Chapter 1375
Trading Secrets for Secrets!
As for what happens if I find out, that's my business.
Director He only needs to consider whether you are willing to speak or not.
He paused, his tone still calm, yet undeniably authoritative.
"If you're willing to talk, we can continue. If not, then there's nothing to talk about."
The door is on your side, please help yourself.
After saying that, he actually turned slightly to the side, as if he was about to press the end button on the intercom and signal to the guards to take him away.
"Personal interests?"
He Wenbin was almost choked by this absurd reason, but he didn't bother to investigate whether the interest was genuine or not, nor did he care to consider the complex motives behind Luo Fei's actions. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: he absolutely could not let Luo Fei leave! He absolutely could not let him reveal his fatal affair with the mayor's wife, Li Wanru!
If Mayor Chen finds out about that, given the mayor's methods and rage, his fate will be extremely tragic. Dismissal and investigation would be the least of his worries; he could be utterly disgraced, his family destroyed, or even falsely accused of suicide or an accident.
For a mayor who has been in power in Dongguan for many years, dealing with an education bureau chief is far too easy, even if the bureau chief has some influence and connections.
This is not just the end of his career, it's a matter of life and death!
"and many more!"
Just as Luo Fei's finger was about to touch the communicator, He Wenbin almost cried out, his voice sharp with urgency, which drew a glance from the guards on duty not far away outside the glass wall.
Realizing he had lost his composure, He Wenbin quickly lowered his voice and spoke urgently into the intercom.
"Don't go... Mr. Luo, let's talk again!"
Luo Fei stopped what he was doing, and the corners of his mouth turned up almost imperceptibly—a subtle smile that suggested he had anticipated the situation and was in control.
He calmly sat up straight again, his gaze fixed on He Wenbin, as if he hadn't been the one who was about to leave.
"Director He, have you thought it through? I don't have much time."
His tone remained calm, yet carried an invisible pressure.
He Wenbin took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat that kept seeping from his forehead, his mind still in turmoil. Betraying his colleagues and providing secrets was tantamount to tearing a hole in the network of relationships he was in, with endless consequences. But the consequence of not doing it was immediate and utter destruction.
Faced with two evils, he had little choice but to choose the lesser.
"I...I can only mention one person."
He Wenbin spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse, as if he had used up all his strength.
"The rest... I really dare not talk about it. It involves too many things. If I were to tell you, I... I'm afraid I wouldn't live for more than a few days."
He raised his head, his eyes filled with fear and pleading, hoping that Luo Fei could understand his "difficulties".
Luo Fei did not immediately express his opinion, but simply looked at him quietly, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the glass and see into He Wenbin's most secret heart.
A few seconds later, he slowly spoke.
"Can.
But what I want is genuine, substantial information.
If Director He is just trying to make up a story to fob me off…
He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold. Although his volume remained the same, it sent a chill down He Wenbin's spine.
"Then don't blame me for breaking my promise. I guarantee that your affairs will end up in the hands of the people you least want to see, in the way you least want to see them."
"I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!"
He Wenbin quickly assured him, his heart pounding.
"What I said is the truth, absolutely true! I... in my current state, how could I dare to lie to you?"
He took a deep breath, as if making his final decision, leaned forward, almost lying face down in front of the communicator, and spoke in a very low, very fast voice, but in a voice that he was sure Luo Fei could hear clearly.
"Director of the Transportation Bureau, Zhou Sheng."
Luo Fei raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
He Wenbin swallowed hard and quickened his pace.
"Zhou Sheng is my high school classmate, but... he's much more cunning than me."
As he said this, a complex emotion appeared on his face, a mixture of jealousy and a sense of pleasure in dragging others down with him.
"I know... I know Li Wanru, but that's all in the future."
Many years ago, Zhou Sheng had already had an improper relationship with her...
It was through this connection that he was able to rise from an ordinary clerk to the position of Director of the Transportation Bureau in just a few years, like a rocket. He was in charge of many of the city's important transportation construction projects.
Luo Fei found it somewhat amusing, thinking to himself that He Wenbin's own path to promotion was probably inseparable from the mayor's wife's "strong support," yet now he spoke of others as if "he was even more so." However, he did not interrupt, but simply listened quietly.
