Chapter 77

On the way home in a taxi, Lu Zheng pondered over Huang Zixuan’s matter. At this moment, it really wasn’t appropriate to have such an enemy.

Huang Si'er was both devious and ruthless. If he couldn’t be truly controlled, it would be a never-ending trouble.

Therefore, even though he knew Huang Si'er had no good intentions, he still had to show up to see what he was up to. One could avoid trouble for a while, but not forever. It was better to confront him now than to be caught off guard by a surprise attack.

In a bar, if one wanted to trick someone, apart from hiring a gang of thugs to beat them up, there were a few other tricks, such as the honey trap, drugging and framing, etc. These were all tactics that Lu Zheng had already seen through in his previous life.

Given Huang Si'er’s devious and ruthless nature, he wouldn’t simply lure Lu Zheng to the bar to have someone beat him up. That would be too low-class, and since Lu Zheng was a deputy department-level state official and also Secretary Huang’s secretary, any unprovoked beating would be difficult to handle. Huang Si'er was unlikely to take this route.

Therefore, the remaining tactics were likely to be something like a honey trap.

From the moment Lu Zheng entered the nightclub, he was extra cautious to avoid being tricked or extorted.

In the private room, Huang Si'er appeared very considerate. When his subordinates tried to get Lu Zheng drunk, Huang Si'er even intervened to stop them, which made Lu Zheng even more cautious.

Drugging was a relatively new tactic in China at the time, but a few decades later, even street grandmas knew not to talk to strangers or drink beverages given by strangers, especially those already opened.

Among the pile of beers on the coffee table, Lu Zheng quickly noticed that one bottle was different. When Huang Si'er first picked up the beers, this bottle was closest to him, but he didn’t touch it. It wasn’t until Xiao Li offered him a toast that he picked up this bottle and opened it himself.

Lu Zheng listened intently to the sound of the bottle opener. There was no crisp sound of rapidly escaping gas, which clearly indicated that this bottle had been opened before and the cap was later put back on. In the noisy bar environment, if one wasn’t paying attention, the subtle difference in sounds would go unnoticed.

At this moment, a commotion broke out on the other side of the room. As Huang Si'er went to mediate and Xiao Li’s attention was drawn away, Lu Zheng quickly opened a new bottle of beer, capped the problematic one, and moved it aside.

When Huang Si'er returned, the beer Lu Zheng poured into his glass was the unproblematic one. After finishing this glass, Lu Zheng immediately opened several more bottles of beer, including the problematic one, to avoid arousing Huang Si'er’s suspicion.

The bottles that were later knocked over during the pretend loss of consciousness also included the problematic one.

Reflecting on it now, the bald man who suddenly caused a commotion must have known the situation and wanted to help but didn’t know how. He gave Lu Zheng a mysterious look before leaving, and Lu Zheng could only help to this extent. After all, they weren’t close friends; at most, he had a good impression of Lu Zheng. He wouldn’t openly offend Huang Si'er for Lu Zheng’s sake, and creating a distraction was already a great help. Whether Lu Zheng could understand was up to him.

But the bald man did a great favor. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to switch the beer under Huang Si'er’s watchful eye. At most, Lu Zheng could have found an excuse not to drink that glass, and there would have been no further drama. He wouldn’t have had the chance to deal with Huang Si'er and show him his capabilities, making him think twice before acting rashly.

This young bald man was quite righteous and a friend worth making. If they met again, he would definitely have a few drinks with him.

“Hey, I’m asking you a question. Have we arrived? Is it this entrance or the next one?” The taxi driver’s impatient voice interrupted Lu Zheng’s thoughts.

“The next one.” Lu Zheng smiled.

“I’ve told you several times, what are you thinking about? Dreaming about getting married?” The taxi driver’s attitude was quite rude and condescending.

Indeed, taxi drivers at the time held a very high status, especially those who drove Nissans. They were more powerful than mayors, and their earnings could match ten mayors’ salaries.

Lu Zheng smiled and ignored him. If he got upset with every such person, he would be busy all the time.

...

On Tuesday morning, Lu Zheng went to pick up Old Huang for work. Old Huang didn’t say much. When he saw Lu Zheng’s car downstairs, he got in. Just before they arrived at the office, he said, “Lu, don’t use your private car as a public one. In the future, when we go to the countryside, we’ll use the commission’s car.”

Lu Zheng pondered this for a while, trying to gauge Old Huang’s mindset, but he felt he was still a bit off. He decided not to think too much about it.

At the Standing Committee meeting of the Advisory Commission, Old Huang attended and called Lu Zheng to be his secretary.

The Advisory Commission of Wushan City had 26 members, with the Director being ***. He retired from the position of Secretary of Wushan Prefecture in 1982. There were three Deputy Directors: Zhu Changzheng, Cheng Mingyuan, and Zhang Ping, all of whom were from Wushan. Zhu Changzheng was the Standing Deputy Director, previously the Commissioner of Wuxiang Region. Cheng Mingyuan and Zhang Ping were both at the provincial level.

