Chapter 5

Xu Maohai, the director of the Public Security Bureau of Jiangbei District, today gritted his teeth and paid out of his own pocket to treat the heads of the three sub-districts under Jiangbei to a meal at the Guomao Hotel, followed by an internal meeting. They secretly discussed the upcoming anti-crime operation.

The meeting, which started in the morning, continued until the afternoon, but no one came up with a solid plan, which made him quite irritated.

He stubbed out his cigarette and said irritably, "Dismissed, dismissed. Comrades, today's topic is confidential. Don't say anything when you go back, and forget about this matter. I'll notify you for the next meeting."

"Yes, Director Xu."

The group gathered their documents and filed out of the hotel's private room.

As soon as they reached the lobby, Director Xu and the others were stunned by the scene before them. All the waiters were busily working. Some were using iron brushes to clean the road in front of the hotel, others were washing the stone pillars at the main entrance with soapy water, and still others were sweeping the concrete road in front of the hotel. Some were even scattering fresh petals along the road leading to the hotel.

The lobby was bustling with activity as the waiters hurriedly took out hydrogen generators to produce hydrogen, preparing to release hydrogen balloons. The hotel security guards were lined up, being sternly lectured by their captain.

Director Xu took a deep breath and exchanged glances with the heads of the sub-districts, seeing shock in each other's eyes.

The head of Jiangtai District lowered his voice and said, "A high-ranking leader is coming. But why didn't we get any notice?"

Director Xu pondered for a moment and said solemnly, "This level of preparation, even if the top boss of our Yijiang Province were to come for an inspection, it wouldn't be any different."

"Director Xu, should we notify the city?"

Director Xu shook his head cautiously, "I think we shouldn't. Since the city didn't know in advance, it means the high-ranking leader didn't want to alert the city."

"But how did the Guomao Hotel know?"

Director Xu shook his head in confusion, "I don't know, but we can't be careless. Since we've encountered this today, it's also an opportunity."

The heads of the sub-districts smiled in understanding. Wasn't it an opportunity? The city leaders didn't know, but they had stumbled upon it. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. They just needed to return to the private room and wait for the high-ranking leader to arrive, then leave again, pretending it was a coincidence.

This was a chance to appear in front of the high-ranking leader. When the time came, they could greet the leader, and perhaps even follow behind, secretly performing the host's duties.

Director Xu made up his mind, and the group, who had just come down from upstairs, quickly returned to the elevator with their briefcases.

However, just as they reached the elevator, Director Xu collided with someone. The heads of the sub-districts behind him were startled, thinking it might be an attack. But when they saw the other person's face, they relaxed, though their anger was still evident.

Wu Kechang felt that his luck was really bad today. Why did he keep bumping into people wherever he went? He remembered that since he collided with a young man in the hospital, things hadn't stopped going wrong. He felt that the young man had brought him bad luck.

He was the head of a department in the Education Bureau. With the new school year about to start, a student's parent had invited him to this high-end hotel in Jiangbei. His bad mood had slightly improved, but then he collided with someone again as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. He was furious.

But when he looked up, he saw Director Xu with a stern face, and his heart almost stopped. He quickly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Director Xu, I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going."

Director Xu ignored him, snorted, and entered the elevator.

Wu Kechang thought to himself, "That was a close call," and then noticed the bustling scene in the hotel lobby. His mind raced, and he realized: a high-ranking leader was coming.

In a flash, Wu Kechang made the same decision as Director Xu and returned to the hotel, pretending it was a coincidence. This was a rare opportunity, and he had to seize it!

With this thought, Wu Kechang hurriedly entered another elevator and rushed upstairs.

"Brother Li, how much longer? Jiangbei isn't that big, why hasn't it taken half an hour yet?"

Zhang Jue opened his eyes and smiled.

Li Ding's breath caught, and he quickly smiled, "Just call me Xiao Li, you're too polite. It's rush hour now, and the main roads are quite congested. I've taken a few detours."

"Hmm."

Zhang Jue was just asking casually, mainly because he was bored in the car and wanted to start a conversation. But Secretary Li, who had been with the Zhang family, drove meticulously and answered questions without saying more than necessary, as befitting a well-trained secretary from a wealthy family.

If Secretary Li knew what Zhang Jue was thinking, he would be so frustrated that he might bleed to death. "Brother, I wanted to talk to you, but you closed your eyes as soon as we got in the car. I didn't dare to start a conversation."

After Zhang Jue asked, Li Ding didn't dare to take any more detours. He turned the steering wheel and headed for the Guomao Hotel, but he didn't press the accelerator hard, giving Manager Wang Liping a bit more time to prepare.

At the Guomao Hotel, Wang Liping was drenched in sweat, but the joy in his eyes was evident. He was about to meet the person who would be called a 'VIP' by Secretary Li. If he could connect with this person, would he still worry about his future? Even if the 'VIP' just casually said, "This young man is interesting," he might be transferred to a company in the provincial capital to be a manager.

The hotel staff also felt the pressure of an impending event and worked with unprecedented efficiency, creating a solemn atmosphere throughout the hotel.

After finishing the preparations, Wang Liping hurriedly ran down to the hotel's entrance, standing with his hands behind his back, waiting quietly. Normally, this position would be occupied by a doorman, but today, this important task of opening the car door naturally wouldn't be given to a doorman.

At this moment, all the hotel staff were neatly lined up on both sides of the road leading to the hotel, standing straight.

All the hotel security guards were also dispersed, taking on security duties, and no outsiders were allowed to approach the Guomao Hotel, almost as if the road was closed.

"Beep"

A crisp horn sounded.

The solemn atmosphere at the Guomao Hotel suddenly changed, and everyone was on high alert.

On the second floor, Director Xu and the others held their breath, watching a Maybach slowly approach. The license plate read Yijiang A8888, and Director Xu recognized the car—it belonged to Director Zhang of the Feilong Group.

"Wow—Isn't that Director Zhang's car? It seems the person coming today has more power than we imagined. Even though it's a private visit, Director Zhang has even lent his car."

Director Xu said solemnly, his hands trembling slightly behind his back.

The heads of the sub-districts were even more nervous. The highest official they had ever seen was the city's party secretary. Whenever a provincial leader came, they only had the privilege to catch a glimpse from a distance. The thought of pretending to meet the leader by chance was both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Then Director Xu turned and looked at Wu Kechang, who was also standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, eagerly watching the Maybach. He knew exactly what Wu Kechang was up to and found it extremely annoying. "I'm a director, and you're just a department head. What are you doing here, trying to join in?"

Wu Kechang noticed Director Xu's unfriendly gaze but pretended not to understand, and smiled sheepishly, "Oh? Director Xu is here too?"