must be taken down. Director Xu has already successfully opened up the situation in the Public Security Bureau. We need to use this to establish authority. Only when authority is established will others come to our side. So, I want the Criminal Investigation Team and the Traffic Police Team to be under Director Xu's responsibility. In short, Director Xu should be in charge of the traffic and public security of Xingtang County." Su Mu said.

"Can it be done?" Lin Shuang asked urgently.

"Whether it can be done depends on how much useful information Director Xu can get tonight. But even if Lu Ming doesn't talk, I have something that can put him in a dead end. Brother Lin, this is our opportunity. I can't say much about Gao Zhenshan, but now it's just us. You should report to County Chief Zhao immediately. I believe he should know how to make the right choice." Su Mu said.

"Alright!"

Lin Shuang got up and walked out with his phone. Xu Zhengcheng, listening to their conversation, had his heart racing. As a former soldier who had returned to civilian life, Xu Zhengcheng had a strong sense of justice and wanted to serve the people. Otherwise, he would never have sent Xu Yan to a poor place like Heishan Town.

But ideals are one thing, and reality is another. Repeated setbacks made him realize that without a strong backing, no matter how much he wanted to do, it was all talk. His years of being sidelined in the Public Security Bureau were the best example. If it weren't for Su Mu, his plan to rely on Zhao Rui'an to make a comeback would be a joke.

From this perspective, Xu Zhengcheng was not so much joining Zhao Rui'an's team as he was joining Su Mu's side. He believed that Su Mu would have a bright future. He might not be able to say much about other things, but as long as he followed Su Mu, his son Xu Yan would have a good future.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhengcheng's eyes sparkled, "Su Mu, how confident are you in this?"

"Nine out of ten!" Su Mu said confidently.

"Good, as long as this can be done, Su Mu, I'll follow you from now on." Xu Zhengcheng said loudly.

"No, Director Xu, I should call you Uncle Xu. Xu Yan and I are good friends. Helping you is helping me." Su Mu said with a smile.

"Alright, then I'll take the liberty of calling you Uncle Xu. Here, Uncle Xu will be honest with you. As long as Uncle Xu doesn't fall, no one in Xingtang County will dare to threaten you. As for my good-for-nothing son, he will follow you from now on." Xu Zhengcheng made a promise.

"Sure!" Su Mu nodded with a smile. At this point, there was no need to be hypocritical. Su Mu also knew that the reason Xu Zhengcheng was like this was entirely because of the two powerful figures behind him. The Standing Committee Member of the Qinglin Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and the Standing Committee Member of the Qinglin Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor. With the support of these two powerful figures, no one would dare to restrict Su Mu in Qinglin City.

Of course, from the moment he obtained the Official List, Su Mu had never given up on leveraging power. As long as it could benefit his advancement, he would not hesitate to use it.

"Come, Uncle Xu, have some tea!"

As Su Mu said this, he picked up the teacup and handed it over. The moment their fingers touched, the Official List activated. Originally, he had not expected much, but his eyes suddenly lit up.

Name: Xu Zhengcheng

Position: Deputy Director of Xingtang County Public Security Bureau

Hobbies: Inkstone

Intimacy: Sixty

Promotion: 12

The number 12 was not red or gray, but gold. This meant something that Su Mu understood better than anyone. If Xu Zhengcheng was going to be promoted in 12 days, then what he was doing now was not just pushing the wave but helping to achieve something good.

Thinking of the gray number of the Organization Minister Li Ya, Su Mu suddenly had a chilling feeling. Could there be an earthquake about to happen in Xingtang County? Was what he was doing now the fuse that would trigger this earthquake? If so...

While Su Mu was thinking, Lin Shuang came in with his phone, looked at the two of them, and said to Su Mu very seriously, "Su Mu, County Chief Zhao said that for all corrupt officials, there will be no leniency. You can act freely. As long as the evidence is solid, no matter who is involved, he will sweep them all away!"

This was Zhao Rui'an's attitude!

Hearing this, Su Mu smiled, "Director Xu, take these things back. Work hard tonight and don't rest. Interrogate Lu Ming all night. As long as we can break his psychological defenses, we will win."

"Alright, I'll do it right away!" Xu Zhengcheng did not hesitate, got up, and left the teahouse. After they were alone, Lin Shuang poured a cup of tea for Su Mu.

"Brother, you are really impressive, much more decisive than me. From now on, we need to be closer. When you advance, take care of me too."

"Brother Lin, what are you talking about? We are brothers, no need to say such things. Come, have some tea!" Su Mu said with a smile.

