Chapter 340: I Suggest You Go Abroad

Tan Shao's rapid punches, if each move were broken down, would be trivial for Zhou Ming, whether in the stock market, local industrial parks, or even the Baobao Congee Factory or highway construction. However, Tan Shao was currently delivering all these punches at once, which made Zhou Ming feel extremely overwhelmed and unable to defend himself.

As the top figure in Beijing, Tan Shao truly deserved his reputation; he was indeed formidable!

Zhou Ming thought to himself as the busy tone on his phone constantly reminded him that Xiong Qingping had hung up. Zhou Ming then put the phone down on the table.

When Zhou Ming looked up again, he was startled to find Du Peng, Su Han, and Kong Xiaolin all surrounding him, staring at him with wide eyes.

"What's going on? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Zhou Ming asked instinctively, but he didn't really need an answer from them; he had already come to the conclusion himself. Besides the mention of the death penalty, what other issues could there be?

"Zhou Ming, you mentioned the death penalty. What's this about? Who's going to be sentenced to death? Why?"

Generally, Du Peng was the most talkative, but this time, it was Su Han and Kong Xiaolin who spoke first, almost simultaneously asking these questions.

"It's me," Zhou Ming answered honestly. At this point, there was no point in trying to hide anything. It would only add to their worries. It was better to come clean, "Just now, Governor Xiong called and said that the central government is investigating our past dealings in treasury bonds, accusing me of disrupting market order. If the charges are proven, I will be sentenced to death."

Zhou Ming's words were like a thunderbolt, leaving Su Han and Kong Xiaolin stunned. They stood there dazed, the words "death penalty" weighing heavily on their chests, unable to speak a word.

After a while, Su Han finally spoke, "Zhou Ming, this is my fault. I was the one involved in selling treasury bonds in Linyang. It has nothing to do with you! If anyone should be executed, it should be me. Zhou Ming, you have to stay alive!"

Su Han said this in an agitated manner, almost crying by the end. On the other hand, Kong Xiaolin also looked worried. Although she wasn't as emotionally intense as Su Han, her resolute gaze made it clear that if possible, she would gladly take Zhou Ming's place.

Zhou Ming, not believing he would die and unwilling to let women take the fall for him, chose to maintain his pride as a man. He said, "Xiao Han, Xiaolin, don't be like this. Actually, I can still be rescued."

Su Han and Kong Xiaolin looked up, as if seizing a last hope, and asked Zhou Ming, "How can you be rescued?"

"It's the real purpose of Governor Xiong's call," Zhou Ming glanced at Du Peng and said, "Chairman Du wants me to go to the capital."

"Really? That's great! As long as Chairman Du intervenes, Zhou Ming, you will definitely be saved!"

Su Han and Kong Xiaolin were overjoyed, but Du Peng furrowed his brows, seemingly guessing something, though he said nothing under Zhou Ming's gaze.

"Alright, Du Peng and I are going to prepare for the trip to Yanjing."

Zhou Ming said this and left the office with Du Peng. Du Peng followed behind in silence until they were away from the office before asking Zhou Ming, "Do you think it's not a good thing for my grandfather to invite you to Yanjing right now?"

It must be said that the children of the powerful are different from ordinary people. Most people would think that the president could solve any problem and that any difficulty could be resolved by approaching the president. While this notion is not entirely wrong, as the head of state does have significant power, it's not as boundless as people imagine and is subject to many constraints; otherwise, the country would be in chaos.

Just like now, Tan Shao had mobilized all his resources to deal with Zhou Ming. Chairman Du could intervene, but it would come at a great cost, and since Zhou Ming and Chairman Du were not closely related, it would be unlikely for him to take such action. Therefore, the invitation from Chairman Du was quite intriguing.

A banquet at Hongmen? That's a joke. Even if Tan Shao was extremely powerful, he couldn't influence the president, and even the actual number one leader, Yang Lao, couldn't do that.

Zhou Ming shook his head, "I don't know and can't guess Chairman Du's purpose for inviting me to Yanjing. But no matter what the purpose is, it can't be worse than being sentenced to death, right?"

"That's true," Du Peng agreed with Zhou Ming's view, "But now I understand what 'breaking the pot and smashing it' means. Are we leaving for Yanjing immediately?"

Zhou Ming laughed and did not refute, as there was indeed a sense of "breaking the pot and smashing it" in the situation.

"Since Tan Shao is quick, we should also act quickly."

Zhou Ming said, then had Du Peng book the tickets. At this point, Zhou Ming did not expect that his casual remark about acting quickly would soon become a reality.

