Chapter 80

Chapter 74: Don't Underestimate the Young

Wei Gang was taken alone to the adjacent interrogation room. Liu Tianlai, with a half-smile, took out a cigarette and offered it to him, saying, "Director Wei, what happened? I heard from below that it was quite a big deal?"

Wei Gang's face was pale and sallow. He took the cigarette and inhaled deeply, the thick smoke swirling in his nostrils before slowly dissipating.

"Director Liu, you must believe me. I was deceived by that little bitch. She is framing me!" Wei Gang was no fool. The events of the night were bizarre, but after much thought, he realized he had no grudge against Liu Tianlai, and there was no reason for him to play such a dirty trick. He had long heard that some people in the public security and patrol units colluded with prostitutes, luring customers into traps and then arresting them for heavy fines. Tonight, he likely stepped on such a landmine, truly a stroke of bad luck.

Liu Tianlai smiled and threw a stack of statements onto the table. Wei Gang picked them up and glanced through a few pages, his body going limp as he fell into the chair.

The owner of Xiushuiwan, the hall attendant, and the massage therapist in the private room all testified that Wei Gang had brought the girl into the private room, and the girl was not an employee of Xiushuiwan. She claimed to be a customer at Xiushuiwan, and Wei Gang, under the pretense of helping her, lured her into the private room with the intention of raping her.

"Director Wei, I believe you, but after seeing this evidence, and some photos, I wonder if the prosecutor and the court will believe you?"

Wei Gang panicked, standing up from his chair and placing his hands on the table, pleading, "Director Liu, you must help me. Isn't it up to you to decide? I know the rules. Whatever the girl wants, I'll pay without hesitation. I'll take care of everyone who was involved tonight. Brother Liu, for the sake of my uncle, please don't let this get out." He wasn't afraid of the rape charge itself, as he hadn't done it, but the situation was unclear. The public loved to gossip about officials' scandals, and if this got out, his reputation would be ruined. At this critical juncture of his transfer to the Light Industry Bureau, such an incident would be disastrous.

Liu Tianlai sneered inwardly. Idiot is an idiot. Mentioning Wei Chenfeng at this point was irrelevant. If he was willing to help, he would do so without being asked, and if not, it would only give others a handle. However, his expression remained unchanged as he said, "Since you've mentioned Minister Wei, I can't refuse to help. Why don't you call Minister Wei? I need his instructions to proceed, after all, so many brothers were involved tonight, and we can't be too casual. What do you think, Director Wei?"

Wei Gang had been trying to get this call made all along. Now that Liu Tianlai had spoken, what was he waiting for? He immediately picked up the phone and dialed Wei Chenfeng's home number. After two rings, Wei Chenfeng's stern voice came through, "Who is this?"

"Uncle, it's Xiao Gang... It happened like this. I was with a friend at a bathhouse, and the local police station was on a raid. There was a misunderstanding. Director Liu from the Municipal Bureau is here, what do you think..."

Before Wei Gang could finish, Wei Chenfeng's voice, laced with suppressed anger, interrupted, "Fool! You're more trouble than you're worth! What's the state of the agricultural machinery factory these days, and you still have the nerve to go out and fool around? Give the phone to Liu Tianlai!"

There was only one Liu in the Municipal Bureau, and hearing it was him, Wei Chenfeng's initial doubts vanished. Liu Tianlai was known for being unyielding, and it was reasonable that Wei Gang couldn't handle him.

"Hello, Tianlai, this is Wei Chenfeng... Yes, Wei Gang made a mistake, and you must handle it according to the law. Punish him as you see fit. However, the agricultural machinery factory has some issues that need to be addressed, which affect the city's overall situation, and this must be considered..."

After hanging up, Liu Tianlai looked at Wei Gang's relieved expression and pondered for a moment before giving him two options: either admit to soliciting a prostitute, and with Wei Chenfeng's face, complete the statement and pay a fine, with Liu Tianlai taking care of the girl; or be investigated for rape, which would mean staying overnight and notifying his family and workplace, with severe consequences.

Wei Gang was stunned. What kind of face are you showing? My uncle has already called, and you still want a statement and a fine? Liu Tianlai saw his displeasure and sneered, "Director Wei, I won't say more. Just dealing with that girl will take a lot of effort. If there's no punishment, I can't explain it... If I wanted to get you, I wouldn't have let you call Minister Wei."

If any other deputy director had said this, it would have been a deliberate provocation, but with Liu Tianlai, it was normal. Wei Gang knew that getting this far was already a favor from his uncle, given that he had no connection with Liu Tianlai. Choosing the lesser of two evils, he reluctantly admitted to soliciting a prostitute, signed the statement, and threw the pen down, smiling bitterly, "Brother Liu, my life is in your hands. If you need anything in the future, just say the word, and I won't refuse." He knew that signing the statement gave Liu Tianlai a significant handle, but the situation was dire, and this was better than being charged with rape.

