Song Guanchao knew what she meant by "blocked," which was that she'd ignore him from now on.

He suddenly felt a bit like laughing.

Qu Xiangru could only use this harmless threat to intimidate him.

He drove into the City Committee compound and parked outside the small villa where Qu Xiangru lived.

He went up and knocked on the door. Within a couple of seconds, Qu Xiangru opened it.

This was the first time he'd ever entered where Qu Xiangru lived.

These small villas were all quite old, with outdated decor but of good quality.

Qu Xiangru took a bottle of soda water from the fridge, placed it on the coffee table, and then sat on a single-seater sofa: "Go ahead."

Song Guanchao could sense that she was intentionally distancing herself from him.

He felt rather speechless. Was there really a need to be so guarded against him?

I'm not some bad guy.

"I received a call today."

"The person told me there's been a big issue in Lingjiang, and this matter will have an extremely negative impact on the main leaders there."

"What exactly is the issue?"

"I don't know; the person didn't say."

Qu Xiangru raised her eyebrows, her eyes fixed on him with a hostile glare: "Song Guanchao, is this amusing to you?"

Song Guanchao sighed. He knew Qu Xiangru thought he was using this as an excuse to see her.

"It's true. They didn't reveal it because they want money."

"The price for the information is currently ten million."

"From what I know about them, the news should be genuine, just unclear about the specifics."

"That's why I came to you to see if anything happened recently."

As he posed the question, he fixed his gaze on Qu Xiangru's eyes, observing her reaction.

The annoyance on her face slowly faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

After a few seconds, she shook her head: "Nothing has happened."

"Are you sure?"

Her reaction didn't seem off.

This left Song Guanchao somewhat uncertain.

Tang Zhengqiang wouldn't use fake news to deceive him.

The only possibility was that Tang Zhengqiang himself wasn't sure about the authenticity of the information.

Otherwise, as he claimed, such an event impactful enough to affect the top leaders couldn't possibly go unnoticed by even Qu Xiangru.

It didn't make sense.

"I have no reason to lie to you."

Qu Xiangru asked, "Anything else?"

Song Guanchao shook his head, still deep in thought.

He couldn't focus on anything else without clarifying this news.

Seeing her eyes with the intent to send him off, Song Guanchao unexpectedly felt uncomfortable.

The moment he learned about the news, he thought of her.

Yet she, on the other hand, kept pushing him away.

Even though he knew Qu Xiangru deliberately maintained distance, something she had mentioned herself, Song Guanchao still felt quite unsatisfied.

He felt as if he was acting like an absolute simp!

The main thing is, even if I'm really a simp, I've done so much by now. Shouldn't I at least get a bone tossed my way?

Song Guanchao silently cursed himself for being such a pushover and stood up to leave.

As he listened to the door close with a bit of force, Qu Xiangru sighed quietly inside.

She walked to the window, watching Song Guanchao puff on a cigarette with an unhappy look beside his car, then took out her phone and found his contact.

She typed a line of text and was about to send it but then deleted it, putting her phone away.

She understood Song Guanchao's feelings at the moment and also realized what emotions her actions would stir in him.

Yet she had to act this way because they were too close.

Moreover, if she showed just a bit of leniency, he'd immediately overstep and continuously take advantage.

She worried about being gradually encroached upon and falling into it.

So, she could only handle it coldly as much as possible.

Perhaps, over time, he would grow weary.

After all, if one keeps leaning a warm face against a cold shoulder frequently enough, they will eventually give up.

Song Guanchao took out his phone to call Wu Qiangwei.

"Secretary, I have something to report."

"Now?"

Wu Qiangwei suddenly felt a familiar sense of déjà vu.

Previously, Song Guanchao would report at irregular intervals and always choose to do so after work hours.

Now, it was happening again.

She once suspected whether Song Guanchao did it on purpose.

"Yes, now. It's urgent."

"Come over then."

With severe traffic on the way, Song Guanchao arrived at Wu Qiangwei's home near seven o'clock.

Upon opening the door, the warmth of the heating relaxed his entire body.

He changed into slippers, noticing food on the dining table.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Didn't have the time."

"Have a seat," Wu Qiangwei said, turning her head towards the sofa, "Heat up the dishes."

Only then did Song Guanchao notice Wu Ming was there as well.

Wu Ming's lips moved slightly, muttering something softly, clearly complaining.

Soon, the food was reheated and brought back to the table.

Just as Wu Ming was about to sit down, Wu Qiangwei said, "You can go back."

"..." Wu Ming almost couldn't keep it together—so I'm just a tool, huh?

He left the house with a look of resentment, shooting a woeful glance at Song Guanchao before departing.

Even Song Guanchao felt a bit sorry for him.

Wu Qiangwei really didn't treat her brother kindly at all.

"Let's eat."

Wu Qiangwei sat down and picked up the bowl and chopsticks.

Starving, Song Guanchao devoured three large bowls of rice, leaving no food on the table.

After eating and drinking to satisfaction, Song Guanchao wiped his mouth and said, "I just met with Tang Zhengqiang."

Wu Qiangwei didn't immediately recall who this person was.

Song Guanchao reminded her, "That con artist."

Wu Qiangwei realized, "What did he want with you?"

"He has some news to sell me, asking for ten million."

"What news?"

"I didn't pay, so he didn't say."

Song Guanchao added, "But he gave a clue."

"He said this news will have a significant impact on the careers of the top two leaders in Lingjiang."

Wu Qiangwei's reaction was exactly the same as his when he first heard it.

Her mind raced, thinking of recent events in Lingjiang, but she couldn't think of anything.

She's the Deputy Secretary and almost fully controls the City Committee.

There were only two possibilities if even she wasn't aware.

Either this matter didn't exist, and Tang Zhengqiang made it up.

Or the issue hadn't occurred yet, and even the main leaders hadn't noticed.

Wu Qiangwei asked, "That's all the hint he gave?"

Song Guanchao replied, "He also said this information could advance my career."

Tang Zhengqiang put it delicately, suggesting that it could push someone in the system further.

But Song Guanchao knew he was referring to himself.

This guy probably guessed his position a long time ago.

Wu Qiangwei's eyes flickered slightly, instantly deciding without much thought: "Get in touch with him."

Song Guanchao was a little taken aback: "Secretary, are you planning to buy it?"

"Buy it!" Wu Qiangwei asserted, "He probably wouldn't dare lie."

"But isn't ten million too expensive?"

A piece of information costing ten million.

The key issue was the information's value was determined entirely by the seller.

Whether it's worth that much and how much it should be priced also depends on the buyer's assessment.

Wu Qiangwei said, "Bring him over, I'll transfer the money. After the money is transferred, let him speak. Whether the news is worth the price, you'll know once he tells it."

That was indeed a solution.

But...

"Secretary, why not wait a bit longer?"

Song Guanchao was still somewhat hesitant: "I'll investigate a bit more over the next few days."

"If it's a big enough issue, I should be able to find something."

"If I find it myself, I'll save the ten million."

Wu Qiangwei said, "Give it two days."

"If nothing is found within two days, then stop the investigation."

"Spending ten million to promote you from Deputy Chief to Chief is very worthwhile."

This statement left Song Guanchao momentarily stunned.

She's doing this for me?

He realized it was after he mentioned "able to advance further" to Qu Xiangru that she immediately decided to purchase the news.

A warmth filled Song Guanchao's heart, prompting him to impulsively say, "Secretary, you're really good to me."

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