Chapter 1372
The Inspection Team Takes Action!
His tone turned cold in his last sentence.
"Please, let Luo Fei go."
Ruan Jiaxin spoke with difficulty, each word distinct, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
"What happened that day was caused by me."
He was trying to help me, that's why he...that's why he hit me. I'm willing to apologize on his behalf, willing to compensate...I just beg you to be lenient, explain the situation to the police, and not pursue the matter further, okay?"
"Hahaha!"
Xue Shih-hao seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world and couldn't help but laugh out loud, but his laughter was full of mockery and cruelty.
"Ruan Jiaxin, are you really naive or just pretending? Let him go? Do you know what he did to my two brothers? They're in a vegetative state!"
He'll never wake up again! The evidence is conclusive that he intentionally caused serious injury; he's in detention now, awaiting a severe sentence from the court! You want me to let him go? On what grounds? Just because you stammered, "Please?"
Ruan Jiaxin's face turned even paler; Xue Shihao's words shattered the last vestige of hope in her heart.
She knew that simply begging would be useless.
Xue Shihao's laughter gradually subsided. He looked Ruan Jiaxin up and down with a playful gaze, filled with naked desire. Her chest rose and fell slightly due to nervousness, and her slender waist was moving up and down.
"However..."
He abruptly changed the subject, lowering his voice and adopting a strange tone that mixed coaxing and threatening.
"It's not entirely impossible for me to give in. After all, my two brothers have received ample compensation from their families, which should be enough to appease them."
The key... is your performance, and whether you're sincere enough.
Ruan Jiaxin tensed up, sensing that Xue Shihao was about to make terrible demands.
Xue Shih-hao gestured with his chin toward the door to the inner room and said lazily.
"Close and lock the door first. Let's discuss the terms slowly. I don't want to be disturbed when we're talking about 'serious business'."
Ruan Jiaxin stood rooted to the spot, as if she were nailed to the floor.
She closed the door and locked it... In this enclosed space where only she and Xue Shihao were, she could easily guess what would happen next.
A tremendous sense of shame and fear coiled around her heart like a venomous snake.
She looked at Xue Shihao, and the confident, smug smile on his face, as if he were waiting for his prey to walk into the trap, pierced her eyes like needles.
I went through what felt like an eternity of inner struggle.
On one side is her innocence and dignity, and on the other is the only chance to save Luo Fei. Luo Fei saved her, but now he is imprisoned because of her, and may even face a long prison sentence.
The gratitude and guilt she felt were so heavy that she could hardly breathe.
Finally, under Xue Shihao's increasingly impatient and gradually cold gaze, Ruan Jiaxin seemed to have all her strength drained away. Extremely slowly and tremblingly, she turned around, stretched out her icy hand, grasped the handle of the inner room door, and then gently closed the door, hearing the clear "click" of the lock locking, a sound that represented isolation and danger.
Seeing Ruan Jiaxin fly down from the ground and lock the door herself, sealing herself and him alone in this private space, Xue Shihao's smug smile instantly widened, his eyes flashing with undisguised, lewd light of determination.
He knew that this "cold beauty" whom he had coveted for so long and had failed to win over time was finally going to fall completely into his hands today.
"very good."
Xue Shih-hao's voice was a little hoarse with excitement as he patted the edge of his hospital bed.
"Come here, sit down. Let's have a good talk about how to 'solve' your lover's problem. My request is very simple..."
Just as Ruan Jiaxin was forced to step into Xue Shihao's carefully laid trap in order to save Luo Fei, and faced unimaginable humiliation and danger alone, on the other side of Dongguan City, a storm targeting the Xue family and the forces behind them had quietly begun.
In the suburbs of Dongguan, a special team has recently quietly moved into an inconspicuous, even somewhat dilapidated, seven-story office building. While the exterior of the building appears relaxed, security is actually tight inside, with plainclothes officers guarding the entrances and exits, and all vehicles and personnel entering undergoing strict checks.
This is the temporary office of the newly arrived provincial inspection team in Dongguan.
After a superficially polite but actually fraught meeting with relevant city departments, the inspection team quickly moved to this strictly confidential location. The choice of this location was carefully considered. Its relatively remote location facilitated concealment and secrecy; the simple building structure made it easy to deploy and monitor.
