Power and Wealth

It was after midnight.

Dong Xuebing looked at Xiang Chengdong in the interrogation room of Hui Tian Village Station. “Harassing women, assault, and extortion. I believe you don’t need me to explain the definitions of these charges, right? I don’t want to waste time. All of you better compensate Da Leng’s sister and her family medical bills. Hmmm... with other compensations, I think 50,000 RMB is enough. All of you can leave after paying up, and I will treat this case as you all settled it privately.”

Xiang Chengdong stared at Dong Xuebing. “You just wait!”

Dong Xuebing looked at him. “You don’t want to pay the compensation?”

Xiang Chengdong gave Dong Xuebing a stare and took out his phone.

Dong Xuebing said. “You all will remain here until the compensation is paid up. It is useless no matter who comes to beg for you!”

After a while, Dong Xuebing’s phone rang. He looked at the caller display, and it’s Secretary Zhou again. Dong Xuebing walked out of the interrogation room and answered.

Secretary Zhou roared into the phone. “Dong Xuebing! What are you trying to do?! Ah?!”

Dong Xuebing was disgusted by him and said. “Stop shouting at me! You are the one who woke me up in the middle of the night to solve this problem. Now, the one who does not want to solve this problem is also you. If you had persuaded Xiang Chengdong and his friends to leave, everything would be over. Do you think I will listen to a drunken person? Does he think he owns the Police Station? Fine! Now, even if he wants to leave, it is too late. The victims are in the hospital getting treated and is preparing to sue them in courts.”

Secretary Zhou screamed. “Release them immediately!”

Dong Xuebing replied furiously: “Secretary Zhou, are you trying to get me into trouble? The victims are badly injured by Xiang Chengdong, and if I don’t give the family members of the victims a satisfying answer, how will my colleagues look at me? Which villager will respect me? Are you asking me to disregard my honor? I had told you to mediate this incident, and this will not happen. Fine. It’s useless to say anything now. I can only follow the proper procedures.”

After hanging up, Dong Xuebing did not return to the interrogation room. He waited outside.

Ring... ring... ring... Dong Xuebing’s phone rang as expected. It is Liang Chengpeng calling this time. “You had arrested Party Secretary’s relative?”

Dong Xuebing firmly replied. “He had harassed women, assaulted others, and tried to extort money. I got no choice but to arrest him.”

Liang Chengpeng frowned. “How did it turn out this way?”

Dong Xuebing explained. “Chief Liang, I am not speaking behind others’ back. The whole incident had disgusted me. Secretary Zhou had called me in the middle of the night and asked me to handle this case. He told me that Party Secretary Xiang’s relative is beaten up. But when I reach there, it is not what Secretary Zhou said. Xiang Chengdong and his friends had beaten up the relatives of an officer from our Station. One of them is disfigured, and another had a broken leg. All of them are badly injured. I gave Secretary Zhou’s face and decided not to pursue this matter. I told Xiang Chengdong to leave, but he refused. He refused to let the injured to go to the hospital and even demanded compensations.”

“But you also don’t need to arrest them.”

“Yes. That’s why I called Secretary Zhou and asked him to persuade Xiang Chengdong not to blow up this incident. But Secretary Zhou accused me of not handling this incident well, and insisted the victims to compensate Xiang Chengdong! Chief Liang, don’t you think Secretary Zhou is doing this on purpose? If I follow what he says, everyone in the County will be scolding me!”

Liang Chengpeng sighed. “Secretary Zhou... is still too young.”

Dong Xuebing continued. “I am doing this with consideration for Party Secretary Xiang. If I don’t arrest Xiang Chengdong and let him continue with his ways, Party Secretary Xiang’s reputation will be tarnished. I had asked Xiang Chengdong to compensate the victims a sum of money, and this way, we can give both sides an answer, and we can also release them.”

