Comrade Sun Liancheng is a victim.

Gao Yuliang looked at Sha Ruijin and smiled faintly, "Comrade Ruijin, you now have two choices."

"First, the Standing Committee meeting of Handong Province will continue. In order to ensure judicial fairness, you four people involved in the case are requested to leave the meeting room immediately. Your proposals and suggestions will not be adopted."

"Second, you can end this Standing Committee meeting, I don't object, but you will be fully responsible for any subsequent impact of this matter."

"Comrade Ruijin, shall we continue the meeting or end it?"

Li Dakang, the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City, was completely unaware of the situation and looked utterly bewildered.

Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin, Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Tian Guofu, and Provincial Party Committee Deputy Secretary Lu Zhenguo had already realized what was happening, their brows furrowed and their faces so gloomy they looked like they were about to burst into tears.

Li Dakang stared at Gao Yuliang, pointed to the paused surveillance video, widened his eyes, and questioned, "Governor Gao, just because Sun Liancheng reported me, I've become a suspect? I have to recuse myself?"

"If Sun Liancheng reports all the officials in Handong Province, does that mean Handong Province can't prosecute him? Is that the logic?"

Gao Yuliang crossed his arms and looked quietly at Li Dakang, jokingly saying, "Secretary Dakang, I have some books on law that you can come with me to get them after the meeting."

"Everyone has seen the surveillance footage. Among the officials that Comrade Sun Liancheng reported to the Provincial Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau were four of you. Regarding Comrade Sun Liancheng's report, the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau has not made a clear statement. Is there any cover-up? Is there any factionalism? Is there any collusion among officials?"

"Just now, at the Standing Committee meeting of Handong Province, Comrade Sha Ruijin confidently suggested that Comrade Sun Liancheng be severely punished. Was there any abuse of power involved? Was there any personal revenge? Was there any settling of scores?"

"Comrades, we must be vigilant! We must be vigilant against certain cadres wielding excessive power, forming cliques, and suppressing dissent!"

As he spoke, Gao Yuliang looked at Sha Ruijin and asked, "Comrade Ruijin, shall the meeting continue?"

"If the meeting ends, Comrade Ruijin, you may need to make a call to the procuratorate and give instructions on how to handle Comrade Sun Liancheng's case."

Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin realized the problem; public opinion was brewing, and they couldn't wait any longer. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if higher-ups noticed, especially if the contents of Sun Liancheng's formal complaint reached their ears…

The content of the Standing Committee meeting can be uploaded, and even if someone in higher positions can help cover it up, this kind of online hot topic can be seen by everyone, and it cannot be covered up at all.

Sha Ruijin sighed inwardly, looked at Gao Yuliang, and compromised, "Governor Gao, how about this? Considering that Sun Liancheng rushed into the fire to save the child, the Provincial Party Committee will not pursue the matter of Sun Liancheng's assault. Just let him apologize to Hou Liangping."

"Comrade Ruijin, are you still half asleep? Why don't you go back to sleep for a while?" Gao Yuliang sneered, staring at Sha Ruijin and mocking, "Even now, you still can't see reality? You still can't see the situation?"

"It's no longer about you, or whether the provincial party committee will pursue this matter. It's about whether Comrade Sun Liancheng is willing to reconcile and whether he's willing to leave the interrogation room," Gao Yuliang angrily retorted without restraint. "Apologize to Hou Liangping? Does Hou Liangping deserve it?"

"Comrade Ruijin, this matter has caused quite a stir online. After all, it's not something to be proud of. If Comrade Sun Liancheng doesn't cooperate, and things escalate further, how will we handle this?"

Sha Ruijin nodded and asked, "This matter has become a hot news topic, which is embarrassing. I also want to end this as soon as possible. Governor Gao, what do you think should be done?"

After a moment of contemplation, Gao Yuliang stated bluntly, "My request is not important. What is important is what the victim, Comrade Sun Liancheng, demands. The Provincial Party Committee must grant his request and make him cooperate with us to clarify the rumors circulating online and restore a positive image to Handong Province!"

As he spoke, Gao Yuliang pointed to Tian Guofu, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, on his left: "Representing the Provincial Party Committee to consult with Comrade Sun Liancheng, Secretary Tian is very suitable for this matter. He is the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and is in charge of the discipline and regulations of cadres in Handong Province."

"Hou Liangping, the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, assaulted a whistleblower, violating discipline and the law. He knowingly broke the law and should have been handed over to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection for handling."

"Whether from a public or private perspective, Secretary Tian should be held responsible."

"Me?" Tian Guofu's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened in panic.

Tian Guofu knew very well that this job was a hot potato. Was Hou Liangping, the anti-corruption bureau chief who had been beaten, an ordinary person? He was the son-in-law of the Zhong family. What if Sun Liancheng insisted that he severely punish Hou Liangping according to the law? Wouldn't he offend the Zhong family?

Furthermore, Sun Liancheng is not easy to get along with. He's like a living Yama, and if you make even the slightest mistake, he'll berate you mercilessly, and you might even get beaten to a pulp.

Once you accept this job, no matter what the outcome, you'll be caught in the middle and won't be liked by anyone!

After racking his brains for a while, Tian Guofu came up with an idea and immediately retorted, "Secretary Sha, Governor Gao, I've thought about it, and it seems inappropriate for me to go to the procuratorate to discuss the matter with Comrade Sun Liancheng."

Tian Guofu sensed Gao Yuliang's unfriendly gaze and hurriedly explained, "Governor Gao just said that Comrade Sun Liancheng filed a formal complaint against me. I'm involved in the case, so I have to recuse myself!"

Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin knew this matter was putting Tian Guofu in a difficult position, so he nodded and said, "That makes sense."

"Here's what we'll do, Governor Gao. There are twelve members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee of Handong Province present, and four of them are involved in the case. In order to be fair and just, why don't we end the Standing Committee meeting and hold a democratic life meeting? We can make a video call to Comrade Sun Liancheng on the spot to hear what his demands are, and then we can discuss and resolve them on the spot."

"Okay, I have no objection."

……

The so-called democratic life meeting is actually in the same meeting room and with the same people. The only difference is that the Standing Committee needs to upload a backup of the data from the higher-level organization, while the democratic life meeting does not.

During the preparation, Sha Ruijin specifically checked the trending news on his phone. The news about Sun Liancheng being beaten and arrested was trending very highly!

Sha Ruijin's eyelids twitched wildly, his heart pounding with fear. The higher-ups must have noticed this news!

Sun Liancheng must cooperate in clarifying the situation, otherwise, something terrible will happen!

The video call was quickly connected. In the video, Sun Liancheng was sitting in the interrogation room, wearing an orange vest like a prisoner, with handcuffs on his hands and shackles on his feet.

Upon seeing this, Sha Ruijin's expression changed slightly. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! Is Comrade Sun Liancheng a criminal? What law has he broken? What regulations has he violated? Who gave you permission to put these handcuffs on him? Who gave you permission to dress Comrade Sun Liancheng in this uniform?"

In the video, Lu Yike, the head of the First Investigation Division of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, blinked in bewilderment and said in astonishment, "This...didn't Sun Liancheng beat up Director Hou Liangping? We all saw it."

Tian Guofu, secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, immediately said, "Director Lu, as a prosecutor of the Handong Provincial Procuratorate, how can you distort the truth? We have already seen the surveillance video. It is clear that Hou Liangping struck first, and Comrade Sun Liancheng is the victim."

"And let me tell you, Director Lu, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is now investigating not only the Provincial Procuratorate for beating the whistleblower, but also your illegal act of arresting the whistleblower."