Chapter 1774
Looking at the call from Zhou Zheng, Mayor Liang didn’t find it unexpected, he pressed the answer key and held it to his ear: "Secretary Zhou."
"Mayor Liang, I heard the guest house caught fire last night?" Zhou Zheng controlled his emotions and asked.
"Yes, that’s what happened."
"The incident involves the surveillance team, why wasn’t it reported?"
"I reported it to Mayor Wu." Using a rhetorical tone, Mayor Liang narrated, as if questioning why he needed to report it to him?
This tone made Zhou Zheng pause for a moment.
Mayor Liang, a Vice Mayor concurrently serving as Public Security Bureau Chief, indeed there was no strict rule that requires direct reporting to him.
Zhou Zheng was blocked and couldn’t speak for a moment, and his already dissatisfied mood continued to worsen.
He took the phone away from his ear, adjusted his emotions slightly, and said, "Tell me about last night’s situation."
Mayor Liang narrated the situation of the big fire last night in a straightforward manner without any concealment.
Although Secretary Pan had already informed him it was intentional arson, hearing confirmation from Mayor Liang made him uncontrollably uneasy.
He didn’t continue to engage in idle talk with Mayor Liang and hung up the phone to call Wu Qiangwei.
He needed to understand what Wu Qiangwei planned to do.
With such a serious problem, if not handled well, the impact would be beyond what he, as City Secretary, could bear.
"Secretary Zhou, anything the matter?"
"Wu Qiang..." Zhou Zheng was about to reprimand but calmed down instantly, reminding himself now was not the time for impulse.
"Mayor Wu, I heard someone set fire at the guest house, is this true?"
"The matter is quite complex and is still under investigation."
"Mayor Wu, let’s hold a meeting to discuss this thoroughly, such matters have to be handled cautiously."
"It’s too late today, let’s do it tomorrow."
"..." Zhou Zheng clenched his teeth until they almost shattered.
This serious matter, and it has to be delayed until tomorrow?
If there’s no conclusion today, he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
"Today’s matters should be settled today, just today! You come over immediately, I’ll notify the other Standing Committee members, it’s settled." Zhou Zheng domineeringly hung up the call.
Wu Qiangwei chuckled, the more anxious Zhou Zheng was, the stronger the hand she held.
She called Song Guanchao: "I need to go to the City Committee, how are things on your side?"
"Almost done," Song Guanchao said: "Should be resolved before the end of the working day."
"Contact me in time."
"Alright."
Wu Qiangwei stood up and walked out of the office: "To the City Committee."
...
About a quarter hour after Wu Qiangwei left, Lin Jingsheng came.
"How’s Lin He?" Song Guanchao asked concernedly.
"In good spirits," Lin Jingsheng said: "The problem with Yanghe Petrochemical, the Lin Family will resolve."
He came straight to the point.
Song Guanchao looked at him, waiting for him to state the solution.
Lin Jingsheng said: "We will submit simultaneous reports to the Central Disciplinary Inspection Committee and the City Disciplinary Inspection Committee, requesting the Disciplinary Committee comrades to detain all shareholders and Executive Director Fang Yan of Yanghe Petrochemical."
"At the same time, request the relevant departments to freeze all corporate and personal accounts under their names, and investigate their bank transactions thoroughly, freezing all accounts related to the case."
"Moreover, through legal channels, forcibly transfer back the funds that were moved."
Song Guanchao asked just one question: "What if the money in their accounts isn’t enough?"
Lin Jingsheng said: "The Lin Family will cover the deficit."
"Good." Song Guanchao admired him a bit, he already made a plan in such a short time and had the audacity for it.
He had complaints about Lin He, and consequently about the Lin Family, but Lin Jingsheng’s performance made him change his view about the Lin Family slightly.
Seeing Song Guanchao agreed, Lin Jingsheng felt relieved and added: "Additionally, there is one more issue."
"Hmm?"
"Regarding the projects of shutting down and transferring management, I hope they can be entrusted to the Lin Family."
Song Guanchao squinted his eyes, the smile on his face was quickly disappearing.
"Please don’t misunderstand, Director Song." Lin Jingsheng explained: "The Lin Family will offer a solution that both the City Committee and Municipal Government, and Director Song will be satisfied with. We’ll talk once you see the plan’s details."
Song Guanchao pondered: "Okay."
The initiative was in his hands now, if Lin Jingsheng dared to bring this matter up at such a time, he must have confidence in convincing him.
He wanted to see what conditions Lin Jingsheng could offer.
"Also, please, Director Song, contact Secretary Bao of the Disciplinary Committee, and the department of Industry and Commerce Taxation."
With the Lin Family’s influence in Jiangzhou, they could avoid such trouble by going through Song Guanchao.
The reason for doing so was merely to adhere to the procedures.
Song Guanchao nodded, called Bao Qi.
Bao Qi, not aware of the arson incident, felt inexplicable upon receiving the call.
But upon hearing it’s reported by the Lin Family, he immediately took it seriously: "I need to go to the City Committee for a meeting later, so contact Secretary Tan."
"Alright." Song Guanchao then called Tan Miao, asking him to come directly.
Then, he called the heads of Industry and Commerce Taxation, getting them to come as well.
On the other side.
Wu Qiangwei arrived at the City Committee.
The suddenly summoned Standing Committee members knew something was definitely up, otherwise, they wouldn’t be notified for a meeting suddenly when the day was almost over.
When everyone was present, Zhou Zheng said gravely: "Last night, the guest house where the surveillance team stayed, caught fire."
"What?"
Even Wang Jinming, usually calm, was shocked to the core by this sudden news.
"Let’s have Mayor Wu narrate the specific situation to everyone."
Wu Qiangwei said: "The cause of the fire is still under investigation, it’s uncertain whether it was intentional arson or accidental ignition."
Zhou Zheng was evidently dissatisfied with her somewhat perfunctory description.
He wanted to get a definite update from Wu Qiangwei.
"Were there any injuries?" Wang Jinming asked.
"No."
"Does the surveillance team know about this incident?"
"They do." Wu Qiangwei said: "The room that caught fire was the same room occupied by Surveillance Officer Su Rong."
"What!" This statement shocked everyone again.
The fire directly tied in with the surveillance team.
They weren’t naive children. If it was just an accident, Zhou Zheng wouldn’t have called them for a meeting specifically about this.
It’s likely that it really was arson.
"Mayor Wu, has the police investigated? Have they caught any suspicious persons?" Deputy Secretary Lv Jie asked.
Wu Qiangwei said: "There are two suspects, Lin He and Su Rong."
Lin He...
Those present weren’t unfamiliar with this name.
Especially Sun Jiajun.
It was Lin He who helped him to rise from Xuzhou to Jiangzhou.
He couldn’t believe Lin He would become a suspect in an arson case!
The others also couldn’t understand.
And the other suspect, "Su Rong," wasn’t unfamiliar either, as Wu Qiangwei mentioned just seconds ago that the room owner was named Su Rong.
People like Wang Jinming who had keen insights had some speculations, but lacked enough information to piece together the full situation.
Lv Jie asked: "Mayor Wu, is there more detailed information?"