Liang Chengpeng knew Dong Xuebing had not done anything wrong. The problem lies with Secretary Zhou. He is too arrogant and had not considered the consequences. He only thinks for the Party Secretary Xiang and his relatives. Even if he wants to bootlick, this is not the right way. If Dong Xuebing made the victims compensate Xiang Chengdong, Party Secretary Xiang would also be furious.

God of Plague Xiao Dong. This nickname suits him well.

Liang Chengpeng shook his head. When Dong Xuebing gets involved, there will be endless trouble. This incident, for instance. Although Dong Xuebing had handled it well, Party Secretary Xiang will not appreciate what he had done. Regardless of Dong Xuebing arresting Xiang Chengdong, or releasing him, Party Secretary Xiang will still hold him responsible. It is just as unreasonable as it seems.

The following two hours, no one else called Dong Xuebing.

Dong Xuebing crossed his legs and smoked in the interrogation room. Once in a while, he will look at his watch.

Xiang Chengdong had sobered up and became anxious when his cousin, Xiang Daofa and Secretary Zhou, didn’t appear to help him.

Dong Xuebing looked at Xiang Chengdong and asked. “Have you finish considering? All your friends had agreed to compensate the other party, and you are the only one left.”

At 3 am, Xiang Chengdong could not stand it. He called his family to bring money over.

Dong Xuebing did not hold Xiang Chengdong back and released him after he paid the compensations. Er Leng had accompanied his Second Uncle and Sister to the hospital, and Da Leng is still waiting at the Station. Dong Xuebing found him and passed him 80,000 RMB. “This sum of money is from them. Keep it for your family’s hospital bills.”

Da Leng looked at the stack of notes and thanked Dong Xuebing. “Thank you!”

Dong Xuebing patted him on his back. “Go back and have a good rest.”

Da Leng is not good with words, but he will remember what Dong Xuebing did for him in his heart.

The rest of the officers in the Station were deeply touched by this incident. Everyone noticed Chief Dong is different from the rest of the leaders. If it were someone else, they would never offend the Party Secretary’s relative for a subordinate. But Chief Dong did this, and this incident gave all the officers assurance.

The next day’s afternoon.

The sun is up, and the weather is dry and warm.

Dong Xuebing had returned home late last night and slept until noon. He got up and looked at his phone. There were two missed calls, which were from Qin Yong. Dong Xuebing returned the call. He needs to know about the impact of yesterday’s incident. Qin Yong told him that everything is normal at the Bureau, and there is no news from the County’s Party Committee. But Dong Xuebing knew that even if nothing happened now, Xiang Daofa would revenge on him in the future.

Dong Xuebing can only take a step at a time.

Dong Xuebing was rejected by Xiang Daofa in the afternoon, and at night, he got back at him. Regardless of the consequences, Dong Xuebing was still feeling great. He hummed a tune as he left his house with his bag.

At the front yard of the Quarters, Dong Xuebing overheard some people chatting.

“Have you heard it? The new Mayor had arrived.”

“What’s there to hear about? I had already seen them. The City Government’s Organization Affairs Head had sent the new Mayor personally. Their cars had just passed our main gate.”

“The new Mayor is from the Central Publicity Department? Is the Mayor a woman?”

“Yes. The person sitting at the rear passenger seat is Mayor Xie. Her looks...”

The two family members stopped chatting when they saw Chief Dong walking towards them. They pretended to be chatting about something else. Dong Xuebing had heard them from a distance and was excited. He had wanted to go over to ask them, but he is not familiar with those two people. At the time, Hu Silian walked out of a building next to Dong Xuebing.

Dong Xuebing smiled. “Director Hu, you are not working today?”

Hu Silian smiled. “No. I came back for lunch, and I am returning to the Bureau now.”

“Oh. I will drive you back.”

Hu Silian smiled. “Thank you.”

When Hu Silian saw Dong Xuebing getting into the Mercedes MPV parked at the parking lot, she was stunned. She got into the front passenger seat and admired the interior fittings of the car. “Last night, my husband was still asking me whose Mercedes is this. You bought this?” Hu Silian was impressed by Dong Xuebing, as this car cost over a million RMB.

