Let them offer their loyalty!

"Today, I nominated you according to our plan, but he vetoed it with a single vote,"

"Now how will you get promoted?"

As she said this, she spoke with a tone that scorned incompetence, "This is a very rare opportunity."

"Xinjie City is still developing and there might be some openings for director positions in the Investigation Bureau, but the division chief positions are like a radish in a pit—there's only one for one."

"Previously, there was an opening for the deputy division chief of the Public Security Bureau and that was already rare enough,"

"What a pity, Yan Chen already gave it to someone else,"

"Now, it's already a stroke of luck that a deputy director position in the Political Department is available, and if someone else takes it, your career will be completely stuck!"

Hearing Tang Feifei's concerned words, Qiu Tu tried to reassure her, "Feifei... don't get worked up."

"The results haven't come out yet, no need to pop champagne for the enemy halfway through the game."

"You have to trust me."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Tang Feifei took a deep breath as if suppressing the anger inside her; evidently, the defeat at today's senior meeting had really annoyed her.

After two seconds, she then suddenly ordered in a cool tone, "Come to my place for a late-night snack tonight."

Qiu Tu: ???

This is totally a different matter, right?

And... late-night snack?

Has his nickname become 'late-night snack'?

Thinking this way, Qiu Tu, who had been busy the day before yesterday, quickly shook his head and declined her, "I don't have time. I have an important task these next few days."

Hearing Qiu Tu's refusal, Tang Feifei snorted coldly. She was just about to further argue with Qiu Tu, wanting to express just how embarrassed she felt today.

But before she could speak, Qiu Tu abruptly said, "Someone's come to see me, let's talk when I'm free."

After that, he hung up the phone.

Listening to the "beep... beep..." from the handset, Tang Feifei squeezed the communicator until it creaked, almost breaking it!

However, after her outburst, Tang Feifei still managed to suppress her rage and tossed the communicator aside, starting to speculate about how Qiu Tu would turn the tide against the odds...

After quietly pondering for half an hour, Tang Feifei still felt the hope was faint.

The list had already been sent to the Municipal Committee. Could Qiu Tu really get the Municipal Committee to send it back?

But even if it was sent back, if Yan Chen blocked him, he would still not become the deputy director.

Even if Qiu Tu finally persuaded Yan Chen in this period, Yan Chen couldn't just inexplicably retract his veto, right? Wouldn't that be slapping his own face?

Tang Feifei felt there must be something she didn't know...

...

Meanwhile, having hung up the phone, Qiu Tu was now facing off with Zheng Tao who had sought him out.

Compared to the frustration he showed in the morning, Zheng Tao was noticeably more relaxed and at ease now.

He looked at Qiu Tu and inquired, "Does Chief Qiu know why I have come to find him?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "Do you think you're going to lose, so you're preparing to go back on our bet?"

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zheng Tao was full of question marks and nearly laughed in disbelief.

"Is Chief Qiu joking?"

"Who's about to lose between the two of us?"

He continued, "I've just got the news that your nomination was rejected by the Bureau Chief. Now the three candidates reported to the Municipal Committee do not include you."

"So, it seems you're about to lose the bet."

With that, his tone shifted, finally revealing the purpose of his visit.

He said, "However, it's precisely because of this that I realized you haven't placed a bet."

"You only said that if you won, you'd want my... secretary to accompany you and my driver to pick you up."

"But you never said what you'd give up if I won."

Hearing Zheng Tao's words, Qiu Tu looked at Zheng Tao with a perplexed expression.

To tell the truth, he initially treated the bet as a joke, just to tease Zheng Tao and to take a jab at him. He never really took it seriously.

And it was precisely because he didn't take the bet seriously that he never mentioned his own stake.

However, now Zheng Tao took the bet seriously and even came over to ask for the stake, which was a bit unexpected for him.

So, with that in mind, Qiu Tu couldn't help but ask, "So what does Director Zheng want? You mention it, and I'll see if I can accept it."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zheng Tao said expressionlessly, "My requirement is very simple, and I won't ask for too much."

"If you lose, you'll have to shout three times from the first floor to the 11th floor of your office building: 'I am not as good as Zheng Tao, and I'm not fit to be the Deputy Division Chief!'"

"How about this stake?"

Hearing Zheng Tao's words, Qiu Tu's gaze shifted slightly, his look towards Zheng Tao complicated.

Zheng Tao's bet seemed simple, but it was actually incredibly vicious.

If Qiu Tu shouted these phrases throughout the building the day after he embarrassed Zheng Tao, then Zheng Tao's lost face would immediately be restored, as would his prestige and influence.

Moreover, publicly declaring himself unfit for the Deputy Division Chief role might seem like a joke, but if a similar opportunity arose in the future, it could be used against him by competitors.

Thus, Zheng Tao was not only elevating himself, but also blocking Qiu Tu's channels for advancement.

If Qiu Tu didn't manage to become the Deputy Division Chief this time, it would be difficult for him to get promoted in the near future...

The only thing Zheng Tao miscalculated was that Qiu Tu's promotion to Deputy Division Chief was almost a done deal—it was very likely to happen, and all of Zheng Tao's scheming was doomed to fail.

Therefore, faced with Zheng Tao's invitation to the bet, Qiu Tu immediately extended his hand, "It's a deal."

Seeing this, Zheng Tao also smiled and reached out his hand, shaking hands with Qiu Tu.

With the bet set, Zheng Tao left the empty conference room contentedly.

But after he left, Qiu Tu took out the special communicator given to him by Commissioner Jiang's secretary, Tao Yaoyao, and made a call...

And soon...

At 5 p.m., a shocking piece of news rapidly spread throughout the Investigation Bureau.

The list of candidates for Deputy Division Chief of the Political Department submitted by the Investigation Bureau to the Municipal Committee was entirely rejected!

Not a single one of the three nominees was selected by the Municipal Committee!

Such an incident had never happened since the establishment of Xinjie City, completely breaking the tacit understanding between the three major authority organizations!

Immediately following, the second big event occurred.

After rejecting the list of nominees, the Municipal Committee quickly sent a commendation to the Investigation Bureau.

The content of the commendation was simple: it praised the investigation team led by Qiu Tu for the "8.19 Pharmacy Robbery Case" for their members' success in solving this major case in a short time, catching the criminal, and rescuing numerous hostages.

One after the other, the two documents had completely opposing attitudes, creating an air of mystery. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

After all... if the Municipal Committee was trying to knock the Investigation Bureau down a peg, they wouldn't follow up with praise.

If the Municipal Committee intended to show goodwill toward the Investigation Bureau, then they shouldn't have rejected the Bureau's routine promotion application in defiance of convention...

This contradictory approach left many people scratching their heads.

Only a few sharp-minded people guessed a possibility: Could these two issues actually be related?

Could it be that the Municipal Committee was attempting to influence the choice for the Deputy Division Chief through their commendation?

And at this time, while everyone in the Investigation Bureau was confused about the situation...

That same afternoon, just before closing time.

The Security Department of the military also sent a written letter of appreciation to the Investigation Bureau.

The letter thanked Qiu Tu for his critical role in two major cases and commended him for laying a solid foundation for future cooperation between the two organizations.

If it were just the commendation from the Municipal Committee, the Investigation Bureau wouldn't think too much of it.

But now, with the military's commendation arriving too, and at such a sensitive time for the recommendation of Deputy Division Chief, the Bureau began to catch on to something...

-----

Still three chapters today, totalling ten thousand words. The third chapter will probably be updated around 23-24 o'clock. During the double-points period, I'm asking for Monthly Tickets!