Chapter 41: One Step Late Again

  When Secretary Zhu reported the case, he found Director Hu of the Xijiao Police Station. They hadn't received any notice to file a case at that time. After receiving Secretary Zhu's report, they hastily filed the case and responded very well. Who would have thought that after reporting back to the bureau, it was discovered that they had already filed the case and started investigating, and now there is sufficient evidence, basically enough to conclude the case and submit it to the court.

  Zhu Secretary put down the phone call from Hu Suo, which was urgently made with a huge sum of 100,000 yuan, and he was stunned, unable to cover it up, and had to report to Vice Mayor Chi immediately.

  He rushed back to the deputy mayor's office without saying a word, and reported the situation to Chi Yibu. Chi Yibu couldn't believe that his own son, who was still in high school, was suspected of colluding with underworld figures, kidnapping and attempted rape! He couldn't believe that Lao Lin, that little brat, had acted so quickly, and was probably more aware than his own son. His heart seethed with hatred: "Chi Yibu, Chi Yibu!"

  …………

  In terms of post-disaster relief work, Secretary Wu did a great job. After a series of handling schemes, he summarized the matter and reported it to the busy Municipal Party Committee Secretary Li.

  Secretary Li listened to Wu Jinrong's report, and after a while, he lit a cigarette, slowly inhaling and exhaling the smoke, and thought for a long time before smiling and saying: "Comrade Xiao Wu, your awareness is very high. This matter was handled very well."

  It can be seen that Secretary Li is in a good mood. As the head of the Zhenzhou Municipal Party Committee, Li Baoshan has always been stingy with his words, especially when it comes to praise and flattery. Wu Jinrong did not expect Secretary Li to give himself such high praise this time, and he responded with joy: "This is what I should do, it's only natural."

  Li Baoshan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the slowly rising mist, with a thoughtful expression. In his impression, his nephew was an out-and-out prodigal son, but from this whole incident, Luolin not only had a strong sense of justice, but also had brains and high awareness. The matter was handled properly, with a good grasp of proportion. If it were in the past, he would probably have sought him out as his uncle at the first opportunity, and once that happened, the initiative would have turned into passivity.

  It's been a while since I've seen my nephew, hasn't it? He's busy with school and all that. Maybe next year during Chinese New Year, we can catch up for a bit. He's a high school student now, a big boy! There's an old saying: "Nephews are like uncles." In terms of looks, Luo Lin slightly resembles his uncle Li Bao Shan, especially with that straight and sharp nose bridge and those sword-like eyebrows - he looks quite dignified. However, Luo Lin has one trait that he inherited from his father, which is that when he smiles, there's a hint of slyness to it, and when combined with the air of dignity around his eyebrows and nose, it gives off a slightly mischievous vibe. He's been a bit of a troublemaker since young, and that really gets on my good side!

  Watching Secretary Li fall into deep thought, Secretary Wu hesitated and didn't dare interrupt.

  Finally, Secretary Li extinguished the cigarette in his hand and said slowly: "Little Wu, go to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to bring out all the relevant materials of this case, then send someone to secretly deliver them to Vice Mayor Chi, and they must be handed over to him personally. I will make a phone call to Old Zhang's side, you can just go and work on it now. After things are done, report back to me and this matter will be settled."

  Xiao Wu was taken aback: "Secretary Li, this case, even if we go to court, there's no danger. The evidence is all here, and the opposition will definitely lose. Coincidentally, the provincial discipline inspection committee has been cracking down on the style of leadership in Zhengzhou recently. Vice Mayor Chi and you have always had differing opinions, isn't this a good opportunity..."

  "Nonsense." Secretary Li's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Just listen to me and follow my instructions, that's all you need to do."

  Secretary Wu was left speechless by Secretary Li's words, and after a brief pause, he nodded respectfully: "Alright, I'll go take care of it now." With that, he turned around and left.

  Just as Secretary Wu was about to leave, Secretary Li called out to him again, his tone somewhat softer: "Young Wu, you're still young, and things in the circle are very complicated. Sometimes what you see is just the tip of the iceberg. And the circle will always be a circle, with one point connected to another, surrounding each other, and we must always follow the rules of development. If you don't follow the rules, there's only one outcome: being eliminated, and balance cannot be broken. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished, that's the principle. You've learned many things on the surface, but there are still many deeper doors to learn from, and you need to study them with humility. As the saying goes, knowing when to advance and retreat is how one gains the world. Many times, advancing doesn't necessarily mean advancing, retreating doesn't necessarily mean retreating... advancing poorly means gaining an inch and wanting more, while retreating well means having a broad horizon... And most importantly, you must always remember that public matters are public, private matters are private, no matter how fiercely we fight in the circle, we cannot bring this air into our homes. This time I don't want to use this opportunity to lecture, I just don't want my family to be dragged down with me. Now, do you understand?"

