198: Chapter 198 I'm doing all this for your future, Secretary Yao!

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became heavy; low pressure filled every corner of the room.

A flash of irritation and anger crossed Liu Hongbo's eyes. In this Sichuan Province, no one had ever dared to refuse or rebuke him like this. Watching Deputy Director Huang Hualin's profile as he argued with Secretary Yao Wanli, Liu Hongbo used his index finger and thumb to extinguish the cigarette he had been holding in his mouth.

The next moment, Liu Hongbo suddenly grabbed the half-empty red wine bottle and smashed it onto Deputy Director Huang Hualin's head.

Deputy Director Huang Hualin was, after all, from the grassroots; although he was older, his vigilance was much higher than the average person's. However, while his mind reacted in time, his body did not, and he only managed a slight block that failed to stop the blow.

"Bang!"

The frosted, blackened red wine bottle burst on Deputy Director Huang Hualin's head, and bright red liquid flowed down from the top of his head—it was impossible to tell if it was wine or blood.

Everyone present was startled by Liu Hongbo's sudden outburst.

Holding the remaining bottle, Liu Hongbo stood up and pointed at Deputy Director Huang Hualin, who was slumped on the floor, saying:

"Damn you, I invited you here today to give you face. A deputy director of the Public Security Department thinks he can put on airs with me? I give you face by calling you Director Huang; if I didn't, you'd be nothing but a pile of shit."

"Damn you!"

Deputy Director Huang Hualin regained his senses, touched the wound on his forehead, and upon hearing Liu Hongbo's insulting words, suddenly pushed himself up from the floor, intending to teach Liu Hongbo a lesson.

Secretary Yao Wanli quickly held Deputy Director Huang Hualin down and shouted to the other department-level and ministry-level officials:

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take Director Huang out to get bandaged!"

Three or four department-level officials were the fastest to react; two grabbed Deputy Director Huang Hualin's arms, and two others wrapped their arms around his waist, dragging him out of the private room while saying:

"Forget it, forget it, Mr. Liu has had too much to drink."

When Deputy Director Huang Hualin was dragged to the door, he was still saying:

"This matter today isn't over. Liu, I swear we are irreconcilable enemies!"

"Bang!"

Liu Hongbo threw another bottle of Rémy Martin at Deputy Director Huang Hualin, but it hit the door frame instead. Glass shards flew past Deputy Director Huang Hualin's face, leaving several bloody cuts.

Watching the door close, Liu Hongbo panted heavily with anger, then pointed at Secretary Yao Wanli and said:

"Look at the person you brought. Didn't you say he was your man? Huh? Can't even handle a small matter? Making excuses, talking about using public office for private gain—if he has such a strong sense of justice, why did he come here? Huh!"

Secretary Yao Wanli also had anger in his eyes. Deputy Director Huang Hualin was a core subordinate he was currently trying to win over. He was still trying to reason with him and appeal to his emotions, but who knew Liu Hongbo would just smash a wine bottle over someone's head? Now, not only had he failed to win him over, but he had also offended him.

Just as he was about to lose his temper, he saw a sealed small box on the table. Inside was Dahongpao tea, but not just any Dahongpao—it was from those original mother trees, a special supply for state-level officials, and a specialty Liu Hongbo had brought back from Beijing this time.

In an instant, Secretary Yao Wanli felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him; his anger was extinguished. After a moment of silence, he said slowly:

"I originally didn't want to involve Old Fang. After all, Old Fang's position is too important. If he were really taken down by Su Yi taking advantage of the opportunity, the loss would outweigh the gain. Now, the only option is to have Old Fang take action; the municipal-level officials below simply can't handle this—their rank is too low."

Liu Hongbo looked as if he had never been angry at all. With a calm expression, he pulled out a wet wipe to wipe his hands, picked up the Rémy Martin on the table, poured two glasses of wine, picked up one, handed it to Secretary Yao Wanli, and said with a smile:

"Hey, that's more like it. Those who accomplish great things do not fuss over small details. Whose feet beneath the great figures aren't resting on piles of bones? Let me give you the inside scoop: I don't intend to keep Future Technology in my hands. I plan to take it to Beijing to give to someone and build connections."

