The evening, the second-floor private room at the guesthouse.
All the leaders gathered and sat around the table.
Zheng Bihui's face no longer showed the suppressed anger from the day. He raised his glass and said, "Welco, Governor Qu. I hope you can lead Lingjiang to greater developnts."
The others also raised their glasses one by one.
The secretaries sat at the adjacent table.
Secretary Sun's files had not been transferred yet, but Zheng Bihui was adamant about bringing him over.
This guy's luck couldn't be judged as good or bad.
Lu Zhizhong was gone. He should have been all alone, inevitably facing marginalization.
Yet, he clung to Zheng Bihui's leg.
Unfortunately, this leg wasn't strong enough.
Song Guanchao kept his head down, focusing on eating, without going over to toast.
A whole table of leaders giving a welco banquet to Qu Xiangru, it wasn't his place to show off.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
Seeing the caller, he was a bit surprised. It was actually Uncle Hong.
He wiped his mouth and answered the call.
"In a mont, a short-haired female server will co in to serve wine. Watch to whom she pours the wine."
Song Guanchao looked towards the door and asked, "What's going on?"
"I'll explain later. Just keep an eye on it and don't hang up the call."
"Okay."
Song Guanchao regained his composure. It seed sothing was about to happen.
Sure enough, in no ti, a short-haired female server ca in with a bottle of Moutai.
Song Guanchao's eyes followed her as she headed towards Wu Qiangwei... next to Qu Xiangru, filling the decanter in front of Qu Xiangru.
Song Guanchao quietly said, "Qu Xiangru."
"Keep an eye on Qu Xiangru, make sure nothing happens."
"Should we inform Secretary Wu?"
"I've asked Wu Ming to go up, you don't have to worry."
"... Can he handle it?"
It wasn't that he looked down on Wu Ming... well, maybe he did.
"I'm here." Uncle Hong sighed.
He hung up, and Song Guanchao quickly edited a ssage to send to Qu Xiangru.
Qu Xiangru picked up the wine the server just poured, about to drink it, when her phone vibrated.
"There's sothing in the wine."
Qu Xiangru glanced over at Song Guanchao, put down her phone, and drank the wine in one go.
This woman...
Song Guanchao gritted his teeth.
Thinking for a mont, he sent another ssage to Wu Qiangwei, then got up and left the private room.
Two minutes after going out, Wu Qiangwei also ca out.
"What's going on?"
"Soone drugged Secretary Qu." Song Guanchao recounted Uncle Hong's call.
Drugging Qu Xiangru at her welco banquet, this was no small matter.
And she just took office today. If anything happened, it would beco big news.
Who was targeting her?
Wu Qiangwei asked, "Uncle Hong asked you to watch her?"
"Yes."
"Go back inside and keep an eye."
Wu Qiangwei turned and headed down the corridor, just as Wu Ming ca up.
The two walked towards the hallway together.
Song Guanchao went back to the private room, observing Qu Xiangru's reaction.
This woman had so nerve, drinking knowing there was sothing in it.
Wasn't she afraid it might be poison?
A few minutes later, Wu Qiangwei and Wu Ming ca in together.
Wu Ming sat next to Song Guanchao, and quietly said, "It's Lin Daoquan."
Song Guanchao suddenly realized, was this guy seeking revenge on purpose?
"Did he co to Lingjiang?"
"Yeah, just outside."
"Did Uncle Hong restrain him?"
"No," Wu Ming said, "My sister asked you to figure it out. If you can't, she'll handle it."
Song Guanchao added a piece of beef, chewing it thoroughly.
After swallowing the piece of beef, he put down the chopsticks: "Have Uncle Hong keep an eye on his temporary residence, leave the rest to ."
He already had a plan in mind.
The leaders at the table were still toasting, but no one was urging drinks.
As a joke, would a group of city-level leaders dare to urge an Executive Deputy Governor to drink?
He took out a cigarette and lit it, squinting his eyes.
Lin Daoquan!
He had clearly stated his position in Tongzhou City.
If this guy dared to co to Lingjiang, he shouldn't expect to return unscathed.
Yet this guy really ca.
And he specifically chose the day Qu Xiangru assud office.
The biting dog doesn't bark.
He really hadn't expected that a Deputy Governor in charge of education would have the guts for revenge.
"I'm going to the restroom, everyone take your ti drinking."
Qu Xiangru stood up and walked outward.
Song Guanchao extinguished his cigarette and followed.
Coming out of the private room, the two of them walked one behind the other in the hallway.
Reaching the end, Song Guanchao suddenly grabbed her arm and headed toward the ergency stairwell.
The corridor was pitch black, and the motion sensor lights didn't even turn on.
Stepping forward, Song Guanchao could sll the alcohol on her lips: "There's sothing in the wine, didn't you see the ssage?"
"I saw it."
"You saw it and still drank!"
"Are you teaching how to do things?"
"Damn it!"
At a ti like this, she was still keeping up appearances.
Song Guanchao hooked her waist, saying, "Lin Daoquan is just outside, he's coming for you!"
Then asked, "Do you feel any discomfort?"
"A little dizzy."
"Anything else?"
"I want to sleep with you."
Qu Xiangru's voice changed suddenly, and in the pitch-black corridor, her eyes were filled with desire.
Her body seed boneless, hanging onto him.
Their lips drew closer, suddenly pecking gently on his.
Song Guanchao hurriedly steadied her: "Can you hold on?"
"The drug seems not too strong. Otherwise, I'll go back and drink two more glasses? Lin Daoquan will definitely find , just in ti to sleep with him."
"..." Song Guanchao couldn't tell whether this woman was genuinely under the drug's influence or was deliberately provoking him.
He wanted to slap her on the buttocks but was afraid it might delight her.
At this mont, a text from Uncle Hong ca in.
Song Guanchao glanced at it and said, "Lin Daoquan has reserved a room in the guesthouse. Go back to the private room first. When the drug takes effect, step out. A server should lead you to the room."
"Didn't you want to sleep with him? Go ahead."
Qu Xiangru looked at him steadily. Two seconds later, she said, "Alright."
She turned to leave.
Song Guanchao smoked a cigarette in the hallway. When he ca out, he just saw Qu Xiangru staggering out of the private room.
The short-haired female server was supporting her towards the elevator.
Song Guanchao didn't follow; he entered the private room, went to Jiang Yuan's side, and whispered a few words.
Jiang Yuan's smile faded slightly.
Then, Song Guanchao went to Minister Zhou's side and whispered a few words.
Minister Zhou and Jiang Yuan exchanged a glance, both stood up, and Jiang Yuan suddenly said, "Fang, co over."
Secretary Fang Wei ca over.
Jiang Yuan pointed at the wine at Qu Xiangru's seat: "Take this wine for testing at the hospital."
At these words, the seated leaders were taken aback.
What was going on?
Soone had spiked the wine?
No,
It was Qu Xiangru's wine that was spiked.
Fang Wei was also montarily stunned, imdiately responding to collect and preserve the wine.
Zheng Bihui asked, "Mayor Jiang, what's wrong?"
Jiang Yuan said, "Soone spiked Governor Qu's wine. Everyone, please follow ."
With that, he turned and walked out.
A group of standing committee mbers, including the secretaries, all understood that tonight's welco banquet had gone awry.
Song Guanchao followed Wu Qiangwei, who quietly asked, "Is this your way of solving it?"
She hadn't expected Song Guanchao to escalate the matter publicly.
The key was, how to handle the aftermath?
Song Guanchao said, "Lin Daoquan is like a mad dog that bites. You can't reason with a mad dog. To have peace, we've got to put him down!"
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