Chapter 84

Chapter 78: The Puzzle and the Deception

Wen Liang raised his sleeve to his nose and said, "Is it that obvious? Sister Zuo, you're really something. Director Liu ran into a friend on the way and gave her a ride. I must say, the lady is quite beautiful, but she wears too much perfume..."

Liu Tianlai, who was hit by a bullet while lying down, saw Zuo Yuxi's gaze and smiled, "It's the wife of a friend from the post and telecommunications bureau. We happened to be going the same way."

Listening to their serious responses, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Zuo Yuxi's mouth, but it vanished in an instant. "I was just asking casually. Why are you taking it so seriously? Let's get to the main topic."

Wen Liang broke out in a cold sweat. What kind of face and expression does 'asking casually' have? I'll deal with you after Liu Tianlai leaves!

"Alright, let's summarize. What's the situation today? How's the Discipline Inspection Commission?"

Zuo Yuxi said, "This morning, Niu Guiqing received a call from Wei Chenfeng. He was very clear, asking for leniency for Wei Gang."

Wen Liang sneered, "Ha, the officials in Qingzhou really don't know how to behave. Even as a deputy hall-level official, he can't wait a couple of days to see the situation. It would have been better to have a vice-secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission mediate. Is he in such a hurry to die? What did Niu Guiqing say?"

Liu Tianlai replied, "Niu Guiqing, as we had planned, said some formalities but gave no definite answer. He said they were still in the investigation and evidence-gathering stage, and everything would be handled according to the law. I bet it infuriated Wei Chenfeng. You're right, Wen Shao. If he had sought help from someone else, there would have been some room for maneuver. But now, with Niu Secretary outright refusing, the whole line is cut off."

Zuo Yuxi shook her head, leaning back on the sofa, her long legs crossed, exuding grace and elegance. "Wei Chenfeng isn't being disrespectful. The situation in Qingzhou has reached this point. Those who should be arrogant and those who shouldn't are all being overly arrogant. Wei Chenfeng dared to cut Xu Fuyan's speech down to a few seconds. What's one Niu Guiqing to him?"

Liu Tianlai smiled bitterly, "Director Zuo is right. Wei Chenfeng went straight to Niu Guiqing's office, and no one knows what he said. But then I was urgently summoned to the Discipline Inspection Commission. Honestly, even though I knew the script, I was still a bit nervous when I entered."

Wen Liang laughed heartily, pointing at him, "Director Liu, you're feeling guilty!"

Liu Tianlai ignored him and continued, "In the Secretary's office, Niu Guiqing directly asked me if a rape case had occurred last night. I glanced at Wei Chenfeng with difficulty and said no. Niu Guiqing grabbed some photos from the drawer and threw them in front of me. The momentum of someone trained by the Discipline Inspection Commission is terrifying."

Wen Liang's head ached as he listened. He found that Liu Tianlai liked to ramble and add personal opinions, making it hard to grasp the main points. Big brother, if you were to write a book in the future, you'd be a failure, definitely criticized for padding, even with pure water!

The subsequent developments were all as Wen Liang had expected. Liu Tianlai pretended to crack under pressure, admitting that he had received a call from Wei Chenfeng last night, turning the rape case into a prostitution case, and handed over Wei Gang's signed confession. But he quickly distanced himself, saying it was only a temporary measure, not a final decision, and that the investigation was ongoing.

Before the 1997 Criminal Law revision, according to Article 160 of the 1979 Criminal Law (Chapter 6, "Crimes of Disrupting Social Management Order"), hooliganism was a serious threat to public security, highly corrosive and contagious, and a key target for criminal punishment. In 1983, during the first nationwide crackdown, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Severely Punishing Criminals Who Seriously Endanger Public Security," which listed six crimes with increased penalties, with hooliganism at the top. From that year on, the maximum penalty for hooliganism surpassed many others, reaching the death penalty. A woman surnamed Wang was sentenced to death for having relations with over ten men, and she said before her execution:

"Sexual freedom is a lifestyle I chose. My behavior may be ahead of its time, but in 20 years, people won't see it that way."

A great prophet was thus executed, leaving those who would later claim hundreds or thousands of sexual partners in a difficult position. Therefore, anyone who surpasses their time is a tragedy, applicable to all fields and all kinds of people.

For this reason, bringing such a matter to the surface in 1995 would be a death sentence for a young rising star in the political arena. Niu and Liu's performance made Wei Chenfeng realize that denial was futile. If Liu Tianlai dared to speak, he must have secretly recorded the call. Despite his heart racing, he maintained a calm exterior and immediately left, not daring to stay in the Discipline Inspection Commission for even a minute. If things were taken seriously, his interference in the judicial process would be a significant responsibility.

