Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 258: See through it but don't say it; if you don't court death, you won't die

Chen Yang responded with a smile.

She had imagined countless scenarios of reuniting with Qi Tongwei.

Even after learning that Qi Tongwei had knelt down and proposed to Liang Lu in public.

She also fantasized that Qi Tongwei might one day change his mind.

She would divorce Liang Lu, resign from her job regardless of her future, and rush to Yanjing to find him to spend her life with.

However, as time went by, Qi Tongwei did not divorce Liang Lu. Instead, he continued to advance his career by leveraging his connections with the Liang family.

No matter how much attachment and reluctance there is, it will be diluted by time.

Especially after working within the system for a long time, Chen Yang also craved power and advancement.

Instead, she came to understand Qi Tongwei.

A farmer's child who passed the exam in a poor mountain village.

He was stuck with Liang Lu, a woman with a powerful background and a strong possessive nature.

If you don't choose to give in, you'll never get ahead in this life, even if you become a drug-fighting hero who was shot three times!

and so……

Time heals all wounds.

Having worked within the same system, I can understand Qi Tongwei's utilitarian desire to advance at all costs.

Therefore, at this moment of reunion after a long separation, my heart is truly unmoved.

There was not a trace of excitement, nor a hint of embarrassment.

A slight surprise flashed through my mind, because I didn't expect Qi Tongwei to appear here.

She had previously speculated to Zhao Ruilong that Qi Tongwei would be afraid of awkwardness if they met, and would only call Chen Hai to congratulate him.

But now it seems.

It's unclear whether it was that kneeling on the playground that truly caused Qi Tongwei to lose all his dignity.

Having spent years navigating the system, he's developed an impenetrable thick skin.

Qi Tongwei not only came, but also brought his younger brother a lot of things.

Chen Yang glanced down at it.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Is this guy crazy? Sending baby supplies?"

"On such a joyous wedding day, who the hell is sending me... wait, could it be..."

Chen Yang quickly realized what was happening and suddenly stood up to look at Chen Hai, who had closed the door and gone inside.

"Xiaohai, is Xiaoling pregnant?"

Chen Hai laughed and said, "Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten married so hastily!"

"But...but why didn't you tell me about this double happiness beforehand? I'm your own sister, how could you keep this from me?"

Chen Yang stood with his hands on his hips, his face full of anger.

"I was planning to tell you when you got back, otherwise if you found out I was getting married because I was pregnant, you would definitely buy a lot of things in Yanjing to bring back with you."

“Look at Qi Tongwei, he brought over so many things, I regret telling him that the sudden marriage was because Xiaoling was pregnant.”

After saying that, Chen Hai picked up his things and walked towards the bedroom.

"Wait a moment!"

Chen Yang picked up his bag and quickly walked to the bedroom.

Just as he was about to take out the money, he paused when he saw that Qi Tongwei was still there.

"You go out first, I have something to say to Xiaohai."

"Okay, you two can chat."

Qi Tongwei smiled and left, closing the door behind him as he went.

As soon as the door closed, Chen Yang took out a thick bundle of brand-new hundred-yuan bills.

"Sis, what are you doing?"

Chen Hai was shocked.

He works in anti-corruption, so naturally he's seen a lot of money.

A glance at the thickness of this stack of banknotes tells you roughly how much there is.

"Keep this 50,000 yuan safe. It's my savings from many years of hard work!"

"Don't rush to refute me, let me finish. You are my only brother, and I don't have much to give you for your wedding."

"With this 50,000 yuan, and by selling this old, dilapidated apartment, plus your own savings, you'll definitely be able to buy a large, well-located apartment with a mortgage."

"You're about to become a father, do you really want your child to be born and grow up in this old and dilapidated little house? And there's only one bedroom, so there's no room for guests when we come over."

“You can’t count on your parents. They can’t help you at work, and they won’t provide any financial support. After your child is born, you can only rely on your mother-in-law to take care of your wife.”

"Where will your mother-in-law live then? Can you really bear to let her live in the living room? You should sell the house as soon as possible and buy a larger apartment with an elevator, next to a school!"

Chen Yang gave him a long and earnest pep talk.

But Chen Hai was unwilling to accept such a large sum of money.

Faced with his younger brother's repeated refusals, Chen Yang had no choice but to change his mind.

"OK OK!"

"Then consider it a loan from me, okay?"

"You can pay me back when my company organizes a group purchase of houses in Yanjing in the future, is that alright?"

Chen Hai was stunned.

"Your company is organizing a group purchase of housing? The prices must be very cheap, right?"

Chen Yang immediately started boasting.

"Of course, you could call it a kind of hidden benefit from the company!"

"However, the current plan is to demolish the old residential area and rebuild commercial housing on the original site."

"However, due to the involvement of many issues such as urban construction planning and changes in land use, it will probably take another two or three years before it can be started."

"So take this money and use it first. Hurry up and buy a house while the housing prices in Handong are being regulated. Otherwise, as the economy gets better and better, the housing prices in Jingzhou will definitely continue to rise, and you won't be able to afford one then."

"But……"

"No buts, hurry up and hide, I'm going out now!"

Chen Yang forced the money into his younger brother's arms and turned to leave.

"Wait a moment!"

Chen Hai glanced at the living room and said somewhat embarrassedly in a low voice, "I didn't expect Qi Tongwei to come. I only informed him as a formality, so that he wouldn't complain in the future that I didn't inform him about my wedding."

