Official Career Storm-Chapter 1361

The next day.

Song Guanchao finished his work and came to the office of the Mayor.

Secretary Shu Xue stood up and said, "Director Song."

"Is the Mayor busy?"

"Not busy right now."

Shu Xue knocked on the door and opened it. "Mayor, Director Song is here."

Song Guanchao walked in and said to Shu Xue, who followed behind, "No need for tea, I'll be leaving soon."

"Okay." Shu Xue stopped and closed the door.

Since Yao Guangsong was removed, Shu Xue had a new understanding of Song Guanchao.

The district chief from Lingjiang, a small city, had quite a fierce and ruthless nature.

Moreover, his relationship with Mayor Wu was very close, more like friends than leader and secretary.

Song Guanchao told Wu Qiangwei about Shi Qin seeking him out the previous night.

Wu Qiangwei wasn't very concerned and instead asked, "Have you seen Secretary Han?"

"Not yet. I was so busy yesterday that I had no time at all. I plan to meet her today."

If Han Lan is indeed as Wu Qiangwei described, finding someone to replace her might be the best choice.

But the problem is, who can replace her?

Song Guanchao just took office yesterday and knows hardly anyone in the Provincial City.

Randomly finding someone to fill the secretary's position might not be better than Han Lan.

Wu Qiangwei glanced at the time and said, "Make sure you clear your schedule for these evenings."

"What's going on?"

"Accompany me to meet a few city leaders."

"A meeting?"

"Dinner," Wu Qiangwei said. "I've been in Jiangzhou for a while, but haven't invited them for a private dinner."

Actually, she had long wanted to invite these members of the standing committee for dinner, to get acquainted and show goodwill.

But when Song Guanchao suddenly said he wanted to come over, she postponed it, deciding to wait until he came and bring him along.

This way, Song Guanchao can make an appearance in front of these standing members.

However, she didn't say this, to avoid making Song Guanchao feel indebted to her.

Song Guanchao nodded: "My time is the Mayor's time; feel free to arrange it without informing me."

"Haha." Hearing him jest, Wu Qiangwei couldn't help but roll her eyes.

But this familiar atmosphere lifted her spirits considerably.

After leaving the office, Song Guanchao closed the door and walked up to Shu Xue: "Has a man named Fan Jie been here these days?"

"Yes." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Next time he comes, give me a call."

"Oh, okay."

Shu Xue was a little curious about who this Fan Jie was.

...

Song Guanchao went directly to the secretary's office, where her secretary, a woman in her thirties with an ordinary appearance, named Zhang Qi.

"Hello, Secretary Zhang, is Secretary Han in?"

"Yes, Director Song, please wait."

Secretary Zhang was stern and formal, more like a math teacher than a secretary.

Secretary Zhang pushed open the door and stood at the entrance: "Secretary Han, Director Song is here to see you."

"Let him in."

"Director Song, please come in."

Secretary Zhang went in, made tea, and left.

Song Guanchao stayed in the office for only a few minutes before coming out.

He intended to chat more, but Secretary Han wasn't a chatty person.

Song Guanchao, having come to get to know her, realized with no topic to discuss, the forced small talk made him acutely aware of Secretary Han's perfunctoriness and the almost palpable desire to see him off.

However, even in these brief few minutes, Song Guanchao gained a general impression of her.

Stern, serious in work, with virtually zero social sophistication.

Her attitude made her very suitable as a secretary.

If there was a flaw, it could be what's termed as "lacking a leadership presence" by Wu Qiangwei.

But Song Guanchao felt that this flaw was negligible compared to her strengths.

In the current lack of trusted people around Wu Qiangwei, a secretary like Han Lan was simply the perfect subordinate.

She wouldn't flatter because of someone's higher rank, nor was she enamored by power or exploit her position for gain.

This kind of leader, wholeheartedly serving the people, was a refreshing change in the political arena.

During his two years in Lingjiang, among those Song Guanchao had met, only Liang Jianfeng and Wu Xinan could compare to her.

But strictly speaking, these two were still different from Han Lan.

Song Guanchao planned to discuss Han Lan with her at dinner that night.

Back at the office, Song Guanchao suddenly received a call from Wen Ru.

"Do you have time at noon?" Wen Ru's voice was gentle.

She usually didn't call proactively; if she did, it must be something.

"Yes."

"See you at noon then."

...

At noon, Song Guanchao met Wen Ru at a restaurant.

Upon meeting, Wen Ru handed him an envelope.

"What is this?"

"A whistleblower letter."

Song Guanchao casually opened it and was attracted at a glance after reading a few lines.

The more he read, the more serious his expression became.

The contents of the whistleblower letter were nothing short of explosive.

The whistleblower claimed that last year's gold store theft in Jiangzhou City was executed by insiders within the system.

The whistleblower also mentioned having evidence in their possession.

"Gold store theft..."

Suddenly, Song Guanchao found this case very familiar.

It seemed like he'd heard about it somewhere.

Holding the whistleblower letter, he wracked his brains trying to recall.

Suddenly, he remembered.

He had seen related files in the USB left by the late criminal police captain Lin Bin.

However, back then, his attention was focused on the undercover case and he hadn't paid attention to other documents.

Suppressing the urge to check the USB immediately, he asked, "What's your take?"

Wen Ru said, "The gold store heist involved amounts up to 80 million. It caused a huge stir in Jiangzhou at the time; the provincial department oversaw it, and the city established a task force. But there wasn't a trace of evidence found to this day, indicating that the perpetrators are highly professional with significant counter-investigation awareness."

"80 million? How could it be that high?"

The gold in the shop counters was mostly jewelry, amounting to only a few million.

But Wen Ru said the amounts involved were 80 million, which was extraordinarily disproportionate.

Wen Ru said, "More than one gold store was robbed."

Upon realization, Song Guanchao became increasingly astonished.

The gold-stealing thief certainly had an enormous appetite.

Wen Ru continued, "If it's true, those who planned the gold theft have a very high likelihood of belonging to the Police Department."

Song Guanchao pondered for a long time, nodding slightly, agreeing with her analysis.

Robbing several gold stores in succession and still finding no leads after more than a year's investigation.

This indicates the perpetrators have a strong counter-investigation awareness, beyond ordinary people's capability.

The whistleblower had already narrowed it to insiders, making the Police Department's internal officers the prime suspects.

Song Guanchao asked, "Are you planning to investigate?"

Wen Ru shook her head, "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I think the whistleblower is likely one of the members of the gold theft case."

Wen Ru said, "The reason for the report is probably internal issues among them, perhaps uneven distribution of the loot, maybe other issues."

"If he really wanted to report, he could've directly attached evidence, but he didn't."

"So I guess, he wants to use this approach to exert pressure on the insider."

"I can't follow his logic; I have to do the opposite, only then might he continue to report until providing evidence."