Chapter 16 of Volume 1: The Young Master of the Song Family

  (I saw your enthusiastic speech, I just felt ashamed, thank you for your encouragement and support.)

  After reporting the situation, Shen Hua returned to his room to rest.

  He said he was going back to his room to rest, but at this time Shen Huan also had no way of closing his eyes and sleeping, there were too many things turning in his mind.

  Shen Hua could see Tan Qiping's appreciation for him, and he just smiled faintly in his heart, thinking: If he had heard from someone else what the previous Shen Hua was like, would he still have a good impression?

  He indeed wants to stay in Donghua, not just stay in Donghua, but also be transferred to Meixi Town.

  Only in this way can he be close to protecting Xiao Li, so that she will not be bullied by others; otherwise, how can he bear to let Xiao Li face the difficult times after "his sudden death" alone?

  In order to stay by Xiao Li's side, Shen Huai didn't think of leaving Donghua even when he decided to take a risk and stir up trouble.

  Of course, once Chen Mingde died, his connections in Donghua were severed, and he became a solitary figure.

  Shen Huai thought to himself, at this time when he was abandoned by everyone and couldn't get strong support from the Song family, with his shallow experience, if he insisted on staying in Donghua, from then on, he would probably only be a benchwarmer.

  But thinking carefully, even if it's not for Xiaoli, staying in Donghua, slapping the buttocks and leaving Donghua, where can I go?

  The Song and Shen families would not accept him, and it was impossible to be recalled to Yanjing or go abroad for development in a short period of time; going to other cities was also unfamiliar with the local conditions, except for drifting and being a guest, life could hardly achieve anything.

  Shen Hua, who was previously at Donghua, was also a passerby. He followed Chen Mingde to Donghua for more than half a year and didn't build any connections. His arrogant personality made him offend many people. Especially now, he has thoroughly offended the likes of Gao Tianhe and Ge Yongqiu, the tigers of Donghua. To say the least, staying at Donghua is not a good choice.

  However, the real "he", who has lived on this land for twenty-nine years, is familiar with the mountains and waters, rivers and seas of this land, familiar with the people and things, grass and trees of this land. His consciousness and soul have too many feelings that are hard to give up towards this land, and towards the people living on this land, and also know who can be trusted and relied upon...

  If there is even a slight possibility, Shen Huaining would rather stay in Donghua for development.

  But after years of being stifled in the city's steel mills, Shen Hua was unwilling to continue enduring days where he was trampled underfoot by others and couldn't struggle free.

  At this time, it is impossible to borrow power from the Song family or the Shen family. At least for now, in Donghua City, his only turning point lies with Wu Haifeng.

  Shen Hua, due to his family environment, can be said to have been influenced from a young age and has more insight and sensitivity towards officialdom than ordinary people; however, due to his personality, many things that he clearly understands the pros and cons of in his heart are often done in a contrary manner.

  But Shen Hua's true soul and consciousness had already experienced enough trampling and grinding at the bottom, and he had long been enlightened about life. That's why before the accident, he was determined to take the doctoral entrance exam in economics at Yanda University, striving to jump out of the small circle of Donghua and seek greater development...

  Shen Huai understood that although the entire event was dominated by Gao Tianhe behind the scenes, Gao Tianhe had always been well-hidden and made it impossible for others to accuse him of wrongdoing.

  Tan Qiping also made it clear to him that he did not want the situation to become more complicated, so Wu Haifeng, who had been led by the nose all along, would have to bear the aftermath of this incident and might thoroughly ruin his political life.

  Shen Huai lay on the bed, too lazy to take off his shoes, and propped them up on the glass table by the bedside, silently lamenting that officialdom had never been a place where right and wrong were clearly distinguished.

  He was also unclear about how Tan Qiping would report to the province, which was not something he could control. As long as Wu Haifeng wasn't beaten to death with a stick, Wu Haifeng should be grateful to him.

  Don't mention the obvious hint that Wu Haifeng gave when he left building 6 earlier, even if it's just to make staying at Donghua a little easier, Shen Huai doesn't want Wu Haifeng to suffer too much of a blow, hoping he still has the ability to fight with Gao Tianhe...

  Thinking of this, Shen Huan couldn't help but laugh wryly. As the saying goes, "When a person dies, birds fly towards heaven." He worried that these people were doing something fishy, just like placing a good bet, waiting for the moment to reveal their true intentions.

  Shen Hua patted his pocket and found it empty, remembering that he had left his cigarettes and wallet in the car. He got up and went downstairs to retrieve them...

  After Shen Hua left, Tan Qiping picked up the phone and reported to the province the preliminary conclusion that Chen Mingde had died of illness.

  It is said to be "true", but the words are carefully chosen. What is omitted is not mentioned, only that after further confirmation and verification by the Donghua Municipal Committee and Government, it was confirmed that Chen Mingde died of cardiac shock while taking a cold shower and failed to rescue in time.

  Tan Qiping also knew that the provincial government would not want the situation to become complicated, and it was most important to handle Chen Mingde's posthumous affairs cleanly and efficiently, without leaving any sequelae for the province; Chen Mingde's sudden death from illness while taking a shower was the news that the province most wanted to hear.

