Chapter 0002 Who Will Make You Relinquish What You Cannot Let Go Of

"Zhao Dong, you are also from the city steel mill," this voice sounded somewhat unfamiliar to Shen Huai. Perhaps it was a new employee from the production safety department, stepping forward to support Zhou Da. "You are well aware of the situation in the factory. Not to mention that we cannot provide much in terms of compensation right now, even if we could—if someone were to die in the factory in the future, and their family came to extort tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands from us, would the factory still be able to operate?"

Mayor Gao Tianhe, Secretary General of the Municipal Government Ge Yongqiu, and Deputy Director of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government Research Office Xiong Wenbin, among others, all came from the municipal steel plant; at this time, Gu Tong, who was the director of the municipal steel plant, was also a trusted confidant of Mayor Gao Tianhe

Once again, seeing Xiao Li's pale, translucent face devoid of color and her eyes swollen from crying, Shen Huai felt his heart stab painfully once more

Shen Huai leaned forward to pick up the phone, hesitated for a moment, but still answered the call

As a pillar enterprise of Donghua City, the municipal steel plant has always held significant weight in the city. Since its establishment in the 1950s, it has produced over ten leaders for the city and its affiliated counties.

In his sleep, Shen Huai heard his phone ringing, thinking it was merely a sound from his dream

Shen Huai sat in the car, observing that everyone else had left, but his sister-in-law remained to keep Little Li company, which eased his mind somewhat. He lowered the car seat and lay down in the car, still unable to feel at ease enough to leave.

The officialdom is often composed of different circles; if you do not belong to one circle, you belong to another, and each circle typically has only one leader

Zhou Dazui experienced intense pain in his nose, saw stars before his eyes, and staggered backward

The voice on the other end of the phone was both familiar and unfamiliar to Shen Huai

Even if one can recall these fragments of memory like playing a movie, and access them in the mind and through images and books, that sense of estrangement cannot be eliminated. It is akin to watching a film, experiencing someone else's life; one is merely an observer. It is precisely this sense of estrangement that leads Shen Huai to be utterly certain that the previous Shen Huai no longer exists.

The phone rang with a "di da di" sound, and Shen Huai merely tightened his arms, trying to make his body lie more comfortably, subconsciously thinking that the phone's sound had nothing to do with him—after about five or six seconds, Shen Huai suddenly woke up... The sound continued until he rushed from the hospital to the city government to retrieve the car, indeed tossing a phone along with his wallet onto the dashboard...

"Secretary Shen, where are you? Apart from the vehicles used by the mayors, the city government only has three small cars available for mobility. You took the 927 out and haven't returned all night. Have you considered what would happen if someone urgently needed a vehicle from the government office today? If your injury is not serious, hurry back to the city with the car."

Upon witnessing this scene, a surge of anger welled up in Shen Huai's heart, and he swung a fist directly at Zhou Da's face, who was standing at the door and pushing people out.

Ge Yongqiu also serves as the deputy head of the municipal government's safety production leadership group. Although it is appropriate for him to take the lead on this matter, considering his relationship with the municipal steel plant, Shen Huai could easily deduce that the likelihood of a thorough investigation is minimal. How could one possibly hold the municipal steel plant accountable?

During these three days, my mind has been engulfed in chaos, leaving me physically and mentally exhausted. Shen Huai does not know when he fell asleep

Meixi Town is under the jurisdiction of Xiapu County in Donghua City; however, it is geographically adjacent to the urban area of Donghua City

One cannot simply say that he came out of the hospital and parked the car outside Meixi Town to sleep for a night; Shen Huai replied in a hesitant voice, skillfully avoiding the main point: "I understand, I will go back..."

Shen Huai did not take Ge Mazi's indifferent questioning to heart

Ge Mazi is the person of Mayor Gao Tianhe, while Shen Huai is the secretary of Chen Mingde, a member of the Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor.

In 1993, even a pager could attract attention in Donghua City, let alone a mobile phone

Familiarity arises from previous memories, while strangeness is something Shen Huai is acutely aware of; he is living under the identity of another.

Zhou Dazui opened the door and pushed someone out, little did he expect to be met with a punch face to face

Shen Huai heard that Zhou Dazui seemed to be losing patience. As he finished speaking, he saw the office door being opened from the inside.

Why say so much nonsense? Just drive the person out. If they come to cause trouble again, call the police directly

Zhou Dazui, what are you saying? Xiao Li is only sixteen years old. Is it really the case that she should go to work in a factory instead of attending school? Even if she is replacing Haiwen in the factory, the compensation that is due should not be reduced in any way

Ge Yongqiu's expression was gloomy, and he pretended not to notice the provocative tone in Shen Huai's words, saying: "The preliminary conclusion has been reached regarding the fatal accident that occurred at the city steel plant four days ago. Mayor Chen has asked me to go and listen to the report. If you have nothing else to attend to, Mayor Chen would like you to accompany me, after all, you are also a victim and are aware of the situation at that time"

Meixi Town and Donghua City are separated by a wide Meixi River, with a cement bridge built in the late 1960s connecting them to the urban area

Shen Huai sat up in shock, patting his head, silently reminding himself: What are you thinking? You can only live as Shen Huai from now on!

