Chapter 623

The news of Lin Dongfan being suspended pending investigation was like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples within the Baiyue Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau.

On Monday morning, the atmosphere in the bureau was noticeably different.

Inside the office area, the usual bustle was replaced by a stream of gossip. A few habitual gossips gathered in the tea room, chatting animatedly.

"Have you heard? Our Director Lin really messed up this time—lifestyle issues, and the photos have already been sent to the provincial discipline inspection commission."

"Really? Director Lin always seemed upright."

"As the saying goes, a man who isn't philandering wastes his youth; Director Lin is human, so making mistakes is inevitable. It seems that during the Haishan case, he got involved with a female party to the case and was caught in a compromising photo."

"Tsk tsk, he's in trouble now—probably couldn't wash it clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River."

"I think the main reason is that Director Lin has offended too many people. He handles cases without mercy, going after anyone, so trouble was bound to happen sooner or later."

……

The murmurs echoed low in the corridor, tinged with schadenfreude and indifferent detachment.

Just then.

Jian Sining walked over from the end of the corridor holding a stack of documents, her face grim to the extreme, her eyes like purple lightning sweeping over the few gossips in the tea room.

"Are you all that idle?"

From the moment Lin Dongfan was effectively suspended, Jian Sining's emotions became unstable, but this undisputable authority instantly drowned out all the chatter.

She coldly pressed: "Are the cases in your hands all closed? Are the leads fully verified? Do you really have time here to gossip about the leadership's right and wrong?"

"Section Chief Jian, don't go overboard—we don't want to see Director Lin fall either," said a middle‑aged deputy section chief, forcing out a hint of regret.

Jian Sining sternly rebuked: "The organization's investigation of Director Lin follows its own procedures and will reach a conclusion. Before any official notice is issued, any speculation or rumor is just adding fuel to the fire! If I hear anyone again gossiping behind backs, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

That icy warning silenced everyone present like cicadas in winter.

Originally, Jian Sining was parachuted from the headquarters to the Baiyue Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau; she was not a regular leader there and had no local base.

No one expected her to patronize them.

But the impression she gave was: "I, the grandaunt, may lack the power to promote you, but it's easy as pie to keep you from advancing!"

That latent deterrence is understood by anyone with sense.

Those few gossips dared not say more; each lowered their head and scattered like birds and beasts, and the office area fell silent again in an instant.

Yet the atmosphere in the anti‑corruption bureau became even more solemn than before.

Jian Sining temporarily shut everyone up in her own way, but she herself knew deep down that the undercurrents behind this could not be quelled by a few reprimands.

Yet Lin Dongfan, who sits in the eye of the storm, is now in a state that defies everyone's expectations.

After submitting that detailed inspection report, Lin Dongfan was not anxious or dejected as some had imagined.

Quite the opposite—after shedding his work burden, Old Man Fan felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

The next morning, Fan Ye drove three hundred kilometers back to Haishan City, treating the suspension review as merely a short vacation.

The sea surface sparkled with rippling light.

The large ocean‑going fishing vessel—Elegant Maiden No. 1—was anchored at sea like a mighty warship, with shuttles ferrying back and forth between it and the pier.

Lin Dongfan invited Xu Jijun aboard to catch up under the pretext of old classmates.

Xu Jijun, who gladly accepted the invitation, remained as refined and graceful as ever.

The two stood on the deck, leaning on the rail to gaze into the distance; the sea breeze brushed past, their conversation flowed easily, as if they had returned to the carefree friendship of their university days, while keeping the tense "dark struggle" hidden in their hearts.

This was a tacit understanding, and also the calm before experts clash.

"Fan, you're living the carefree life."

Xu Jijun patted the smooth railing and, facing the wind, joked: "You're the director of the Baiyue Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau and also the chairman of Zhengtong Capital—wielding the anti‑corruption sword while running a powerful venture‑capital firm. This ability to eat from both the political and commercial bowls is rare nationwide."

His words, both overt and veiled, carried a clear edge of teasing.

The so-called "guts" he mocked was actually his "background"—ordinary people cannot hold both government and business posts, which violates internal regulations.

Lin Dongfan went along with the teasing tone, chuckling self‑deprecatingly: "Old classmate, lay off the sarcasm—I'm just being forced to wear many hats, like a duck made to perch on a shelf."

"Who's forcing you?" Xu Jijun asked, amused.

Lin Dongfan replied without hesitation: "I set up Zhengtong Capital last year to win the Haishan Fishery Port New City project and thoroughly eradicate corruption in Haishan. The company has provincial state‑owned capital participation, so it's not a pure private enterprise. My role as chairman is essentially just managing state assets for the provincial SASAC."

Those few offhand words instantly defused the sensitive issue, clarifying his original intent and stressing compliance, leaving Xu Jijun no opening to press further.

Just then, Captain Chen Xiaoyu walked over, followed by crew members pushing a cart laden with delicate fruit platters and drinks.

Nineteen‑year‑old Chen Xiaoyu is increasingly poised.

Even in her white captain's uniform, her curvaceous figure cannot be concealed, and her whole person exudes a heroic, spirited quality.

"You've been chatting so long—aren't you thirsty? Have something to drink."

Amid Chen Xiaoyu's banter, the crew had already pushed the dining cart up to Lin Dongfan and Xu Jijun.

Xu Jijun's gaze lingered on Chen Xiaoyu for a moment, a fleeting, hardly noticeable admiration flashing in his eyes, then he turned to Lin Dongfan, his smile growing more meaningful: "Fan, you're surrounded by beauties like clouds. No wonder you're unfazed by the suspension—this is far more pleasant than sitting in a government office reading files."

You want to test my life direction again?

You want to know whether I'll completely give up struggling?

Fine then!

Since you want me to quit struggling, I'll play along with you. Acting—hey, I'm not lacking in it. In a life of thirty thousand days, who isn't testing the depths on the road of pretension?

Lin Dongfan inwardly collected his thoughts.

He picked up a glass of red wine, took a light sip, then gazed out at the wind‑whipped, wave‑tossed sea and said slowly, "You're right—being a tycoon really is more enjoyable than being a bureau chief."

"So you mean you're planning to quit the bureau for business?" Xu Jijun asked, clearly invested in the answer, his eyes fixed on Lin Dongfan's reaction.

Lin Dongfan did not hide his vulgar pursuits: "How does that song go? Love the country, but love the beauty more— which hero would willingly be alone? A true lad, full of courage, with lofty ambitions and fame spreading across the four seas! Life is but a few autumns—don't get drunk, don't rest; my beauty to the east, the Yellow River to the west…"

As they chatted, Fan Ye actually burst into song.

Although his singing leaves much to be desired, severely testing the listeners' psychological endurance—even the sea is churning and roaring! Yet this does not stop him from carrying out his pretentiousness to the end.

Probably infected by that heroic fervor, Xu Jijun also joined in the song.

Chen Xiaoyu glanced left and right, a bewildered look on his face, wondering in his heart: "Such an old song, does it really have this kind of charm?"