Chapter 801: Revenge came so fast!

Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection Office Building.

Shi Liantang had just finished listening to Sun Yongwen's work report—about the confiscated property inventory—when the phone on the desk rang, sounding like a summoning of souls.

Shi Liantang picked up the phone: "I am Shi Liantang of the Commission for Discipline Inspection. Who is this?"

"Secretary Shi, Secretary Wang asks you to come over now." Li Bin's voice from the Municipal Party Committee Office came through the earpiece, superficially polite but with an unmistakable tone that brooked no refusal.

Shi Liantang pushed his glasses: "All right, I'll be there right away."

He hung up.

Shi Liantang looked at Sun Yongwen: "Get the confiscated property list ready ASAP and form a complete evidence chain. Zhou Hongwei's interrogation—wait until I return to continue."

"Yes."

Sun Yongwen nodded, then couldn't help asking: "Secretary Wang looking for you at this time—will it…?"

"What's meant to come will come sooner or later." Shi Liantang stood, straightened his outer coat: "Just follow procedure, don't overthink—if the sky falls, Mayor Lin will bear it."

That last remark was both a reassurance for Sun Yongwen and Shi Liantang's own heartfelt words.

To be frank, if Lin Dongfan didn't have a special background, Shi Liantang wouldn't dare so much as jump under Wang Qigang's nose, even with eight hundred courages.

Walking out of the Commission for Discipline Inspection building, the sunshine was just right.

Shi Liantang narrowed his eyes and walked on foot to the Municipal Party Committee building. Though the five‑minute walk was unhurried, his mind raced.

Wang Qigang sought him out with a single purpose—to apply pressure.

Looking at past patterns.

The other side would likely use the authority of the Municipal Party Committee's top leader, invoke the name of "considering the overall situation," and employ those unspoken official‑speak tactics to keep Zhou Hongwei's case confined to an "individual case" scope.

It must not be expanded, must not dig deep into the root causes, and especially must not drag in the Zhao Group.

These invisible pressures.

Although Shi Liantang had already anticipated this, when he truly reached the door of Municipal Party Committee Building No. 1, he still drew a deep breath of cool air.

Without a doubt, the coming time would be a smokeless confrontation.

The elevator rose, stopped at the eighth floor, and the door to the Secretary's Office stood ajar.

Shi Liantang politely knocked on the door.

From inside came Wang Qigang's voice: "Come in."

Pushing the door open, Wang Qigang stood by the window, his back to the door. Hearing the footsteps, he turned, his face bearing that signature, affable smile.

"Liantang's here, have a seat."

Wang Qigang pointed to the sofa in the reception area, sat down himself, and said: "Just brewed some tea, have a taste."

"Thank you, Secretary Wang."

Shi Liantang sat opposite, took the teacup, his heart pounding like war drums.

The tea was fine—pre‑Qingming Longjing, with a clear, bright infusion.

But he had no mind to savor it carefully.

"You worked hard last night." Wang Qigang took a sip of tea, his tone as natural as chatting about family matters: "I heard you were busy until three or four in the morning?"

"Just part of the job."

Shi Liantang was brief and to the point, not daring to utter a word of self‑praise.

"Regarding the Zhou Hongwei case…" Wang Qigang set down his teacup, adopted a relaxed questioning pose: "Is the evidence solid?"

"Gold bars, cash, and antiquities seized from the fish pond are valued at over twenty million. In preliminary interrogation, he cannot give a reasonable explanation for the source of the funds."

Shi Liantang paused briefly.

He added: "Last night, many villagers gathered to watch, the impact was huge." The subtext was: this matter can't be suppressed, so don't make things difficult for me.

"The impact is indeed significant."

Wang Qigang nodded noncommittally, his smile fading: "Liantang, I called you here today just to discuss—how should we best handle the follow‑up of this case?"

"Here it comes!"

"What should come and what shouldn't have all arrived!"

Shi Liantang sat upright, emphasizing procedural correctness: "If the evidence is solid, hand it over to the judicial authorities—just hand it over."

"Of course." Wang Qigang waved a hand: "What I mean is, when handling it, shouldn't we also consider the bigger picture?"

As he spoke, Wang Qigang kept his gaze fixed on Shi Liantang's reaction.

Seeing Shi Liantang smile without speaking,

Wang Qigang continued with significance: "Zhou Hongwei is the head of the Housing and Urban‑Rural Development Bureau, overseeing hundreds of ongoing projects city‑wide. Once he's taken in, many jobs grind to a halt—companies are anxious, workers await wages, residents await relocation… these are the practical problems staring us in the face."

