Chapter 33: Believe It or Not

Sun Guozhong recounted the events. Although he stood up to take responsibility, he subtly shifted the blame to Deputy Public Security Bureau Chief Lu Hongguang and the chief of Lijuan Police Station, saying that Feng Weiwu also had his contributions, and that the subordinates had merely overreacted. He implied that Mayor Ma's drastic actions had ulterior motives.

Mayor Ma sneered, "Comrade Guozhong, I was just a few minutes late because I was on the phone with Deputy Public Security Bureau Chief Lu Hongguang to confirm this matter. According to my knowledge, it was you who insisted on removing the names of others from the report and replacing them with Feng Daxia's name. What contributions did Feng Daxia make in this entire case? The five criminals were apprehended by Du Long alone. Feng Weiwu was beaten helplessly and would have been killed if not for Du Long's bravery. During the interrogation, Feng Weiwu had no contributions. It was Du Long who identified the two fugitives. It is normal that Feng Weiwu's name was not in the police report. This is an abuse of power and using it for personal gain! Secretary Wang, I have said everything I need to say. Now, Secretary Wang, please give your opinion on how to handle this matter."

Before Wang Shuwei could speak, Feng Jianwen stood up and said, "Here, I sincerely admit my mistakes. Feng Weiwu is my nephew, and I did not fulfill my duty as an uncle to educate and guide him. I should not have given instructions to the Public Security Bureau without verifying the facts after hearing only his side of the story, which led to Comrade Guozhong misunderstanding my intentions and acting against principles. I humbly request the organization to review and handle me!"

Seeing that the vice-mayor had self-criticized, Sun Guozhong hurriedly followed suit with his own self-criticism. After he finished, Wang Shuwei said cryptically, "Comrades Jianwen and Guozhong have both made profound self-criticisms. Now, everyone, please share your opinions on how to handle this matter."

Yuming City's Party Committee member and Vice-Mayor Huang Yongqiang, who usually had a good relationship with Feng Jianwen, said with a smile as soon as Wang Shuwei finished speaking, "Even sages make mistakes. Admitting and correcting them makes one a good comrade. Besides, this is not a serious violation; it was just a misunderstanding. Vice-Mayor Feng has already self-criticized, so let's just drop it."

Yuming City's Party Committee member and Vice-Mayor Li Rixin said, "I think this matter, though small, has a very negative impact. As Mayor Ma said, if the top is not upright, the bottom will be crooked. This shows how chaotic the public security department has become. If we do not handle this matter seriously, it will happen again, and the situation will spiral out of control."

Everyone spoke up, taking clear stances and using sharp words, which was very different from their usual behavior. Clearly, they had divided into three factions: the pro-Ma faction, the pro-Feng faction, and the neutral faction, with the pro-Ma faction being the largest, followed by the pro-Feng faction, and the neutral faction being the smallest.

Wang Shuwei keenly noticed this and felt somewhat displeased. He still had over a year before his term ended, yet these people were already forming factions and vying for power, completely disregarding him as the old secretary!

Wang Shuwei coughed heavily, and the meeting room instantly fell silent. Wang Shuwei was still in charge, and he was the highest leader of the team. It was now time for Secretary Wang to speak. His gaze swept over everyone's faces and finally settled on Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Lin Xufeng: "Alright, everyone has expressed their opinions. Xufeng, as the Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary, why haven't you spoken?"

Lin Xufeng adjusted his glasses and smiled, "I didn't expect this matter to spark such heated discussions. It seems everyone feels that our Discipline Inspection Commission has not done a good job..."

This cold joke was not funny at all, and everyone still had tense faces, but Wang Shuwei smiled. Lin Xufeng continued, "In my view, Vice-Mayor Feng did not make any serious mistakes. He just made a wrong call at the wrong time, which led to Director Sun making a wrong judgment. Vice-Mayor Feng has already publicly self-criticized, so I don't think it's necessary to continue. However, Director Sun's issue is more serious. As a state official and an old party member, you should always uphold party principles, no matter the circumstances. How could you alter the report? This is a serious mistake. I personally suggest that Director Sun receive an intra-party warning and be ordered to correct his mistake, ensuring that the true heroes receive the recognition they deserve. What do you think, Secretary Wang?"

"Intra-party warning?" Ma Guangming scoffed inwardly, but Wang Shuwei smiled and said, "I think it's fine. Let's do it this way. Comrades Jianwen and Guozhong should remember this lesson and remain vigilant in the future. Jianwen, you haven't finished your report, have you? Please continue."

