Ma Xudong was indeed a man of many faces in the world of officialdom.
Emerging from humble beginnings, he made his own way in the world, and by his forties had climbed to the position of head of both Party and government in a Prefecture-level City, holding a department-level rank. Moreover, he had prospects of advancing to the Provincial City—which truly required some skill.
Such individuals often leverage various resources, directing everything to their advantage for personal development and are especially adept at handling affairs.
The way of officialdom sometimes is simply a way of handling affairs.
As a leader, it doesn't matter if you have genuine talent; what's important is whether you can deal with matters!
Being able to deal with matters tests one's judgment and suavity.
So, clutching a recording, Ma Xudong paid a late-night visit to Vice Governor Cheng Shengyang.
Originally, Ma Xudong's backers in the provincial echelons got along quite amicably with Cheng Shengyang.
In fact, taking this opportunity to visit his own powerful backer was even more in his favor.
Powerful backers are omnipresent.
In Liu Zhizhong's eyes, Ma Xudong was a powerful backer.
For Ma Xudong, the big shots in the Provincial City were power brokers.
And in front of big shots, ah, the bigwigs in the capital were the real heavyweights.
In officialdom, no matter if one has arthritis or a cold leg, with authority and influence, one appears solid and robust.
Sometimes, everyone is a leg, and everyone needs a leg to stand on.
Thus, Ma Xudong didn't just need one leg, so he gave the recording not to his backer but to his backer's rival, Cheng Shengyang.
Such back-and-forth tactics were actually quite smooth.
Cheng Shengyang was surprised by Ma Xudong's arrival, but after listening to the recording, his expression changed, filled with gratitude.
The scandal involving his son, Cheng Xiaolong, could have been disastrous had Ma Xudong given the recording to someone else.
Thus, Cheng Shengyang even asked Ma Xudong to sit down for a bit of late-night beer and chat.
He even mentioned that, currently, there was discussion about his and some of his peers' position adjustments. "I, old Cheng, don't concern myself with others, but I will definitely cast a vote for you."
Ma Xudong's purpose was achieved, and he was secretly thrilled.
Before long, a situation report about Liu Haichuan came in, and Ma Xudong was stunned.
Cheng Shengyang was also taken aback, but in the end, he let out a sigh and said, "Secretary Ma, look at the mess this has caused. Vice Mayor Huang's son even lost his life in the process, alas… We really owe you one!"
"Governor Cheng, you are too kind. Ma Xudong acts in a principled way, promoting unity and harmony, not seeking revenge. Anything that is not conducive to unity, not conducive to harmony, I will not do..."
"Mm, your awareness is growing ever higher! Regardless, it's a shame Young Master Huang left us so young..."
Actually, Cheng Shengyang felt: Damn Huang Hongfei, his death was a welcome end. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
After Ma Xudong left, Cheng Shengyang took a deep breath and made a phone call to his son, Cheng Xiaolong.
Cheng Xiaolong, at that moment, was unaware of Huang Hongfei's fatal car accident.
Right then, he was actually at Huang Hongfei's bar, waiting in his office for him, with three hostesses drinking elaborate wines.
He really was drinking lavishly, having the three hostesses bare their upper bodies, keeping their lower halves clothed, and they just accompanied him like that.
Hearing from his father that Huang Hongfei was dead, Cheng Xiaolong spat out a mouthful of wine that drenched one of the hostesses across from him, and they all cried out in shock.
Hearing the women's screams, Cheng Shengyang immediately unleashed a torrent of foul scolding, criticizing his son harshly.
Cheng Xiaolong was scared witless, his scandal had come to light!
He quickly assured his father that he would never engage in such foolishness again, he would earnestly do business, making money as his top priority.
At the same time, the guy also told his father that it was Huang Hongfei who tempted him onto this path in the first place—if he had known Huang Hongfei was targeting a Mayor's daughter, he would have stopped him at all costs!
He was trying to whitewash himself; Cheng Shengyang understood but didn't expose his son.
Cheng Shengyang simply told him not to cause more trouble. "It's lucky that I got all the evidence tonight and destroyed it. If it had fallen into someone else's hands with ulterior motives, do you think the Cheng family would have it easy? Here's what we'll do: If you want to make good money, go to Yangzhou. Secretary Ma Xudong can hook you up with a project."
Cheng Xiaolong, of course, agreed, saying he would head to Yangzhou the next day.
Meanwhile, Liu Zhizhong, returning to Yangzhou, didn't even go home but went straight to his office, where there was a bed and clothes for changing. For meals, he could go to the canteen for stir-fry on a single burner or something like that.
He spent Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in his office.
Ma Xudong only returned to the city on Wednesday.
In those three days, Liu Zhizhong's injuries had almost completely healed; his physical condition was indeed top-notch.
Approaching noon on Wednesday, Liu Zhizhong delivered some files to Ma Xudong's office.
Ma Xudong said with a cheerful smile, "Zhizhong, your injuries must be almost healed by now, right?"
"Um, pretty much. In a couple more days, they should be fully healed."
"Not bad, not bad. After all, you're young and your recovery is strong. How about I treat you to dinner tonight?"
Hearing this, Liu Zhizhong thought of sister Zhang Hongyang's threatening request, and an idea occurred to him. Why not accept the invitation and take him to Zhang Qixiang Villa No. 9?