Chapter 514 Who Covers the Sky (asking for monthly ticket subscription)

The snow keeps falling.

On this cold winter night at the end of the year.

The Xiangjiang River flows northward, silently flowing northward, watching coldly the anger, ignorance, sorrow and rage in the world in the wind and snow.

The sky was already completely dark, without any stars.

At this moment, the world seemed to have turned into a huge black curtain, with high-rise buildings on both sides of the Xiangjiang River standing above it. Amid the flashing neon lights, there were colorful pedestrians, countless ants crawling hard carrying snow particles, and the sound of car horns coming one after another, like awls hitting the eardrums, roaring and howling above the sky!

In the distance, Xiangjiang Middle Road and Fenglin Road at both ends of the Juzizhou Bridge were already blocked into a long queue. Looking up, there was an endless stream of car lights flashing in the dark.

All this is thanks to Qiao Zhiwu.

As the main artery connecting the southern and northern parts of Lijin, the Juzizhou Bridge is of great importance. Qiao Zhiwu led a motorcade to block the entire bridge, which soon paralyzed the main artery even in the mid-90s when cars were far from being common in every household.

Looking across the entire Lizhen City, there is probably no other person who is so arrogant and so rampant!
Zhang Yunqi knew that this incident would definitely become a street gossip tomorrow, but he really had no interest in becoming the protagonist of such a gossip. Of course, he also knew that Qiao Zhiwu hated him so much that he would do such a thing.

Some time ago, under the leadership of Ji Zhong, Lijin City launched a massive special campaign to rectify the city's entertainment market. In this special campaign, a total of 87 police officers were dispatched in Wangcheng District alone to inspect 17 video halls, 9 dance halls, 8 discos, 7 video halls, and countless red-light hair salons.

Qiao Zhiwu's Zhicheng Industrial Group controls a large number of entertainment industries in Wangcheng. Naturally, he had received news of this action a long time ago. The dance halls, discos, hotels, etc. under him have been cleaned up to the point where they cannot be any simpler.

However, many things cannot be hidden just because you want to.

This type of low-end illegal behavior depends entirely on whether the police want to investigate it. Most of the time, they probably don't want to investigate it. But this time it was obvious that they were serious about it. It didn't take much time for the police to find several dens hidden in apartments and B&Bs used for wild chickens to live, and they arrested a large number of people selling meat.

Of course, it was impossible to bring down Qiao Zhiwu with these illegal and criminal acts, as his subordinates took all the blame. However, the business operations of his entertainment venues suffered a severe blow, and many dance halls and discos were closed for rectification, resulting in heavy losses.

At present, Qiao Zhiwu has been jointly sued by eight villages in the court for the project of the large-scale breeding base of lotus shrimp in Qiaokou Town, demanding to break the contract and take back the more than 1,000 acres of land that has been privately transferred to him by farmers. Once Yang Jiarong takes over Lijin, Qiao Zhiwu will definitely lose this lawsuit! However, Qiao Zhiwu's Zhicheng Industrial Group has already paid the land fee, and the payment is the total land fee for 20 years, which is a huge amount. If the contract is broken, and the farmers who have sold the land and received the land fee involve personal interests, it is very likely that the land has already been in the hands of Zhicheng Industrial, so they will not admit the debt and will not refund the money. Zhicheng Industrial, which was originally thought to be a rare commodity, will inevitably be slaughtered again.

Zhang Yunqi knew that Qiao Zhiwu had put all these debts on his head, so it was inevitable that he had some dissatisfaction with him, and it was normal for him to want to curse his ancestors. It was most likely that he was going to have a hard fight with him now.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunqi looked at the gun in Qiao Zhiwu's hand and said, "Dr. Qiao, you are also a well-known figure in Lijin. It's a bit inappropriate to let the whole city see such a big joke, right?"

Qiao Zhiwu pushed the door open and got out of the car, then lit up a cigarette and took two puffs: "If I, Qiao Zhiwu, was afraid of being laughed at, I wouldn't have dragged my lame leg from being a beggar to where I am today. Mr. Zhang, don't blame me for being rude. You are a bit ruthless and you really don't give me any way out. Don't blame me for flipping the table!"

Zhang Yunqi smiled and then got out of the car.

