At the Pinnacle of Power: The Female Leader and Her Chief Advisor

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked in surprise, "You just said that Qian Kuo has already set up four state-owned enterprises?"

"Um."

Upon receiving another affirmative answer, Lu Ming was greatly surprised.

He served as Song Chuhe's secretary for three years and had no recollection of any state-owned enterprise restructuring or sale to foreign entities during those years.

Although Qian Kuo had thoroughly established a relationship with Jia Jitong, the head of the Songxi State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, he was only responsible for restructuring and asset appraisal at most.

To approve a sale, the mayor or executive vice mayor must give their approval.

Could it be that Jiang Ling is behind this?

Lu Ming thought it was highly likely, after all, her secretary Chen Pei frequently visited Qingwufang.

Although I never saw Jiang Ling in Qingwufang, Qian Kuo must have had the help of a mastermind to turn four state-owned enterprises into his private property so secretly.

"These state-owned enterprises were sold off at rock-bottom prices, and not a single one of the executives or employees reported it to the police?"

Song Yiren said, "Qian Kuo has quite a few henchmen, and he has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds. How many people do you think would dare to report him to the police?"

"In the end, there's no need to offend such an important person for the sake of a job, otherwise you might just disappear one day."

"Moreover, I strongly suspect that he had already planted informants within the police station, so that even if someone reports a crime, he can know about it immediately and then intercept them."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming felt immense pressure.

He didn't know Qian Kuo's purpose before, but now that he does, he feels even more troubled.

Seeing that Lu Ming was frowning and smoking without saying a word, Song Yiren reached out and took a cigarette from his cigarette case.

She smoked with great elegance, exhaling a wisp of smoke, and said, "I have some suggestions that you might find helpful."

"you say."

Lu Ming was having a hard time when Song Yiren unexpectedly came to his aid.

Song Yiren picked up the documents on the table and threw them into the trash can in front of Lu Ming.

"My advice is, if you don't want to die, pretend you know nothing."

Lu Ming frowned, clearly not thinking that Song Yiren's idea was a good one.

Song Yiren continued, "Qian Kuo is very clean in his work; he won't leave you with any clues."

"Even if you thoroughly investigate this matter, in the end, only the clerks responsible for the assessment will be affected."

"Moreover, selling off state-owned enterprises at bargain prices is something that a single department leader can't handle; the forces behind it are complex and intertwined."

"Once you launch an investigation, you'll inevitably uncover more problems, and you'll definitely offend a lot of people."

"Therefore, you must understand your current situation. You may seem to be dealing with Qian Kuo, but in reality, those who stand against you are the most powerful leaders in Songxi's officialdom."

"And most importantly, Qian Kuo is neither a legal representative nor a shareholder, so even if you find out something, he won't be affected in any way."

"Secretary Lu, you've finally had a second spring in your career, becoming the mayor's secretary again. Your future is bright, there's no need to work so hard."

"If you act recklessly, losing your future is a small matter, but losing your life is a much bigger one."

Lu Ming's expression turned serious after hearing this.

Although what Song Yiren said was unpleasant, it was a stark truth.

Even though he knew Qian Kuo was breaking the law, he was outnumbered and no match for him.

Besides, if I really put things out in the open, how could Qian Kuo possibly swallow this insult?

If a powerful figure with influence in both the legitimate and criminal worlds were to make a move against me, I, a powerless and insignificant secretary, would likely vanish into thin air in an instant.

Lu Ming felt a lingering fear, but when he thought of Song Chuhe's tragic death, he seemed less afraid.

Lu Ming took a deep breath and said, word by word, "I only believe that good will prevail over evil!"

Song Yiren was taken aback, then chuckled softly, looking at Lu Ming as if he were an idiot.

"Good will prevail over evil? Hehehe... I didn't realize our Secretary Lu was such an idealist."

Lu Ming ignored her sarcastic remarks, picked the document up from the trash can, and said, "I'm taking this with me. Consider it a favor I owe you."

Lu Ming turned and left. Watching his retreating figure, Song Yiren frowned slightly.

Is this guy really not afraid of death?

Does he really want to continue investigating?

Song Yiren shook her head, feeling that Lu Ming was simply unreasonable.

Although she felt his decision was unwise, she still had a sliver of respect for him.

After all, there aren't many people with that kind of guts in this world.

However, despite her admiration, she didn't intend to get involved in this matter anymore.

Firstly, their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.

Secondly, she neither wanted to help nor was able to help.

Song Yiren poured herself another cup of tea, raised it in the direction Lu Ming had left, and silently wished him good luck.

……

After leaving the teahouse, Lu Ming dialed Yu Wei's number.

The call connected, and Yu Wei's voice came through: "Any progress?"

Lu Ming replied, "Indeed, we have gained some insights. If it is convenient for the mayor, I will come over to report to him in person."

Come here.

Half an hour later, Lu Ming arrived.

The moment Yu Wei opened the door and saw Lu Ming, she noticed that his mood seemed a bit off; he looked somewhat dejected.

Yu Wei handed him a bottle of water and said, "Tell me, what did you find out?"

Lu Ming handed the documents to Yu Wei and said, "These are all Qian Kuo's companies."

After carefully reviewing the documents, Yu Wei immediately noticed the problem and asked, "He doesn't hold any shares at all?"

"Yes, they are all held by someone else on their behalf."

"What else did they find out?"

"Mayor, please take a closer look at the businesses of these companies."

business?

Yu Wei looked at it again, then asked, puzzled, "Is there a problem with the business?"

Lu Ming said, "These companies' businesses are mainly divided into two categories. One is undertaking government projects, which relies on their connections with the government."

"However, those are just small profits. His real money-making business is the second type... reselling state-owned enterprises!"

Upon hearing the words "reselling state-owned enterprises," Yu Wei's expression turned serious, and she reread the documents in her hand.

With Lu Ming's prompting, she instantly grasped the key point and saw that the company's business involved purchasing restructured and evaluated state-owned enterprises.

The prices they were offered were incredibly low, ranging from just over ten million to a maximum of forty million!

Even if state-owned enterprises are losing money and are insolvent, they would never be sold off so cheaply if they were to be restructured, reorganized, or split up and sold.

Although Yu Wei had not yet checked the specifics of those state-owned enterprises, she was basically certain that they had been maliciously undervalued.

A company worth 30 to 50 million can be resold for at least a billion.

Even if Qian Kuo pulls strings at every stage, the minimum amount he ends up with will be no less than 300 million.

When she saw that four state-owned enterprises had been sold off cheaply using the same methods in just five years, Yu Wei's face became even more gloomy!

Yu Wei asked, "Did you meet Secretary Jia from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission in Qingwufang?"

Lu Ming nodded and added, "The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission can only restructure and evaluate state-owned enterprises at most. If they want to sell, they must obtain the approval of the municipal government."

His implication was that there were also people cooperating on the part of the municipal government.

And this person can only be Jiang Ling, the executive vice mayor.

Only with her cooperation could Song Chuhe remain completely in the dark!