Song Guanchao was a bit surprised, but not too shocked.

He had long guessed that Mr. Luo would contact Qu Xiangru and Wu Qiangwei.

He just didn't expect Mr. Luo to move so quickly.

"Come over tonight and join me."

"Okay."

The case has temporarily stalled.

His goal is to arrest everyone involved in this case.

The main targets are He Sen and his father, as well as this Mr. Luo.

But the evidence currently in hand is not enough to convict the He Sen family, let alone arrest Mr. Luo.

While seeming to have the advantage, they actually lack strong evidence.

In fact, Song Guanchao has another way, and that is Qin Yuejin!

Qin Yuejin, the Public Security Bureau Chief, has an unusual status; he surely knows hidden secrets about the He Sen family and even Mr. Luo.

Song Guanchao held his phone, hesitating whether to contact Qin Yuejin now or not.

After pondering for a long time, he decided not to contact him yet.

First, see what Mr. Luo wants to say tonight.

Perhaps, Mr. Luo could surprise him a little.

Near the end of office hours, Song Guanchao returned to the City Committee and picked up Qu Xiangru and Wu Qiangwei to head to the restaurant.

The restaurant was chosen by Mr. Luo and is a very upscale restaurant in Lingjiang.

Upon arrival, the hostess led them to a private room.

The private room was luxuriously decorated, yet didn't feel tacky at all.

On the sofa sat a very charismatic middle-aged man in his forties.

The middle-aged man came over, smiling, and shook hands with the two women respectively.

Finally, he shook hands with Song Guanchao.

Even though Song Guanchao was just a District Chief, he wasn't overlooked and was shown due respect.

"I'm Luo Sanming."

Luo Sanming's gaze lingered on Song Guanchao for two seconds: "District Chief Song, young and promising."

Song Guanchao smirked: "Mr. Luo, you're overstating."

"Haha, everyone, please sit."

The waiter poured tea for the three of them, and Luo Sanming waved him away saying, "You can leave."

Once the doors closed, Luo Sanming got straight to the point: "I have some evidence of Mayor He's illegal activities."

That one sentence piqued the interest of all three.

Song Guanchao pondered without showing his emotions, what does Mr. Luo mean?

Is he throwing his teammate under the bus to seek safety?

Is he using this method to test the city's stance on this matter?

Qu Xiangru picked up her teacup, blew on the steam, and calmly said, "The phone call Qin Yuejin made before he committed suicide, that was from Mr. Luo, right?"

Luo Sanming nodded with a smile and directly admitted, "Yes."

Qu Xiangru's expression remained calm: "Does Mr. Luo know how much impact Qin Yuejin's death had on me?"

Luo Sanming pondered for three seconds: "I am very sorry about this."

Qu Xiangru shook her head: "The organization won't change its attitude towards me just because you said sorry."

"I just took office, and a Public Security Bureau Chief died. To put it harshly, one Qin Yuejin has almost blocked my future career path."

"Does Mr. Luo believe I care a lot about He Sen? Or does he think one dinner will brush this matter under the rug?"

Before coming here, Luo Sanming was actually prepared, but Qu Xiangru's overly strong stance was somewhat beyond his expectations.

This Executive Deputy Governor, though young, was not at all impetuous and was hard to deal with.

He also realized the magnitude of the impact Qin Yuejin's death had on her, and that simply He Sen wouldn't be enough to compensate for its ramifications.

Ruining someone's career is akin to killing their parents.

He had caused Qin Yuejin to commit suicide, affecting Qu Xiangru's political future.

If she decides to dig deep into this case or even conducts a major purge in the Lingjiang political scene, it wouldn't be excessive.

Yet, if she did so, the officials purged might hold a grudge against Qu Xiangru, but more likely, they would blame him, Luo Sanming, as the chief culprit.

After all, if he hadn't driven Qin Yuejin to death, none of this would have happened.

Luo Sanming understood this point, which is why he had invited her tonight, attempting to negotiate.

But unless he could offer something of equal value, the negotiation was destined to be a luxury.

Luo Sanming pondered and asked, "What does Secretary Qu want?"

He handed over the initiative to Qu Xiangru, allowing her to set the conditions.

Qu Xiangru said, "Provide me with a list of officials who have visited the Yunhai Club."

Luo Sanming frowned slightly; this condition was somewhat excessive.

He was well aware that Qu Xiangru not only wanted the list but also the corresponding evidence to back it up.

If he handed over this evidence, it would effectively condemn the group of officials in Lingjiang completely.

If Qu Xiangru made the evidence public, Luo Sanming would no longer have a foothold in Lingjiang.

"Secretary Qu, perhaps another condition."

"Difficult?" Qu Xiangru smiled lightly: "If you're not willing to hand over the list, then turn yourself in."

Luo Sanming's face darkened.

It seemed to him that Qu Xiangru had no intention of having a proper conversation with him.

"Secretary Qu, you really know how to joke."

He forced a smile, only to see Qu Xiangru looking at him with a grim expression.

"Joke?"

Qu Xiangru said coldly: "Luo Sanming, are you overestimating yourself?"

"Even though I don't know who's behind you, you're nothing more than a stray dog."

"This dinner isn't for your sake; it's for the sake of your master who doesn't dare show up."

"As a dog, you should have a dog's awareness."

"Right now, the only one I'm after is you. If you surrender, things end with you."

"If you don't listen and drag your master down with you, whether you'll be able to keep your life intact remains uncertain."

Qu Xiangru set down her teacup and stood up slowly: "Let's go."

Wu Qiangwei and Song Guanchao also stood up, leaving the private room with her.

Luo Sanming thought his Qi Cultivation Technique had long been perfected, and that nothing could shake his emotions.

However, Qu Xiangru with just a few words had stirred a maddening impulse within him.

Her aloof and unattainable tone, the way she looked at him like a dog, had subjected him to immense humiliation.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since anyone dared to speak to him in such a manner.

He had anticipated that tonight's conversation might not end well.

However, he didn't expect Qu Xiangru to bear such an attitude.

She gave him no face, not even pretending civility, and outright declared she would have him put away.

"Hoo~"

His chest rose and fell as he exhaled the suppressed anger from his chest, forcing himself to remain composed.

Yet his distorted face still revealed his unrested emotions.

"Pa!"

He smashed his teacup, his face contorted: "Qu Xiangru, you're courting death!"

...

Honestly, Wu Qiangwei and Song Guanchao also didn't expect Qu Xiangru to take such a stance.

But thinking back, Qu Xiangru seemed to have always had this kind of personality.

Recalling the first time they met, Qu Xiangru had the same attitude towards herself.

However, she wasn't as cowardly as Luo Sanming, who dared not utter a word even after such humiliation.

Whereas she had groped Qu Xiangru all over in the elevator back then.

Song Guanchao pondered, so, does this woman enjoy the feeling of being conquered?

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