Chapter 1172: Forcing Out the Umbrella Behind the Scenes!

Shen Gaoling, accompanied by staff from the Yechuan County Audit Bureau, walked directly into the finance office of Tianlu Company.

"Who is the person in charge of finance?"

The Financial Manager hurriedly stood up, managed to squeeze a smile onto her face, took a step forward, and said respectfully, "Hello, Leader. I am the Financial Manager of Tianlu Company."

"Hello, Manager Gu. I am Shen Gaoling, the person in charge of the Yechuan County Audit Bureau.

Today, we require your company's cooperation with an audit investigation. Please arrange for personnel immediately to bring out all financial records related to every urban construction project in Yechuan County from the past few years for us to verify."

Shen Gaoling got straight to the point, stating his purpose and requirements directly.

"Very well, one moment, I will arrange for someone to retrieve them right away!" The Financial Manager's heart was pounding wildly at this moment!

Because she knew better than anyone that the accounts of Tianlu Company were not clean. If substantive problems were uncovered in this audit, it would not only mean the company might face the desperate situation of bankruptcy, but as the person in charge of finance, she would also have to bear legal responsibility.

In the past, the company would set aside a significant amount of funds every year to grease palms and maintain connections.

They had not specifically cultivated a good relationship with the Audit Bureau.

Firstly, they felt that the Audit Bureau and the company had no direct business dealings in their daily operations;

Secondly, they were harboring wishful thinking, believing that the audit would not reach their company.

Personnel from Tianlu Company moved all the relevant materials into the conference room.

Shen Gaoling and his staff began to study these materials, carefully checking every piece of data to ensure that not a single clue slipped past their eyes.

Facing such a massive operation, the Financial Manager felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, unable to sit or stand in peace!

……

The audit of Tianlu Company lasted for a week.

Everyone at Tianlu Company, from top to bottom, lived in a state of trepidation and anxiety, terrified that the audit personnel would uncover problems.

The days were not easy for Chen Ning, the Director of the City Transportation Bureau, either.

Liu Xiangming was a childhood friend who had grown up with Chen Ning. Although Tianlu Company had several shareholders, the reason Liu Xiangming was able to sit in the position of General Manager was mainly because Chen Ning was backing him and shielding him from behind.

Tianlu Company had not only secured multiple important transportation infrastructure projects in Yechuan County.

In other counties and districts of Xiyang City, they had also relied on various connections to secure numerous engineering projects, and their business was booming.

A few years ago, because Tianlu Company had squeezed the living space of other enterprises, it had also sparked dissatisfaction and complaints from competitors, and several enterprises had even jointly reported Tianlu Company for illegal bidding.

However, in the end, relying on Chen Ning's mediation, the complaints and reports were suppressed one by one.

Around eight o'clock in the evening, Liu Xiangming knocked on the door of Chen Ning's home.

Chen Ning's wife warmly greeted him into the house.

Liu Xiangming exchanged greetings with him, and Chen Ning went downstairs to let Liu Xiangming go up to the second floor to talk.

"The staff from the Yechuan County Audit Bureau have been at our company for a week! If they keep investigating like this, they will definitely find problems."

Chen Ning said helplessly, "I have already communicated with Mayor Yang about this matter, and he is also powerless."

Liu Xiangming looked at Chen Ning with a face full of surprise, "He is the Mayor after all! Even he has no way to handle it?"

Chen Ning sighed, "He is only a Vice Mayor. The one investigating you is the County Magistrate of Yechuan, and his backer is Jiang Jing, the number two figure in Xiyang. Yang Guoxiong cannot afford to offend him."

Liu Xiangming's eyes were mixed with a bit of panic as he gritted his teeth and said, "What should we do now? We can't just sit here and wait for death, right? How about I take the initiative to find Tang Ye and grease his palms!"

Chen Ning shook his head with a bitter smile, "It's useless, I have already tested the waters. Tang Ye has a bright future ahead of him; he cannot be tempted by petty gains and leave a stain on his brilliant career."

Liu Xiangming did not agree, "You should still take the initiative to give him a call. I don't believe there is any problem in this world that money cannot solve. As long as our price is right, he will definitely loosen up."

Chen Ning hesitated for a while, holding onto a glimmer of wishful thinking, took out his phone, and dialed Tang Ye's number.

"County Magistrate Tang, hello, I am Chen Ning."

Tang Ye was working overtime at the County Government at this moment. Upon receiving Chen Ning's call, he immediately understood that it must be for the matter of Tianlu Company being audited.

Sure enough, his move of throwing a stone to test the path had successfully forced out the umbrella behind Tianlu Company.

The water here was even deeper than he had anticipated.

"Director Chen, it's so late and you're not resting yet, is there any urgent matter?"

"County Magistrate Tang, I heard that the Yechuan County Government is currently conducting an audit of Tianlu Company.

