When Liu Zhizhong sent another voice message, sigh, Zhang Qixiang had already blocked him.

Liu Zhizhong felt uneasy in his heart, what's going on?

This woman is insanely ruthless, just had a fling with me, and now she wants to cut ties?

No, no...

He listened to Zhang Qixiang's voice message again and felt there was something fishy about it.

Especially when Zhang Qixiang said, "You and your master don't have much time left!"

What does that mean?

Is my uncle Ma Xudong about to be transferred away or is he going to crash and burn?

Those in officialdom, especially those in prominent positions like Liu Zhizhong, are usually very sensitive.

And this sensitivity, for some, is just paranoia, but for others, it's a keen political sense.

Liu Zhizhong had seen too much in his years in officialdom, and his political sense had always been sharp.

He sensed there was a big problem here.

Sleeping with Zhang Qixiang has led to trouble, hasn't it?

Subconsciously, Liu Zhizhong took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and prepared for the possible scenarios.

First, he called Ma Xudong to report the situation. Of course, Liu Zhizhong couldn't possibly tell him that he had made a mess of sleeping with Zhang Qixiang, caused her humiliation by losing a guard, and left her vengeance unsatisfied.

Ma Xudong didn't have particularly important activities this morning and spent most of the time in the office handling documents.

After hearing Liu Zhizhong's report, Ma Xudong chuckled and said, "Zhizhong, don't worry too much. I'm about to have a job adjustment soon, and the Yangzhou Zhang Family can't do anything to me. Maybe Zhang Qixiang thinks since you won't take me to Villa 9 to spend money, she can't find a weakness or dirt on me. Maybe in anger, she said such things, right?"

Liu Zhizhong replied, "Uh, uncle, that makes sense. But, after years of dealing with Zhang Qixiang, I do know her. She's not one to talk nonsense. Even when she's out of her mind, she tries to stay rational. So... uncle, we should still be prepared for the worst and give it some more thought!"

"Hmm... well..." Ma Xudong pondered for a short while and then said, "Alright, I got it. After work this afternoon, I'll make a trip back to the Provincial City and see how far the things we've been brewing have progressed. Thanks to your outstanding contributions, even Governor Cheng is lending a hand; there shouldn't be any big issues."

"Um, alright uncle, I wish you the best and hope you keep getting promoted!"

"Hehe, thanks! Rest assured, Zhizhong, if your uncle gets promoted to the Provincial City, you must come with me, no excuses, it's a must!"

That was a hearty statement with some real weight behind it, and Liu Zhizhong felt somewhat hopeful.

A leader's promotion bringing along secretaries is the biggest perk for them!

Afterward, Liu Zhizhong, infused with a quick burst of excitement, calmed down.

Since Ma Xudong was very confident and there were no other rumors flying around lately, the chances of Ma Xudong crashing seemed very slim!

So, at most, Zhang Qixiang was just saying that Ma Xudong would be pushed out of Yangzhou, right?

The biggest uncertainty was if Ma Xudong couldn't develop in the Provincial City and was laterally transferred to another Prefecture-level City to be Mayor, possibly a city not quite to par with Yangzhou?

In officialdom, if a leader is laterally transferred somewhere worse than their current posting, they can't bring along their secretaries – it would be too shameful!

If that's the case, Liu Zhizhong would stay in Yangzhou, damn it, he'd have to take crap from the Zhang Family Members, that was certain.

After cooling down, Liu Zhizhong made a call to Zhang Zhenglong.

Zhang Zhenglong, Uncle Zhang Hongyang, the loyal sycophant of Liu Zhizhong's mother-in-law Lu Yumei, ceaselessly fawning with no end, unable to get even a nibble.

Also, Zhang Zhenglong represented the economic power of the Zhang Family in Yangzhou, with his Zhenglong Group, a private sector giant paying over a billion in taxes to the state every year.

Zhenglong Group, with both domestic and international trade industries, was doing very well.

Sometimes, Zhang Zhenglong's word carried more weight than the Organization Department Director.

What Liu Zhizhong couldn't figure out was how a billionaire like Zhang Zhenglong could be so relentless in pursuing Lu Yumei without success, not even using other foul tactics to get her?

Instead, his sister, Yue Xing, the Secretary of the Municipal Committee, was pressuring Liu Zhizhong to promote this match! At the time, Liu Zhizhong only agreed as a stalling tactic, since he had a three-month deadline, after all.

One thing Liu Zhizhong admired was Lu Yumei's fidelity to her husband.

As for Zhang Zhenglong's attitude towards Liu Zhizhong, it was lukewarm. Upon answering the phone, he just said, "Oh, Liu Zhi, what's the matter?"

"Hehe, Uncle Zhang, it's just that Yue Xing asked me to lend you a hand, and there seems to be some progress."

"Oh? What is it? I don't remember."

"You're too busy to remember, of course! Didn't Yue Xing ask me to find a way to make things happen between you and my mother-in-law? Didn't she tell you?"

When Lu Yumei was mentioned, Zhang Zhenglong's eyes lit up, "Ha! Hahaha... Is that what this is about? Good job, boy, what's the progress? Let's hear it?"