A Half-Step Winner: Qi Tongwei's Journey to the League

Just as Li Yanguang and his brothers were racking their brains to discuss how to deal with Qi Tongwei, he had already quietly embarked on a journey to Linquan County, Zhongping City.

Since Zhongping City had already sent out a notice to all cities and counties for Qi Tongwei to conduct research in various counties and districts of Zhongping, Qi Tongwei decided to adopt an unannounced research approach.

To this end, he specially arranged for his secretary Liu Zhaojun to drive his exclusive car to travel around the counties and districts. He himself, together with his bodyguard and driver, disguised himself and went deep into the grassroots to conduct field research.

Linquan County is a county with a relatively small overall economic scale and a rich historical and cultural heritage. The number of various industries within its jurisdiction is also relatively small.

Qi Tongwei’s first stop at Linquan was Zaolin Township.

Zaolin Township's economy developed rapidly in the 1980s due to its coal resources. However, the coal reserves here are average, and the local coal mining industry was shut down as early as the beginning of the century.

"Uncle, I see you are setting up the chess pieces. How about we play a game?" Qi Tongwei said with a smile to an old man sitting in front of the door.

The old man glanced at Qi Tongwei and replied with a smile, "Okay!" Then he asked as he set up the chessboard, "You don't look like a local. What's the matter with coming to our Zaolin?"

"Nothing. I heard that the early and crispy dates in our jujube forest are quite famous, so I came here to investigate." Qi Tongwei made an excuse.

The old man's face was filled with a friendly smile, and he replied softly: "I see! Our Zaocui Wang Zao is really good! Its peel is as thin as a cicada's wing, and the flesh is crisp, refreshing, tender and juicy. It is truly unique!"

As they were talking, the two men had already set up their chess positions and started competing on the chessboard.

While Qi Tongwei was making his move, he casually asked, "Uncle, how old are you this year?"

The old man replied cheerfully, "Eighty-seven!"

"You are already 87 years old, but you don't look like it. Judging from your condition, people would believe you are in your 60s." Qi Tongwei exclaimed.

"I'm old and dying."

"In your current state, it's still too early!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Tongwei said again: "Eat the horse!" Then he reached out and took away one of the old man's horses.

The old man waved his hands and said, "No, no, I didn't see it just now, it doesn't count!"

This was the fifth time that the old man had changed his mind and come back. If Qi Tongwei had not come here just to play chess for fun, he would have probably lost his patience and been unwilling to continue playing chess with him.

Seeing this, Qi Tongwei was open-minded and magnanimous. He smiled and said, "Okay, I'll let you do it again, but this won't happen again!"

The old man whispered, "Young man, what do you mean by let me go? Didn't I see it? Besides, I'll tell you something, and I guarantee you won't lose anything."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei became curious and asked quickly, "Oh? Then I'll have to prick up my ears and listen carefully!"

The old man said with a somewhat unpleasant expression: "This is also a shame for the people of Zaolin. I don't know when it started, but some women in Zaolin Town rely on honey traps to make a living."

"Honey trap? Uncle, you have to talk to me carefully. I spend most of my time outside all year round. It would be better for me to know some of their methods so as to prevent myself from falling into their trap." Qi Tongwei said seriously.

The old man sighed softly and said slowly: "Well, actually, we can't put all the blame on those women.

Those men also have problems! They have wives and children at home, but they are not honest and have to go around visiting other people (commonly known as Lao Wang with a hat).

If you walk on the road at night too much, you will always encounter ghosts, let alone those women in the bar.

Most men will be caught by their husbands in the end, and they will have no choice but to pay money to avoid disaster." As he spoke, the old man began to tell Qi Tongwei some specific examples.

Listening to the old man's narration, Qi Tongwei became more and more frightened.

According to what he said, in this small town of Zaolin, no less than ten such incidents occurred last year alone!

Moreover, the male protagonists involved in the case all have formal jobs. They include leading cadres of township governments, police officers of police stations, and school teachers.

Since these people work in towns and villages for a long time, they go home relatively seldom.

After get off work in the afternoon, they feel bored, so many of them like to invite three or five friends to go out for a drink to relieve their boredom.

And in those wineries, there are naturally some hostesses.

These hostesses are not some messy people, they are all from good families, but they are all good families who are not disciplined.

After a while, some people couldn't control themselves and got entangled with those women.

But truth will eventually come out, or this is the way couples deal with each other. Before long, this improper relationship will be discovered by the woman's man.

Once the truth comes out, the only way to solve the problem is to pay money.

If ordinary people encounter this situation, they will have no choice but to accept the money. However, it is different for people with jobs. If they are not paid, they will be threatened.

The first is to carry out publicity throughout the county, and the second is to report to the Discipline Inspection Commission.

These people couldn't afford to lose their jobs, so they had no choice but to accept the man's threat and pay compensation.

"Uncle, how much money do these people usually ask for?" Qi Tongwei appeared calm on the surface, but in his heart he had already cursed the secretary of the Linquan County Party Committee.

"The amount varies and is determined by the position of the man involved. Take Gao Zhijun, secretary of Zaolin Township Government, for example. Because of his high position, he was blackmailed for 150 million yuan at one time. When ordinary township officials get into trouble, they are basically paid yuan," explained the old man.

Qi Tongwei was already numb. He didn't expect that this was the government official in Zaolin. His quality was so low.

Qi Tongwei nodded first, indicating that he already knew, and then asked: "How has our Zaolin developed in recent years?"

"I haven't noticed any changes. It's still the same." Suddenly, the old man thought of something, put down the chess piece in his hand, and said solemnly: "Are you from the higher-level government?"

Qi Tongwei asked in confusion: "How did you figure that out?"

"I worked in the public security before I retired, so I was quite vigilant. Besides, your clothes betray you. Judging from your outfit, you look like a career official." The old man pointed at Qi Tongwei's executive jacket.

"Thank you for your advice." Qi Tongwei turned to Zhang Jun and said, "You know my size. Buy me a coat."

After that, he asked the old man, "Uncle, can you tell me what other problems are there in Zaolin?"

The old man nodded and whispered, "Besides that, there is environmental pollution. Although Zaolin's economy is average, there are several large companies. These companies are the ones that discharge the most pollutants in Zaolin."

Qi Tongwei wrote down the question and continued to discuss the issue with the old man.