Chapter 56

"Minister, you said to take care of Su Mu if possible?" Li Xinghua asked, somewhat surprised.

"Exactly!" Ye Anbang replied calmly.

"Understood!" Li Xinghua did not ask for the reason. He knew that if Ye Anbang could say it, he would; if not, asking would be in vain. Besides, as a subordinate, he absolutely dared not ask Ye Anbang anything. He was clearly marked with the Ye family's label, and if Ye Anbang did not say it, he could only guess.

Could it be...

Li Xinghua thought hard but could not find a suitable reason. Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly remembered that the last call was from Ye Xi. His eyes lit up.

Is Su Mu going to leap from a carp to a dragon, becoming Ye Xi's boyfriend and a potential son-in-law for Ye Anbang to evaluate? Yes, it must be this reason; otherwise, Ye Anbang wouldn't have taken the initiative to say this.

"Su Mu..."

Understanding this, Li Xinghua smiled. It was just a matter of a word, and he didn't take it too seriously. Even with Ye Anbang as his backer, Su Mu was still just a town mayor, so there was no need to be overly anxious. However, he would still make the necessary arrangements.

"Zhao Rui'an? This is Li Xinghua..."

While Li Xinghua was making arrangements, Ye Anbang, at home, looked at Ye Xi with a smile and asked affectionately, "How about it? Are you satisfied now?"

"Dad, you're the best!" Ye Xi said with a smile.

"Yes, I'm really good, even I'm a bit impressed with myself for breaking the precedent for you. But let me say this: Su Mu's character is not bad, but if he wants to marry my daughter, he must show some real ability. If he doesn't do well in his job, even if you want it, I will never recognize him as a son-in-law!" Ye Anbang said with a smile.

"Dad, what are you talking about! There's no such relationship between us." Ye Xi blushed and insisted.

"No relationship is best!" Ye Anbang said with a smile, losing all the dignity of a provincial party organization minister.

"I'm not talking to you anymore!" Ye Xi stomped her foot and went upstairs. When the hall was left with only Ye Anbang, his smile slowly faded, and he lit a cigarette.

Ye Anbang, who had been in charge of the organization department for many years, had a keen eye. He saw through the relationship between Ye Xi and Su Mu at a glance. He knew his daughter well. However, he was not the type to use his daughter's happiness as a stepping stone for his own advancement. If it was a strong alliance that Ye Xi liked, he would agree; if she didn't like it, he would never nod.

The reason he made the call to Li Xinghua was not entirely because of Ye Xi's request but because he was genuinely interested in Su Mu. He knew very well what Su Mu had done in Heishan Town. Seeing Su Mu's determination and his efforts without relying on any connections, he couldn't help but be impressed.

If Su Mu really had the ability, Ye Anbang would gain a useful ally. If Su Mu only knew how to play tricks and schemes, Ye Anbang would not hesitate to take him down.

To become a provincial party organization minister, every move Ye Anbang made was not random.

Factions, foundations, connections, and leadership... As someone in his position, Ye Anbang had to consider more than just simple administrative matters; he had to think more for himself and his faction.

Su Mu, who had no idea that he had just entered Li Xinghua's radar, left the hotel after lunch and began to wander around Qinglin City. Of course, this wandering was not aimless. He wanted to use the half-day to visit the antique street and buy some jade.

The official chart could now only show the maximum promotion deadline of one month. Su Mu was not satisfied with this. He wanted to use more energy to warm it up, hoping to display more time, which would give him foresight and a solid foundation.

The official chart could now only show the name, position, hobbies, intimacy, and promotion date. Su Mu wanted it to show more information, as more comprehensive data would give him more confidence.

For example, Xu Zhengcheng, with an intimacy of 60, meant that he really liked him and was someone he could trust. If the chart could show more such information, Su Mu would be even more powerful and invincible.

He never missed the five daily antique appraisals. Today, his luck was good. Besides buying two genuine antiques, the other three were all lucky finds, putting him in a steady profit.

With a big harvest, Su Mu turned into Qinglin City's largest jade trading place, Langya Garden. Su Mu, who practiced calligraphy with Shang Ting, nodded in approval when he saw the two characters "Langya" carved on the stone outside the garden. The characters were strong and powerful, with a smooth and natural stroke. From the first to the last stroke, they were almost seamless. The spirit and energy in the two characters "Langya" were not something anyone could easily replicate.

These two characters were definitely the work of a master!

What was strange was that such excellent characters had no attribution on the stone or the base, which puzzled Su Mu.

As the largest jade trading place in Qinglin City, Langya Garden was filled with shops and stalls. People came and went, some with satisfied smiles, others with solemn faces. Some even looked dejected, as if they had lost a parent.