Seeing that Luo Fei did not react in any particular way, He Wenbin seemed to be encouraged in some way, or rather, it was a kind of catharsis after giving up. He continued.
"You ask me if he embezzled? Haha, I'm nothing compared to him."
His tone carried a distorted sense of pride, as if he were proving that the secrets he was providing were indeed valuable.
“Go and check the area around Dongguan City. The highways that have been built in the last five or six years, as well as the widening projects of several main roads, were almost all contracted by a company called ‘Junxing Construction’.”
The owner of this company is Zhou Sheng's childhood friend! Anyone with eyes can tell what's going on.
Zhou Shengguang got his benefits from this company, I estimate…
He held up two fingers, hesitated for a moment, and then held up three.
"This number is beyond measure. The unit is 'hundred million'."
Luo Fei's eyes flickered slightly, but his expression remained largely unchanged. The enormous amount of money involved in the corruption was certainly bombshell information, but it seemed to be within his expectations.
He Wenbin observed Luo Fei's expression, gritted his teeth, and seemed to decide to add fuel to the fire by revealing an even more shocking secret.
He lowered his voice again, almost whispering.
"Also... Mr. Luo, if you have the chance, you can go and see the mayor's eldest son, Chen Jiye. He should be... in his early twenties this year."
That look, wow, he's practically a carbon copy of Zhou Sheng! Especially his eyebrows, the curve of his chin… I've never said this to anyone before, but it's true!
After he finished speaking, he seemed to have used up all his strength, slumped back in his chair, panting heavily. Behind his glasses, his eyes flickered with fear, lingering dread, and a twisted release after revealing a shocking secret.
The meaning behind those words couldn't be clearer. Even with his unwavering resolve and extensive experience, Luo Fei was secretly taken aback upon hearing them.
The mayor's wife, Li Wanru, is no ordinary person.
Directors He Wenbin and Zhou Sheng are really targeting Mayor Chen, trying to "add bricks and tiles" to his family and make efforts to "spread the family line."
This relationship is complicated and potentially dangerous. The amount of information is substantial and explosive. Luo Fei is satisfied with the "goods" provided by He Wenbin in this "deal."
He didn't ask any more questions, nor did he comment on the secret He Wenbin provided. He simply nodded slightly and then stood up.
"Director He, this conversation was very pleasant."
Luo Fei spoke into the intercom, his tone as calm as if he were ending a routine business meeting.
"I hope that what you say here, like what you've done, is 'true'."
Goodbye then.
After saying that, he stopped looking at He Wenbin's face, which had suddenly become tense and bewildered, raised his hand to signal the wardens to end the visit.
Watching Luo Fei being led away from the visiting room by the guards, He Wenbin remained slumped in his chair, his body weak, the back of his shirt completely soaked with cold sweat.
He didn't know what Luo Fei would do with this information, nor did he know what the consequences of his "confession" would be.
All he knew was that he might have just opened a Pandora's box, and he was standing on the edge of it, about to be swallowed up at any moment.
Luo Fei returned to cell 206, the iron door closing behind him. The cell remained quiet. Zhou Shaokang and the others glanced at him furtively with a mixture of awe and curiosity, but no one dared to approach him. Luo Fei sat down on his bunk, closing his eyes to rest, but his heart was far from calm.
He never expected that before he even left the detention center, a single targeted "talk" would implicate two officials in key departments with serious problems.
He Wenbin, the director of the Education Bureau, has an affair with the mayor's wife and has financial problems. To protect himself, he does not hesitate to betray his classmates and close friends.
Zhou Sheng, the director of the Transportation Bureau, had an earlier and deeper relationship with the mayor's wife, and is suspected of massive engineering corruption, which may even involve more shocking ethical issues.
Although the methods used were unconventional, the process was highly efficient and gave him a more intuitive and concrete understanding of the undercurrents beneath the surface of the water in Dongguan.
He found it interesting. This method of directly addressing the internal decay and prying open the cracks, although simple and crude, is often faster than a step-by-step investigation in certain specific circumstances.