Linyang did not have a commercial airport, so Zhou Ming and Du Peng took the train to Tanshou and then a flight. Given Tan Shao's level of concern, the news was naturally conveyed to him immediately.

"What? Zhou Ming and Du Peng went to Yanjing?"

This news stunned Tan Qianjun, Jiang Chunhua, and Tao Guoling. Especially Tao Guoling, who was afraid that Zhou Ming would run into trouble at this moment. He hurriedly asked, "Tan Shao, what's going on? Is it possible that the Du family or someone else is helping?"

If it were usual, Jiang Chunhua would definitely say that it was impossible, but now, facing Zhou Ming, Jiang Chunhua had lost his usual judgment and could only look at Tan Qianjun.

Tan Qianjun calmly shook his head and said, "It's impossible. Zhou Ming is just an ordinary businessman with no background. With so many people in the country, whether he's here or not doesn't make much difference. Our current actions are significant nationwide; the central leadership has no reason to protect him."

Tan Qianjun's assessment was consistent with Jiang Chunhua and Tao Guoling's judgment. However, they still needed to ask, "Then why did Zhou Ming go to Yanjing?"

"It's hard to say," Tan Qianjun pondered and said, "It's too late for me to follow them to Yanjing now. They might have finished their business by the time I get there. I'll give him a pager."

Tan Qianjun's suggestion made Jiang Chunhua and Tao Guoling's eyes light up. Of course, Tan Qianjun calling Zhou Ming on the pager would not make Zhou Ming reveal what was happening, but at least Tan Qianjun could learn something from Zhou Ming's words. Meanwhile, Tan Qianjun could also gather information in Yanjing, which would give him a rough idea of the situation.

This was why Zhou Ming received Tan Qianjun's pager as soon as he arrived in the capital.

Seeing Tan Qianjun's pager, Du Peng was somewhat confused, "Zhou Ming, what do you think Tan Qianjun's pager means?"

"If I'm not mistaken, he really wants to know the reason for our visit to the capital," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng, not being foolish, immediately understood Tan Qianjun's intentions after Zhou Ming's hint. He cursed, "Tan Shao is quite something. What are you planning to do?"

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and answered, "If he wants to guess, then I'll do the opposite. I'll just tell him honestly that I don't know and let him figure it out on his own."

This answer made Du Peng clap his hands in delight, "Using the real to deceive the false and the false to deceive the real, Zhou Ming, you played that brilliantly!"

Zhou Ming smiled and then sent a pager message back to Tan Qianjun. He and Du Peng then contacted Zhongnanhai. Soon, they were told that everything was prepared, and they could enter that day.

Zhou Ming was quite surprised by this result. After all, Zhongnanhai was the center of the entire country, the brain of the nation. Anyone who reached this position was not ordinary. Usually, even Du Peng, the grandson of the president, had to schedule time to see his grandfather, let alone bringing Zhou Ming along.

But now, they could meet immediately, which was very unusual.

Originally, Zhou Ming and Du Peng planned to book a room at the Yanjing Hotel and wait for the arrangements. However, upon hearing the news, they hurriedly entered Zhongnanhai.

Zhou Ming and Du Peng were driven into Zhongnanhai and arrived at an impressive building. Zhou Ming and Du Peng got out of the car, and Du Peng told Zhou Ming that this seemed to be Yang Lao's office. Zhou Ming nodded and said nothing.

Walking down a long corridor, they arrived at a spacious and bright office. The actual number one person in the country, Yang Dingguo, and the nominal number one person, President Du Zhongyuan, were both present. Upon seeing Zhou Ming and Du Peng enter, Yang Dingguo gestured for Zhou Ming to sit in the seat in

 front of him and had tea brought for them.

If it were anyone else, facing such hospitality from Yang Lao, they would likely speculate about what was happening and why Yang Lao was treating them this way. However, Zhou Ming, who had met Yang Lao several times, simply drank the tea without much regard for his manners, thoroughly enjoying it, regardless of whether he was wasting Yang Lao's precious tea leaves.

Seeing Zhou Ming's behavior, Yang Lao smiled and said, "These days have been chaotic, and I know about the issues you're facing, Zhou Ming. Normally, I wouldn't get involved, but you're a good comrade, so I'd like to give you some advice."

"Thank you very much, Yang Lao, for your concern. Please feel free to say anything," Zhou Ming said.

Yang Lao nodded and said, "The central government is about to send a group of students abroad. I can reserve a spot for you, allowing you to study abroad for a while."