Arriving at the Municipal Government office, Li Da Kang asked his secretary Xiao Jin to summon the secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhang Shu Li, to arrange work.
Upon receiving the phone call from Xiao Jin, Zhang Shu Li scurried over to Li Da Kang's office, "Secretary Da Kang, did you need me?"
Li Da Kang pointed to the chair opposite his desk and said, "Sit down. You should know that Ding Yi Zhen is in trouble."
"Yes, I've heard about it," Zhang Shu Li said as he moved the chair and sat down, "I also heard that he ran away."
Li Da Kang's mind stirred, and he suddenly blurted out, "Ding Yi Zhen ran away, are you relieved?"
Zhang Shu Li was taken aback and quickly protested, "Secretary Da Kang, you are wronging me! I would be delighted to see Ding Yi Zhen apprehended."
Li Da Kang laughed and said, "I was just joking, don't be nervous. You should know what happened in Lin Cheng eight years ago, right?"
Zhang Shu Li nodded, "I know. A deputy mayor of Lin Cheng got into trouble back then, leading to large-scale investors withdrawing their funds and running away. It took Lin Cheng several years for its GDP to recover."
Li Da Kang spoke seriously, "Good. You know about it. We cannot fall for the same trap twice. We need to thoroughly investigate the Guangming Peak project and get a clear picture of the situation."
Zhang Shu Li quickly agreed, "I'll arrange it right away."
Li Da Kang instructed, "Pay attention to the methods and approaches, don't scare away the investors."
Zhang Shu Li nodded, "I will learn from the lessons of Lin Cheng eight years ago."
Li Da Kang pressed, "How are you going to learn from those lessons?"
Zhang Shu Li pondered and said, "Secretary Da Kang, how about this? Confess and receive leniency. Anyone who was bribed by Ding Yi Zhen, as long as they come forward and confess, they will not be pursued."
Li Da Kang was pleased, "That will work. Go ahead and get busy, quickly make our policy clear to the investors."
This meant letting bygones be bygones and sweeping it under the rug, stabilizing the investors, preventing them from worrying about being implicated in Ding Yi Zhen's case and withdrawing their investments.
Whether they had actively given Ding Yi Zhen money or were bribed by him, investors could all claim that Ding Yi Zhen had extorted them.
After all, Ding Yi Zhen had already fled to the United States and was unlikely to come back to confront the investors, so they could freely throw the blame on Ding Yi Zhen.
Zhang Shu Li quickly stood up, "Okay, Secretary Da Kang, I'll go arrange the work immediately."
"Alright," Li Da Kang nodded, gesturing for Zhang Shu Li to get busy.
Actually, Li Da Kang knew that Zhang Shu Li was not clean either. This guy had taken money from Zhao Rui Long.
However, with Ding Yi Zhen just getting into trouble, it was not the right time to move against Zhang Shu Li.
Furthermore, Li Da Kang didn't have evidence. He needed evidence to take action against Zhang Shu Li.
Zhang Shu Li, for now, could be used temporarily, to weather the current storm first.
...
Sun Lian Cheng arrived, followed shortly by Gao Xiao Qin. It must be said that this woman possessed both beauty and charm.
Luckily, Li Da Kang was a time traveler and wouldn't be swayed by Gao Xiao Qin's appearance. He knew that this woman was very formidable.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Da Kang got to the point, "Ms. Gao, as far as I know, your Shan Shui Group and Da Feng Factory seem to have a tangled mess going on?"
"Secretary Li, the moment we acquired the Da Feng Factory's equity, we signed a demolition agreement with the Municipal Government. The agreement clearly states that the Da Feng Factory must be demolished within six months."
"But this Deputy Mayor Ding Yi Zhen disagreed. He said there were still orders in the hands of Cai Cheng Gong and that Cai Cheng Gong needed to complete those orders before the demolition could take place. It was a straightforward matter, but it has dragged on until now."
Gao Xiao Qin began to complain, her voice tinged with grievance. Anyone who didn't know better might be deceived by her performance, her pitiable demeanor making it easy to believe that she was the victim.
Li Da Kang remained calm and said, "That's not wrong, demolition shouldn't affect production. That was my statement."
"Yes, that's not wrong, but the problem is, the Da Feng Factory's production hasn't stopped. Cai Cheng Gong has been taking on new orders. Two months didn't work, then three months, then five months."
"Now six months, half a year has passed. Do you see any signs of the Da Feng Factory being demolished? I'm really at my wit's end. I don't know who else to turn to."