"Right, have some tea!" Lin Shuang raised his cup.

Both were smart people, and they knew when to stop. If they continued, it would be counterproductive.

After sending Lin Shuang away, Su Mu did not stay in the county. He rushed back to Heishan Town that night. After all, the political maneuvering in the county due to Lu Ming's stupidity was beyond his control. Since that was the case, he might as well take the invitation to the Qinglin City Investment Promotion Conference and attend it.

Compared to this political struggle, Su Mu cared more about the economic development of Heishan Town. He knew that talking about other things was just talk. Only by boosting the economy could he achieve real political achievements. With these achievements in hand, he could continue to advance and stand firm in the political arena.

The night passed without incident.

When the first ray of sunlight shone through the window into the room, Su Mu opened his sleepy eyes. It was Monday, a workday, and also the first day for Ma Xiang and Lin Feng to enter Heishan Town. Everything seemed the same as before, but Su Mu knew these were just appearances. If he was not mistaken, a phone call should be coming soon.

Ding Ling Ling!

Almost as soon as Su Mu had this thought, his phone rang with a shrill ring. Before he could speak, an excited voice came from the other end.

"Is this Su Mu?"

"It's me! Director Xu, the tone of your voice suggests something good?" Su Mu asked with a smile.

"Of course. You don't know that Lu Ming is just a weakling. We didn't even do much, and he spilled everything. But we have to thank you for the evidence you provided. Without that, Lu Ming would never have caved so quickly. You wouldn't believe the heinous crimes Lu Yining committed. Now, Lu Yining has been formally arrested, and I am in charge of the Traffic Police Team." Xu Zhengcheng said excitedly.

"That's great!" Su Mu's calm tone made Xu Zhengcheng feel a bit ashamed. He hadn't expected that after so many years, Su Mu could remain so composed.

"Also, you might not have expected this, but Old Gao also had some gains. Niu Dezhu turned out to be a relative of Minister Li Ya. He revealed a lot of things. Although they are not directly related to Minister Li, they are closely related to his wife. The most serious is that he helped Minister Li's wife launder money, with a total amount of over a million." Xu Zhengcheng continued without hesitation.

These words surprised Su Mu. Was Minister Li Ya's downfall rooted in this? A wife of an Organization Minister having a million in cash, who would believe that? There must be something fishy.

"Director Xu, I think these are secondary. Did the county take any major actions last night?" Su Mu asked after a moment.

"Not yet, but County Chief Zhao reported the matter to Secretary Xie last night, and the county held a Standing Committee meeting. The temporary decision was to detain Lu Yining and Lu Ming, and I will be in charge of the Public Security Bureau's public security and traffic. You should have seen how sour Xue Feng's face was, ha ha!" Xu Zhengcheng laughed heartily.

Xu Zhengcheng only showed this side to Su Mu, not to Lin Shuang. He wanted to show Su Mu that they were closely connected.

"Congratulations, Uncle Xu!" Su Mu said.

"Thank you, I'll treat you when you come to the county. Also, I heard from Xu Yan that you've been working on the Heishan Town development report. If you need any help, just let me know." Xu Zhengcheng said in a good mood.

"Sure, I'll let you know if I need anything." Su Mu smiled.

Su Mu hung up the phone, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the bed, squinting his eyes. It seemed that last night's drama went well, at least getting rid of Lu Yining. Although he didn't know what happened at the Standing Committee meeting, it seemed that Xu Zhengcheng's rise was the price for not touching Li Ya.

Just a transaction of interests!

But no matter what, this change was good for Su Mu. At least Zhao Rui'an's strength had increased, and he would be more efficient in the future. Since there was no room for reconciliation with Xie Wen, and given Xie Minghao's repeated provocations, Su Mu had no intention of letting him off.

"I should go to Qinglin City today!"

Su Mu shook his head, putting these thoughts aside. He was just a town chief and should focus on practical matters. Compared to these distant things, his biggest hope was to establish the high-tech ecological park pilot project in Heishan Town.

After washing up, Su Mu took leave from Liang Changgui and set off for Qinglin City. This time, he had a letter from Zhao Rui'an, so he could directly report to the Xingtang County Investment Promotion Bureau in Qinglin City.

In the context of the Party Committee managing personnel and the government managing the economy, the Xingtang County Investment Promotion Bureau was a small department where Zhao Rui'an still had some say. But this influence was based on the fact that the bureau had not brought in a single cent for the county in recent years, making it a clean department. Otherwise, with Xie Wen's character, he would never give up such a lucrative position.

However, the confident Su Mu did not expect that his trip to Qinglin would end up differently...