However, Wen Liang's goal in dragging Wei Chenfeng into the mess was not this. To bring down Wei Gang, he had to use considerable resources. One misstep could expose the relationship between Zuo Yuxi, Liu Tianlai, and Niu Guiqing. If someone connected it to Xu Fuyan, the consequences in the current unclear provincial situation would be unpredictable.

But Wei Gang's relentless and aggressive behavior left Wen Liang no choice but to take a risky step, both bringing down Wei Gang and avoiding alerting Zhou Yuanting.

How to maintain this fragile balance? It was almost an unsolvable problem, but Wen Liang managed to do it.

After leaving the Discipline Inspection Commission, Wei Chenfeng went straight to Zhou Yuanting. He sensed something strange about the Wei Gang case. On the surface, there were no flaws, but any difference in any link would have prevented Wei Gang from reaching this point.

Coincidence implies necessity!

Wei Chenfeng racked his brain but couldn't figure out the root cause. If Wei Gang had offended Liu Tianlai, leading to this retaliation, and Niu Guiqing and Liu Tianlai had both served under Zuo Jing, though at different levels, it made sense for them to team up against him.

But there was no reason. The current situation in Qingzhou was such that many were struggling to protect themselves. Unless Liu Tianlai had suddenly been hit by a car, he wouldn't dare to bully him.

So why?

Wei Chenfeng knew Zhou Yuanting's suspicious nature. Just a slight hint toward Xu Fuyan made Zhou Yuanting frown and immediately call Niu Guiqing. Niu Guiqing knew it was time to test his acting skills. He placed the prepared materials in front of Zhou Yuanting and said, "The Discipline Inspection Commission has received multiple reports that Comrade Wei Gang has an improper lifestyle, engaging in inappropriate relationships with multiple female workers in the factory and has significant economic issues. I considered the city's focus on the Qinghua Factory and the stability of the agricultural machinery factory, so I suppressed the matter, intending to handle it later and conduct a preliminary investigation. Last night, I received a call from a woman reporting that Wei Gang attempted to rape her and was released by Liu Tianlai as a prostitution case." Niu Guiqing slammed his hand on the table in front of Zhou Yuanting and said angrily, "Mayor Zhou, should the Discipline Inspection Commission handle such matters? Should we?"

Wei Chenfeng said, "We can't just listen to her side of the story..."

Niu Guiqing rudely interrupted him, "Her side of the story? Director Wei, are the photos I showed you this morning fake? Is Liu Tianlai's admission fake? Is your call to Liu Tianlai to interfere with the judicial process fake?"

Zhou Yuanting finished reading the materials and comforted Niu Guiqing, "Secretary Niu, calm down. The city has always supported the work of the Discipline Inspection Commission. You've considered the big picture of Qingzhou, and I should thank you. However, for a cadre of Wei Gang's level, we need to consider the specific circumstances and the impact. Here's what I suggest: the Discipline Inspection Commission should come up with a handling opinion, and I'll review it."

Hearing Zhou Yuanting's hint, Niu Guiqing felt relieved but maintained a stern expression as he turned and left.

After Niu Guiqing left, Wei Chenfeng anxiously awaited the result. This was the only male descendant of their generation, and he couldn't afford any trouble. Zhou Yuanting ignored him, made a few phone calls, and quickly understood the whole story. A few days ago, the agricultural machinery factory's office building was burglarized, and the list of names Wei Gang had privately determined was leaked, causing widespread dissatisfaction. This explained why the Discipline Inspection Commission received the reports, confirming that Niu Guiqing wasn't lying.

Wei Gang's rape attempt followed closely. Zhou Yuanting had no idea about Wei Gang's issues with women. As the mayor, he could barely remember Wei Gang's name, let alone know his character. People would only say good things about him out of respect for Wei Chenfeng. If not for Wei Gang's downfall, Zhou Yuanting wouldn't have known the truth.

This was the tragedy of those in power! But Zhou Yuanting understood that sometimes subordinates could be reckless and do despicable things. With the evidence of the attempted rape, what else was there to say?

Thus, Niu Guiqing's anger and the arrest of Wei Gang made sense. In 1995, rape was a serious crime, and Liu Tianlai's actions under pressure were understandable. So, the situation wasn't as complex as Wei Chenfeng suggested. Zhou Yuanting looked at Wei Chenfeng coldly, clearly dissatisfied. But Wei Chenfeng's vote in the Standing Committee and his plea for Wei Gang helped him suppress his dissatisfaction.

This was both a favor to Wei Chenfeng and a final test. If Niu Guiqing had truly aligned with Xu Fuyan, they would have used this as leverage to implicate Wei Chenfeng and strike a heavy blow.

Just two hours later, the joint handling result from the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Public Security Bureau was delivered. Zhou Yuanting glanced at it and threw it to Wei Chenfeng, smiling, "Old Wei, don't make things up out of thin air. Wei Gang's behavior was already questionable, and this outcome isn't bad. Don't cause more trouble for yourself, understand?"

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End of Chapter 78