Chapter 289: Is His Life Worth Five Hundred Million?

Before Tang Ye spoke of a solution, he first had to break down the things Du Chengfeng found difficult to say and explain them to Xie Miao.

"This matter cannot be resolved by relying on anyone showing leniency.

Once Dad chooses to gloss over it, it won't just be you who gets implicated; our entire family will suffer along with you.

The Municipal Party Committee will send others to thoroughly investigate the problems in Suiyuan County, and when that time comes, none of those involved will be able to escape.

What's more, Wang Xingjian is calculating and holds leverage over you; from here on out, you will only be at his mercy.

Once the heat dies down, he can send you to prison at any time; there will be nowhere to hide.

Xie Miao's eyes were filled with anxiety, and she blurted out, "Then what do you say I should do?"

Tang Ye stopped beating around the bush and said bluntly, "The only way out now is to turn yourself in to the Discipline Inspection Commission. By taking the initiative to go to the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission to confess before the situation worsens, we can still maintain the upper hand."

Xie Miao was full of fear toward the Discipline Inspection Commission and looked timid: "Isn't that just walking right into a trap?"

Tang Ye explained patiently, "Turning yourself in is precisely how you seize the initiative. As long as you take the initiative to report Wang Xingjian, you can make amends for your faults.

Besides, the figure of eighty thousand yuan is not small, but it isn't particularly exaggerated either.

Over the past few months, I have anonymously donated to several Hope Primary Schools in the West District; the transfer records are all there, and they add up to nearly thirty thousand.

You can tell the Discipline Inspection Commission that you were the one who donated this money, and that you intend to donate the remaining fifty thousand as well.

In this way, you can strive for leniency."

Xie Miao was both surprised by the feasibility of this plan and moved by Tang Ye's silent act of kindness.

In fact, Tang Ye's donation strategy was inspired by Guo Zhengting.

Of course, it was also because Lin Ru had previously complained to Jiang Jing that he often received gifts, which led to a reminder from Jiang Jing.

Working in Secretariat Section Two, it was inevitable that people would send gifts during holidays; since it was difficult to completely refuse social exchanges involving cigarettes and alcohol, he had kept this as a fallback.

Fortunately, the amount involved in Xie Miao's case was not huge; if it had been a million or eight hundred thousand, these thirty thousand in donation records would have been of no use at all.

"The Discipline Inspection Commission is not as terrifying as you imagine. I was investigated by the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission before; as long as there are no major errors, the organization will grant a certain degree of leniency. Didn't your parents deal with the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission before? Explain the matter exactly as it happened, and you will be fine."

Du Xiaofeng held her daughter's hand tightly, wiping away tears as she begged bitterly: "Listen to Xiao Tang; he won't harm you."

Xie An had been frowning the whole time and finally spoke: "If you confess voluntarily, you might not keep your job, but at least you won't have to go to prison. If you really go to jail, the family will fall apart."

Xie Miao fell silent, finally realizing that Tang Ye was genuinely looking out for her.

Recalling how she had previously treated Tang Ye as an outsider, she couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt.

"Alright, I will go to the Discipline Inspection Commission to turn myself in tomorrow!"

Hearing this, Du Chengfeng's tightly locked brows finally relaxed a little: "I will give the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission a heads-up in advance. Don't overthink it; just explain everything exactly as it happened. If you need money, just tell me."

Xie Miao said with red-rimmed eyes, "I have money."

This family dinner ended on a sour note.

After Du Xiaofeng's family left, Du Xi gently took Tang Ye's hand, her voice faint: "Thank you."

"Why are you being so polite with me? We are family." Tang Ye gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"My cousin was very good to me when I was little. In junior high, there were always boys bullying me. After I told her, she would come to pick me up from school every day after work. Once, she even fought those boys to protect me; the scar on her arm was left from that time."

"Then we must help her even more." Tang Ye squeezed Du Xi's hand.

Although Xie Miao appeared hot-tempered and immature, as the niece of a Deputy Department Level Official, to have only profited less than one hundred thousand from operating a commercial project showed that she didn't have much nerve.