Chen Yang smiled calmly.

"It's alright, come on over. We've known each other for a while now, so we're friends!"

"Besides, if he's not afraid of being embarrassed, why should I be? We're not three-year-olds anymore."

"Besides, he's probably at a fairly high level now. If we cultivate a good relationship with him, he might be able to help us someday."

Chen Hai nodded slightly.

"Although the Liang family has collapsed and his father-in-law, Liang Qunfeng, has passed away, he is still deeply loved by Gao Yuliang, the secretary of Luzhou City."

"Not long ago, he also cracked down on and eradicated the Huang Wusheng criminal gang, which had been entrenched in Luzhou City for many years and was involved in organized crime. He might be promoted to bureau chief by the end of this year or early next year."

Chen Yang smiled faintly, showing no surprise.

"With Teacher Gao as his backer, it's normal that he made rapid progress."

"But you're not bad either. I heard that Secretary Zhao Lichun specifically praised you..."

……

In the living room.

Qi Tongwei, who works efficiently, offered his help and encouragement.

His "shameless" decision to attend the wedding was not merely to congratulate Chen Hai, nor was it to meet Chen Yang.

He knew that many people from the political and legal departments of Handong would be attending Chen Hai's wedding, so his main purpose in coming this time was to get to know them better.

With the transfer of Zhong Zhengguo, the former secretary, and the passing of his father-in-law Liang Qunfeng, Handong experienced two major upheavals in just a few months, resulting in significant personnel changes within the political and legal system.

Many familiar faces are now either imprisoned or transferred. If I don't take advantage of every opportunity to expand my network, it won't be easy for me to start working when I'm transferred back to Jingzhou.

of course.

He had another purpose for coming here: to see if he could meet Zhao Ruilong.

He established the Huang family in Luzhou, seized a large amount of stolen money and goods, and solved many old cases.

With such a great achievement, and with the help of Teacher Gao Yuliang, and with Zhao Ruilong saying a word, is it still difficult to make progress?

Ever since.

After chatting idly with Lu Yike for a while, Qi Tongwei suddenly asked with a smile:

"Your Director Chen is getting married tomorrow. When are you and General Manager Zhao going to have your wedding?"

Lu Yike, with her straightforward personality, immediately asked in a playful tone, "What? Are you planning to pay for our banquet?"

Qi Tongwei laughed and said, "I would like to give a generous gift, but these days, aren't public officials in Handong not allowed to accept money as gifts when they hold banquets?"

"That's right, if I can't accept money, why would I hold a banquet? Everyone might be happy to eat and drink, but I'd have to spend several months' salary on it. I'm not doing that!"

After Lu Yike finished speaking, she picked up the ribbon and skillfully tied the balloon tightly.

"Yike, stop joking, okay? If you're getting married and hosting a banquet, how could President Zhao possibly let you spend money? Even if it's a huge feast that lasts for three days and three nights, he can still afford it!"

"Eat for three days and three nights? You really have no manners!"

Lu Yike casually threw the balloon in her hand at Qi Tongwei.

Qi Tongwei stepped back and said, "I'm telling the truth. You two have been together for quite a while now, it's time to get married and have a banquet!"

"He's too busy with work, let's talk about it another time!"

Lu Yike also knew that even if she didn't register her marriage with Zhao Ruilong, she would still have to host a wedding banquet.

Few people know whether they have obtained a marriage certificate, but everyone knows whether they have held a wedding banquet.

To avoid being asked about this countless times, it's indeed worth considering holding a banquet to go through the motions.

"Mr. Zhao is indeed quite busy with work, but he should have time to come to the wedding banquet these two days, which are the weekend?"

Qi Tongwei spoke slowly and deliberately, but he asked the question that concerned him most.

"He went to Tianjin on a business trip, I don't know if he'll be able to make it back!"

"Does he know that Chen Hai is getting married tomorrow?"

"I didn't tell him, so he probably doesn't know!"

"You should at least tell him, what if he's already back in Jingzhou and still wants to come?"

Lu Yike frowned.

He stared intently at Qi Tongwei.

"After all this beating around the bush, you just want to know if he's coming tomorrow, right?"

"Since you want to see Zhao Ruilong so much, why don't you call him yourself?"

Qi Tongwei laughed awkwardly, "It's not my wedding, how could I possibly host a banquet for Chen Hai?"

Before Lu Yike could retort, Zhou Zheng, who was in charge of attaching the flowers, suddenly interjected:

"President Zhao has returned to Jingzhou, and he even came back by private jet."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zhenggang had just joined the Anti-Corruption Bureau's Investigation Division 1.

I really wanted to find an opportunity to make a name for myself, but now it seems I've messed things up.

How did you know he went back to Jingzhou?

Lu Yike asked, her eyes wide.

Zhou Zheng gave an awkward smile.

“I…a friend of mine works at the airport. He said that yesterday morning, a private plane flew in from Tianhai to our Jingzhou International Airport.”

"It's already quite remarkable for ordinary people to own a private car, let alone a private jet. It's extremely rare to see one, so many people are paying close attention to this."

"According to him, the owner of this private jet is Xiao Jinhua, the richest man in our country. Handong Automobile Group even sent a convoy to the airport to pick him up and President Zhao."

Qi Tongwei, reacting quickly, immediately said:

"Tsk tsk, our CEO Zhao is indeed a very busy man!"

"And they were talking about big business deals and big deals, and they even took private jets."