ry.As he extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, Liu Lan tapped lightly on the table with a finger while lost in thought, muttering softly, "Zeng Quanming..."The personnel appointment for Zeng Quan...Chapter 94: The Third Day

Su Cen and Zhao Gujun met at eight in the morning. Zhao Gujun carried a bamboo basket, then dragged Su Cen into a breakfast restaurant. They each ordered a large bowl of beef rice noodles and put the buns on the table. With one hand, he picked up one and said, "Come on, eat!"

Zhao Lijun was tall at 1.8 meters with a robust build. Though not in uniform, he was quite eye-catching. It seemed that this breakfast place was often visited by him because the boss who served them noodles had a friendly expression. "Chief Zhao, good morning! Your nephew"

Zhao Lijun glanced at Su Cen with a mischievous look and said, "Yes, my nephew!"

In the police force, Zhao Lijun was someone who could be described as having three faces. He appeared fierce when dealing with criminals, but his attitude towards subordinates varied; one face was warm like that of a party committee secretary, and another resembled Gou Jun or Yang Daoyuan, full of street-smart charm and righteousness. Compared to others, he restrained himself somewhat around Su Cen.

"You told me yesterday that you had something important to say. What is it" Zhao Lijun stuffed a bun into his mouth and asked through the gap.

Zhao Lijun seemed to have stayed up late last night as there were bloodshot veins in his eyes. His understanding of Su Cen stemmed from the Star Sea Square fraud case, and he occasionally heard some vague information about him from Zeng Quanming. Zhao Lijun was surprised that Su Cen could converse confidently with the leader of a fraud gang during an interrogation but remained merely astonished without any disregard for age like Wang Bo or Lin Guozhou.

Therefore, when facing Zhao Lijun, Su Cen had to get straight to the point. "Uncle Zhao, do you believe that Secretary Wang Bo took bribes and helped a major embezzler transfer illicit funds Is he an important participant in the case involving Inspector Zhang Zhimao"

Zhao Lijun was stunned, "What are you talking about"

"Don't ask me why I say this. First tell me what your opinion is."

Zhao Lijun didn't take offense to Su Cen's counter-questioning. "Secretary Wang is only under isolated review by the special task force as part of routine investigation procedures. Believe that justice will be served for Secretary Wang."

"Uncle Zhao, this time when Secretary Wang is placed under isolated review, he has likely already been convicted. You know that this case can't be separated from Liu Cheng and Jin Donghai's involvement. The secretary in charge of the Zhang Zhimao case suddenly changed his testimony to accuse Wang Bo of assisting Zhang Zhimao with large-scale money transfers while profiting from it. Without Liu Cheng pushing behind the scenes, how could a key piece of testimony change at the last minute How could such serious accusations be made against Wang Bo"

Mentioning Liu Cheng caused Zhao Lijun to frown. As a standing member of the provincial Party committee's Political and Legal Affairs Commission, he was somewhat wary due to his superior status. "Little Su, I know you're sharp-minded, but this statement is rather extreme. If you understand that Secretary Liu from the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission has no connection with Secretary Wang Bo, why would he treat him like this Furthermore, using such radical methods distorts facts, fabricates evidence, and frames a state official. This carries severe legal consequences. Could Liu Cheng really break the law knowingly"

These words were more for Zhao Lijun to clarify his own doubts than an explanation to Su Cen.

Su Cen smiled. "Uncle Zhao, you work in public safety. I want to ask you this: Behind Jinhui Nightclub and the Iron Mine, is there a shadowy background Is there any protection from within the police force or government agencies Why did Secretary Wang Bo secretly instruct you to investigate something If Secretary Wang was framed and taken down, who will be next Could it possibly be you"

Su Cen was certain that when Wang Bo served as Director of the Provincial Government Office, he had some information about Liu Cheng. However, these were not decisive pieces of evidence. That's why he asked Zhao Lijun to secretly investigate. This was a counterattack, hoping to dig out Liu Cheng through the shadowy background behind Jinhui Nightclub. Wang Bo cultivated Zhao Lijun within the police system, quietly building up strength for a comeback, but Liu Cheng struck back first.

Su Cen also knew that after Wang Bo fell, Zhao Lijun would likely be the next target of Jin Donghai's crackdown because they didn't know what Zhao Lijun had discovered. The only way was to suppress him. Su Cen subtly hinted at this to Zhao Lijun.

