Chapter 54

Chapter 10: Confrontation

Xiong Xilai slammed his hand on the table: "How dare you insult government officials? Secretary Zhu, is your Political and Legal Affairs Commission just eating their salaries? Allowing such a person to act recklessly at the municipal standing committee meeting!"

Zhu Changyan, the Secretary of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the Chief of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, glared at Meng Di with a sullen face. As the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, he usually received much support from Meng Di. Although he was dissatisfied with Li Yi's actions, he remained seated, wanting to see Meng Di's reaction.

Meng Di's lips curled into a smile: "Mayor Xiong, let's talk things out calmly. Advisor Li didn't name you specifically. Your anger just confirms it, doesn't it?"

The other standing committee members couldn't help but laugh.

Meng Di's words were like adding fuel to the fire. Xiong Xilai, already in a bad mood from being outmaneuvered by Meng Di at the standing committee meeting, now exploded with anger and shouted at Li Yi: "I will sue you for defaming government officials!"

Li Yi, after venting his anger, secretly regretted his actions. He thought to himself that as an advisor with no official rank, he had actually barged into the municipal standing committee meeting, confronted nine officials of the deputy department level or higher, and made rash remarks, comparing them to a dog named Xiaobai. He had truly committed a grave offense in the political arena!

As a reborn individual with the souls of two lifetimes, he had indeed been overly impulsive. Impulsiveness in the political arena was the most taboo, easily giving opponents a chance to strike a fatal blow.

In a moment of reflection, Li Yi suddenly looked at Meng Di. This seemingly good-natured old man was actually malicious. With just a light joke, he had incited Xiong Xilai's anger, sparking a conflict between him and Li Yi. He had used Li Yi to strike at his opponents and used Xiong Xilai to punish Li Yi.

I'm still too inexperienced! Li Yi reflected.

He quickly calmed down and said slowly: "I have no intention of defaming anyone. The Malin Dam is severely leaking. If effective measures are not taken, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Alarmist talk!" Xiong Xilai retorted: "You, a young man, think that just because you've walked around the reservoir a few times, you understand it completely? You're just a young fool! The Malin Dam was built by tens of thousands of hardworking people in Sanjiang City over several years! It has never had any problems in decades. What right do you have to defame the hard work of our people?"

"Mayor Xiong, Sanjiang City has been hit by heavy rain for several days. The main water source, the Wen River, is already overflowing. With the mountain floods, the water flow has increased rapidly, and the reservoir is under immense pressure!"

"Oh, so you're a water expert now? The engineers and experts from the Sanjiang City Water Resources Bureau and the Reservoir Management Bureau are not as insightful as you?" Xiong Xilai, repeatedly interrupted by a young man, was furious and said without restraint: "You barged into the standing committee meeting and insulted us, saying we are not even as good as dogs. Based on these two points alone, I can charge you with disrupting government work and defaming officials!"

The other standing committee members all looked at Xiong Xilai with displeasure, clearly thinking: "Do you have to bring up the dog thing every time?"

Zhu Changyan stood up to mediate: "Mayor Xiong, Advisor Li is just passionate about his work. His intentions are good! I think you should be magnanimous and let this go. We should give young people a chance! Advisor Li, you're all wet. Go change your clothes."

Li Yi gave Zhu Changyan a grateful look and laughed: "Mayor Xiong, you can charge me with any crime, but as the mayor, you cannot ignore the lives and property of over a million people due to your stubbornness!"

The other standing committee members were taken aback. Li Yi was right. Logically, as an outsider, the condition of the Sanjiang City reservoir had little to do with him. Even if something went wrong, it wouldn't be his fault. So why was he so urgent, and why did he risk his political career by barging into the standing committee meeting to warn them?

Zou Ping, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, was a neutral official who had not aligned with either faction in Sanjiang City. He stood up and walked to Li Yi, asking: "Advisor Li, is the situation really that serious?"

Li Yi smiled bitterly: "Disaster relief is like fighting a fire. The longer we delay, the worse it will get!"

Zou Ping pondered: "Have the experts from the Water Resources Bureau and the Reservoir Management Bureau been notified?"

"The situation has been reported, but everyone is afraid to take responsibility and is waiting for instructions from the municipal leadership. But where are the municipal leaders? They are all sitting here in the meeting, and none of them are giving instructions!" Li Yi said with a heavy heart. If officials cannot distinguish between urgency and importance, it is a disaster for the people they govern.

Zou Ping turned to Meng Di: "Secretary Meng, should we suspend the standing committee meeting and go to the dam to check the situation?"

Before Meng Di could respond, Xiong Xilai sneered: "Zou Ping, what do you mean? Do you believe him and not me?"

"Mayor Xiong, this isn't about who I believe..." Zou Ping said.

"Advisor Li, I won't make things difficult for you today. If you apologize to us publicly, I won't hold you responsible!" Xiong Xilai's cold voice echoed in the meeting room.

Meng Di smiled, his plan succeeding. According to his knowledge, no one in the advisory office was easy to provoke, especially someone like Li Yi, who had been hired on an exceptional basis. Without a strong background and remarkable abilities, he wouldn't have entered that mysterious place. Only someone like Xiong Xilai, a local tyrant, would think a mere advisor was easy to bully.

Li Yi met Xiong Xilai's gaze, his face calm and composed: "Sure, on the condition that the entire standing committee apologizes to the people of Sanjiang City."

"Ridiculous!" Xiong Xilai shouted: "You, a mere advisor, not even a section-level official, dare to defy me? Asking the standing committee to apologize? On what grounds? What have we done that is unforgivable?"

Meng Di's face also changed. He had intended to stay out of the conflict and watch from the sidelines, but Li Yi's simple words had pulled him into the center of the struggle. As the leader, he had to respond: "Advisor Li, are you joking?"

"What is the Party's mass line?" Li Yi leaned on the table and said clearly: "Everything for the people, everything relying on the people, from the people, to the people! As standing committee members, you should be responsible for the safety of the people of Sanjiang City, not sitting in this room discussing your futures while a disaster is about to happen! Inaction by officials is the greatest crime! What else could it be?"

Li Yi's words were sharp and profound, lingering in the meeting room.

Zou Ping was the first to speak: "I agree with Comrade Li Yi! I suggest we suspend the standing committee meeting and go to the Malin Reservoir to check the situation!"

"Fine!" Xiong Xilai sneered: "If the Malin Reservoir is not as critical as Advisor Li says, we will hold him accountable!"

Xiang Haiyang, the director of the Reservoir Management Bureau, ran up, panting heavily: "Secretary Meng, Mayor Xiong! It's not good!"