The Standing Committee had 8 members, but only 6 were present today. Deputy Director Zhang Ping had been in poor health for a long time and only appeared during holidays. Last month, he had a talk with the organization and voluntarily retired, no longer serving as Deputy Director. A few days ago, Zhu Changzheng was hospitalized and was about to undergo major surgery.

When discussing Old Zhang and Old Zhu, everyone couldn’t help but sigh. Director Wang also sighed, saying, “Time spares no one!”

“I’ve always said that the municipal government doesn’t care enough about the old cadres. All they think about is money!” one of the Advisory Commission members complained, his cane clattering on the floor.

Director Wang smiled and said, “Old Li, you’re being too extreme. The aging process is inevitable. We must accept it, but we must also strive to make a difference. Complaining won’t help!”

“Old Li mentioned money, and I think he’s right,” Deputy Director Cheng Mingyuan interjected. He was the youngest and best-preserved member of the Standing Committee, showing no signs of aging. Before retiring, he was the Director of the Provincial Department of Culture. It was said that when the organization asked him to retire, he strongly opposed it, and it took the intervention of the Provincial Secretary Jiang to calm him down.

Among the Standing Committee members, Cheng Mingyuan was the most opposed to the three principles of the Advisory Commission: “less is better,” “abstract is better than concrete,” and “coarse is better than fine.”

Cheng Mingyuan extinguished his cigarette and spoke confidently, “I won’t comment on other matters, as I haven’t conducted a survey, but I do have the authority to speak on cultural development. Our cultural scene in Wushan is in chaos. It’s a free-for-all!”

Everyone, including Lu Zheng, was taken aback. The term he used was almost accusatory and seemed quite severe.

“I’m not against new things. I can accept nightclubs and video halls, but they should promote the main melody. Martial arts, revenge, and eroticism are all on display! What kind of world are we creating for the next generation?!”

Listening to this, Lu Zheng began to understand why Cheng Mingyuan, who could have worked for a few more years, was “persuaded” to retire from his position as Director of the Provincial Department of Culture.

Cheng Mingyuan became more agitated, “The city’s cultural bureau leads the video rental business but contracts it to individuals. More and more pornographic and erotic videos are being smuggled in, and some video halls are secretly showing them! I’m not making this up; I have solid evidence!”

He pulled out a small notebook and showed it to everyone. The notebook recorded the video tapes played at various video halls in the city, with several halls listed. It was clear that he had conducted personal research.

Cheng Mingyuan stood up and handed the notebook to Old Huang, saying, “Old Huang, take a look.”

Lu Zheng had heard that Old Huang rarely spoke at meetings, even when he attended. However, when it came to sensitive issues, the Advisory Commission members would try to win his support.

Old Huang glanced at the notebook and passed it to ***.

Cheng Mingyuan then said, “How can our government departments enrich their petty cash funds at the expense of basic morality?! Moreover, I’ve heard that there’s prostitution in the Emerald Nightclub!”

This statement was shocking, even to Old Huang, who raised an eyebrow.

After all, since the founding of New China, it was announced that prostitution had been eradicated in mainland China. Although it was rumored to have resurfaced in the southern economic zones, it was the first time these old cadres had heard of it in Wushan. Could the problem have spread so quickly?

Cheng Mingyuan continued, “Therefore, I believe we need to sound the alarm for the municipal leadership and ensure the party’s cause. We old cadres must act within our capabilities, but we must also do our best!”

He took a sip of tea to calm down and then looked at Old Huang, “Old Huang, what do you think?”

*** also looked at Old Huang.

Old Huang nodded slightly, “Mingyuan is right. If the situation is true, we have an obligation to report it to the municipal leadership.”

Cheng Mingyuan looked relieved and nodded with a smile.

...

In the evening, a group from the office went to the city workers’ hospital to visit Zhu Changzheng, who was about to undergo surgery. Lu Zheng, however, went to the People’s Hospital, where the proctology department had a good reputation, and Deputy Director Zhang Ping was hospitalized.

On the second floor, Lu Zheng knocked and entered the ward. Director Zhang was lying in bed, receiving an IV drip. A middle-aged man, who bore a slight resemblance to him, was sitting beside him, likely his son, whom Lu Zheng hadn’t seen before.

“Who are you?” The man in the jacket looked at Lu Zheng with suspicion, slowly standing up. His body language showed that he didn’t take Lu Zheng, who was too young, seriously.

On the bed, Director Zhang had his eyes slightly closed, breathing heavily, seemingly in a deep sleep.

Lu Zheng “shushed” and placed the bouquet of flowers on the table, smiling at Director Zhang’s son and gest