"Liu Hao, that Geng Junyu must be well-guarded. Chen Fang wants people, but we won't let him have them. I want to see what he can do about it. If he wants someone, it's not impossible, let the electroplating factory resume work, and I... I won't hold it against him,"

he said, draping his arm around Liu Hao's shoulder.

Dou Qingquan spoke in a daze.

At that moment, the phone rang.

Looking at the number, it was his secretary calling.

Dou Qingquan didn't even look and hung up the phone.

Then, the phone rang several more times.

Guo Linkun asked, "Mayor Dou, why don't you answer the phone first? We can continue drinking in a bit."

"Answer what? No need to answer. A thousand cups less for a confidant's meeting. Even if the sky falls today, I have to drink with my two brothers. Come on, fill them up, let's keep drinking, and let's all turn off our phones, we're not answering anyone's calls today."

Clearly, Dou Qingquan was drunk at this point.

That was exactly the effect he desired.

The three of them once again raised their cups and intermingled their toasts.

No one knew how much more they drank.

The door of the private room was burst open with a clang.

Lian Zhuangfei, the captain of the Environmental Protection Bureau's Comprehensive Law Enforcement Team, rushed in, gasping for breath.

"Comrade Zhuangfei, what are you doing? Have you no manners at all? Don't you know how to knock?"

Seeing his subordinate behave so rudely, Liu Hao was somewhat embarrassed and quickly scolded him.

Lian Zhuangfei, anxious, said, "Outside... outside... Geng Junyu, he... "

"Was Geng Junyu taken away?"

Hearing this, Guo Linkun abruptly stood up and asked.

Lian Zhuangfei shook his head.

He took a few deep breaths.

Seeing a TV hanging on the wall, he quickly turned it on.

Immediately, the TV screen showed police everywhere checking passing vehicles.

"What's going on?" Dou Qingquan asked, somewhat bewildered.

Lian Zhuangfei, after calming himself a bit, said, "A major criminal case, the whole city is looking for Geng Junyu!"

"What do you mean the whole city is looking for Geng Junyu? What does that mean? I don't understand," Guo Linkun asked.

Lian Zhuangfei continued, "Geng Junyu's son called 110 and reported him missing. The Public Security Bureau has listed it as a major criminal case, suspecting kidnapping or murder. Now, the whole city has started a manhunt. Additionally, Boiling Point Group has offered a reward, saying they will pay fifty thousand for any information."

"How could this happen?" Liu Hao asked, frowning.

Guo Linkun suddenly realized, "This must be Chen Fang up to his tricks?"

"Chen Fang, we took Geng Junyu away, and he saw it with his own eyes. Why would he pull something like this?" Liu Hao asked, puzzled.

"He just wants to make us lose face. This way, we will be forced to hand over Geng Junyu, especially now that the entire city's attention is on it. Good move, forcing the issue. Chen Fang, Chen Fang, he really is a schemer," Guo Linkun muttered.

Liu Hao shivered a bit and then asked, "So what shall we do? If the public finds out we arrested Geng Junyu for no reason, we definitely won't be able to justify it."

In the midst of Guo Linkun's contemplation,

Dou Qingquan's secretary also ran in, gasping for breath.

"Leader... leader... Secretary Liu and the other standing committee members are already at the municipal party committee's yard. He... he asked me to inform you to go back immediately for a meeting."

Dou Qingquan was still confused.

Upon hearing this, a cold sweat broke out on him.

You see, today was his shift.

According to the organizational regulations, the leader on duty must stay in the office to handle emergencies. Now, all the city committee leaders had arrived, but he was not there, which meant he was absent without leave, and theoretically speaking, could be punished.

Worse still, he had been drinking.

He was truly unable to descend from the stage now.

Such a shock sobered Dou Qingquan considerably.

He angrily said, "Why didn't you call me earlier?"

The secretary replied grievously, "I did call, but no one answered your phone."

Only then did Dou Qingquan remember that he had intentionally not answered.

Thinking about how things had turned out, he felt a surge of nameless fury and berated Guo Linkun, "I told you I was on duty, I was on duty, but you insisted on me coming out. Now look what's happened, everything's blown up..."

After dropping this remark.

He flicked his sleeves and quickly walked out.

Such an attitude from Dou Qingquan.

Also made Liu Hao tense up.

"Mayor Guo, what do we do now?"

Guo Linkun pondered for a while.

He said, "I'll head to the city committee now to assess the situation, you go to the hotel where we last arrested someone..."

The rest of the words, he whispered to Liu Hao.

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Liu Hao's face, and he said, "Mayor Guo, you always have a way."

Guo Linkun squinted his eyes.

He snorted coldly and said, "Since Chen Fang likes to cause trouble, let's stir some up too. I want to see how he's going to handle this later..."

At nine in the evening.

The conference room of the city committee's compound.

Apart from Dou Qingquan, the other twelve members of the standing committee had all arrived.

The scene was silent as a grave, no one spoke, seemingly waiting for Dou Qingquan's arrival.

At the entrance.

The secretary of Liu Mingkai suddenly shouted, "Mayor Dou has arrived."

Following this shout, a series of hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor.

A sweating profusely Dou Qingquan burst into the conference room, filling the entire room with a pungent alcohol smell.

It was obvious to everyone.

Dou Qingquan appeared dazed, clearly having just come from a drinking table.

City committee secretary Liu Mingkai disliked Chen Fang because there was enmity between them.

But, he disliked Dou Qingquan even more.

Because Dou Qingquan was Zhao Yiping's man, he came to Guyang City to seize his authority.

Seeing Dou Qingquan in such a state.

He said icily, "Mayor Dou, I recall today was supposed to be your duty day, correct?"

"I... I had some matters to deal with,"

Dou Qingquan stammered.

Upon hearing this, Liu Mingkai asked, "Mayor Dou's so-called matters, were they going out to drink? I recall organizational regulations stipulate no drinking during duty hours. It seems Mayor Dou doesn't take discipline seriously at all."

This was a rather severe criticism.

Dou Qingquan's back was already soaked with cold sweat.

After arriving in Guyang City, he had always opposed Liu Mingkai and there was even a tendency for him to overshadow Liu Mingkai. He knew that now Liu Mingkai had caught him by the coattails, he would definitely not let him go.

Just as he was at a loss.

A voice suddenly came from behind him, "Secretary Liu, it's all my fault. I sent some drunken shrimp to Mayor Dou, and he got a bad stomach. Acute gastroenteritis onset, he had to be rushed for an IV at the clinic."

Upon hearing this.

Everyone looked towards the door.

Deputy Mayor Guo Linkun, panting, stood at the door.

In his hand, he still held an IV bottle.

The drunken shrimp explained why Dou Qingquan reeked of alcohol.

And the acute gastroenteritis explained why he had left his post.

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