The five candidates were all thinking.
Who could Zhang Ziheng be waiting for?
Could it be some high-ranking official from the capital?
But when they saw who appeared, they instantly lost their composure.
No one had expected that the person Zhang Ziheng was waiting for would be Gao Fei, who had been trying to build connections with the help of the "white gloves" not long ago!
According to the intelligence the five candidates had obtained, Gao Fei had established a connection with a very important figure in the capital due to his outstanding contributions.
However, they were unclear about who was behind Gao Fei.
They only knew that this person would likely influence the upcoming major reshuffle.
But now, when they saw Zhang Ziheng personally stand up, reprimand Gao Fei like an elder for his lack of punctuality, then pull him to sit beside him, and introduce him in front of everyone.
At this moment, the five candidates finally understood who was behind Gao Fei.
It was none other than the powerful Zhang Bu, who could decide matters with a single word!
Gao Fei glanced at the five candidates, whose faces were filled with shock. He sat down beside them with neither subservience nor arrogance, showing no excitement or fear upon seeing the important figures.
Instead, he appeared calm.
Judging by Gao Fei's demeanor, the five candidates seemed to read a message from his face.
That message was: "Yes, Zhang Ziheng is behind me, Gao Fei. You guys? I'm not afraid of any of you!"
But this was merely the internal monologue of the five.
Aside from his composure in the face of important people, Gao Fei greeted everyone with a smile whenever someone looked at him.
Zhang Ziheng felt it was about time and said with a smile, "Why are you all sitting there like fools? You're in charge of pouring water for us today. Go get the thermos quickly."
"Ah? Oh, okay!"
Gao Fei almost forgot the instructions he was given before coming. He grinned and jogged outside.
As soon as Gao Fei left, Zhang Ziheng turned to the now calm five and said, "I apologize. Little Gao wasn't supposed to be at this meeting today. But the person above said that Little Gao is still a bit restless, and asked me to bring him along to gain some experience. So I had to bring him here unexpectedly."
This statement, rather than alleviating their concerns, caused a fresh wave of turmoil in the hearts of the five who had just calmed down.
"The person above Zhang Ziheng?"
Besides the highest echelons of Dragon Country, there was no one else!
Therefore, when Gao Fei returned with the thermos, the attitudes of the five had undergone a 180-degree turn.
As he poured water, all five immediately held out their cups with both hands to receive it.
When he spoke, their replies were tinged with a hint of flattery.
Gao Fei was stunned.
He had only been gone for half a minute, yet everyone's attitude towards him had somehow improved.
They were practically begging him to sit down, and they would personally serve him.
Gao Fei glanced at Zhang Ziheng, who was smiling and made no move to stop this.
Zhang Ziheng simply nodded at him with a smile, as if everything was understood without words.
With everything prepared, the private meeting officially began.
It was more of a meeting in name, as Zhang Ziheng asked questions, and the five answered.
His questions covered Hong Kong's economic development, social welfare, technological industries, and more.
In essence, all questions revolved around Hong Kong's future development.
Gao Fei, merely a listener, found the questions overwhelming.
He understood that Zhang Ziheng intended to select the final candidate based on their answers.
But if he were asked to answer these questions, it would be harder than killing him. He was better off just making money honestly.
Regarding politics, Gao Fei believed that as long as he stood with Dragon Country and contributed to the nation, it would be enough.
As for this circle, he had no desire to be involved.
The meeting lasted for nearly six hours.
It finally concluded as the sun set and streetlights began to illuminate the sky outside.
After the last candidate finished speaking, Zhang Ziheng, still with his initial smile, asked, "Time is almost up. Shall we have a meal together?"
"We'll do as Director Zhang arranges!"
The five did not refuse, and all agreed.
Gao Fei, who had wanted to slip away two hours ago, immediately stood up upon hearing Zhang Ziheng mention dinner. "Uncle Zhang, I'll go to the dining hall to arrange the meal right away!"
"Go ahead, just arrange something simple. The chefs in the dining hall are almost off duty anyway."
"Okay!"
He nodded and practically floated out of the reception room in three steps.
Watching Gao Fei scurry out as if escaping for his life, Zhang Ziheng chuckled and said, "This child is still too restless. Please excuse him, everyone!"
"Little Gao is still young! Young people are energetic!"
"I remember Little Gao is almost twenty this year. At twenty, I was still studying and struggling. If you compare us at the same age, I'm not even as good as Little Gao."
"Little Gao is a great talent of our Dragon Country, proficient in various fields. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the foremost among today's youth."
The five candidates praised Gao Fei in their words.
Zhang Ziheng did not object too strongly, as their praise was indeed factual.
Ten minutes later.
The seven of them sat at the dining table, eating elegantly, exuding an air of scholarly refinement.