More importantly, having learned from the serious lessons of past incidents where information was leaked or even attacked and damaged by unidentified individuals at the locations of inspection teams in some areas, both the superiors and the inspection teams themselves have attached great importance to the security work this time.
Their whereabouts and residence remain a mystery to the vast majority of people in Dongguan, including many high-ranking officials.
In fact, it was no accident that the inspection team chose Guancheng as the focus of their inspection this time.
Their primary target from the outset was the Ruyi Group, controlled by the Xue family, and the associated local political ecosystem. Before their operation, they had already received numerous reports about the Ruyi Group and the Xue family through various channels. These reports directly alleged that the Ruyi Group's successful transformation from a criminal organization to a legitimate entity was due to the Xue family's significant investment in cultivating relationships with powerful officials in Dongguan, meticulously crafting a massive and robust "protective umbrella." While the Xue family outwardly operated legitimate businesses in logistics, catering, and entertainment, they secretly engaged in extensive bribery and corruption, using money to gain unfair competitive advantages in numerous sectors.
Furthermore, the whistleblower letter also emphasized that the Xue family had not completely abandoned their past lucrative businesses. They were accused of secretly operating multiple underground casinos and being deeply involved in the incredibly profitable online gambling sector. It is said that gambling alone brings the Xue family illegal profits of up to one billion yuan annually. This illicit money is then laundered through complex operations by companies they control, flowing into the legal sphere to further expand their capital and influence.
After moving into this confidential building, Zhang Wenzhong, the head of the inspection team, worked almost non-stop, presiding over several internal meetings in succession.
This veteran discipline inspector, around fifty years old, with a resolute face and sharp, eagle-like eyes, was known for his decisive and unwavering style. The atmosphere in the meeting room was somber, with a map of Dongguan's administrative divisions and a preliminary outline of its relationships hanging on the wall.
"Based on our initial understanding at the moment."
A member of the team responsible for gathering preliminary intelligence reported this.
"Ruyi Group has extraordinary relationships with many officials in the local development and reform, land, planning, housing and construction, industry and commerce, taxation, and even public security and court systems. During holidays and even on ordinary days, various forms of 'favor exchanges' are very frequent. The Xue family used huge sums of money to corrupt these officials, paving the way for their own business, and obtaining a lot of improper convenience and huge profits in land acquisition, engineering contracting, project approval, tax and fee reductions. It is said that most of the main leaders of the powerful departments in Dongguan City were once guests of Xue Jingshan or Xue Shihao, the patriarch of the Xue family."
"Even..." The team member paused, his tone tinged with disbelief.
"It has even created a distorted atmosphere in the local officialdom, with some officials taking pride in being able to become Xue Jingshan's 'friend' and receive 'invitation vouchers' from Ruyi Group, without feeling that there is anything wrong with it, but rather regarding it as a symbol of status and ability."
This trend is extremely vile, and it demonstrates the depth and breadth of the corruption.
Another younger team member raised a concern at the meeting.
"Team Leader Zhang, comrades, I have a concern."
If the Xue family has indeed, as the whistleblower materials and initial indications suggest, corrupted and infiltrated almost the entire management system of Dongguan City, forming a deeply entrenched network of interests, then our investigation will inevitably face comprehensive, overt and covert obstruction. Obtaining evidence will be difficult, interviewing people will be difficult, and even the secrecy of our operations may be challenged.
It's like being stuck in a quagmire, surrounded by their people.
Team leader Zhang Wenzhong listened attentively, his fingers lightly tapping the table.
He nodded slowly, agreeing with the team member's assessment.
"Xiao Chen's concerns are very reasonable, and they are the biggest difficulty we must face squarely."
The most frightening thing is not that one or two people or one or two departments have problems, but that everyone has problems, forming a community of shared interests where "one prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer."
At the meeting with the municipal party committee, I noticed that while the heads of various departments were outwardly respectful and expressed their full cooperation, their eyes revealed shrewdness, calculation, and a hint of barely perceptible vigilance and resistance.
They'd love for us to just make a brief appearance, leave Dongguan as soon as possible.
He stood up, walked to the relationship diagram, and sharply scanned the names and departments marked on it.
