Chapter 276: A Petty and Jealous Man

“Just as I thought, my suspicions were confirmed. Excellent work.”

Click.

As soon as I hung up, Chairman Zhen Weiliang asked curiously,

“Director Cha, who were you talking to?”

“Just in case, I sent Team Leader Seo Donghun to the airport.”

“I see. And what did he tell you?”

“He said President Liu Haoran arrived with his son, Vice President Liu Shen.”

“Well... Things aren't going our way from the very beginning.”

“As I said, as long as we're dealing with Politburo member Liu Peiqi, there won't be any problems.”

“But couldn't something unexpected happen?”

I pointed at the microscopic camera installed in the corner of the ceiling, putting Chairman Zhen Weiliang's concerns to rest.

“If something unexpected happens, I'll immediately tell you or Vice Chairman Wei how to handle it.”

“Please do. Still, why is that brat Liu Shen taking part in the negotiations?”

“He's following Wei Fei around like a puppy.”

In other words, Vice President Liu Shen had come here solely to curry favor with Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

“Ha! Nobody's even offered him a bite yet, and he's already licking his lips.”

“Hahaha. Exactly.”

Bzzzt—

At that moment, the phone in Vice Chairman Wei Chen's hand vibrated.

After glancing at the screen, he told Chairman Zhen Weiliang that President Liu Haoran was calling and answered.

After exchanging a few brief words with Liu Haoran, he ended the call and said,

“Chairman Zhen, Politburo member Liu Peiqi will be here in ten minutes.”

“Well then, shall we go downstairs to greet that unpleasant fellow?”

***

Chairman Zhen Weiliang approached the luxury car from which Politburo member Liu Peiqi was getting out and greeted him.

“Mr. Liu, it's been a long time.”

“Indeed. I'm truly sorry about what happened three years ago.”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang found that strange.

It was no exaggeration to say that Liu Peiqi's pride had always reached the heavens.

And a man with such an enormous ego was lowering his head first?

At first, Zhen Weiliang wanted to seize the opportunity to bring up the incident from three years ago and tear into him, but he quickly changed his mind.

After all, his current objective was to foist the diamonds on him at the highest possible price.

“I put that incident out of my mind a long time ago.”

“That's good to hear. I'll pay you the remaining ten percent today.”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang could hardly believe his luck.

He had been planning to add the nine hundred million dollars Liu Peiqi had withheld, along with overdue interest, to the price of the diamonds.

Yet Liu Peiqi was apparently planning to repay the debt separately from the diamond deal.

And if the man was volunteering to hand over the money himself, Zhen Weiliang had absolutely no intention of refusing such a gift from fate.

“Of course, you'll also pay the overdue interest?”

“Naturally. Would you introduce me to the people who came out to greet me?”

“This is Vice Chairman Wei Chen, the authorized intermediary handling the diamond transaction.”

Politburo member Liu Peiqi naturally turned his gaze toward President Liu Haoran.

As though reading the high-ranking official's thoughts, Liu Haoran whispered into his ear,

“The seller pays the commission, so we don't need to worry about it.”

Liu Peiqi nodded in understanding and addressed Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

“Vice Chairman Wei, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a member of the Central Politburo...”

After the brief introductions were completed, everyone moved to the reception room.

The secretary waiting there immediately served tea to everyone present.

After wetting his throat, Liu Peiqi addressed Chairman Zhen Weiliang.

“President Liu told me that you're extremely busy.”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang had originally received a proposal from Liu Peiqi to meet at three in the afternoon.

However, for his own purposes, he had countered by insisting on eight in the evening.

That was why the official asked the question with obvious displeasure.

‘What a petty and jealous man.’

“Normally, I'm completely free, but the sudden death of Standing Committee member Li Hunin has unexpectedly left me with a mountain of things to deal with.”

“And what does his death have to do with you being so busy?”

“You see, Mr. Liu, there are plenty of people around right now who dream of accomplishing great things, just like you.”

Only then did Liu Peiqi grasp the true meaning behind the situation.

At the very pinnacle of power were just seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

And because Li Hunin had suddenly died of a heart attack, one of those seats had unexpectedly become vacant.

That meant influential politicians, including himself, along with the highest-ranking generals, had entered a fierce struggle for that coveted position.

To be selected for the Standing Committee, one needed the personal approval of Chairman Xi Jinping.

Therefore, presenting him with a bribe that would please him was now more important than anything else.

His rivals must have been meeting with Chairman Zhen Weiliang precisely to purchase gifts for that purpose.

Wanting to test his theory, he asked directly.

“Your guess is right on the mark, Mr. Liu.”

“I see. And who do you think will take the seat on the Standing Committee?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang recalled Cha Jiham's words and answered Liu Peiqi's question.

“Mr. Liu, I believe it will be one of three people: you, Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan, or Vice Chairman Tang Guochang.”

“Hahahahaha!”

Something no one had expected happened.

Liu Peiqi suddenly burst into loud, booming laughter.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang and the others stared at him in undisguised astonishment.

After laughing for a while, he continued,

“Deputy Secretary Zhang and Vice Chairman Tang won't get that seat even if they die and come back to life!”

“Is there a good reason for that?”

“Of course. To begin with, Zhang is guaranteed to be eliminated from the race because of his brother-in-law.”

“By his brother-in-law... do you mean Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui, the owner of Golden Trading?”

In reality, Chairman Zhen Weiliang knew perfectly well who Chen Zhihui was.

As the sworn brother of Gui Tao, the supreme head of the Triad, how could he not?

Nevertheless, he pretended to know nothing, just in case.

Liu Peiqi, of course, had no idea about his true motives.

“I see you're well informed.”

“But what exactly has Vice Chairman Chen done that would cause Zhang himself to suffer?”

