206: Chapter 206 The Number One Skill in Handong - Shifting the Blame

Inside the Public Security Department's traffic command room, Secretary Gao Yuliang, Secretary Li Dakang, Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming, Director Qi Tongwei, and Zhao Donglai stared at the erratic, moving red dot on the big screen, all lost in deep thought.

Director Qi Tongwei pointed at the screen and glanced at Chen Hai. "Didn't you say he was fleeing? Why has he been driving around Jingzhou City the whole time? Is the work pressure so high that he ran out to take a joyride around the city?"

Chen Hai looked equally bewildered. "I... I don't know either. He sent his driver away, didn't go home, and then he just disappeared..."

Director Qi Tongwei chuckled. "That's a rather novel way of fleeing."

Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming looked at Chen Hai, his gaze complex.

If Director Qi Tongwei was right and Ding Yizhen was just out for a joyride because of work stress, then today's joke would be massive. The entire Standing Committee of the Handong Province Party Committee had been played by an Anti-Corruption Bureau director, running around in the middle of the night to watch someone go for a drive. They would lose face all the way to the Pacific Ocean, and Chen Hai could just take off his uniform and go home.

At that moment, Director Qi Tongwei's phone vibrated.

He glanced down, then quietly slipped out of the command hall, pulled out another phone, and called back. "Hello, Young Master Zhao, what is it?"

On the other end of the line was Zhao Ruilong, the son of Former Secretary Zhao Lichun. His voice was languid. "I let Ding Yizhen go."

Director Qi Tongwei tensed up and lowered his voice. "Why? Why didn't I receive any news about this?"

"This has nothing to do with you. Damn it, some guy named Zhao Dehan in the capital went crazy and turned himself in to the Discipline Inspection Commission, implicating Ding Yizhen. I was afraid the Discipline Inspection Commission would follow the trail and drag us into it, so I tipped him off."

Director Qi Tongwei frowned and briefly explained how Chen Hai had been secretly monitoring Ding Yizhen.

Zhao Ruilong clearly became nervous on the other end. "Damn it! Good thing he escaped! What's the situation now?"

"We've locked onto Ding Yizhen's phone. Judging by the trajectory, he's circling around Jingzhou City," Director Qi Tongwei said.

Zhao Ruilong laughed loudly on the phone. "You mean Secretary Gao Yuliang, Secretary Li Dakang, Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming, and that Public Security Bureau director are all watching Ding Yizhen drive in circles? Hahaha! Don't worry, he should be on the plane by now."

"But I've already given orders at the airport to intercept Ding Yizhen," Director Qi Tongwei said, feeling somewhat annoyed.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep up the act. Ding Yizhen has his own ways. I'm hanging up, this is too funny!" The call ended.

Director Qi Tongwei gave a wry smile, put away his phone, and returned to the command hall.

By then, Secretary Gao Yuliang and the others had surrounded Chen Hai, their faces looking worse than ever. Chen Hai's head was almost touching the ground, and he muttered, "Ding Yizhen... his behavior is indeed strange."

Secretary Li Dakang pointed at the screen. "Are you still being stubborn? Look at the places he's been—the riverside, the supermarket, the foot massage parlor. You call this fleeing?"

"Party Secretary Li." Director Qi Tongwei quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Why don't we just have our comrades from the Traffic Police Station intercept him? Once we stop him, we'll know."

Secretary Li Dakang nodded. "Stop him. I really want to find out what exactly Ding Yizhen is aimlessly driving around for in the middle of the night."

Zhao Donglai immediately contacted the Jingzhou Traffic Police Station.

Less than five minutes later, his phone rang. He quickly pressed the answer button and turned on the speakerphone. "Hello, this is Zhao Donglai. Have you found Ding Yizhen?"

The traffic police officer's voice came through the phone. "We have intercepted the vehicle; it's a taxi. We found a phone in silent mode in the gap of the back seat, suspected to be Ding Yizhen's."

A flash of shock shot through Secretary Li Dakang's small, deep-set eyes. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Ding Yizhen's number.

Zhao Donglai asked hurriedly, "Is there a call coming in now?"

The traffic police officer replied, "Yes, the caller ID says 'Big Boss'."

"Big Boss?"

Secretary Gao Yuliang and the others turned to look at Secretary Li Dakang simultaneously, their expressions indescribably strange—Secretary Li Dakang's nickname was quite trendy.