Even Gao Fei, who had been hungry all day, did not show his usual gluttonous demeanor. Instead, he ate small bites, accompanying the six influential figures.
Zhang Ziheng glanced at the six people at the table, suddenly put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and asked, "Everyone, the discussions on Hong Kong's various development issues have mostly concluded during the meeting.
However, there is one more issue for which I would like to know your stance."
The five candidates put down their chopsticks and listened intently to the question Zhang was about to ask.
"Triads!"
As the two words were uttered, different expressions appeared on the faces of the five.
There was hesitation, avoidance, and sternness...
But soon, the expressions they had shown were retracted, and they all returned to a state of calm and composure.
Unfortunately, their fleeting expressions had been fully captured by Zhang Ziheng.
Why had he not brought it up during the meeting?
Because only by asking the question unexpectedly could he truly gauge their real attitudes.
Before the five could speak, Zhang Ziheng continued, "Hong Kong is no longer the same as it was in the eighties and nineties, but the triads rooted in the dark corners of society still exist.
Without going into too much detail, in the past few years alone, the total number of triad members in Hong Kong has exceeded 150,000. Although this number is not as high as in the nineties, in today's society, it is still terrifying.
And this is just the publicly known number; how many more are triad members in secret is unknown.
But I do know one thing: the presence of triads can still be felt in various industries in Hong Kong."
"To put it simply, in the past, triads used to extort 'protection fees' from vendors. Now, they have simply renamed them 'sanitation fees,' 'stall fees,' and various other civilized terms.
Some companies that come to Hong Kong to do business cannot survive unless they 'pay homage' to the triads and give them some shares or benefits.
You might think the triads dare not act rashly, but they are constantly bleeding people dry and making money through various means!"
Zhang Ziheng's tone was no longer as amiable as before; it gradually turned cold.
He tapped the table heavily with his finger and sneered, "You are usually in high positions and may not be aware of the people's sentiments. But during the meeting just now, I was waiting for someone to bring up this topic.
But you all disappointed me. Whether we talked about police reform or social rectification, not a single person mentioned the existence of triads.
Regarding the triads, I don't need your immediate responses. Each of you write a report and leave it at the hotel entrance tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Director Zhang!"
The five nodded with bated breath.
No one had expected Zhang Ziheng to bring up the issue of triads at the dinner table; it had caught them completely off guard.
After all, the history of triads in Hong Kong had been deeply entrenched for nearly a century.
Solving it was not something that could be accomplished in just a year or two.
After the five had left one after another, Gao Fei looked at Zhang Ziheng in surprise and whispered, "Uncle Zhang, you said earlier that the triad issue would be discussed in private interviews. Why did you suddenly ask directly?"
"This is a sensitive issue. Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be discussed in private. But your Uncle Zhang handles things in his own way. Only by doing so can I gauge their true attitudes immediately."
Zhang Ziheng's way of doing things was indeed different from others at his level.
He liked to probe people's minds and look at problems from different angles.
As he said, only by playing unconventionally could he catch them off guard.
Gao Fei nodded calmly as he sat on the stool.
But in his heart, he had made a decision: he still needed to maintain a certain distance from people like Zhang Ziheng.
Not too far, but not too close either!
An appropriate relationship was the way to survive.
After a brief chat, Zhang Ziheng looked at Gao Fei and asked seriously, "Little Gao, from your perspective, how should the issue of Hong Kong's triads be resolved?
Tell me the truth!"
Gao Fei actually did not want to discuss these issues at length.
But seeing Zhang Ziheng's gaze, he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.
After thinking for a moment, Gao Fei expressed his thoughts: "Uncle Zhang, from a normal person's perspective, it would be for the state to step in and crush these continuously offending triads, arresting and executing every single one.
However, the triads in Hong Kong have already developed to a significant extent. It's not just about criminals, but also some elites and high-ranking officials in society. Arresting and executing them all is unrealistic and would instead cause social panic."
Zhang Ziheng glanced at him with some surprise upon hearing these words.
What was the difficulty in dealing with triads now?
As Gao Fei said, the triads in Hong Kong had become an established force. It wasn't that the authorities didn't dare to arrest them, but rather that they couldn't arrest them all.
Unless they were eliminated all at once, arresting one would only lead to another appearing.
Furthermore, the members of Hong Kong's triads were no longer limited to street thugs; they included many company bosses and elites from various levels.
Any action taken would surely incite some unnecessary unrest.
It is often said that a gangster without culture is not as fearsome as a gangster with culture.
But a gangster with culture, status, and influence is even more terrifying and difficult to deal with.
Zhang Ziheng chuckled as he looked at Gao Fei and nodded, saying, "Don't think like an ordinary person. How would you solve the problem from your perspective? What would you do?"
"It's very simple: support an organization that listens to us. Use evil to fight evil, and use gangsters to fight gangsters!"