“If you promise to keep it secret, I can tell you.”

“If you want to work in our field, knowing how to keep your mouth shut is fundamental.”

“That's no problem for Director Pan Kai and me either, since we run hotels.”

Vice Chairman Wei Chen chimed in after Chairman Zhen Weiliang.

“Well, in that case, I'll trust you. The truth is, Chen Zhihui is the deputy head of the Triad.”

“Whaaat?!”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang and his companions deliberately put on expressions of extreme shock so as not to arouse Liu Peiqi's suspicions.

“Haha. I knew you'd be stunned.”

“How could we not be?! Was Chen really running the Triad?”

“I have no reason to lie to you, Chairman Zhen.”

“Then the information has been verified.”

“Absolutely. The moment his true identity comes to light, Zhang's career will go straight into the gutter.”

“But if Zhang divorces his wife, wouldn't Chen become a complete stranger to him?”

“I have evidence that Zhang used the Triad to organize the smuggling and distribution of drugs and weapons from North Korea. So no divorce will save him now.”

“How ironic that a bastard involved in such dirty business enjoyed Chairman Xi's special favor...”

“Tell me about it.”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang merely sneered inwardly.

He knew all too well just how dirty Liu Peiqi himself was.

‘You're no different from Zhang yourself.’

“Then why won't Vice Chairman Tang Guochang be able to enter the Standing Committee?”

“I can't reveal the actual details, but he's already fallen out of favor with the Chairman.”

At that moment, Vice Chairman Wei Chen stepped into the conversation to play his assigned role.

“I have a different opinion on that matter, Mr. Liu.”

“You make it sound as though you're certain Tang never lost the Chairman's favor.”

“That's exactly right.”

“And what are you basing that conclusion on?”

“One of my close acquaintances is a general who serves directly under Tang Guochang. Please keep in mind that everything I know came from him.”

In reality, Wei Chen was in regular contact with Tang Guochang and had an excellent relationship with him.

However, he pretended that they had no direct contact whatsoever in order to dispel any suspicions Liu Peiqi might have in advance.

“Fine, fine. Just tell me already.”

“Regarding the incident in Dalian...”

“Wait.”

Liu Peiqi unceremoniously interrupted Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

Not understanding what was wrong, Wei Chen stared at the official. Meeting his gaze, Liu Peiqi immediately asked,

“How do you even know about what happened in Dalian?”

The naval base in Dalian had been destroyed by the combined forces of the Triad and Delta Force.

Therefore, there was no way Wei Chen could have been unaware of what happened there.

But if he told the truth, it would trigger a catastrophe of enormous proportions.

“I heard about it from that general I mentioned.”

“I hope you don't go around telling everyone the information you hear?”

“Who would spread something that horrifying around?”

Naturally, Chairman Zhen Weiliang also knew what had happened at the base in Dalian.

Wanting to help Wei Chen out of the situation, he joined the conversation while pretending to know absolutely nothing.

“Vice Chairman Wei, what incident happened in Dalian?”

“It's a state secret, so I can't disclose the details.”

“Well, if that's the case, it can't be helped.”

Having performed his role brilliantly, Chairman Zhen Weiliang once again faded into the background.

“Mr. Liu, may I continue?”

“Go ahead.”

“Because of the Dalian incident, Tang did initially run into trouble with Chairman Xi. But to regain his trust, he took two decisive steps.”

“And what were those steps?”

“Tang reported to the Chairman that he was prepared to launch a punitive strike against North Korea, which was believed to be responsible. In response, the Chairman ordered him to punish Russia as well.”

“Don't tell me...”

As though realizing something, Liu Peiqi stopped mid-sentence.

As if reading his thoughts, Wei Chen immediately continued.

“It's exactly what you're thinking. Ukraine wasn't behind the incidents in North Korea, including the one at Rajin Port, or the attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet's naval base in Vladivostok.”

“Hmm... Just as I expected.”

“The reports on the operations carried out in North Korea and Russia delighted Chairman Xi beyond measure.”

“That's only natural.”

“North Korea maintained hacker cells in ten major cities across our country to wage cyberwarfare against South Korea and other nations. After obtaining that intelligence, Tang Guochang mobilized the military and completely dismantled their networks.”

Liu Peiqi knew perfectly well about the destruction of those hacker groups.

After all, he had personally protected those organizations, so there was no way he could have been unaware.

“The Chairman must have been pleased?”

Liu Peiqi was no fool either.

Wei Chen had brought up the hackers solely to hit him where it hurt and rub salt into the wound.

They expected the official to show at least some emotion.

Contrary to expectations, however, Liu Peiqi maintained an impenetrable expression and instead began asking questions himself.

“Tang received the Chairman's highest praise.”

“Just as I thought.”

“By crushing the targets in North Korea and Russia, Tang completely regained Chairman Xi's favor and trust.”

“I understand what you're getting at.”

“You may continue your conversation with Chairman Zhen now.”

As soon as Wei Chen fell silent, Zhen Weiliang took over again.

“Mr. Liu, Tang Guochang personally came to see me this afternoon.”

“Is that so? And what did you discuss?”

In reality, Zhen Weiliang had only spoken briefly with Tang Guochang over the phone that afternoon.

Nevertheless, he lied shamelessly without so much as blinking, all for one purpose—to sell the diamonds to Liu Peiqi at an exorbitant price.

“He said he needed a gift for Chairman Xi and offered to buy absolutely all the gold I have.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I told him I didn't have much gold in stock and suggested giving diamonds as a gift instead.”

“But I clearly told you that I'm taking the diamonds!”

“You only said that you were coming to meet me.”

“I'm buying those diamonds right now!”

Desperate urgency was clearly audible in Liu Peiqi's voice.