Tan Jie quietly went to Mo Zheng's study to give him some tea.
Mo Zheng had stopped reviewing the documents. He lit a cigarette and smoked it slowly, with a serious look on his face.
"Xiao Chen is gone?" Mo Zheng said.
Tan Jie said in shock: "Director Chen left long ago, I..."
Mo Zheng waved his hand and said: "Call him, I have something else to talk to him about!"
Tan Jie picked up the phone and found Chen Jing's number from the confidential phone book and dialed it.
Chen Jing had not gone far at this time. When he came out of the courtyard of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Chen Jing asked his third brother to stop the car by the Lingjiang River.
He lit a cigarette and stood on the embankment of Lingjiang River, holding on to the fence next to the embankment with both hands, staring into the distance without speaking.
You can't see clearly from the river at night, and you can only see the winding street lights on both sides of the river.
There are a few lights on the river occasionally, which are cargo ships passing by at night.
The hustle and bustle on the other side of the road has been blocked out by the rows of trees behind the river embankment.
From Chen Jing's position, all he could hear was the sound of the river rippling and lapping at the river bank.
"Ding, ding!" The phone rang loudly.
Chen Jing took out his cell phone and looked at the caller ID, frowning slightly.
He pressed the answer button, and Tan Jie's very familiar voice rang on the other end of the phone: "Director Chen? Hello! The secretary wants to talk to you!"
Before Chen Jing could speak, Mo Zheng's deep voice sounded on the other side of the phone: "Is it Xiao Chen?"
"Yes, secretary, do you have any other instructions?" Chen Jing said.
Mo Zheng coughed twice, as if hesitating for something. After a while, he said:
"Xiao Chen, please go to Northern Jiangsu in the next few days..."
Going to Northern Jiangsu?
Chen Jing was stunned, wondering why Mo Zheng suddenly asked him to go to Northern Jiangsu.
He moved his lips, wanting to ask the whole story, but he didn't know how to ask.
Fortunately, Mo Zheng didn't leave him confused for too long, saying: "Go and see Secretary Sha! He made a special trip to call me for your business. As long as you don't wait too long, come and go to spend time."
It doesn’t take much effort!”
Chen Jing frowned, feeling suddenly that the situation might be a little abnormal.
Why did Mo Zheng suddenly ask himself to see Secretary Sha?
"Okay, it's getting late. Go back and have a good rest! The more urgent the matter, the less urgent it is. Relaxation is the correct way to work!"
Mo Zheng hung up the phone. Chen Jing looked at his phone blankly and took a deep breath.
Suddenly, he suddenly put out the cigarette butt in his hand, turned around and said: "Third brother, let's go! You call Zhong Jun and ask him to arrange a ticket for me to go to Northern Jiangsu tomorrow. The sooner the better!"
Chen Jing suddenly made the decision to go to Northern Jiangsu, but he couldn't sleep at night.
He kept savoring Mo Zheng's words and carefully weighed each word.
He became more and more aware that Secretary Sha might have something going on.
Because it was impossible for Mo Zheng to let himself go to Northern Jiangsu for no reason, and judging from his tone at that time, it was obviously quite low.
This made Chen Jing feel uneasy...and couldn't sleep all night.
When Chen Jing woke up the next morning, he called Secretary Sha's secretary Zuo Shuai.
As soon as the call was connected, he immediately asked: "Director Zuo, is the secretary okay?"
"Ah... uh... that..." Zuo Shuai hesitated on the other end of the phone.
Chen Jing's heart suddenly sank, and he realized that something was indeed going on.
He pondered for a moment and then said: "Secretary Mo of our provincial party committee arranged for me to go to Jiangning today, mainly to visit Secretary Sha..."
Zuo Shuai paused for a long time on the other end of the phone before trying hard to spit out a few words: "The situation is not optimistic. You will understand it when you come here!"
Countless thoughts went through Chen Jing's mind instantly.
He had many questions to ask. He wanted to ask Secretary Sha what happened? Where is he now? Where should he go to see him, and other questions.
But these questions are inappropriate to ask.
Chen Jing pays close attention to the news in various provinces and cities, but has not seen any news about Sha Mingde's accident.
Secretary Sha is now a dignified member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and a pivotal figure in the political arena of the Republic.
What does it mean that there is no media coverage of such a character when something goes wrong?
This means that the situation is absolutely confidential and the scope of knowledge is quite narrow.
What needs to be kept secret and deserves to be kept secret?
Chen Jing couldn't make an accurate judgment for a moment. He simply had breakfast, went straight to the airport, and then flew straight to Jiangning.
...Jiang Ning and Chen Jing came out of the VIP channel at the airport and called Zuo Shuai.
As soon as he took out the phone, he saw Zuo Shuai waving to him at the entrance of the passage.
He quickly put away the phone, walked over quickly and said, "Director Zuo, you are too polite. Please pick me up in person!"
Zuo Shuai twitched the corner of his mouth and showed a smile, but immediately his expression returned to seriousness and said: "It was arranged by the secretary. The secretary is very unhappy about your coming! But..."
Chen Jing bit his lip and said, "Director Zuo, what happened to the secretary?"
Zuo Shuai's expression changed, he pointed to the car next to him, changed the subject and said: "Get in the car first!"
