Official Career Storm
Chapter 638

Chapter 638: Chapter 638

In the hallway.

Xu Xin told him about Zheng Bihui visiting her and Xue He Ping’s recent inquiry.

"Secretary Song, what should I do?"

"Should I speak to Captain Xue?"

"There’s no need."

Song Guanchao shook his head.

Hearing this answer, Xu Xin’s expression visibly relaxed.

Song Guanchao could tell that Xu Xin detested this matter and was unwilling to discuss it.

Not every woman who faces harassment or assault can bravely report it to the police and have the perpetrator brought to justice.

Most women’s first reaction to such incidents is to prevent anyone from finding out.

The education they’ve long received makes them believe it’s something shameful.

Song Guanchao understood and respected this mindset.

If Xu Xin hadn’t been one of his people, he could have exploited the situation without any burden on his conscience.

But their relationship was not the same as before.

Even without considering what had occurred the night before, she was now with Wu Qiangwei.

If she was unwilling, Song Guanchao wouldn’t force her.

Moreover, even if the police believed it, the impact on Zheng Bihui would be limited.

To just disgust Zheng Bihui and expose Xu Xin’s wounds to the public and subject her to others’ opinions, Song Guanchao was not that shameless.

"No matter what Captain Xue asks you, just deny it."

"Don’t feel pressured."

Song Guanchao held her hand gently, patting the back of her hand.

Xu Xin’s cheeks flushed as she felt the warmth and strength of his rough hand, clearing all the unease from her mind.

Xu Xin returned to her office, and Xue He Ping noticed that Director Xu’s temperament had changed.

No longer tense, she appeared rather calm.

"Captain Xue, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Let’s continue," Xue He Ping asked, "Did Zheng Bihui ever harass you at your mother’s wake?"

Xu Xin shook her head, "Mayor Zheng did come to offer his condolences, but no such incident occurred."

Xue He Ping was not surprised; she guessed that Xu Xin must have reported to Wu Qiangwei.

This response was also instructed by Wu Qiangwei.

Good, this was also the answer that the province wanted to hear.

After a few more questions, Xue He Ping left.

He got into the car and looked at the time, saying, "Let’s go eat first."

A young policeman said, "Captain, it’s only a little past ten."

"Eat early, then head to An County."

He needed to leave enough time for Zheng Bihui.

Otherwise, rushing to An County now and bumping into Zheng Bihui would be somewhat awkward.

The case of Li Zhuang was to be handled discreetly by the province.

Li Zhuang’s report against Zheng Bihui garnered a more ambiguous response from the province.

They only said one phrase—"Evidence is key."

While not explicitly stated, Xue He Ping understood what the leaders meant.

Was the audio evidence Li Zhuang had provided considered evidence?

It could be, but also might not be.

It sounded like Zheng Bihui, but it was only a resemblance.

The fundamental issue was that it was from an unregistered anonymous SIM card.

But according to the content of the call, they needed to investigate.

For instance, the call mentioned Zheng Bihui harassing Xu Xin at the wake and having an inappropriate relationship with Zhang Wei.

They would have to ask Xu Xin and Zhang Wei if these things occurred.

Of course, even if true, the call record still could not be admitted.

They could only report based on these two factual details.

Moreover, such matters were no longer for the public security to handle; they had to be transferred to the Disciplinary Committee.

And even if actions were taken, they would be moderate at most.

The intent from the province was clear: such disciplinary actions were unnecessary.

Once the higher-ups expressed their opinion, the staff below only needed to follow through.

Fortunately, Director Xu was smart enough to know she couldn’t make such decisions on her own and consulted Wu Qiangwei.

Elsewhere.

Zheng Bihui had already met with Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei was also suspected of corruption and had misused her position to arrange for relatives and friends to acquire government jobs.

But compared to Li Zhuang, her case was much lighter.

Zheng Bihui warned her not to talk recklessly.

