In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong

"Is it strange? Secretary Dakang, perhaps Secretary Yuliang realized that Secretary Sha is the class leader and the top leader. Asking for the top leader's opinion is also for the sake of better work. I don't think there's any need to make a fuss."

Li Dakang rolled his eyes. He had known Gao Yuliang for over a decade and knew Gao Yuliang's personality all too well.

"Never mind, since Secretary Chen doesn't want to reveal it now, there must be a reason why he's not. By the way, Secretary Chen, I heard that Secretary Yu Liang's daughter, Gao Fangfang, recently returned to China and went through the talent introduction program to work at the Provincial Development and Reform Commission?"

Li Dakang didn't want to dwell on anything else, but this one thing was troubling him. The reason was simple: his daughter, Li Jiajia, was returning to China next month, and as a father, Li Dakang wanted to make arrangements for her.

"Oh, I know a little about this. Secretary Yu Liang's daughter, Gao Fangfang, has a doctoral degree."

Meanwhile, her years of experience working overseas have given her a deep understanding of foreign businesses, making the process of bringing Gao Fangfang to the National Development and Reform Commission a perfectly reasonable one.

The Provincial Development and Reform Commission also needs such talent to join.

Li Dakang nodded, then took a deep breath and said, "Secretary Chen, my daughter Li Jiajia will also be returning to China next month. However, she just graduated with a master's degree in law. Secretary Chen, do you think my daughter can go through this procedure?"

That's quite interesting. Logically speaking, it would be easy for Li Dakang to make arrangements for his daughter.

But by going through all this trouble to ask Chen Luo, it's clear that they want Li Jiajia to enter the political and legal system.

Chen Luo thought for a moment, neither refusing nor immediately agreeing.

"Secretary Dakang, it depends on your daughter's work ability. How about this, when she returns to China, let her familiarize herself with domestic laws and regulations first. There will always be opportunities, right, Secretary Dakang?"

"Understood, understood. Thank you, Secretary Chen!"

"You're welcome. Parents always have the same heart, we can understand. Secretary Dakang, it's been windy lately, remember to close the doors and windows to avoid being hit by falling debris."

"Oh? It's windy? I understand, Secretary Chen!"

Chen Luo smiled, and then he and Li Dakang went to the elevator. Li Dakang went down, and Chen Luo went up.

The elevator doors opened, and just as Chen Luo was about to let Li Dakang go first, Li Dakang had already pressed the up button for Chen Luo.

“Secretary Chen, why don’t you go back to the Political and Legal Affairs Commission first? You only come back for one or two days a week, and you’re quite busy with work, unlike me who’s in Jingzhou and not in a hurry.”

Chen Luo did not refuse.

"Thank you, Secretary Dakang."

"Hahaha, Secretary Chen, you're too kind. I should be thanking you."

Back in the office of the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Chen Luo began to deal with the documents that had piled up for several days. Huang Ming had already briefly processed these documents for Chen Luo, attaching the specific details and Huang Ming's own suggestions.

However, Huang Ming was not the secretary, but only the deputy secretary, so Chen Luo still had to sign.

After a quick glance, everything seemed fine. Huang Ming was very responsible and attentive, so Chen Luo's work was completed with ease.

Just as Chen Luo was about to leave work, the joint investigation results from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Provincial Public Security Department were released.

First, they responded to the uproar, stating that the people in the video were indeed Zhong Xiaoai, deputy secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Handong Province, and Zhao Ruilong, an entrepreneur.

However, the current investigation results are insufficient to determine whether it was voluntary or coerced, and a more detailed investigation is needed to reassure the public. Handong will never allow any morally corrupt public official to assume important responsibilities.

This really caused an uproar.

Initially, public opinion was just speculation, with all sorts of opinions. Some thought the video was fake, while others thought Zhong Xiaoai's identity was not that of the deputy secretary of the Handong Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. However, both the Handong Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Public Security Bureau stepped in to confirm the matter.

The onlookers instantly perked up!

Such scandalous affairs involving young, high-ranking officials are not something you can just pick up whenever you want. Some people have even dug up information about Zhong Xiaoai's husband, Hou Liangping.

Even the powerful masses of people thoroughly investigated Zhong Xiaoai's identity, including the fact that her father was the director of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Chapter 206 Shifting the Blame Eastward, Chen Luo's Golden Body

Some things are like a flood discharge; once you open a breach, you can never close it again.

Zhong Xiaoai's work experience was exposed. From graduating from the Department of Political Science and Law of Handong University and working in the Handong Provincial Procuratorate, to being transferred to a ministry, from a staff member to the deputy director of the Third Supervision Office, and from a deputy director-general position to the current deputy secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhong Xiaoai only took less than 20 years.

With the online disclosure of Zhong Xiaoai's father's identity, public opinion shifted dramatically.

A mysterious force is manipulating public opinion. That same night, while netizens were discussing Zhong Xiaoai's powerful background, Zhao Ruilong's identity was also exposed.

The only son of the previous secretary of Handong!

This news, coupled with the video of Zhao Ruilong and Zhong Xiaoai doing *that*, is absolutely shocking.

At Zhong Xiaoai's home in Beijing, Zhong Zhengguo looked extremely grim. He had already fainted from anger at noon, and then spent the entire afternoon taking care of his father at the hospital before finally returning home. As soon as he turned on his phone, he was bombarded with messages asking about his condition.

At the same time, Zhong Zhengguo also learned about the decision made by the Handong Provincial Party Committee, especially the fact that Chen Luo was the first to propose it and that Governor Liu and Sha Ruijin both agreed to it. Zhong Zhengguo knew very well that this was Chen Luo's small revenge against their family.

But such a casual remark and suggestion really put the Zhong family in a very difficult position.