Zuo Shuai was driving the car, his eyes looking straight ahead. After a long time, he said: "Director Chen, you can't stay too long when you arrive at the hospital later. You can only stay for half an hour at most. Regarding some confidentiality regulations
I won't tell you anymore.
Since it was Secretary Mo who arranged for you to come here, he must have informed you beforehand!"
He took a long breath and said: "Secretary is very difficult and painful right now. We all feel very uncomfortable..."
Chen Jing's expression changed suddenly. He moved his lips several times, but in the end he swallowed everything he wanted to say.
He pursed his lips tightly, his face turned pale, and countless thoughts were intertwined in his mind.
Deep down, the contact between Chen Jing and Sha Mingde is not as much as the outside world reports.
In Chujiang back then, Chen Jing's rank was too low to meet Secretary Sha.
After Sha Mingde left Chujiang, Chen Jing went to Lingnan.
Chen Jing only met Secretary Sha once in Lingnan.
But during these limited meetings, Chen Jing felt that his relationship with Secretary Sha was closer than ever.
Undoubtedly, as a younger generation, Chen Jing was very touched by Secretary Sha's concern for him.
Chen Jing also learned a lot from Sha Mingde's work attitude, firm belief, leadership art, and personal charm.
Sometimes Chen Jing would think that he was just a child from a family of ordinary teachers. Why did Secretary Sha give him so much care and encouragement?
Undoubtedly, Sha Mingde really has no selfish motives when it comes to supporting his younger generations.
While Chen Jing was thinking wildly, the car had already driven into Jiangning Guangci Hospital.
Across the courtyard of Guangci Hospital, there is a quiet passage at the back.
Keep walking along the passage, about one kilometer, and you should be at the senior cadre ward area of Guangci Hospital.
As soon as he entered here, Chen Jing suddenly became nervous.
Zuo Shuai found a parking space and the two of them got out of the car. Chen Jing discovered that the surrounding area was heavily guarded. Outside a red-walled courtyard, two armed policemen with guns and live ammunition stood straight at the door.
As for the corridor leading to this building, there are already strict sentries every few meters away.
Zuo Shuai led Chen Jing into the red wall unimpeded.
There is a small courtyard inside.
The yard has rich vegetation, and what is eye-catching is a large grape vine trellis.
It’s already autumn and the grapevines are still green.
The flowers and plants in the yard are also vying for beauty and are exceptionally beautiful.
Chen Jing's eyes swept across the yard, and his eyes quickly settled on the bottom of the grape trellis.
There is a table and chairs under the grape trellis, and in front of it is a coffee table and a beech wood sofa.
There is a person sitting upright on the office chair.
He was wearing a blue and white hospital gown and a gray peaked cap on his head.
Judging from the ears, his hair seems to have been shaved, and there is no trace of hair on the ears.
"Secretary Sha!" Chen Jing took a step forward and said loudly, his voice a little excited!
Sha Mingde was looking at a document in his hand. He heard Chen Jing's cry and turned to look at Chen Jing.
He turned around, and Chen Jing suddenly discovered that Sha Mingde was much thinner than before, his cheek bones were protruding high, and his eyes seemed to be very bright.
But such a look is very intimidating and makes people feel an invisible pressure.
Zuo Shuai came close to Sha Mingde and said: "Secretary, Director Chen came all the way from Guangdong Province and made a special trip to visit you!"
Sha Mingde withdrew his gaze, said nothing, and pointed to the beech wood sofa in front of his desk.
Chen Jing did not sit down. He approached Sha Mingde with a sore nose and said: "Secretary, you are..."
Sha Mingde slapped his hands and his voice was very hoarse, "Sit down! Xiao Zuo, go and get the box of Longjing from the room. Xiao Chen likes to drink tea!"
Zuo Shuai slowly retreated.
Sha Mingde pointed to the sofa again and said: "Sit down! This is my open-air office, the environment is not bad!"
Chen Jing slowly sat on the sofa, but did not move his eyes away from Sha Mingde.
Seeing Sha Mingde at this time, no matter how stupid Chen Jing was, he knew that his body was in a serious condition.
The man was so thin that he was reduced to skin and bones, all his hair was shaved off, and his voice also changed. It was no longer as rich as before and became hoarse now.
"Did Secretary Mo ask you to come?" Sha Mingde asked.
Chen Jing nodded and said: "Yes, Secretary Mo talked to me last night, and finally he asked me to come across Jiangning to see you!"
Sha Mingde waved his hand and said: "I don't have anything good to see. Don't you think I'm fine now? You, Secretary Mo, are doing nothing!"
With a smile on his face, he put down the document he was holding, pointed in the void with his finger, and changed the subject:
"Xiao Chen, your work in Lingnan has changed you a lot in the past few years! Compared with when you were in Chujiang, you are much calmer, which is worthy of encouragement!"
Chen Jing pondered for a moment and said: "Secretary, you have to take care of yourself. Now is the best time for Northern Jiangsu to develop. The people of Northern Jiangsu are looking forward to creating greater glory under your leadership!"
Sha Mingde snorted and said: "Xiao Chen, what you said is a bit contrary to your will, isn't it? Northern Jiangsu has created great glory, how can you, Lingnan, be happy?"