Zhao Dong, do not speak recklessly. The nature of the accident and the assignment of responsibility are determined by the conclusions drawn by Director Gu. Sun Haiwen, in an attempt to show off in front of the city leaders, violated regulations by climbing high, which led to the fatal fall. This was witnessed by dozens of people present. The factory has already covered the expenses for Sun Haiwen's funeral, and his sister wishes to take his place in the factory, which is acceptable; what other compensation is needed?

Not seeing the factory director Gu Tong of the city steel plant come out to greet them, Shen Huai and Ge Yongqiu went directly into the office building, heading straight for the director's office

... ...

Ge Yongqiu assumed that Shen Huai would not refuse the instructions of Vice Mayor Chen Mingde, and without waiting for Shen Huai to respond, he directly opened the car door and sat down.

This is Zhao Dong's voice; Shen Huai did not expect to find Zhao Dong advocating for compensation on his behalf at the Production Safety Department

Returning to Meixi, it was nearly dark. Friends and relatives gradually departed, and Zhao Dong drove back to the city with several colleagues.

Although Shen Huai's status is somewhat inferior to Ge Mazi, they belong to different circles and follow different bosses. On ordinary days, they maintain a relationship of mutual non-interference.

Zhao Dong's mention of Zhou Dazui is quite coincidental, as he happens to be Ge Yongqiu's brother-in-law. It is precisely because of his connection to Ge Yongqiu that he managed to ascend to the position of Director of Production Safety at the municipal steel plant.

Shen Huai was somewhat reluctant to enter the city steel mill at this time; whether reflecting on his past life or adapting to a new one, he needed time to adjust

For Shen Huai, these fleeting memories are unfamiliar; they belong to the previous Shen Huai

After many years of friendship, Zhao Dong, a colleague from the city steel mill, drove the truck borrowed from the factory to take Xiao Li and the mourners back to Meixi Town

At this moment, what else can he do besides watching from a distance

The city steel mill and the * map * book spread over more than 2,000 acres in the northern part of the city. After driving through the main gate, it takes some time to reach the impressive office building of the steel mill.

Shen Huai merely followed to the old residence at the eastern end of Meixi Town, parking the car under the shade of a tree by the roadside

One cannot simply drive Ge Yongqiu away, so Shen Huai can only helplessly accompany Ge Yongqiu to the city steel mill, marking the true beginning of his "new day".

I can't believe it! I personally witnessed the handrail break, causing someone to fall. How can you twist such a trivial matter into something completely different?

Donghua City is neither large nor small, with a population of over one million in the urban area

As Shen Huai drove into the municipal government compound, he saw Ge Mazi standing at the steps of the government building waiting for him

The secretary-general of a city government wants to replace the "big brother" phone with a new-style mobile phone. The application report has been left on Chen Mingde's desk, and this scoundrel has already started using the mobile phone himself...

After the parasitism, Shen Huai still retained most of the memory fragments of the original owner of the body

... ...

Shen Huai stopped in his tracks and glanced at Ge Yongqiu

Passing by the office of the Production Safety Department, I heard intense arguing coming from inside

Ge Ma Zi did not say anything more and hung up the phone

The crowd that attended the funeral quickly emerged after placing the urn in the columbarium

Ge Yongqiu glanced at the mobile phone on the dashboard, his brow furrowing slightly

Not knowing where Xiao Li went early in the morning, Shen Huai could only drive back to the city first

This scene left Ge Yongqiu, Zhao Dong, and others standing nearby utterly stunned. It took a while for those around to remember to rush in and restrain the furious Shen Huai.

This fatal accident occurred right under the nose of Vice Mayor Chen Mingde, which is why the city is taking it so seriously. Otherwise, if one or two workers were to die in a factory, it would hardly make a ripple in Donghua City.

Shen Huai squinted at the sun, not expecting to sleep until eight or nine o'clock. The old house had already been locked from the outside, and he had no idea where Xiao Li had gone early in the morning

The other party's voice was low, hoarse, and murky; a round face with a large, fat nose flashed through Shen Huai's mind. This was the voice of Ge Yongqiu, the Secretary-General of the Municipal Government

In this world, there are too many things that are hard to let go of. If one were to die at the moment of falling from a great height, what Shen Huai would find most difficult to part with would undoubtedly be his sister Xiao Li, who would be left all alone and desolate from that point onward

Shen Huai never considered just giving him a punch and letting it go. He followed him in, unable to exert force with his left shoulder, and kept landing punches with his right fist on his face, directly causing Zhou Dazui to fall to the ground, before switching to kicking...

Early in the morning, the lost Xiao Li was suddenly pushed out from inside, her clothes and sleeves caught on the doorknob, tearing a section with a "whoosh," and her frail arm was also scratched, leaving a trail of blood

At over forty years of age, Ge Yongqiu has a fair complexion, but he has a few white spots on his face, and everyone secretly calls him Ge Mazi.

How did the accident happen? You, Zhou Dazui, know in your heart. How you negotiate with the city and shift responsibility is up to you; I have no control over that. However, if you intend to withhold Haiwen's compensation, you should reflect on your conscience, Zhou Dazui, and ask yourself if you still have any left

Shen Huai was unable to put his mind at ease, and with no close excuse to approach, he could only drive at a distance, trailing behind the truck, heading towards Meixi Town

Only treating Ge Mazi as someone who oversteps their bounds, seizing the opportunity to reprimand him, Shen Huai cursed inwardly but still drove the car over, rolled down the window, and asked: "Secretary Ge, you aren't specifically standing here waiting for me, are you?"