Bagua

  Hu Xiao saw Lin Qiang hang up the phone and still had a lingering thought, so he walked over and gently pushed him.

  "What's so funny?"

  "Thanks heavens." Lin Qiang pointed at the bright moon in the sky, "I found that when people are walking backwards, unexpected things happen more often."

  "Huh? Are you talking about me?" Hu Xiao chuckled and raised an eyebrow, smiling slyly and charmingly, "I don't have a boyfriend, okay."

  "Hmph..." Lin Qiang said with an awkward smile, "You're so cunning, don't play tricks on me, an honest man."

  "Are you kidding me?" Hu Xiao burst out laughing exaggeratedly, "You're the one who just ordered to severely punish the guests, don't think I didn't see it, do you know those two middle-aged men in the next room?"

  Lin Qiang couldn't help it, pointing at Hu Xiao and shaking his head: "Monkey spirit!"

  "Haha, don't worry, I've asked my colleagues, one of those two is from the bank." Hu smiled and licked his lips, "I told them to notify their unit leader to come and pick them up, if possible, detain them for over ten days, isn't that enough?"

  "That's more than enough, first meeting and you're making me feel embarrassed." Lin Qiang only felt that Hu Xiao was lying earlier, her style of being a person is really very clever, and she always self-deprecates herself as stupid.

  Lin Qiang didn't know how to thank him, so he just spread his hands: "I'm penniless and white, you see what's good and take it."

  "Alright, did you really think I was after something from you?" Hu Xiao pressed down Lin Qiang's hands with a big smile, "Let's go, I'll just be short one dinner companion tonight, and we'll call it even."

  "It's up to you!"

  Hu smiled and didn't picky, casually entered a small eatery, ordered some appetizing dishes, two bottles of beer only.

  The two of them, amidst the noisy environment, had a lively conversation. They talked about banking rules and police tactics, but most of their time was spent discussing personal matters. Despite their vastly different personalities, they surprisingly hit it off well.

  Lin Qiang once again thought of Confucius' true words ——

  Gentlemen are in harmony but not identical, while petty people are identical but not harmonious. Being identical but not compatible refers to Zhang Jiaming and Fang Qing, whereas being in harmony but different is like myself and Hu Xiao - clearly two different kinds of people yet surprisingly getting along well.

  After dinner, the two exchanged contact information and bid each other a hasty farewell. No choice, Hu Xiao still had to go back to work on the case, Lin Qiang was done for the day, but she still had a long way to go.

  …………

  The next morning meeting, Hao Wei was absent. The East Branch called and said that Hao Wei had been unwell recently and Lin Qiang would temporarily act as the director of the business hall.

  Lin Qiang sat in the main seat of the conference room, looking at the crowd who didn't know the truth, and couldn't help but smile.

  The public security friends are really reliable, and Xiaojie's meal was not invited in vain.

  "Alright, let's get back to work and stop having meetings. I'm tired of all these meetings." Lin Qiang waved his arm and was about to leave.

  Hao Wei usually doesn't care about anything, but after all, he is the biggest leader here. When the leader is not around, the people below are naturally relaxed and happy. Encountering Lin Qiang, who hates meetings to death, makes them even more delighted.

  "Hey, hey!" Xiao Xiao asked, poking his head out, "What's wrong with Hao Wei? He always comes for a stroll every morning, this doesn't match his style?"

  "This... branch hasn't handed over yet." Lin Qiang spread his hands, "For this period of time, everyone can come a bit later and leave earlier after finishing work. As long as we guarantee our performance and don't make any mistakes, that's all right."

  "That's for sure." Xiao Xiao saw that Lin Qiang didn't know the news either, so he simply asked Zhang Jiaming, who was staring blankly, "Do you know?"

  "What?" Zhang Jiaming was in a state of confusion, and upon hearing Xiao Xiao's questioning, he hastily shook his head, "Hao Xing hasn't contacted me."

  "Cough, cough." Zheng Shuai cleared his throat and put on a domineering expression, "Xiao Mei, you still don't get it. Can't tell who's in control of the gossip source? I'm the former administrative staff, after all."

  "Ah! Why didn't you say so earlier!" Xiao Xiao excitedly got up and ran to Zheng Shuai's side, "What's going on?"

  "Heh heh." Zheng Shuai cast a questioning glance at Lin Qiang, "It's time for the meeting now, not good to say this."

  Lin Qiang just smiled and waved his hand: "As I said earlier, the meeting has already been dismissed. Now it's our private conversation time."

  "Alright." Zheng Shuai shook his head, "This news is quite explosive, those who can't take it can leave first."

  He said, glancing at Zhang Jiaming, meaning you little guy get out of here first, we're not on the same road.

  But on the other side, Zhang Jiaming also showed a concerned look, lingering and refusing to leave, also looking at Zheng Shuai with full expectation.

  "It doesn't matter anyway, the news has already spread. Zheng Shuai didn't care about Zhang Jiaming either, and began to explain with relish, "To say this thing! Can't blame heaven, can't blame earth, can only blame Hao Weitai for being unlucky! Really too damn unlucky!"

  "Come on, come on!" Xiao Xiao was teased by Zheng Shuai until he was burning with desire.

  "Don't shake me..." Zheng Shuai was like a storyteller, concentrating his spirit and gesticulating with his hands and feet. "Now, let's talk! Last night at 9 o'clock, the board secretary of the head office received a phone call! Note that it was the head office! You guys guess what it was about?"

