Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Based on what Zhao Ruilong knew, the Zhao family was truly on the verge of collapse.

The second sister will probably be the first to be divided up by her husband's family, so as to prevent their family from being implicated in their own affairs.

"Second sister, then thank you for your hard work."

Without giving Zhao Xiaohui a chance to hesitate, Zhao Ruilong made the decision for her.

Zhao Xiaohui didn't actually intend to refuse. Being able to spend time alone with Qi Tongwei would allow her to learn more about his situation and thoughts.

What are he and the people behind him really thinking?

What do they want? What are their goals? Can both parties reach a cooperation agreement and achieve a win-win situation?

Nowadays, every bit of strength is invaluable to the Zhao family.

Without a foothold in Handong, the Zhao family is nothing more than a lone boat adrift with the tide.

A storm may come, but the lake will remain clear and boundless, except for the Zhao family's sailboat. Who will care then?

"Director Qi, you didn't come here today just to welcome me, did you?"

"I came to see Miss Zhao, and I also have something to tell you."

"Oh, who are you bringing this for?"

Qi Tongwei smiled without saying a word, and said to himself: "Handong cannot be in chaos. The foundation laid in the past twenty years cannot be destroyed in an instant because of personal desires. If the Zhao family does not even understand this principle, they will disregard the overall situation."

That would be tantamount to courting death. Forget about Secretary Zhao Lichun's arrangements in Beijing; the Zhao family would likely have no place to stand in the entire country.

Zhao Xiaohui's heart skipped a beat.

This warning was tantamount to telling her bluntly, 'If you, Zhao Xiaohui, dare to act recklessly, you're courting death.'

"Oh, right." Qi Tongwei, who was ahead, suddenly stopped and looked at the green with his hands behind his back. "I have two gifts in my car. One is a local specialty of Handong, which I put in the passenger seat. The other is a CS/LR4 sniper rifle, which I put in the trunk."

Turning around abruptly, Qi Tongwei's smile remained unchanged. "Miss Zhao, just tell me what you want."

Chapter 889 No Choice, the Imperial Sword

While others use a carrot and stick approach, Qi Tongwei takes a more direct approach.

Specialty products plus sniper rifles.

Choose!

Whether she takes the local specialties and heads home, or stays and is held at bay by a sniper rifle, is up to her to choose.

Zhao Xiaohui's face showed struggle, and a helpless bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"I want to choose, but the truth is, I have no choice at all."

Qi Tongwei remained silent.

The other party was right. As a member of the Zhao family, she had no choice from the very beginning.

"In that case, I hope Miss Zhao takes good care of herself in Handong and tries to stay home as much as possible, as the security situation has been rather unsafe lately."

"Hey, Qi Tongwei, what do you mean? Are you threatening my second sister?!"

Zhao Ruilong, who was holding two glasses of champagne and intending to eavesdrop, happened to hear this sentence.

He threw the champagne glass in his hand away instantly, pointed at Qi Tongwei and wouldn't let it go, as if he wanted to keep him there.

"Ruilong."

Zhao Xiaohui sternly rebuked, "How dare you speak to Director Qi like that? Apologize."

"No, Second Sister," Zhao Ruilong protested. "What kind of spell did he cast on you? I'm just standing up for you. You want me to apologize to him?"

"I said, apologize." Zhao Xiaohui's serious expression showed no sign of relaxing.

Seeing that his second sister was really angry, Zhao Ruilong impatiently waved his hand and said, "Fine, fine, I was wrong. Director Qi, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."

"No." Qi Tongwei was already on his guard.

This infuriated Zhao Ruilong, but Zhao Xiaohui remained vigilant and tense.

If the enemy has a sniper rifle in their trunk, they can naturally deploy more snipers around them.

He controls the most powerful violent apparatus for maintaining internal stability.

Don't underestimate him just because he's not high-ranking or has a low level.

But when it really comes down to 'force,' this is where his most powerful card comes in.

"Director Qi, since that's the case, I won't keep you any longer. I have many things waiting for me."

"Okay." Qi Tongwei nodded obediently, but before leaving, he still gave her a word of advice: "This Handong is ultimately the organization's Handong. No one can try to get their hands on it, or they will surely die."

Zhao Xiaohui's face turned pale, knowing that her guess had come true.

She wondered why the higher-ups were so resolute in their decision to resolve the issue of Handong this time, making such a strong commitment to her father.

It turns out the problem lies at its root.

She had long advised her father not to be so domineering and autocratic, and to give others some space and leeway.

Otherwise, you're just sending yourself to your doom.

Now that her words have come true, Zhao Xiaohui is not happy at all.

Once the Zhao family arrived, she lost her value.

This marriage is essentially a transaction of mutual benefits, and it will likely bring more harm and pain to the couple.

Right now, we not only need to consider the Zhao family's escape route, but we also need to seek our own safety.

"Ruilong, fly to the United States right now."

"Second sister, no, why are you making me leave again, Grandpa..."

