247: Chapter 247 Meeting but Not Recognizing Each Other

For the sake of security, he was willing to shell out this 50 million. Anyway, in three or five days, at least one or two billion would be coming in.

Chairman Chen Zhixun made a call to Zhang Qun.

"Mayor Zhang, will you be home tonight? I'd like to come over for some tea."

To have reached the position of a prefecture-level mayor, Zhang Qun was no fool. He paused for only a moment before reacting. "Chairman Chen, I will certainly be home. Come to Unit 201, Building 6, XX Residential Complex. I will be waiting to welcome you."

This was one of Zhang Qun's properties.

Since the renovations were completed, he hadn't stayed there much.

It was a stacked villa, with one elevator serving two villas, leading directly to the garage on the basement level. It was very convenient for coming and going. Unit 101 had always been vacant, which seemed very safe.

If he wanted to drink tea, he could go to his office or a teahouse outside.

By specifically mentioning coming to his home for tea, the implication was obvious. Zhang Qun had already guessed that the 50 million in kickbacks promised to him would be delivered.

That was why he chose this place.

Chairman Chen Zhixun said, "Alright, I'll come over a bit later tonight."

The two of them agreed on this over the phone.

At ten o'clock that night, a Toyota Prado drove into the basement level of the complex and went straight to Building 6.

At this hour, the entire basement level was quiet, with practically no one around. After the car was parked, the trunk was opened. Chairman Chen Zhixun, along with one of his subordinates, moved the heavy cardboard boxes into the elevator.

It was a total of 50 million in cash. Each large cardboard box was packed full and sealed with tape. The trunk of the car was stuffed full, and several more large boxes were placed on the back seat.

"Oh, Chairman Chen is here! Please, come in!"

Zhang Qun, who had been waiting for a long time, heard the doorbell and opened the door. Seeing Chairman Chen Zhixun outside, along with a large cardboard box being carried out of the elevator, he felt a bit excited.

50 million!

In all his years in officialdom, he had only embezzled about 50 or 60 million in total. This single transaction today was almost equivalent to his entire previous sum.

Was he afraid of accepting so much money?

He used to be a little, but now, basically not at all.

Chairman Chen Zhixun was a third-generation member of the Beijing Chen Family. What couldn't he smooth over? Who would dare investigate him?

So now, there was only pleasant surprise, no worry.

The two sat down in the living room of the villa. As the large cardboard boxes were brought in and placed in the living room, they looked delightful.

"Mayor Zhang, this is what I promised you—a total of 50 million."

"Chairman Chen, thank you. If you need anything in the future, just say the word. I will go through fire and water for you."

The money had been delivered. Chairman Chen Zhixun sat for a while, chatted, had a cup of tea, and then rose to leave.

He knew that with this 50 million, things were basically secure. Not only would Zhang Qun not have any suspicions, but he would also spare no effort to do things for him.

In another three or five days, he would rake in one more sum, then immediately take off and run abroad to live it up.

As for Zhang Qun?

After seeing Chairman Chen Zhixun to the door and saying some fawning and flattering words, he returned to his villa. Once the door was closed, he became visibly excited.

He took out a small knife, cut the tape on one of the cardboard boxes, and seeing the neatly arranged, brand-new bundles of hundred-yuan bills inside, he almost couldn't help but laugh out loud with joy.

It really paid to follow a scion of a prominent family like Chairman Chen. He ate the meat, and I drank the soup. The key was that it was safe; he could accept the money with peace of mind, without any worry of being investigated.

He picked up one of the bundles, looked at it again and again, and couldn't put it down.

Tonight, he would sleep in this villa, falling asleep while looking at this money.

...

Today, Qin Chuan arrived at the Municipal Party Committee Secretary's office.

Secretary Kang Kewu had personally called Qin Chuan over. In the two days since he had returned, he had been in a very good mood.

"Comrade Qin Chuan, the fact that the higher-ups adopted the second proposal is primarily due to your contribution. I have already reported this to Governor Zhou Yuan, and the leader had nothing but praise for you."