He stood on the sidewalk, leaning against the railing. The night sky was filled with flying snow, which slowly fell onto the surface of the Xiangjiang River, leaving no trace. In the distance, a convoy of cars with flashing headlights was like a fire dragon with no end in sight. The citizens who were stuck in a dilemma seemed to be getting more and more resentful, and the sound of car horns became more and more frequent, making the scene extremely chaotic.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise on the sidewalk, and a large group of black shadows rushed over. Zhang Yunqi turned his head and saw that it was Ma Shi who came with the security personnel.

The Orange Island Bridge was completely blocked, and cars could not get on. Ma Shi ran over. When he got closer, he saw that Zhang Yunqi was safe and sound, and his tense nerves finally relaxed. Then he called out, "Boss."

Zhang Yunqi did not respond.

He said to Qiao Zhiwu, "Dr. Qiao, do you need me to explain the cause of this matter? I am a businessman from outside the province. It is not easy for me to run a small business in Lijin. We originally had a relationship of not interfering with each other, but you insisted on using your usury tricks on me. Of course, it is meaningless to say these things now. Let's be direct. How do you want to solve this matter today?"

Qiao Zhiwu dusted off his cigarette ash, and a group of young men from his side rushed up directly, but Ma Shi did not give in at all. He immediately led the security personnel to meet them, and the two sides started pushing and confronting each other on the Orange Island Bridge.

The atmosphere became a little tense.

But in public, with so many citizens staring at him, Zhang Yunqi really had no interest in being a monkey for others. What was the point of such a fight between his men? Even if he won, what would it matter? Would he be able to vent his anger?

Then let Qiao Zhiwu vent this anger.

Zhang Yunqi turned around and left.

The young men who wanted to block Qiao Zhiwu's way had been held back by security personnel. Qiao Zhiwu stared at Zhang Yunqi's back and said coldly, "Someone wants to see you tonight."

Zhang Yunqi stopped and asked: "Who?"

Qiao Zhiwu said: "Secretary Song Zijian!"

Zhang Yunqi said: "Then lead the way to meet him."

＊＊＊＊＊＊
In the heavy snow, sirens blared.

The Orange Island Bridge was completely blocked. The vehicles of Zhang Yunqi and Qiao Zhiwu were stuck in the middle of the bridge, unable to move forward or backward. Zhang Yunqi could only walk out of the bridge and take another car.

At that time, a large number of traffic police had arrived and were working to clear the traffic on the road. They were all very busy. However, someone on the traffic police team seemed to know Qiao Zhiwu, but he didn't say anything. Qiao Zhiwu didn't take it seriously either and left a few of his subordinates to cooperate in handling the matter.

Zhang Yunqi got in the Crown driven by Ma Shi.

Two groups of people and more than a dozen cars left the chaotic Orange Island Bridge, passed through Erliban Street from the brightly lit Fenglin Road, bypassed the Yinshan Road covered with snow and wind, and soon arrived at the Jinxin Hotel in Wangcheng area.

Jinxin Hotel is Qiao Zhiwu's largest business in Wangcheng. There is a pair of big stone lions in front of the door. The lobby is decorated magnificently and the crystal lamps on the ceiling are dazzling. When Zhang Yunqi walked in, he was hit by a strong 90s-style local tyrant style. He guessed that the casino that brought Qiao Zhiwu a steady stream of funds was probably hidden here. However, under the shock of the entertainment market rectification action, it is estimated that they dare not open. This is a business that makes a lot of money every day. Qiao Zhiwu's losses can be imagined. It is not difficult to understand why he wants to fight him this time.

The group walked through several corridors and arrived at the back garden.

Compared with the magnificent front lobby of the hotel, the style of the back courtyard is quite different.

Black tiles and white walls, mountains and water, are arranged in an orderly manner. Two wintersweets bloom in the night amidst the first snow. The surrounding environment is quiet and beautiful, full of the elegance and solemnity of a pure Chinese courtyard.

In an octagonal pavilion on the left side of the courtyard, there was a girl sitting upright. She was wearing a white dress and a cape, with black hair draped over her shoulders like a waterfall. She had a pretty and clear face. She was not very old, probably less than 20 years old. There was a beauty mole at the corner of her right eye, which added a bit of vitality and agility to her flawless white face. At this moment, she was playing the guzheng in the pavilion. The melodious music was refreshing.

