Chapter 53 of 100

Chapter 53

15 min read3,633 words

Chapter 44: Forced onto Liangshan

Jizheng tilted his head slightly backward, not retreating under Wenliang's intense gaze, and sneered, "Little classmate, don't be too arrogant. The conversation last night was between him and me. How could you possibly know what we talked about?"

Wenliang laughed heartily, straightening his body, and walked around the table to stand beside Jizheng, lightly patting his shoulder, "I wasn't entirely sure before, but your eagerness to deny it has only confirmed my suspicions. Director Ji, let's be straightforward. What conditions did Mu Zechen offer you? We both know the answer. Instead of wasting time arguing, why not think about whether you want to trade your daughter's happiness for a simple freedom, or cooperate with me to walk out of here with dignity and pursue a bright future?"

Jizheng remained silent, unable to determine the source of Wenliang's confidence. After all, what happened yesterday should not have been leaked. However, he could not deny that after these brief exchanges, he no longer dared to underestimate Wenliang.

Heroes often emerge from the young!

"Who are you?" Jizheng felt a sense of defeat. In just two days, he had been undermined by two men in different ways. This did not mean his abilities were inferior to Mu Zechen's or Wenliang's, but in this game that required courage, boldness, strength, background, connections, and confidence, his chips were far too few.

Wenliang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "My name is Wenliang, I'm Jisu's classmate. Uncle Ji, it's nice to meet you."

The change from "Director Ji" to "Uncle Ji" seemed minor, but it had cost both of them a great deal of effort. Jizheng scrutinized Wenliang's youthful face and asked in a deep voice, "I don't understand. Mu Zechen had a plausible reason for helping me, but what about you? What do you want me to do? Don't try to fool me with the same nonsense as Director Zuo. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Risk and reward are always proportional. We're all smart people, so let's not waste time on nonsense."

This statement indicated that Jizheng was truly considering cooperation. Wenliang clapped his hands, making a crisp sound, "Straightforward! What I want you to do isn't as difficult as you think. You might even be happy to hear it—let's work together to bring down Yuan Dazhu. What do you say?"

Jizheng showed no surprise, but instead frowned and carefully observed Wenliang's expression. Unfortunately, this young man was like a sculpture carved from ice, impossible to touch his true feelings from the outside. Jizheng rarely felt this way about anyone, even Mu Zechen's intentions, demands, and conditions were within his grasp. But this young man was different; it was impossible to discern which words were true, which were false, and what each action meant.

Bring down Yuan Dazhu?

This condition seemed to benefit him alone. Did Wenliang and Zuo Yuxi come here overnight just to save him and then take the opportunity to get revenge on Yuan Dazhu?

There might be good Samaritans in the world, but this man and woman were definitely not among them. Jizheng had too little information to make a decision. After a moment of thought, he said, "Bringing down Yuan Dazhu is very difficult! You must know the current situation in the city. Zhou Yuanting will not let anything happen to Yuan Dazhu at this time. He is fully responsible for the negotiations with Fan Hengan. Director Zuo, Wen... Wenliang, it's not that I don't believe in your abilities. Normally, I would gladly support you in taking down Yuan Dazhu, but now that he is involved in Zhou Yuanting's overall plan, it's like he has an iron pardon. Bringing him down is as hard as climbing to the heavens!"

Wenliang smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, and whispered, "Then let's bring down Zhou Yuanting as well. What do you say?"

All the previous buildup led to this one sentence, the core of his plan and the biggest challenge in convincing Jizheng. From the moment he entered, Wenliang had been like a hypnotist, guiding Jizheng step by step, making the possibility of Jizheng retreating as low as possible.

This was the best Wenliang could do in the limited time. But to his surprise, Jizheng, who usually kept his emotions hidden, was stunned, staring at Wenliang in shock, unable to speak.

The room suddenly became extremely cold, the atmosphere so heavy that even a flying goose would break its wings. After a long while, Jizheng's hoarse voice broke the silence, "Are you serious?"

Wenliang countered, "Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Jizheng suddenly started coughing violently, as if he might cough up his lungs, "Director Zuo, what do you think?"

"His words are my words!" Zuo Yuxi was undoubtedly the best partner for this, her calm tone and cold demeanor adding immense pressure to the other side.