Secretary Yao Wanli, who had been smiling bitterly while taking the wine glass from Liu Hongbo and was about to drink it in one gulp, was stunned upon hearing Liu Hongbo's words. He asked:

"Build connections? Which connections?"

Liu Hongbo sipped his wine with self-satisfaction, then stared at Secretary Yao Wanli and said:

"The youngest son of The Zhou Family, isn't he in business now? The Zhou Family has strict family rules and hasn't given him much support. He's been struggling for years, and the result is only a few hundred million. Future Technology is just right; its current market value is worth that much, but its development prospects are very good. We don't even need to manipulate stocks or anything like that."

Liu Hongbo's eyes narrowed slightly, and as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass, he said slowly:

"As long as I get my hands on Future Technology, then complete a normal transaction with the youngest son of The Zhou Family at a normal market price, and then inject capital to keep Future Technology alive—a few years later, the Young Master of The Zhou Family takes the money and buys back the shares. It's a completely clean commercial transaction, but it lets The Zhou Family gain tens of billions in profit. Tell me—would The Zhou Family refuse?"

Hearing Liu Hongbo's words, Secretary Yao Wanli felt a bit of a tingle on his scalp. There wasn't a single ambitious department- or ministry-level high official in Beijing who didn't know of The Zhou Family. They say that prosperity doesn't last past three generations, but The Zhou Family is already on its fourth generation of active members, and every generation is full of talent.

Not to mention the centenarian elder of The Zhou Family—that person was truly tempered through blood and fire, an original shareholder of the founding of the country, a living fossil of the founding era. It could be said that even the current Number One of the country would have to show the humility of a junior with a full smile upon meeting them.

The second generation of The Zhou Family, Old Master Zhou, is also in his late seventies, approaching eighty. When he was young, he went to the north to fight on the battlefield. He entered the war as a battalion commander and came out as a division commander, eventually even joining the Central Military Commission.

The current main force is the third generation of The Zhou Family, three men and one woman. The eldest holds a top position in a certain ministry in Beijing, the second is a regional governor, the third is currently a major general, and the only woman is a highly decorated scientific researcher.

The still-growing fourth generation of The Zhou Family has also successively entered officialdom. The oldest just turned thirty this year and is currently serving as the county magistrate of a certain impoverished county. It is said that within three years, he has already brought the impoverished county under his administration up to the average level, and large numbers of county-level and city-level leaders have gone there to conduct research and learn. Their future is also boundless.

Many people naturally want to board the big ship that is The Zhou Family, but perhaps due to strict family rules, combined with the fact that the two elders from the first and second generations—who charged out of blood and fire—are still alive, The Zhou Family's big ship has become an existence that many can only hope for but cannot reach.

Hearing Liu Hongbo's plan, Secretary Yao Wanli swallowed and said:

"Can—can we really board The Zhou Family's big ship?"

A flash of mockery crossed Liu Hongbo's eyes. He thought to himself: It's me boarding, not us. Once I board, we will have to draw a clear line. Perhaps—perhaps I can even give The Zhou Family a gift. How about the position of the second-in-command of a province?

On the surface, Liu Hongbo smiled, patted Secretary Yao Wanli's shoulder, and said:

"Everyone has to eat, drink, and defecate, right? It's just that The Zhou Family has strict family rules, and none of them have much of a head for business, so they aren't very good at it. Now that I'm offering this completely clean, grand gift of Future Technology, they have no reason not to accept it, right? Even if we can't board the big ship, getting a favor out of it, and then having you, Secretary Yao, move up a step, is still possible."

Seeing Liu Hongbo appearing to be thinking for his sake, Secretary Yao Wanli felt no gratitude, but rather a sense of vigilance rose within him. He quickly thought it over in his mind to see if Liu Hongbo was digging a pit for him. In the end, he found it completely unnecessary, so he softened, and looking at the seemingly sincere Liu Hongbo, he let down his guard.