Chapter 1380
: The Five Top Managers Gather!
He already sensed that the storm was far from over, and that his detention center was right in the eye of the storm.
Qian Youcai was practically tumbling as he was led into the visiting room, which had become a "nightmare" for his colleagues.
His obese body was drenched in sweat from fear and frantic running. He slumped in a chair, panting heavily, his eyes unfocused. Gone was his usual shrewdness and self-satisfaction; all that remained was the despair of a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.
Luo Fei was quickly led to a seat through the glass.
When Qian Youcai saw him, his small eyes, squeezed into slits by fat, immediately flashed with surprise and uncertainty. Clearly, Luo Fei's youth had exceeded his expectations.
But at this moment, age is no longer important; what matters is that the other party possesses a secret that could be fatal to him.
Before Luo Fei could even pick up the intercom, Qian Youcai eagerly grabbed his own microphone, his voice trembling sharply with fear.
"It's you?!"
"How did you know about those things?! Who told you?! Was it that bastard Zeng Ke?!"
He first suspected Zeng Ke, who had just visited, because the land and finance departments had some overlap in certain projects, and Zeng Ke might have heard rumors from some channels.
Luo Fei neither admitted nor denied it, but simply picked up the communicator and responded with his well-practiced, half-true, half-false, incoherent speech.
"Director Qian, there are no secrets in this world. No matter how cleverly you arrange things, so many 'family members' still need to live, need to visit each other, and need to spend money."
Sometimes, an excessively large family is itself a conspicuous sign. I happen to know some friends who are quite sensitive to unusual financial flows and interpersonal networks.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Qian Youcai's pale, chubby face.
"As for the source of the information, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I know, and the chain of evidence is more complete than you think."
These words chilled Qian Youcai to the bone even more than a direct threat. The other party's implied "friends" and "chain of evidence" made him believe that Luo Fei might have a team or force specifically investigating him, which was far more terrifying than any accidental discovery by an individual.
"What...what do you really want?"
Qian Youcai's voice softened, becoming pleading.
"Money? How much do you want? Just name your price, and I'll have it prepared right away! Cash! Overseas account! Either way, as long as you return those documents to me or destroy them!"
His instinct was to solve the problem with money, which was the method he was best at and believed to be the most effective.
Luo Fei shook his head, a mocking smile on his face.
“Director Qian, I’ve said the same thing as the previous directors: I have no interest in money. Your dozens of mistresses and more than a dozen children cost tens of millions every year. No matter how much money you have, it’s a bottomless pit. I don’t care about it.”
"It's free?"
Qian Youcai was stunned. If he didn't want money, then what did he want? He looked at Luo Fei with a mix of nervousness and confusion.
"I like listening to stories."
Luo Fei once again brought out his set of "trading rules" that baffled these officials.
"Secrets for secrets. Tell me a substantial piece of dirt on other officials, preferably at your level or higher. As long as your 'story' satisfies me, I can pretend I didn't hear about your 'golden canaries' and illegitimate children for now. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that detailed lists, addresses, account information, and speculations about parentage won't end up on the desks of some departments. You know, lifestyle issues plus a huge amount of unexplained wealth is enough to keep you in jail for a long time, and the social impact will be particularly 'exciting'."
Upon hearing this, Qian Youcai's mouth gaped open, speechless for a long time. He didn't want money, just the secrets of other officials? Was this man a psychopath? Or did he have some deeper motive? He simply couldn't understand it.
But right now, he's at the mercy of others, with no other choice. The other party holds his biggest weakness, and seems completely unyielding, only interested in "secrets."
Since Luo Fei is trapped in the detention center, it might not hurt to talk to him, at least it can keep him calm for the time being.
Qian Youcai's mind raced. Whose secret should he reveal? He needed to make it substantial enough to satisfy the other party, without affecting his own core interests, and ideally... divert the trouble elsewhere, or eliminate a potential competitor? His fat face, with its small, darting eyes, gleamed with a cunning and cold light.
Soon, he seemed to have locked onto a "suitable" target.
He leaned closer to the intercom, lowered his voice, and spoke with a mysterious and certain tone.
"Director of the Planning Bureau, Li Bin."
