Chapter 18: Acting Until You Cry

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Lin Hao naturally did not believe that the other party sincerely wanted to apologize to him. He feared it was a ploy to grab hold of his weaknesses, to threaten him and extract information from the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission for arranging subsequent plans.

“Minister Xu, as a cadre of the Party and the state, how can you say such things? What do you take your wife for? A commodity or a plaything? Do you have no moral bottom line? Your thoughts are so filthy and despicable—how can you deserve your position?” Lin Hao looked coldly at him and turned to leave.

Seeing Lin Hao lose his temper and being thoroughly slapped in the face, Xu Fei was not angry; instead, he felt calmer inside.

He continued to approach, following Lin Hao.

“Good brother, I just want to express my true feelings to you. Our bond is one of life and death. Women are like clothes—you can always change them. Brother was really wrong; please forgive me.”

Xu Fei kowtowed and looked at Lin Hao with a suppliant expression full of flattery.

Lin Hao felt a bit moved. Without the help of a benefactor, he might have truly fallen into Xu Fei’s trap and been detained by the Discipline Inspection Commission with no future.

Today’s Xu Fei was like this all because of his secretary’s position.

What he feared was not Lin Hao himself but power.

He was not genuinely apologetic; the situation forced him to bow.

As the ancients said, brothers can share everything except their wives. But in the face of power, forget the wife—even life can be taken away.

If Lin Hao were now in the Discipline Inspection Commission, Xu Fei would surely be popping champagne at his home, recklessly tormenting his wife on that very bed.

Why did Xu Fei arrange for Zhang Nan to frame Lin Hao last night but change his attitude tonight?

Simply because Lin Hao had grasped his vital lifeline, and he was afraid.

“Xu Fei, do you dare to kneel down and apologize? Do you have the courage?” Lin Hao looked at him. Just as he spoke, a shadow flickered.

With a thud, Xu Fei knelt straight down without hesitation.

Many around saw this and started whispering. It was just after work hours; the entrance to the Provincial Party Committee compound was filled with people from various agencies. If acquaintances recognized Xu Fei, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

But Xu Fei did not care.

Zhang Nan said that since Lin Hao knew he was the mastermind, the Discipline Inspection Commission must have found out as well.

As long as he could gain Lin Hao’s forgiveness and learn the secrets of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission—even if it meant being slapped on the ground—Xu Fei would comply.

Kneeling was nothing. Rumor had it that a certain Director Qi in a neighboring province once knelt and wept at the ancestral grave of the Provincial Party Secretary, falsely claiming kinship, and was rewarded with a promotion.

If given such a chance, Xu Fei believed ninety-nine out of a hundred officials would be willing.

“Brother, I am not human, I am an idiot. I have wronged you; please forgive me.”

Lin Hao helped him up. Though it felt satisfying to see him begging, he could not ignore the consequences. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility.

If some malicious person saw this and spread the rumor that his secretary was abusing his power, it would be a huge loss.

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The former secretary was corrupt, and now the current one was bullying people—he would have completely disappointed the leader’s expectations.

More importantly, he was the leader’s appointed secretary, bypassing the General Office. If this got out, Secretary Gu would bear responsibility for misjudging talent.

As a secretary, the most important thing was not to tarnish the leader’s reputation.

He had to thoroughly pin Xu Fei to the ground, never letting him escape.

Only by following proper procedures could he stay detached and protect himself.

The time was almost right. Having enjoyed the moment, Lin Hao was about to “change his face.”

“Xu Fei, get lost. Don’t let me see you again.”

Xu Fei thought Lin Hao had softened, and a pleased expression appeared on his face.

Sure enough, the young brat was still too inexperienced, showing a moment of sincerity before losing control.

“Brother, I’m sorry. I will come to you tomorrow to bear my punishment. Don’t worry, I’ll give you an explanation about the framing.”

With that, Xu Fei turned to leave.

“Stop.”

Hearing this, Xu Fei’s face showed pride but immediately changed after turning.

“Didn’t you frame me?” Lin Hao stared deeply into his eyes as he asked.

Xu Fei sighed helplessly. “Brother, don’t ask. The waters run deep here. Just consider it a debt I owe you.”

“The Civil Affairs Bureau is about to close; I can’t delay. You come find me later and explain this clearly.”

Lin Hao glanced at his watch, gritted his teeth, and walked out.

“All right, brother. I’ll come to you tomorrow.” Xu Fei waved his hand but spat on the ground after Lin Hao left.

“You bastard. If you get to be smug for a moment longer, I’ll never believe it. You got away once; you think you can every time? Fool! I believed everything you said and you still want to sleep with my wife? Dream on! Today’s humiliation, I’ll repay it all one day. I’ll mess with your wife in front of you, and then you’ll cry and beg me!”

He was the one who suggested it, the one who knelt, the one who came to apologize.

But in the end, it was Lin Hao’s fault—everything was pinned on him. Some people are like that: if things don’t go their way, they hate everything.

On the surface, they call you brother; behind your back, they stab you in the back.

Lin Hao walked forward, wiped his face dry, and took out his phone to call Zhou Ya.

“Team Leader Zhou, Xu Fei came to see me, said he wants to give me an explanation. He probably thinks I truly forgave him and wants to reconcile tomorrow.”

“I saw it. We’ve been monitoring him. Not bad, Secretary Lin. You acted well. That old bastard was tricked by you. Won’t he be furious when he finds out the truth?” Zhou Ya teased.

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Once this man got familiar, his true nature was fully exposed.

“Thanks for the compliment, Team Leader Zhou. We can’t rush today; otherwise, he’ll become suspicious. I’ll try to glean some clues tomorrow.”

“No problem, but be careful. That old bastard is cunning. I’m afraid he’ll have some twisted ideas again.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be on high alert.”

After the call, Lin Hao hung up and headed to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

He had to make a clean break—get the divorce done.

Although he was still in a transitional phase, a broken family would seriously affect his future prospects and might be used against him.

After all, the Party stresses harmony and unity. Only a harmonious family can guarantee stable work.

Many promotion opportunities consider whether one is married or has children.

But there was no choice. Given Xu Qian’s temperament, who knew what trouble she might cause?

Although he was still a deputy section chief, his invisible power was comparable to that of a departmental director or deputy bureau chief.

Someone might try to entrap him with money targeting his family. If he didn’t divorce, given Xu Qian’s nature, she would surely not withstand temptation, dragging him down.

In the Party, the individual and family are inseparable. Even if one is unaware, it is still a fault of negligence.

Husband and wife are bound together; if disaster strikes, there may be no future chances.

How many chances in life does one get to turn things around?

Lin Hao cherished his opportunity and was determined to seize it, even if he knew he would be slandered for abandoning his wife after rising to power.

Being looked down upon was only temporary. As long as he worked hard and gained fame, standing firm, those voices would eventually fade. Once you have power, only smiles and flattery remain.

A little criticism doesn’t hurt.

When he arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, he saw Xu Qian from afar, and his heart suddenly sank.