Chapter 966
This was due to my personal bias.
GFB.
This is a completely enclosed small room. Under the dim light, a slightly worn table is placed in the middle of the room. Zhang Anping is sitting in a chair directly opposite the table. There are two other chairs opposite him, but they are empty.
Zhang Anping's side is a mirror. In the mirror world, you can also see the dim light and Zhang Anping, the only living person in the room—just like in the real world, Zhang Anping in the mirror world is also asleep with his head buried in the chair.
But behind the mirror, two figures were secretly observing Zhang Anping as he slept.
After observing for a while, the two nodded to each other amidst soft snoring and slowly left the secret room behind the mirror.
After leaving the secret room, the two had the following conversation.
"You've got a really big heart."
"Perhaps they feel emboldened by their perceived advantages."
"What are they thinking? Such a huge incriminating case, why can't they investigate it properly? At the very least, they should expose it. If that happens, he'll be in serious trouble, even if he doesn't die!"
"Who knows? Maybe they don't want to provoke a fierce backlash from him! After all, he's the heir..."
"Alright, that's enough—it's none of our business!"
The two men fell silent and returned to their offices, awaiting a decision from above.
Inside the small cabin, a mocking smile played on Zhang Anping's lips as he slept.
GFB's little tricks are nothing but a fool's errand in front of their own intelligence chief—who are they trying to humiliate?
"I've practically delivered this to your doorstep; can't you even make such a small decision?"
Feeling utterly disappointed, Zhang Anping simply drifted off to sleep—though in a rather unseemly posture.
……
In the conference room representing the highest authority of the GFB, several top executives were deep in thought.
Regardless of whether the situation was too difficult, those below believed that their dissatisfaction with Zhang Anping meant they could seize this opportunity to "suppress" him—but those who actually made the decisions were not as relaxed as their subordinates imagined.
What should be done with this person?
Will the wiretapping scandal be exposed?
It's easy to expose it, really easy, but what are the consequences?
At that time, various groups will definitely use this as an excuse to denounce the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, which will then form an uncontrollable wave demanding the abolition of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is theoretically an agency under the GFB, but in reality it is that person's sword. If this sword is broken, what will that person think?
Secondly, once the interrogation process begins, all sorts of dirty laundry from the Security Bureau will be brought up. To reiterate the previous point, the Security Bureau is that person's sword. What are they trying to do by dismantling that person's sword here?
Finally, among those present, some have old grudges against Zhang Anping, and some in their networks are hostile to him. How many people from the four major families wish they could tear Zhang Anping apart?
However, after removing Zhang Anping's identity as a spy, this person still has another important identity:
God of Wealth!
The other party also controls massive investments from countless powerful and influential people!
Making Zhang Anping bow his head is acceptable, and giving him a warning is also acceptable, but if Zhang Anping is truly severely punished, those powerful and influential people will be the first to object—even families like the Kong family and the Chen family, who have had countless conflicts with Zhang Anping, will not agree.
Self-interest is the only constant.
In conclusion, this proves that it's a hot potato!
"Gentlemen, are we just going to stay here like this? If we go out, the GFB will become a laughing stock!"
"If all else fails, let's consult the entourage!"
"Request instructions? You need to have a corresponding explanation before you can request instructions, right? You're just going to make a request without any explanation?"
"Then you go and interrogate him!"
"Why aren't you conducting an investigation?!"
After exchanging a few words, the meeting room fell silent again. This was truly a dilemma—if they interrogated him, the chief of staff might misunderstand; if they didn't, it would seem like the GFB was just a useless bum.
Finally, someone made a decision:
"In the past, who would have dared to lock up Dai Chunfeng? After all, the GFB has already been quite forceful this time! So, let's go to the executive office to report before deciding on the interrogation strategy!"