Now it's not about whether or not to save their daughter; it's about the ever-increasing amount of information about their family being uncovered online, and a conspiracy theory is rapidly taking shape.

One nasty remark after another followed, including claims of blood transmission and that their saliva was more tainted than ordinary blood, which directly threatened the very foundation of their family's business!

"This is outrageous! All I did was block you from entering the National Development and Reform Commission, is this the reason for your retaliation against my family?"

I don't understand how someone with such a narrow mind can get help from others!

Besides, even if I didn't refuse you, would you be able to go to Handong? Would you be able to join the Standing Committee? Would you be able to concurrently serve as the current Party Secretary of Lüzhou City?

These young people have absolutely no sense of gratitude; it infuriates me!

Feeling extremely frustrated, Zhong Zhengguo slammed the teacup in his hand against the wall, shattering it on the floor.

"We can't let the rumors spread any further!"

Zhong Zhengguo steeled his resolve; only by delivering even more sensational news could he attract attention to this discussion.

After much thought, Zhong Zhengguo felt that Chen Luo's achievement of this level at the age of thirty-eight was even more controversial.

Moreover, he also heard some important information about Chen Luo and his wife!

"You're ruthless, so I'll be ruthless too, young man. Let me teach you a lesson!"

On Saturday morning, some newspapers and media outlets suddenly changed their tune, no longer focusing on the untold story behind Zhong Xiaoai and Zhao Ruilong, but instead turning their attention to Chen Luo.

[Chen Luocai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee of Handong, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Secretary of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee, is only 38 years old. What enabled this young man to rise so rapidly?]

The article reveals Chen Luo's career path from graduation to the present. However, what is truly surprising is that Chen Luo and his wife have assets totaling hundreds of billions of yuan, and Chen Luo's wife is the legal representative of Dongsheng Investment Company.

The report used some suggestive terms to allow netizens to speculate endlessly.

Isn't this more worthy of attention than the Zhong Xiaoai and Zhao Ruilong affair?

Once a group is formed, others will follow. Does Chen Luo have any enemies? Of course he does. Not to mention, real estate developers hate Chen Luo to the core and are all joining in the attacks.

Chen Luo had just gotten up in the morning when he received several phone calls, all from friends, classmates, and colleagues from Handong. Among them were Yang Yanhua, Lu Zheng'an, Li Dakang, Tian Guofu, Wu Chunlin, Governor Liu, and Sha Ruijin!

I returned Governor Liu's call first.

"Hey, Governor Liu, what brings you here so early in the morning to call me?"

"You still have the mood to joke around? Don't you see the overwhelming discussion about you online? You'd better take a look. Although we believe you, it's not a good idea for ordinary people to keep speculating like this."

Chen Luo was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand, Governor Liu. Thank you for reminding me."

Sure enough, when I checked my phone, I found that online reports about me were almost overwhelming the public opinion about Zhong Xiaoai and Zhao Ruilong.

Chen Luo was neither surprised nor flustered by this.

Instead, he laughed.

"Who's stirring up trouble behind the scenes? You probably don't understand the critical situation in Dongsheng right now. If something happens to me, I'll be fine, but the one stirring up trouble will be in big trouble."

Just then, the phone rang again.

Upon closer inspection, I recognized my familiar old boss.

"Hey, Mr. Xu, are you reminding me too?"

"What a load of crap! All those reports you've done were done by some newspapers and media outlets controlled by the Zhong family. Some people really have no shame. The authorities are taking this matter very seriously. It's best for Dongsheng to keep a low profile for now. Once your overseas businesses return to China, let these people do whatever they want."

But that won't work now!

Several senior officials just called me and asked me to inform you to respond to public opinion, but be careful with your approach and try to downplay the Dongsheng Investment Company.

We can appropriately direct attention towards you. The elders have said you are trustworthy, and the higher-ups will cooperate to downplay Dong Sheng's involvement.

"Mr. Xu, thank you for the organization's trust!"

"Go away, you probably already knew this would be the outcome. By the way, several elders expressed great dissatisfaction with the Zhong family for involving Dongsheng. One elder even directly cursed Zhong Zhengguo for losing his mind."

"Oh? An unexpected surprise?"

"That's normal. Those who want to use a blade to hurt others must first protect themselves from the blade. They only suffer the consequences of their own actions."

"Understood, Mr. Xu, I'll take care of it now."

"Okay, go ahead, I'll wait for your good news."

After hanging up, Chen Luo then called Sha Ruijin.

"Hey, Secretary Sha."

"Comrade Chen Luo, you've seen the news, haven't you?"

"Secretary Sha, I saw it. I just received a notice from above, instructing me to shift public opinion to myself and downplay Dongsheng Investment Company. They said they trust me a lot. Secretary Sha, I might need the Provincial Party Committee's help."

Sha Ruijin frowned upon hearing this.

This has alarmed the higher-ups? And what do you mean by "the higher-ups trust you a lot"? Don't they trust us?

Taking a deep breath, Sha Ruijin replied, "No problem, Comrade Chen Luo. The Provincial Party Committee trusts you just the same. Just tell me what you need the Provincial Party Committee's help with."

"We will hold a response meeting in the name of the Provincial Party Committee tonight, inviting people from all walks of life in Handong, journalists and media, including Secretary Sha and all members of the leadership team to attend."

The content of the meeting was my personal response to public opinion.

"Comrade Chen Luo, have you thought this through? Generally speaking, I don't recommend that you appear in the public eye."

Chen Luo understood the meaning behind Sha Ruijin's words.

The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. However, since Chen Luo has already been exposed online, there is no point in continuing to hide. On the contrary, he will be interpreted as cowardice.

Even when there was no problem, it became a problem.

"Secretary Sha, I think it's fine!"

"Okay, I'll get it done for you right now!"