Dong Xuebing waved his hand. “I cannot afford it. This is my friend’s car, and I had borrowed it.”

Hu Silian just smiled and did not say anything. This is a lie.

Dong Xuebing stepped on the accelerator and asked. “I heard the new Mayor had arrived.”

Hu Silian had lots of information sources compared to Dong Xuebing. She laughed. “She arrived about one hour ago. I and Chief Liang had gone over to the County’s Party Committee earlier. Now, Mayor Xie and the other leaders from the County’s Party Committee should be having a welcome lunch. My rank is not high enough to join them, and I returned home for lunch. Oh, Chief Liang asked me to inform you that there will be a Countywide meeting at 3 pm to announce the appointment of the new Mayor.”

Dong Xuebing laughed. “I am still in trouble, and I think I should not attend.”

Hu Silian had also heard about last night’s incident. She knew Chief Xiao Dong had offended Party Secretary Xiang. She could not even remember how many County leaders Dong Xuebing had offended since he was transferred over. Hu Yiguo, Zhao Jingsong, Yu Zhengchi, Qian Shen, Chang Lei... She laughed when she heard what Dong Xuebing said. “To be honest, you are the most special leader I had ever met. You are also the one whom I respected most.”

Dong Xuebing shook his head. “Haha... stop flattering me.”

Hu Silian replied seriously. “Many officers in the Bureau had been praising you. It’s rare to find any leaders not bowing down to authority nowadays.”

Dong Xuebing laughed. “This is not called refusing to bow down to authority. It is called having too little political wisdom. I think if this carries on, I will offend all the leaders in the whole province.”

Hu Silian laughed, and she knew what Chief Dong said is true. But Dong Xuebing had offended leaders from the County’s Party Committee to the Public Security Bureau leaders, and he is still sitting comfortably in his position as a Deputy Bureau Chief. This had also reflected his capabilities. If someone else had offended so many leaders, he or she would be forced to step down or transferred out of County.

After sending Hu Silian back to the Bureau, Dong Xuebing went to a restaurant to have his lunch.

After lunch, Dong Xuebing called Xie Huilan. The phone rang twice and she hanged up.

Dong Xuebing knew Sister Xie must be having lunch or discussing with someone else, and it is not convenient for her to answer his calls.

Afternoon, 2.40pm.

The County Government’s grand meeting hall.

All the government service leaders in Yan Tai County had arrived at the meeting hall. Other than the leaders in the Public Security Bureau, Dong Xuebing does not know anyone from the other departments. But Dong Xuebing noticed that lots of people recognized him. Some of them were stealing glances at him, and some were whispering and pointing at him. However, no one went up to him to greet him. Maybe it’s because of his ‘God of Plague’ nickname.

Dong Xuebing knew he was not well received by others and went to sit in a corner.

About 10 minutes later, the City’s Organization Department’s Head, Director Ci, and the County’s Party Secretary, Xiang Daofa, entered and sat in the first row. Many of the leaders there had not met Mayor Xie before and were stretching their necks to look for her. There were no female leaders in the County’s Party Committee, and soon everyone noticed an unfamiliar face. Many people gasped, and a few older leaders frowned.

How come she is so pretty?

This is the first thing that comes to their minds!

Mayor Xie had tied her hair up in a bun and was wearing a white shirt, black pants, with a pair of black high heels. Many people were stunned by her beautiful looks. She had an aura around her and just sitting there at her seat, gave many leaders pressure. Her stern expressions and ordinary clothing shouted out feminine attractiveness and attracted the attention of everyone.

This is the new County Mayor?

Everyone looked at Xie Huilan in disbelieved and don’t know what to say.

In China, there are very few female government officials, let alone pretty ones. Even Hu Silian is considered above average in the government service. But compared to Mayor Xie, Hu Silian’s looks are far behind. This new Mayor is too pretty.

