Chapter 96

On the morning of August 17th, as the hit-and-run incident in Haizhou escalated to the point where everyone knew about it, someone online revealed a shocking piece of news to the people of Haizhou.

The message claimed: The hit-and-run driver was Wu Dong, a coal boss in Haizhou. On the night of the incident, Wu Dong had invited Guo Lin, the mine manager of Xiling Coal Mine, for a drink. The reason for inviting Guo Lin was simple: Guo Lin was his cash cow, the biggest guarantee of his wealth accumulation over the years. After drinking, Wu Dong drove Guo Lin home and hit and killed the victim couple on the way. The hit-and-run vehicle was secretly transported out of Haizhou by Wu Dong overnight, ready to be completely destroyed and evidence erased elsewhere.

The message also exposed many inside stories, such as the relationship between Guo Lin and Wu Dong. Wu Dong's rise to wealth was due to his collusion with Guo Lin, who received substantial benefits from Wu Dong to monopolize the production of Xiling Coal Mine. Without Guo Lin, Wu Dong wouldn't have been able to drive an imported BMW, and without Guo Lin, such a tragic accident would not have happened.

Zhao Kang thought Li Mu was giving a false message to continue his revenge against Guo Lin, but he didn't ask too many questions. He just followed Li Mu's instructions and had his core internet trolls use Haizhou's proxy IP to fuel the situation.

When the news first came out, the public was skeptical. Although the message seemed well-reasoned, with both external and internal factors explained, there was no concrete evidence, and no one dared to fully believe it.

However, some enthusiastic netizens quickly began to gather various pieces of evidence to prove the accuracy of the message.

First, someone claiming to be Wu Dong's neighbor reported that the imported BMW Wu Dong had bought at the beginning of the year was missing. Unlike before, when the car could be seen entering and leaving every day.

Next, many netizens said that Wu Dong usually drove the BMW very aggressively, whether during the day or night, whether in the city or on the outskirts, or on the national highway. People had seen Wu Dong driving the BMW at high speeds, and his license plate number 58888 was very conspicuous, almost known to everyone in Haizhou. The sudden disappearance of such a high-profile car was indeed suspicious.

Then, someone said that Wu Dong was no longer driving the BMW himself these days but was being driven by a driver in an Audi, which was quite unusual.

The most important piece of information was that someone saw Wu Dong and Deputy Public Security Bureau Chief Li Jiawei at a luxurious fish restaurant in the suburbs the night after the incident. The fact that the deputy chief met with Wu Dong privately right after the accident was suspicious.

A netizen claiming to be a server at the fish restaurant said that the two were indeed having dinner together that day.

With so many pieces of evidence, the public's attitude changed significantly. They were no longer skeptical but were almost certain that the hit-and-run driver was Wu Dong!

Once the public identified Wu Dong as the culprit, they immediately began to condemn him. Guo Lin, who was also mentioned in the message as being in the car that night, did not escape criticism.

Guo Lin was the mine manager of Xiling Coal Mine, a corrupt official in a state-owned enterprise. He had sent over 80% of Xiling Coal Mine's coal to Wu Dong, helping Wu Dong earn a lot of money while receiving substantial bribes from him. Not only did he use his power to embezzle and accept bribes, but he also played with young women. Now, he had become an accomplice in the hit-and-run case, which reignited the public's anger.

Online, there was even a rumor: If it weren't for Guo Lin's collusion with Wu Dong, Wu Dong wouldn't have set up a banquet for him, and there wouldn't have been the drunk driving incident afterward. Therefore, Guo Lin should bear at least half the responsibility for this tragic accident.

Under the influence of the internet trolls, Guo Lin was once again pushed to the forefront of public criticism.

In Li Mu's eyes, the situation with Wu Dong still needed to be escalated by the internet trolls, and the influence of the incident needed to be spread to Jinling. Once it caught the attention of higher-level public security leaders, Wu Dong would be inescapable. The claim that Guo Lin was in the car that night, although a fabrication by Li Mu, was something Guo Lin couldn't refute, as the focus was now on his relationship with Wu Dong.

Li Mu's minimum goal was to remove Guo Lin from his position as the mine manager of Xiling Coal Mine. If he could get him arrested, that would be even better.

Li Mu entrusted Zhao Kang with the task of continuing to fuel the situation, instructing him to promote the story on forums in Pengcheng and Jinling to prevent local officials in Haizhou from interfering. Ideally, it should attract the attention of provincial leaders, which would be interesting.

As for himself, Li Mu had no time to continue monitoring the situation because he had a family dinner to attend that evening.

That night, his parents had booked a private room at Haizhou Hotel, the same extravagant 888 room as before, to invite relatives from the Li family.

Li Dad wanted to invite the Li family to Haizhou Hotel, but most of them were farmers living far away. It would be too much trouble for them to come to the city just for a meal.

Only Li Mu's uncle's family knew about the store that Li Dad and Li Mom had opened. When the uncle heard that his sister-in-law and brother-in-law had offered his wife a salary of 2,000 yuan, he was speechless. After several confirmations, he realized that although his sister-in-law and brother-in-law were honest, his nephew was truly extraordinary. Despite his unassuming appearance, he had earned a huge amount of money in a short time and opened such a large specialty store for his parents.