Liu Tianlai picked up the statement and smiled, "Director Wei, don't worry. I'll talk to the girl personally and make sure this is handled quietly."

As Wei Gang left the police station, he immediately saw Xia Fugui, who had been anxiously pacing nearby. Anger surged within him, and he walked over and kicked Xia Fugui. Xia Fugui, in excruciating pain, dared not show any expression, saying, "Director, I was just making a call when I left. When I came back, I saw many police officers and didn't dare show myself. It's not my fault, the whole street was being checked..."

Wei Gang wanted to kill him. With a dark face, he got into a taxi and quickly left. Xia Fugui stood on the street, his shadow elongated, looking utterly miserable.

Seeing this, Liu Tianlai smiled, knowing there would be no further trouble tonight. He turned and went back inside, dialing Zuo Yuxi's number.

"Director Zuo, it's done..."

Back home, Wei Gang, without even taking a shower, called Wei Chenfeng and told him about the statement. Wei Chenfeng thought for a moment and said, "It's fine. Liu Tianlai is isolated and won't dare do anything with this leverage. I'll find a chance to talk to him..." Then he launched into a scathing tirade. Wei Gang, with a pained expression, dared not speak, meekly agreeing to handle the factory's issues quickly. Wei Chenfeng then hung up.

The next morning, as soon as Wei Gang entered the factory, he sensed something was off. Some female employees avoided him, whispering and pointing, which was very strange. Confused, he walked to the office building and saw a large crowd gathered around a wall on the first floor. Thinking they were there to ask about layoffs, he tried to sneak upstairs, but someone turned and called out, "Director Wei is here."

The crowd burst into laughter and dispersed. Wei Gang then saw a large poster on the wall, with a line of black characters at the top: "With Director Wei's ticket for soliciting a prostitute, all agricultural machinery workers will be laid off." Below, in a novel-like style, the events of the previous night were vividly described, with about 80% being fabricated. Next to it was a photo of two naked bodies, the girl's face obscured by her long hair, while Wei Gang, facing the camera, was clearly visible.

Wei Gang was stunned. Only then did he realize that everything last night was a lie by Liu Tianlai! But the nightmare wasn't over. Three people pushed through the crowd, one showing a work ID, saying, "We are from the Qingzhou Discipline Inspection Commission. We received a report and need to ask some questions of Comrade Wei Gang. Director Wei, let's go!"

At that moment, it felt as if his soul had left his body, floating up to the sky, his heart heavy as if weighed down by a thousand-pound stone. He gasped for breath, his face draining of color, looking as pale as a leukemia patient. The crowd's expressions varied—shock, surprise, joy, excitement, disdain, and more.

A staff member from the Discipline Inspection Commission walked over, tore down the poster, and rolled it into a ball, stuffing it into a briefcase.

The news of Wei Gang being taken for investigation spread throughout Qingzhou within a day. Ordinary people treated it as a piece of gossip, a topic for tea and dinner conversations. However, officials were like headless flies, trying to figure out what was happening. The last time Yang Yihang was removed, it was obvious. But this time, Wei Gang, a deputy section chief, was neither too big nor too small. He had no say in city affairs, and Xu Fuyan, even if he lacked vision, wouldn't target him for retaliation. With Wei Chenfeng's protection, it was hard for anyone to touch him. Who was so blind?

Who would have thought that all of this was due to a quarrel with a young man?

At this point, Wei Gang still didn't know who was behind it. He never imagined that Wen Liang had such power and blamed Liu Tianlai for everything.

Damn, I've never wronged you, but you came at me with everything!

Director Liu was also helpless. Doing dirty work was his fate!

While Wei Gang was facing the biggest challenge of his life, the instigator, Wen Liang, was also in trouble. Teacher Si Yajing's memory was as good as her beauty. Even after two days, she hadn't forgotten the night she helped Wen Liang lie. During the fourth period of chemistry class, as soon as the bell rang, all the students rushed out, but Wen Liang was called to the podium. Ji Su, curious, stayed in her seat, packing her books slowly, wanting to see what would happen. Unexpectedly, Si Yajing smiled at her and said, "Ji Su, go eat. I need to talk to Wen Liang alone."

Ji Su looked at Wen Liang worriedly. He winked and smiled. Ji Su realized she was being too anxious and quickly ran off.

"Um, Wen Liang, if you can't give me a good reason for what happened that night, I will consider telling your mother the truth..."

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