He decided to strike while the iron was hot and continue. His next target was naturally Zhou Sheng, the director of the transportation bureau whom he had just "acquired".
After resting for a while, and estimating the time, He Wenbin should have already left the detention center, looking uneasy. Luo Fei got up again and walked to the cell door. Just then, another police officer on duty passed by on patrol. This officer had obviously also heard about the "strange incident" of his colleague lending Luo Fei his phone. When he saw Luo Fei waving, his expression was somewhat wary and hesitant.
Luo Fei spoke through the door in the same calm tone.
"Officer, can I borrow your phone again to make a call?"
soon."
The police officer frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse; rules are rules.
But before he could speak, Luo Fei quickly whispered a few more words, his gaze calmly fixed on the other man. The police officer's expression shifted, from resistance to surprise and doubt, then to deep fear and compromise, mirroring the reaction of his colleague earlier.
He looked around, then finally took his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, handed it in, and whispered some instructions.
"hurry up."
Luo Fei took the number, thanked him, and then dialed the number he had obtained indirectly from He Wenbin.
The phone rang for a moment before being answered. A middle-aged man's voice came through, his tone steady, but with a habitual, condescending official air and impatience.
"Hello, who is it?"
It was Zhou Sheng.
Luo Fei said directly.
"Director Zhou Sheng? That guy from the Transportation Bureau?"
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, as if the person was uncomfortable with such a direct and disrespectful address, and their tone immediately became more wary.
"It's me. Who are you? Where did you get this number?"
This number is his office phone, but it is usually only known to people within the system or to relevant contacts.
"My surname is Luo."
Luo Fei gave his surname, speaking in a casual tone as if he were chatting about everyday things.
"I have something I'd like to discuss with Director Zhou, and it would be best if we could meet."
"Surname Luo?"
Zhou Sheng quickly searched his mind for people he knew, but couldn't find anyone who would dare to speak to him in that tone. He immediately put on his official airs and his voice became low.
"Meet? I'm very busy with work; it's not like I can just meet anyone I want. What do you want? What company do you work for?"
He tried to intimidate people with his status and imposing manner.
Luo Fei remained unmoved and did not answer his question. Instead, he slowly uttered a sentence, as if throwing a carefully calculated bomb.
"Director Zhou, don't you want to know who the biological father of Chen Jiye, the eldest son of Vice Mayor Chen, really is?"
"..."
A deathly silence fell over the other end of the phone! Even the sound of breathing seemed to disappear. Three or four seconds passed before Zhou Sheng's voice came through again, but his composure and official tone had vanished, leaving only a violent tremor and a hint of panic that he was trying to suppress.
"You... what nonsense are you spouting! Mayor Chen's son, of course his father is Mayor Chen himself! Who exactly are you?! What do you want?!"
He tried to mask his inner turmoil with harsh questioning, but the effect was the opposite.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, Director Zhou knows best."
Luo Fei's tone remained calm, yet every word was piercing.
"If Director Zhou is not interested in confirming or discussing this issue, that's fine too. I can organize my speculations and some relevant supporting evidence, and post them directly on some popular online forums, or send them to the leaders of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Municipal Party Committee. I think there will always be someone interested."
"Wait a minute!"
Zhou Sheng panicked completely and could no longer maintain his composure, interrupting him abruptly.
"Who are you?! What do you want?!"
“My surname is Luo, and I am currently in Xishan Detention Center, cell 206.”
Luo Fei clearly repeated his position.
"I'll give you one hour to come see me right now. We'll talk in person."
"No time wasters, and you'll bear the consequences."
After saying that, he didn't give Zhou Sheng any time to bargain, ask for details, or try to investigate. He simply hung up the phone and handed it back to the police officer outside the door with a complicated expression.
Sitting in the spacious and bright office of the Transportation Bureau Director, Zhou Sheng was stunned as he listened to the busy tone on his phone, his hand holding the phone lingering for a long time.
Overwhelmed by immense doubt and panic, he was instantly engulfed by a cold tide.
Who exactly is this person? How does he know about Chen Jiye's affairs? This matter is extremely secretive; even He Wenbin, that guy who came later, might not know so much about it! (End of Chapter)