34: Chapter 34 Taking Advantage of the East Wind to Start a New Chapter

Zhao Yang knew that Sun Hongwei wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was quite clever.

It was just that the first half of his life had been too smooth, and having never faced any setbacks before, he sometimes lacked meticulousness when considering problems.

The corner of his mouth twitched into a bitter smile as his fingers unconsciously toyed with the rim of his wine glass.

“I've come to your house twice now; I'm afraid I've already been targeted by the Commission for Discipline Inspection. My career probably ends right here as the Deputy Director of the News Department.”

Upon hearing Zhao Yang's words, Sun Hongwei's body stiffened slightly. His hand holding the chopsticks froze mid-air before he slowly set them down.

His brow furrowed deeply, and the look in his eyes shifted from confusion to sudden realization.

Since Ji Hongwen wanted to take him down, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection certainly wouldn't report the surveillance to their superiors.

Gong Chengze, the Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, was undoubtedly completely in the dark about this matter.

And his father, Sun Zendong, was far too upright; he could never bring himself to ask Gong Chengze for a favor.

At this point, it was inevitable that Zhao Yang would also be flagged by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Sun Hongwei hurried to apologize, “I'm sorry. I was too anxious because of all the unsolved mysteries, and I didn't think things through properly.”

Zhao Yang waved it off with a smile, his gaze sincere.

“Brother Hongwei, this just shows you don't treat me like an outsider. From the moment I agreed to meet you, I never intended to stay out of it.”

Sun Hongwei was moved, his eyes reddening slightly.

Compared to the officials in Tongan City who kept him at arm's length, Zhao Yang's friendship was truly rare.

He raised his glass. “Deputy Director of the News Department? That's deputy section level. Since when? We must have a full glass for this!”

Zhao Yang drained his glass in one gulp, tapped the bottom lightly against the table, and smiled.

“Just yesterday. That's why I was out drinking with colleagues last night.”

“No wonder you couldn't get away last night,” Sun Hongwei nodded.

After a moment of reflection, he continued:

“Your suggestion today is good. I'll start working on getting the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection to dispatch a Special Task Force.”

With his suggestion accepted by Sun Hongwei, Zhao Yang let out a long sigh of relief, his back unconsciously relaxing against the chair.

However, he also knew that getting past Sun Zendong might not be so easy.

He leaned forward and lowered his voice to advise:

“If a task force really can be sent, the broader the scope of their mandate, the better. If they come specifically for your matter, I'm afraid it will alert the enemy before the investigation even starts.”

Sun Hongwei was slightly surprised; this kid's mind was truly meticulous.

He had just thought of that issue himself, and the other had already voiced it.

With such a sharp person assisting him, this matter would likely succeed.

Now that he had a plan, the food suddenly lost its appeal.

Seeing that they had drunk enough, Sun Hongwei said directly:

“I'm returning to Ningzhou immediately. Forgive my lack of hospitality; we'll gather again when I return.”

Sun Hongwei naturally didn't dare call Sun Zendong to discuss maneuvering the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

His own phone might already be under surveillance.

After Zhao Yang left, Sun Hongwei immediately called the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to request leave.

He claimed that since his wife's murder, his parents' physical and mental states had been poor, and he needed to go home to check on them.

Upon returning home that night, Sun Hongwei laid out Zhao Yang's suggestion to his father in its entirety.

Sun Zendong didn't get excited like his son had initially; instead, he lit a cigarette and fell into deep thought.

In his mind, he carefully reviewed his last encounter with Zhao Yang.

The maturity of this young man's thinking far exceeded his peers.

With his clear insight into issues, he must have understood the stakes involved long ago.

So, why was he still so determined to get involved?

Was it merely to enter the system and become an officer for the Commission for Discipline Inspection?

At this time, the radio and television industry was in its prime, with salaries two or three times those of civil servants.

Moreover, he had just been promoted to Deputy Director; the status of a civil servant really shouldn't hold much allure for him.

Could it be that he truly just couldn't stand seeing certain officials act with impunity? Was it purely for the sake of justice?

Having experienced the countless treacherous undercurrents of officialdom, Sun Zendong had rarely seen such a person.

But he could conclude that Zhao Yang had no ill intent from start to finish; rather, he was a great benefactor to their family.

And looking at it another way, his own age meant he couldn't afford to wait.

In two more years, a promotion to a full ministerial level would be completely hopeless.

Though his son Sun Hongwei was young, if the bribery allegations remained unresolved, his political future would be capped at the division level.

It wasn't until the cigarette butt burned his hand that Sun Zendong suddenly realized he had been thinking for a long time.

He crushed the cigarette and spoke slowly:

“Little Zhao considers problems very meticulously. I will make the arrangements. After you go back tomorrow, work with peace of mind and cooperate with the investigation. Act as if nothing has happened.”

In an instant, Sun Zendong had formulated his rhetoric and picked up the phone to make a call.

After a few rings, the call connected, and Gong Chengze's hearty laughter came through the receiver:

“Hello, old leader! It's been a while since we last met. When are you free? I'll come visit you!”

In the early years when Sun Zendong served as the County Party Committee Secretary in Lanxi County, Gong Chengze was only a section-level cadre in the County Party Office.

Sun Zendong appreciated his talent and had promoted him at several key moments, leading to Gong Chengze's smooth career path.

At 47, he was transferred to be a member of the Standing Committee of the Jianghan Provincial Committee and the Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, making him a relatively young sub-ministerial level cadre.

Hearing Gong Chengze's voice, Sun Zendong chuckled.

“Chengze, don't give me that. How long has it been since you last called me of your own accord?”

Gong Chengze hurried to say, “Old leader, my mistake. I just finished a meeting in Yanjing today; things have indeed been a bit busy lately.”

“When are you returning to Jiangzhou? I have something I'd like to discuss with you in person.”

Facing his most trusted former subordinate, Sun Zendong had nothing to hide and stated the purpose of his call directly.

Gong Chengze replied, “I was originally planning to fly to Jiangzhou tonight. In that case, I'll change my ticket and fly directly to Ningzhou.”

Sun Zendong was very satisfied with Gong Chengze's response, but he still said politely:

“It's not exactly a dire emergency; you don't need to go through all that trouble.”

Sun Zendong knew that by changing his flight, Gong Chengze wasn't just inconveniencing himself, but also a whole team of service staff.

“Oh, look at what you're saying. It's my honor to be summoned by my old leader. I expect to arrive in Ningzhou quite late, so I'll come visit you first thing tomorrow morning.”

With that, Gong Chengze hung up, giving Sun Zendong no room to decline.

From Sun Zendong's tone, Gong Chengze could tell that he definitely had urgent business.

The next morning, Gong Chengze arrived at Sun Zendong's home as promised.

Upon hearing about Sun Hongwei's trouble, Gong Chengze's face was filled with surprise:

“It's truly strange that Tongan City didn't let a single word of such a major matter leak out!”

After listening to the whole story, Gong Chengze tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest for a long time before speaking:

“Old leader, the analysis by this Zhao Yang you mentioned is indeed very logical.

“But Ji Hongwen is the top leader of Tongan City. Without sufficient evidence, we cannot easily move against him; it would affect the stability and development of the region.”

Sun Zendong felt relieved hearing this; Gong Chengze's words showed he had his own principles and bottom lines.

“Chengze is still the same Chengze after all!” Sun Zendong smiled, then raised an eyebrow.

“If Zhao Yang were to join the Jianghan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and could indeed help tear open a breakthrough in Hongwei's case, what would you do?”