Jizheng suddenly understood. All of this was a facade; these two were here for Zhou Yuanting. A chill ran through his heart, but he repeated the word "difficult" three times, "Difficult, difficult, difficult! I already said that bringing down Yuan Dazhu is difficult, let alone Zhou Yuanting."

Zuo Yuxi couldn't help but ask, "Since you understand this, why did you still conspire with He Xiaobo to take down Yuan Dazhu?" In the public security system, with Liu Tianlai's status, finding out the details of Jizheng's situation was a simple matter.

Jizheng laughed bitterly, "Even you know... That day, I was just drunk and mentioned a few things to He Xiaobo. I had collected some evidence of Yuan Dazhu's crimes over the years, planning to gather some people to file a joint complaint when the opportunity arose. But he betrayed me... friends, ha!"

"Since you have evidence, then..."

Jizheng interrupted Zuo Yuxi, resolutely saying, "Absolutely not! The evidence I have only shows that Yuan Dazhu embezzled three months' wages for business. This is not enough to hurt him. If the money is returned before the investigation, he might just get a party warning. If you're thinking of such a big move just for this, I have to say, it's a path to certain death!"

"What if it's not just this?" Wenliang suddenly interjected.

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

A strange expression appeared on Wenliang's face, "Uncle Ji, you know better than I do how serious the issues at Qinghua Factory are. Is it just about embezzling wages? From 1989 to now, he has used foreign investments and market expansion to transfer and embezzle huge sums of money. The 75 acres of land at the original ion membrane caustic soda plant were mortgaged to the bank last year and then auctioned to Yong'an Real Estate Development Company. The auction price was 5 million yuan lower than the market price. Where did that money go? And there's more..."

Jizheng had been sitting stiffly since Wenliang mentioned "foreign investments." At this point, he could no longer contain himself, jumping up and pointing at Wenliang, his voice trembling, "Who are you?"

The chair fell backward with a loud thud as Jizheng asked in shock.

"Who I am is not important. What's important is that Director Ji has spent years collecting this evidence, not just to expose these corrupt officials who are eroding state assets, but to bring them to justice for the people. But you can't do this alone, and I," Wenliang stood up, speaking with utmost sincerity, "can help you!"

Numerous voices echoed in Jizheng's mind, and countless thoughts raced through his head. This was his deepest, most secret secret, unknown even to his wife and daughter. Yuan Dazhu and Mu Zechen thought Jizheng was just a marginalized official who found a way to take down his superior. But all these secrets were exposed by Wenliang's step-by-step approach, leaving him completely exposed.

Was he bluffing, or was he confident? Was he an enemy or a friend?

Jizheng looked at the young man with a complex expression, his eyes filled with hesitation.

Seeing Jizheng still resisting, Wenliang's lips curled into a cold smile, "Director Ji, nothing in this world can remain hidden forever. If I can find out, others can too. When that happens, the best outcome you can hope for is to rot in a cold, damp cell. And if you're not careful, you might lose your life, depending on the mood of fate."

This naked threat made Jizheng realize he had no other choice. From the moment Wenliang entered, his ultimate goal was to force Jizheng into this corner, leaving him no option but to join them.

"I'll join you!" Jizheng slammed his fist on the table, his usually somber demeanor suddenly bold, making Wenliang and Zuo Yuxi look at him in surprise.

Decisive and ruthless—this was the common evaluation of Jizheng by both Wenliang and Mu Zechen!

Wenliang laughed heartily, walked over, and shook Jizheng's hand vigorously, "We have a common enemy and a common interest. Uncle Ji, you'll soon realize that the decision you made tonight will be the wisest of your life!"

Jizheng asked the same question again, "Wenliang, who are you? You must understand that even with the evidence I have and the influence of Director Zuo's father, it's still far from enough to take down Zhou Yuanting!" But this time, his tone was full of respect, no longer daring to underestimate.

"I am Wenliang, and I have a father you might have heard of, his name is Wen Haiming!"

Jizheng was extremely intelligent and understood immediately where Wenliang's confidence came from. As Xu Fuyan's top confidant, who in Qingzhou didn't know Wen Haiming? He had been hesitant about how Zuo Yuxi alone could bring down Zhou Yuanting, but now with Xu Fuyan's support, everything was possible. He vaguely remembered the first words Zuo Yuxi said when he met her:

"I will give Director Ji a great future and a great fortune!"

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