Chapter 8: Reporting to the Party Secretary

"Hello, Secretary Lin? Are you still awake? A comrade named Xiao Yang from Hongshui County has come to me. Yes, I'll let him go over and report to you now..."

Liu Zhen hung up the phone, stood up, patted Yang Zixuan on the shoulder, and turned to An Zai Shan, saying, "Secretary Lin hasn't rested yet. Zai Shan, take Xiao Yang over there."

An Zai Shan responded and left with Yang Zixuan.

They walked to the No. 1 Building of the Municipal Committee, and An Zai Shan pressed the doorbell. The door was opened by a girl wearing a thin sweater, her body curves were alluring, her long hair cascaded down, partially covering her face, her chin was delicate, and her arms were as white as lotus roots.

Even in the provincial capital, Zijin, An Zai Shan had seen many beautiful women, but when he saw this girl, his expression clearly froze for a moment. She was clearly a level above the so-called beauties he had seen before. He didn't expect to encounter such a fashionably dressed and beautiful girl here.

Yang Zixuan, on the other hand, was utterly surprised. This girl was clearly the one who wore Givenchy on the train. Could she be the daughter of the Party Secretary?

The Party Secretary's daughter wearing Givenchy to squeeze onto a train? That's too strange.

"Who are you?" The girl obviously didn't remember Yang Zixuan and looked at the two visitors with some confusion.

"We are officials from Hongshui County, here to report to Secretary Lin. Please inform him."

The girl disappeared for a while and then reappeared with half of her exquisitely beautiful face showing. "Alright, come in."

After the two entered, the girl led them to the third floor.

In the hall, a middle-aged man of about 40 was sitting, and next to him was a middle-aged woman, presumably Secretary Lin's wife.

The middle-aged man was wearing reading glasses and reading the official publication of Luofu Province. When he saw the three enter, he looked up and said calmly, "Xiao Yang has arrived, please sit down."

Yang Zixuan knew that this middle-aged man was the most powerful figure in Daming City.

His palms were sweating with nervousness.

Knowing that the three had something to discuss, Secretary Lin's wife and the girl found an excuse and went downstairs.

"Sorry to disturb your rest, Secretary Lin." Yang Zixuan, fearing that the discussion would go on too late and affect the leader's rest, got straight to the point. "I want to report on the issues at Hongshui Textile Factory."

"Hongshui Textile Factory issues?" Lin Pei frowned. "I heard that workers went to the county government compound to cause trouble today. How does the county committee plan to handle it, and how is it going?"

Yang Zixuan's expression froze. He didn't expect the news of the workers' unrest to reach the Party Secretary's ears so quickly. It seemed there were some of the Secretary's loyalists in the county committee. According to his memory, neither Xu Fuguo nor Li Sicheng were in the Secretary's faction. Li Sicheng was promoted by Mayor Tang Lu, and Xu Fuguo was transferred from a provincial department, with connections in the provincial government.

"I believe the issues at Hongshui Textile Factory are long-standing. The workers' unrest at the county government compound is just the tip of the iceberg. I expect more serious problems to surface..." Yang Zixuan spoke confidently, and his initial nervousness gradually eased.

"Really? Tell me more." Lin Pei put down the official publication, picked up his tea, blew on the floating tea leaves, and took a sip.

He had been in Daming City for more than three years and knew the ins and outs of many county leaders. He had heard rumors about this "foolish" county magistrate, but he had always laughed them off. Now, it seemed this young man was not as foolish as he appeared.

Could he be wise in his simplicity?

Yang Zixuan placed a black bag on the table, took out several yellowed account books, and handed them to Lin Pei. "Secretary Lin, please look. These are the accounts of Hongshui Textile Factory's accountants over the past few years. The accounts show that the factory's main leaders, including the Party Secretary and Factory Director Tian Li, and several deputy directors, have repeatedly withdrawn large sums of money in violation of regulations. According to the workers, Hongshui Textile Factory has several subsidiaries that are very profitable, but the profits from these subsidiaries are not included in the factory's finances. These subsidiaries have become private slush funds for certain leaders. Meanwhile, the parent company, Hongshui Textile Factory, is in decline, unable to pay wages for several months, and has been relying on bank loans. Many of the factory's equipment has been sold at low prices..."

Yang Zixuan pointed to the large, unreasonable expenses in the accounts, and as a high achiever from the University of Pennsylvania, his analysis was clear and logical.

Lin Pei flipped through the account books, his expression growing increasingly grim. He stared at Yang Zixuan and said sternly, "Are you sure these records are accurate?"

"They should be reliable. These account books were provided by an old accountant at Hongshui Textile Factory!" Yang Zixuan said seriously.

"Spending hundreds of thousands on hospitality, who are they fooling! These people are truly audacious! A few years ago, Hongshui Textile Factory was a major tax contributor in Daming, but now it's a major loss-making enterprise! They are a bunch of parasites!"

Lin Pei's face was very grim as he slapped the account books. In the early 1990s, such serious corruption cases were not as common as they would be in later years. The appearance of such a case under his administration was a stain on his reputation.

"Here's what we'll do. You two stay in Daming City for the night. Tomorrow, I will have my secretary take the materials to the Discipline Inspection Commission. The Commission will lead a joint investigation team with the Procuratorate to investigate the issues at Hongshui Textile Factory." Lin Pei made the decision.

Yang Zixuan and An Zai Shan knew their part was over and responded, then took their leave.

After the two left, the girl came down from the second floor.

"Ruoshui, you're here." Lin Pei's tone was gentle and his attitude kind, completely different from the authoritative Party Secretary he had been in front of Yang Zixuan and An Zai Shan.

"Yes, Uncle, what were they here for?" Lin Ruoshui asked curiously.

"They are from Hongshui County, reporting on the situation at Hongshui Textile Factory."

"Is the problem serious?" Lin Ruoshui continued.

Lin Pei nodded and said, "You've been working in a provincial state-owned enterprise since returning from France. How are you adapting? Is that boy from the Zhuang family still bothering you?"

"Yes, he's so annoying, I can't get rid of him." Lin Ruoshui pouted. "Uncle, I heard the issues at Hongshui Textile Factory are quite deep and are intertwined with some leaders in the Municipal Committee."

Lin Pei glanced at Lin Ruoshui with a meaningful look but said nothing. His niece had a good political sense and would make a good politician.

He had been transferred from a provincial department to serve as the Party Secretary of Daming City for three years. He had control over the Municipal Committee, but that was only on the surface. As an outsider, he could never fully control the Standing Committee, which gave him a sense of frustration. This incident at Hongshui Textile Factory was an opportunity for him to gain full control over the Municipal Committee...

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