When Zhang Yunqi and Qiao Zhiwu walked along the stone path to the gatehouse opposite the courtyard, they couldn't help but look at the girl twice. Coincidentally, the girl also looked over. As soon as their eyes met, the girl immediately retracted her gaze with a cold expression.

Zhang Yunqi thought that this girl was also a miserable person.

Ma Shi Xiaowu and others who accompanied them stopped at the gate of the courtyard. Zhang Yunqi walked to the gatehouse and Qiao Zhiwu pushed the door open. Zhang Yunqi looked up and saw five middle-aged men sitting in the ancient front hall.

Zhang Yunqi knew two of the five people, Song Zijian and Zhao Dayong. Although he had never met these leaders, he watched the city's news station frequently, and Song Zijian was the unshakable male lead in Lijin News, so he recognized him at a glance. As for the other three, he had no impression.

This is probably the famous Qidong dinner party.

Not surprisingly, these five people are from Qidong, and the game was arranged through Qiao Zhiwu's matchmaking or gambling. Although Qiao Zhiwu is a low-class character, it seems that he is just a tool for this group of Qidong people to grab profits. In fact, except for Song Zijian, all the people present should be attracted by him through the game, and then he cheated them to bear huge gambling debts, forcing them to be completely tied to his pirate ship, thus forming a close community of interests. It is also self-evident where Qiao Zhiwu's huge profits from casinos and loan sharks will eventually flow.

Zhang Yunqi had also seen these things in gossip news in his previous life. He had never thought that he would be able to attend Qidong's dinner one day. Of course, he still had some impression of the final fate of the people who participated in this dinner.

Among them, Song Zijian was particularly impressive.

After Song Zijian retired from the top position in Lijin, he stayed in southern Hunan for a while, and then was transferred to Yunnan and Guizhou. Ten years later, he was granted a border post, and worked in that position until retirement, enjoying his old age with gold nuggets. Later, because the "cash king" Qiao Zhiwu of southern Hunan was exposed, Song Zijian, who was enjoying his old age, was imprisoned. Of course, these are things in the past life.

He and Qiao Zhiwu have had a deep conflict in this life, and Qiao Zhiwu's fate cannot remain unchanged. At present, the people at the Qidong dinner party are definitely Qiao Zhiwu's biggest reliance, and this table of people is indeed enough for Qiao Zhiwu to cover the sky with one hand in Lijin!

In the middle of this year, Liansheng Group and Lijin City reached a cooperation agreement on the Qiaokou Town project. Originally, it was an investment promotion project of Lufeng and was also included in the key research topics of the ministry. It brought the most benefits to Lufeng. However, after the project ran into problems and was tricked by Wangcheng District, Lufeng should have gone all out to help Liansheng Group overcome the obstacles. However, in fact, Lufeng was helpless. The reason was here, at this famous Qidong dinner party.

It was at that time that Zhang Yunqi gave up Lufeng.

He chose to wait for Yang Jiarong.

There is no way!

Because the so-called business and economic development is to improve the efficiency of resource use and then earn the difference. And the resources are controlled by the local government. You should know that local units in my country have never been a public service model. They are deeply involved in most commercial production and distribution links. Therefore, if you do business here and want to expand your business and become the best in the country without the local government and related affiliated units, it is a fantasy. If there is no strong person to cooperate with him, his plans are castles in the air and have no possibility of being implemented.

As he was thinking this, a waitress in cheongsam served tea to the sound of melodious zither music playing outside the door, and Zhang Yunqi sat down at the bottom.

After Qiao Zhiwu briefly introduced himself, Song Zijian smiled faintly and said, "It's better to meet in person than to hear about someone famous. Mr. Zhang is a young and talented man."

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "Secretary Song, thank you for your compliment. I wonder what you want me to do today?"

Song Zijian remained silent. Zhao Dayong took a sip of tea and said, "Boss Zhang, you and Boss Qiao have been making a big fuss recently. Actually, you are both young entrepreneurs in Lijin and have made great contributions to the economic development of Lijin. You should unite as one and strive to make greater contributions to the modernization of Lijin."

Zhang Yunqi listened to Zhao Dayong's words, as if he had said everything, but also as if he had said nothing. He smiled and replied, "Of course, Mr. Qiao is a few years older than me and has been doing business in Lijin for many years. I believe he can fully understand and sympathize with me if I have done anything wrong."

