Yong'an County, East Crossroads, the Luo Family Old Residence.
"It must be because of his girlfriend; otherwise, how could he have secured the allocation of funds from the Provincial Level! This bastard is just a pretty boy living off a woman!" Luo Yaozu was furious, slamming his fist heavily onto his family's coffee table.
Ever since he was beaten up on the ship, he had been having people investigate Chen Donglai and Ming Yuezhao's background extensively.
He and his close friend ran all over Yong'an and Shiliang, asking Chen Donglai's junior high classmates from Yong'an Middle School and his high school classmates from Yuquan No. 1 Middle School, finally piecing together his origins.
This Chen Donglai only relied on his good grades to get into Yuquan No. 1 Middle School, which had the highest university acceptance rate in all of Shiliang. Meanwhile, his own father and two uncles pulled every string they could to get him, whose scores didn't meet the threshold for a key high school, admitted to Yong'an Middle School as a visiting student.
This was too unfair! Why was the effort of three generations of his family in Yong'an County less valuable than Chen Donglai succeeding on his own?
As a result, after Chen Donglai went to study in Yuquan, he had another stroke of luck; just by relying on his looks and being somewhat educated, he captured the heart of his deskmate, the daughter of Ming Jinggao, the Vice Mayor of Qiqiao City! She was the recognized campus beauty of Yuquan No. 1 Middle School...
"Damn Chen Donglai, talented but morally bankrupt!" Luo Yaozu couldn't help but curse. Achieving academic success and winning the beauty—that was supposed to be his life.
It was all the fault of his father and uncles for not working hard enough; even with such high positions, they could only get him into Yong'an Middle School.
If he had managed to get into Yuquan No. 1 Middle School, perhaps he would have been the one to win over Ming Yuezhao. Then, not only could he marry the beauty, but he could also rely on his Father-in-law Ming Jinggao's connections to rise quickly...
"Stop throwing tantrums at home." Luo Qiyuan's expression was sharp as he spoke to his clansman Luo Qizhi without courtesy, "Control your son; look at what he's become!"
Upon hearing his Eldest Uncle's anger, Luo Yaozu reluctantly shut up. He was always unrestrained around his father Luo Qizhi and Second Uncle Luo Qiyong; but facing his Eldest Uncle Luo Qiyuan, who had been a Member of the County Party Standing Committee for many years and commanded respect without raising his voice, he dared not act rashly.
"It's troublesome that Yue Wangbei actually managed to borrow the money this time." Luo Qiyuan took off his glasses, placed them on the coffee table, and rubbed his eyes. "Connections with the Department of Coal Industry, huh. This Director Ming is quite generous to let his precious daughter marry into Yong'an?"
"Eldest Uncle, it's precisely because of this girlfriend; otherwise, how could we have this connection," Luo Yaozu said mournfully. "She's just a pretty boy who lives off his looks!"
"Don't talk to me about that." Luo Qiyuan couldn't help but scold again, "Why don't you learn from Yaozong? If you were half as capable as Yaozong, finding a daughter of an official family would be easy. By the way, did you meet Xiao Changqiu's daughter?"
"I met her, but I wasn't interested." Luo Yaozu felt a surge of anger just thinking about his blind date experiences. Xiao Changqiu's daughter, just like her father, paid absolutely no attention to controlling her figure. The thought of her physique made Luo Yaozu lose his appetite.
Thinking of the graceful and beautiful Ming Yuezhao, his jealousy burned even hotter. "Didn't they say he illegally mortgaged county assets? Can we use that matter to attack him?"
"I spoke to Xiao Changqiu, and he is preparing. I also gave instructions to Lu Guohua," Luo Qiyong sighed. Having transferred to the position of Deputy Director of the County People's Congress, he was no longer as imposing as before. Looking at his clan brother Luo Qiyuan, who still exuded official authority, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.
"Don't drag our family into this; just let the Xiao Family act. Remember, the County Party Secretary must not be offended," Luo Qiyuan emphasized to his two younger brothers. He spoke solemnly, "The Prefectural Committee almost simultaneously replaced the Secretary and the County Mayor, which signals dissatisfaction with the Leadership Team of Yong'an County."