  Shen Huai inferred that Ge Yongqiu and Peng Yong might have manipulated the situation under Gao Tianhe's instructions, and Tan Qiping also believed this was possible.

  It turns out that the behavior of Gao Tianhe and others is more despicable and vicious than Wu Haifeng, who was evasive about Chen Mingde's death. However, this is just an inference without evidence to support it. Moreover, in order not to make things complicated, some things can only be hidden in one's heart and not mentioned.

  Tan Qiping had no grudges with the local government of Donghua City, nor did he want to gain any benefits from such a sensitive matter, nor did he want to get involved too deeply. Therefore, he neither leaned towards Gao Tianhe's side nor Wu Haifeng's side, his first priority was to ensure that the province's intentions were implemented.

  On the cause of Chen Mingde's death, Wu Haifeng was evasive when reporting to the province, and this responsibility is one that he must bear. Tan Qiping cannot exonerate him from it. However, for other matters, Tan Qiping also glossed over them, and even didn't mention at all the detail that Wu Haifeng had kicked Shen Huai out before the incident. By doing so, Tan Qiping was already being considerate of Wu Haifeng.

  As for whether Wu Haifeng can keep his position, it depends on how he operates the provincial relations; as for whether the province will vigorously rectify Donghua's team, Tan Qiping doesn't think about it too much.

  After reporting to the provincial government, Tan Qiping dialed Yanjing's number again.

  On the other end of the phone, Song Qiao had been waiting for half the night.

  Song Qiaosheng was over fifty years old, but he was full of energy and didn't feel the slightest bit tired from staying up all night without rest.

  Upon hearing the phone ring, Song Qiao Sheng picked up the receiver more quickly than his secretary: "Hmm, Old Tan, I haven't rested yet, just waiting for your call..."

  "Minister Song, the Songs are indeed a family of talents..."

  Tan Qiping's bright voice came over the phone, relaxing Song Qiaosheng's tense nerves for a moment. With a smile, he said: "Old Tan, I've been guarding the phone all night, and you're in the mood to make fun of me? How did things go?"

  Song Qiaosheng is now the deputy minister of the Central Organization Department, only fifty years old. If he moves forward a bit more, he will be a high-ranking official in the local government or head of a ministry in the central government. Tan Qiping and Song Qiaosheng have known each other for many years but haven't seen each other for some time. Given their difference in rank, Tan Qiping is careful not to overstep his bounds when speaking with Song Qiaosheng.

  "It's all clear now, Comrade Mingde is a pity, he was induced to have a heart attack by taking a cold shower at noon and missed the rescue opportunity. I just reported to the province. The province means that I will stay in Donghua with the comrades of Donghua to preside over Comrade Mingde's funeral, Minister Song, do you have any instructions?"

  "Chen Mingde was the secretary of Lao Yezi, and we all know his character. If things can be handled like this, it's for the best. As for the affairs of Huaihai Province, what good instructions could I possibly give? Song Qiaosheng spoke with restraint, even though Donghua region had splashed dirty water on Chen Mingde after his death, which made him very indignant. He controlled himself and didn't interfere in the affairs of Huaihai Province, so as not to offend anyone. He also said, 'Has Shen Hua caused you any trouble?'"

  He didn't want to mention Shen Hua, but Shen Hua was Chen Mingde's secretary. Tan Qiping should have had contact with Shen Hua in Donghua, which is why he said "The Song family has produced many talents" as his first sentence.

  So-called family ugliness cannot be made public, outsiders do not know what kind of moral character Shen Huai is, Song Qiaosheng still knows clearly, thinking in his heart: that troublemaker who can only cause trouble, what a capable person?

  Tan Qiping said: "Shen Hua of the Old Song family is really not simple, it was him who stood out in time and broke this situation, so that things turned around so quickly..."

  Tan Qiping has no prejudice against Shen Hua, and Shen Hua's performance at night, his watertight words and grasp of timing are all what he saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears, so he feels deeply, this is a sincere evaluation, doesn't feel any exaggeration.

  It wasn't just Tan Qiping's words that came over the phone, but Song Qiaosheng heard a different feeling.

  Song Qiaosheng thought that Tan Qiping was not clear about the water depth of Shen Hua, and thought that Shen Hua was a member of the Song family, so he deliberately said a few words of praise on the phone to win their favor.

  Song Qiaosheng smiled and said, "This kid, just hope he behaves himself outside and doesn't cause trouble; if he doesn't give Old Tan any more headaches, that's good enough..." After saying this, he didn't want to mention Shen Huan again, and the topic turned to other things.

  Tan Qiping could hear Song Qiaosheng's coldness towards Shen Hua, and began to feel a little puzzled. But then he thought again: after all, Shen Hua was only Song Qiaosheng's nephew, and Song Qiaosheng himself had two grown sons. No matter how close the nephew was, how could he compare to his own son?

  Tan Qiping thought: Perhaps the relationship within the Song family is more complicated than it appears on the surface, big families usually have this problem...