Zhao Lijun narrowed his eyes, and his unkempt appearance improved slightly. "Jinhui Nightclub has branches in every city across the province. Many cities are wary of it, so if someone says this nightclub is clean, who would believe them But when local police investigate here, they always stop short. For many shocking reports from whistleblowers, their conclusion is 'no evidence found.' If this nightclub's real protector is at the provincial level or even within our judicial system, then it makes sense. Even with these facts in hand, who dares to expose them!"

"But someone decided to expose it anyway. This person was then involved in a bribery case and swiftly isolated. When you put all this together, it's quite logical!"

Although Su Cen smiled, and the breakfast place gradually filled with morning light outside the window, Zhao Lijun felt something stuck in his heart, as if dark clouds were gathering rapidly overhead. "Secretary Wang is a good person. He often told me to do something beneficial for the people. He doesn't believe that heaven has no justice; this remains the world of the Communist Party and one where our forebears shed blood and made countless sacrifices to win. What he does must account to his elders. How could such a person be involved in large-scale embezzlement or bribery!"

Seeing Zhao Lijun agitated, Su Cen knew it was time. He passed the envelope on the table to Zhao Lijun. "Uncle Zhao, I believe that heaven is ultimately fair, and no one can change this fact. You should know who should receive what's inside."

Zhao Lijun opened the envelope with some doubt and pulled out photos. After examining them closely and seeing through Su Cen’s perspective as a passerby Liu Cheng throwing money into the pond, Zhao Lijun was stunned.

If these photos were true and they confirmed large amounts of cash in the pond, he knew what this meant: The entire province would be shaken by this photo. His shock now didn’t matter much; many people likely felt the same.

The most critical point was that Liu Cheng's possession of such a massive fortune as a high-ranking official implied how wide-ranging his influence and corruption were, affecting how many people.

Zhao Lijun also knew that things would be difficult if he didn’t know about this photo. Now, having seen it with his own eyes, what had he taken on

Now Zhao Lijun was completely dragged into this matter by Su Cen and couldn't remain aloof any longer. Looking at the second-year high school student before him, Zhao Lijun viewed Su Cen in a new light.

"This issue is too big; no one can be trusted now." As soon as he thought of it, Zhao Lijun pulled up Su Cen, "Secretary Wang's wife has arrived in Xiahai. Let’s go to the municipal party committee family compound and tell her about this situation."

Su Cen was delighted; he hadn’t expected Secretary Wang’s wife to be in Xiahai already. If he had known yesterday, he would have gone straight to Secretary Wang's home. There was no need to involve Zhao Lijun at all. Luo Lanran had been worried about implicating them and did not clearly explain the situation over the phone.

Su Cen got into the police car. Zhao Lijun was driving an old-style Santana, which was quite heavy and required some arm strength to handle. As soon as Zhao Lijun got in, he tossed a pack of cigarettes over to Su Cen. Seeing that Su Cen was holding the cigarette wrapper, Zhao Lijun scratched his head before taking back the cigarettes from him. This had become a habit; whenever he sat beside Su Cen in his car, he would instinctively toss over a pack of cigarettes, usually making龔軍 and Yang Daoyuan grin foolishly.

The police car headed towards the compound where the Communist Party Committee members lived. As they approached Wang Bo's house, Su Cen noticed that the nearby parked sedan was still there with two people inside watching the movements in the courtyard. Upon seeing their arrival, they clearly hesitated for a moment; it seemed Zhao Lijun was someone they knew, as their bodies pressed closer to the car.

Zhao Lijun's sharp eyes caught everything but he didn't mind these two at present. He and Su Cen proceeded straight to Wang Bo’s front door where he knocked. Soon after, the door opened revealing Lin Zouwu who looked surprised for a moment before stepping aside when she saw Su Cen.

Inside the room sat a woman in her thirties with no makeup on and hair tied at the back. Even with such simple attire, one could tell she had an air of elegance around her brows despite not being in the best mental state; her usual commanding presence still shone through.

Lin Ge ran up first looking somewhat surprised, "Su Cen, why are you here Didn’t I ask you not to get involved"

Zhang Qing looked up at Su Cen and Zhao Lijun with a cool expression, offering no further words. Over the past few days, inspection teams and various officials from the city government had frequently visited her home; she must have heard plenty of consoling or formal remarks already.

