Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

After Tian Guofu finished speaking, the conference room fell into an eerie silence.

Zhao Lichun sat in the main seat and completely ignored Tian Guofu's remarks.

"Comrade Guofu, I understand your feelings. We must not be lenient in the fight against corruption."

Zhao Lichun spoke in an official tone, his voice steady and measured.

"but!"

He emphasized his words and tapped his palm lightly on the table twice.

"Arresting people is easy, convicting them is easy, but what about the consequences after the arrest? Have you considered that?"

"Who is Ding Yizhen? He's the vice mayor of Jingzhou City and the chief commander of the Guangming Peak project!"

Zhao Lichun tapped the table with his finger, getting more and more excited as he spoke, completely displaying a heartbroken and indignant demeanor.

"It's not that we don't want to make arrests, but we need to be careful about the methods and approaches. Making such a big show of it definitely won't work."

"If word gets out, what will the outside world think of Handong? What will those overseas investors who bring in real money think?"

"What about the investment environment in Handong? What about the overall economic development?"

What a huge hat!

This elevates the issue of corruption targeting individuals to the level of the entire province's economic lifeline.

That's Zhao Lichun's shrewdness.

Lincheng Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhou Guichun immediately responded.

"Secretary Lichun is right!"

"We need to be careful in handling cases. Arresting people so crudely would cause unrest in Handong!"

"Lincheng now has many foreign-invested enterprises, and what they value most is policy continuity and the stability of officials. If such a big mess happens in Jingzhou, what will happen to the development of us prefecture-level cities if this trend spreads down?"

With him taking the lead, several Standing Committee members who were close to Zhao Yi also nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we can't be too hasty."

"The overall economic situation is of paramount importance."

Liu Changchun sat opposite them, listening to their chanting, and sneered inwardly.

"Secretary Lichun, merits are merits, and demerits are demerits! Merits cannot be used as a get-out-of-jail-free card!"

"It is precisely because Ding Yizhen is in charge of such an important project as Guangming Peak that if something serious happens to him, it will be the greatest damage to Handong's economy!"

"The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's report is crystal clear, in black and white, that a huge sum of money is involved! If we keep arguing like this, what if the suspect gets wind of it and runs away? Who will take responsibility then?"

Tian Guofu also refused to back down.

"Fighting corruption is for better development. Ignoring the problem will only allow the cancer to rot inside!"

The two sides clashed directly at the Standing Committee meeting.

Zhao Lichun crossed his hands and placed them under his chin.

"Comrade Changchun, don't be impatient."

"Since you say the evidence is conclusive, let's go through the procedures properly."

"The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's instructions were issued through the provincial procuratorate. I'd like to ask, were the provincial procuratorate's procedures for assistance complete? Was it reported to the provincial party committee standing committee in advance?"

Zhao Lichun started nitpicking.

"besides!"

Zhao Lichun flicked his finger and pointed it directly at Li Dakang's nose.

"Comrade Dakang! How did you become the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City?"

"A provincial-level official and a vice mayor in our province accepted bribes! Our provincial party committee was unaware of this, your municipal party committee was unaware, so how did the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection find out first?"

"Ding Yizhen is a soldier under you, Li Dakang! He's a cadre you personally promoted! He's the Guangmingfeng commander you vouched for at this Standing Committee meeting!"

"Now that he's in trouble, why aren't you, Li Dakang, saying a word!"

Li Dakang was staring down at the teacup in front of him.

Zhao Lichun fired off a barrage of questions, putting Li Dakang in a very difficult position.

Li Dakang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Zhao Lichun, don't you know whose front man Ding Yizhen really is? Do you want me, Li Dakang, to take the blame?

no way!

Li Dakang straightened his back.

"Secretary Lichun! You can't say that!"

Li Dakang shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Ding Yizhen is indeed the vice mayor of Jingzhou, but he is also a provincial-level cadre! His appointment was approved by the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department!"

"He's been using various pretexts to attract investment, but we'll have to investigate to find out exactly who he's been contacting!"

"I, Li Dakang, have authority over everything, but do you think I can control where Ding Yizhen goes to defecate?!"