Coupled with the fact that Du Chengfeng was usually strict with his family, Tang Ye felt even more that he should give her a hand.

Moreover, through this incident, it could also make her family understand why Du Chengfeng had always suppressed them and demanded they live a stable life.

Du Xi looked up at Tang Ye, "Thirty thousand yuan is not a small amount. I didn't expect you to be so good at hiding private money."

Tang Ye laughed in spite of himself, "That's for sure! However, that's all the private money I have, and it has all been contributed to public welfare. If you don't believe me, you can check the accounts!"

Du Xi shook her head and said proudly, "No need. I know you have principles. Between a husband and wife, using account management to control the other party is a very insecure behavior."

Afterward, Tang Ye went to the study.

An exhausted Du Chengfeng was rubbing his temples.

"I have already spoken with Secretary Du Bin by phone; tomorrow, arrangements will be made for someone to receive Xie Miao's surrender. I think she not only needs to return the illicit gains but also needs to resign voluntarily. However, considering the amount is not large and it is a first offense, and her attitude in turning herself in is good, Secretary Du Bin intends to handle it with a demotion."

Tang Ye pondered for a moment and said: "According to Xie Miao, it was a person named Zhu Yue who dragged her into this; this might be a key clue."

Du Chengfeng's eyes lit up: "That's right! Contact Wan Ming immediately, find Zhu Yue as soon as possible, and take him into custody."

Tang Ye nodded in response: "I will contact him right now. Wan Ming is under a lot of pressure; the targets previously locked onto suddenly started vanishing into thin air, all leaving Suiyuan County. The resistance in the county is not small."

Du Chengfeng's expression was grave: "I will make another call to Qiao Liang and have him fully support Wan Ming's actions in Suiyuan County. I will also communicate with Secretary Li Chaoyang to strive for more support from the city."

The next morning, Wang Xingjian was sitting in his office when he suddenly received a call from Xu Zongchao. "Chairman Wang, I just got news that Zhu Yue was arrested by the Police at his residence last night! Can you think of a way?"

Wang Xingjian sat up straight abruptly: "How could Zhu Yue be caught?"

Xu Zongchao's tone was low: "Zhu Yue has always been cautious in his work. I heard from his wife that this matter is related to the book bidding project for the County Library in the first half of the year! I remember you hinted at the time that we should use this project to set a trap for Du Chengfeng."

Wang Xingjian touched his famous bald head and said in a deep voice: "I went to see Du Chengfeng yesterday and revealed this trump card. Du Chengfeng was indeed very shocked at the time! I thought he would take a step back! I didn't expect him to flip the table directly."

Xu Zongchao suddenly realized: "Du Chengfeng just abandoned his niece?"

The more Wang Xingjian thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong: "It is very likely."

"This kind of person is too terrifying!"

Now that Wang Xingjian was far from the core of power, obtaining information was no longer as smooth as it used to be.

After making several calls to inquire, Wang Xingjian called Xu Zongchao back: "President Xu, I just found out that Du Chengfeng's niece went to the Discipline Inspection Commission to turn herself in early this morning. Zhu Yue was caught last night; it seems they started laying the groundwork last night."

Xu Zongchao was almost fuming with rage: "Chairman Wang, didn't you say you were sure you could handle Du Chengfeng?"

Wang Xingjian sighed dejectedly: "Who would have thought Du Chengfeng would be so cold-blooded, willing to sacrifice his own family to investigate the project to the end. President Xu, we underestimated our opponent! I've inquired; if we want him to stop digging, we must fill a hole of five hundred million!"

Xu Zongchao sneered: "Five hundred million? His appetite is truly not small. Is his life worth five hundred million?"

Wang Xingjian sensed the other party's ill intent and hurriedly advised: "You must stay calm; don't be impulsive!"

Xu Zongchao's tone was cold: "Don't worry, I do things very steadily. It hasn't reached the point of no return yet, so I won't go down with him!"