255: Chapter 255 No comparison, no harm

Although Liu Cheng had already confessed, Zhang Qun remained stubborn, flatly denying that he had accepted a bribe of fifty million.

Having reached the level of a Bureau Director, he knew full well that in this situation, his only sliver of hope lay in resisting to the end. If he confessed truthfully, he would likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

"Zhang Qun, I hope you won't blindly resist to the bitter end. Even if you don't speak, we can find out everything, including that fifty million in cash."

Zhang Qun gave them a disdainful look, as if to say: then go ahead and check, see what you can find.

This interrogation was destined to yield no results again.

Left with no choice, the people from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection left, refusing to waste any more time. Zhang Qun was once again confined to that room.

...

The Municipal Party Committee Secretary's office.

Qin Chuan was currently reporting his work to Secretary Kang Kewu.

"Secretary Kang, Chairman Chen has made a decision. Leyu Group will invest 26 billion in our Wanshun County to build the largest cable manufacturing enterprise in the country. The initial investment will be 12 billion, without a single cent of bank loans..."

This was incredibly impressive!

An investment as high as 26 billion, without a single cent of loans.

After listening to the report, Secretary Kang Kewu's entire being visibly brightened. "Comrade Qin Chuan, you've accomplished another great feat!"

"An investment of 26 billion... just thinking about it is enough to get anyone excited!"

His eyes were filled with nothing but approval. Secretary Kang Kewu once again speculated in his heart: Comrade Qin Chuan is so close with Chairman Chen Zhixun, and Chairman Chen is investing as much as 26 billion in Wanshun County—the relationship between them is certainly not simple.

Such a non-simple relationship suggested that Qin Chuan's family background was also far from simple. He guessed it might be the Qin Family of the capital.

Could Qin Chuan be the third generation of the capital's Qin Family? But as soon as this thought surfaced in his mind, he immediately dismissed it.

If it were true, it would be too terrifying.

The Qin Family was not only a top-tier family in the capital, but the Old Master of the Qin Family was a stabilizing force within the system. His disciples and former subordinates were spread across the country; many provincial and municipal top leaders were the Old Master's students.

After praising Qin Chuan, Secretary Kang Kewu even prepared to convene a special meeting to announce this exciting news to all of Ningzhou and to make work deployments and arrangements centered around this investment.

However, before he had time to do any of that, and before Qin Chuan could leave, the red telephone on Secretary Kang Kewu's desk rang.

It was a call from Deputy Secretary Wang of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

After taking the call, Secretary Kang Kewu's expression turned solemn. He didn't hide anything and said slowly, "Deputy Secretary Wang called. The amount involved in Zhang Qun's corruption is staggering. Among them, a single bribe received from Liu Cheng was fifty million."

"But Zhang Qun is now determined to resist to the end. Deputy Secretary Wang and the others are having a real headache. They've sent another Task Force over and requested that our Ningzhou fully cooperate to ensure that the fifty million in illicit funds is found as soon as possible."

Qin Chuan nodded. "Finding that fifty million is key. As long as that money is found, Zhang Qun's psychological defense will collapse, and the subsequent interrogation will be much simpler."

The two even chatted about Zhang Qun's matter for a while before Qin Chuan left.

The news that Leyu Group intended to invest 26 billion in Wanshun County gradually spread. By the time Qin Chuan returned from Ningzhou, almost all of Wanshun County knew about it, and many officials in Ningzhou had heard the news as well.

"Secretary Qin Chuan is amazing! He's pulled in another massive investment for our county, as high as 26 billion!"

"Amazing, truly amazing. There's no comparison without harm—look at Zhang Qun. He didn't bring in any investment, but he did bring in a swindler. In the end, he was cheated out of billions, and he ended up in prison himself!"

"The largest specialized cable factory in the country... it must have a scale of at least ten thousand people. I wonder what the benefits are like; I want to go work there!"

"Haven't you heard of Leyu Group? It's a hundred-billion-level enterprise. The benefits are very good!"

...

The western suburbs of the county town.

The Shenlong New Energy Vehicle Factory was located here. After several months of construction, many factory buildings were completed and had entered the equipment installation phase. The first batch of recruitment had also been completed, with over three thousand people hired from Wanshun County alone.

Outside the gates of this factory was a wide, straight boulevard. Across from it, Qin Chuan, Chairman Chen Zhixun, and others were standing.

Chairman Chen Zhixun said, "Brother Xun, our factory will be right here, across from the Shenlong New Energy Vehicle Factory. What do you think?"

The terrain here was flat, the county town was not far away, and it was less than three kilometers from the nearest expressway entrance. It was indeed a good location.

Qin Chuan said, "It'll do. Let's set it here then."

Chairman Chen Zhixun said, "Since the location is settled, let's go back and sign the formal contract."

The details had been mostly discussed. After all, with their relationship, Chairman Chen Zhixun had made many concessions, and Wanshun County had gained a lot of benefits.

The signing of the contract went smoothly.

The formal signing of this investment appeared on that evening's 'Jiangnan News' and 'Ningzhou News'. The next day, 'Jiangnan Daily' and 'Ningzhou Daily' both reported on it.

Zhang Qun was being held by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, taken away for investigation.

He had a private suite where he could watch TV and read newspapers, but his freedom was restricted, and he faced interrogations from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection every day.

Last night, he had seen the report about Leyu Group's investment in Wanshun County on the Provincial TV Station's 'Jiangnan News'. Early this morning, he saw the report in the newspapers again.

The flames of jealousy in his heart flared up fiercely.

Damn it, it's that Qin Chuan again! Why is he able to pull in one massive investment after another, while I was the one who got cheated? Why!

I refuse to accept this!

After a mix of jealousy, resentment, and other complex emotions, he also gradually began to understand that Qin Chuan's background was certainly not ordinary. He had been wrong before; as it turned out, Qin Chuan's background should be on the same level as Chairman Chen Zhixun's.

Thinking of this, his eyes lit up slightly.

Could he save me? As long as he helps me through this crisis, I'll listen to him from now on.

Yes, yes, I have money. I can give him all fifty million of that cash. The only condition is that he helps me through this crisis.

It was truly a case of turning to anyone in a crisis. Zhang Qun was being a bit irrational; a sober person would certainly not think this way. Even if someone had a powerful family background, they wouldn't save him. This was pure fantasy.

In an environment like being taken away for investigation, it was normal for Zhang Qun to have some unrealistic fantasies. Once he had this idea, he began to make a scene, shouting that he wanted to see Qin Chuan.

Furthermore, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection's investigation team had basically found nothing in Ningzhou City. They had searched several of Zhang Qun's properties and failed to find the fifty million in cash.

Forget fifty million, they didn't even find five hundred thousand. Even after turning everything upside down, they only found a few tens of thousands in cash. Famous watches, US dollars, gold, and other things that often appear in the homes of corrupt officials—not a single one was found.

The investigators even began to suspect whether Zhang Qun might actually be an honest official.