  Secretary Wu rarely heard Secretary Li's lengthy lectures on governance, a long speech pouring into his ears, which would take some time to digest. On the surface, he nodded respectfully: "Secretary Li, I understand."

  Secretary Li finally smiled and waved his hand gently: "Hehe, you still don't understand now. Alright, go busy, report to me if there's anything."

  Wu Secretary nodded and opened the door to leave.

  As he walked down the corridor of the office building, Secretary Wu thought to himself, slightly distracted. He understood the phrase "separate public and private" and couldn't drag his loved ones into trouble, a point he often reminded himself of. However, the idea that "going in doesn't necessarily mean going in, and backing out doesn't necessarily mean backing out" was something he just couldn't quite grasp.

  After leaving the municipal party committee office, in order to avoid drawing attention, he hailed a taxi and rushed to the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Wu Jinrong was also constantly pondering Secretary Li's words in the car.

  Knowing when to advance and retreat will lead to success in all endeavors.

  These six words contain so much wisdom in the officialdom. Thinking back to the final solution of this matter, Wu Jinrong finally grasped a subtle detail after several contemplations, although it was vague, but it made his heart clear. After gaining insight, he couldn't help but secretly sigh that Li Secretary's Tao is really not ordinary, and Zhenzhou City can't hold such a great god. The provincial hall, or even the central government, is Li Secretary's goal for advancement.

  Thinking of this, Wu Jinrong couldn't help but feel hopeful about his own career path. He was only just entering his thirties and had already gained the favor of Secretary Li, so he expected a smooth road ahead, if not a meteoric rise. Even if Secretary Li were to be transferred, he wouldn't take him along, but would likely promote him to a more substantial position. Developing one's own faction was something every smart official had to do, and Secretary Li would certainly do the same. And Wu Jinrong was an indispensable member of that faction.

  Soon, Secretary Wu personally arrived at the Municipal Public Security Bureau and easily retrieved the relevant documents for this case from the municipal bureau. He then personally contacted Secretary Zhu and had them delivered to him.

  Secretary Li and Deputy Mayor Chi have never seen eye-to-eye on politics, so although Secretaries Wu and Zhu had each other's phone numbers, they had never communicated to clarify their stance. The most they would do is exchange greetings when they met in person. This time, Secretary Wu took the initiative to find Secretary Zhu, especially at this critical juncture, which is quite thought-provoking.

  Zhu Secretary made time to see Wu Secretary, Wu Jinrong didn't say anything, and handed over a file bag in his hand to Zhu Secretary, saying: "Must be personally handed over to Vice Mayor Chi." Then he hurried away.

  Zhu Secretary held the not-so-heavy file bag, stuffed it into his chest pocket, and quickly returned to Vice Mayor Chi's office. After briefly explaining what had happened, he put the file bag on the desk.

  Vice Mayor Chi furrowed his brow, slowly opened the file bag, pulled out a few stacks of documents, and roughly looked through them. These were clearly evidence that could put his own son to death! Then he continued to look at the back, his face turned pale, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak. He took out a cigarette from the cigarette box, put it to his mouth, and then took it down again, hesitating without lighting it.

  What does this mean? Is he telling me that he already knew about this matter and had grasped all the initiative from the very beginning? Now, by putting these things in front of me, is he trying to show off his personal connections and say that this matter will no longer be pursued, or is he threatening me, sounding a warning bell for himself?

  The vice mayor's face grew increasingly solemn, but the restless expression slowly unfolded as he analyzed the matter in his mind.

  "Mayor Chi, this is..." Seeing Vice Mayor Chi's expression slightly improved, Secretary Zhu cautiously asked.

  The deputy mayor took a deep breath, then threw the documents in his hand on the table, put the cigarette in his mouth, and Secretary Zhu quickly lit the lighter to meet him.

  "These are all the evidence of Xiao Shi's crimes. The cigarette was lit, and Vice Mayor Chi puffed out a mouthful of smoke, saying in a heavy tone: "This Li Baoshan has dealt me a severe blow..."

  Zhu Secretary furrowed his brow: "Then what does he mean? Is he threatening you or making a goodwill gesture to you?"

  He shook his head and said, "It depends on my reaction. If I go along with him, then he's being friendly to me. But if I give him a hard time, then he's warning me. This document is ambiguous, either way I choose, it's what he wants...". He sighed deeply, then suddenly thought of something and turned to Secretary Zhu, "But there's still a chance for things to turn around, didn't you issue a serious injury certificate for Xiao Shi at the Second People's Hospital in the city? Go get it now."

  Zhu's secretary hastily opened the door and nodded in agreement before leaving.

  Within twenty minutes, Secretary Zhu rushed back to the office in a flurry, panting and placing the file bag on the table: "Mayor Chi, it's this one, I've taken it out."