Zhang Yuxing gave Liu Zhizhong a disdainful glare, "Can't you speak without making ridiculous comparisons?"

Liu Zhizhong shook his head and said, "AIDS spreads through mother-to-child transmission, blood, and sex. Isn't the inheritance of power in officialdom mostly the same? Of course, the backdoor dealings of homosexuals count too. Isn't the Zhang Family Clan of Yangzhou a classic example? It's been going on for decades, haha... As long as AIDS exists, power never stops!"

"Ah... you and your twisted mind..." Zhang Yuxing's little face showed shock as she suddenly understood and wanted to laugh, but she held it back.

She had to admit, Liu Zhizhong, the bastard, was really quite humorous.

Liu Zhizhong had already calmly smiled, "Convinced, Secretary Zhang?"

"Hehe, you do have a point. But let me tell you, power in this country is indeed passed down through generations, which is totally fine. The Zhang Family, established by our ancestors, by rights benefits its future generations first, right? If you were to rise high and gain immense power, would you pass it on to your descendants or to strangers? It's simple logic! Of course, as for you..."

As she spoke, Zhang Yuxing shook her head disdainfully and continued, "Forget it, you've got no future."

Liu Zhizhong could only laugh it off, not bothering to argue with her.

At that time, as they faced the treacherous curvy roads of the Devil 718 Line, why bother talking about evidence or anything else? What if she got angry? Wouldn't that risk their safety while driving?

However, Liu Zhizhong just symbolically mentioned, "Ah, if I had a future, wouldn't I have to stick with the Zhang Family Members? That would still require Secretary Zhang to have my back!"

"Have your back? Hehe... You're thinking too much. How could I possibly take care of a little hooligan like you?"

"Ah… you can't burn the bridge after crossing the river, can you? Forgetting people once you're warm?"

"Shut up! Don't bring this up again! And you dare say you're an honest man?"

"Hehe, right, I'm an honest man; I don't remember anything anymore, haha..."

By mid-morning, Liu Zhizhong finally climbed up a particularly treacherous seven-tier zigzag slope. It felt extremely risky, and he was much relieved, realizing he had sweated through his clothes.

At that moment, Zhang Yuxing said, "Find a wider spot up ahead and pull over, please!"

Liu Zhizhong did not know why, but he parked the car as instructed.

He saw that Zhang Yuxing, looking colder and more stringent than usual, got out of the car and started walking back the way they came.

Liu Zhizhong was startled for a moment, called out "Secretary Zhang," as if realizing something, then smiled and nodded, "Let's go, I'll come with you to check it."

As smart as he was, it was clear he had guessed something.

Zhang Yuxing just glanced back at him and silently nodded, continuing her way back.

Less than fifty meters later, the two arrived at a very dangerous cliffside road, where huge concrete bollards were densely packed as a safety measure.

Standing next to the concrete bollards, looking out, it was indeed an abyss. The mountain across was also extremely steep and perilous.

And here, deep in the mountains, the Ailian River roared fiercely at the bottom of the cliff, shaking the heavens with its sound.

Despite Liu Zhizhong's physical strength and high resilience, standing with Zhang Yuxing at the edge of the concrete bollards and looking around, even he felt a tingling sensation in his feet and a tremble in his heart.

In fact, the road's gradient here wasn't steep, and the curves weren't sharp, and it seemed that the road had been purposefully widened quite a bit, but the location was just too high and perilous.

Zhang Yuxing, leaning on the concrete bollard and looking down, her body bent such that her palms were pointing upward, her slender waist dipped, the lines of her body under her white dress almost enticing.

But Liu Zhizhong, standing there, suddenly felt no sexual urges, but rather a profound melancholy.

Moreover, he leaned over, stretching out an arm around her, hovering in the air in front of her chest, looking as though he was protecting her.

Zhang Yuxing glanced at his strong arm and was somewhat touched, whispering softly, "Thanks, I'm fine, I won't jump."

"But I'm scared! Secretary, I can see that you're a person of deep feelings. This must be where Mr. Luo Ke slipped down originally. What if you, moved by deep sentiments, driven by longing..."

"Stop, please stop…" Zhang Yuxing's voice trembled, choked up.

"Uh…"

Liu Zhizhong was shocked. Her burning tears fell on his arm.

Those passionate tears had a profound effect, softening Liu Zhizhong completely, filled with compassion.

Zhang Yuxing, leaning on the concrete bollards, her delicate body trembling, nearly collapsing, murmured, "Back then, if the road had been this wide, if there had been these huge concrete bollards, how could it have happened… how could he have..."

Toward the end, she lost all control, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Luckily, Liu Zhizhong quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her in his embrace, allowing her to lean on his shoulder as she cried bitterly, heartbreakingly.

In such a moment, Liu Zhizhong harbored no ulterior motives but just held her, both of them standing in the chilling, even harsh highland wind at the top of the cliff, their hair wildly fluttering about, like statues…