Li Dakang was really anxious, and he even swore.

"If he has any problems, I will absolutely not cover it up! I wholeheartedly support the prosecutor's office arresting him! He should be executed!"

Li Dakang was eager to sever ties with Ding Yizhen, and his statement was extremely decisive.

Zhao Lichun wasn't annoyed when he saw that Li Dakang wasn't responding; he had only wanted to muddy the waters in the first place.

"Comrade Dakang, your attitude is problematic. No matter what, you also bear leadership responsibility."

Zhao Lichun continued his half-hearted, half-hearted nagging.

For the next hour or so...

Zhao Lichun kept harping on the procedures one minute, and then demanded that the Discipline Inspection Commission produce substantive documents the next.

Zhao Lichun looked up at the clock on the wall.

Zhao Lichun sneered inwardly, then clutched his abdomen tightly with both hands.

All the Standing Committee members turned their attention to this.

"Secretary Lichun, what's wrong?" Zhou Guichun quickly leaned over to ask.

Zhao Lichun waved his hand, a few drops of sweat squeezing out from his forehead.

"I've fallen back into my old habits. Everyone, I'm really sorry."

"Let's discuss this further and finalize the details."

"I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back."

After saying that, Zhao Lichun clutched his stomach and, amidst the varied gazes of everyone, slowly made his way out of the conference room.

Outside the conference room.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Bai, the secretary who had been waiting in the corridor, immediately went to greet them.

They walked quickly toward the restroom at the end of the corridor, one after the other.

The tap was turned on full blast. The surging water crashed against the bottom of the pristine white ceramic basin, splashing everywhere. The roar of the water was enough to drown out any whisper.

Zhao Lichun leaned against the washbasin, looking at his grayish-white reflection in the mirror.

He took out his phone and made a call.

"Dad! What's wrong so late?" The environment across the street was initially very noisy, with music and women's laughter, but then there was a burst of hurried footsteps, and the surroundings immediately fell into extreme silence. Zhao Ruilong appeared anxious and uneasy.

Zhao Lichun leaned closer to the receiver and lowered his voice.

"Ding Yizhen has been exposed. Use all available resources to help him leave the country! Or make him disappear."

A series of rapid gasps came from the other end of the phone.

"Understood!" Zhao Ruilong replied readily.

The call was immediately cut off. Zhao Lichun used his fingernails to pry open the back cover of the phone and pulled out the small metal card. He pinched the edge of the plastic piece with two fingers and folded it forcefully. With two soft snaps, the card broke into several pieces of scrap.

He casually tossed the wreckage into the toilet and flushed.

The powerful whirlpool churned and swallowed the fragments of evidence deep into the sewers.

Zhao Lichun grabbed two paper towels and gently dried the water droplets between his fingers. He smoothed his shirt collar in front of the mirror, pushed open the bathroom door, and strode back to the conference room.

……

Luxury suite on the top floor of the Bright Peak Hotel.

Ding Yizhen held a glass of Bordeaux red wine, his tie hanging loosely around his neck, his plump face glowing red.

Several foreign businessmen raised their wine glasses and echoed the sentiments, bringing the banquet to a climax.

Just then, the door to the private room was slowly pushed open. The driver, crouching low, quickly walked behind Ding Yizhen and handed her a cell phone that was vibrating wildly.

Ding Yizhen picked up the phone with an impatient look on her face. Seeing the number on the screen, she quickly stood up, walked to the corner of the private room, and pressed the answer button.

Gao Xiaoqin's soft, anxious voice came through.

"You're being watched. Young Master Zhao has made arrangements. Go directly to the airport."

The call was abruptly ended. Ding Yizhen's entire body trembled, and the effects of the alcohol wore off completely.

Ding Yizhen stuffed his phone into his pocket, forced a smile like that of Maitreya Buddha, walked back to the dining table, and raised his glass.

"Everyone, I'm so sorry. Tomorrow, Governor Liu will personally hear a special report on the Guangming Peak Phase II project, and I have to rush back to the Municipal Party Committee to prepare materials. This toast is on my behalf. Please excuse me!"