Shi Liantang said nothing, waiting for what came next.

Wang Qigang went on: "More importantly, our Wuzhou is now at a critical juncture of development. The province is watching, peer cities are looking on—if this year's GDP growth slips… ultimately affected won't be just one or two people's prospects, but the livelihoods of millions of Wuzhou residents."

His words were seamless, wrapping personal interest in the guise of public welfare.

Shi Liantang pushed up the glasses on his nose, feigning confusion: "Secretary Wang, what do you mean?"

"What I mean is…"

Wang Qigang leaned in further, voice lowered: "Zhou Hongwei's personal issue should be investigated only to him—no expansion, no dragging in others, and certainly no disruption of normal work order."

He stared straight into Shi Liantang's eyes.

He emphasized word by word: "Liantang, as a veteran discipline inspector, you should understand the principle of healing the sick and saving the patient. Anti‑corruption aims to make the cadre corps healthier, not to wreck it."

The office fell silent.

The second hand of the wall clock ticked "ka‑cha, ka‑cha," each strike hitting the heart.

Shi Liantang lifted the teacup and took a sip.

The tea had cooled, turning a bit astringent.

"Secretary Wang…"

Shi Liantang set down the teacup in his hand, voice steady: "I understand what you said. But Zhou Hongwei's case, from what we see now, is not an isolated case. We have discovered in the investigation that in multiple project approvals he has unusually close ties with certain companies. According to procedure, we must follow these leads and continue the investigation."

Seeing Wang Qigang's complexion slightly change, his smile mixed with anger.

Shi Liantang steadied himself.

He then forced himself to continue: "As for whether it will affect work order, as far as I know, Mayor Lin has already assigned a dedicated person to take over the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau's work, ensuring daily operations are unaffected."

After drafting three versions, Shi Liantang presented an attitude that upheld principles while also considering the bigger picture!

But that's not what Wang Qigang wanted.

"Liantang..." Wang Qigang's voice carried a hint of displeased chill: "Let me be frank with you—what exactly does Mayor Lin's side intend to investigate to what extent?"

Shi Liantang pushed his glasses again: "Mayor Lin said, the special audit is a decision of the Municipal Party Committee; we must firmly implement the Committee's instructions, act according to law and regulation, and investigate to the end."

Lao Shi this time actually managed to play the trick of "using someone's own methods against him."

Just a few short words.

It matched exactly the tone Wang Qigang used when he first proposed forming the special rectification team at the Standing Committee meeting—full of righteous vigor.

Wang Qigang leaned back on the sofa, silent for a full half minute.

How much pain did he feel inside?

Only he himself knew about this.

But after a moment of silence he smiled, though his smile was faint and lacking warmth: "Good, good. According to law and regulation, investigate to the end. That's right, I support it."

Saying that, Wang Qigang stood up and walked to the desk.

With his back to Shi Liantang he said: "Then just follow procedure. However, Liantang, as the Municipal Party Committee Secretary and also your elder brother by a few years, I still want to remind you of one thing…"

He slowly turned around, his eyes deep.

He stared straight at Shi Liantang, who had just risen: "In doing things, you must keep within bounds. Going beyond them not only risks harming others, but also easily harms oneself."

These words were already quite blunt, amounting to a plain warning.

Shi Liantang forced out a calm smile, maintaining his due composure: "Thank you for the reminder, Secretary Wang. I will try to keep within proper limits."

Seeing Wang Qigang say nothing more,

Shi Liantang then said: "If there's nothing else, I'll head back first. Zhou Hongwei's interrogation is still waiting. I will strive to wrap up the case as soon as possible, to give an explanation to the Municipal Party Committee and to the people of the city."

"Go ahead."

Wang Qigang waved his hand and sat back down in his chair.

Shi Liantang walked to the door, hand on the handle.

Suddenly from behind came Wang Qigang's voice: "By the way, regarding your personal work situation, the province's meaning is to let you work diligently; you're still young, opportunities will always exist."

Am I still young?

Shi Liantang turned back, and at once his heart felt shattered; he only saw Wang Qigang lowering his head to look at documents, unable to discern his exact expression.

"Thank you, Secretary Wang, for your concern."

Damn, this retaliation came too fast. Shi Liantang uttered a thanks with a heavy heart, pulled open the heavy door, and left feeling disappointed.

The corridor was empty.

Shi Liantang walked to the elevator entrance, pressed the down button, and only then noticed his palms were sweating. The elevator doors, like a mirror, reflected his solemn, stern, expressionless face.