"This guy's got some influence, right? He's in charge of all the city's project planning and approvals; he's got a lot of money to be made, and he's ruthless too."
Luo Fei gestured for him to continue.
Qian Youcai licked his lips and said.
"Li Bin, that guy, uses his power to approve projects to make a fortune, and that's nothing compared to what everyone in the industry knows."
But he has an even more monstrous flaw!
His tone carried a twisted mentality of recounting the worse deeds of others to highlight his own “slightly better” behavior.
"He is extremely lecherous, and he specifically targets young, even underage, girls! He uses despicable methods, including coercion and enticement, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals!"
Luo Fei frowned slightly.
"Be specific."
"About... four years ago."
Qian Youcai recalled.
"At that time, there was an old city renovation project that involved an old residential area."
One of the families had a daughter who was only about fifteen or sixteen years old at the time, in high school, and very pretty.
When Li Bin went to conduct on-site research, he took a liking to it and started having wicked thoughts.
He used the project compensation and resettlement housing to pressure the family, implying that if they didn't "behave properly," they wouldn't receive reasonable compensation and might even face forced demolition.
That family were ordinary working-class people; how could they possibly fight against him? In the end… the girl was practically forced by her parents to go to the place Li Bin had designated…
Qian Youcai shook his head at this point, but there was no sympathy on his face, only an excitement of recounting a bizarre event.
"Later, the girl got pregnant."
Li Bin originally wanted her to abort, but the girl seemed to have health problems, or for some other reason, the child was born in the end, and it was a boy. Now the child is almost three years old, and can run and jump. But the girl herself is only under twenty years old; she's still a child herself!
Luo Fei's eyes suddenly turned cold. Forcing a minor girl to become pregnant and give birth is not merely a matter of moral depravity, but a serious criminal offense!
Qian Youcai continued.
"This matter was kept very secret at the time. Li Bin gave that family a large sum of hush money and promised to give their relatives benefits in other projects, which was enough to suppress the issue. The girl took a year off from school and later it seems she transferred to another school."
But the child remained in Dongguan City, secretly raised by Li Bin at a relative's house in the suburbs, whom he would visit occasionally. Very few people knew about it; I only found out because I was once "doing something" with Li Bin, and he got drunk and boasted, accidentally letting it slip.
He even showed off the child's photo, saying he looked like him and was smart.
Qian Youcai's tone was full of disdain.
"That beast did such a heinous thing, and not only did he not get punished, but because he knows how to curry favor with the higher-ups, his career is soaring. I heard that he's been lobbying recently and might be promoted to district head! What a world!"
Luo Fei suppressed his anger and carefully examined Qian Youcai's account. When the other party mentioned the specific time, the girl's age, the child's current situation, and the details of Li Bin's boasting, his tone was certain, not like he was making it up on the spot.
Moreover, such crimes that cross the line of human ethics are difficult to fabricate in such detail without solid evidence.
He judged the news to be highly credible. Li Bin, the director of the planning bureau, was not only corrupt but also suspected of raping a minor and causing her to give birth—a heinous crime.
"very good."
Luo Fei noted down Li Bin's name and this shocking secret, and nodded to Qian Youcai.
"You can leave now. Remember, watch your mouth and your 'family.' What happened today is as if it never happened."
Qian Youcai breathed a sigh of relief, bowing and scraping, wiping away cold sweat, and staggering out of the visiting room. Compared to the previous visitors, he felt more guilty and relieved after betraying someone else's secret.
Luo Fei returned to his cell without pausing.
He walked to the door again. This time, the guard on duty was almost numb, his face filled with resigned despair. He silently handed over his phone, too lazy to even say a word.
Luo Fei took the phone and dialed Li Bin, the director of the planning bureau. When the call connected, Li Bin's voice came through, carrying an impatient and condescending tone.
"Hello, Planning Bureau, who is this?"
"Director Li Bin?"
Luo Fei asked directly.
“It’s me.”
"Speak quickly, I'm busy."
Li Bin's tone was indifferent.
"My surname is Luo, and I work at Xishan Detention Center."
Luo Fei introduced himself and then went straight to the point, throwing out the most damaging information.
