Chapter 16: The Contrasts of Zhou Ya

After finishing the tasks at hand and ensuring nothing was overlooked, Lin Hao went downstairs to greet the team leader.

If there was anyone he was closest to in the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, it was Team Leader Zhou.

Though they had only met once, it was she who had shaped his future and prospects. No matter what, she had cleared his name through investigation and revealed so many inside stories to him, helping him see exactly what kind of people Xu Fei and Xu Qian really were.

Coming downstairs, he saw Zhou Ya briskly walking inside, busy on her phone.

Upon seeing Lin Hao, she raised her hand in greeting, gave a few instructions, then hung up.

“Team Leader Zhou really is tireless—can’t even forget work while walking,” Lin Hao teased.

Zhou Ya was unreserved, directly slinging her arm around Lin Hao’s shoulder.

“You brat, mocking your sister? By the way, you did well becoming Secretary Gu’s assistant. I thought you’d be transferred under me.”

Lin Hao hadn’t expected this side of Zhou Ya’s boldness. After scanning around to make sure no one was watching, he breathed a sigh of relief and then gently shook her off.

“Sister Zhou, this is the workplace.”

“Oh? Suddenly shy?” Zhou Ya didn’t back down; instead, she kept teasing.

Lin Hao was helpless and had to bring up Secretary Gu.

“It’s almost 3:30, Sister Zhou. The secretary is waiting for us.”

“Alright, no more messing around. Let’s go.”

The two went upstairs together, unaware that from behind a certain window, someone watched this scene with clenched fists, filled with anger.

Upon arriving at Gu Yuejin’s office, Zhou Ya suddenly became serious.

“Hello, Secretary Gu.”

“Xiao Zhou, please sit. Xiao Lin, you too,” Gu Yuejin said, setting down his things and moving from his desk to the guest seating area.

Zhou Ya sat down, while Lin Hao skillfully stood to boil water and pour tea.

Watching Lin Hao work so meticulously, Zhou Ya’s eyes gleamed with surprise; this young fellow was quite capable, quite professional.

“Secretary Gu, these are the latest leads I’ve gathered through Xu Fei’s investigation. All these people have been thoroughly checked,” Zhou Ya said, handing over the materials.

Gu Yuejin took them and studied them intently.

Then his face twisted with fury as he slammed the documents onto the table.

“Shameless beyond belief, corruption to this extent. So many officials implicated—what is the Tianzhong City Discipline Commission even doing? Such massive embezzlement and corruption, and yet no clues at all?”

Seeing their leader so angry, Lin Hao remained silent. Zhou Ya seemed to have anticipated this.

“Secretary Gu, I suspect there might be problems within the Tianzhong City Discipline Commission itself—corruption has infiltrated it. I’ve been investigating for a long time. Aside from clues about Wu Bo, there’s only this trail involving Xu Fei. Such professional methods don’t match the capabilities of ordinary corrupt officials.”

Gu Yuejin calmed down and nodded.

“You have a point. The worst fear is when the overseers themselves are compromised. Even my secretary was bribed. So far, he refuses to confess.”

Every time he thought of this, Gu Yuejin felt troubled. The man had worked with him for two years—how could he make such a mistake? It showed the leader’s own failure in guidance.

“Actually, this is a good thing—better to find out than never. If he had kept hiding, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“True. Sister Zhou, I have a vague feeling that my secretary’s bribery and the Tianzhong case aren’t directly related,” Gu Yuejin offered his speculation.

“Secretary, I thought the same. I’ve been investigating this case for two months. If your secretary was bought by the people in Tianzhong, they would have found out earlier and stopped me from digging into Xu Fei.”

“So I lean toward these two groups acting independently, but their backers likely cooperate. Otherwise, the secretary wouldn’t have slipped up by probing Tianzhong affairs.”

Zhou Ya analyzed seriously, her expression grave.

Lin Hao looked at Zhou Ya, momentarily dazed. The formidable woman before him was a world apart from the playful tease from moments ago.

Now, serious and wearing frameless glasses, she exuded an untouchable aura, scholarly and austere—like a high-cold professor.

He suddenly recalled a saying online: “The more learned, the more serious the girl, the greater the chance of a hidden contrast.” Now he saw how true that was.

“Xiao Lin, take a look too. You know Tianzhong’s situation better—share your thoughts,” Secretary Gu prompted, bringing Lin Hao back to reality.

He quickly grabbed the files and studied them carefully.

Though he had expected the worst, seeing those shocking figures and the people involved in the cases still made him sigh: what a rotten society.

Ordinary people work themselves to the bone to buy a house, emptying six wallets, their lifetime savings—yet to these people, it’s just a means to amass wealth.

He had thought controlling quality through permits was enough, but these scoundrels operated secretly, subcontracting and reselling, reaping profits.

No wonder so many developers go bankrupt—the big money is all taken by these bastards. How could there be funds left to guarantee quality construction?

“Secretary, I feel it can’t be that simple. Although over a dozen officials have been exposed, none are the real heavy hitters. Their power isn’t enough to control such vast profits.”

“Yes, the fall guys pushed forward are all deputy mayors. The highest rank involved is division chief level; none have the capacity,” Zhou Ya nodded in agreement.

“Go on,” Gu Yuejin encouraged, sipping his tea.

“I think Deputy Mayor Wu Bo and the officials above, as well as myself, are all scapegoats. They were pre-selected to take the fall when the provincial commission’s investigation deepened. Sister Zhou mentioned the corruption reports on Tianzhong’s housing bureau and on Wu Bo came from different whistleblowers. I suspect the latter’s whistleblower is the protector behind Xu Fei.”

“Your thoughts mirror mine. The first report was two months ago—corrupt projects in Tianzhong with ledgers as proof. Once I learned, I ordered a covert verification of the evidence. The second report came just days ago, with airtight evidence. The provincial commission could only act and detain the suspects. It’s clearly a setup to be so perfect.”

Zhou Ya expressed regret.

“So the secretary learned of Sister Zhou’s investigation into Tianzhong and leaked it, prompting them to scramble and push these scapegoats forward,” Lin Hao continued.

“Exactly. Among those arrested, most are indeed corrupt; a few are clean scapegoats, though not innocent. I suspect there’s another ‘Xu Fei’ behind them—their patron. Those people were toppled, but you stayed clean, so Xu Fei was exposed,” Zhou Ya became excited, as if she had found a key clue.

“So now there are three paths: first, find the whistleblower from two months ago to gain more inside information; second, interrogate the scapegoats to uncover the ‘Xu Fei’ behind them; third, focus on Xu Fei himself, mounting a strong breakthrough,” Lin Hao laid out the plan.

“The first is difficult with few leads; the second risks alerting them. So the main focus must be on Xu Fei for now,” Zhou Ya considered before affirming.

“Well, we’ve made progress. I see hope in this case. Xiao Zhou, you must push harder. If you need anything, let me know—the commission fully supports you,” Gu Yuejin nodded in satisfaction.

“Secretary, they want us to close the case quickly. All evidence and leads are solid; there’s no reason to delay. If they sense we’re onto something, I fear they’ll flee to avoid punishment,” Zhou Ya voiced her concern.

“That’s not unreasonable. We must be cautious and prevent them from realizing we’ve uncovered clues. How do you plan to break through?” Gu Yuejin asked.

At that moment, Zhou Ya looked at Lin Hao, who was utterly flustered.

Me? What can I do?