The question, "Who dares to lock up Dai Chunfeng?" caught the attention of several high-ranking officials. They had previously weighed the pros and cons, fearing that they might fail to demonstrate the authority of the GFB and make the person in the executive office think they were useless, and that holding a trial would anger the person in the executive office and make them suspect their ulterior motives. But after changing their perspective, they suddenly realized that the GFB was already authoritative enough this time. Under such circumstances, why wait to disrespect that person?
……
Attendant's Room.
The director appeared in the chief of staff's office and reported the major events that had occurred at the GFB.
After the section chief finished his report, the head of the aides, who had been unable to contain himself any longer, angrily exclaimed:
"Absurd! Absurd! Absurd!"
"This Zhang Anping is truly audacious and reckless! Does he really think I wouldn't dare to kill him?!"
The chief attendant was furious. The reason the red thread was red was because touching it meant certain death. Did Zhang Anping even care about him anymore?
Does he think that by having his son as a backer, he can treat himself as nothing?!
Thinking of this, the chief attendant's eyes grew even colder. He looked at the section chief, who had his head bowed, and said in a suppressed tone:
What's your opinion on this?
“He…” the section chief hesitated for a moment: “His actions are deserving of punishment, but his heart… is worthy of pity.”
"Hmm?" A murderous glint flashed in the head attendant's eyes. "Why do you say that?"
"This matter... has to start with the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade." The section chief slowly recounted the ins and outs of the incident.
As he spoke, the murderous intent in the chief attendant's eyes first disappeared, and then the coldness in his eyes gradually faded. By the time the director finished speaking, the anger in his heart had dissipated.
From the perspective of the chief aide at the time, although Zhang Anping's actions crossed the red line, his original intention was indeed for the sake of the party and the country.
But he felt there was something more suspicious about it.
So he asked a question that took the section chief by surprise:
"Do you really think that the entire Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, from top to bottom in its three locations and four stations, will be completely infiltrated by the Communist Party?"
The section chief looked up at the chief attendant in surprise, his face full of confusion.
"In your position, the worst thing you can do is to be swayed by one-sided opinions—without any evidence, based solely on one person's speculation, you dare to say that our Party and state's intelligence network is utterly rotten?!"
The chief attendant seemed rather disappointed in him.
Upon hearing this, the section chief began to ponder—in fact, when Wang Tianfeng first reported the conclusion, he also felt that it was too fantastical.
They were the Kuomintang's Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, with three locations and four stations, and thousands of agents specializing in espionage. Had they all defected to the Communists?!
With the Party and the state in control, how could such a thing happen!
He called Zhang Anping over and asked him to handle the situation, as he was waiting for Zhang Anping to give him a real answer.
The question is, why did things end up like this?
Yes, the purpose was clearly to get Zhang Anping to investigate Wang Tianfeng's judgment, but why did Zhang Anping end up getting caught up in it?
Seeing the growing bewilderment on the section chief's face, the chief attendant was both displeased with the section chief's confusion and quite pleased with himself—old ginger is spicier, and young people are still young people after all!
Do you know why this is?
The section chief respectfully said, "Please enlighten me, Father."
The head attendant shook his head before speaking:
“You’ve got one thing wrong—some people, when they hear what you say, will immediately try to distance themselves from the situation. Well, that’s actually the normal reaction for most people.”
"But some people, after hearing what you say, will spare no effort to solve the problem—even if the problem itself is questionable, do you understand?"
The section chief's expression gradually changed from bewilderment to clarity, and then to regret.
He understood!
Because he was the one who told Zhang Anping this, and it involved something Zhang Anping cared about most, his casual remark made Zhang Anping go to great lengths to deal with it. Zhang Anping desperately wanted to prove himself and desperately wanted to give an answer.
Mao Renfeng may be the obstacle, but the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics itself, in Zhang Anping's report card, can only have flaws, not major problems!
So he used too much force.
Seeing the regret on the section chief's face, the chief aide nodded slightly and then said in a lecturing tone:
"You've been listening to only one side of the story—that Wang Tianfeng you mentioned, I think he's the kind of person who hates evil and can't tolerate any injustice, right?"
