Zhonglou District Railway Hotel.
The three southernmost rooms on the sixth floor are regularly booked by the Zhonglou District Discipline Inspection Commission. Even the corridor has an iron gate separating these three rooms from the other guest rooms.
This is the Zhonglou District Discipline Inspection Commission's investigation site. Officials suspected of disciplinary violations and placed under investigation are arranged to stay at the Railway Hotel.
Today, this rarely visited place is filled with a large group of people—the Discipline Inspection Commission has formed an investigation team specifically to investigate Guo Li, the director of the demolition office, for suspected bribery of residents affected by demolition and other disciplinary violations.
The middle suite is filled with smoke.
Guo Li sits on the sofa, smoking one cigarette after another. The ashtray beside him is already overflowing with cigarette butts. On the coffee table next to him are a notepad and a fountain pen, prepared for Guo Li to write his confession.
The notepad is blank, and the fountain pen cap is not even removed.
Guo Li seemed to have developed many more gray hairs overnight. His face was etched with fatigue, his eyes bloodshot, and his entire body was unkempt, completely lacking the commanding presence he once possessed as a leader.
Two staff members sat not far from Guo Li, frequently glancing at him.
Guo Li remained tight-lipped. All night, the disciplinary committee investigation team had taken turns using a barrage of questioning, but Guo Li refused to speak. Neither threats nor bribes had worked; he simply sat there, motionless.
This was a major headache for the disciplinary committee. On one hand, Deputy Secretary Fan Changtian was pressing him urgently. His secretary, Xiao Ma, would call every few hours to inquire about the case's progress. The secretary's attitude clearly indicated Fan Changtian's intense focus on the matter, putting pressure on every member of the investigation team.
On the other hand, Guo Li truly embodied the old saying: "A clear conscience fears no accusation." While taking Guo Li away, the Discipline Inspection Commission quickly organized a thorough investigation of the demolition office's accounts. They also obtained a search warrant to search Guo Li's home, but so far, the investigation team has found nothing.
Of course, this excludes the 100,000 yuan found in Guo Li's office. With this evidence, Guo Li's chances of overturning the verdict are virtually zero.
However, the Discipline Inspection Commission members know perfectly well how this evidence was obtained.
Moreover, their instructions were not only to bring down Guo Li, but more importantly, to get him to talk and obtain the confession they needed.
At this moment, a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a white business shirt, pushed open the door and walked in. Two Discipline Inspection Commission staff members immediately stood up and said in unison:
"Good morning, Secretary Lu!"
Lu Xun was the deputy secretary of the Zhonglou District Discipline Inspection Commission. He was somewhat thin and wore gold-rimmed glasses, appearing refined and cultured. However, the eyes behind his glasses occasionally flashed with a venomous light, revealing him as a treacherous and ruthless individual. Lu Xun first glanced at Guo Li, who was silently smoking, then turned to the two staff members and asked,
"How's the situation?"
One of the staff members shook his head slightly and whispered,
"Still won't say anything..."
Lu Xun snorted coldly, strode over to the sofa opposite Guo Li, sat down, took out a cigarette and offered it to Guo Li, but Guo Li ignored him with a blank stare. Lu Xun wasn't angry; he smiled, put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it, took a puff, and said,
"Director Guo, what kind of place is the Railway Hotel?" "You know the situation perfectly well. We've taken organizational measures against you because we have substantial evidence. I hope you don't harbor any illusions and will honestly confess your crimes!"
Guo Li slowly raised his head, glanced at Lu Xun with bloodshot eyes, and said coldly:
"Secretary Lu, I, Guo Li, have acted uprightly and honestly, and have a clear conscience! I have no problems to confess to the organization!"
Lu Xun felt a surge of anger. All night, no matter what the disciplinary committee said, Guo Li kept repeating the same thing, refusing to say a word more. Lu Xun's face darkened. He said, "Director Guo, I've worked in the Discipline Inspection Commission for so many years. Which official hasn't cried foul when they fell from grace? In the end, didn't they all confess everything? Now the evidence is irrefutable. What's the point of your stubborn resistance?"
"Ironclad evidence?" Guo Li's face showed a mocking smile. He retorted calmly, "Since the evidence is irrefutable, why don't you just transfer me to the procuratorate for prosecution? Why bombard me with this?"
"Hmph! How do you explain the 100,000 yuan in your office drawer? And what about that demolition contract that almost crossed the line? What's your relationship with that demolition household who made a huge profit from it?" Lu Xun stared into Guo Li's eyes, firing off questions like a machine gun. Guo Li ignored Lu Xun's threatening gaze and simply said:
"I haven't taken a single penny from anyone! The demolition work in Hengxiang was completely without violation of regulations, and every demolition compensation agreement complied with the spirit of the district party committee and government joint meeting."
After saying this, Guo Li shut his mouth tightly, looking down at Lu Xun, ignoring him completely.