"Deputy Mayor Ding Yi Zhen is gone, and I can't find Cai Cheng Gong either. I have nowhere to go for justice. This Deputy Mayor Ding Yi Zhen has really done us wrong."
"I don't know how much dirty money he took from Cai Cheng Gong, the owner of the Da Feng Factory, allowing them to keep producing until now. Isn't that a bit absurd?"
Gao Xiao Qin's performance became more aggrieved, a complete image of a helpless damsel in distress, unable to cope with the collusion between Ding Yi Zhen and Cai Cheng Gong.
Li Da Kang still remained calm, "You say Ding Yi Zhen took dirty money from Cai Cheng Gong, how much did he take? Do you have evidence?"
"I don't have evidence, but if you send someone to investigate Cai Cheng Gong, you'll definitely find out. Cai Cheng Gong giving dirty money to Ding Yi Zhen is a done deal."
"Secretary Li, actually, Cai Cheng Gong's tricks are clear as day. He's instigating the workers to occupy the factory, just trying to use them to pressure the Municipal Government."
"This Deputy Mayor Ding Yi Zhen, he took the money, so what could he do? So, he could only force us to back down again and again."
Gao Xiao Qin continued to complain, further emphasizing the collusion between Ding Yi Zhen and Cai Cheng Gong. Regarding Li Da Kang's question about evidence, she brushed it aside with a casual remark.
Li Da Kang said indifferently, "Tell me, how did you back down again and again?"
Gao Xiao Qin was suddenly stunned. Everything she had said was about Shan Shui Group backing down.
Had this Secretary Li not been listening to her after all? Had she wasted her breath?
After a moment of silence, Gao Xiao Qin asked innocently, "Secretary Li, do you think we haven't retreated enough?"
Li Da Kang nodded, "Whether Cai Cheng Gong gave Ding Yi Zhen dirty money or not, we don't know yet. But I know one thing, your Shan Shui Group used only 60 million yuan to acquire all the equity of the Da Feng Factory. I'm right, aren't I?"
Gao Xiao Qin argued, "Secretary Li, Cai Cheng Gong approached us to borrow 60 million yuan as a bridge loan. We agreed that the loan term was six days. But he couldn't repay the money after six months, so we had to sue him. The court ruled that the Da Feng Factory equity that he had pledged be awarded to us. It was a reasonable and legal process."
Li Da Kang said, "I don't want to get involved in your economic dispute with Cai Cheng Gong. But you should know that 40% of the equity pledged by Cai Cheng Gong belongs to the Da Feng Factory workers, and he only has 60% of the equity."
Gao Xiao Qin sensed something was wrong. This Secretary Da Kang seemed to be coming with bad intentions, so she avoided the key issue and said, "Secretary Li, Cai Cheng Gong pledged all the equity of the Da Feng Factory, and the court awarded us all the equity."
Li Da Kang smiled, "The judge who handled the case should have been Chen Qing Quan, right? As far as I know, he's been studying English at Shan Shui Group's Shan Shui Manor quite a lot. What a studious comrade."
Gao Xiao Qin was struck by lightning. This Secretary Da Kang was indeed not coming with good intentions. He knew about Chen Qing Quan studying English at Shan Shui Manor and wasn't even trying to hide it.
What exactly did this Secretary Da Kang want?
Didn't he know that the real owner behind Shan Shui Group was Zhao Rui Long?
Li Da Kang was a key member of the group Zhao Li Chun's secretary helped build. There was no reason for him not to know this.
Could it be that because former Provincial Party Secretary Zhao Li Chun had left Han Dong, it had caused Li Da Kang, someone Zhao Li Chun had specially nurtured, to betray him?
These thoughts made Gao Xiao Qin, who was usually quick-witted, feel lost for words.
Sun Lian Cheng, who was standing by, was completely dumbfounded. Secretary Da Kang was amazing! He didn't even give Secretary Gao Yu Liang any face.
Sun Lian Cheng didn't know that the real owner of Shan Shui Group was Zhao Li Chun's son, Zhao Rui Long.
But Sun Lian Cheng knew that the rumor mill claimed Gao Xiao Qin was Gao Yu Liang's niece, and Chen Qing Quan had once been Gao Yu Liang's secretary.
Was Secretary Da Kang mentioning Chen Qing Quan studying English at Shan Shui Manor to push for the Guangming Peak project, even if it meant turning against Gao Yu Liang?
Or was it to retaliate against Gao Yu Liang for handing over the investigation of Ding Yi Zhen to the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Supreme People's Procuratorate?
No matter the reason, Sun Lian Cheng had to admit, Secretary Da Kang was truly formidable!
...