Chapter 94

Chapter 50: Obedience and the Truth

"Hey, I'm being serious! If you keep fooling around, I'll really get angry!" Xue Xue crossed her arms and said coldly.

She had once again assumed the authoritative demeanor of the county magistrate.

The momentary confusion, like wild grass seeds carried away by the night breeze, swirled in the air and then vanished without a trace.

"The night is long, let's just play around a bit." Li Yi saw that she was not joking, straightened his body, and nodded. "Go on, tell me."

"The problem is, my proposal might not pass in the Standing Committee! In the Standing Committee, I have almost no say. Those people with ulterior motives will stir up trouble even when there's nothing to fuss about, and they can create waves out of nothing. Now that they have this pretext, they'll swarm in and use it to their advantage. I'm afraid that in the end, the real corrupt officials won't be eliminated, but the ones who will suffer are those who don't know how to play the political game." Xue Xue spoke to herself, not caring whether Li Yi was listening or not.

"You can't control the Standing Committee of your county." Li Yi coldly said.

"Don't be modest. I've heard about your past achievements. We're practically close friends now, right? Could you bear not to help me?" Xue Xue turned her head and looked at Li Yi with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"I owe you from my past life, and one kiss that you bit off, and you want me to be your confidant!" Li Yi said, somewhat angrily.

"Who knows, maybe you did owe me in your past life!" Xue Xue suddenly giggled. "Besides, you kissed me first, so you're responsible. I'm a married woman! If my husband ever finds out that I kissed someone else, and he wants a divorce, I'll hold you accountable!"

"..." Li Yi didn't expect that the usually wise and decisive Xue Xue could have such a girlish side.

"I'll do my best!" Li Yi sighed softly in the darkness, feeling as if he had been dragged onto a pirate ship.

The next day, when Li Yi returned to the guesthouse, he was about to report to Shao Guoping, but Shao Guoping informed him that there would be an emergency meeting immediately.

The five members of the investigation team gathered quickly.

Shao Guoping took out a work diary and, with a relaxed expression, smiled. "Comrades, you've all worked hard these past few days, especially Li Yi, who has been running around in the mountains and countryside, very tiring, right?"

Li Yi smiled. "Not at all, it's part of the job." He thought to himself that it wasn't tiring at all, and it was even somewhat pleasant.

Shao Guoping nodded. "After everyone's diligent investigation, the situation is basically clear. Every use of the reservoir funds has been discussed and approved by the Standing Committee of the Lianshui County Party Committee. Some funds were temporarily reallocated, but the Lianshui County government has promised to replenish them as soon as possible. So this issue is no longer an issue."

At this point, Ma Haitao raised his hand to speak, but Shao Guoping gave him a stern look, and he put his hand down and didn't say anything.

Li Yi was surprised. He wondered why Shao Guoping was so eager to wrap up the investigation.

Just as he was thinking, Shao Guoping continued, "As for the specific use of the reservoir project funds, the accounts are clear and transparent. The major shortfall we found was due to the initial design budget not considering the relocation costs, which led to an additional expense of ten million yuan. Another seven to eight million yuan was reallocated by the Lianshui County government for urgent needs, which was also approved by the Standing Committee. I've reviewed the meeting records, and there are no discrepancies. Therefore, our mission is successfully completed! Next, we can conclude the case, and I will write the specific supervision report. Everyone has worked hard, so tonight, we'll relax. The county government office is organizing a dance party, and everyone is welcome to attend and have some fun."

Li Yi couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Director Shao, are we really concluding it here?"

"Of course! We've clarified everything, so why not conclude it? What, do you want to stay in Lianshui longer?" Shao Guoping said in a relaxed tone.

Li Yi took out his work diary and handed it to Shao Guoping. "Director Shao, please take a careful look at these materials! All the content is based on my personal visits and investigations, and all the materials are true."

Shao Guoping took the materials and quickly flipped through them before closing them.

Li Yi asked, "What do you think, Director Shao? After seeing this, do you still think the matter is that simple?"

Shao Guoping picked up a cigarette from the ashtray, and Ma Haitao immediately stood up to light it for him.

Shao Guoping took a few puffs and smiled. "Do you have any questions?"

Ma Haitao and Fan Siyu both nodded and then shook their heads.

Ouyang Jinxuan said, "Director Shao, according to our understanding, the flow of the reservoir funds is not that simple."

Shao Guoping stopped her from continuing, a bitter smile on his face. He tapped the ash off his cigarette and said, "Do you know what is most important to us as supervisors?"

Li Yi said, "The truth!"

Shao Guoping said, "I ask you, are you all party cadres?"

"Yes!" everyone replied in unison.

"Then, will you follow the instructions of the higher party leadership?"

"Yes!" The response was somewhat reluctant, but it was the truth.

Shao Guoping's face was hidden in the smoke, and he said, "We are not lawyers or forensic experts. We don't need the truth; we just need the approval of our leaders!"

Everyone fell silent.

Shao Guoping continued, "We received a call from the provincial level, instructing us to conclude the case."

Li Yi slapped his hand on the sofa and said loudly, "I disagree!"

Shao Guoping looked at him coldly. "I am in charge of this mission, and I will write the conclusion! The decision has already been made by the leadership and cannot be changed! I called this meeting to inform you, not to discuss it with you."

Li Yi snatched the diary from his hand, stood up, and said, "As a party member, I will not allow this to happen! I will report to the higher authorities separately!"

Shao Guoping stood up angrily and said loudly, "Li Yi! Watch your words! Do you still have party spirit? Do you still have organizational discipline?"

Li Yi's eyes showed deep disappointment as he looked at Shao Guoping and shook his head. "Director Shao, I thought you were different from others, but I was wrong." He turned and left.

Shao Guoping saw Li Yi's disappointment but did not explain.

In the political arena, one's actions are often beyond one's control.

Could he disobey the orders from above? Especially when the person giving the orders was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Shao Guoping felt drained of all strength and weakly waved his hand. "Dismissed!"

The other three exchanged glances and, being rational, remained silent as they left the room one by one.

Shao Guoping lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

As an experienced supervisor, he saw the truth more clearly than anyone else. By the third day in Lianshui, he had basically figured out the general direction of the funds.

However, the flow of these funds involved a large number of people, not just a few cadres in Lianshui County, but also some leaders in Xizhou City and even some high-ranking officials in the province.

He was just a small section chief, and although he had the authority to supervise, he did not dare to make decisions on his own. He had to report to his direct superior, the director of the provincial water supervision office.

A few days later, he received the instruction to proceed as directed.

What could he do? Could he dare to defy the higher authorities?

Li Yi, I'm sorry!

One must learn to be flexible and to grow.

---

---

As a seasoned supervisor, he saw the truth more clearly than anyone else. By the third day in Lianshui, he had basically figured out the general direction of the funds.

However, the flow of these funds involved a large number of people, not just a few cadres in Lianshui County, but also some leaders in Xizhou City and even some high-ranking officials in the province.

He was just a small section chief, and although he had the authority to supervise, he did not dare to make decisions on his own. He had to report to his direct superior, the director of the provincial water supervision office.

A few days later, he received the instruction to proceed as directed.

What could he do? Could he dare to defy the higher authorities?

Li Yi, I'm sorry!

One must learn to be flexible and to grow.