These words were neither soft nor hard. At least the leaders present had sensed that this young man was not someone who could be easily dealt with. Song Zijian then said to a bald man with a smile, "Mr. Zhang looks young and speaks well, but no matter what, there is nothing in this world that cannot be discussed properly. Let's put aside hostility and take a step back to seek peace."

Zhang Yunqi asked: "How to withdraw?"

Zhao Dayong said: "The recent special action to rectify the entertainment market in the city has been very loud and has achieved fruitful results. It has made outstanding contributions to purifying the social environment and allowing the people to live and work in peace and contentment. However, objectively speaking, under the strong leadership of Secretary Zijian, the tertiary industry in Lijin has developed strongly in recent years, effectively solving the reemployment problems of a large number of laid-off workers. However, this rectification action has inevitably affected the entertainment consumption industry in Lijin and brought negative impacts to economic development. For example, some entertainment venues under General Manager Qiao can no longer open for business normally, and the losses are not small."

Zhang Yunqi smiled. It was not just Qiao Zhiwu who suffered a lot of losses in this operation, but also everyone present. And the losses were definitely not a small amount, the amount must be staggering, otherwise how could the leaders come forward like this?
This also made Zhang Yunqi think of Ji Zhong.

Ji Zhong could certainly fall out with his deputy Zhao Dayong, but he had to withstand the pressure from his boss Song Zijian and use the Su De incident to push forward this special rectification campaign in the entertainment market. It is estimated that the report would have to go through Song Zijian and reach Hu Xianxun in order to work.

It takes great determination to make such a major decision that goes against your immediate superior and is likely to affect your own future. The source of Ji Zhong's determination, apart from the fact that Song Zijian is about to leave and his old partner Yang Jiarong is taking over Lijin, can only be because of him.

However, Ji Zhong had never told him these things. Just over an hour ago, he was still reminding him not to show off his talents and to learn to protect himself.

At this time, Zhao Dayong said again: "Although Mr. Qiao's loss is a bit large, it is also to cooperate with the city's inspection. I think Mr. Qiao can understand. But why this action was launched and why a big fuss was made in Wangcheng, I think Mr. Zhang should also know it well."

Zhang Yunqi replied: "Does the leader want to say it's because of me?"

Qiao Zhiwu sneered: "Not you?"

Zhao Dayong waved his hand to stop Qiao Zhiwu, and said to Zhang Yunqi in a friendly manner: "You can't say that, but now that it has happened, President Qiao has indeed suffered an unnecessary loss because of it, but President Qiao recognizes the loss, so I hope that President Zhang can take a step back on this matter and the Qiaokou Town project. The rectification of the Lijin entertainment market has achieved fruitful results. It should be time to end it and let regular entertainment venues resume business as soon as possible to promote local economic development. After all, he has invested a huge amount of money in the Qiaokou Town project."

Zhang Yunqi said, "Some entertainment venues under President Qiao were shut down, and the loss was huge, but this is an administrative issue, and it is not the right person to look for an ordinary citizen like me. As for the project in Qiaokou Town, President Qiao bought the land from farmers in Qiaokou Town. Now several village collectives in Qiaokou Town do not recognize the transfer contracts signed privately between President Qiao and local farmers, and demand that the land be taken back. President Qiao can just go and discuss it with those village collectives. They are the parties involved, so why bother talking to me about this?"

Qiao Zhiwu slapped the table and said, "How dare you say that you didn't instigate those village cadres? Zhang Yunqi, you are so vicious and ruthless! You always stab us in the back! How dare you be such a coward and not admit your actions?"

Song Zijian, who had been silent, coughed and said calmly, "If there is any problem, please communicate properly. Our country is a society ruled by law. The problem of Qiaokou Town is not something that anyone can decide privately. Since the people have filed a lawsuit, it should be handed over to the court for a fair judgment!"

Zhang Yunqi raised his head and glanced at Song Zijian.

His words sounded ordinary and flawless, but the threat behind them was quite strong.

