65: Chapter 65 Liu Xiaolei is arrested, and the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection takes action.

At the Municipal Party Committee Compound, it was time for the lunch break.

The hallways quickly came to life as the doors to various offices opened one after another, and the crowd of people converged toward the staff cafeteria.

Liu Xiaolei tidied up the items on her desk. "Xiaolei, are you going to the cafeteria for lunch?" Sister Wang greeted her warmly.

"Sister Wang, you guys go ahead."

"I have plans with a friend."

"Alright, take it easy on your way."

Liu Xiaolei clicked away in her high heels, stepping out of the building and crossing the tree-lined path.

Her destination was a teahouse diagonally across from the Municipal Party Committee Compound.

The environment there was private and undisturbed. Taking advantage of the lunch break, she pulled out the test questions from her phone and recited them over and over again.

Just as she walked past the guard post of the Municipal Party Committee Compound and turned into the secluded street leading to the teahouse, three figures in police uniforms approached her in a fan formation, completely blocking her path.

The man leading them was none other than Police Chief Zhao Gang.

Liu Xiaolei stopped in her tracks. "You are blocking my way."

Police Chief Zhao Gang did not move aside.

He took out his police officer ID from his pocket and flashed it in front of her.

"Municipal Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment."

"Liu Xiaolei, you are suspected of a crime, and we are now summoning you in accordance with the law. Please cooperate and come with us."

After saying this, he took the summons order from another police officer and held it in front of Liu Xiaolei.

Upon hearing the words "suspected of a crime" and "summons," Liu Xiaolei's mind went blank.

Having grown up in the greenhouse of the Provincial Party Committee Compound, she had never faced such a situation.

"You must have made a mistake!"

"My father is Division Chief Liu Haiping of the Provincial Government Office! I am a staff member at the Municipal Party Committee Office! On what grounds are you summoning me!"

"It is you we are summoning."

Police Chief Zhao Gang gave her no chance to throw a tantrum and waved his hand.

The two police officers behind him stepped forward, one on each side, and firmly held her arms with practiced efficiency.

"What are you doing! Let me go!"

Liu Xiaolei struggled violently, but her strength was like a cat's scratch in front of the professionally trained criminal police officers.

One of the female officers skillfully found her phone and turned it off immediately.

"My phone! I need to call my father!"

She screamed, trying to snatch it back.

"During the summons period, contact with the outside world is prohibited."

Police Chief Zhao Gang, with a cold expression, turned and opened the police car door.

Liu Xiaolei was half-pushed, half-carried into the back seat.

The door slammed shut, locked, and the car merged into traffic.

Xingfu Street Police Station, interrogation room.

Liu Xiaolei sat in the interrogation chair, her hands cuffed to the baffle, still putting up a final struggle.

"I want to contact my lawyer!"

"Before my lawyer arrives, I refuse to answer any of your questions! This is illegal detention!"

Police Chief Zhao Gang held a paper cup, took a sip of water, and laughed out loud.

"Liu Xiaolei, have you watched too many foreign legal dramas or Hong Kong police films?"

"This is the country. During the current criminal summons stage, you can only truthfully confess your issues. Want to see a lawyer? Wait until the case is transferred to the Procuratorate."

"I know what you are thinking. You think that because your father is a division chief in the province, as long as you hold out and don't speak, he can use his connections to get you out."

Police Chief Zhao Gang leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced.

"Think about it carefully. Since our Municipal Public Security Bureau dared to arrest you right at the entrance of the Municipal Party Committee Compound, would we dare to touch a young lady with your background if we didn't have ironclad evidence to nail you?"

"It doesn't matter if you don't speak. We have plenty of time to wait."

Police Chief Zhao Gang raised his wrist to check his watch.

"Calculating the time, the search team should have already entered your apartment. Whatever you have hidden inside will be laid out on this table shortly."

A crack appeared in Liu Xiaolei's defenses.

On the other side, at the Youth Cadre Apartment in Linjiang City.

Old Chen, leading three police officers, presented the search warrant.

The apartment property management staff did not dare to delay and took out the spare key to open the door to Room 302.

"Search carefully. Don't miss any corners, drawers, or any paper documents," Old Chen commanded.

Just five minutes later, a young police officer found that yellow kraft paper envelope.

Old Chen, wearing white gloves, took it, pulled out the contents to verify them, and placed them into an evidence bag.

"Team, withdraw."

An hour later, the door to the interrogation room at the Xingfu Street Police Station was pushed open.

Old Chen walked in and tossed a transparent evidence bag onto the table in front of Police Chief Zhao Gang.

Upon seeing the evidence bag, Liu Xiaolei slumped in her chair.

"Liu Xiaolei, the material evidence is here."

"Why is this top-secret exam paper at your residence? Who gave it to you? You had better explain everything clearly. Leniency for confession, severity for resistance. This is your only chance to strive for leniency."

The ironclad evidence was mountain-high; there was no room left for sophistry.

The pampered young lady, who had never experienced hardship, completely broke down at this moment.

Tears washed away her makeup, and she burst into tears.

"I'll talk... I'll tell you everything..."

Under the relentless pressure of Police Chief Zhao Gang's skilled interrogation techniques, Liu Xiaolei spilled all the details.

From the maneuvering of her father, Division Chief Liu Haiping, to the secret handover by Deputy Director Zhang Ming, she confessed everything clearly, including times and locations.