"Yes—you know him?"
"How could I possibly know? I could figure it out with my eyes closed!" the chief attendant said meaningfully.
"If they weren't this kind of person, how could they dare to make such a guess? In the eyes of this kind of person, whether it's embezzlement, bribery, or being a deadbeat, dereliction of duty, or incompetence, everyone is just like a traitor!"
As the section chief listened to the admonitions of the chief of staff, he gradually felt ashamed.
In fact, the chief attendant had long ago taught him the importance of distinguishing truth from falsehood amidst a jumble of information, but he neglected it this time, or rather, he didn't take it seriously enough in this matter, thinking that if he told Zhang Anping, Zhang Anping would give him a satisfactory answer.
The situation became increasingly skewed, not only giving some people the opportunity to attack him, but also leading Zhang Anping to do something outrageous.
But the sentence that had the deepest impact on the section chief was:
Whether such people are lining their own pockets, embezzling and accepting bribes, or are incompetent, derelict in their duties, or incompetent and immoral, they are all just like traitors!
He recalled Wang Tianfeng's temperament, and then thought about how all three places were on the front lines of the war zone. When Wang Tianfeng was conducting undercover investigations in the three places, he saw the inaction of the secret service bureaus in the four stations in the three places and the schemes against the Suppression Corps. In his eyes, wasn't this the same as colluding with the enemy?
Seeing that the section chief was so receptive to instruction, the chief attendant was delighted and added an excessively insightful comment:
"What's more, some people will do anything to protect their own interests, understand?"
The section chief lowered his head in shame again, his trust in Wang Tianfeng collapsing from 80 to 20.
The chief attendant felt that the time was right, and that if he continued to educate the director, the director might become rebellious, so he stopped talking about it and instead started talking about Zhang Anping.
"What do you think we should do with him now?"
The chief attendant didn't explicitly name anyone, but the director knew exactly who he was referring to.
The chief attendant just said something like this:
But some people, after hearing what you have to say, will spare no effort to solve the problem!
The "some people" in this sentence naturally refers to Zhang Anping. In fact, the director could hear the chief of staff's trust in Zhang Anping from this sentence.
So when faced with the chief attendant's "test," his instinctive thought was to say:
Hold it high and place it gently.
But as the words were about to come out, he remembered the way his chief attendant had taught him about employing people and managing subordinates—managing subordinates cannot be done by simply indulging them; a combination of authority and punishment is the true way.
Thinking of this, the section chief immediately had an answer, and he slowly said:
"Regardless of his motives, he has ultimately crossed the line! Crossing the line means he must be punished, not simply tolerated—"
"I think we can remove him from his position and let him reflect on his actions for a while."
Actually, the section chief had his own selfish motives in saying that—during this time, he could show that he was working hard for Zhang Anping, which would also make Zhang Anping more loyal to him!
After hearing the section chief's answer, the chief aide showed appreciation:
"You're right, we can't just give in all the time; we need to use both force and kindness!"
The section chief blushed; he could tell that the chief attendant was hinting at his ulterior motives.
In the midst of the father's kindness and the son's filial piety, a servant knocked on the office door and, after receiving permission, entered to report:
"Two high-ranking officials from the GFB are requesting an audience. Should we make arrangements?"
The section chief and the chief of staff exchanged a glance, knowing that they had come to consult about Zhang Anping's matter. The section chief didn't think much of it, but the chief of staff showed a hint of satisfaction in his eyes—these people from the GFB were still quite disciplined and didn't dare to act first and report later just because the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was affiliated with the GFB!
Although Zhang Anping is only a deputy director, as the saying goes, you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog. If the GFB dares to take action without consulting him, then their intentions are truly despicable!
"Let them in!"
When the two officials entered and saw the scene of fatherly love and filial piety, they thought to themselves that the director's support for Zhang Anping was beyond their imagination!
