Chapter 673

Zhelimu City Municipal Party Secretary Wang Haimin rushed anxiously to Qingcheng City, then without stopping used his connections to inquire about his son's situation.

After some twists and efforts, he finally found out his son's whereabouts.

When he learned that his good-for-nothing son had already truthfully confessed the facts of the 'gun possession' incident, Wang Haimin sighed to the heavens, realizing the situation was lost and he had become mere fish on the chopping block; now it was up to the Provincial Party Committee to decide how to handle this.

At six in the morning, Wang Haimin rushed to the door of Secretary Lu's office to 'stand guard', hoping to get an audience with the secretary to indirectly deal with the 'gun possession' incident, but he was mercilessly refused, leaving him even more disheartened.

As it approached seven o'clock, Governor Luo Shiyu arrived at the Provincial Party Committee and saw Wang Haimin standing guard.

Wang Haimin hurried forward and, in a pleading tone, said: 'Governor, please show me mercy; I will never forget your great kindness!'

Luo Shiyu sighed and said: 'Failure to educate is the father's fault! With things blown up this big, nobody can do anything!' After saying that, she paid no more attention to Wang Haimin and pushed the door open to enter.

After entering, seeing Secretary Lu's eyes bloodshot, Luo Shiyu said: 'Secretary Lu, why not take a break? Your health is important!'

Lu Fan waved his hand and said: 'It's fine, I can hold on. After the Standing Committee meeting ends, I'll take a nap at noon. When I got the news last night it was already one or two o'clock, so I didn't call you; I directly had the Discipline Inspection Committee, Propaganda, and Public Security start investigating this matter. Now Wang Leilin has already confessed; let's meet and discuss how to deal with Wang Haimin.'

Luo Shiyu thought for a moment and said: 'Netizens are now closely watching Wang Leilin's identity; if we cover up and try to conceal, it might cause another outbreak of public opinion. I think we should be factual and disclose the truth to all sectors of society. As for how to deal with Wang Haimin, we can discuss it at the Standing Committee meeting; my personal opinion is to investigate his economic problems.'

Lu Fan nodded and said: 'Wang Leilin has caused such a huge mess for the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government; as a parent, Wang Haimin cannot escape responsibility. If handled improperly, the public will not let it rest; I think he is no longer fit to hold a leadership position. If he can resign taking responsibility, he can still save face and avoid putting the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government in a passive position. As for other issues, they must be investigated thoroughly to the end, so as to give netizens a satisfactory explanation.'

Online public opinion has become the 'barometer' of social sentiment in the new era; paying attention to online public opinion means grasping the pulse of public demand to better respond to public calls. Sometimes public opinion itself is the real flood and ferocious beast, becoming the last straw that breaks the camel's back!

……

At 7:50, Lu Fan and Luo Shiyu went to the meeting room; Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Lin Changping 'invited' Wang Haimin to the office, and, following Lu Fan's instructions, gave him 'ideological work,' which actually meant urging him to resign taking responsibility.

After entering the meeting room, all the other Standing Committee members had arrived; Lu Fan and Luo Shiyu took the left and right chief seats, while the central seat remained empty.

Lu Fan cleared his throat, his voice somewhat heavy, and said: 'Comrades, we are now convening the meeting; the sole agenda is last night's 'gun possession' incident involving Wang Leilin. Please now have the Chief of the Qingcheng City Public Security Bureau, Yang Minghao, report the case details.'

Yang Minghao, seated at the podium with a solemn expression, clicked the remote in his hand, and a video was immediately projected onto the big screen. He sat upright and composed, reporting steadily: 'There is video surveillance of the scene where Wang Leilin brandished a gun and fought; we have obtained it, please leaders review it.'

Next, everyone saw Wang Leilin's arrogant and overbearing demeanor, as if the whole world were subject to his word. As the camera pushed forward, a shocking gunfight scene was fully displayed before everyone's eyes.

In fact, these videos had already been spreading wildly on major short-video platforms, and everyone had seen them. At the time, many passersby personally witnessed this astonishing scene, some even did live broadcasts, making the scene quite shocking—especially Wang Leilin charging forward with a gun in hand, which could be described as 'full of momentum'!

After watching the video, Lu Fan exclaimed: 'What a magnificent sight, truly heart‑shaking! I never expected our Grassland Province to produce such a character—really gives us face! Comrade Minghao, how is the interrogation of Wang Leilin progressing?'

Yang Minghao continued: 'At 2 a. m., the Qingcheng City Public Security Bureau successfully arrested Wang Leilin and his gang at a club. After an overnight interrogation, the five of them confessed without reservation to their illegal acts and the process. At the same time, we seized from his residence two pistols, four AK rifles, two sniper rifles, and tens of thousands of rounds of various ammunition.'

Lu Fan said: 'The 'gun possession' incident has already been pushed onto the hot search list; the superior propaganda department's instruction is to handle it properly and avoid generating secondary public opinion. The evidence of Wang Leilin's gun possession is solid; please the Provincial Party Committee General Office and the Propaganda Department promptly release accurate and comprehensive information to respond to public concern, without concealment or concealment, for truth triumphs over falsehood precisely because of open and transparent information. Jianming, Xiaohua, you now immediately arrange to issue an announcement.'

'Okay, Secretary!' the two immediately stood up and went out to arrange the work.

