Chapter 1773
Shu Xue came back with the meals, put them down, and then left.
"What’s with that sly smile?" Wu Qiangwei’s delicate eyebrows raised as she picked up her chopsticks and asked, "Tell me, why did you want to meet me?"
"Let’s eat first, we can talk afterwards."
It had been a long time since Song Guanchao had lunch with her.
Wu Qiangwei’s appetite remained small; she was full after only eating half of her meal.
Song Guanchao finished his own meal and then grabbed hers, cleaning it out as well.
After eating and drinking his fill, Song Guanchao picked up a teacup, rinsed his mouth, and said, "The position at the Judicial Bureau is about to open up."
Wu Qiangwei pondered for a moment and asked, "Have you found evidence?"
"No," Song Guanchao replied, "but the Lin Family will find it."
"The Lin Family?"
"If the Lin Family doesn’t want Lin He to be identified as the arsonist, they’ll work hard to find evidence."
Wu Qiangwei understood what he meant.
"You should start looking for a suitable candidate soon," Song Guanchao stood up and started cleaning up the lunch boxes.
Wu Qiangwei said, "It won’t be easy to get it approved at the Standing Committee."
With a confident smile, Song Guanchao said, "Don’t worry, Secretary Zhou and the others will support you for sure."
Wu Qiangwei looked at him with confusion. Song Guanchao said, "The mastermind behind this arson case is Su Rong. The last thing Leader Hong and then Secretary Zhou want is for this to blow up. But whether it does or not, that’s up to me to decide."
"If they don’t offer enough benefits, I won’t let it go easily."
Wu Qiangwei suddenly realized she hadn’t thought of leveraging this situation.
After seriously thinking for a few seconds, she said, "What about Xiao Chenlei?"
"Him?" Song Guanchao thought for a moment and nodded, "He’s a good candidate."
Xiao Chenlei originally wanted to become district chief, but Song Guanchao had already reserved that position, leaving him no opportunity.
Being the head of the Judicial Bureau compared to Xiao Chenlei’s current role as executive deputy district chief, the development prospects might not necessarily be better for him.
But Song Guanchao believed Xiao Chenlei would definitely not refuse.
It’s simple; the choice for district chief is determined by Song Guanchao.
Once Fu Ying is in position, everything in the High-tech Zone Government must prioritize Fu Ying, and neither Song Guanchao nor Wu Qiangwei will allow any dissenting voices in the district government.
This means Xiao Chenlei will have to keep a low profile in the High-tech Zone moving forward.
If he dares to pull any tricks, Song Guanchao won’t let him off.
Under such circumstances, transferring to the Judicial Bureau is actually the best choice for him.
"Go and talk to him then," Wu Qiangwei said.
Song Guanchao knew she was giving him the favor.
He set down the lunch box, walked around the table, and approached her.
Seeing him get so close, Wu Qiangwei looked flustered, "What are you doing..."
Song Guanchao bent over, pressed her against the chair, and kissed her hard, leaving no room for resistance.
He only let go when she was about to suffocate.
In a few short seconds, Wu Qiangwei’s face turned so red it could bleed, glaring at him in shame and anger, whispering, "If you do this again, I’ll get mad!"
"I was so excited because you’re so good to me," Song Guanchao said with a cheeky smile.
"Hmph! Get out!"
"I’m going out now."
Song Guanchao picked up the lunch box, walked halfway out, then turned back and said, "I’ll come to find you tonight."
"No..."
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Song Guanchao had already pushed the door open. Wu Qiangwei, worried that Shu Xue might hear, swallowed the rest of her words.
...
Lin Jingsheng met Lin He in Director Ma’s office.
Although Lin He was personally involved, he had been unconscious the whole night and learned about the specifics from Song Guanchao.
Therefore, Lin Jingsheng couldn’t believe everything he said.
"What’s going on with the unfreezing of Yanghe Petrochemical’s accounts?"
"I don’t know." Lin He shook his head, "I didn’t do it."
Lin Jingsheng certainly believed him, but the fact that it happened at this particular moment didn’t really matter whether he did it or not.
"You stay in here for now," Lin Jingsheng decided to gather information from multiple sources.
Lin He was hesitant to speak but couldn’t hold back, "Second Uncle, what’s Song Guanchao’s attitude?"
Lin Jingsheng said, "He won’t push it to the brink, but this time, for the Lin Family to get through this crisis, there will inevitably be some cost."
He had a sharp and precise eye for these matters. The fact that Song Guanchao let Lin He call him here voluntarily indicated there was room for negotiation.
It’s just a matter of how it would be negotiated.
Hearing this, Lin He quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
He actually knew that Song Guanchao couldn’t be that ruthless, but he was still worried.
Lin Jingsheng’s words reassured him a bit.
"Second Uncle, I was set up by Song Guanchao this time, and I will never make the same mistake again..."
"We’ll talk about it once you’re out," Lin Jingsheng cut him off, stood up, and said, "Let’s go."
He knew Lin He didn’t want to be abandoned by the family over this incident.
But that wasn’t a decision Lin He could make on his own, nor was it the right time to discuss it.
Lin He opened his mouth, softly said "okay," and followed him out of the office.
The police outside took him away, after which Lin Jingsheng followed Director Ma back into the office to inquire about last night’s situation.
What Director Ma said was not much different from what Song Guanchao and Lin He had described.
After leaving the city bureau, Lin Jingsheng made a few more calls.
The Lin Family also had connections in the city bureau.
Half an hour later, through multiple inquiries, Lin Jingsheng pieced together the details of the previous night’s events.
The key to the arson case lay with Song Guanchao.
If he didn’t relent, Lin He was the arsonist.
To resolve the situation smoothly, they had to address the unfreezing of Yanghe Petrochemical’s accounts as per Song Guanchao’s demands.
He spent an entire afternoon mobilizing the Lin Family’s connections until he finally figured out the general situation.
It was the Judicial Bureau that unfroze the accounts.
On the day the accounts were unfrozen, all the money was immediately transferred.
He obtained the account transfer records from his friends at the bank.
Fifty million was transferred directly to Chairman Fang’s bank account, and the remaining billions were transferred under the guise of equipment procurement.
Understanding the key points, Lin Jingsheng quickly formulated a specific plan in his mind.
He glanced at the time, it was five o’clock.
He called Song Guanchao to confirm he was at the City Government and immediately rushed over.
Meanwhile.
City Committee.
"Secretary Zhou, something has happened," Secretary Pan walked into the office with a tense expression.
"Hmm?"
"The guesthouse caught fire last night."
"What happened?" Zhou Zheng furrowed his brows.
Secretary Pan said, "They say it was arson!"
"They say?" Zhou Zheng responded dissatisfied, "A fire is a big deal, the police didn’t respond? The fire department didn’t respond?"
"There are no response records from the fire department, and as for the police... I can’t get in touch with them at the moment."
"Then keep trying," Zhou Zheng didn’t take it too seriously.
Even in a large provincial capital like Jiangzhou, or even in smaller tier cities, criminal cases occur now and then.
"Secretary Zhou, the inspection team is staying at the guesthouse," Secretary Pan felt Secretary Zhou might have forgotten this fact and softly reminded him.
Zhou Zheng indeed forgot; upon this reminder, he was instantly startled and quickly asked, "Was anyone from the inspection team affected by the fire at the guesthouse?"
Secretary Pan replied, "The room that was set on fire was one occupied by an inspector."
Zhou Zheng’s heart skipped a beat, his lips trembled, and he grabbed his phone to call Liang Jianfeng.
He was very angry!
As the top official in Jiangzhou, such a major incident had occurred, yet no one had informed him!