"I suspect it's not just about the debt incurred for building the structure; it's more likely the Prefectural Committee feels the cadre structure within the county is problematic. If that's the case, the Xiao Family will definitely be the first to suffer."
After speaking, Luo Qiyuan couldn't help but feel a trace of regret. If his nephew hadn't escalated the conflict to an irreconcilable point, why would they need to use Xiao Changqiu's hand to eliminate Chen Donglai?
He only hoped outsiders wouldn't see the connection between this matter and the Luo Family...
...
Yong'an County, Renmin Road, County Guesthouse.
Two days had passed since Chen Donglai returned to Yong'an. Except for visiting his parents once, he had spent all his other time eating and staying at the Guesthouse.
The interior decoration of the Guesthouse was basically complete; only some of the Exterior facade work and exterior lighting remained unfinished. Chen Donglai sat on the sofa in his office, holding a copy of the Jiang'an Daily.
With a "bang," the door was suddenly pushed open, and Yang Xiaojin, breathing heavily, told Chen Donglai, "Director, Lu Guohua is here."
"He still has the nerve to show up for work?" Chen Donglai laughed coldly, then quickly walked out the door.
In the Lobby downstairs, Lu Guohua shouted in an exaggerated tone, "Comrades, you've all been deceived! The money Chen Donglai borrowed isn't just one or two thousand, it's Two Hundred Thousand!"
"And then?" Head Chef Li Yi tilted his head. "What about Two Hundred Thousand?"
"Idiot!" Lu Guohua cursed. "He borrowed Two Hundred Thousand! Not Twenty Thousand!"
Chen Yi became furious and roared at Lu Guohua, "Whether he borrowed twenty thousand or two hundred thousand, as long as he pays back the wages he owes me, I don't care if he borrowed Chang'e from the Jade Emperor!"
"Damn it, working under you, I never received my full salary once. Director Chen came and immediately paid back the wages owed to us, right?" The assistant cook behind Chen Yi also stepped forward.
"Unenlightened fools," Lu Guohua cursed inwardly but dared not say it aloud. "If the money isn't repaid, the Guesthouse building will have to be mortgaged to the bank, and none of you will have jobs then! I only paid half wages before to protect your jobs; it was for everyone's good."
"You good-for-nothing! If I lose my job, I'll find another one myself, I don't need you nagging here!" Li Yi completely lost his temper. Recalling the days when he couldn't receive his full wages, he felt a surge of anger.
Lu Guohua was stunned by Li Yi's rudeness and didn't dare speak for a moment. A moment later, Chen Donglai's voice came from the Second floor:
"I guarantee everyone that the previous loans will be repaid on time. Please do not worry about your jobs."
Chen Donglai's tone was resolute, which infuriated Lu Guohua. He directly extended his index finger toward Chen Donglai and said, "The loan matter was not discussed with me, the Deputy Director, at all. Aren't you violating organizational procedure by doing this?"
"What procedure?" Chen Donglai showed a mocking expression. "This is the authority granted to me as the Top Leader by the organization!"
"Setting aside the fact that I am the Deputy Director," Lu Guohua's voice grew more agitated, "for such a major issue, as a branch member, don't I have the right to know?"
"Comrade Guohua," Chen Donglai was utterly speechless. "Director Bing Nan has not yet joined the Party. Since there are only two Party members in the entire Guesthouse, we cannot form a branch."
"Our Organizational Relationship is with the Third Branch of the Government Affairs Administration Bureau. Sigh, you don't even know the name of your own branch, do you? Have you really not participated in organizational life much?" Chen Donglai said this while sitting down on the sofa in the lobby. Yang Xiaojin beside him quickly handed him the freshly brewed tea.
"Hmph..."
Lu Guohua tried to force himself to say something, but nothing came out, only making stifled sounds in his throat. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out one sentence:
"Director Xiao will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss the Guesthouse's irregular loan. Just wait to be expelled by the Bureau!"
With that, his face flushed red, and he quickly turned around, walking out while enduring the mocking gazes of the crowd, angrily pushing open the main door.