Chapter 578: Chapter 578

Liu Zhizhong chuckled softly, "Mrs. Lu, I actually came back last night, but I took my Big Lao to Yangjiang for some night fishing."

Lu Yumei didn't understand, "What are you rambling about? One second it's the Zhang family, the next it's water at home, and now night fishing? You come home and don't even step inside first, got a fishing addiction, have you?"

"The City Committee's Minister Zhang and the Provincial Committee's Minister Luo also support me fishing to relax. They say it's good for the heart, cultivating both body and mind..."

"Go on, get out of here... you're just faking illness, aren't you? Cut the crap!" Lu Yumei waved her dainty white hand dismissively, looking disgusted.

This felt very domestic, very flavorful, and Liu Zhizhong actually quite enjoyed it.

Grinning, Liu Zhizhong said, "But I caught a nearly twenty-pound wild local catfish for my mother-in-law. It's so delicious, really something special, heh heh..."

Among freshwater fish, Lu Yumei's favorite was indeed the local catfish. Her eyes lit up immediately, "You caught one? A real local catch? Where is it?"

"It's in my car, with the air conditioning and oxygen on. Alive and well!"

"You... are you crazy? The car is turned off and you still have the air conditioning on... You want the battery to run out, want a one billion luxury car that can't start?"

Lu Yumei looked frustrated and somewhat reproachful.

Liu Zhizhong said, "No worries, the car's batteries are 30 degrees, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Uh..." Lu Yumei was shocked, "That big of a battery? Your car... this car..."

"Heh, this car is indeed something special, you'll find out soon enough."

"Fine, fine, your one billion car is probably different. So, what about the big catfish, aren't you gonna take it down and eat it?"

Liu Zhizhong took a sip of water and lit up a cigarette before saying, "Aside from that fish, I also caught an old softshell turtle, weighing almost ten pounds, the kind that grew up in the wild, incredibly beautiful, its shell almost turning golden yellow."

"My word... your fishing luck is just too good, isn't it? Is the old softshell turtle in the car too?"

"Yep, it's there! So, my plan is to prepare a very special banquet with this big catfish and old softshell turtle, plus some delicacies I've gathered from my travels, to treat Secretary Zhang Zhengchang to a meal, and then..."

It seemed like Lu Yumei understood something and interrupted, "Oh, with just one meal, do you think you can change the Zhang family's attitude towards you? That's unlikely. The Zhang family members, heh, unless they see huge benefits, they won't budge easily. Unless…"

"You shell out some money, throw a billion or two at them, I think that could work. But from a standpoint of official dignity, you'd keep your position but lose all respect, always bowing before the Zhang family, a second-class citizen. You'd never do that."

Liu Zhizhong clapped his hands, "Ha, Mrs. Lu knows me well! Indeed, I would never take out money like that. I'd rather do charity, or use the money to let my Mrs. Lu, to let our family enjoy all the luxuries the mortal world has to offer, than to just give it away to the Zhang family!"

Could the mother-in-law feel uncomfortable hearing this?

Heh, she was actually quite pleased!

But Lu Yumei retorted, "Enough with the sweet talk, you've done nothing to actually show for it."

"It's in progress, slowly but surely, it must be done steadily, can't rush these things!"

"Scoundrel, are you pulling official lines on me now? Get to the point!"

This was again, so everyday life, and Liu Zhizhong was still enjoying it as he spoke earnestly, "But I'm thinking, if we can get Zhang Zhengchang on board. When the time comes, we can do this... do this..."

Liu Zhizhong spelled out the plan he'd been contemplating in detail.

Listening to Liu Zhizhong, Lu Yumei's face flushed and her breathing quickened. Despite wanting to vent her bashful annoyance, she held back and let Liu Zhizhong finish. The rıghtful source is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩

As soon as Liu Zhizhong was done speaking, Lu Yumei took a big gulp of Kunlun Ice Spring water and scolded angrily, "You shameless scoundrel, using me to play the beauty trap again? Last time, dealing with that beast Zhang Hongyang was on me; now cleaning up his dad is also up to me? You're a real piece of work!"

Liu Zhizhong with an innocent expression spread his hands, "Mrs. Lu, surely it can't be me, right?"

Lu Yumei, torn between laughter and tears, then went with the flow and teased, "What if? When Old Secretary Zhang was in power, he was infamous for his womanizing, maybe he's lost interest in women, who knows? Hehe..."

Saying this, she couldn't help but laugh and cover her mouth, her bright eyes brimming with mirthful twinkle.

Liu Zhizhong looked dismayed, "Mrs. Lu, don't say that, it's not like that. I believe, Old Secretary Zhang is a traditional man, so he's kept his normal inclinations, heh heh..."

With that, he grinned mischievously and then became serious once more as he spoke in a hushed tone, "Not to upset you, a lovely elderly lady, but sometimes, I feel during gatherings, the Zhang brothers—both Zhang Zhengchang and Zhang Zhenglong—are sneakily peeking at your chest! Tell me, isn't Old Zhang off proper conduct?"

"You..." Lu Yumei raised her hand as if to slap across, the motion so forceful that her fully plumped bosom quivered.

But she pulled back her hand, knowing Liu Zhizhong was telling the truth.

So all she could do was curse, "Men, hardly a good one among them, their eyes always roaming around! Who knows how dirty their thoughts are!"

Liu Zhizhong nodded, "Mrs. Lu, your charm is something most men can't resist. So, we have a natural advantage, which must be leveraged. As long as we work together seamlessly, heh heh... even ten Zhang Zhengchangs would be utterly under our control. The Zhang family might still have status in Yangzhou, but at the Zhao family's turf, they'd have to bend their heads and act humbly, heh heh..."

Liu Zhizhong laughed smugly, a laugh that was filled with masculine poise.

To call him a petty man basking in his moment of glory was one thing, but it was as if he held the confidence of holding a winning hand, now possessing the air of someone who could turn the clouds with a wave of his hand...