  Zheng Shuai dragged out a long tone: "It's the Public Security Bureau notifying the chairman to pick up Hao Wei! The crime is prostitution!"

  "My goodness!" Xiao Xiao's mouth was wide open, "Is Hao Wei still okay? His kids are already in college, aren't they?"

  "You, your political awareness is still not enough." Zheng Shuai shook his head, "These are not the key points, the board of directors is the key. Think about it, the headquarters of United Bank is equivalent to a department-level unit, and the Public Security Bureau contacted the board of directors because of this trivial matter, asking the chairman to go and receive someone, isn't that exaggerated? It's like a janitor committing a small mistake, and then calling the head of the sanitation department to apologize."

  "What's going on?" Xiao Xiao became more and more addicted to listening, anxiously asking, "And then what? Did the chairman go in the middle of the night?"

  "How is that possible?" Zheng Shuai explained to Xiao Xiao, "The board secretary, this is a clever person. If he had accepted any notification and let the chairman come out, he would have been fired long ago. To say that the board secretary did a good job on this matter, after thinking about it, he found someone from our comprehensive management department, investigated clearly where Hao Wei was at the business hall, and then notified our branch manager to pick him up. This way, it doesn't disturb the directors, and also privately notifies the branch manager, helping our branch hide this matter, and the branch manager will appreciate his kindness."

  "What's next? Hurry up and say it!"

  "Ah, it's strange to say this thing." Zheng Shuai said with relish, "After that, our branch manager had to get down from the warm kang at midnight and run all the way to the Public Security Bureau to pick someone up... But when he arrived, they didn't plan to release the person, requiring the legal representative of Hao Wei's unit to come! My Da Lianhe Bank, the legal representative must be the chairman..."

  "Isn't this... an exaggeration?" Xiao Xiao asked, "Normally just going to a leader would be enough, why did they really call the Minister?"

  "No way, this time the public security is really tough, handling things according to the rules." Zheng Shuai spread his hands, "As a result, the branch manager of the bank spoke for half an hour at the Public Security Bureau, but didn't even see Hao Wei's face. To say that Hao Wei is also quite pitiful, at such a difficult time, his wife just happens to be abroad, in the middle of the night, without anyone to take care of him."

  Zheng Shuai licked his lips and continued: "The branch manager is not a fool, feeling that something was wrong, he started to pull strings, wanting the public security bureau to give some leeway, not to disturb the board of directors again. But this time... those small fish and shrimp relationships were useless, until midnight, the public security bureau refused to release him."

  "Awesome!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed, "This is what they mean by 'those who commit evil will eventually destroy themselves'!"

  "It's not over yet!" Zheng Shuai said, "At 2 am, the board secretary received another call, saying that if no one was sent to receive it, a written letter would be issued! You know, once this matter becomes written and submitted to the head office, its nature will change, and it will have to go to the board meeting!"

  "Is it that serious? Hao Wei is definitely dead?"

  "This is hard to say." Zheng Shuai shook his head, "As for the board secretary, he thought it was just a small matter, and after notifying the branch manager, that would be the end of it. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, he was woken up again, and at one point, his temper flared up, and he scolded the branch manager over the phone, issuing a death order. If it dragged on until this morning, he wouldn't be able to keep this matter under wraps. When the time came for the public security bureau to send a letter, it would be handled according to official business. Just imagine, this disgusting letter being presented at the meeting - not just Hao Wei, even our branch manager would be in trouble."

  "My goodness! Then he's definitely done for!" Xiao Xiao's face was already showing a joyful expression, occasionally glancing at Lin Qiang, thinking to herself that if Hao Wei were to leave, then her Strong Brother would be the one in charge.

  "Hey, the last branch manager, with a desperate mindset, urgently reported to the deputy manager of the Beijing Branch!" Zheng Shuai said, somewhat admiringly. "Our Beijing Branch's deputy manager is a decent person, after weighing the pros and cons, he personally took action. As a local-level cadre, the public security bureau couldn't ignore him anymore. After educating him for a bit, they let him sign the papers and meet with Hao Wei. Then they announced that Hao Wei would be detained for 15 days, and this matter wouldn't be taken any further."

  "Hao Wei is finished!" Xiao Xiao said, not caring if Zhang Jiaming was there or not, "After all this fuss, Hao Wei has become a well-known figure, the headquarters, branches and sub-branches all remember him, what's the point of struggling on?"

  "I think so too!" Zheng said resolutely, "If I were the branch manager, I would directly transfer him to a weird subsidiary company, it's too humiliating."

  "Alright, stop making a fuss." Lin Qiang was very satisfied after hearing Zheng Shuai's description and smiled, "Sister Hua is indeed capable. Although Lin Qiang told everyone to calm down, his face was beaming with joy, "In this day and age, business matters, having a drink at night, finding a mistress, it's all too normal, it's not a big mistake, no need to fire him."

  "Lin Lao Da, this matter can be big or small." Zheng Shuai analyzed, "Not saying it's okay in general, but this thing has already spread throughout the branch. Even I, a former administrative staff member, know about it so clearly. Who doesn't know that there is a lustful Hao Wei at Longyuan Business Hall?"

  "Yes, Hao Xing has gotten into big trouble this time..." a timid voice came over.

  Everyone looked at the person who said this, and their eyebrows were filled with surprise, and after a few seconds, they were full of disdain.