Official Career Storm-Chapter 1460

The call from Guo Tong was made to Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng indeed didn't know about the actions of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, but now that the matter has been exposed, he would inevitably be implicated.

When Guo Tong told him that the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission had underpriced nine state-owned enterprises over the years, he realized the seriousness of the situation.

He also understood why Guo Tong informed him.

Guo Tong hoped he could step in and suppress the issue, minimizing its impact.

But Guo Tong might not know that he has a confrontational relationship with Wu Qiangwei, and Wu might not comply with his requests.

Regardless, he had to try; he couldn't just do nothing and wait for the situation to worsen.

Song Guanchao arrived.

Looking at the young director of the City Government Office, Zhou Zheng felt indescribably complex emotions.

For a moment, he didn't know what attitude to adopt towards Song Guanchao.

Should he issue commands as the City Secretary, standing high above?

Or should he force a smile and adopt a gentle approach?

He wasn't dealing with Song Guanchao for the first time and knew full well that a tough approach wouldn't work with this guy.

So he decided to try speaking nicely.

"Director Song, there might have been some misunderstandings between us before."

Zhou Zheng began the conversation with a smile.

"Don't strike a friendly face; no matter what he wants from me, since he's willing to talk nicely, Song Guanchao won't make things too awkward."

"Jiang Yiren's application has been approved by the Organization Department. Check which department on the City Government's side is short-staffed, and arrange a position for her."

"?"

Song Guanchao was puzzled.

Jiang Yiren?

Why bring her up now?

However, since he was willing to give face, Song Guanchao felt there was no reason to refuse.

"Okay, I'll let her know later."

"Director Song, how are things with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission?"

His abrupt change in topic made Song Guanchao secretly chuckle; it was clear now that they were waiting for him on this.

Song Guanchao said, "Based on the evidence currently available, Secretary Qiu and several deputy secretaries, along with Yan Hua from the Enterprise Reform Department, are all seriously involved in the case. They have already been taken into custody for investigation by the police and the Disciplinary Committee."

"However, they are not being very cooperative."

Zhou Zheng nodded and said, "If it's just the sale of one company and the nature isn't too serious, I think, let's not blow it out of proportion."

Song Guanchao stated, "Nine companies."

"What?"

"A total of nine state-owned enterprises were deliberately undervalued and sold with the approval of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, not including Tengxiang Company, which is currently being sold. Including that one, it's ten companies."

Zhou Zheng exhibited just the right amount of shock.

"Nine companies…"

He gradually furrowed his brow and then snorted, demonstrating great anger: "This Qiu Zhen Ting is utterly lawless!"

He pinched his brows together, pondered for a few seconds, and then said, "You don't need to concern yourself with this case, Director Song; I'll take responsibility!"

Song Guanchao raised an eyebrow, then looked at him with an inexplicable smirk.

He probably guessed what was going on.

"I will regularly report progress to Secretary Zhou."

What a joke, with all the concrete evidence in hand, would I let you handle it?

Even knowing that it was unlikely for Song Guanchao to easily agree to his request, Zhou Zheng was still displeased.

For him, resolving this matter with minimal impact was crucial.

It directly influenced his political future.

He gently adjusted his breathing and decided not to beat around the bush any longer, directly saying, "Director Song, give me a bit of face."

Song Guanchao shook his head: "Nine state-owned enterprises, with a total case value of three hundred billion. Secretary Zhou, it's not that I'm not giving you face, nor am I intentionally opposing you. I simply want to recover losses."

"If Secretary Zhou can guarantee the recovery of all losses and ensure that those involved receive appropriate punishment, then I can hand over the case to you."

Though seeming to compromise, Song Guanchao was indeed advancing by retreating.

Because he clearly understood Zhou Zheng's true intentions.

His aim was to downplay the matter; he wouldn't hold accountable the already underpriced state-owned enterprises.

At most, he would hold Qiu Zhen Ting and others accountable with the existing case.

Turning a three hundred billion case into a single underpriced state-owned enterprise.

In that way, this case wouldn't cause any ripples, nor would it affect him.

Zhou Zheng pondered, "Director Song, blowing this up won't be good for anyone."

