Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 299 Exemplary Integrity

Wen Changcheng was still furious.

Ding Yiyi, you're still just the acting county head, yet you dare to openly oppose me. Don't you want to be officially appointed?

However, he also understood that taking down Ding Yiyi would not be easy.

Because Ding Yiyi used to be Lin Xue's deputy, had a close relationship with Lin Xue, and was one of Lin Xue's people.

One reality he had to face was that Ding Yiyi was determined to report to the municipal party committee and government, which was handing Lin Xue a knife.

Lin Xue will inevitably make a mountain out of a molehill after receiving the report.

Wen Changcheng suddenly had a jolt of realization. Perhaps it was Lin Xue who instructed Qingshan County to submit the report, so that she would have a legitimate excuse to interfere in the accident investigation.

The more Wen Changcheng thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Ding Yiyi and Wu Zhiyuan are indeed difficult to deal with, but would they dare to be so blatant without authorization and support from higher levels?

Especially at this crucial juncture when Ding Yi, the county head, is about to be officially appointed.

Submitting the report is tantamount to declaring war on him, the mayor!

Lin Xue has long been engaged in discipline inspection work. Nicknamed the Black Widow, she is tough and intolerant of any wrongdoing.

She had only recently taken office as the municipal party secretary, and her position was not yet secure. She needed to find an opportunity to establish her authority and also to break new ground.

The collapse of the Wanshan Bridge may involve corruption in the project and collusion between officials and businessmen, which is perfect material for her to handle!

As the mayor, his outward appearance of harmony with her masked underlying discord, naturally made him her primary target for criticism.

Ding Yiyi's report is less a reflection of the situation and more a sharp dagger that Lin Xue has stabbed into his camp!

This is the first clarion call for Lin Xue to formally intervene in the power struggle in Longcheng and vie for the right to speak!

Wen Changcheng realized that Lin Xue would most likely keep pressing this issue.

Once the investigation is repeated, the real cause of the bridge collapse will be revealed, and many people will likely be implicated.

Li Li must have received a bribe from Huang Xiaoyong after she whispered in his ear last time; we must return it as soon as possible.

Wen Changcheng called Li Li and said he would go to her place at noon.

When Wen Changcheng developed Li Li into his mistress, Li Li had not yet divorced her husband.

But now, she is a single woman.

If it weren't for his lifestyle issues, he would be the Party Secretary of Longcheng City, not Lin Xue.

A leader can trust not only his secretary, but also his driver.

After dropping Wen Changcheng off at Li Li's residence, the driver drove to the parking lot and waited for Wen Changcheng.

As is customary, when Wen Changcheng came to Li Li's place, he first gave her a warm hug.

After taking off her pajamas, Li Li revealed a sexy open-crotch bodysuit and a curvaceous figure.

"Brother Wen, am I sexy?"

"How could the woman Wen Changcheng has set his sights on not be exceptional?"

Wen Changcheng carried Li Li to the bed.

After their tender moment, Li Li asked Huang Xiaoyong about the matter he had requested.

"Brother Wen, has the investigation into the cause of the bridge collapse been completed?"

"Don't even mention it. Something went wrong, they messed it up."

"Huh? What went wrong?" Li Li exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't Jiang Xiaoli in charge? He's always been reliable."

Wen Changcheng sneered, "Safe? This time it's anything but safe! The investigation team is fighting amongst themselves!"

Deputy team leader Yin Xueyao and the veteran expert Zhou Guohua publicly questioned the investigation report, saying that the test report was falsified and that there were problems with the sampling procedure, and refused to sign it on the spot.

They've put Jiang Xiaoli in an awkward position, and the investigation's conclusions are still nowhere in sight.

Qingshan County submitted another report to the municipal party committee and government, requesting a reinvestigation. I'm at my wit's end!

Li Li, tell me honestly, what did Huang Xiaoyong give you?

"No, Huang Xiaoyong and I were classmates at the Party School. He pleaded with me, and I couldn't bear to do it, so I agreed to help."

"Li Li, don't hide it from me. We're classmates from the Party School, not from high school or university. We're all mixed up because of mutual interests, just using each other. There's hardly any real friendship between us."

Li Li felt uneasy and stammered, "It's nothing, just some small trinkets. What valuable things could a deputy county head possibly give..."

Wen Changcheng said with a wry smile, "Li Li, Li Li, what time is it? Are you still trying to fool me?"

Huang Xiaoyong was in charge of transportation and had a close relationship with Bi Yuan, the boss of Biyuan Company, the bridge's contractor.

The bridge collapsed, and he was even more anxious than Bi Yuan. Otherwise, why would he beg you?