Lu Fan continued: 'The focus of netizens also includes whether Wang Leilin is a government employee, whether he is receiving a salary without work, whether he has opened a company, whether he has used power for personal gain, and whether he is a 'second-generation official.' These issues are even more serious than the 'gun possession' incident, because they involve leading cadres and corruption, demanding our serious attention. Please have the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee immediately launch an investigation, clarify the matter, and respond to netizens' concerns as soon as possible.'

Du Wenlong reported: 'The Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee has already initiated the relevant procedures; currently, the Third Supervision Division is handling the investigation and has gathered some leads. First, it can be confirmed that Wang Leilin is the son of Zhelimu City Municipal Party Secretary Wang Haimin; his workplace is the Qingcheng City Development and Reform Commission, where he has long been drawing a salary without performing duties, and he engages in business and enterprise activities that may conflict with public interests.'

Lu Fan instructed: 'To properly handle the public opinion crisis and defuse contradictions invisibly, the Discipline Inspection Committee must prioritize timeliness, using various channels to clarify, respond to, and answer public opinion; the reaction speed must be swift, promptly disclosing the leads we have grasped to society, so as not to miss the opportunity, allowing negative public opinion to spread everywhere and put the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government constantly on the defensive.'

Du Wenlong replied: 'Okay, Secretary, I have already made the arrangements before the meeting.'

After arranging the urgent work, it was time to deal with the person; Lu Fan spoke earnestly: 'Comrades, failure to educate is the father's fault! As the saying goes, ice three feet thick does not form in a single day; when the beam is not straight, the rafters become crooked—this is because parental indulgence breeds arrogant, reckless 'second-generation' offspring.'

These people have seized too many opportunities and resources, creating great unfairness; their usual arrogance and domineering attitude, along with a mindset of privilege, are the inheritance and amplification of their parents' ideological and work style 'genes.' They live extravagantly, have vulgar tastes, show off everywhere, stir up trouble, thereby causing extremely negative social impact.

We must not only resolutely resist the spread of this bad ideology, but also better achieve fairness, justice, democracy, and rule of law, while tracing the roots and investigating responsibility backward.

Next, we will discuss how to deal with Zhelimu City Municipal Party Secretary Wang Haimin, a topic that netizens are extremely concerned about, and we cannot avoid it!

Luo Shiyu was the first to state her position: 'The Wang Leilin gun possession incident is extremely heinous, bringing great negative impact to our Grassland Province; as his father, Wang Haimin cannot escape responsibility, and I believe he is no longer fit to remain in a leadership post, otherwise the nation would think our Grassland Province is shielding and tolerating corrupt conduct.'

Du Wenlong said: 'According to the leads currently held by the Discipline Inspection Committee, Wang Haimin, on several major projects, has had the Standing Committee neither study nor change plans arbitrarily, directly commencing construction without bidding procedures; projects such as Zhelimu Square, the city ring expressway, the Procuratorate's technical investigation building, and the People's Hospital have been directly contracted to his son Wang Leilin, drawing concentrated public complaints and prominent issues. For example, the People's Hospital relocation project has a budget of 1.1 billion yuan, exceeding the budget by 182%, involving serious corruption; I suggest a thorough investigation!'

Having said all that, can the other Standing Committee members still object?

While everyone was voicing their opinions, Provincial Party Committee Secretary Wu Xiaohua entered to report that Wang Haimin had submitted his resignation to the organization.

Lu Fan bluntly said: 'Regarding Wang Haimin's resignation report, please everyone raise your hands to vote; I agree!' Having said that, he promptly raised his right hand.

Luo Shiyu raised her hand second, and then the other Standing Committee members each raised their hands in agreement.

Lu Fan solemnly said: 'Good, unanimously passed; after the meeting, please have the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee immediately issue an announcement.'

Comrades, regarding the handling of public opinion, we cannot merely 'treat the headache for the head, the foot ache for the foot'; we must also emphasize deep-rooted causes, such as Wang Leilin's issue of drawing a salary without work, which netizens are extremely concerned about—surely this is worth our deep reflection?

'Drawing a salary without work' seriously violates organizational personnel discipline and financial discipline, damages the image of the Party and government, and is deeply hated by the people.

Just imagine, what kind of people are 'drawing a salary without work'? Apart from leaders' relatives, who dares to do it? Who can do it? Please have the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee immediately launch a special rectification campaign to respond to netizens' concerns.

I propose several requirements: First, take real action and strike hard! Strictly follow regulations, party discipline, and state law; those who should be dismissed shall be dismissed, those whose wages should be recovered must have them recovered, all placed into the integrity account. Second, relevant responsible personnel must be strictly investigated, without letting off the many for the few, without making exceptions, and without granting special leniency. In this special rectification campaign, the heads of each unit must sign a 'responsibility statement,' clearly establishing a 'joint liability' system; if protectors are removed from their posts on the spot, their corruption and economic problems must also be investigated! Third, those who use sick leave as an excuse to 'draw a salary without work' must be thoroughly investigated to see if they are truly ill; if any falsification is found, they shall be expelled together with the relevant hospital personnel! Fourth, publish reporting channels; reports must be investigated, and once verified, rewards must be given—half of the recovered funds can be used to reward informants……

The Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government will absolutely not allow using taxpayers' money to support a bunch of social 'termites,' 'scum,' and degenerates!