Chapter 1834
The moment the police left the interrogation room, they called the director.
"Won’t confess?" The director sneered, "Get the evidence ready and prosecute directly."
No matter if you are an official, in Maqu County, if you are a dragon, you have to coil, if you are a tiger, you have to lie down.
...
Liang Jiajia slept restlessly, even though she knew Song Guanchao wouldn’t be in trouble, she couldn’t help worrying.
At around six o’clock, when the sky started to lighten, she woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep.
She held on until nine o’clock before she immediately called Leader Hong from the inspection team.
She was worried that Leader Hong might not answer a call from an unfamiliar number like hers.
Yet, the phone connected after only a couple of rings.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, Leader Hong, my name is Liang Jiajia..."
Realizing she was Song Guanchao’s girlfriend, Leader Hong paid a bit more attention, "Is something wrong?"
"Song Guanchao was arrested, he said if he got caught, I should contact you immediately." Liang Jiajia felt anxious, while Leader Hong’s tone was calm; she wasn’t sure about the relationship between the two.
"Arrested?" Leader Hong seemed slightly surprised, "What’s going on?"
Liang Jiajia succinctly recounted the events.
After listening, Leader Hong had a grasp of the situation and said, "I’ll send you my email shortly, send me the relevant evidence."
"Okay, thank you, Leader Hong."
"You’re welcome, don’t worry, Director Song won’t be in trouble."
Just before hanging up, he reassured Liang Jiajia specially.
Then, she called Lin Wanqiu.
Upon hearing the caller announce their identity, Lin Wanqiu’s heart skipped a beat, fearing that Liang Jiajia knew about her relationship with Song Guanchao and had come to confront her.
Once Liang Jiajia finished speaking, Lin Wanqiu understood what it was about.
"I understand." Lin Wanqiu didn’t say much, afraid that Liang Jiajia would detect something from her reaction.
After two phone calls, Liang Jiajia still felt a void inside.
But there wasn’t much she could do except wait quietly.
"Knock, knock." Someone was at the door.
Liang Jiajia went to open it; it was Wei Li again.
"The matter here is over, we need to head back." Wei Li spoke coldly.
"Understood." Liang Jiajia wanted to stay, but she knew she had done everything possible, staying wouldn’t solve the problem.
Besides, she had to return for duty.
She sent the relevant evidence to Leader Hong and Lin Wanqiu, and then went back to Beijing with the team.
...
After reviewing the case thoroughly, Leader Hong had a comprehensive and detailed understanding.
He pondered with his chin resting on his hand, his brows furrowing slowly.
This case is quite tricky.
It involves public officials and spans multiple provinces.
He hesitated over whether to repay Song Guanchao the favor.
That Song Guanchao was able to reach him meant he was out of options.
If he doesn’t help, Song Guanchao’s fate is predictable.
To help or not to help, that was the question.
After much thought, Leader Hong decided to first investigate the other party’s background.
If their background is strong, he’ll pretend he never received the call.
If it’s within his capability to handle, then he’ll help and return the favor.
"Director Li, hehe, Happy New Year..."
Leader Hong called a friend at the organization department, exchanged pleasantries, and then casually mentioned the Party Secretary of Rongcheng Town, Maqu County.
"Liu Hua Yong, right?" Director Li did know the person.
"Yes, that’s him." Leader Hong asked, "What’s the background of Secretary Liu?"
"He has a brother who serves as a deputy director at Fengcheng District’s Public Security Bureau."
"Wow, not average, huh."
"Hey, this is Beijing, a deputy director doesn’t count as anything special." Director Li was quite shrewd, not at all curious about why Leader Hong was inquiring.
Leader Hong kept it brief; after learning through the grapevine, he had a short chat and then hung up.
A deputy director at a district bureau, manageable, not beyond his ability.
But from what Liang Jiajia implied, Song Guanchao seemed to want him to help overturn the case.
Overturning a case is never easy.
It means offending people.
The most crucial point is that even after offending people, the case might not get overturned.
After the New Year, he’s going to Beijing to serve in a key role at the Disciplinary Inspection Commission.
With his imminent appointment, he had no desire to offend anyone.
Balancing the situation carefully, he decided to act as a mediator and get Song Guanchao out.
He wouldn’t touch the case itself.
Returning a favor shouldn’t necessitate doing two things; even if Song Guanchao felt dissatisfied, there wasn’t much he could say.
...
Lin Wanqiu had also finished reviewing the case information; she understood Song Guanchao better than most people, instantly realizing what he intended upon learning the truth.
But she alone, a reporter, couldn’t overturn the case.
It’s beyond her capability, but someone else could do it.
She found Jiang Wangshan’s number and called without any hesitation.
These people would be eager for Song Guanchao to find them for a favor. If they knew he needed help, they’d set everything aside to address the matter first.
"Director Jiang..."
"Why are you calling me Director Jiang, are we not close?"
Jiang Wangshan pretended to be upset, interrupting her. Lin Wanqiu sighed internally, "Brother Jiang, Happy New Year."
"Same to you." Jiang Wangshan then chuckled, "Did you encounter some issue? Tell me about it, I’ll fix it properly."
He was well aware that Lin Wanqiu wouldn’t contact him unless something was up.
"Yes, there’s something I need your help with, it’s about Song Guanchao..."
Upon hearing about Song Guanchao, Jiang Wangshan’s attention sharpened, listening intently without missing a word. He immediately said, "Leave this matter to me. Since he asked you to go and interview at Maqu County first, you go ahead... Oh, I’ll have a couple of people accompany you for protection. If there’s any progress on my side, I’ll contact you."
"No need, I can go on my own..."
"Don’t argue with me on this; your safety must be ensured. If anything happens to you, Guanchao will blame me. It’s settled." Jiang Wangshan insisted, hanging up the phone and then calling Mayor Chen, Beijing’s Vice Mayor.
Mayor Chen’s son, Chen Haoran, got along well with his brother-in-law Jiang He.
A couple of years ago, it was them, among the other second-generation elites, who offended Song Guanchao in Beijing.
But because of that event, he connected with Mayor Chen.
"Mayor Chen, Happy New Year."
"Hehe, Happy New Year." Mayor Chen pondered, he had received New Year’s wishes on the first already, why was there another call today?
There must be something up.
"Mayor Chen, there’s an issue I’d like to report."
"Go ahead."
"Song Guanchao has been arrested."
"Hmm? Tell me more." Mayor Chen’s interest piqued instantly.
A few minutes later, after Jiang Wangshan finished briefing, Mayor Chen said, "I’ll check out the background of that town’s party secretary."
𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Mayor Chen directly called a deputy minister at the organization department; although it involved crossing provinces, the two locations were close, and officials frequently interacted.
If this Secretary Liu had connections in Beijing, the organization department would surely know.
Even if they didn’t know, the organization department could find out.
Mayor Chen guessed the other party likely wouldn’t be aware; no matter how close, a town’s party secretary is of a too-low rank to be visible at their level.
Sure enough, after hearing the name, the deputy minister said he didn’t recognize it, offering to look into it.
A few minutes later, the investigation was complete.
"Liu Huarui from Fengcheng District bureau is Liu’s brother."
"Whose man is Liu Huarui?"
"Cough." The deputy minister coughed lightly and said, "I’ve heard he was promoted by Mayor Yang."
"Yang Yansong?"
"Yes."
"Got it."
As he was about to hang up, the deputy minister asked, "Mayor Chen, what did this Director Liu’s brother do?"