Anti-gang campaign: Female bureau chief

"The person in charge embezzled."

Jiang Ruolan said,

"This kind of thing can't be done by Fang Xuewen alone; there must be someone higher up involved."

"Yes. Moreover, the registered address of Li Cuilan's company is the same as that of a logistics company under the Fengmao Group."

In other words, Fang Xuewen's wife's company was registered with the help of Fengmao Group, and it is very likely that it is one of Fengmao's shell companies.

If this connection can be confirmed, the transfer of benefits between Fang Xuewen and Shen Wangshan will be a done deal.

Jiang Ruolan quickly jotted down notes in her notebook while asking:

Where is Gu Changhe?

"Gu Changhe is more complicated," Zhou Pei said, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"I used all available channels and found out that Gu Changhe himself does not own any real estate except for a unit housing reform house. His wife is an ordinary cadre at the Municipal Cultural Center and does not own any company."

His bank statements were spotless; all his income was verifiable salary and subsidies. He was practically a blank slate.

"It's so clean," Jiang Ruolan said.

"It's abnormally clean."

"I also felt something was wrong. But if we couldn't find it, we just couldn't find it. However, I found another clue—his son, Gu Mingzhe, runs a company called 'Mingyuan Investment' in the provincial capital."

This company recently got involved in a real estate project, but it's run into serious financial problems and is desperately looking for money.

But just yesterday, a company called "Provincial Capital Xinyuan Investment" suddenly injected 20 million yuan into Gu Mingzhe's project.

I traced the company further down and found that its controlling shareholder was an inconspicuous small trading company in the provincial capital, and the actual controller of that small trading company—" Zhou Pei paused for a moment, "was Qian Shouyi's brother-in-law."

"Qian Shouyi? Shen Wangshan's advisor?"

"It's him. This connects the dots—Shen Wangshan invested 20 million yuan in Gu Changhe's son's company through Qian Shouyi's brother-in-law."

This money, nominally a legitimate investment, is in reality a disguised bribe. Once Gu Changhe's son accepts this money, Gu Changhe will be tied to Shen Wangshan's side.

Jiang Ruolan put down her pen, leaned back in her chair, and let out a long breath. She closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment, then asked:

How reliable is this lead?

"Eighty percent. But I must make it clear to you that this lead cannot be used publicly right now—because the entire financial chain is legal, Xinyuan Investment is a legitimately registered investment company, and Qian Shouyi's brother-in-law has no criminal record."

Unless we can prove there was a quid pro quo behind this investment, we won't stand up in court.

"I know. Let's save this first and wait for more evidence." Jiang Ruolan opened her eyes.

"What about Fang Xuewen? Can we touch his wife's company?"

"That can be done, but we need to choose the right time. If we take action against Fang Xuewen now, it would be tantamount to telling Shen Wangshan how far we've come from our investigation, and he would immediately shut down all avenues."

Jiang Ruolan was silent for a moment, then said:

"Don't touch Fang Xuewen yet, but pull out all the bank statements, tax records, and contracts of his wife's company, and be prepared to close in at any time."

"Understood. Also, I found out about the former principal of Yi An No. 1 Middle School that you asked me to look up."

His name is Zhou Peiwen. Three years ago, he was transferred to the Yi'an City Education Bureau as deputy director. This person had several contacts with Fengmao Group—Fengmao Group donated money and goods to Yi'an No. 1 Middle School every year, ostensibly to support education. In reality, the accounts for these donations were very chaotic, and the whereabouts of several large sums of money were unknown.

I suspect that some of these donations turned into kickbacks and ended up in the pockets of certain individuals.

Who approved Zhou Peiwen's transfer to the position of Deputy Director of the Education Bureau?

"According to regulations, the appointment and removal of cadres by the municipal government requires the signature of the executive vice mayor. If there really is a problem between Zhou Peiwen and Feng Mao, then the person who signed off on his transfer—"

"Gu Changhe," Jiang Ruolan finished the sentence for him.

The two fell silent. The web of Yi'an was being unraveled layer by layer.

With each layer peeled back, what you see is not the light filtering in, but a deeper darkness.

"Ruolan, there's something I want to tell you." Zhou Pei's voice became serious.

"What you've found out now has already reached the core power structure of Yi'an City. Fang Xuewen is the deputy director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and Gu Changhe is the executive vice mayor. If you investigate further, who knows who else might be implicated?"

Be very careful while you're alone in Yi'an. These people are capable of anything when they're desperate.

"I know," Jiang Ruolan said, "but the more it's like this, the more it proves we're on the right track."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Ruolan stood by the window, watching the sunset slowly sink into the gray skyline of Yi'an.

Her palms were pressed against the cold glass, feeling the biting chill spread from her palms to her limbs.

Fang Xuewen—one of Shen Wangshan's protectors within the police station—is the subject of evidence.

The evidence linking Gu Changhe—Shen Wangshan's protector in the political arena—has been initially established.

Shen Wangshan—the source of all this—is struggling desperately, trying to plug all the leaks.

She could see the outline of the whole puzzle, but the most crucial pieces were still missing—Zhao Biao's confession, evidence of direct transfer of benefits between Shen Wangshan and these officials, and that decisive "fatal blow."

Just a little bit more. Just a little bit more.

After dark, Jiang Ruolan drove to the Municipal People's Hospital. Chen Kexin had been transferred to a regular ward and was recovering after surgery with her family.

The girl lay on the hospital bed, pale-faced, her right leg wrapped in thick bandages and secured to a traction frame with several steel nails. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jiang Ruolan, dressed in a police uniform, walk in.

"Are you a policewoman here to catch bad guys?"

Chen Kexin's voice was weak, but her eyes had a clarity unique to a fourteen-year-old girl.

Jiang Ruolan walked to the bedside and gently took the girl's hand:

"Yes. Auntie is here to catch the bad guys."

"My dad said bad guys are very powerful, and no one can catch them." Chen Kexin blinked.

"Can you catch them?"

Jiang Ruolan looked into the girl's eyes, remained silent for several seconds, then leaned down and whispered something in her ear.

The sound was very soft, and only Chen Kexin could hear it.

After listening, a smile appeared on the girl's pale face. She nodded vigorously:

"I trust you."

Jiang Ruolan straightened up, gently patted the girl's hand, and then turned and walked out of the ward.

In the corridor, Chen Desheng caught up, his face bearing a complex expression—a mixture of gratitude and fear.

..............