Chapter 1701: Chapter 1701
Song Guanchao appears easygoing, yet he is rather inflexible.
He is rigorous in overseeing the resumption of work, with no room for negotiation.
A quick glance at Han Lan, who remained silent, made it clear that Song Guanchao led the investigative team.
"Then I’ll go back and urge them to procure the discharge equipment as soon as possible."
"That would be great."
Song Guanchao stood up and escorted the two out of the Administrative Committee.
Returning to the office area, he looked at the two: "Yan Jing, Zhang Zhixiang, please come over."
They had long disliked Song Guanchao, but being suddenly called made them a little anxious.
The others showed some schadenfreude, stared at them entering the office, and whispered.
"Director Song is probably going to make an example of them."
"I heard from Director Yao that they’ve been disciplined already."
"A warning at most, they don’t want promotions, so it’s not a big deal."
"At least it’s a form of discipline; I’ve been displeased with them for long, holding a job but doing nothing, showing up only two or three times a week, yet getting paid monthly, how is that fair!"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
...
In the office, the two sat restlessly, feeling overwhelmed.
"This is Director Wu from the Disciplinary Committee," Song Guanchao introduced.
Upon hearing he was from the Disciplinary Committee, their bodies tensed up, and a sense of foreboding arose in their hearts.
Yao Linghua sighed inwardly; she knew these two wouldn’t escape this.
Song Guanchao said, "I heard you have a good relationship with the company involved in this pollution incident?"
Fear enveloped them instantly, and thoughts surged uncontrollably.
Could it be that their acceptance of benefits has been exposed?
Damn, who was so loose-lipped to secretly report?
"Our usual work just involves interacting with park companies," Yan Jing remained relatively calm.
Song Guanchao said, "You should know what I mean. I’m giving you a chance now to speak up."
His attitude towards Yan Jing was not as gentle as towards the earlier two officials.
With an impartial expression, calm eyes, and a detached manner.
Conflicted and uneasy, they didn’t know whether to admit or not, unsure if Song Guanchao truly had evidence or was bluffing them.
Seeing their anxious expressions, Han Lan and others knew they definitely took benefits from the companies.
"Director Song, what do you want me to say?" Yan Jing thought it over repeatedly, deciding not to admit.
The informers were just a few people from the office.
Their report lacked solid evidence.
She felt Song Guanchao was just trying to scare them.
Song Guanchao turned to Zhang Zhixiang, who gave the same answer.
"You may leave," Song Guanchao said.
Thinking the matter was over, they breathed a sigh of relief, left the office.
As soon as they left, Wu Yun asked, "Should we detain them?"
Song Guanchao shook his head, "Without concrete evidence, how can we detain them?"
Detention follows rules. Besides, they have some background.
He was just trying to elicit a reaction, mainly to confirm if they indeed embezzled money.
Now confirmed, they aren’t clean.
He glanced at Ma Hongyuan, stood up, "Secretary Ma, contact those companies again and ask when they’ll be at the office; we’ll visit."
"Alright."
"Let’s go," Song Guanchao headed to the door.
They left the office and exited the Administrative Committee. Yao Linghua escorted them downstairs, preparing to leave, when Song Guanchao called her.
"Director Yao, you should know the situation with those two?"
"Director Song..."
"Rest assured, since I sought you out individually, I won’t implicate you. If you can provide useful information, it will save me considerable time, but if not, it’s alright, I’ll just expend some time and effort."
Yao Linghua hesitated then said, "They’ve had contact with the involved company, but I really don’t know the specifics."
Song Guanchao asked, "Which companies?"
"As far as I know... they’ve contacted all the involved companies."
"Wow, quite a large appetite."
Song Guanchao laughed.
A total of 22 companies, even asking for tens of thousands from each would be a considerable amount.
However, the larger their appetite, the better the scapegoat effect.
Returning to the car, Wu Yun asked, "Really not want me to investigate?"
"No rush, let them enjoy a few more days."
They are just scapegoats; the significant part of this incident isn’t about them.
...
In the following week, Song Guanchao finally met all the heads of the companies involved in pollution, conveyed the attitude of the City Government, and obtained their verbal cooperation.
During this period, those companies privately invited him to meals.
Knowing they wanted to use him as an entry point, Song Guanchao agreed.
At the dinners, these company heads flattered him, offering generous gifts, but Song Guanchao refused them all.
No matter how they persuaded, Song Guanchao remained firm in his refusal.
Gradually, their anxiety grew, realizing this pollution issue probably wouldn’t pass as easily as before.
Of course, they wouldn’t sit idly by. If Song Guanchao’s side was unreachable, they’d seek other connections.
That afternoon, Sun Jiajun received a phone call.
The call came from a pollution-involved company in the park, and hearing the caller’s identity, Sun Jiajun guessed the purpose.
In fact, he had been waiting for this call for a long time, finally it came.
On the call, Chairman Qian lamented incessantly, sharing his woes, claiming the company suffered huge losses during the suspension, hoping Mayor Sun would find a way.
"Isn’t the oversight group stationed at the Administrative Committee? What’s the issue?" Sun Jiajun feigned curiosity.
Chairman Qian said, "That Director Song is too rigid in handling things. We’ve stated the discharge equipment is already being procured, but it takes time, hoping he’d allow us to resume work. Yet Director Song refuses."
Mayor Sun said with difficulty, "This pollution is indeed serious, improper discharge would make early resumption unwise."
Chairman Qian said, "I’ll certainly not put Mayor Sun in a bind. During work resumption, without random discharges, I’ll ensure the dirty water is treated first before central discharge. You can be assured of that, Mayor Sun!"
Mayor Sun hesitated, "Wait for my call."
Seeing he hadn’t outright refused, Chairman Qian sensed hope, suggesting, "Is Mayor Sun free this evening? Perhaps we could sit down and talk soon."
Sun Jiajun’s heart moved, aware this was a favor, likely accompanied by benefits.
He was about to agree when he recalled persuading Zhang Yan from overseas and moving himself from Xuzhou to Jiangzhou with Mr. Lin’s help, then said, "We’ll see tonight."
Ending the call, he phoned Mr. Lin, eager to hear his opinion.
The call connected. Sun Jiajun spoke with respect, "Mr. Lin."
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