"I want to talk to you about your son, who is almost three years old and looks a lot like you, whom you are raising with your relatives in the suburbs, and his biological mother who is not yet twenty years old. This happened four years ago."
"..."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Li Bin's furious rebuke, his voice sharp with shock and anger.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! Where did this madman come from?! How dare you slander me?! Believe me or not, I'll make sure you rot in jail!"
His first reaction was a fierce denial and a threat, but the barely perceptible panic in his tone betrayed his inner fear.
Luo Fei's tone remained calm, yet it carried a chilling, penetrating power.
"Whether it's slander or not, Director Li knows perfectly well. Should I remind you of the specific time and place, and also the middle school and class the girl attended at the time? Or, could we discuss the feasibility of a paternity test? A child who's almost three years old would have a very accurate result. I wonder if the Discipline Inspection Commission would be interested in this? Oh, by the way, I heard you're getting promoted to district head soon? At this crucial juncture, a child born out of wedlock, and the mother's age, based on calculations, might have been a minor at the time… this news is probably even more sensational than those mistresses of Director Qian Youcai, isn't it?"
"Who...who are you?! What do you want?!"
Li Bin's voice cracked with panic, his feigned composure crumbling. The other party not only knew of the child's existence, but also the child's age, the mother's current situation, and even details from back then?!
This was practically putting him to death! A wave of immense fear instantly overwhelmed him; the joy of his promotion vanished, leaving only an overwhelming chill.
"Xishan Detention Center, Room 206. You have thirty minutes. Come over immediately. We need to talk in person. If you're late, the story about your son and his mother might start circulating."
After Luo Fei finished speaking, he hung up the phone and handed it back.
Inside the planning bureau director's office, Li Bin held the microphone, his face ashen, his whole body trembling like a leaf.
His deepest fears, his most secretive sins, which he thought he had buried with money and power, have been so clearly unearthed!
This is a hundred times more deadly than any accusation of embezzlement or bribery!
He no longer cared about the authority of the bureau chief or the importance of the meeting. He rushed out of the house in a daze and drove straight to Xishan Detention Center. His heart was pounding all the way, almost bursting out of his chest.
At Xishan Detention Center, Warden Wang Qiang is on the verge of a breakdown.
When the on-duty police officer ran over again, looking pale, to report, and when Li Bin, the director of the planning bureau, also rushed over to request a meeting with Luo Fei, Wang Qiang felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He slumped back into his chair, clutched his head, and let out a painful and desperate groan.
"Good heavens... is this ever going to end?! Education, transportation, land, finance, and now planning... five bureau chiefs! All of them have come to see this Luo Fei in half a day!"
Who exactly is he?! Is he trying to turn this detention center into a denunciation session for the bureau chief?!
He felt his nerves were stretched to the limit; if this continued, he would surely go insane.
His apprehension and fear of Luo Fei had transformed into a deep resentment tinged with a sense of powerlessness. This plague must be gotten rid of as soon as possible! At any cost!
When Li Bin was brought to the visiting room, his face was pale and his eyes were unfocused. Although he tried to remain calm, his slightly trembling fingers betrayed the turmoil in his heart.
When he saw Luo Fei sitting behind the glass wall, so young, his eyes flashed with extreme astonishment and disbelief.
How could a young man imprisoned for fighting know such a deadly secret?
Luo Fei sat down and picked up the communicator.
Li Bin hurriedly grabbed his microphone, took a deep breath, and tried to take control, but his voice was still a little dry.
"So you're Luo Fei? Hmph, I've heard about you. You got locked up for injuring someone from the Xue family. Young man, being too hot-tempered isn't a good thing."
He paused, observing Luo Fei's reaction. Seeing that the other party remained unmoved, he changed his tone and spoke with a condescending air.
"However, I think you're a man of principle. I've heard of Xue Shihao too; he's no good."
Okay, I can consider your terms. It's just money, right? I can talk to the families of those two victims who are now in a vegetative state, give them a satisfactory compensation, and get them to issue a letter of understanding.
With a letter of forgiveness, your sentence will be significantly reduced, and you might not be locked up for long. How about that? Pretty sincere, right? (End of Chapter)