Zhang Wei wasn’t foolish. Her minor infraction would only result in a few years in prison; offending a Mayor wasn’t worth it.

In the afternoon, Xue He Ping met with Zhang Wei and, after the routine inquiry, obtained a satisfactory result and left for home.

Three days later,

the Provincial Organization Department issued a disciplinary decision.

The decision stated, "Zheng Bihui received a banquet in violation of regulations and is given an inner-party warning as punishment."

A warning was the lightest punishment, a mere formality to appease the situation.

Moreover, this punishment was not made public and was only known to a select few.

Seeing the decision, Song Guanchao understood the intentions of the Provincial authorities.

Fortunately, Xu Xin hadn’t said anything.

Otherwise, it would have embarrassed the Provincial authorities.

This punishment also showed the current attitude of the Provincial authorities towards Lingjiang.

If he wanted to deal with Zheng Bihui, it couldn’t be a trivial skirmish.

It had to be a fatal strike!

Because of this incident, Zheng Bihui and Wu Qiangwei were utterly estranged.

Going forward, he needed to be cautious.

Zheng Bihui hated him to the core and would seize any opportunity to ruin him beyond recovery.

Similarly, Zheng Bihui also needed to be cautious.

In this struggle, Song Guanchao was in the most peril.

Because his official ranking was too low.

If Zheng Bihui was reckless, it would be a minefield for Song.

Now, it was a matter of who showed their weakness first!

That very afternoon, Secretary Sun contacted the members of the Standing Committee, scheduling a committee meeting for the following Monday.

Over the weekend, Song Guanchao took the project team around to negotiate resettlement plans.

Besides Three Lanes, other places were also unresolved, encountering obstacles that left Song feeling irritable and thwarted.

"It’s been hard on everyone recently, so I’ll treat you all to dinner tonight."

Stepping out of a residential building, Song Guanchao clapped his hands and said.

They arrived at a Huaiyang restaurant, reserved a private room, and eight or so people sat down to eat.

Song Guanchao opened two bottles of wine, toasting each person.

The project team members were flattered.

After three rounds of drinks, everyone was slightly tipsy.

Song Guanchao had no airs about him, his main concern was being somewhat feared.

In fact, Song Guanchao had quite the reputation.

And from what some rumors suggested, even Mayor Zheng didn’t fare well in confrontations with him.

Such a ruthless figure, they dared not offend.

But tonight, after the drinks, they found Secretary Song wasn’t as daunting as the rumors portrayed.

Without airs, approachable, with a strong sense of camaraderie.

Director He approached with his cup, "Secretary Song, I toast to you."

Song Guanchao immediately stood up, "Director He, let’s not go through that nonsense. Once you’re in the project team, we’re all family."

With that, he downed his drink.

As soon as Director He returned to his seat, Song Guanchao came over to toast him, thrilling him.

After a few drinks, Song Guanchao, arm over shoulder, asked, "Director He, was it like this when you negotiated previously?"

"I think these residents are reacting a bit too strongly, aren’t they?"

He had been busy with other matters and was only responsible for finalizing the plans.

The actual negotiations were conducted by Director He and his team.

These past few days, following them for negotiations, none were satisfactory.

It was all about jacking up the prices.

This was making things difficult for him.

He thought Three Lanes was an isolated case, but it seemed so strange that it was the same everywhere else.

Director He responded, "It all went smoothly before, we only started having these troubles from Three Lanes."

"I guess seeing Three Lanes hike up prices, everyone else followed suit."

He then held up his thumb, "But Secretary Song, your approach is brilliant. We’re just two days away from the one-week deadline. If Three Lanes won’t demolish, then we won’t demolish. Once this news gets out, others will definitely back down."

Following the lead?

That might be a possibility.

But he always felt that there was someone instigating this.

Whether it was following the lead or someone instigating, the task of relocation had to be completed soon.

This issue couldn’t drag on.

Dragging it out would show his incompetence and affect Wu Qiangwei as well.

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