"Stop talking nonsense, do you even want to live?"

The situation has become so serious that there is no time to explain to him or reason with him.

Relying on her past authority, Zhao Xiaohui forced Zhao Ruilong to leave.

Reluctantly, Zhao Ruilong still went to the airport. 'At worst, I'll just go out for a trip and come back in a while. Consider it a way to clear my head.'

But when he was told he was restricted from leaving the country after having his ticket checked at the airport, Zhao Ruilong truly realized how dangerous the situation his family was in.

Is the other side now trying to trap us behind closed doors?!

"Dad, I arranged for Ruilong to go abroad, but the airport told me that he was restricted from leaving the country."

After receiving the call, Zhao Lichun remained silent for a long time on the other end: "I'll make a call and arrange for him to leave immediately... You should leave too!"

At this point, Zhao Lichun realized that the situation was hopeless.

The best outcome for myself is a soft landing in a powerless, idle position, where I can retire peacefully.

But how could Zhao Lichun, who had been domineering his whole life, allow himself to become a mascot?

They're dragged out for a stroll all the time, like monkeys in a park that everyone can see.

Even knowing he was doomed, he had to make one last desperate attempt.

Having been deeply rooted in Handong for over twenty years, Zhao Lichun refuses to believe that everyone will betray him.

Besides, how can one clearly understand the confrontation above?

He doesn't need to explain everything so clearly; giving his subordinates a subtle hint will allow them to cover up the loopholes themselves.

At the same time, two Coaster buses drove into Handong Province one after the other.

The new leader of Handong has finally been chosen.

"Secretary Sha, we're almost at Handong."

"Ah."

Sha Ruijin looked out the window, his gaze playful and profound.

This trip has many objectives and heavy tasks.

I'm afraid that once I show my face, I'll never have another chance to rest.

However, this was exactly what he wanted.

They are in the prime of their lives, how can they waste time resting?

When you get old and retire, you'll have plenty of time, and it'll be hard not to rest.

Sha Ruijin's arrival was another earthquake for Handong.

Fortunately, earthquakes have been so frequent lately that people have gotten used to it.

Only one person was restless at this moment.

“Professor Gao, pacing back and forth like this won’t solve the problem. Even though a new person has been brought in, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re here for you.”

"Of course they're not targeting me. I've done nothing wrong, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Gao Yuliang spoke with conviction, but in reality, he was also uncertain.

Ignoring Zhao Lichun's recommendation, the higher-ups directly sent paratroopers down.

On the bright side, they don't want to see Zhao Lichun's actions repeated, allowing local forces to continue to grow stronger.

To put it bluntly, this whole thing is aimed at him.

After all, Zhao Lichun recommended him to succeed him, and Sha Ruijin's arrival was enough to show that the higher-ups had a negative view of him.

This opinion could be pending, or it could be that he should be replaced and a new person should be brought in.

Whether he admits it or not, from the outside world's perspective, he is one of Zhao Lichun's men.

They may be close or distant, but their stances are aligned.

Therefore, Gao Yuliang really had no idea how large the scope of this cleanup would be.

But there's nothing he can do now, and it's not his intention to provoke a confrontation.

However, Gao Yuliang was truly unwilling to simply sit and wait for his death.

What he first needed to figure out was who Sha Ruijin's knife was meant to kill, and how many people it was meant to kill.

"Okay, call Tongwei and ask him to come over."

At the same time, Qi Tongwei, who had just left the club, received a call from Tian Fuguo, "Secretary Ruijin wants to meet with you. I wonder if Director Qi has time?"

It's unclear when exactly, but Qi Tongwei has become a variable in the whole Handong game, finding himself at the center of the storm.

Chapter 890 Riding a Mudfish, Clash of Ideologies

As the top leader, he wanted to meet with a department head.

Qi Tongwei dared not delay and rushed to the compound immediately to meet with Sha Ruijin.

The other party didn't say anything substantial, but subtly pointed out that they were on the same side for the time being, and whether Qi Tongwei wanted to join them was up to him.

Qi Tongwei remained calm, neither expressing loyalty nor rejecting the other party's offer.

His ambiguous attitude left Sha Ruijin puzzled as to what he was planning.

"Our Director Qi is quite cunning!"

Qi Tongwei, the cunning Director Qi, quickly gained a reputation for being sly and cunning.

Thus, the saying "riding a mudfish" arose in private.

It's said that he's riding a mudfish, so anyone who tries to grab him will only get their hands slippery and won't be able to catch him at all.

The news naturally reached Qi Tongwei's ears, but he didn't care at all.

He spends his days either working or at home with his wife and children.

Since coming to Handong to study, Meng Jie has shown some signs of not adapting well.

The pressure here is much greater than in Beijing.

Furthermore, main courses take up 98% of the time, and the remaining 2% of leisure activities are also very boring.

It's basically just going through the motions, a mere formality, and there's no fun in it at all.