e.The daughter of Xiao Fei, Xiaoyunyun, immediately cast a flirtatious glance at Su Can.Seeing Xiaoyunyun before him, Su Can couldn't help but be taken aback. He recalled when he was playing at his el...Chapter 153: Collapse

Su Can returned to his dormitory, and indeed, Li Han, Zhang Xiaqiao, and Xiao Xu were already there waiting for him. As soon as Su Can put down his luggage, Li Han came over directly to claim the local specialties that Su Can had brought with him. This wasn't surprising since Su Can mentioned in their phone call that he would bring them some delicious treats, which included items that Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui had picked up from Xia Hai during winter vacation.

Rongcheng didn't have many distinctive local specialties; the food produced there was not particularly outstanding. The transportation of grain products from the fertile plains to big cities like Rongcheng inevitably led to some damage due to handling, especially considering that most farmland in Rongcheng was used for intensive agriculture with growth enhancers being commonly applied to fruits and vegetables to increase yield and shorten growing cycles. Therefore, produce from large cities like Rongcheng usually looked good but didn't taste great compared to specialties from smaller cities or towns such as Xia Hai.

Of the three roommates, Li Han came from a rural background and was just curious about Su Can's local items. Zhang Xiaqiao, on the other hand, showed great interest in them. For him, the beginning of school could be a period when he indulges his taste buds with various delicacies. Although he had been spoiled at home with fine dining, he considered small mountain specialties from different places to be delicious treats.

Su Can tidied up his bed and organized his wardrobe. Not long after finishing, the phone rang, and it was Lin Luoran's voice on the other end: "Su Can, have you returned to school"

"I'm just getting settled in," Su Can replied.

"What a world! We've already started classes for three days. This semester we have quite a few courses. I had planned to return to Rongcheng at the end of winter break, but some family matters came up and prevented me from coming back. Are you disappointed Were you looking forward to seeing me"

"I look forward to the visit of Miss Lin. If you're free, come play at Nan University. Of course, your school is said to have plenty of beautiful girls; even just for a feast for the eyes, I'll find time to drop by." Su Cen noticed that the three people in his dorm were extremely focused on this phone call, so he casually closed the balcony door to block their prying eyes.

Lin Luoran giggled at the other end of the line and then sobered up. "Alright, I'll stop joking around with you now. I have some good news for you: Tao Chuhong's uncle, Tao Changping, who is the vice mayor of Rongcheng, is suspected of serious disciplinary violations and is currently under investigation by a provincial investigation team. You can keep an eye on the news in Rongcheng. This was expected; otherwise, how could Tao Chuhong behave so tyrannically while her uncle turns a blind eye to it It's just like all crows being black.

Su Cen was taken aback. Before he left Rongcheng, he had already heard the wind of rumors about Tao Changping being suspected of serious disciplinary violations; even the provincial level was alarmed. The news at that time was rather implicit, and ordinary people naturally wouldn’t be aware of it. However, for enterprises closely related to the system, this wasn't a secret.

Su Cen's eldest uncle, Qin Man, also mentioned during a dinner table conversation that the matter was escalating further and further, but ultimately, its origins could still be traced back to Su Cen. Tao Changping hadn't anticipated that touching on Dayong Construction would directly undermine Wang Bo’s foundation. Perhaps he really hoped to strike at Wang Bo from this angle, so he took it even further, even resorting to covert methods to help the Nanning Group of his family extract benefits from Dayong Construction and swap them for prime land reserves. Tao Changping may not have foreseen that the outcome of this land reserve war would turn out the way it did.

Provoking Dayong Construction was like disturbing a hornets' nest; Tao Changping continuously received heavy criticism over phone calls, with some reports even saying he locked himself in his office for an hour after receiving one call without coming out.

In that government compound tinged with gray, what kind of stories lie behind each door that opens is always a secret yet not a secret. Because too many people want to know, it often results in something happening in the morning and spreading by afternoon.

Everyone watches those office doors open and close, searching for information beneficial to themselves from any leaking news. Perhaps it's to teach them how to speak next or grasp the direction of things. This always makes everyone busy, seeking out the most advantageous situation.

But one day, a golden eagle at the top of the food chain there was also brought down in a way that shocked everyone.

This news invigorated Su Can, Lin Luoran, Wang Weiwei and others, yet it was unexpected for them as well.

Although Su Can had once thought about using a scarecrow tactic to deter the opponents, Tao Changping's move against Great Banyan Construction triggered heavy pressure from the Wang and Lin factions. However, Su Can did not expect such an outcome afterward. Yet he knew that this was a different matter altogether and was not merely due to the power of the Wang and Lin families. It could only be said that Tao Changping indeed lacked what it took to face off against Wang Bo as a political rival; a politician incapable of maintaining at least superficial integrity has his biggest weaknesses exposed.

These issues were definitely not uncovered overnight but had likely accumulated over many years. Furthermore, with the external environment turning unfavorable for Tao Changping due to Su Can's group's actions, the disciplinary inspection department and high-level officials took notice and felt that the timing was ripe to take action against him.

At this moment, Su Can recalled that there indeed were news reports about senior officials suspected of misconduct in corruption in Rongcheng in the future era. That should have been around 2004. The internet continued to grow but did not yet see an explosion of users. Even if people knew about it, they would only spread the word through small newspaper articles or gossip on the streets, and given the low-key handling by provincial government departments at that time, such matters could hardly be extensively covered in the media. After all, the image issues of the municipal and provincial leadership needed to be considered; at most, a brief mention might appear in newspapers or news broadcasts.

Therefore, when Su Can recalled it, it was just a fleeting memory that he couldn't even confirm whether it was about Tao Changping.

However, what could be certain is that Tao Changping's political career would likely come to an end hereafter.

A month after the start of classes at NanDa, Tao Changping was taken away from his home by an investigative team. Concurrently disclosed investigation conclusions revealed that Tao Changping might have abused his position to secure benefits for others and received substantial bribes. He also violated self-discipline regulations by accepting large amounts of gifts and presents, used his influence to benefit family members' business operations, and led a decadent lifestyle. Suspected criminal issues were handed over to judicial authorities.

Tao's Nanning Group is considered a powerful family enterprise group in Jiangsu, backed not only by the efforts of two generations of Tao's family across various fields but also by significant stakeholders within the group. Although Tao Churen’s father, Tao Qian, holds 35% ownership, the remaining 55% of shareholders are all prominent figures in the business and political circles in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Tao Changping represents the Western faction among the two major factions within the Tao family. Although there have always been developmental理念分歧不合among the Eastern and Western factions internally, regardless whether they are business stars or political dark horses, all rely on the family's strength, connections, and resources to grow their influence.

Even Tao Changping utilized various channels and resources within the Tao family over recent years to strive for visible achievements in politics.

The fall of Tao Changping now means that a major pillar of support for the Western faction has collapsed. This is like losing one arm of the vast Tao family, causing internal unrest.

Through Lin Luoran’s words, it seems Su Cen has become a hot topic among the younger generation within the Tao family circles. Given this situation, Su Cen expressed that there's no way to avoid it as he had already established Tao Churen as an enemy. Having more enemies is not significant; what matters is not being trampled upon by others but instead striving for self-improvement and strengthening oneself so that one can truly protect the things they hold dear.g Xian and Zhuo Zhiyu and others. Zhang Xian and the rest tried to escape but failed."This group of people still had quite measured actions; they didn't touch any girls, but those with substantial fam...