Feng Jianwen had no mood to continue his report and quickly wrapped up his weekly summary in a few words. The others were also exhausted from the previous debate and quickly finished their reports. Wang Shuwei said, "Everyone has made good progress this week. I hope you continue to do well. Guangming, keep a close eye on Wuxi County. Don't let things get out of hand."

Ma Guangming replied, "Please rest assured, Secretary Wang. I will pay close attention to this matter and handle it personally if necessary."

Wang Shuwei nodded and said, "I'm relieved. Let's end the meeting here. Dismissed."

Although Ma Guangming had caught Feng Jianwen off guard during the meeting, his mood did not improve after the meeting. This was not because Feng Jianwen was unaffected; in fact, such a small matter was insignificant for someone of Feng Jianwen's level. Ma Guangming had merely used it as an opportunity to warn him. Now that his goal was achieved, his mind returned to the pressing issue at hand.

Was Zhang Xing really the mastermind behind this? Does Zhang Xing have the nerve to do this? What is he trying to achieve? Ma Guangming felt that the matter was not so simple. Zhang Xing was not a secretary he had personally brought up. Although the young man always showed him great respect, he still could not escape the shadow of the Secretary-General of the Municipal Government, Zhou Zhenhua, who was Wang Shuwei's confidant. Could Wang Shuwei be behind this?

Ma Guangming quickly dismissed this thought. If Wang Shuwei were truly behind it, Zhang Xing, a mere secretary, would not have been involved. Recalling Zhang Xing's recent behavior, Ma Guangming was deep in thought.

"Zhang Xing, come in for a moment." After returning to his office, Ma Guangming called Zhang Xing over and gave him a deep look. Zhang Xing felt uneasy under his gaze, unsure where he had gone wrong. Ma Guangming then withdrew his gaze and said, "Have the documents been distributed? Have you received any calls from Wuxi County?"

Zhang Xing replied, "They have all been distributed, especially the document sent to Wuxi County, which I instructed to be delivered urgently. It shouldn't be delayed. We haven't received any calls from Wuxi County. Should we call them to inquire?"

Ma Guangming shook his head and said, "No, give them some time. We called them this morning, so we shouldn't push too hard, as it might create too much pressure, which could lead to mistakes. If they haven't called by tomorrow morning, we'll see."

Zhang Xing said, "Mayor Ma, I have compiled some specific data on the large and small coal mines in Wuxi County, especially those around Tieling Coal Mine. They are being printed and bound. Do you want to review them now?"

Ma Guangming nodded and said, "Bring them to me as soon as they are ready..."

As Zhang Xing left, Ma Guangming watched his back and decided not to confront him for now. After some consideration, he called Deputy Public Security Bureau Chief Lu Hongguang and asked him to secretly investigate Zhang Xing's background...

Du Long had dinner at home and then went out with a bag. He took a bus to the entrance of Cuilake Park and squatted there, watching the passersby, just like he did two days ago.

The agreed time with Mayor Ma had passed, but he still hadn't seen Mayor Ma's representative. Du Long checked his watch and began to worry, as he had plans to watch a movie with his girlfriend later and didn't want to be delayed.

Suddenly, someone kicked Du Long's buttocks. Du Long turned around and saw Mayor Ma standing behind him. Mayor Ma was wearing large sunglasses and a small mustache on his lip. Du Long stood up and extended his hand, saying, "Mayor Ma..."

Mayor Ma interrupted him, "Call me Uncle Ma. Come, I'll take you to a place."

Du Long nodded and obediently called him Uncle Ma. Soon, Mayor Ma led Du Long to an elegant teahouse inside Cuilake Park. The park was festively lit and bustling with tourists, so Mayor Ma was not worried about being recognized.

Mayor Ma was still very cautious and had Du Long book a private room. The two sat in a room overlooking the lake, where the water rippled and a cool breeze blew, seemingly dispelling some of their worries.

After the server left, Du Long immediately pushed the bag on the table toward Mayor Ma and said, "Uncle Ma, everything is in here."

Mayor Ma was surprised by Du Long's willingness to hand over the items, which made him suspicious. Du Long seemed to notice his doubt and said, "Uncle Ma, are you worried that I secretly made copies to use as leverage against you?"

Mayor Ma chuckled and said, "Isn't that the case?"

Du Long laughed and said, "I'm not that foolish. Honestly, when I saw that the person in the photos was you, I regretted getting involved. How could I keep such incriminating evidence? The photos, USB drive, and hard drive are all here. You can do whatever you want with them. This matter has nothing to do with me anymore."

Mayor Ma looked deeply at Du Long and said, "I believe you, but... how do I know that Shen Yujie and Zhang Xing don't have copies?"