Zhao Lijun was the first to speak up, "Madam, I'm Vice Chief Zhao Lijun. In regard to Secretary Wang's matter, I believe there are other underlying reasons."

Zhang Qing nodded, “Thank you for your concern; I trust that the inspection team will give a fair explanation.” With this incident involving Wang Bo being quite significant, it had stirred great anger among the higher-ups in the Wang faction, with some even expressing disappointment towards him. Zhang Qing herself was under pressure as well for her involvement in coming to Summer Sea City.

"Before Secretary Wang's predicament came about, he gave me a document and asked me to investigate its contents secretly. I believe it’s because of this action by Secretary Wang that some people were hurt; all due to my lack of vigilance when handling work."

Zhang Qing’s expression changed as excitement filled her eyes, glancing at the door again. Zhao Lijun immediately understood and fell silent.

Zhang Qing rose from her seat; Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwu, and Lin Luoran also stood up beside her.

"Let’s go upstairs to talk."

The group made their way into the study where Zhang Qing closed the door behind them. Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwu, and Lin Luoran all squeezed into the room too; they seemed determined not to leave even if asked to do so, indicating that they knew Su Cen and Zhao Lijun’s visit this time was more than just a routine check-in.

"Speak up, what's going on" Zhang Qing offered a chair to Zhao Lijun and then drew the curtains of the study room shut, creating an atmosphere of secrecy for their tête-à-tête.

Zhao Lijun recounted the process where Secretary Wang instructed him to verify reports about individuals within the provincial political and legal system providing protection to criminal elements, including those who were illegally extracting "dry shares" from mines. He believed that his actions had been perceived as a signal of Wang Bo's impending move against these individuals, which led to Wang Bo’s downfall. Zhao Lijun then showed Su Chan the photos he was handed by him, eliciting low exclamations of surprise in the study room.

Zhang Qing pointed at Liu Cheng's gesture of tossing something into the water tank on the photo and asked, "What did he throw into the water How can you be sure that those are huge sums of money"

Su Chan continued, “Once when I was mountain climbing, I became curious about this villa here. So I paid close attention. Who would have thought that through a window on a slope, I saw this uncle wrapping up large sums of cash with oilskin paper and then carrying it out to throw into the pond. It was only then that I realized what he was doing and snapped these pictures with my camera.”

Su Chan paused for a moment before adding, “However, I have one request: To avoid disrupting my normal studies and life, I hope you don't mention me as the source when presenting these photos in court."

Zhao Lijun patted Su Chan’s head approvingly. "This child has excellent investigative acumen. In the past, there was a major fraud gang incident in Xiahai City; it was he who spotted the initial signs and provided clues that helped recover significant national losses! Don’t worry, when the time comes, I’ll say these photos were collected by my detective officers through covert investigation."

Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwu, and Lin Luoran stared at Su Chan with their mouths agape.

Zhang Qing was holding the photo from the envelope in her hand, uncertain and suspicious. In contrast, Zhao Lijun appeared calm, as he had initially shared the same expression when hearing Su Chan’s account.

"These photos are crucial; it's unsafe to leave them anywhere. I know Secretary Liu of the Provincial Committee somewhat; I will drive there immediately tonight to report this situation!" Zhang Qing instantly stood up, her body slightly trembling upon standing as she fully realized what these photos truly meant.

"We’ll go too!" No need for further prompting, Wang Weiwei’s trio had shaken off their gloom and were now brimming with excitement. They collectively volunteered to join the effort, resembling a teenage detective team.

Zhao Lijun nodded excitedly, “Then we will split up into two teams: you go first while I’ll retrieve some materials from home before heading over to the provincial level!”

Everyone's morale was high, and Su Chan felt relieved. Subconsciously, he glanced at Lin Luoran; she had been watching him closely since he mentioned the evidence earlier. When their eyes met, she turned her head away hastily, a faint smile playing on her lips that rendered her quite endearing.

They then made further plans for Zhao Lijun and Su Chan to draw attention away from the surveillance officers first, followed by Zhang Qing driving Wang Weiwei and his friends out of Xiahai City.

Before leaving, Wang Weiwei hugged Su Chan affectionately, saying emotionally, "Brother, I owe you a lot!"sponse became a hot topic among American male and female students in the twenty dormitory buildings and classrooms on campus.The principal summoned Su Can to his office again, frowned, and said, "Do y...