To tell you the truth, I am a long-time good friend of the General Manager of Tianlu Company, Liu Xiangming.

I know him very well as a person.

He is a person who works in a down-to-earth and serious manner, is upright and kind, and often actively participates in various public welfare activities. He is an entrepreneur with a sense of responsibility."

"He personally led a team to the disaster area, contributing both money and effort, which was a great help to our government and helped the disaster-stricken masses solve many difficulties.

Because of this, he was named one of the Top Ten News Figures of Xiyang City at the end of the year and received commendation from the city."

Tang Ye smiled, "So that's what it is! Yechuan County is recently conducting a special audit operation. As long as Tianlu Company has no problems, it's just going through the motions."

Chen Ning thought to himself, you call this going through the motions? You are clearly trying to drive people to their deaths.

"Are you free tomorrow? I'll organize a gathering and arrange for you and General Manager Liu to have a meal together. We can speak openly about anything, and if there are any misunderstandings, we can resolve them face-to-face, is that okay?"

Tang Ye found it secretly amusing; who was lacking that meal of yours?

"I really have things to do tomorrow night. Let's do it another time! I still have matters to attend to, so I'll hang up the phone first."

"Very well, please go ahead with your work!"

Chen Ning shook his head at Liu Xiangming, his expression filled with a sense of powerlessness.

Liu Xiangming slapped the table in anger, "This Tang Ye, he really doesn't know what's good for him! Isn't he afraid that if we are pushed into a corner, we will drag him down with us?"

Chen Ning scolded in a low voice, "What do you want to do? Calm down!"

Liu Xiangming could not suppress the anger in his heart, and with red eyes, he roared, "I can't calm down! Isn't he afraid of becoming the next Zhou Songtao?"

Chen Ning hurriedly stepped forward and pressed down on Liu Xiangming's shoulders, "If you want to die, don't drag me with you. Zhou Songtao died in Yechuan County; if another County Magistrate dies, the provincial and city authorities will absolutely not sit idly by."

Liu Xiangming said indignantly, "Are we just going to sit here and wait for death? Why don't you call Mayor Yang again and beg him properly. If he doesn't care whether we live or die, then we can only fend for ourselves when disaster strikes."

Chen Ning remained silent.

He had known Yang Guoxiong for so many years and understood Yang Guoxiong's character too well.

Selfish and opportunistic, only considering one's own interests in everything; once danger is encountered, one only thinks of sacrificing others to save oneself.

The advice Yang Guoxiong gives will most likely be to have Liu Xiangming step forward to take the fall and shoulder all the responsibility.

Even, in a desperate situation, in order to clear his own name, Yang Guoxiong would even treat Chen Ning as an abandoned pawn!

After Liu Xiangming left, he sat in the study, pondered for a long time, and finally made an important decision concerning his own fate.

He picked up his phone and dialed the number of Secretary Lu Tianming, who worked for Mayor Jiang Jing.

"Secretary Lu, this is Chen Ning."

"Director Chen, is there something you need?"

"Secretary Lu, I have a very important matter that I would like to report to Mayor Jiang Jing in person. It mainly concerns some violations and disciplinary issues that have existed in the city's transportation system over the years. The matter is quite urgent, so please, I must ask you to help me request a meeting with Mayor Jiang and arrange an opportunity for us to see each other."

Chen Ning knew this was his only way out.

"Alright! I will report this to Mayor Jiang now and call you back shortly."

A moment later, Lu Tianming dialed Chen Ning's phone, "I have already reported your situation to Mayor Jiang. Please come directly to Mayor Jiang's office at 8:30 tomorrow morning."

Chen Ning took a deep breath, "Understood, I will definitely arrive on time!"

The next morning, Jiang Jing met Chen Ning in her office.

Chen Ning looked very haggard, with obvious dark circles under his eyes.

He had likely not closed his eyes all night, having spent it in torment.

"Director Chen, your complexion is not very good. Are you feeling unwell?"

Chen Ning smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Mayor Jiang. I am fine."

Jiang Jing instructed Lu Tianming to pour tea, "You may speak about what you came to see me for."

Chen Ning lowered his head in shame, "Mayor Jiang, I came here today to admit my mistakes to you.

Before you came to Xiyang City to take office, there were many violations and disciplinary issues within our city's transportation system.

Especially regarding the bidding for engineering projects, as the person in charge of the Transportation Bureau, I failed to fulfill my supervisory duties and committed many serious errors.

I have failed the organization's trust, and I have also failed your expectations."

Jiang Jing appeared calm on the surface, but she was extremely surprised inside!

Recently, Yechuan County has been conducting a special audit of Tianlu Company...

She had not expected that this audit would bring such immense pressure to Chen Ning, directly shattering his psychological defenses.

Forcing him to have no choice but to take the initiative to confess...