"Can't be..."

Just as Su Mu thought of "gambling on jade," he heard a commotion in front of a shop called "Licai," where a crowd had gathered. Su Mu, with nothing to do, went over to join the crowd. On the ground were several pieces of ore, and it was indeed a jade gambling session.

Jade gambling is all about luck. Even with extensive knowledge, if your luck is bad, you end up with nothing, having wasted a lot of money. But if your luck is good, even if you know nothing, you can throw in a few ten thousand and get back a few million.

"Oh, what a pity! Ten thousand yuan, and there's nothing inside!"

"Stop complaining here. Didn't you see that guy who threw in twenty thousand?"

"Jade gambling is a gamble. If you can't afford it, don't stand here."

...

Listening to the crowd's chatter, Su Mu's lips curled into a mysterious smile. Compared to them, he had no deep knowledge of jade or jade gambling. But he had a powerful tool: the official chart! He knew the chart could absorb energy from processed jade. He wondered if it could work in this situation. If it could, he couldn't imagine the benefits he would gain.

Thinking this, he decided to try. While everyone was watching, Su Mu walked forward and casually touched the nearest piece of ore with his right hand.

Buzz!

At the moment of contact, the official chart in Su Mu's mind began to spin. As it absorbed the jade energy from the ore, it displayed the size and color of the jade. Although Su Mu was not an expert, he knew that the piece in front of him was not of high quality and had limited value. Whoever bought it would likely break even.

"Awesome! It really works!"

Su Mu was excited inside but tried to keep a calm face. Without hesitation, he walked forward and swept his right hand over the six pieces of ore, and all the information was displayed on the chart. Unfortunately, none of the six pieces were worth buying, as they were all of low value.

"Gentlemen, my shop, Licai, is one of the best in Langya Garden. Today, besides these six pieces, I will bring out one more. If you want to gamble, do it now."

At this moment, a man in a white short-sleeved shirt with neatly combed hair walked out of the Licai shop. He was the owner, Duan Zhuo.

"Duan Zhuo, you have something good and don't even tell me? Do you think I don't have enough money to catch your eye, Mr. Duan?"

As Duan Zhuo spoke, before anyone else could respond, a clear voice came from outside the crowd, and the people parted.

The woman who slowly approached was stunning, capturing everyone's attention. Men looked at her with a mix of heat and restraint, while women looked at her with envy and jealousy. "A smile can charm a city, a second smile can charm a country" described such a woman, a real beauty like Bao Si.

The woman was about 1.7 meters tall, wearing crystal high heels that accentuated her slender and attractive figure. Her long, straight legs made people feel a dry heat in their throats. Her fair skin, slightly made-up face, and a pair of almond eyes exuded a seductive charm.

Wearing a well-tailored purple cheongsam, the cut at the chest revealed a deep, narrow cleavage, making people want to lose themselves in it. Her tight, round buttocks, wrapped in the cheongsam, were even more alluring with her graceful steps.

The sound of her heels approaching, even Su Mu, who had seen Ye Xi's beauty, couldn't help but marvel at how this woman was a divine creation, like a ripe peach that would spill sweet nectar at the slightest touch.

She was Zhou Ci, the owner of the Yajuzhu Hotel and a legendary figure in Qinglin City. In the upper circles, no one didn't know Zhou Ci.

However, despite her alluring charm, no one dared to have any ideas about her. She was not only the daughter-in-law of the recently retired old secretary of Qinglin City but also the beloved daughter of the current city discipline inspection commission secretary. Although her life had been tragic, with her husband dying in an accident shortly after marriage, making her a widow, she still held significant power in Qinglin City.

If anyone thought they could withstand the combined wrath of the old secretary and the discipline inspection commission secretary, they could entertain thoughts about Zhou Ci, but they would die without knowing how.

This was Zhou Ci, the most prominent yet low-key legendary woman in Qinglin City, secretly known as the "Green Bamboo Snake."

"Ms. Zhou, are you trying to slap my face? I wouldn't dare say anything bad about you. Come in, sit down, and take a look. Which of these seven pieces do you want to gamble on?" Duan Zhuo hurriedly smiled and said.

"Which one? Which one do you think I should gamble on?" Zhou Ci ignored the crowd's amazement and smiled maturely.

"Ms. Zhou, how could I dare to give you advice? Whatever piece you like, I will give you at cost price." Duan Zhuo said with a smile.

"Really?"

Zhou Ci's eyes flicked, and as she scanned the pieces, her next words made Su Mu shake his head. This wasn't about gambling on jade; it was about venting her anger.