The two men respectfully greeted the chief attendant, briefly said hello to the director, and then reported on the wiretapping incident at the Security Bureau.
The chief attendant did not show any anger, thus demonstrating that he was already aware of the situation. Seeing the chief attendant's statement, the two high-ranking officials understood his attitude.
Sure enough, after they finished reporting, one of them asked how to handle the situation, and the chief attendant said:
"The cause of this matter must be thoroughly investigated before I make the final decision."
Their attitude of protecting each other to the death is crystal clear!
But to their surprise, the chief attendant didn't allow the section chief to get involved directly. Just as they were wondering why, the chief attendant said again:
"I've noticed that GFB has been dragging its feet lately, but this matter absolutely cannot be delayed, understand?"
The two high-ranking officials were taken aback; this was a warning!
Why bang it?
The two instantly understood the reason—it was all to support their son!
Indeed, some people have been acting very aggressively lately; it seems they've angered the chief attendant.
……
GFB.
Zhang Anping, who was snoring softly, twitched his ear but remained asleep—behind the one-way mirror, someone was "patching" something, which meant the light should be turned on.
Sure enough, not long after the "patch" was applied, the dim light in the small house suddenly became bright. Zhang Anping was "awakened" by the glaring light. Just as he was rubbing his sleepy eyes, the door was opened and two high-ranking officials strode in.
"Good morning, sir!"
Zhang Anping immediately stood up and greeted him.
One of the high-ranking officials looked at Zhang Anping with disappointment:
"You, you! Have you gotten so used to being protected by Chunfeng? You'll cause any trouble you want!"
His words, though seemingly expressing disappointment and frustration, carried a hint of affection—but who could have imagined that just an hour earlier, this high-ranking official was actually urging Zhang Anping to be beaten to death with a single blow?
Zhang Anping lowered his head to show that he knew he was wrong.
After the two high-ranking officials sat down, the clerk in charge of taking notes entered, and then the other official spoke:
"Zhang Anping, the GFB investigation team has gone deep into the headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to collect evidence and has confirmed that the wiretapping of Director Mao Renfeng has been going on for three days—what do you have to say about this?"
This marks the official start of the interview process.
Zhang Anping's expression hardened, and then he slowly said:
“Three days ago, I personally ordered the wiretapping operation against Mao Renfeng. In the safe in my office, there is an order I personally signed—this was done by me alone and has nothing to do with anyone else.”
Zhang Anping's answer was not unexpected, after all, he had already admitted it himself.
The official then asked, "Why were you eavesdropping on him?"
After a brief silence, Zhang Anping slowly began to speak:
"This was due to my own selfish reasons, Anping... has nothing to say!"
The two high-ranking officials were stunned the moment the words were spoken.
There are no secrets in this world that stay hidden forever. To put it bluntly:
The reason why Zhang Anping was wiretapping Mao Renfeng is already known to those who need to know!
Although others might see this as an element of conflict, bringing it up was, after all, a reason. In fact, the GFB was prepared to back down once Zhang Anping revealed the reason, and to speak well of Zhang Anping in the report submitted to the chief of staff.
Of course, the reason for the kind words was not because of Zhang Anping's influence, but because it was in accordance with the wishes of the chief attendant.
But now, Zhang Anping has actually answered with "This was due to my own selfish motives"!
To give an example: both are murders, one is premeditated and the other is accidental. The difference between them during the trial is life or death!
Zhang Anping could have been charged with "manslaughter," but he used the phrase "This was due to my selfish motives" to forcefully turn it into "premeditated murder"!
This answer left the two high-ranking officials, who were already prepared to back down gracefully, dumbfounded—they couldn't believe that Zhang Anping hadn't understood the meaning behind their words!
They couldn't believe that Zhang Anping didn't understand such a simple and clear principle.
But Zhang Anping, of all people, replied with "This was due to my own selfish reasons!" (End of Chapter)