official career

Chapter 2953 Implicated by Me

Zhang Xinming dialed Xiao Jian'an's number and then handed the phone to Qin Feng.

"Hello." Xiao Jian'an answered the phone, but didn't say anything because he wasn't sure if the person on the other end was Zhang Xinming or Qin Feng.

"Mr. Xiao, I am Qin Feng." Qin Feng revealed his identity.

"Mayor, I'm sorry to bother you again," Xiao Jian'an said politely, after all, he had just called Qin Feng that morning.

"Did you receive news that Meng Dan was taken away by the police?" Qin Feng asked directly.

"Yes, I just received a report that Meng Dan and several of our managers in Shazhou have been taken away. Mayor, what exactly happened? I know we are partly to blame for this accident at our construction site, and the government has its own difficulties. I understand why you're doing this, but... but... is it really necessary to arrest people like this? The fire wasn't serious; no one died..."

Xiao Jian'an's tone was somewhat disordered; he sounded quite polite, but there was an undisguised anger hidden beneath the politeness.

Qin Feng could understand Xiao Jian'an's anger. The fire was not a very serious problem. As long as no one died, it was not considered a production accident, and there was no need to arrest anyone.

Moreover, he came to Shazhou to take on these projects in order to help Qin Feng relieve his worries. So far, he has not only failed to make any money, but has also staked all his wealth on them.

But after this incident, Qin Feng not only showed no mercy, but also directly arrested people. How could Xiao Jian'an not be furious?

If it weren't for Qin Feng's status, Xiao Jian'an would have already started cursing.

"Mr. Xiao, please don't get agitated. The responsibility for this lies with me," Qin Feng said sincerely.

"Mayor...please don't say that...that's not what I meant..." Xiao Jian'an quickly said.

"Let me finish speaking first," Qin Feng interrupted Xiao Jian'an.

"I know that the Public Security Bureau took Meng Dan and several heads of your Huayang Group away, but I didn't give the order. The order was given personally by Jiang Longjun, the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee. He didn't notify me beforehand, nor did he go through our municipal government. I only found out about this after he gave the order," Qin Feng explained to Xiao Jian'an.

"The Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee?" Xiao Jian'an obviously didn't expect things to be so complicated. Xiao Jian'an wasn't stupid. Although he wasn't in officialdom, he had spent his whole life in the political and business circles and he understood some things. The fact that the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee bypassed the mayor and directly gave orders to the Public Security Bureau said a lot.

"Why, Mayor? This fire is very strange. I don't think it was caused by our improper operation. I suspect that someone deliberately set it on fire."

"Even though it was a work safety accident caused by our non-standard operations, it did not have a significant impact. There were no fatalities, only two injuries, and neither of them were in life-threatening condition."

"How could someone be arrested for such a minor accident? And it was ordered by the Party Secretary himself. Mayor, isn't this going a bit too far?" Xiao Jian'an still didn't understand.

"It's not just about arresting people. The provincial party committee and government have both spoken out about this matter, saying they will investigate and deal with it seriously. The province has set up an investigation team, which will come to Shazhou tomorrow to investigate this matter."

"At the same time, the municipal party committee is also paying close attention to this matter. They have not only demanded an investigation into the accident itself, but are also investigating the circumstances under which you took over these projects. Furthermore, all the projects you are currently building may be required to be suspended for investigation, and you may eventually be required to withdraw from these projects." Qin Feng lit a cigarette.

"What...this...this..." Xiao Jian'an was so surprised that he couldn't speak. If it really came to that, all the money Xiao Jian'an had invested in these projects over the past few months would be wasted. That was Xiao Jian'an's entire fortune, an astronomical figure.

"They're not just investigating your Huayang Group, but more importantly, they're investigating who gave your Huayang Group the green light to take over these projects, and whether there's any transfer of benefits or corruption behind it," Qin Feng continued.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jian'an understood everything. This matter was not aimed at him, but at Qin Feng's rectification campaign.

"Mayor, whether it's targeting our Huayang Group or your visit, didn't we investigate last time? And we were punished as well, so why are you here again?"

“Sometimes there aren’t that many reasons.” Qin Feng said slowly, then said to Xiao Jian’an, “This matter is directed at me, and you have been implicated because of me. I apologize to you first.”

"No, no, no...Mayor...please don't say that..."

"I've called the Public Security Bureau about Meng Dan's matter. I can't stop them from making a big deal out of it, but you can rest assured about the safety of Meng Dan and your Huayang Group people inside. They won't be there for long. As long as they don't have conclusive evidence to prove that you are directly responsible, they will all be released when the legal time limit is up," Qin Feng explained.

“But how should we handle this?” Xiao Jian’an asked.

Xiao Jian's entire life and fortune are at stake on this, how could he not be anxious?

"This matter is directed at me, so naturally I'll handle it. You can't handle it even if you want to. What you need to do is very simple: do nothing. If they tell you to accept the investigation, then accept the investigation. If they tell you to stop work, then stop work," Qin Feng said slowly.

Xiao Jian'an remained silent for a while, clearly not satisfied with Qin Feng's answer.

"Mayor, I've already booked a flight to Xidu. I'll fly there tonight," Xiao Jian'an said.

"You've already guessed that this fire was set on purpose. Do you think they'd mind taking your life if you came over now, making the situation even worse?" Qin Feng countered.

“I know you’re worried, and I understand your concerns, but your presence won’t make any difference, and I can assure you that your Huayang Group will not run into any problems.”

“I brought you to Shazhou, and you took over these projects to help me. You were also implicated in this matter because of me. I can say for sure that this matter is indeed somewhat complicated, because it is not just a matter at the Shazhou level.”

“I don’t know what will happen to me now, but I can assure you that your Huayang Group will be safe. No one can touch your investments in Shazhou. Even if I’m no longer in Shazhou, I can still guarantee the safety of your investments there.”

"Even if I really lose this time, and fail to protect your investment in Shazhou, causing you significant losses, I will make up for all your losses. You know, although I don't have that much money, my wife does, and this amount is nothing to her," Qin Feng concluded.

"No, no, no... Mayor... I absolutely didn't mean that... How could I..."

"You're implicated because of me, so of course I'll bear the losses. But don't worry, that won't happen. I said, even if I lose, I can guarantee the safety of your investment in Shazhou," Qin Feng said solemnly.