He's looking for you because you're Wen Changcheng's woman.

"He thinks he can fool you with some little gadget? Does he think I'm a three-year-old?"

Wen Changcheng lifted Li Li's chin: "Tell me, what exactly did he give you? When the investigation reopens, a large number of people will be arrested and will implicate you. By then, it will be too late!"

Li Li finally realized the seriousness of the matter and confessed truthfully: "Huang Xiaoyong gave me a set of diamond jewelry, including a necklace, a ring, and a pair of earrings. He said that a friend brought it back from South Africa and that the quality was very good."

I searched online, and it's worth seven or eight hundred thousand.

"Seven or eight hundred thousand?" Wen Changcheng was astonished. "You dare to accept such a valuable gift? You've got some nerve."

Li Li defended herself, saying, "At the time, he only said it was a small trinket, packed in an ordinary paper bag. I didn't know it was so valuable."

Actually, Brother Wen, you don't know this, but jewelry worth seven or eight hundred thousand is really not expensive.

Look at those popular female celebrities; their jewelry ranges from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of yuan.

Wen Changcheng chuckled awkwardly: "Li Li, we can't compare ourselves to those female celebrities."

You need to be clear about what can be accepted and what cannot be accepted, and what can be accepted at the time but cannot be accepted now due to changes in circumstances. You must always keep this in mind.

One must not make a mistake, especially in a life-or-death situation.

This jewelry set is no longer a gift; it's a bomb, a dynamite pack that can blow us both to smithereens.

Li Li asked nervously, "Brother Wen, should I return the things to him?"

"Retreat! We must retreat! And retreat cleanly! But not in the way you understand it."

Li Li asked in confusion, "Then how do I get a refund?"

"Giving the money directly to Huang Xiaoyong is too risky."

First, once the item has passed through your hands, if he were to turn around and accuse you of switching it or damaging it, it would be difficult to prove your innocence.

Secondly, if we back down now, it would be tantamount to telling him that we want to cut ties with him. If he becomes desperate and thinks we can't be relied on, he might use the fact that we gave him the gifts as leverage to blackmail us, or he might even turn himself in to the disciplinary committee in exchange for leniency. In that case, we would be in a passive position.

Third, returning the goods via the same route leaves too obvious a trace, which could serve as irrefutable evidence should an investigation occur in the future.

Li Li panicked: "What should we do?"

"Hand it over to the Discipline Inspection Commission."

"Hand it over to the disciplinary committee?"

"This is the safest option. I've spoken to Old Hu from the Discipline Inspection Commission. Old Hu is one of my men; I promoted him myself."

When Huang Xiaoyong gave you the item, wasn't it in a regular paper bag?

Let me teach you how to say it.

When you find Lao Hu, tell him that there is something I need to make a deep self-criticism to the organization.

A few days ago, while tidying up my room, I found a paper bag. It was left by Huang Xiaoyong, a former classmate from the Party School, who came to the city for a meeting and stopped by to visit me.

He said he bought it while traveling and told me to keep it to play with.

I didn't think much of it and just casually put it away. After a while, I forgot about it.

When I opened it a couple of days ago, I found a set of diamond jewelry inside, which looked quite valuable.

I was startled. This was no small thing at all!

I immediately realized something was wrong. How could I accept something so valuable? That would be against the rules!

I felt I had to confess to the organization immediately and hand over the information.

Although some time has passed, I swear, I had absolutely no idea that this was inside, and I absolutely did not do anything for him…”

Wen Changcheng paused, then added, "You need to grasp a few key points:

First, the items were delivered in the past, with an ambiguous timeframe. Ideally, they should be sent before the city investigation team was established, or even before the bridge collapsed.

Second, emphasize that you were unaware of it at the time, thought it was a small trinket, and casually tossed it aside without paying much attention.

Third, deny any connection to the request, insisting it was just a small gift from a classmate, and that you only turned it in after opening it and realizing something was wrong.

Lao Hu is one of my men; he'll have his subordinates register the gifts.

Even if a reinvestigation is conducted, it will take some time; it will also take time for Huang Xiaoyong to get into trouble.

"By the time Huang Xiaoyong implicates you, it will probably be a month or two since you handed over the gifts. At that point, not only will you be fine, but you can also be hailed as a model of integrity."

Li Li smiled with relief, hugged Wen Changcheng, and said coquettishly, "Brother Wen, you are really amazing!"

I was so scared when I thought of such a brilliant idea!

So, does that mean I'm not only fine, but I can actually be recognized as a model of integrity?

Then let's see what those gossiping people have to say!