Lu Xun's anger flashed briefly, but he suppressed it and adopted a serious expression, saying:
"Director Guo, we've been colleagues for a long time, and to be honest, I'm willing to believe you're innocent. But the evidence is right there; what's the point of saying all this? The organization is giving you a chance to confess, which is actually an opportunity to earn merit! If you don't seize this opportunity, you'll be in a passive position once you're handed over to the procuratorate!"
At this point, Lu Xun stood up and walked to Guo Li's side, whispering in his ear:
"Director Guo, Deputy Secretary Fan..." "This matter is of great concern. Today, he asked me to pass on a message to you. He said making mistakes isn't a big deal, as long as you truthfully confess, the organization will consider it leniently, especially regarding your affair with Chen Yang. Secretary Fan hopes you can honestly explain everything. He said that if you cooperate well with the Discipline Inspection Commission in this matter, it's not impossible to avoid prosecution."
A mocking glint flashed in Guo Li's eyes. At this moment, Fan Changtian and the Discipline Inspection Commission's intentions were crystal clear. As a seasoned veteran of the officialdom, Guo Li had naturally noticed the signs long ago.
However, he couldn't understand why Fan Changtian was so ruthless towards Chen Yang. Could it be some kind of conflict between the Fang and Fan families?
The more Guo Li thought about it, the more it made sense. He'd heard that Deputy Secretary Fan was from the Fan family in Beijing. Although they were distant relatives separated by many generations, they were still family. Moreover, there had always been rumors in the district that Secretary Fan was very influential even within the Fan family.
Chen Yang was on friendly terms with Guan Weiping, and Xie Fangzhi had mentioned that Chen Yang had even visited the home of Provincial Party Secretary Fang. Therefore, in Guo Li's eyes, Chen Yang was undoubtedly a member of the Fang family.
He'd heard that the Fan and Fang families had been feuding for decades, never getting along.
"This might just be a battle between powerful figures, and I'm just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire!" Guo Li thought helplessly.
To be honest, Lu Xun's words had a slight appeal to Guo Li, but after a quick thought, he made his decision. Powerful families hated people who were opportunistic; if Guo Li sided with Fan Changtian now, he'd be disliked by both sides.
He, Guo Li, a mere director of the district demolition office, was nothing more than an insignificant ant in the eyes of both the Fang and Fan families. Now, his only option was to wholeheartedly stand by Chen Yang's side.
Through two meetings, Guo Li sensed that Chen Yang was different from typical spoiled brats; he didn't seem to be the kind of heartless person. He could only hope that Chen Yang would step in and help him through this difficult time.
Moreover, everything Guo Li did regarding the demolition compensation for Chen Yang's house was indeed within the bounds of policy. Strictly speaking, he only exploited a loophole in the policy, and it didn't even constitute a violation of discipline.
As for the 100,000 yuan bribe, it was completely fabricated, a frame-up by Fan Changtian. If a high-ranking official were willing to speak up, it wouldn't withstand any investigation.
Thinking this through, Guo Li solidified his resolve and decided to feign ignorance:
"I'm sorry, Secretary Lu, I don't understand what you mean. You said you were cooperating with the investigation, and haven't I been cooperating the whole time?"
"You... very well, even now you still have illusions! Guo Li, let me tell you, going against the organization has no good end! Just wait and see!" Lu Xun abruptly stood up, tearing off his previous mask of hypocrisy, and pointed at Guo Li's nose, shouting loudly.
"The organization?" Guo Li said with a hint of mockery, "Who represents the organization? You, Lu Xun? Or Fan Changtian?"
Having already torn off the pretense, Guo Li simply addressed him by his first name, without any restraint.
Lu Xun's cold eyes were fixed on Guo Li, and after a long while, he stood up, his face dark, and stormed off. As soon as Lu Xun stepped out of the suite, he said to his staff:
"Call Director Huang immediately and ask about Deputy Secretary Fan's schedule. Tell him I have work to report to Secretary Fan… Also, tell Xu Maorong from the demolition office to wait in my office; I need to speak with him!"
"Yes, Secretary Lu!" the staff member replied, taking out his phone to make the call.
Director Huang was Huang Dehua, Fan Changtian's secretary and also the director of the district committee office.
Guo Li glanced calmly at Lu Xun's exasperated back, his expression hardening. He picked up a letter paper and pen from the coffee table, slowly walked to his desk, sat down, and began writing carefully on the letter paper.
The two disciplinary committee staff members exchanged a look, both revealing a hint of joy: Had Guo Li suddenly come to his senses and was preparing to confess? The two men stood up simultaneously, crouched behind Guo Li, and craned their necks to look. Upon seeing what he was looking at, their expressions froze.
Guo Li had neatly written three characters at the top of the letter:
"Appeal."
"To appeal to the Party's higher organizations, up to the Central Committee, and demand a responsible response is a sacred right granted to every Party member by the Party Constitution."
Guo Li decided to take the initiative.