Secretary Li Dakang didn't have time to explain and said directly to Zhao Donglai, "Make him answer!"

Zhao Donglai immediately said, "Pick up the phone!"

The traffic police officer quickly replied, "Alright, it's answered."

Secretary Li Dakang's mouth twitched, because he heard the same words on his own phone. Still unwilling to give up, he gave a light cough. "Hello!"

Almost simultaneously, an identical "Hello!" came through Zhao Donglai's phone.

Secretary Li Dakang hung up the phone abruptly and waved his hand at Secretary Gao Yuliang and the others. "I can't delay here any longer; I must get back to arrange work."

Having said that, he left without looking back.

Chen Hai breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Compared to toying with the leadership, the charge of acting without authorization was at least slightly lighter—no, wait, neither was light.

If Ding Yizhen really escaped, not only would he have to take the blame for acting without authorization, but he would have also caused a massive catastrophe. Why did Ding Yizhen run, after all? Could it be that word leaked from the capital?

Director Qi Tongwei looked at Chen Hai's dejected appearance, trying hard to stifle his laughter. He then began calling every checkpoint to inquire about the situation. He asked through every channel, even the airport, but there was no news of Ding Yizhen.

Secretary Gao Yuliang looked at Chen Hai, his tone becoming serious. "Chen Hai, tell me the truth. Was this your idea, were you cooperating with Hou Liangping's work, or was it because of your friendship as former classmates that you couldn't refuse his entreaties and helped him? Think carefully before you answer."

Chen Hai wasn't actually stupid; he understood the meaning behind Secretary Gao Yuliang's words—he was trying to protect him.

"A teacher's kindness is as heavy as a mountain!"

His nose soured, and he almost kowtowed to Secretary Gao Yuliang on the spot.

Suppressing his surging emotions, Chen Hai replied in a pained voice, "Secretary Gao, I was wrong. I shouldn't have helped Hou Liangping with this. At the time, I thought we were all working for the anti-corruption cause, and I couldn't refuse his repeated entreaties, so I... I mobilized the Anti-Corruption Bureau's personnel to help him watch Ding Yizhen."

Secretary Gao Yuliang snorted coldly. "Confusing public and private matters! That Hou Liangping is truly something; isn't he just trying to ruin you? Let me ask you again, how many people did you use to monitor Ding Yizhen?"

Chen Hai opened his mouth to answer. "We were afraid Ding Yizhen would escape, so we used a total of..."

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!" Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming coughed violently, forcibly interrupting Chen Hai's words, silently cursing him as an idiot—the kid actually wanted to tell the truth.

Since Secretary Gao Yuliang intended to protect Chen Hai, Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming also decided to help the foolish boy, taking the opportunity to take over the conversation. "If you were afraid Ding Yizhen would escape, you should have assigned more people to watch him. What can two or three people accomplish? By the way, Chen Hai, you said it was someone from the capital who asked for your help, what exactly is the situation there? You can't just mobilize our Procuratorate's resources based on a word from an old classmate, can you?"

Chen Hai was stunned for a moment, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. Old Ji was helping him make excuses. He quickly organized his thoughts and said, "I don't know the specific situation either. I just heard from Hou Liangping that Zhao Dehan, whom they were monitoring at the Supreme Anti-Corruption Bureau, had gone to turn himself in to the Supreme Commission for Discipline Inspection, and he told me to be careful and not let word leak out to alert Ding Yizhen."

"He is teachable!"

Secretary Gao Yuliang and Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts simultaneously, and their gazes toward Chen Hai softened considerably.

This blame could finally be shifted.

Secretary Gao Yuliang slapped the table and said angrily, "This is simply ridiculous! They asked the comrades below to cooperate with their work, yet they were the ones who made the mistake. It must have been a leak from the capital that alerted Ding Yizhen. Chief Prosecutor Ji, since the new Party Secretary hasn't arrived yet, you and I will go report to Governor Liu tomorrow morning."

Director Qi Tongwei stood to the side and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the buck-passing had started, today's matter could only end up being dropped. As for Secretary Li Dakang's Guangming Peak project, he would have to fend for himself.

...

Handong Province International Airport.

Ding Yizhen was wearing sunglasses and casual clothes, smiling as he handed his passport and ticket to the staff member.