Qin Chuan smiled modestly, "This is all thanks to Secretary Kang. I wouldn't dare take the credit."

Neither arrogant nor taking credit.

This made Secretary Kang Kewu very satisfied, and he appreciated Qin Chuan even more. The two sat on the sofa in the office and chatted for quite a while. The topic was basically all related to the high-speed rail line that was about to begin construction.

After chatting for a while, Qin Chuan reminded him.

"Secretary Kang, I heard that Mayor Zhang and Chairman Chen Zhixun are very close. He personally stepped in to help Chairman Chen Zhixun secure a full five billion in loans from the bank."

Secretary Kang Kewu said, "That is indeed the case. I never expected that even a scion of such a prominent family would engage in such a scam."

It seemed that this had not aroused Secretary Kang Kewu's suspicions.

Indeed!

Who would suspect that someone would be so bold as to impersonate a third-generation member of the Beijing Chen Family? Moreover, the appearance was so similar—at least seventy or eighty percent. Those who were unfamiliar with him really couldn't tell the difference based on a few photos on the internet.

Seeing that Secretary Kang Kewu had not the slightest suspicion, Qin Chuan continued to warn, "It's more than just a scam. I heard that Chairman Chen Zhixun is aggressively raising funds. In just a few days, he has likely already raised two or three billion. The risk is immense."

Secretary Kang Kewu smiled bitterly, "The risk is indeed high, and it might even be against regulations, but with the Beijing Chen Family behind him, what can we do?"

"Comrade Qin Chuan, you don't need to worry too much. If anything really goes wrong, the Beijing Chen Family will be responsible for smoothing it over."

Since he had warned him to this extent and there was still no suspicion, Qin Chuan stopped there for the time being. In any case, the real Chairman Chen Zhixun would soon come to Wanshun County, and he could handle these matters himself.

A while later, Qin Chuan left the Municipal Party Committee Secretary's office.

He just didn't expect that when he came down from the office building, he would see Zhang Qun, Chairman Chen Zhixun, and their entourage entering the lobby on the first floor.

According to the rules of officialdom, the higher-ranking leader walks in front, and the lower-ranking official falls half a step behind, acting in the role of an escort.

When they walked in, Chairman Chen Zhixun was walking in front in a carefree manner, while Zhang Qun followed half a step behind, accompanying him.

This was interesting.

A dignified mayor of a prefecture-level city actually positioned himself so low; it was completely the look of a sycophant.

Seeing this scene, Qin Chuan smiled mockingly.

However, since they had run into each other, he still had to greet them. The basic rules of officialdom had to be observed; Qin Chuan wouldn't give anyone an excuse to say he didn't respect his superiors.

"Mayor Zhang, hello."

Zhang Qun just nodded slightly, putting on airs, looking aloof.

As for this fake Chairman Chen Zhixun, he didn't know Qin Chuan at all, so naturally, he had no reaction, merely glancing at Qin Chuan.

After getting into the elevator, he asked, "Mayor Zhang, who was that just now?"

Zhang Qun said disdainfully, "That's Qin Chuan, the County Party Secretary of Wanshun County. He's also the youngest County Party Secretary in our province. A while back, there were some reports about him online. Doesn't Chairman Chen know him?"

Chairman Chen Zhixun shook his head, "A mere County Party Secretary? I generally don't pay attention to them, and I certainly don't know him."

Zhang Qun thought to himself, That's true. Chairman Chen is a top-tier third-generation member from Beijing, and the Beijing Chen Family is one of the top prominent families in Beijing. How could he possibly know Qin Chuan?

At the same time, he felt much more at ease. There had been rumors that Qin Chuan had connections in Beijing, which had made him a bit wary. Now it seemed those were just rumors. Even if he had some connections, they were very limited.

If Qin Chuan's connections in Beijing were really impressive, Chairman Chen should have known him. It seemed that Qin Chuan didn't even have the qualifications to enter Chairman Chen's circle; they didn't even know who he was.