However, the uncle knew that he couldn't spread this information, so even Li Mu's grandparents, who lived with him, were unaware. They only knew that the younger daughter-in-law had gone to the south with the second daughter and son-in-law for some training.

This information accidentally reached the ears of the older uncle a few days ago. He and his wife and younger sister concluded that Li Daoping had taken his wife and Li Mu's aunt to the south to engage in pyramid schemes.

Unexpectedly, just a few days after reaching this conclusion, the three of them returned, and Li Daoping was inviting guests again, this time at Haizhou Hotel, in the 888 room.

Before leaving for the dinner, the older uncle, Xiao Yunjian, was puzzled. As he bent down to put on his shoes, he stood up and said to his wife, Cai Yanhong, "I'm really puzzled. What is Li Daoping up to? I heard they both applied for early retirement and then took the second daughter-in-law to the south. They were gone for half a month, and no one knew what they were doing. The second daughter-in-law even quit her job to go with them. Could they really have found a way to get rich in the south?"

Cai Yanhong pursed her lips, looking disdainful. "Haven't you heard? The south is full of gold! But that was only true during the early years of the reform and opening-up. It's not that easy to make money now."

"But they're willing to spend so much!" Xiao Yunjian frowned. "Last time, I secretly asked the server, and the meal, including cigarettes and alcohol, cost over 6,000 yuan. This time, it's three eights, so it will probably cost several thousand yuan again. If Li Daoping didn't have money, he wouldn't be willing to spend so much."

Cai Yanhong paused for a moment and nodded. "You're right."

Then, her expression changed from disdain to envy. "You know, Li Mu is a strange kid. I heard he only scored around 500 in the mock exams, but he did so well in the college entrance exam, getting into Renmin University..."

Xiao Yunjian chuckled. "Maybe the Li family's ancestors are smiling in their graves."

Cai Yanhong nudged him. "Enough with the sour grapes. Hurry up and put on your shoes."

...

This time, all the families arrived on time. Li Dad and Li Mom had informed everyone in advance that the dinner was to celebrate Li Mu's admission to Renmin University, so the relatives all brought red envelopes and congratulated Li Mu on his admission to such a prestigious university.

Li Mu didn't refuse the well-wishes of his elders. This kind of money, like New Year's money and wedding red envelopes, was a form of family exchange, and it was natural to reciprocate.

At 6:30 PM, everyone had arrived, including Uncle Zhou Gang, who didn't come last time. Only Li Mu's cousin, Xiao Yuanyuan, was absent.

According to the older aunt, "Yuanyuan is out of control. We just bought her a camera, and she's already gone on a trip to Qingdao with her friends."

The younger aunt smiled. "Older sister, you can't always indulge Yuanyuan. It's fine for girls to spend money, but they shouldn't always go out."

The older aunt spread her hands. "Even her father can't control her, let alone me."

Li Mu's grandmother said with satisfaction, "All three of our children who took the college entrance exam have been admitted to universities. Yuanyuan got into a first-tier university, Xiao Wei got into a second-tier university, and now Xiao Mu has been admitted to a key university. Next, it's Xiao Hao's turn!"

The grandmother was referring to Xiao Wei, Li Mu's cousin from the older aunt's family, who wasn't there today because he had found a part-time job in Yangcheng at the end of July.

Li Mu's uncle teased his son, "Xiao Hao, I don't have high expectations for you. If you can get into a second-tier university in Yanjing, I'll be satisfied."

"Isn't that easy?" Xiao Hao asked, frowning. "But why Yanjing?"

"To follow your cousin, you fool!" the uncle laughed and scolded. "With such a capable cousin, you'll have a bright future!"

Li Mu's uncle knew about Li Mu's earning ability and that the store where his wife worked as a manager was set up by Li Mu. He regarded his nephew as a genius.

Xiao Hao suddenly understood. He looked at Li Mu, who was not far away, and thought about the 100 yuan his cousin had generously given him. With that 100 yuan, he had taken the class beauty, Nana, to KFC and then to the park for a boat ride. On the way home, he had successfully held her hand, and it felt amazing.

Li Dad, who now looked much more radiant and spoke with more confidence, picked up a glass of Maotai and stood up, smiling. "Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, thank you for coming today. On behalf of our family, I'd like to raise a glass to all of you."

The uncle quickly said, "Brother-in-law, you shouldn't be the one toasting. We should all raise a glass together."

He stood up and said enthusiastically, "Xiao Mu is the first one in our family to be admitted to a key university. Let's all raise a glass to his bright future!"

The older uncle nodded and happily agreed, "Yes, to Xiao Mu's bright future!"

The older uncle and aunt felt a bit envious. When their daughter left a few years ago, they hadn't been this excited. Their daughter had also been admitted to a first-tier university, which was quite an achievement! Li Mu had indeed been admitted to a key university, but would that guarantee a successful future? They seemed so fawning, as if graduating from a key university would automatically make one a mayor or governor.

Despite their envy, they still stood up and raised their glasses, and the family shared a toast.