"You should understand more than I do, Qiu Zhen Ting was just a secretary in the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Do you really think he had the guts to do such things alone? If you insist on getting to the bottom of this, it'll only stir up more troubles that you won't be able to handle."

Zhou Zheng said seriously, "Acting in such a way is bound to offend people."

Song Guanchao replied, "If I were afraid of offending people, I wouldn't have taken on this case from the beginning."

He stood up and said, "If Secretary Zhou doesn't have anything else, I'll be leaving now."

The anger Zhou Zheng had been suppressing for a long time was now unbearable.

"I'm talking to you nicely, are you intent on making this ugly?"

In response, Song Guanchao merely chuckled before turning around and leaving.

After he was gone, Zhou Zheng whispered a curse under his breath.

Although he knew persuading Song Guanchao was unlikely, Zhou Zheng was still furious at being rejected.

But now was not the time for anger; since he couldn't handle it with Song Guanchao, he needed to minimize his own responsibility.

He immediately set out for the Provincial Committee.

...

Meanwhile, at the Provincial Committee Building.

Wu Qiangwei was reporting to Secretary Gao and Lu Zhizhong.

Listening to Wu Qiangwei's report, Secretary Gao remained calm, while Lu Zhizhong was surprised, though he did not display any reaction.

After her report, Wu Qiangwei said, "I didn't realize the nature of this case was so serious, nor did I expect such problems in Jiangzhou City."

Secretary Gao said, "The problems in Jiangzhou City also exist in other cities. Don't worry about offending people; any problem handled will surely offend someone, this is unavoidable."

"I like Director Song's attitude in dealing with issues."

Wu Qiangwei's heart felt a little settled, Secretary Gao's words provided her with assurance.

With Secretary Gao's support, at least within Jiangzhou City, she didn't need to worry about any obstacles.

Secretary Gao said, "Governor Lu, pay extra attention to this matter."

"Alright," Lu Zhizhong nodded.

After leaving the office, Lu Zhizhong said, "Ask Director Liang to come over, we need to discuss something."

Wu Qiangwei acknowledged, called Liang Jianfeng, and then headed with Lu Zhizhong to the Provincial Government.

Soon after they left, Zhou Zheng arrived at the Provincial Committee.

Upon entering the office, he said, "Secretary Gao, I'm here to admit my mistakes."

Secretary Gao said, "Have a seat and talk."

Zhou Zheng shook his head, "I'll stand and speak."

Secretary Gao chuckled, "No need to be so formal, come, have a seat."

Zhou Zheng hesitated for a moment then sat down.

Secretary Gao personally poured him a cup of tea, "Go ahead."

Holding the tea cup, Zhou Zheng carefully recounted the story.

When he finished, Secretary Gao said, "I'm gratified you came voluntarily."

Zhou Zheng's heart tightened, "Secretary Gao..."

"I already know about this matter."

Secretary Gao said, "Making mistakes isn't frightening; who hasn't made mistakes?"

"As long as you can admit your errors promptly, correct them, and strive to recover the losses, the problem hasn't yet reached an irreparable stage."

"But if you don't correct your mistakes, attempting to suppress issues due to their repercussions, pretending nothing happened, it's not just an attitudinal issue, but also a matter of morality and party integrity, I'd then have to reconsider the choice of City Secretary."

Zhou Zheng's heart pounded, feeling immensely grateful.

"Secretary Gao is right!" Zhou Zheng replied quickly, "Initially, I was indeed concerned about the impact on my political future, but after profound reflection, I decided to admit my mistake to you."

Secretary Gao remarked, "Everyone has selfish tendencies, that's not your fault. A gentleman judges the result, not the intent. Your ability to come to an epiphany means you still have a chance to amend."

"Don't fear the influence from this case; I am not an inflexible person. I hope you can work with Mayor Wu to manage Jiangzhou City well, instead of creating chaos for the sake of power. Do you understand?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"I understand!"

Zhou Zheng was somewhat emotional, but more than that, relieved.

Secretary Gao's words essentially were a form of assurance and promise to him.

He now knew what he needed to do.