“These people may have conflicts and squabbles with each other over the distribution of power and interests.”
But when faced with our inspection team, this "external enemy," and an investigation that could potentially overturn the table and touch their fundamental interests, they might temporarily set aside their internal conflicts and unite like never before, tipping each other off, covering for one another, and setting up numerous obstacles for us. Covering up, passing the buck, providing false information, and even creating incidents to divert attention... they might be very adept at these tactics.
Therefore, I can say definitively that this battle in Dongguan is likely the toughest and most challenging of our series of in-depth inspections, one that will truly test our will and capabilities.
Zhang Wenzhong's words made the atmosphere in the meeting room even more serious, but the eyes of each team member did not waver, but instead became more determined.
The young team member, Xiao Chen, clenched his fist.
"Team Leader Zhang, no matter how difficult it is, we must win! If even we back down, won't the people of Dongguan City live even more under the shadow of these parasites like the Xue family? Will we allow them to oppress the people and erode national interests? Absolutely not!"
"Correct!"
"We must get to the bottom of this!"
"Even the toughest bone has to be chewed up!"
Other group members also expressed their opinions, their voices not loud, but full of unwavering determination.
Looking at his subordinates, most of whom were young and strong, with the flame of justice burning in their eyes, Zhang Wenzhong finally showed a hint of approval and determination on his serious face.
"Good! That's exactly the spirit we've been looking for!"
He said it with absolute certainty.
"No matter how great the difficulties, the mission must be completed. The superiors sent us here, which is a sign of their trust in us and also a way to give an explanation to the people of Dongguan. I demand that the entire team be on high alert, pay attention to confidentiality and security, and at the same time, give full play to our professionalism and resilience, and strive to uncover the intricate and interconnected network of relationships between Ruyi Group and local officials within three months, secure key evidence, and wipe out these parasites that are corrupting the country and oppressing the people!"
***
The soft "click" of the ward door lock falling was unusually clear and jarring in the excessively quiet VIP ward suite, as if a heavy gate had completely isolated Ruan Jiaxin from the outside world and pushed her into a confined space filled with unknown fear and humiliation.
She leaned against the cold door, her body trembling slightly. She could almost hear her heart pounding wildly in her chest, a sound so loud that she suspected Xue Shihao on the bed could hear it too.
She dared not look up, her gaze fixed on a small patch of smooth floor tile in front of her shoes, as if it were her last safe haven.
Xue Shih-hao relished her flustered and bewildered appearance, like a startled fawn, and his sense of pleasure and conquest reached its peak.
He deliberately didn't rush to speak, just lay there half-reclined, his gaze like a sticky tongue, lingering wantonly on Ruan Jiaxin's tense neck, her slightly heaving chest, and her fragile waist, enjoying the moment of complete control after his prey had willingly walked into the trap.
A few seconds passed in the suffocating silence, but for Ruan Jiaxin, it felt like centuries. Finally, Xue Shihao's mocking yet undeniable voice broke the silence.
"What are you standing there for? Come here. Didn't you ask me to do something? How can we discuss 'conditions' when we're so far apart?"
He patted the edge of the hospital bed, a gesture as flippant as if he were summoning a pet.
Ruan Jiaxin's nails dug deeper into her palms, sending a sharp pain through her, which barely kept her from collapsing.
She walked to the bedside extremely slowly, almost shuffling, but stubbornly refused to sit down. Instead, she lowered her head and repeated her purpose in a dry and weak voice.
"Young Master Xue... please, spare Luo Fei. What are your conditions... as long as I can do it..."
"There are so many things you can do."
Xue Shih-hao interrupted her with a sneer.
"But before that, I need to see just how much 'sincerity' you have."
How far would you go for that brat who dared to lay a hand on me?
He suddenly reached out and grabbed Ruan Jiaxin's slender wrist.
Ruan Jiaxin shuddered violently as if branded with a hot iron, instinctively trying to pull her hand away, but Xue Shihao gripped it tightly. His sickly pale yet still powerful hand held her firmly like an iron clamp. Xue Shihao pulled her closer to him, so close that Ruan Jiaxin could smell his masculine scent mixed with the smell of medicine, which made her stomach churn, and a strong feeling of nausea surged up. (End of this chapter)