Xiang Daofa heard the whispering behind him and frowned. He doesn’t understand why the higher-ups assigned someone like Xie Huilan to be the Mayor. Although he is impressed with her pretty looks, he doesn’t like her. If possible, Xiang Daofa would prefer an experience old leader to be the Number Two of the County Government.

The meeting started.

First, the City’s Organization Department Head, Director Ci, read out the appointment of Xie Huilan. Starting from today, Xie Huilan will take over the role of Temporary Mayor in Yan Tai County. The word ‘Temporary’ will be removed after Xie Huilan gets the appointment orders from the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and the earliest will be tomorrow. After that, Director Ci started his speech. His speech is nothing new and revolves around the usual things. Unity, be inline with the Central Government’s orders, etc.

After Director Ci’s boring speech, it’s Xie Huilan’s turn.

Xie Huilan walked up to the podium and smiled. She thanked the trust given to her by the County’s Party Committee, thanked the leaders in Yan Tai County Government for the warm welcome, and said she would unit everyone to develop Yan Tai County. With the leadership of the Party Secretary and all the support of all the leaders present, she does her best, etc. It’s all the usual boring stuff. The contents of her speech might be boring, but her sweet voice makes up for it. With her pretty looks and perfect figure, everyone in the meeting hall was listening attentively. There was a great difference when Director Ci was giving his speech earlier.

After Xie Huilan finished her speech, the crowd clapped. Dong Xuebing also clapped loudly until his palms turned red.

Twenty minutes later, the meeting ended. There seems to be a County Party Committee Meeting later.

All the leaders left and were discussing among themselves softly. Qin Yong found Dong Xuebing and walked out of the hall with him. As Dong Xuebing was walking out, he saw Xie Huilan chatting with Xiang Daofa. Dong Xuebing paused unconsciously and looked at Sister Xie. It’s been a while since they met, but Xie Huilan did not look at him. She turned and spoke to other leaders.

Qin Yong laughed and gave Dong Xuebing a light push. “Going?”

Dong Xuebing regained his senses.

After leaving the County Government building, Qin Yong laughed and said. “I took a Taxi over and did not drive. If it is convenient, can you give me a ride back?”

“Sure.”

From a distance, Qin Yong saw Dong Xuebing’s Mercedes MPV. It stands out among the other cars. Even the County’s Party Secretary’s car cannot be compared, and a few older leaders were looking at Dong Xuebing’s Mercedes with frowns. Qin Yong thought Dong Xuebing had driven the Bureau’s Buick MPV and looked at him. He rubbed his temples and thought to himself. There should be no one more daring than Chief Dong in the County.

In front of everyone, Dong Xuebing nonchalantly entered his car.

Qin Yong gritted his teeth and got into the front passenger seat.

After the car is out of the County Government compound, Qin Yong said. “Mayor Xie is very beautiful. I think only your helper can complete with her.”

Dong Xuebing was in a good mood to hear someone praising Sister Xie. “Sister Yu cannot be compared to Mayor Xie. Their dispositions are too different.”

“Right.” Qin Yong lowered his voice and asked. “Does Mayor Xie have strong connections?”

During last evening’s dinner at Qin Yong’s apartment, Dong Xuebing had mentioned Xie Huilan’s name, and Qin Yong thought Dong Xuebing might know her background. He wants to find out more about Xie Huilan. But Dong Xuebing did not reveal anything. “I am not very sure. But for someone at her age to reach Divisional Chief rank, and to be posted to the grassroots level as the Mayor, she must have connections with the higher-ups.” Who doesn’t know people in the higher-ups? It’s a matter of how ‘high’ are the higher-ups.

Not only Qin Yong, Xiang Daofa, and the rest of the leaders in the County Government are curious about Xie Huilan. If she is from the City Government or the Provincial Government, they could find out easily. But she is from the Central Government, and it is too far away for them to gather information about her. Furthermore, Xie Huilan had been keeping a low profile in the Central Publicity Department. Other than Dong Xuebing, no one in Yan Tai County Government, or even the City Government, knows that Xie Huilan is the daughter of Beijing City Party Secretary, Xie Guobang.