The officer in charge of recording was writing rapidly.

As the interrogation deepened, Police Chief Zhao Gang keenly sensed that Liu Xiaolei's psychological defenses had completely collapsed.

He recalled the instructions from Zhu Wenhao to have Liu Xiaolei confess to the cheating incident during the previous provincial exam.

"Liu Xiaolei, your methods for obtaining exam questions are very practiced."

"According to our investigation, your written test scores during the provincial exam were not outstanding, but you achieved a stunning reversal during the interview stage. At that time, did you use the same methods?"

Liu Xiaolei had lost the ability to think.

"Last time... the last interview..." she sobbed, "My father also found Uncle Liao. The four deputy examiners at the test site were all arranged by Uncle Liao. They gave me the interview questions in advance, let me memorize them at home. Then at the test site, they deliberately lowered the scores for Zhu Wenhao and gave me high scores..."

This was an unexpected gain. Just as Zhu Wenhao had expected, Liu Xiaolei would say anything.

Police Chief Zhao Gang continued to increase the intensity of the interrogation, verifying every detail one by one.

After confirming there were no omissions, he slapped the printed confession record in front of Liu Xiaolei.

"Read it carefully. If there are no issues, sign and press your fingerprint on every page."

Liu Xiaolei, with trembling hands, gripped the pen, signed her name on the confession, and pressed her bright red fingerprint.

Police Chief Zhao Gang collected the confession and put it into a file folder.

He stood up, did not look at Liu Xiaolei again, and strode out of the interrogation room.

At the end of the hallway, there was a temporary meeting room set aside.

Police Chief Li Jianguo of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Secretary Zhou Zheng of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Executive Deputy Minister Zhou Mingyuan of the Municipal Organization Department, and Team Leader Qiu Rui of the Provincial Inspection Team sat around the conference table, each holding a teacup.

They were all waiting for the final result.

The door was pushed open.

Police Chief Zhao Gang strode into the meeting room, walked up to Police Chief Li Jianguo, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Reporting to all leaders," Police Chief Zhao Gang said in a loud voice, "Criminal suspect Liu Xiaolei has confessed to all criminal facts."

Police Chief Li Jianguo let out a long sigh of relief.

With this confession as a foundation, this case could be considered an ironclad one.

The rest would follow logically.

Police Chief Zhao Gang opened the folder and distributed the photocopied confessions to the leaders present.

He continued to report: "According to Liu Xiaolei's confession, she not only suspected of cheating in this exam, but also engaged in serious cheating behavior during the previous provincial exam interview, interfering with the normal scoring evaluation."

Collective cheating in the civil service examination!

This charge was enough to trigger an magnitude-8 earthquake throughout Jiangnan Province.

Police Chief Li Jianguo put down the copy of the confession in his hand.

He understood that with the investigation reaching this point, the role of the public security organs had come to an end.

"Secretary Zhou."

"As a staff member of the Municipal Party Committee Office, Liu Xiaolei is involved in a leak, and it also implicates the previous provincial exam. Continuing the investigation into this case is no longer within the jurisdiction of our public security organs."

"Should the remaining matters be handed over to your Discipline Inspection Commission to handle?"

Secretary Zhou Zheng did not answer.

He was the Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission; investigating cadres managed by the city was his duty. However, in this confession, Division Chief Liu Haiping and Deputy Director Zhang Ming were clearly written.

These were people from the provincial level; the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection had no authority to investigate them.

Secretary Zhou Zheng turned his head to look at Team Leader Qiu Rui.

"Team Leader Qiu, what do you think about this case..." Secretary Zhou Zheng probed for his opinion.

"Regarding this matter, according to the principle of territorial management, your Linjiang Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection should first file a case to investigate Liu Xiaolei's issues."

"Our Provincial Inspection Team does not interfere in the specific handling of cases by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. The Inspection Team only handles inspections and discovers clues to problems; handling cases is your responsibility."

Team Leader Qiu Rui's answer was very principled.

The Inspection Team is not a case-handling organ.

Secretary Zhou Zheng nodded, understanding the implication.

"Alright."

"I will immediately arrange for people from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to come over and take over the suspect. Regarding Liu Xiaolei's issues, our Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection will immediately file a case for investigation."

He glanced at the confession.

"As for the clues mentioned in it involving Division Chief Liu Haiping of the Provincial Government and Deputy Director Zhang Ming of the Provincial Organization Department, our Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection will compile them after summarizing and form a special report to transfer and submit to the higher-level Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

Everyone agreed with this handling plan.

Secretary Zhou Zheng's mobile phone on the table began to vibrate.

Secretary Zhou Zheng glanced at the caller ID and answered the phone.

"Hello, it's me. Okay, I understand."

He hung up the phone.

Beside him, Team Leader Qiu Rui's mobile phone also rang.

Team Leader Qiu Rui picked up the phone, listened for a few seconds, replied with a "Good," and cut off the call.

Several people in the meeting room looked at each other.

Secretary Zhou Zheng watched Team Leader Qiu Rui put away his phone and cleared his throat.

"Let me announce a piece of the latest news I just received."

"The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection has already taken action. Deputy Director Zhang Ming of the Provincial Organization Department was just taken away in his office by the special case team of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and has been formally placed under detention."

The meeting room was silent as if cicadas had stopped.

The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection has taken action.