In fact, given Song Zijian's status and position, it is impossible for him to easily appear in such an occasion to support Qiao Zhiwu. Since he appeared, it must be because there is a huge interest conflict between him and Qiao Zhiwu. It also means that this entertainment market rectification action has caused huge losses to Zhicheng Industrial Group. If this negotiation fails, Song Zijian will use his current status to take all resources and means to deal with Zhang Yunqi!
At least in the current area of ​​Lijin, Song Zijian is the Tathagata Buddha, and Zhang Yunqi cannot escape his Five Fingers Mountain. The police line has Ji Zhong to support him, but what about other aspects? If Song Zijian makes any policy, it will take Zhang Yunqi a few minutes to shut down and rectify all his industries in Lijin.

Among them, the most fatal is Aiwa Electronics' operation center in Lizhen. Hu Zhibiao has advertised Aiwa Electronics' DVD players too loudly. Once something happens, not to mention the huge negative impact on the company's reputation, dealers who pay first and then receive the goods and suppliers who delay payment will inevitably run on the bank, dealing a fatal blow to Aiwa Electronics' fragile capital chain and the market operation system it has just built!
Of course, Zhang Yunqi was aware of these things, and Song Zijian would never say these things openly.

Leaders have their own art of leadership.

He doesn't need to speak, he just needs to sit here. If Zhang Yunqi understands, he should understand the profound meaning here.

Zhang Yunqi has already understood the profound meaning of this.

He stood up and said, "It's getting late. I have things to do tomorrow. Leaders, please take your time."

Hearing this, Song Zijian's expression suddenly turned gloomy. Qiao Zhiwu stood up immediately. He had already torn his face off with Zhang Yunqi. His tone was as cold as an awl: "You're leaving without reaching a conclusion?"

Zhang Yunqi asked, "What if I want to leave like this?"

Qiao Zhiwu drew his gun and pointed it at Zhang Yunqi.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Qiao Zhiwu said, "You know what? Burying you here today is actually just a simple matter!"

Zhao Dayong had a cold expression on his face, and seemed to want to call out to Qiao Zhiwu who had completely lost his mind, but Song Zijian waved his hand to stop him!
Zhang Yunqi was pointed at the head by Qiao Zhiwu, the black barrel flashing with cold light, and the other three Qidong leaders were shaking with their hands on their knees. The scene was frozen, the air was scorching, and the solemn and elegant hall was suffocatingly quiet! At this time, the sound of the guzheng music coming from the octagonal pavilion in the courtyard outside the door was still melodious.

Zhang Yunqi exhaled heavily.

He reached out and took out a document, waved it in front of Qiao Zhiwu, and then threw it on the sandalwood table in front of Song Zijian.

Song Zijian narrowed his eyes and saw that this was the list of people accompanying Secretary Hu Xianxun on his visit to Dongting Lake tomorrow. There were not many people, but Zhang Yunqi's name was on the list, ranking after Liu Minsheng, the chief secretary of Southern Hunan.

"If you fired this shot, who would accompany Secretary Hu Xianxun to Dongting Lake tomorrow?" Zhang Yunqi stared at Qiao Zhiwu, whose expression had turned from astonishment to frozen. He suddenly reached out, grabbed Qiao Zhiwu's hair and pulled it down. With a "bang", his forehead hit the sandalwood table, breaking the blue and white teacup, and blood splattered on his hands.

Zhang Yunqi said, "Don't block the road and draw your guns at every turn. It's childish and doesn't match your status and position, Dr. Qiao. Earlier, you said that I dared to do it but didn't admit it, and I was a coward. In fact, you didn't understand my painstaking efforts. It's embarrassing to say something that we all know, because what's the point of me admitting it? What can you, Qiao Zhiwu, do to me?"

Zhang Yunqi turned his head and scanned the panicked people present, and finally his eyes fell on Song Zijian's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot. "Just two hours ago, I met with the city bureau's Ji Zhong, and he made it clear that in order to purify the environment and atmosphere in Lijin, the entertainment market rectification action will continue, and I will decide on the Qiaokou Town project! I will not give up a single cent. Of course, I know that Secretary Zijian will definitely do justice for ordinary people like us."

Song Zijian forced an extremely complicated smile on his face.

Zhang Yunqi said, "I have to go to Dongting Lake tomorrow, so I'll go first. You leaders can chat slowly."

Zhang Yunqi tore off two pieces of tissues to wipe the blood off his hands, then turned and left.

When he opened the heavy wooden door, a biting wind blew in the cold snow, and the melodious sound of the guzheng floated in the air on this windy and snowy night at the end of 1995.

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(End of this chapter)